S. Ravenlord: Hails Joe! Yes, the grim tale of our horde is a bit long and twisted so I shall attempt to relate it as succinctly as possible. The Cold Beyond was born from the ashes of Nightworld and Paradox in August of ’98. The band was originally known as Dead By Morning until the name was changed to TCB in Nov. of ’99. The original 5 piece line-up recorded a 2 song rehearsal/promo in early ’99 and began assaulting the Metal underground via the live arena. In July of ’99 we replaced our original drummer Roth with Void thus solidifying the now klassick line-up of Void: drums, Stalker: bass/backing vocals, Scorn: guitar, Asylum: guitar/backing vocals, and myself handling the main vocals. We engaged in more live assaults and recorded a 4 song demo during the latter half of ’99. After we were the opening war cry for In Flames and Moonspell in Nov. of ’99, Stalker left to move to California, so I took over on bass. Shortly thereafter we lost Scorn as well. As a 3 piece, we recorded a 4 song rehearsal and played the last TCB show of the early era at the second New Jersey March Metal Meltdown in 2000. After returning from the Jersey fest Void took his leave, returning briefly to contribute a noise soundscape to the Technological Cure single which featured Asylum and me as the only two remaining members. We tried to move forward, but ultimately Asylum went on alone to record another demo and finally release the Deathbed Revelation album on Blackthrone in October of ’03 which signified the final breath of the first incarnation of The Cold Beyond.
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| Sithicus Ravenlord |
JM: In 2010 The Cold Beyond arose from the grave after being hacked apart and eventually buried back in 2003. What inspired you, Sithicus to exhume your old band and reanimate it?
S. Ravenlord: Simply put, it came down to a combination of the lingering feelings of unfinished business as well as the ever burning craving to play some of the coldest darkest music possible. I, along with my comrades of the ancient TCB era, spilled a lot of blood sweat and tears forging the legacy of TCB which has endured even after all these years of silence. I’ve always viewed The Cold Beyond as the apex of my grim musical visions and my work within that realm is by far the closest to my heart. It didn’t make sense for me to “start over” with a new name considering that I’m essentially moving forward from same foundation that was originally created with TCB. So it felt natural that I should create the new music under the TCB flag.
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| Drummer Jm Sundown |
S. Ravenlord: There was a period of time where there was talk of summoning session musicians to perform the ancient TCB music live and Scorn was going to be a part of that but things never really panned out for various reasons. There is also the very strong possibility that Void shall contribute more noise/soundscapes similar to his work on A Technological Cure to future TCB releases. Other than that none of the others were asked to rejoin the band simply because they have chosen to follow different paths and no longer possess the same hunger to play this kind of music. Let me be clear and say that my previous statement is not in any way meant to be an insult to my past band mates. I’m still very close friends and brothers with most of them, they have my full support always, and I wish them the absolute best in all of their future endeavors!
Concerning Sundown and myself, Jm and I have always been deeply possessed by cold grim ugly violent apocalyptic music and our tastes are very similar for the most part. We also share a deep friendship and brotherhood which in my eyes is one of the most essential elements to summoning a strong long lasting band. So, after we reconnected and Jm told me that he left the band that he was in at the time it once again felt natural to ask him to join TCB. Jm is one of only 3 people that I would care to work with musically and we shall be the only fulltime members of TCB moving forward.
Jm Sundown: I first met S. Ravenlord in 2000. We became great friends immediately. Though I had been into extreme metal since the ‘80s, he exposed me to a great deal of music that changed me forever. I quickly realized he had the same musical and artistic vision as me along with other things outside the artistic genre. Unfortunately, there was a period of silence between the two of us for about 6 years. But we reconnected in November of 2011. He told me about the resurrection of The Cold Beyond. I was already drumming for another band at the time, but left the following January. A while afterwards S. Ravenlord asked if I wanted to join The Cold Beyond. It didn’t take long for me to make my decision.
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| Deathbed Revelation '03 |
S. Ravenlord: Stalker left in November of 99 to move to California to be with his now wife. Scorn left shortly after due to lack of interest in the direction that the band was heading. Void left due to a desire to pursue different musical avenues.
