Interview with BURIAL OATH
!!!BLACK METAL FROM THE USA!!!
We had a conversation with JV Green. Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about BURIAL OATH (Members, Starting Year etc).
Burial Oath started in 2015 as an independent studio idea, but shifted into a live entity in 2016. At first it was myself and our previous vocalist. I tracked everything. D, our guitarist came into the band after the first EP. We decided to take it live since the reception of the first release was so good. Now, we have a monster of a vocalist (Mor Grish) and R from Wyld Timez playing bass. I couldn’t be happier about where we’ve landed as a unit.
You have recently released your single ''Kingdom of Fire''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
We released Kingdom of Fire independently to test the waters with our new vocalist. We didn’t have much press, but the comments from the fans say they have quite enjoyed it. It’s a little heavier than the rest of the new (unreleased) album, but it will be a part of it regardless.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Maybe not too funny, but when we were getting started we did a mini run up to Maryland (US) where we played with Antichrist Siege Machine, and the venue was like a straight Mexican Restaurant. We walk in to load gear, and there’s pool tables and people straight eating their dinner in front of the stage. It was very odd. Imagine interrupting someone’s meal with leather and inverted crosses… shit was wild. But they did slide the tables and chairs out of the way when the actual show took place, and it was quite a good time. A price to pay when you’re first getting started I suppose.
In a few days, you are going to release ''Pagan Fires'' in a lyric video. How was the experience of making a video, and do you believe that a video clip helps bands promote their work nowadays?
Making a video for us is quite a job. It largely falls into my lap to storyboard, direct, shoot and edit. We do believe in doing a lot of what you can yourself, as that’s the only real way to go career. Now, you have to be a cinematographer/photographer and social media influencer to make a living. It’s a lot of work, but in a digital age, videos and quality content seem to be the only thing that reach people and labels anymore. Totally get it… if it were my business, I wouldn’t want to sign or invest in the kids using mom’s one-click camera from the 90’s for promos or press. Nor would I sign the guys that didn’t look like they took their art seriously. I think if your music and vision are an extension of you, it deserves the same effort as the music. You can always tell who’s real and who’s not, especially the longer you do this.
Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
I think it’s ever changing. If you asked us as whole it largely be second wave black metal influencing our own music. As far as our personal tastes; I love Watain/Dissection, and the Finnish scene. Misfits is another that puts me where I am. And I feel like I would be doing an injustice if I didn’t mention WASP/Motorhead. Grish’s favorites are Gorgoroth/Sargiest. R is big into Moonsorrow/Type O Negative. D is a huge Maiden fan… I think you can hear a lot of 80’s Maiden bleed through on our first album… it’s a vast list. We all grew up in the early 90’s so that scene played a huge roll in what we do and like.
Do you have a record deal proposal yet, or are you going to search for it?
Not yet. We are taking our time. I have a little background insight on some potential partners from working with Cloak, and little background on a few others from friends on the road, so I’d like to work with someone I know. But things rarely work out the way you want them to. We’re just looking for a partner with decent distribution and can offer us the physical package we need to be successful on the road.
Do you see any differences between the US Metal Market and the EU Metal Market (Labels, Bands, Fans etc.)?
Oh yeah. Night and day difference. I’m prepping to go to Europe with Cloak here in summer (2024). We’re doing a run with Hellripper and the promotion, engagement, festivals etc… it’s all so different. It’s like everyone is doing whatever they can to help the artist, vs doing whatever they can to help themselves. You even see that in Canada… tons more support. The US has been good to me/us though, and our region of the Northeast US specifically is filled with the most genuine individuals you’ll ever meet. Just wish we could take a page out of the EU playbook there and support artist’s that would like to go career.
The last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange and new situations in our everyday life (covid, lock-down etc.) Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
Tough question. It’s hard to answer in regards to the pandemic without getting overly political. I don’t think there was a single aspect that was positive in any lens you look at it with. Touring was affected hard. If you ask the road dogs, I really do think most of us would’ve said “risk it” during the pandemic just for a chance to keep playing and doing what we love. I think the hardest part for bands recently has been the basic cost of living and inflation in the US. Bands are at the point where if they’re career, they HAVE TO tour to make a living. If they don’t, they can’t afford to live. But we’re pushing through. At some point things will level off and the odds will shift in our favor… or perhaps wishful thinking.
What shall we expect from BURIAL OATH in the near future?
I would expect to see Burial Oath very busy tail end of this year and into next. We’re already working on a smaller tour for this year in October, as well as looking for a solid partner to help us release this new album. I believe in our music, and I believe it’s something that can help return the black metal genre to a state it desperately needs to be in again. We fully plan on taking this entity next level.
Thank you very much for your time, keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thanks for your time with the interview Stavros! Appreciate what you do for the underground. Not much else to say here other than (fingers crossed) the world will see and hear us soon. Hails.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
BURIAL OATH CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/burialoath/
https://www.instagram.com/burial_oath/
https://burialoath.bandcamp.com/