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Subject: Forefather interviews
Replies: 15 Views: 667
kute_lez 30.04.09 - 05:59am
First of all,thanks to you Athelstan for taking the time to answer the following questions. I think it would be a good start if you could introduce your band briefly for those who might not know you yet
ATHELSTAN - If you don't now us,then where have you been?! haha We have been active since 1997 and we create Heathen Metal with traditional and black metal influences. Our lyrics concentrate on the AngloSaxon period of history and English identity in the modern day. We occasionally call ourselves AngloSaxon Metal, although these kind of labels are quite silly really. We have released four albums. These are Deep Into Time, The Fighting Man, Engla Tocyme and Ours Is The Kingdom. Our latest album, Steadfast, will be released in a few weeks
What was the main reason for you to found Forefather? Tell us more about the lyrics and music concept?
ATHELSTAN - The main reason was because we are musicians and metal fans, so it was natural to make that step. The reasons for our lyrical direction were sparked by our musical influences at the time who were singing about their Dark Age past, but our interest grew to a personal level regarding the negative state of English identity in the modern day. We began to learn more and more about the Dark Ages and how they were really the light of our culture. We are inspired by the history, language and literature of the AngloSaxon period and how it connects to us in the 21st Century. We like to occasionally use pieces of Old English language in the music as it really brings the reality of that connection to life. Musically, we just make whatever we like the sound of. We have wide-ranging musical tastes, but generally like the sound of metal. We are creative with melody and occasionally add subtle folk elemants, but I'm reluctant to call us a folk metal band
Do you have other bands that you play with?
ATHELSTAN - No, so far we are only committed to Forefather, although we have contributed a couple of songs to the Folkearth project. This is not realy the same as being in a band though. It is more like a long distance musical project. We have numerous plans for solo projects which may or may not see the light of day. Time will tell
Which bands or musicians have you been influenced by through the years and currently?
ATHELSTAN - Mr Steven Harris and his classic Iron Maiden albums are always a subject for reverance for us. Early Immortal, Emperor and Satyricon albums. Varg Vikernes, Chuck Schuldiner, December Moon, Bathory, Abigor etc We like a lot of metal. At the moment I'm listening to Pagan's Mind and they are excellent. I like any metal that's original
Your new and much anti ted fifth alb*m titled Steadfast will be out soon. Please tell us more about this album. What does the title of the alb*m mean for you guys? What is the main concept or theme? How long did you work on this release? What are your hopes for the album?
ATHELSTAN - The title is really about staying true to what you believe in and trying to stay sane in the modern world. We are bombarded with so much nonsense from society, that we must stay true to nature's harsh reality and what relates to us best. We need to filter the cr*p out of our minds as best we can.There is no overall concept to the album, but we have subjects ranging from the famous Battle Of Brunanburh, to Hengest and Horsa, and the idea of tribal belief being important for a strong sense of community. It took an eternity to create (3 years) but at last, after much struggle, it is done. My hopes are simply that people will consider it a great album, and maybe it will awaken something in them
Where do you see the UK metal scene and the Heathen metal scene in the present?
ATHELSTAN - In recent years it has gained a lot of popularity, even to say ''mainstream'' which I don't really like, although I suppose it is healthy to have more members involved
What do you hate and love mostly on this Earth?
ATHELSTAN - I love my family. I hate Trivium
Will there be any live gigs with new or session musicians? I am a huge fan of yours, and I was wondering if you will have the opportunity to release a live alb*m in the future? Anything planned there? How do you envision the future of the band?
ATHELSTAN - It's very unlikely that we will ever play live. Making an alb*m together is stressful enough, so organising concerts and rehearsals woul be a nightmare. We don't really want the hassle of that. Sorry for any disappointment
You have a label called Seven Kingdoms, please tell us more about it. Any releases? Fututre plans? Any trouble with pirates?
ATHELSTAN - Seven Kingdoms was born from the ashes of Angelisc Enterprises, which no one could pro nounce properly! It's been alive since 2004 and has released a superb cd by the Dutch band Thronar called For Death And Glory which is currently sold out and also a great opus of the prolific Lon of Hellveto called Stos. It is a very relaxed label activity wise. We do a release only when we really love something. The latest release is our new alb*m Steadfast, and in pre-order terms, it is so far very successful. We decided that the best way to benefit from our own work in the current climate is to release it ourselves. There is no need for us to have a Middleman record label when all we really want to do is put the thing on cd. We have the knowledge and experience of the years. In recent months we have discarded our mail-order service as we began to see the futility of trading for other cds. Our plans for the label are to solely deal with Forefather for the forseeable future. It can be a struggle and there is little money in it, but the major benefit is control over your own destiny. You learn from experience about pirates, although I have to say we have encountered them rarely. You could say that many of these labels that release woeful cds are pirates themselves!