After Void left Asylum and I chose to move forward using a drum machine because we both knew that we were never going to find a drummer of Void’s caliber around here anytime soon. Especially back then when finding musicians that were into BM was next to impossible. So because we chose to go the drum machine route, I wanted to be more experimental with it and not just program all normal style beats because we all know that most of the time the end result sounds corny and unconvincing. The Tech Cure track turned out as good as it did because Asylum’s programming was meant to sound more inhuman and not just impersonate a real drummer and it worked in my ears. I also had many ideas that used the drum machine in a very different rhythmic manner than just standard beats. But, I had only recently began playing bass at the time and I hadn’t even dreamed of picking up a guitar yet, so I was unable to properly voice my riff ideas effectively enough to have a greater impact on the writing of new songs. Asylum and I were both moving in very different directions musically and I wasn’t inspired by the riffs he was creating.
Let’s also set the record straight, I never officially left TCB. Due to a lack of communication on both of our parts, Asylum and I just stopped working together and he chose to take the TCB name and do his solo record. I was never happy nor approved of the fact that he chose to use the TCB name without consulting me first but I was so burned out on everything at the time that I didn’t feel like engaging in a battle over it so I kept my silence. After Deathbed was released Asylum moved on to do Die Alone and basically left TCB in the grave. In fact the last news I heard concerning Asylum was that he’s not really doing much of anything musically which is a terrible tragedy because he is an incredibly talented individual and it’s unfortunate to see such talent left unused. So it’s not like Deathbed came out a year or two ago and now suddenly I’m returning with a new TCB line-up while Asylum is still trying to carry on the name. 6 years had passed by the time I started the resurrection ritual of TCB in 2009. I feel that due to the circumstances of how things went down that I have just as much of a right to it as Asylum had. We all spilled equal amounts of blood and sweat into making TCB what it was, Asylum released his record and moved on, so now I feel it’s my time to use it as I please.
As for Deathbed Revelation itself, it’s an excellent musical achievement especially when you consider that it was all done by one artist. Asylum deserves massive hails for his hard work on that record without a doubt. However, I have never felt that the album possesses the true grim hateful spirit that’s always been an essential element of TCB.
Jm Sundown: I think the Deathbed Revelation record is a very unique addition to TCB legacy. It definitely shows Asylum thinking outside the box and taking Black Metal to different territories. I personally prefer the demo material for I believe the raw and primal brutality on those recordings is what TCB is truly about.
JM: A long talked about compilation of those old demos with the classic line-up titled, ‘Deadspeak’ has been in the works since the bands return. When can listeners expect to finally see these grim relics unleashed again?
S. Ravenlord: When I was going to do everything by myself. I had originally planned on using the release of Deadspeak as the starting point to hail the return of the band while I worked on the new album. However, since joining forces with Jm and work on the new music has progressed, it made more sense for us to focus on the new era of TCB first. Thus the idea was born to create the Forever Burning Ep. We wanted to have something new to possess people while we continue working on the new album. So the plan now is that once we’ve re-established the TCB name, we shall unleash Deadspeak. If I had to put a time frame on it, I’d say that DS will be unleashed after the release of our new album …And Then The Darkness Came.
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| Forever Burning 10/27/12 |
S. Ravenlord: Yes, absolutely. It was always our intention to release Forever Burning as a part of the celebration of the new age of TCB and our return to live battlefields.
JM: You’ve’ set October 27th as your first live performance in twelve years. I believe The Cold Beyond will perform as just a duo, but will session musicians step in at a later date so you can assume your original role as just vocalist?
S. Ravenlord: I can’t say that we’ll never summon the aid of session musicians to join us when we engage in live warfare, but as of right now we have no plans to do so. And even if we did enlist others to join us in battle, I would still continue to play guitar as well. For as much as I enjoyed the freedom to stalk and rage around the stage. I feel a much deeper more powerful connection to our grim art with a weapon in my hands. It’s a feeling that cannot be explained unless one experiences it firsthand.
JM: I’d imagine you’d want this return gig to have a lot of mystery and surprise surrounding it, but I’ll have to assume the audience will be treated to both the new material as well as your classics. Any thoughts about performing a cover song?
S. Ravenlord: Our focus is entirely on establishing the new era of TCB so we will only be performing our new material live at this time. Aside from A Technological Cure, most of our ancient material was performed by a horde of 3 to 5. Thus it wouldn’t make sense to attempt to recreate those songs live with only a two piece. So, at least for the time being, we will remain focused on our current and future work.
As for covers, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of us covering other artists that we admire.
JM: It’s been years since you violently screamed into a microphone. What was it like during rehearsals/recordings unleashing the inner primal black metal beast that you’ve held inside for all these years?
