Interview with Reverend Bizarre

Questions were answered by Peter Vicar (guitar). Other members are Albert Witchfinder (vocals, bass), and Earl of Void (drums).

A huge welcome back with Harbinger of Metal, your brilliant new EP, how has the response been so far from the media and the Reverend fanbase?

Really amazingly good, as we really considered this to be more experimental and basically not as appealing publication as In the Rectory… was. So far most of the reviews have been outstanding, and we are getting more attention than ever before. Cheers for all the people who have contacted us and especially the brothers and sisters who have chosen our official forum to be their second living room.

It was way back in 1999 I was introduced to Reverend Bizarre, but you formed a few years earlier. Fill us in on the formation of the band, your early work and the response you had in the early days?

Well we started in 1995 in the small city of Lohja in Southern Finland. We had a different drummer those days, a mysterious man called Juippi. He eventually had some drug problems and sold his kit. We were basically learning our instruments at the time, jamming in a school cellar. Two songs from that period, "In the Rectory", and "Sodoma Sunrise" were on our first full length. The band went inactive when I and Albert went to army, and I moved to Turku to study in university. Albert came there too after a year or so, and we decided to continue with the band. This time Void sat behind the kit, being also from Lohja originally, and having played with Albert in then a noise core band called KLV (which later evolved into a quite doom laden monster). You got to know the band right after we had cut our first demo, Slice of Doom. You were actually among the first 20 people we ever sent the damn thing.

With Slice of Doom came the winds of change. To me and a lot of Doomsters this is a masterpiece, going way back in time to the sessions you had with that demo, fill us in on the recordings and the studiotime you had and how surprised were you with the response to Slice Of Doom?

Well we had been rehearsing perhaps 3 to 5 months before we did the demo. We actually recorded most of the stuff in Lohja, with a digital eight-tracker. Void did the drums first, completely alone, which now feels kind of insane, and then we did bass and guitars also separately on that. Then all this was roughly mixed together. That was somehow magical, doing that first demo in that old school in the middle of nowhere. On this tape we then recorded vocals, solo guitars, and those small keyboard bits in the Red House Studio at Turku – we actually still use the same studio, even if it is in a new location these days.

We were quite pleased with the end result. Even if it has lots of mistakes the spirit is there – that somehow twisted vibe we wanted to have. Of course it was fucking great when people liked it and we got contacts with many of the Doom Gods out there. It was the true beginning for us, and if there wouldn’t have been a record deal after that, it is unsure whether we would have continued. Well, we would have done another demo probably…

Playing Old School Doom Metal and coming from Finland, I guess it has to do with the regions you are coming from, how much have that evolved in the concept that you have?

I think our concept is quite the same as the English and American Old School Doom Metal bands have, but I guess that some coldness and sick humour comes from the fact that we live where we live. Of course we are proud of our Nordic roots, and the nature here is very important to us. We are more dark than most of the Doom bands out there, maybe it has something to do with these cold and dark regions, and of course the mental life of the band members.

Compare the Doom/Heavy scene in Finland to overseas, how much of a following is to the scene faninterest and press support in Finland?

It was nonexistent earlier, but these days we get quite good press coverage. Still I’d say that people are more interested in our music in Germany and in England than in here. Lately we have had good crowds at the gigs, though, and I hear that Harbinger of Metal is selling good amounts…

From Slice Of Doom right up to Harbinger of Metal, there has been quite a lot of action in the Reverend camp, you made your debut album, you have been featured on a number of tributes/compilations, you made a stint at the Doom Shall Rise fest, livedates with Revelation and Mirror Of Deception it looks like quite a ride so far. Fill us in on the recent years on all the happenings, it looks you have been in for quite a ride so far?

That is a hell-of-a-question, you demand too much, ha ha! There has been so much activity it’s hard to even remember everything. It was great to be able to do the first album, which basically is the cornerstone of our existence so far. Even if we had our difficulties with the record company, we wouldn’t have the possibilities we now had without In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend. The Doom Shall Rise fest and especially the tour afterwards were unbelievable experiences. Hail to Revelation brothers Dennis, Steve, and Jim, as well as Mirror of Deception brothers Jochen and Siffi!!! For more information people should read the tour diary from our website, written by Herr Fopp from Mirror of Deception. We also appeared on some comps and have also some vinyls out now. Quite a ride indeed, and it seems we are not going to stop right away, even if we need to take a breath every once in a while!

Harbinger of Metal is the ultimate soundtrack to all mourners, an EP that is totally devastating and outrageous but also has progressive elements, certain cermonial moods and melancholic vibes. How pleased are you with the production and visual standpoint of this EP?

We are very pleased, this time the whole band feels that the production, visuals, marketing, and basically everything has hit the right spot. It is surely a very weird EP, but as it was a real torment to record, it also has this dark and insane… hmm… atmosphere, aura, glow… whatever… it is a strange effort, more than the sum of its makers I think.

