1. Greetings to the ALTAR OF PLAGUES camp! I would like to welcome you on the pages of Mortem Zine, as this is our first interview with you. Soon, your album "Mammal" is going to be released so I guess you are spending a lot of time by the promotion these days, am I right?

We have certainly been devoting a lot of time to interviews but we are always happy to talk to people who are interested in what we do. For the most part our involvement in the release is done and now it will soon be there for other people to take.

2. Before I start expressing how I feel about your new album, I would like to return to the time of your "Tides" EP which I really soaked into and it became my favourite ALTAR OF PLAGUES record. I would like to ask why it was recorded. Was it a certain way for you to somehow "bridge over" the time between "White Tomb" and the new album? A way to try out new things and even more search in your own musical expression? I personally find the EP very mature and somehow independent. So, what is its story?

The concept came about due to my spending a great deal of time in the West of Ireland at the ocean. We were not prepared nor in the mindset to record an album, but we were feeling creative and 'Tides' is simply a product of that. We had no intentions of it being a bridge between releases or any such thing, but we was not written in the same way as we write full lengths. We viewed 'Tides' as two separate recordings and each track was written separately, whereas with an album we write it as a whole piece.

3. I love the sound of the EP. It is much rawer and dirtier than "White Tomb", I guess this is intentional... Musically, it seems more "relaxed" and bound together, it has more of the rock feel. How do you yourself see the musical side of "Tides" after the time?

I am very proud of 'Tides' and in many ways it did not turn out as I had envisioned, which was actually a good thing. We prefer to let the music dictate its own course and we never make a song fast/intense etc for the sake of doing so. The raw production was a choice we made, but I do not view it as being 'lesser' than 'White Tomb' because of that. For us, the sonic qualities are as important a part of the music as the actual music itself. It is was creates the atmosphere that is required to communicate the intent of the music.

4. The new album is called "Mammal". Why did you decide for this single-word name and what is it supposed to portrait? Was it difficult for you to find the right name for the new album?

It is somewhat of an allegorical title that bares personal meaning for me. Once the album was complete, I stood back (so to speak) from the work and the word 'Mammal' was compelled from within me. To me, it completely encapsulates all of albums concept and intention. The album looks at death beyond human life.

5. After a few listens of your new album, I can not help seeing it as your most complex record. On one hand, I truly like it, on the other, I still have not quite got into it. It seems more progressive and evolving and the difficulties I have when trying to grasp it seduce me to listening to it again and again. Have you received such opinions? Would you call "Mammal" a milestone for ALTAR OF PLAGUES?

We have had a very similar responses to yours. I would always hope that people give the music time it needs. We have never been interested in writing striking rock hits, we create music that compels us a individuals. In order for us to truly engage with music, we prefer repetitive, minimal composition that develops slowly. This, we find, is how we can best achieve what it is that we wish to with our music. I wouldn't call it a milestone as it feels like another piece of music to me. I don't mean that in a dismissive way, but every piece of music we have ever created for me is very important and bares its own significance as a document of a time and place.


6. Musically, I would prefer not to differ what is to still be called black metal and what is rock or whatever else. The important point is the atmosphere of "Mammal". It is not as bound together as in case of "Tides", there are more factors. It is more difficult to define, it is mellower, darker, more personal, truly very specific. Would you agree that it is the most personal thing that ALTAR OF PLAGUES have created?

Atmosphere is key for us, and it is something we wish to keep consistent within our music. Style/genre is now important and the instruments and notes used only serve as a means of achieving an overall work that communicated an entire emotive tone. “Mammal” is lyrically the most personal work we have ever created. Our past lyrics have been somewhat narrative, whereas “Mammal” explores the meaning and significance of death within my own life. The music was developed after much of the lyrics were written and due to the intensity of the subject matter, the music itself became far more intense. The overall delivery of “Mammal” was done quite impulsively in that we allowed the emotional intensity to drive its creations.

7. The sound is much more clean when compared to "Tides". Where did you record the new album and how much time did it take? Did you record in shorter sessions or did you have one long session?

We recorded the album in the rural West of Ireland, over a short period of time. I have mixed feelings about recording. While I am passionate about creating music, and its documentation, the actual recording process is enduring. We felt “White Tomb” required a lot of sonic weight but we wanted “Mammal” to feel more natural, much like the writing of the music itself. One of the ways in which we decided to sustain the emotive drive of the music was by recording all of our vocals in one take. This was done by reading lyrics over and over in order to get in to the emotional head space and then recording. The lyrics were far too personal and required an honest vocal performance. Multiple take of what is intended to be something honest would not have worked for us.