Thanks for your time. I wish you all the best with Steadfast. Any last words for the readers of Metalicos?
ATHELSTAN - Thanks to all of you who have supported our work over the years. We hope you like Steadfast *
borae 30.04.09 - 07:30pm
Sounds a bright bloke. .remain steadfast, sounds great advice t me. *
borae 3.05.09 - 01:57am
Oh. Go on. please *
puciato 7.05.09 - 11:58pm
Love the cheap shot at trivium lol *
borae 9.05.09 - 05:16pm
What wrong with trivium? No really, im not kidding . *
vair 13.05.09 - 01:32pm
Nice guy, pitty though bout no live performances *
mielikki 12.06.09 - 11:49pm
I'd fly to England just to see them live 
*
mielikki 13.06.09 - 06:22am
Metal Zone is very glad to interview the band called Forefather
Hi, do you want to tell something about yourself to the readers?
WULFSTAN - My name is Wulfstan and I am one half (along with my brother Athelstan) of Forefather. We are from England and play a kind of traditional/pagan/black metal hybrid that we call (because people like labels so much) Anglo-Saxon Metal or English Heathen Metal. We released our first alb*m Deep Into Time nearly 10 years ago in 1999 and we just released our latest and fifth alb*m Steadfast
Your last full length alb*m Steadfast was released a while ago. Can you describe it in detail?
It's another varied alb*m with lots of different tempos, riffs and melodies. It's an evolution of our normal style so no one should be too surprised at what they hear. I'm sure it's the best production we've ever had. Here's a pre-written brief note on each track
Brunanburh - Our tribute to the English victory at Brunanburh, an important battle of the 10th century. Inspired by the poem of the same name from the Anglo-Saxon chronicle
Cween of the Mark - Another upbeat and uptempo track, this time in honour of Athelflad of Mercia (daughter of Alfred the Great. She was instrumental in reclaiming land lost to the Danish conquests. There is also a similarity with the Eowyn of Rohan character in Lord Of The Rings. I suspect Athelflad was part of Tolkien's inspiration when creating that character
Theodish Belief - A slower, darker track. It's about the importance of the tribal way of life in ancient times and how we don't have that same strong tribal belief now. Theodish was an Old English word meaning tribe or a people. It has disappeared from modern English but survives in other languages such as Deutsch in German
Hallowed Halls - A pretty epic sounding song about the importance of the mead hall in Anglo-Saxon warrior society
Steadfast - The title track. Quite aggressive and uplifting. The message is about being steadfast in your beliefs. Not giving in to outside pressure. Also to not tolerate nonsense
Three Great Ships - Inspired by the legend of the brothers Hengest and Horsa who are said to have arrived in three great ships and founded the first English settlements in Britain. One of the faster tracks on the alb*m
Eostre - An instrumental named after the spring festival of Eostre. The music is quite jovial and celebratory so we thought it fitted well
Fire From the Sky - An almost power metal type track about the importance of omens and superstitions in Anglo-Saxon society
Mellowing Of The Maids - One of the darker songs. The title refers to the practice of clearing a space prior to a ritual, cleaning the energy field. Generally about the idea of wiping the slate clean (so to speak), the cycles of birth and death, creation and destruction
Wolfhead's Tree - Maybe the most melancholy track on the album. Wolfhead was another name for an outlaw and the Wolfhead's Tree was the gallows. The song itself loosely tells the tale of a defeated head of a people or warrior-band, hanged by his conquerors
Miri It Is - Based around an early medieval folk song. The lyrics deal with the joys of the summer months and the impending doom of winter. We also added our own verse about how short our own lives are in the grand scheme of things and the importance in Anglo-Saxon society of earning fame through worthy deeds so that one's name may live on
What has changed from Deep Into Time to Steadfast?
WULFSTAN - In some ways, not much. We are still pretty much the same people we were in the beginning with the same outlook on life. Of course though, the Forefather Fyrd has grown in size, even if we could've been more successful if we'd pursued success more fervently. We're not quite ready to conquer the world yet, but maybe one day! Based on the way things are going with Steadfast it looks like there could be a lot more opportunity for success in the coming years
What are the main differences with the previous albums about the song writing and the quality of sound?
WULFSTAN - Deep Into Time was more rooted in black metal than later albums. On the second alb*m The Fighting Man we began the type of style that I think we are more recognised for now, with more melody and different tempos. Since The Fighting Man,the evolution of our music has been more subtle. The way we write songs hasn't changed much at all. We usually just come up with a few good riffs or melodies while we're playing around on the guitar and build songs from there.We've never sat down and wrote songs together,but sometimes one person might donate a riff to another one's song, or one of us might finish off the other's song if they lose inspiration.