S. Ravenlord: There are not words to accurately describe the feelings that have possessed me as the resurrection of TCB has become a grim reality. I can tell you one thing for certain, and that’s that the years of silence have only served to fuel and strengthen the cold black flames that rage within me more than ever before! I can also declare without any uncertainty that this is by far the strongest music that I’ve ever been a part of in all of my years performing in bands. That I’m able to make such a bold statement is also in no small part due to the fact that I’m working with Sundown, his contributions to TCB are immeasurable. Again, I don’t mean my previous declaration as any kind of slight against the history of the band or our past members, but I also feel that if I can’t top what TCB has achieved in the past then it’s not worth it to attempt to move forward. Thankfully, our current work will definitely not disrespect what’s come before and we shall proudly carry forth the violent and hateful Black Metal torch that was lit all those years ago.
S. Ravenlord: That’s a very good question! The new music is quite cold, desolate, and as grim as it gets. Imagine if you were left standing at the edge of an immense glacier staring out into eternity as a monstrous arctic storm approaches behind you with an inexorable ravenous hunger devouring everything in its path. Your only choices are jump off the precipice or be consumed by the storm. Either way you’re completely fucked! If you can imagine that then you’ve got a decent idea what our new music sounds like.
Immortal and Gorgoroth are STILL HUGE influences on me and my riff writing, and that won’t change no matter how many years pass! But that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. My war brothers Scorn and Void have also had a major influence on my guitar style. I learned so much from working with them over the years that it’s helped me immensely in my writing. Sundown and I have vast deep wells of influence from which to draw from and it’s truly inspiring to think of the many possibilities where we can take TCB sound.
Jm Sundown: What we are doing with TCB is what I’ve been seeking to do for quite some time. This is the bleakest and most depressive band I’ve ever played in, yet it’s also vicious, primal, raw and barbaric as all hell and I love it. We are both inspired by all the early Scandinavian bands, but we also draw inspiration from a handful of newer bands who we feel are essential such as Drudkh. We are inspired by so much stuff it’s hard to name it all.
S. Ravenlord: Definitely more in the vein of TNBM or the French Black Legion. We are not interested in any rivalries with anyone. We are focused on our band, achieving the goals that we’ve set for ourselves, and working with other like minded artists. Everything else is unimportant.
Jm Sundown: WIBML is about people who play true black metal that comes from their heart. I feel that all the bands and musicians involved are for real and not just playing BM because it’s trendy. The rosters of bands that carry the WIBML logo represent quality and sincerity on top of creating amazing music. That’s what I feel we’re about. There are absolutely no meetings, patches, tattoos or anything else like that. And we are certainly not rivals with any other group in our area. We just want to represent the best BM in Wisconsin.
JM: Obviously you feel quite passionate about the Wisconsin Black Metal scene to start you own club/grouping of bands. What are your thoughts on the black metal scene here? What bands stand out and where do you see the Wisconsin scene going in the near future?
S. Ravenlord: It’s good to see that there is finally a BM scene developing here in WI. I’m also looking forward to sharing the battlefield with other local BM bands! I haven’t heard all of the BM bands that exist here in WI, but of the ones that I have heard: Sacrificial Massacre, Owlscry, Foreordination, Totmeer, and Mermeroth are among the elite in my humble opinion. There exists great potential here in WI. As the WIBML grows, I see the BM scene here becoming much stronger. We already have several plans in the works to spread the grim sermons of the WIBML as far as possible but I cannot speak of the details for they are still in the early stages of development. However, all shall be revealed in due time.
S. Ravenlord: NWR is first and foremost our outlet for releasing our dark musical art. Yes, we are planning to release the ancient demo material from my past bands but currently our first priority is the new TCB stuff as well as Jm’s NeoFolk/Experimental project Sundown. Plans for the Accursed and Stormblast material are in the works but they’ve been put on the backburner at the moment as we approach the release of the Forever Burning Ep. Of course once we’ve established NWR as a label we will entertain the possibility of working with other artists but (aside from a split release) that is not something that will happen anytime in the foreseeable future.
JM: You’ve used the quote, “Black Metal the way it was meant to be played” to describe your sound. With that said, what is black metal to you and what does it mean to you as an individual?
S. Ravenlord: Well, actually I can’t take credit for the aforementioned quote. Void was the one who originally came up with it. But it is an excellent quote and thus why I’ve kept it alive. Black Metal for me personally has always been an outlet for all of the darkness, hatred, and violence that dwells within my spirit. I can’t accurately put to words my connection with Black Metal. There’s something in BM that speaks to me in a way that nothing else has musically speaking anyway. Playing Black Metal is not just something that I want to do, but something that I HAVE to do.
