Ebony Lake Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
Currently we are putting the final touches to the first body of work in over ten years, we have enough material for an album and so are looking for suitable labels, we are working as a duo at the moment with a couple of female vocalists who help out in that department. All the music is currently produced in my own studio which gives us full control over the sound we wish to achieve, though my limited talents as a producer means that the sound is quite raw, something I wanted for the band from day one.

2. How would you describe your musical style?
Thats quite a hard one to answer! Without wanting to sound too pretentious I would use a few words like Claustrophobic, Horrific, Abstract, Surreal, Experimental, Bleak, etc, and also there's an element of what i would call Dark Romance. Orchestral music obviously runs through every aspect of what we do but not in the usual way you would find in other metal bands, all these orchestral elements have a contemporary and experimental view point.
You could say that we are best described as avantgarde and i would agree with that. Most people on first listen simply cannot cope with the amount of activity within the music, i've heard it described as chaos and it may sound like it at first but on repeated listens the different shades and dynamics shine through so repeated listening is a must, like all good music should be.

3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
I came up with the name probably as far back as 1994, i was looking for something beautiful to descibe something that sounded ugly and absurd and to be honest ive always been a huge fan of Tchaikosky and Swan Lake was a huge influence on the band name.


4. In the 90's you where signed to Cacaphonous Records which had a lot of big name bands for the time that became huge rock stars, what ever happened to that label, and I also noticed you still remain somewhat of an underground band despite having more creative music than most of the bands on that label?
Has far as i know the label went bankrupt and we, along with everyone else with them at the time were released from contract. I think the fact that the band split up in '99 helped us to remain underground but this style of music that we play was never going to get as much commercial attention as some of the other bands as it is just too extreme in its compositional manner for the majority of metal fans.

5. You took a hiatus for a long time, what where you doing during those years and what made you decide to reform the band after all these years?
Well I for one disappeared into obscurity, flirting briefly with film music but generally slowly building my studio to a standard where i no longer needed to rely on other people to make music. I will always refer to those years as being musically lost, just wandering around in limbo, constantly longing to return to the only thing i knew. In my personal life things were perfect but there was always this sad weight on my shoulders. Then one day through the power of the internet I began to communicate with Mass again who had formed the death metal band Nailed, he persuaded me that i should bring Ebonylake back to life and that he was prepared to join me again. And here we are.

6. Currently you are unsigned, what kind of label do you feel that would do the most to support your style of music?
mmm, not sure about that. I have always admired Prophecy Productions so who knows? I know there are plenty labels out there i would consider working with, maybe those that are sympathetic to Avantgarde music would know how best to get us heard by the people we want to hear us.


7. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
I find it much easier to describe the music than the lyrics actually. Ive said in the past that it often feels like the music and lyrics are being channeled through me rather than coming from me. I have written down lyrics in the past that just flow off the end of my pen and i have no idea where they come from, probably the darkest parts of my brain.
Many people comment on the lyrics and the guys at cacophonous records were really into them. I think its just images and thoughts ive been building up since childhood. The best advice i could give is to read them, you will find lots of gothic horror but in an abstract style a bit like Edgar Allan Poe im told. Going off on another path here but im convinced i have memories that i brought to this life from another existence, i have always had these memories of existing in a place of Euphoria, i remember landscapes and architecture and a feeling of being a part of everything. But thats another story.



8. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you
describe your stage performance?
The stage performance was always very intense and the thing with playing live is it was either ecstasy or despair. If everything fell into place it was explosive and i have a few shows that i will always remember.

9. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
No not at the moment, im not ruling it out for the future but to be honest we would probably need 4 keyboard players or an orchestra not to mention a chant section because i wouldnt want to water the sound down in anyway.

10. How has your music been received so far by extreme metal fans worldwide?
Well back when our debut album 'On The eve......' was released there was no avantgarde extreme metal scene to speak of really just the odd release here and there. People generally fell into two camps when listening to Ebonylake, those who were left totally confused by what they were hearing and those who had been waiting a long time for something so unusual. I was surprised to find that such a cult following had built in the years after our split. Nowadays the response is overwhelmingly positive as the avantgarde scene has established itself and people seem ready now.

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