8. "Mammal" is decorated by a very interesting cover, a very clouded picture of a child. Who came with this idea and how was it realized? The innocence of the child is a good contrast to the arrogant mans approach towards the planet.

I actually came by the piece when viewing photography and it really hit a nerve with me. What I like so much about it is that, as it was not created by the band, it is complete open to interpretation. When I view the image, it has a strong connection with the albums concepts. A theme within the music is that realisation that everyone dies, our mothers, our children. It is a thought we do not often engage with. The child on the cover capture that feeling for me.

9. The composition "When the Sun Drowns in the Ocean" really caught my attention. I would like to ask - where did you get the female voice? It sounds truly authentic, like a song singed by an old Indian woman listened from a gramophone. The songs in general is really unusual for ALTAR OF PLAGUES. Could you please say a few words about it?

“When the Sun Drowns in the Ocean” is reference to the ancient Irish belief the the setting of the sun is symbolic of our transition from this world into the next. It was believed that the sun entered another world via the ocean. The rise of the sun was seen as birth and the renewal of an eternal cycle. In this song is also a live audio recording of what is known as a keen. Keening (derived from the Gaelic word caoineadh, to cry) is a vocal lament that was traditionally practised over the body of the dead. Those are indeed genuine and real recordings and we are very fortunate to have them.

10. The length of the compositions is a kind of a trademark of yours. Fours songs per an album seems like your standard. :) The general rule is that as the band matures and shapes, the songs become shorter and their structures become more common. Do you think that we can expect something like that in your case or will ALTAR OF PLAGUES be "the band with the long songs" as it is its natural expression?

Lengthy song composition are necessary for us to develop music the way we intend to. We use this music as a mean to channel energy and strong emotion. It would be impossible for us to evoke such feelings in five short minutes. This is not a novelty for us and writing this song is very natural for us. We do not have a set template in terms a structure and we do not make a point of repeating ourselves. Really our albums are just one song.

11. In times of your debut I used to come across the opinions that ALTAR OF PLAGUES were a good band bringing nothing new to the table, just combining well known progressions and motifs. That you were one of the many, but a quality band. Have you encountered such opinions? I personally think that at least with "Mammal" these mocking opinions are to cease a bit. Do you put emphasis on sounding your own way, on independence and originality?

I love so many differing types of music, all that we wish to do is create something honest that comes from within us. All music can be cross-referenced and I have little interest in such things as that destroys the magic of music for me. Music is either good or bad. That is it. In terms of creating something new, we have never been interested in remaking what inspires us. We always try to move forward.


12. When in need to differ from the others, there is a need for change. If you felt the need to differ, where would you be willing to go in experimentation with ALTAR OF PLAGUES?

Altar of Plagues will serve as a means for us too channel strong emotive energy. It is certainly not a place for happiness, but I think that it is health and important to engage with ones full emotive range. We have no musical restrictions but as we always wish to keep the energy pure and honest, working in small numbers suits us best.

13. If I am not mistaken, there are a few hints of electronics on "Mammal", be it to support the atmosphere or connect the motifs. These are just details but I feel a bit of the industrial vibe from "Mammal". I would like to ask if you used the electronics more than in the past?

I am an avid fan of electronic music. In ever recording until “Mammal” we utilised synthesizers and electronic sounds to create the atmosphere. But with “Mammal” we choose to construct the 'atmospheric' elements from field recordings I collected over the past year. Every sound you hear on the album is entirely real and each one can be traced to a time and place. For me, that add a very personal element beyond the music.

14. I guess that after all the stuff connected with the release, interviews and other promotional activities, there will be a need to hit the stages. Are you planning a headlining tour or will you join a "bigger" band to promote "Mammal"? Are you planning to play some of the bigger summer festivals? Have you already been asked about this?

We are working on all of this at the moment and will hopefully make announcements soon. We look forward to performing new material live.

15. I wish you a lot of response and satisfaction for "Mammal" and I would like to say goodbye. It was an honor for me to speak with you and I hope it was not for the last time. One can not stop the evolution. Cheers to Ireland!

Thank you.