Filip Dupont: I'm fine. Thank you. Though I'm just back from a late work meeting and feeling pretty tired.

ES: I’ve planned this interview to coincide with my review of “Misotheism”, which saw release earlier this summer. How did you feel the release of the album went? Have you been pleased with the feedback?

FD: "Misotheism" was released with some delay. Unfortunately the promotion didn't go like it should, so we had to make most promotion ourselves. Nowadays more and more reviews are finished and the overall feedback is unanimously positive. It seems like people are ready for a record like this. And it feels very pleasant you got rewarded for the work you did.

ES: As my UK readers probably don’t know, you’ve been an active music critic yourself for a number of years (with Vampire Magazine). Does that make it easier or harder to take criticism? Have there been any reviews of “Misotheism” that have pissed you off? Do you even care what we think?!

FD: I am very critical myself. I usually throw away more new songs than using them instead. Deep inside I can't really cope with negative criticism. In the end I always do my own thing, whether I got advised to do it different or not. And that's how it should like. It may be a cliché, but first of all I have to please myself with my writings. When others seem to appreciate it, it's good. Good for them. Yesterday I read a review from a well-known Belgian magazine and they surely praised "Misotheism", but they made quite some fuck-ups about the line up and recording process. It was rather amusing than annoying.

ES: Tell us a little more about the creation of this new album, then; was it a long and difficult process, or did the ideas flow really easily?

FD: Before having "Misotheism" out I was pretty confident the album would do well in the press. Once the vibe is there, it's unstoppable. Especially the writing process of "Misotheism" went surprisingly well. All songs came out very fluently and were written in less than a year. That might be the reason the whole album sounds that aggressive and that fast. Right now the news songs don't come out that easily, but then again, that brings more variation.

ES: A lot of the press are emphasising the maturity of this album and the way your sound has grown; what were you trying to achieve musically on “Misotheism”? Was there a particular sound you were trying to create or is it just a natural development of what you’ve been doing all along?

FD: First of all I try to please myself and then I try to surpass the previous albums. For "Misotheism" the use of real drums already took out both previous albums, having just mechanical drums. On a technical level I search for a better sound each time. On a musical and lyrical level I follow what comes from inside. Simple as that.

ES: The album deals with a lot of rich, interesting intellectual concepts; what led you towards exploring these ideas? Did you do a lot of research?

FD: Lyrics can make an album interesting or not, though generally I don't like writing lyrics. I think the story a band tells has to be something that fits the music and something that's interesting to read. It's too easy to write the usual words about darkness, nihilism and destruction. It's no surplus for the music. And besides that I strongly stress lyrics must come from the heart. Don't write about black magic if you're not into it. Don't write about self-mutilation if you don't cut yourself and don't whine about starting a war against Christianity if you don't know what it's all about. For "The Fourth Era" I did a lot of research making the Mayan 2012-theory as real as possible. That fin-de-siècle mentality shares my interest. Also the heresy concept is something I really care to know about. Since I was a kid I felt the Church was something wrong as it wasn't exploited as it should, age after age again. Those things led to Gnosticism and other pre-Christian forms of dualism.

ES: You collaborated with Jurgen from Theudho in the creation of the lyrics for “Misotheism”; how did this partnership come about? Do you think he accurately expressed the mood of the album in his words?

FD: Jurgen shares the same interest for old pre-Christian habits and traditions. He's a stellar text writer and was very eager to write the whole "Misotheism" concept. I can't think of any better text writer than Jurgen, his work perfectly suits what "Misotheism" is about. We exchanged ideas, but in the end Jurgen was fully responsible for all lyrics and explanations of the record. Years ago I contacted Jurgen to do a split demo release with Gorath (our second demo "The Blueprints for Revolution"). We got in touch more and more and eventually I joined his band Theudho to do the bass guitar on studio recordings and live shows. Recently I had to quit Theudho, but our partnership will definitely hold for the future Gorath releases.

ES: Your artwork this time around is very slick- did you have an idea in your head about how the finished product should look, and were you pleased when you finally held it in your hands? Or is the product insignificant?

FD: The whole package is important: music, lyrics and presentation. I'm very much into art as well and the cover of "Misotheism" had to suit the concept. It was clear an image of god's son had to be on the cover. After a few experiments it turned out like this. Before starting I knew it had to be something with Christ and something in brown shades. I feel pretty pleased about the result, though the colours could look bit more naturally, a bit more real.

ES: Gorath has undergone a number of changes since your last release, in that Zahrim has decided to concentrate on Panchrysia, and you have gained a real life drummer. Has it been a turbulent time for the band? And how do you feel about your new incarnation?

FD: Gorath never have a turbulent time. We only rehearse one time the week before we have to play. No gigs means no rehearsals, means no turbulent time for the other members. With Bart Put as our new guitarist Gorath has been put to a new level. Pure technically Put is the best musician of us all. Then again, Zahrim is born to rock and roll on stage.

ES: After all these many years, why have you stuck with black metal? What is it about this genre that attracts you, and what do you think it can express that other genres cannot?

