Interviews : A quick Q&A with Be’lakor

Be’lakor’s third album Of Breath and Bone was by far one of the most anticipated local releases of recent times, and the general consensus seems to be that it certainly lives up to expectation. With two more shows left on their launch tour (details at the bottom), we had a quick Q&A with vocalist and guitarist George Kosmas. Oh, and if you’re yet to pick up the new album, make sure to head over to their official website where you can purchase it.

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So you’ve recently released your third album “Of Breath and Bone”. How has the response been so far?

We’ve been very pleased with the response. Most listeners seem to be of the opinion that it is either better than, or equal to, our previous work – which is what any musician will aspire to achieve.

In what ways do you think this is an improvement over Stones Reach?

In my opinion, the melodies are riffs are more intricate and carefully constructed. We’ve produced a lot more three-part harmonies this time, which I think many of our listeners particularly enjoy. Of Breath and Bone is probably faster, heavier and more melodic than Stone’s Reach – so people who prefer us on the doomy side might be a little disappointed. Overall, I think it’s a step up but – of course – I am biased.

Did you go into writing the album with any particular changes or plans in mind?

Not really – we just write whatever comes naturally to us at any given time. We tried to maintain a balance between our elements, but I think there we were a bit less restrained with our melodies this time around. One conscious change I made was to diversify my vocals a bit more. About 30% of the vocals on the album are a ‘spoken’ kind of growl rather than the usual projected sort. I think it adds a nice poetic quality to them and mixes things up a bit. It’s hardly a drastic change though.

Were there any songs written that didn’t quite make the cut? Perhaps things put aside for future material?

We’ve never been a band to finish a song for the sake of it. If we feel a particular track isn’t working out, we usually just scrap it and start again. For that reason, we don’t have any left-over songs, but a few left-over riffs that may find their way onto our next recording.

Have you guys ever considered adding clean vocals into the mix? Only asking because it seems to be a fairly common thing for melodeath bands to bring in at some stage through their career.

No, not in any way that most melodeath bands appear to be using clean vocals. We are first and foremost a death metal band, which means extreme vocals. On the other hand, we have flirted with the idea of using a very specific style of clean vocals for a bridge or two (say, in the manner of Primordial or Emperor), but we never took it too seriously. You will certainly never hear a catchy, cleanly sung chorus on one of our albums. This is just poorly disguised pop music.

The album art is certainly an interesting choice, and an unexpected change from the last two. How did that piece come about? Does it have anything to do with the album’s lyrical content?

It is connected to the album’s themes generally rather than any specific story. The album imagery is quite obviously dualistic, but on close inspection it isn’t really all that clear who the malevolent character is. The album’s lyrics tell a range of different stories, each of which in some way explore fears, dreams, death and our detachment from reality.

I bet it was nice to finally hit the stage again for the Melbourne album launch? Do you personally prefer playing live or writing?

It certainly was great. We had a few technical problems, which was frustrating, but overall I think the show went very well and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves. As a band, we probably prefer writing and recording to performing live. But they both have their place and, the great thing is, when you get sick of doing one it’s usually about time to start the other.

Should we expect to see you more active on the local live scene now that the album is out of the way? I remember the days when it seemed like you were playing every few weeks at The Arthouse (R.I.P.).

We’ll certainly be more active than we were over the last year, but I don’t think our level of activity will return to the Frail Tide-era. When you’ve played so many times locally, you really run the risk of people getting sick of you if you play too much. Beyond that, we’re all weekend warriors, so we need to balance the music with our careers and families.

Yes indeed, we’re going back to Europe in August to play at Summer Breeze festival in Germany and Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic. We’re very excited about that – Summer Breeze was fantastic last time and this year’s Brutal Assault line-up is one of the best I have ever seen. We’re trying to arrange some other shows but, frankly, those two will probably satisfy us!

Moving away from Be’lakor for a bit, what other local bands would you reccomend people check out?

In no particular order: Okera, Arbrynth, Eyefear, Adamus Exul, Psycroptic, Nazxul, Ne Obliviscaris, Portal and Dark Earth are all superb. I’ve probably forgotten some other favourites. As a big Alchemist fan, I am excited to hear more of The Levitation Hex too.

Best album of 2012 – what will it be?

After the brilliance of Paracletus, I am very eagerly awaiting Deathspell Omega’s Drought – but it’s an EP I think so that doesn’t count?

Any last words?

We’re playing at the Basement in Canberra on Friday 22 June and The Bald Faced Stag in Sydney on Saturday 23 June – come and check us out!

Friday, JUNE 22@ The Basement, CANBERRA
with guests Mytile Vey Lorth, Okera, Futility
Doors 8pm Entry $15

Saturday, JUNE 23@ The Bald Faced Stag (The Wall), SYDNEY
with guests Darker Half, Okera & Sanctium
Doors 8pm Entry $15