You signed on for Spikefarm Records, an underlabel for Spinefarm. How is the support so far from the label and how did you hook up with them?

Well obviously we are very pleased with the co-operation so far, they contacted us when we had difficulties with our old label, and the best thing is that they have remained interested and also have great ideas on how to take things further.

Not only the Doompress are praising your sound but also the regular metalpress are beginning to catch up on your concept, was that something you had expected or did it come as a surprise?

This is the biggest surprise so far. Of course Doom Metal will always be the most underground of metals, but it is great to see there is some wider interest… Doom Metal will never become a big hype, but it surely deserves more attention. We are happy as hell if there starts to be good reviews, articles, and interviews in the regular metalpress! It will never be top of the pops anyway…

I figure that an album for Spikefarm is in the plans after the release of Harbinger of Metal, how are the pre-sessions going so far?

No pre-sessions yet, we don’t even have a rehearsal place right now. We will actually do another EP, Reverend Bizarre Blesses You with Fire, before our second full length effort Crush the Insects! There will also be some other releases, like a compilation of our early material, Slice of Doom Revisited (from PsycheDOOMelic Records), some vinyl splits – 7" with Ritual Steel (Metal Coven Records) is already out, as well as 12" with Orodruin (Hellride Music Records), 7" with Minotauri (Metal Coven again) will be out soon, and we are planning to do 7" EP called Thulsa Doom (Aftermath Records), and another secret 7" soon. That new EP for Spikefarm will be something special, that I can promise!

Compare Reverend Bizarre from a studio to a live environment, what is the main difference?

We are very much more raw on stage, and as we are not the best musicians in the world one can’t always know beforehand how good the gig is going to be. Sometimes it is fucking great, especially when there are some Doom Maniacs in the audience! Sometimes we play a poor gig… I like it that way, it would be awful to be some kind of a sterile professional band who always play the same set they have rehearsed two years twice a week. In studio we are very strict, then again, especially Albert and Void are perfectionists…

Back to Harbinger of Metal, what is the lyrical standpoint on this EP, what are the main topics?

Well these songs are all Albert’s babies, but perhaps some light can be thrown unto them. Our themes are basically all horror, occult, cruelty, survivalism, apocalypse, etc. "Strange Horizon" is a sick love story, "The Ambassador" is Albert’s egotrip, "From the Void" is Void’s egotrip, "The Wandering Jew" is an old legend of Jesus cursing a Jew, and my sorry egotrip. Don’t know who recorded that "Into the Realms…" song, surely it was not Reverend Bizarre who have sworn an oath against all forms of stoner bullshit. "Dunkelheit" is a cover song. Albert just loves Burzum to death.

Harbinger of Metal, what is the main message with that title?

We are Metal, not some gothic whining shit, or some laid back stoner trippers. That’s the message!

According to Slice of Doom and this new EP, I can’t get away with it that you have a similar concept to the early/late Saint Vitus period with Scotty Reagers, the atmosphere, the riffing and the vocal sound. How much of an effect have Saint Vitus on Reverend Bizarre?

The effect is massive for sure, they are the giants of Doom Metal, and especially the Reagers-era Vitus albums are godly music. We are of course influenced by many other great bands, like Witchfinder General, Pentagram, Trouble, The Obsessed, Count Raven, etc… we suck influences from every great Doom Metal band, and try to make it sound like us.

We are Doom Metal fans first, musicians second. We simply love Doom Metal, every aspect of it.

You have risen up as one of the most happening combos in the Doom Metal Scene in recent years, looking at the scene where do you place Reverend Bizarre?

True Doom Metal scene. It is not that large, but we have brothers everywhere. Hail Circle of True Doom!!! People from Warning, Solstice, Revelation, Mirror of Deception, Cold Mourning, Orodruin, While Heaven Wept, etc. are real friends who we feel strong connection to.

Looking at the next plans for Reverend Bizarre, beside an album for Spikefarm what else are you up too, any new EPs, upcoming shows, features on compilations etc? Fill us in.

Uhhh… I guess I already ranted enough about the future releases. We actually have our three next full length albums planned out almost completely, so we do have a plan for tomorrow.

Any last words?

Cheers for the interview, Gabriel, and big hails to the readers of Hand of Doom!!! See you all at Doom Shall Rise II fest (no, we won’t play, we will have some good time) and at our official forum http://www.hellridemusic.com/reverendbizarre/. Also check out our web-pages at http://www.reverend.shows.it/, even if I’ve been too busy to update it lately.

Spread the Gospel – Doom what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law!

By Gabriel Lilliehook

Review Of Harbinger Of Metal

Order Harbinger Of Metal at www.spinefarm.fi mail info@spinefarm.fi