Greetings all. Last week i spoke with Zilath, singer of Italian symphonic black metal band ShadowThrone. The man can go from a deep growl to high scream seemingly at the same time. Here is the interview.
Hello ShadowThrone. Welcome to Metal Health. Congratulations on your recent album release ‘Elements Blackest Legacy’. It sounds huge!
“Hello Metal Health and thank you for the space given to ShadowThrone. We are glad that you enjoyed our album! I see this is a particular type of interview so I
introduce myself as Zilath Meklhum, singer of the band. I will answer with the common ideas and points of view of the band when possible, but lots of the answer will be more by my point of view.”
Thanks Zilath. What does good mental health mean to you?
“A good question. In a society good and bad are chosen by the majority but the fact that we make metal music means that we do not belong to it. If you are able to
survive in this world, even with some little help, means that you have a good mental health, but not that you are conscious of yourself. To be conscious of yourself you have to think with your mind, this means that you can even believe in wrong ideas but that you should joined them with your own reasoning. Lots of people have a good mental health but I see that this, most of the times, means that you are a normal, annoying, person.”
How is life for you off the road or when you’re not gigging? Especially after a tour or big event, is it difficult to adjust back into life at home after time on the road? If so, how do you adjust/cope?
“We can say that Music, especially metal music, is a very important component in our lives, in and out of the road, if we are not playing it on the stage we play it at home or we listen to it every time we can. Sometimes is the music that brings you out of monotony and bad feelings, and when you became a musician you should not forget this feel, in this way you can stay on the road all the time.
Of course, you feel bad every time you came back, but each of us has a special way to feel better, like long walks on wild places or studying to become every time a better musician than the last gig.”
What motivates you? What keeps you going?
“In part is the nature that brings us to compose and to play. When you see a beautiful landscape don’t you feel the impulse to recreate it in a way you can express yourself? Also, the big bands that fascinated us when we were younger motivate us. We could talk about black metal bands but also about other genres of music.”
Are you positive thinkers? How do you stay positive?
“Neither positive nor negative thinkers. At a certain point of your life you have to find your ideas and your fixed points. You can dream and hope but if you try to live by your own you don’t need to be positive because you know that you can win. You can say that playing make us free and, in a certain way, positive thinkers.”
Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this.
“Nothing out of the ordinary: grandparents’ death, some bullying in the past because of the style and non-conformity, etc…. If you are interested in some kind of mental problem I (the man behind Zilath) can say that I am an introvert that do not love to speak with others, but when I become Zilath, on the stage and during the gigs, I find my voice because I know that around me there are people who appreciate what I do.”
“We write and compose when we are inspired by something. We do not play for glory, we play because we want to do it. Playing make us free and make us feel good.
Probably every one of us has started playing because music has made his life better.
Personally speaking, I find writing and singing, this music in particular, a way to express my real self. There are very few moments and events that make me feel some kind of emotion but when I am free of writing and singing this extreme music I can feel joy and enthusiasm.”
When did you start making music? Was it like finding some buried treasure that you didn’t know you had, and how does making music fit in with the rest of your life?
“We all start when we were children. Steph probably in a different and more emotional way then me, Dave and Francesco, because of the different age. I say that because I find that some years ago there were few bands but with a stronger emotional energy to make music with. Since I remember I always had an interest in singing, especially by my own. When I find myself alone or with someone near me, if I listen to a song that I like or that surprise me, I have to sing it.
About the rest of our lives, Francesco is working to let the music became is job, so is doing Dave. Steph and music are two inseparable things, his house is full of CDs and Vinyls.”
How is the album going? I love the track ‘Saturn of newborn era’. Dave’s drumming is tight and spot on. The guitars are nice and brutal. Zilath’s vocals are amazing in how he can go from a deep growl to a high scream seemingly in the one phrase. The orchestral arrangements really tie everything together. How important is it for the bass and drums to be tight, and where do you see guitar and voice fitting in the groove?
“Thanks for the appreciation. Maybe Saturn is the craziest one, talking about the lyrics. The argument is the ancient celebration of the ending and the beginning in the roman culture, the celebration of the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, and invites everyone to celebrate the end following the deepest desires before the new beginning.
Drums and bass for us are as an endless slice of pure white ice and guitars, voices and synths are the sidereal and far dark sky over it.”
Nice description! How was the recording process for your last record? Did you bang it down live, or record an instrument at a time etc?
“Everything started with Stephen writing down the riffs and arrangements. After that all of us has worked at home making pre-recording tracks to try to understand how the songs should have been and to find improvements. We are gone to the studio prepared, with the songs already written in our minds. We registered the instruments one by one, then Riccardo Studer, from Timecollapse Recording Studios, has rearranged the orchestrations made by Stephen in his personal style.”
So what are your plans? Some more touring or any future dates you can mention?
“We cannot say anything until now about new gigs, but invitations are coming from different parts of the world. We have plans for other works, like a new album, and we are really happy that Non Serviam Records, the label behind Elements’ Blackest Legacy, is helping us, for example, with the cover of Ancient Queen by Emperor.”
Any other projects musical or otherwise happening?
“Of course! Stephen has a side projects, Aamon, were he play an even more black and old school metal than ShadowThrone.
Dave has different side projects like Brumak and Deceptionist.
Also Francesco play with Deceptionist, he also has a recording studio, the White Rabbit.
At the moments I have no side projects, but I’m working with other Italian musicians and metal music lovers in a project called ‘Facciamo Valere Il Metallo Italiano’ where we try to help all Italian underground metal bands to became more famous. We organize a couple of events per year and we also have our webradio format one time per week.”
Very interesting. I will follow those projects. Ok, last question. What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or finding life difficult at the moment?
“Everyone has is personal hell, his demons and problems. No one can understand you better than yourself and this is why you are alone in certain moments and no one seems to help you. You have to find your place in this reality, a place already there or the one you create by yourself. Music can help you with motivational moments of joy and liberty. Can you feel my firmness when you hear my growl or the pride in my scream? Can you feel the sidereal atmosphere in the melodies of our album? You can use these elements to find inspiration and stability!”
– Well said. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Zilath, and best wishes for now and the future. Greg \Mh/.
“Thanks to you Greg!”
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