Jm Sundown: Black Metal to me is basically rising above the typical norms and constraints of society as well as channeling the intense darkness, hatred and depression that has always been inside me. It is about reconnecting myself with nature and breaking away from the worldly and materialistic ways of humanity, thinking for myself and following my own path. Black metal is a very positive thing for me and has helped me grow and become a much stronger person.
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| Sithicus & Asylum in '00 |
S. Ravenlord: It really just came down to sheer coincidence that I happened to be the right age, playing in bands, and was a tape trader in the underground Metal scene during the late 80’s and into the 90’s. I feel lucky that I was able to be a part of such a special time in the history of Metal. Witnessing first hand as Speed/Thrash evolved into Death Metal/Grindcore. Experiencing the second wave of Black Metal as the Nordic hordes assaulted the underground which left me completely possessed by it is beyond words. It’s quite staggering to consider how many subgenres have sprouted off of the original Metal tree since it all began with the release of Black Sabbath. But ultimately being a part of it all via my bands and the various record stores that I’ve worked at is truly an honor for me. Granted, my contributions means nothing in the grand scheme of things other than the fact that I was among the first to do it here in WI starting with Accursed in 93’. But all that said I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it’s cool to have been among those leading the charge of the BM invasion of WI.
The only pressure that I feel comes from my own personal standards that are much higher than what anyone else can place upon me. I’m constantly striving to evolve and grow and become a better musician and song writer. I push myself to try and write the best possible riffs/songs/vocals that I can when working on new music. As long as the new music that we write holds up to or surpasses what we’ve done before then that’s all that I care about. Our music can always get colder, darker, more violent, hateful, and apocalyptic.
Jm Sundown: I feel no pressure. There is no anxiety for me. We just do exactly what we want. It all comes from the heart for us and whether people like it or not is irrelevant.
JM: Black metal is a genre with literally tons of releases every year, yet most are completely forgettable in the long run. Looking back on the past twenty years of the genre what would you say is some of most iconic, revolutionary and must own albums released since 1992?
S. Ravenlord: I’m quite disgusted with what passes for Black Metal these days. Most modern Black Metal lacks aggression, violence, hatred, and the true grim spirit of frozen darkness. There are still good bands to be heard for sure it’s just that finding the good bands is a much more challenging proposition these days.
Since 92’ there’ve been way too many great albums released to mention them all here, so aside from the obvious klassicks which have received enough talk I’ll mention some of the lesser known gems that are just as deserving of the klassick status: Nehemah: Requiem Tenebre, Taake: Nattestid, Kvist: For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, Hades (Nor): first two records, Gehenna: the 1st and 2nd spells, everything by Mysticum, Niden Div. 187: Impergium, Old Wainds: Where the Snows Are Never Gone..., Setherial: Nord, Paysage d'Hiver: S/T, Graveland: Following the Voice of Blood, and Gorgoroth: Destroyer.
As for newer records since the turn of the millennium, some that I can name are: Funeral Mist: Salvation, Thorns: S/T, Deathspell Omega: Si Monumentum, Drudkh: first two records, Darkspace: II, Ghast: May the Curse Bind, Blut Aus Nord: The Work…, Anaal Nathrakh: Codex Necro, Katharsis: Kruzifixxion, The Axis Of Perdition: Deleted Scenes, Clandestine Blaze: Night of Unholy Flames, and Hate Forest: Purity.
Jm Sundown: Darkthrone’s Panzerfaust is one of the greatest BM albums ever created. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas by Mayhem is another mandatory record. Drudkh’s Forgotten Legends and Autumn Aurora are some of my all-time favorites as well. Personally, there’s just too much I love for me to answer.
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| Deadspeak demo compilation |
S. Ravenlord: I was the drummer in several “bands” before switching to vocals in my first “real” band Accursed which started in 93’. After Accursed came Hollow, Nightworld, and Stormblast before TCB was formed in 98’ under the Dead By Morning name. While Asylum was working on his solo album, Jm and I first worked together in fractured…, which is also when I started playing guitar, before going our separate ways and the rest is now history.
Jm Sundown: I’ve actually been playing in bands for 24 years. I have recorded many demos and CDs with many bands, not only in extreme music but dark music in general. But like I said earlier, the music we’re creating for TCB is what I’ve wanted to do the most.
JM: Some metal musicians stick to just metal, while others have other musical interests. Do you guys enjoy any music outside of the metal genre, if so any names you care to share? Likewise, have any of these bands influenced The Cold Beyond in anyway?