There is a big difference in our studio equipment from the first alb*m to now. Deep Into Time was recorded on very primitive and old-school an*logue equipment.From The Fighting Man onwards we switched to digital production which helped our sound. We learn with each alb*m how to make things sound better, even if there are still some mistakes on the way
What is a band that has the heaviest influence on your style and what kind of music do you listen nowadays?
WULFSTAN - I would credit Iron Maiden for sparking our love affair with Metal. It all started when we saw Powerslave in the local library, thought the cover looked cool and persuaded our mother to borrow it for us. Maybe it's because it was the first alb*m I ever got into, but Powerslave is still in my top 3 albums of all time. The band I would credit for inspiring me to pick up a guitar is Metallica. I went through a period of listening to pretty much nothing else. In the years before we started Forefather though, we discovered Black Metal and stuff like Bathory, and that had a big influence on our musical direction. Nowadays I don't buy a whole load of new stuff. The last new albums I can remember buying were Nile's Ithyphallic and King Diamond's Give Me Your SoulPlease
Coming back to the alb*m Steadfast, personally I think it is a masterpiece to listen to while closing my eyes and imagining being immersed in a blood battlefield. How are the first reviews?
WULFSTAN - I'm delighted to say the first reviews are excellent, which is good because I'm a sensitive soul and I hate criticism haha 
I was a bit nervous waiting to hear what people thought but thankfully they seem to like it. Bad reviews are never something we've had to deal with. Of course though, not every review is 9/10. Some people aren't quite as impressed, but you can't get everyone salivating at the mouth with excitement!
Who is the author of the alb*m cover?
WULFSTAN - Martin Hanford. He is pretty well known and has worked with Bal-Sagoth. We wanted to have a more natural, hand-drawn style for our front cover this time. It was good because we could tell him exactly what we wanted and he did a great job of bringing our imaginations to life. I can see us working with him again if he would like to
Why have four years elapsed since the previous album? Will we have to wait another four years to hear your next job?
WULFSTAN - In all honesty a lot of the four year wait was due to our own laziness or (to perhaps put it better) lack of motivation. We were never working on the alb*m all day ever day. We would dip in and out. Sometimes we wouldn't do anything for months. I suppose it's a problem of recording in a home studio and not having deadlines. I sincerely hope you won't have to wait four years again. Ideally we'd like another alb*m out next year, both to capitalise on the success of Steadfast and also to reward the fans who waited so long since Ours Is The Kingdom. We're aiming to get a new studio setup in place during the summer and start work on stuff
You define your music as Anglo-Saxon Metal. Are there underlying reasons in addition to your country of origin?
WULFSTAN - It's mainly just a name we were given because of our lyrical inspiration. We were listening to other bands singing about their heritage and were interested in doing the same, except English. I suppose you could just say that Anglo-Saxon Metal is the English version of Viking Metal
Forefather are two brothers, Athelstan and Wulfstan. Is that an advantage because it'd be more difficult for the band to split? Would you like more people to be involved with Forefather?
WULFSTAN - There is no need for anyone else to be involved because we're not a live band and don't plan on becoming one. We can do everything ourselves in the studio. Maybe having a drummer would be ideal but it's so easy to have good, realistic sampled/programmed drums these days. The technology is improving all the time. Forefather is also a very personal project to us. We've been going alone for so long now that it wouldn't feel right working with anyone else
In which way is a new song born? What is it that inspires your song writing?
WULFSTAN - New songs are born from just messing around on the guitar. We both usually play most days for at least 20-30 minutes. Occasionally we'll stumble across something that sounds good and we'll take note of it. Songs usually develop from one starting riff. Everything else leads on from there. You get a sense of what kind of riff or melody should follow on
What do you think about the heavy metal movement in your country and in the world in general? What are the band (or bands) that have captured your attention?
WULFSTAN - Metal in the UK has become acceptable again, even fashionable. In the 90s, bands like Iron Maiden were laughed at and considered geeky,but now they're cool again! Lots of the kids are listening to ''heavy'' guitar music. A lot of it isn't proper Metal though if you ask me. The true Metal movement will always be around, no matter what the current trends and fashions are.Honestly,it's tough for me to say what new bands have caught my attention because I don't tend to listen to many new bands. I mainly listen to established bands that I've always listened to, or established bands that have been around a while but I've never got into before. I like to discover a band myself, often by accident. I don't like magazines hyping up bands and telling me I should listen to them. If I see a new band splashed all over the magazines with lots of hype,it puts me off
Projects for the future?
