Primordial Serpent – Ascension of Dark Times
Well, this took a while to post, but it finally is up on the Blog. Primordial Serpent is a one-man-band masterminded by Geoff Coran (Dojo Kobra, Kalameet). "The Winter Warrior" was the catalyst for me to contact him. Since then he has released 2 more albums and 1 EP.
The battle continues, and the warrior persists.
I will start off by asking you how Primordial Serpent was born. How has your previous journey in Music prepared you, in a way, for this adventure?
Well first of all, thanks for reaching out for me for this interview. I guess the birth of Primordial Serpent came about as a means to help get through the covid pandemic. Right before the 2nd wave had hit Manitoba, I’d just finished working on Path of the Dragon for Kalameet and mixing Dronehenge for Dojo Kobra. But because of the restrictions being so very tight, Dojo Kobra was put on hiatus. So one day, I wrote and recorded a song which later became Forever Undead and just like Kalameet, it was based around a video game series I used to play called Dark Souls. So throughout the months of August and September, I wrote and recorded 5 or 6 more tracks and decided to release whatever I had as a full album instead of a demo. But as far as preparation goes, I guess it has prepared in a way where if I put something out there that is of strong quality, it’s going to gain attention, someone is going to listen to it, and once the word of my music gets around, people will want more and sometimes a lot more.
You did not follow, unlike a large majority of bands, the "normal road": Demo, EP – sometimes a Split – and Full-length. You decided to kick-start it with a Full-length. You agree with me if I say that courage is needed, especially in such a "special" Musical genre.
Oh yes, absolutely. Usually it’s always the better route to start with something small instead of going for big. But I think in my case why I lucked out is because of having ownership a fair bit of recording equipment and also because of my popularity with Kalameet. If I didn’t have access to my equipment or had started another project beforehand, then I would’ve went the usual route.
How was the "Ascension of the Dark Age" received by the public?
Very well. In fact, when Knekelput recordings released it last year, it sold out in a matter of hours.
Since September 2020 you have been releasing Music quite regularly. It's urgent to ask you about your creative process. What is it like to create for Primordial Serpent? Do you force yourself to adopt a specific mindset for the creative act?
To be honest, I have no idea the how the creative process comes about. But usually it starts off with a single riff and adding to it or working around it. When I have something relatively concrete, then I start to add lyrics, bass, programmed drums and so on. So there is no forcing of ideas, it’s just more me letting things naturally come together which in my opinion is the best way for everything to created.
I'm not a musician, nor do I understand how a creative process goes, but I take it that you need a specific mindset to craft the Art you craft. Black Metal is far from a “lightweight” genre, so to speak, which leads me to think that the creative process requires more from the creator. This automatically leads to a genre differentiation, doesn't it? From Punk to Heavy Metal, from Doom to Black Metal?
Yeah it does and mainly because in order to generate that black metal sound, you have to sort of abide by what makes the genre the way it is. Because with black metal, I find, it’s almost like a genre that goes against the traditional standards of heavy metal with having raw, lo fi, and abrasive production. Thematically, it’s also very cathartic with its lyrical themes whether it be in regards to mythology, occultism, personal reflection, paganism, satanism and so on. So because of all that, the creator does really need to go that extra mile to differentiate themselves just because of the characteristics that are involved in order the make the genre the way it is.
What's your perspective on Black Metal these days? Its premises go beyond just Music, or at least the Black Metal I contacted with, while growing up. Do you share the same opinion, and do you believe that Black Metal still lives according to these thoughts?
I think black metal has certainly grown over the years which has its positives and negatives. Some positives are that it has allowed for more subgenres to exist which in turn has caused an evolution in the genre that in turn can create reasons for more people to take a chance to listen to it. Some of the negatives would be that it has starting to become a bit political which, to me, politics shouldn’t really be a thing in black metal. I always thought black metal was at its best when it was about mythology, occultism, paganism, Satanism, and feelings of catharsis. Mainly because you can’t expect everyone who listens to your music to have the same political views as you. However, you can in fact create a sense of connection through escapism, which I always thought was a better option.
What are you looking for, as a listener, in Music in general? Have you "limited" yourself to a Musical genre – Black Metal in this case – or on the contrary, you are a fan of Music to its full extent? Are there any influences from outside of the Black Metal sphere?
I am a fan of many genres of music. I don’t like to limit myself to a specific type. I find that as a musician, it limits your growth if you do. So i take influence from hard rock, to punk, and even to some extent musical composers like Vangelis or Angelo Badalamenti or even Tangerine Dream. I always try to add a little bit from one type of genre while also remaining true to the sound of black metal.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. How does your geographical position influence the music is do with Primordial Serpent, Dojo Kobra or Kalameet?