S. Ravenlord: I’ll start by saying that I still listen to a lot of Black Metal especially during the autumn and winter months. Metal in general has been and always will be the closest music to my heart, but I do enjoy a vast variety of different music. If the music moves me, then I couldn’t care less what genre it comes from. For example, I’m a HUGE fan of film scores and have a fairly decent sized collection that is ever growing. I’m definitely inspired by non metal music when writing for TCB; however all of it gets channeled through a Black Metal filter so the influence may not always be so easily apparent. I believe that everything that I listen to has an influence on me in some way or another, but how strong that influence may be is another story. Sadly, as I’ve grown older, it’s become increasingly more difficult to find new music that inspires me but I always keep my ears open to the possibility of something new to blow me away all over again. Concerning non Metal music that I like, it’s simply too difficult for me to lock it down to a handful of names.
Jm Sundown: Neofolk and experimental industrial such as Death In June, Controlled Bleeding and Of The Wand And The Moon have greatly inspired me. Nick Drake and Syd Barret are some of my favorites as well. Swans are probably one of my all time favorite bands and Michael Gira’s work has greatly inspired me. I listen to so much music, metal and non-metal, that it’s hard to name everything.
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| Sithicus, early 2012 |
S. Ravenlord: There is meaning behind all aspects of my work in TCB even down to the smallest details such as the battle gear that I wear and the war paint style that I’ve chosen. The origins of my artist name are very personal to me and would not be easily understood by those who don’t know me so I shall keep them private. One thing that I can divulge is that Sithicus comes from the D&D Ravenloft games and novels.
Jm Sundown: Jm are my initials and Sundown is a reference to my solo project of the same name.
JM: To an extent The Cold Beyond is a bit different lyrically and even visually than most black metal bands since none of the lyrics have Satanic or Anti-Christian themes while no member of the band has ever worn an inverted cross or pentagram in any photos or onstage either. Inevitably one can’t help but wonder what your feelings on Christianity may be and whether or not you hold any special religious beliefs?
S. Ravenlord: My personal views are private and have nothing to do with TCB. We are not discerning in our utter disgust and hatred for the vast majority of humanity. If you wipe out humanity then religion and politics become irrelevant. The anti-Christian/satanic theme has been done to death and is completely uninspiring to me. There are many other realms of darkness and hatred that can be explored.
Jm Sundown: Religion is of no concern to me. Refer to my answer on what I think BM is.
JM: What would you say is your most precious memory when looking back to the late 90’s when the band was rehearsing, writing songs, recording and playing gigs as much as possible?
S. Ravenlord: That’s a very tough question to answer as there are many awesome moments that I hold dear. I don’t know where to begin! So much has happened in the 23+ years that I’ve been doing this that I could easily write a novel’s worth of material to answer the question. I’m going to have to get back to you on that one.
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| Live March Metal Meltdown '99 |
Jm Sundown: I hate ignorance and greed. I hate humanity in general, but that’s why I do what I do.
JM: Assuming you could return to any point/place in history be it centuries ago or only a few decades, where might you go and what might you do?
Jm Sundown: I’m happy right where I am. Life is a struggle no matter what point in the past or present you’re in.
JM: When not creating music what other hobbies and interests do you indulge in?
S. Ravenlord: We have our label and have also begun laying the groundwork for Deadspeak Design. I’m a movie fanatic. I have an intense passion for military history and weapons of all eras. I write for Liquid Cheese and HorrorHound Magazines. I work for Synapse Films at various Horror conventions. I also enjoy reading and being out in the woods.
Jm Sundown: I love to hike. I love being in nature and just getting away from it all. The woods are where I feel most like myself.
JM: Okay, and the must ask question. What are your five deserted island albums?
S. Ravenlord: It would be way too difficult for me to come up with only 5 albums to take with me on a deserted island. I’d rather have my guitar so that I could make my own music or play some of the music that I enjoy.
Jm Sundown: Swans: Public Castration Is A Good Idea, Darkthrone: Panzerfaust, Burzum: Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, Death In June: But What Ends When The Symbols Shatter? I don’t know. I love too much music to have a top 5.
JM: And the standard, what are your thoughts on Lunar Hypnosis?
S. Ravenlord: Your heart, dedication, and passion are clearly evident in your work with LH and I enjoy reading it whenever I can. Long may you keep it running Joe!
JM: Sithicus, JM Sundown, we’ve reached the end. I thank thee both for your time spent on this interview. The final words of wisdom and power are all yours.
S. Ravenlord: Hails to you and your great webzine Joe! Hail the WIBML and keep the grim flames burning cold and black!
Jm Sundown: Think for yourself. Be honest. Be true. Forge ahead and don’t let anyone take you down!
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