WULFSTAN - One project we're looking at is improving Ours Is The Kingdom. We're not entirely happy with how the production on that alb*m was and the mastering was also messed up by the label. We're also considering contributing something again to Folkearth,the international Folk Metal band.The main project will be the next Forefather alb*m though
All the Metal Zone staff thank you for your kindness and availability. Do you wanna tell us something more?
WULFSTAN - I want to tell you thank you for asking the questions. We very much appreciate your support. Hails to you and keep the Metal true! *
borae 14.06.09 - 10:57am
They really seem t know about life in the dark age-medieval *
mielikki 14.06.09 - 11:01am
A better production on Ours Is The Kingdom would be great *
borae 14.06.09 - 11:10am
You mean its below par? *
mielikki 14.06.09 - 11:13am
The drum machine sounds a bit to distracting 
I love the alb*m anyway *
aenglisc 20.05.10 - 08:30pm
sorry if i crossed a line here, found this while scouring the internet making sure Forefather haddnt slipped a new alb*m past me
any how, what follows is lifted near entirely from something named '''ocultblackmetalzine...........no mention is made ' *
aenglisc 20.05.10 - 08:42pm
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Forefather Interview
1. Can you update us with what is going on with Forefather these days?
We are in the process of demo-ing and choosing songs for our next album. This time we have many more songs than usual, so well have enough material for at least half the next one too. Other than that we are just preparing our studio and dealing with the day to day tasks of selling some CDs, shirts etc.
2. Where did you come up with the band name?
It was quite a simple choice in the early days of starting the project. We needed something which represented times gone by. It was a matter of making sure nobody else had used it yet, which luckily they hadnt. Other than that there is not much story behind the name.
3. I noticed that the band changes direction with each album, how would you describe the musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
We never make any intentional changes in direction, but inevitably our writing styles may change over time with experience. I think most of the changes weve gone through are down to sound rather than the music, although we seem to have naturally lost some of the more straight black metal stuff to more traditional or heavy metal. The black metal riffing is still there though, and I think its an integral part of our sound. Over the years weve become more elaborate in our vocal and synth work, and perhaps added melody on the guitar. I see this kind of stuff continuing on the next album; though if I had to give a more definite prediction I would say it may sound a bit like a mixture of the last 2 albums.
4. When can we expect new material?
We no longer give predictions of release dates as we got into lots of problems with this before Steadfast. All I can say is that were working on demos and I very much hope to get an alb*m out this year. We shall see. In the end I think its better not to rush things. Its not like we have a record company putting pressure on us. Things just get done when theyre ready.
5. Out off all the albums you have recorded so far which one are you the most satisfied with?
Steadfast because overall it is, in my opinion, the best thing weve created music wise, production wise and performance wise. However in some ways I think Deep into Time because of its simplicity and rawness. Not much was asked of it, so it lived up to our expectations.
6. How has your music been received so far by pagan metal fans worldwide?
very positively, especially since Steadfast which seems to have gone down particularly well with many people. I havent heard many negative things for quite a few years now. Maybe this is because Pagan/Viking metal is more popular now, so the pi*s-taking remarks about hey nonny nonnyisms have died down.
*
aenglisc 20.05.10 - 08:43pm
7. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your live performance?
We have never played a live show so this is a somewhat empty paragraph from me.
8. Are there any plans for a U.S tour?
No. There are still no plans for any live performances.
9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
Firstly metal such as Iron Maiden, Burzum, Rhapsody, Manowar, Bathory and also some ambient, folk and medieval music has influenced us. These days (personally speaking) I listen to very little music besides the new Burzum alb*m and Vangelis, with some folk and medieval music occasionally. When you are around music so much, sometimes you dont want to hear it anymore. Things can become stale and its more and more difficult to find something fresh sounding without digging back into the classic metal past to find a gem you never discovered, or continuing to follow the more established bands.
10. How would you compare Anglo Saxon Mythology to Norse Mythology?
They are very similar and have essentially the same roots. Differences come in the names of gods and festivals, but the important thing is the essential meaning of it all. Eostre and Nerthus seem to be particular to the English, but some may argue with that. Overall I see the two as basically the same ideas in a different mask. Im more interested in the meaning, not the superficial side.
11. What are some of your interests outside of music?
Formula 1 racing, alternative views of history, the origins of religions, English history, films, exploring the outdoors.
12. Any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the questions. If youre interested in the band keep an eye on HYPERLINK http://www.forefather.net www.forefather.net . I hope to be able to offer the new material this year. *
mancmike 3.06.10 - 11:10pm
i saw trivium just before a slayer gig they where really rubbish, i just hate the lead singer, forefather should do some touring we should start a facebook pattition or something im sure bloodstock would gladly have you, *