FD: I don't feel like a black metal elitist pur sang. In music I search for passion, integrity and the right atmosphere. I cannot stand bands that purely kick on technique or brutality. But bands like Katatonia, Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Neurosis aren't into black metal at all, yet all of them have a special sound and a typical feeling about them. It's not solely related to black metal only.

ES: If you don’t mind me asking, how did you personally get into extreme metal in the first place? I’m always interested in people’s journeys. Was there a particular band or album that hooked you?

FD: AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" triggered me into heavy music at the age of twelve. From then on I start buying and copying tapes of Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Sepultura. My first CD must have been "Peace Sells, But Who's Buying?" from Megadeth., their second best effort besides "Rust in Peace". From then on I evolved very naturally into extreme metal. I didn't pin myself on one genre. There was Morbid Angel, Anathema, Bathory, Blasphemy, etc. My first death metal CD was Deicide's "Legion". More and more I got into the underground and bought or copied great releases. The days Katatonia, Enslaved or Immortal released their debut release, I still remember it as if it was yesterday. The ice-chilling atmosphere still shivers through my spine when I listen to these records. And still today I discover many new and interesting bands. Shame on me, but I hadn't heard about Averse Sefira until some time ago. Their latest release "Advent Parallax" is a true masterpiece.

ES: Clearly you’ve listened to a whole lot of metal in the past few years; how do you feel about the scene right now? Looking at both old bands and young, do you have optimism?

FD: Older metal heads tend to say it was better back then. Sure, the fraternity you had when trading tapes and writing real letters had its charm. But I feel rather optimistic when it comes to our Belgian scene or the metal scene in general. It must have been last month I went to Bolt Thrower. And still they played a thundering show many nowadays bands can only dream of. The old school bands still rule the scene. Bands like Cannibal Corpse, Darkthrone and Kreator are still there. Personally most of them don't have the same impact on me as they once had. But still they are very popular it seems.

ES: What about Belgium specifically? There are always a handful of excellent Belgian bands around; is there a strong scene at the moment?

FD: When I look to our own scene, I see there's a lot of talent. More than, let's say, five years ago. There's Amenra, Serpentcult and Kludde, to name just a few. Belgian bands are pushing quality to new limits. The only thing I rather despise these days is the overkill of shows in Western Europe. Most the time only a small crowd shows up for class gigs with Negura Bunget or Kampfar. But in the end the problem will solve itself and the scene will terminate itself.

ES: You know, I’m not enjoying writing these at all; you always bitch about boring interview questions! What do you WANT me to ask you? And what would the answer be? (haha)

FD: I can't stand reading or doing interviews starting with biography related questions. There are lots of standard questions to ask which makes an interview less exciting. There's nothing I want you to ask myself, because I already know the answer.

ES: Bastard.

ES: Back to the album, I suppose… how did your collaboration with Dan Swanö happen? Were you looking to get a ‘big’ name to master the album, or did it just happen by chance?

FD: Dan Swanö helped me out doing guest vocals for a project I was in. Mahlstrom did only record one demo which had a very good response. But I always admired Swanö as a musician and as a producer. He could make his records sound very natural and heavy. It would be something special asking him to master "Misotheism". He worked with skate rock bands such as Millencolin, but he also produced some Dissection stuff. He did a stellar job and lifted the mix to a higher level.

ES: “Misotheism” was released through Descent; for my UK readers, who is this label, and will you be working with them again in the future? What’s great about them?

FD: Descent Productions is a small Dutch label with only some quality bands. There's the superb Finish band Ikuinen Kaamos listed and also Mourners Lament and the guys of Windir who nowadays play in Cor Scorpii. Gorath will not work with Descent Productions anymore. In fact I don't know whether they still exist.

ES: In my humble (drunk) opinion from Roermond last year, Gorath are an excellent live band, and you always seem to have shows scheduled. Will there be a full-scale Gorath tour any time soon? If you’re not coming to the UK, why not, and what can we do to help?

FD: We don't aim on playing as many gigs as possible. We cancel almost the same amount of gigs as we actually do. We don't want to be part of this overkill and try to focus on more than only Belgian shows. That's not very easy. Last month we did some shows in Ireland. There was also a German tour listed with Enthroned and Vorkreist, but unfortunately this cannot take place. My job prevents me of doing full scale tours, but we hope to do some German, French or English gigs this year. I have some contacts from London I will contact in the near future. It would be great if they can help out Gorath. So can you, if you can get me in touch with the right people.

ES: Lastly, what are your immediate plans for Gorath? Have you got any long-term ambitions you would like to achieve in the next few years?

FD: This year we want to do a few more gigs abroad Belgium and The Netherlands. I hope to fix something with Loits. There's also the special edition vinyl release of "Misotheism" for Eisenwald Productions (Drudkh, Infaust, Loits,…). The next year we will concentrate on the upcoming album, which is already partly written, and finding a new label with the right attitude and dedication.

ES: Thank you again for giving up your time for us; congrats on the album!

FD: Ens Et Bonum Et Verum Et Pulchrum Convertuntur.

For more on the band check out http://users.fulladsl.be/spb8833/site_gorath/01_home.htm
http://www.myspace.com/gorathblackmetal

Interviewed by Ellen Simpson

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