Saturday 4 June 2011

Towers Of Flesh - Interview

UKEM delved into the murky world of Towers Of Flesh

For those unfamiliar with you guys, tell us more about the band.
We are a Blackened Death Metal band from the West Midlands with an agenda quite unlike many others.....

Musically and lyrically, what are the bands inspirations?

Lyrically the inspiration is centred upon the occult and the forces which exist externally and independently to ones self. They reflect our outlook on the world and as we are growing as people and delving deeper the lyrics are becoming even darker and more genuine than ever.
Ones perception of the lyrics will of course to a point be subjective as is always the case but if there was any linear “Concept” or notion behind them it is outlined above (and below)
Musically our inspirations are vastly varied as we all listen to different types of music but I’d say these were some of the key musical figures in our inception:  Dissection, Behemoth and Arkhon Infaustus
How has ‘The Perpetual Paradox’ been received?

The CD has been received amazingly – it truly exceeded our expectations.
It landed on blogspots all around the world. Interviews with small fanzines based in Algeria, Singapore, and Germany have followed also we were even featured in the September 2009 issue of Terrorizer Magazine and our name was accredited on the front of the publication.
Even now I am still posting out merchandise orders all over Europe... considering we have only played live five times this is quite an achievement.

The Perpetual Paradox was released on your drummer’s label, ‘Dissected Records’. Was this a decision taken so the band has more control over the release?
Well I was originally working hard to find a label for the band – contacting every A & R person I could and searching high and low for any prospective offers. Despite vague and brief correspondences with some larger labels and production companies it became apparent that we were simply not going to find a record label.
The only natural conclusion was to push on with full conviction and to find an alternative means of releasing the CD – so obviously Dissected Records came about organically from that point. Although I can’t talk of the future i.e. where we might go or what we might sign - I do know that currently I am 100% comfortable with controlling my own finances, distribution and music so I’ll continue to do things my way for as long as I possibly can.

What releases do you have planned for the future? Will any future releases be on Dissected Records or would you hope to move to a bigger label?
Well we are currently in June 2011 and the new album is well over halfway completed. However we are in no rush as such as previously mentioned we are signed to my own independent label so no pressure or deadlines are involved. We have a very organic view to writing music and do not see any point in rushing ourselves. The idea of being on a bigger label is very much a give or take scenario for us. As we know people involved in bigger bands, bigger labels etc and we have really seen firsthand the soulless nature of the: MUSIC BUSINESS.Subsequently you see bands moving up this ladder ending up more concerned with money, personal kudos and other egotistical rewards rather than the nature and message of their music. Our music is not a product, but an expression.
Do the band actively gig and what is a T.O.F show generally like?
We have some more live dates in the works at the minute and we’ll be embarking upon a short tour later on this year.  It’s just difficult for us to organise lives dates properly at the minute as geographically our members are situated quite awkwardly with some studying and others working.
But generally we conjure a bloody, violent, dark and intense live atmosphere so within this our members express themselves openly and this recently landed us amidst some controversy. As basically we were booked to play a show and apparently we breached some vital health and safety issues during the performance and some equipment was also damaged during the set etc. So subsequently we often have people complain that they aren’t “Impressed” on “Shocked” by the bands on stage actions but that is good because the simple fact is:  they’re not meant to be. Most live extreme metal bands of today have lost any vigour or sense of conviction – if they ever even had any at all.  However instrumentally capable their actual performances are placid, stale and uninteresting.... However for us playing live is the ultimate catharsis– and the stage is where our everyday inhibitions are truly lost.
How would you guys describe ‘your sound’?
Elitist Esotericism from the Midlands Satanic Terror Unit
What should we expect from the band in the near future?
New Album – 2012
Thanks once again for speaking with us. Any last words you wish to share with our readers?
Salutations to you for the interview and a massive thanks to all those who support us
“Though we are enclosed within the limits of our short earthly-life, we aspire to the infinite” – D. A. Berthelot
(Conducted with Anil Carrier)


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