Duskseeker Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?  

Duskseeker is my solo black metal project. I am currently based in Denton, Texas. Duskseeker started in 2015 as a musique concréte black metal project. I would play just guitar by myself and do improvised free improv textural experimental black metal with lots of guitar pedal experimentation. That sound was captured on the album Black Wolf Nightmare (2017). Over time, the project has evolved to have a more "full band" sound, but I am recording all the instruments (though I perform guitar and vocals live with backing tracks). Spiralscape (2021) was the first album to go into this territory, and it had styles of symphonic black metal, ambient, prog rock, doom metal, and free improv with the incorporation of synthesizers and drum machines. The Maw is my latest album (July 2026), and it hones in on a more aggressive, industrial, synth-backed sound with symphonic black metal and death metal elements. 

2.Recently you have released a new ep. ,musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

It dials up the aggression more than my past works. The same musical freedom is still present, but with a more tightened industrial symphonic black metal sound with better production, more aggressive riffs and song writing, harder vocals, and more synths. 

3.Some of your lyrics cover Gnosticism themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interestt in this topic?

I am not religious per se, but the world of the Gnostics is potent as an artistic tool and literary allegory. The world of Duskseeker that I have created borrows from the Gnostics the idea that a false, malevolent god is in charge of the world and this god is concealing beings of the earth from knowing real spiritual truth (gnosis). I take this idea and use it to critique the power structures of our real world and as a mode of self-empowerment. 

4.Lyrically you also cover 90's video games, which games have had an influence on the songwriting?

Final Fantasy VI and VII, Xenogears, Half Life, Elden Ring, Chrono Trigger, Dark Souls, Metroid, and King's Field are the primary video game influences on The Maw and Spiralscape, but there are others at well that probably came into play that I'm less conscious of or not recalling at the moment. 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Duskseeker'?

It means a lot of different things to me personally, but to others it can mean something else. Some have told me that it reminds them of vampires, while others have said it reminds them of cowboys. I've heard other takes as well. These are interesting interpretations, and like all art, it is open to interpretation. 

6.Can you tell us a little bit about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

This is the prompt I gave to Devon Grey (Weeping Wyrm), the artist who created the art :

"I want the cover to feature as its subject a cybernetic knight/dragoon with either a sword or halberd in front of a cityscape with lightning in the background. The cityscape has many ruined buildings, but has one big gothic castle but with some spires or something indicating that it might be something futuristic. The art would seem to indicate that the giant castle has sucked the life out of the rest of the city and is some sort of nexus of malevolence. Perhaps the lightning is between the knight and the cityscape. I know this sounds a lot more sci-fi than what you probably usually do, but I like the idea of it being in your style and letting your style convey a distant dark fantasy land that may or may not be like our world and just subtly convey a sci-fi element by the fact of its otherworldliness."

7.With this recording you record most of the music by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians again in the future or do you prefer to work solo?

I am currently working with other musicians on the full length Duskseeker album that I am recording. I will also be working with somebody else on the mixing and mastering for that album as well. I would like to assemble a full live band for Duskseeker in the future. I do have some friends who have said they are interested in participating in that, but we haven't gotten together to make it happen quite yet.

8.With the live line up what are some of the best shows that you have played so far an also how would you describe your stage performance?

I really liked a lot of the shows that I did on The Maw tour I did in August. Every time I tour I feel like I learn something new and get better at touring. I've had many good shows on tours in the past, but I'd say this tour was the most successful for Duskseeker as a whole so far. When I play live, I dress in an outfit that consists of a black veil that goes over my eyes, an aluminum-plated pauldron (used by real practitioners of modernistic forms of ninjutsu), gauntlets, leggings, tactical boots, and a thin scarf that I use as a cape. All in black. I play guitar and do vocals, and I play to a backing track. I also enjoy adding free improv to some of the songs. Mostly in guitar solo sections these days, but sometimes I will improvise a whole section of the set, if the spirit moves me. Improvisation and experimentation are pillars in the foundations of Duskseeker, and I continue to embrace that as the sound of the project evolves. 

9.On the ep you also done a 'Nocturnus' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

I really like the Nocturnus album, The Key, and that song resonates with me on a musical level as well as a lyrical level. I felt that the themes behind that song are in line with the material present on the rest of my album, The Maw. Nocturnus is also a very important band in terms of helping pioneer extensive use of synthesizers in extreme metal, and for that, I felt like paying tribute to them in a Duskseeker album was appropriate. RIP Mike Browning of Nocturnus and Morbid Angel, who died shortly before The Maw was released. 

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of symphonic black and death metal?

No complaints so far that I'm aware of! Everyone I've seen or talked to has had very nice things to say, which is great. I am grateful for the positive reception. 

11. What is going on with your other musical projects these days?

Special Agent, my digital hardcore/postindustrial band has an EP up our sleeves ready to go that we are still figuring out release plans for. BONE LEECH, my sludge metal band, just tracked our debut album, which will hopefully be released in 2027. Oil Spill (black metal) has chatted about trying to get together and write sometime, but we are all collectively very busy with other obligations/projects/etc. I have thoughts for other projects as well, but those are more in the long term after I finish recording the next Duskseeker album. 

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Some of my biggest musical influences are, in no particular order, Nobuo Uematsu, Nine Inch Nails, Death, Type O Negative, Emperor, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, Johnny Cash, Scott Walker, Secret Chiefs 3, Frank Zappa, Slowdive, The Doors, The Cure, Dead Can Dance, Motoi Sakuraba, Yasunori Mitsuda, Michiru Yamane, Gyorgy Ligeti, and the list goes on. I still keep a lot of these artists in regular rotation. Some of my more recent regular rotations have been Exxûl, Blood Incantation, the Final Fantasy VIII OST, Lycia, Youth Code, the A Fox In Space OST, Madeline Goldstein, SRSQ, the Einhander OST, Enya, and Char-X, among many others. 

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Be on the lookout for material, as well as more out of town shows. Thank you for your time. Stay cool 😎⚔️👽

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