Well, half the time it does not... that is of course until the winter comes. When winter hits the prairies, it can create a devastating blow. The winters here for can be terrible for most people. I myself deal with seasonal depression every time it comes. So winter can easily influence me in a way where I can use that mindset to my advantage and make something out of it whether it be helping people understand what I deal with every year when winter arrives or reading on lore and mythology to help get my mind of things and using what I've read to help create more music.
Allow me to ask a little more about Dojo Kobra and Kalameet. They both work as ways to escape what you do in the Primordial Serpent, I suppose, or are they complementary to your work in Primordial Serpent?
I’d say Dojo Kobra is nearly a complete escape to that of Kalameet and Primordial Serpent. Dojo Kobra was made to be completely different from any other metal band that existed in the Winnipeg metal scene. My friend Tim Cleaver and I created that project with the goal of just creating tonal drone clusters which in turn created room for some improvisation. So because of that, I don’t see it as being complementary to my work in Kalameet or Primordial Serpent. Kalameet however, I would say is very complementary due it being inspired by the same topics and mythology as Primordial Serpent and being played in a genre of music that’s seen as being an offshoot of black metal
What do you intend to convey with the Art you create, and what is the concept behind Primordial Serpent? The whole universe of medieval times is very much present in your Music, and in a way that's what pulled me in. How does the theme "fit" you, more as an individual than a musician?
Well the concept of Primordial Serpent was to be initially around the lore behind the Dark Souls video game franchise. The game itself is incredibly dark and had themes worked perfectly for creating a black metal related project. However, as time went on, I wanted to write about other things than just Dark Souls lore. Therefore, Primordial Serpent just became a reflection of things that I had interests in, reading mythology for one, and also personal inner struggles. Nevertheless, as a whole, I would say it fits me more as an individual due to writing songs about certain topics that have helped inspired my creative process rather than a musician.
Beyond the Music side, we also have the graphic facet of your art. How do you conceive, how do you work, how do you outline the graphic aspect of your work? Does this one, along with the Music, convey a message?
I don’t really have an outline for the art per say. But basically I get in touch with an artist and let them use their own imagination. The only thing I’ll do is give them a basic understanding of what the album is going to be about and let them have their imaginations run wild with the art. So far, it’s worked and it has created some amazing pieces of work.
You released, so far, 2 Splits: Sumis & Hellmoon. How did each one of them happen, and what influenced you to move forward with these specific collaborations? Are there points of agreement among Musicians, similar opinions about Black Metal, etc.? Tell us if there is any factor that leads you to collaborate with the Musicians, you collaborate with.
Well the Sumis one was sort of at random. But basically, I had released the Father of the Abyss EP and Vintage Cult Records had asked me if I’d be interested in doing a split with a band from their label and asked if Father of the Abyss could be part of the split. The band just so happened to be Sumis. Hellmoon and I are pretty much best friends and we’ve also worked together in Dojo Kobra. I asked him if he wanted to do a split release due to me having 3 unused songs that I wanted to have released and he was 100% on board with doing one as long as I was okay with mixing his material which of course I was.
Just over half of the year has already been left behind, but you've already released 2 full-length albums, and the 2 Splits mentioned above. To ask you if the pandemic has damaged your creative habits would be absurd. I'm very curious: how did you get all this in just over seven months?
I think it
is all because of the pandemic. With all these restrictions in place in
Manitoba, I really had no choice but to let my creativity run wild. Otherwise,
I probably would’ve gone insane.
What is the next step? I suppose your mind is always in creative mode, so does that mean that until the end of 2021 we can expect more music.
Actually, the opposite. I am actually going to be taking a break until the end of the year and focus on getting more merchandise to sell. I’ll probably start brainstorming some ideas either in November of December. Nevertheless, as of right now, I would say a break is needed
The impact of your latest work – "The Winter Warrior" – was felt on social media. To what extent are these modern structures advantageous for such a subversive Musical genre, not very given to mainstream actions?
I’d say it’s very advantageous. It is allowed to connect with various artists and labels as well as fans on a much more personal level which has in turn allow the word my music spread so quickly. Plus it can create a potential gateway for people who are interested in learning more about the genre as well.
What is the future of Black Metal? What is the future of Primordial Serpent? Here we wait, for more Music, for news. It's been a pleasure. My apologies for the extension, I hope it's to your liking. Cheers, mate. Thank you very much.
Who knows
what the future is for either. The future is always unwritten, which to me is
always the best. Also again, thanks for having me take part in the interview!
\m/ \m/
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