Brazilian masters of Doom, Mythological Cold Towers, having been patiently honing their considerable art for a long time amongst the lost cities of Brazil, the path to them being only found so far by the intrepid and the curious. This should all change though as their label Cyclone Empire releases their superb new album Immemorial upon us.
When MTUK was offered the great chance of an interview I was of course digging out my passport and packing the rucksack immediately, hopes high for an exotic trip. Alas, The Editors quickly informed me that the budget wouldn't stretch to flights to Brazil. But joking aside what we got was a thoughtful and thought provoking voyage of discovery from guitarist Shammash. Settle back and uncover an intelligent band well worth your attention.
Hello, Shammash. Greetings from the UK and thanks for agreeing to this interview. It is very much appreciated.
MTUK: Firstly congratulations on the new Mythological Cold Towers album. It is an excellent album. You must be very proud of it.
Shammash: Greetings from Brazil, South America! Thank you for your support and prestige to Mythological Cold Towers and this opinion about the new album Immemorial. We are very pleased with the results obtained (musically speaking), with the release and the serious and professional work done by Cyclone Empire, fit for a band like us and this is something we have been waiting for a long time.
MTUK: Immemorial is a deeply atmospheric piece and seems to follow a theme. As I didn't have any lyrics to read when I listened to it, could you tell us a little about the themes on the album? Titles like ' Lost Path to Ma Noa' and ' The Shrines of Ibez' seem full of thoughts on the passing of time and lost civilisation. How deeply do you draw on that huge history of Brazil?
Shammash: Immemorial has a conceptual theme. The album's lyrics portray the legends of a mythical lost city in the deep Amazonian forests called Akakor. Those legends attracted the interests of many researchers and explorers who never found it. Some of them even get lost in the woods such as the English archaeologist Cel. Fawcett, who disappeared attempting to find Akakor. It is a subject full of mystery, fantasy and fables that fit perfectly into the Mythological Cold Towers.
MTUK: Often to outsiders, Brazil is seen as a country heavily under the influence of the Catholic Church. How true is this image and has it had any effect on your music positive or negative?
Shammash: In a way, that's true. The great influence of Catholicism makes people here neglect their own history, the history before the arrival of colonizers in Brazil. Unfortunately, the textbooks only tell the history of Brazil after the arrival of them. But before them, there were people with different languages, cultures and religions. Therefore, these facts have a positive influence in our music, because somehow, when we speak of these cultures and ancient legends we are expressing our opposition to the Catholic heritage.
MTUK: I'm also intrigued by the mysterious cover on the album. Can you shed a little light on that?
Shammash: It is a dark and mysterious ritual of an Indian tribe of the Alto Xingú, a region located in the Amazon. The image is the cover of a book called "Apapaatai: Rituais de Máscaras no Alto Xingú," written by a Brazilian anthropologist, Dr. Aristoteles Barcelos Neto, who is a researcher at the University of West Anglia. The image reproduces perfectly the album’s theme and matches the haunting, mysterious and obscure music which Mythological Cold Towers plays.
MTUK: You manage to blend together all the different strands of doom in the sound: doom death, funeral doom, true doom. There are even traces of atmospheric black metal. Is this a planned sound or simply how things turn out? Who is involved in the writing process? Is it a whole band process of does one person take the lead?
Shammash: Well, If there is proximity to various sub-genres, it is probably because we hear several musical genres, so that is quite natural, but we can’t really say that we compose our songs concerning in to fit them in a subgenre. We want to play heavy, intense, dark, mysterious and epic metal and perhaps the most appropriate name for it is Doom Metal due to the down tempo songs. If that is called traditional, funeral, atmospheric, death doom, its ok, but we won’t compose thinking about it. The songs are composed by guitarist Nechron, he brings us the primal riffs and we build the songs until they are powerful.
MTUK: Mythological Cold Towers have been together as a band for a long time now, fifteen years since your debut Sphere Of Nebaddon appeared. You may not be that well known a name to many people in Europe, rather mysterious too, but the excellent Immemorial album should change that. How would you describe the sound of Mythological Cold Towers to a new audience?
Shammash: Mythological Cold Tower has the essence of the old Doom Metal practiced in the early 90's, considering that the band also appeared at that time. We combined elements of epic, gloomy, and melancholic metal with mysterious themes, full of fantasy and sagas about ancient civilizations and their immemorial megalithic monuments.
MTUK: This is your fourth album. You seem to work slowly a band. Is this by design, due to the difficulties experienced by any band working in the underground or are there other reasons?
Shammash: There are several reasons for it. The main reason it’s because we prioritize the recording quality and magnificence of our songs and being an underground band it’s almost impossible to reach that quality in short time. The positive aspect of those difficulties is the expectation for a new album. When we announce a new release, the fans are very anxious. However, we are sure that the next album will not take long time to be released.
MTUK: Where was the album recorded? The sound and the mix are excellent: clear, giving the mournful melodies room to shine without losing the heaviness.
Shammash: It was recorded in our own studio, AVT, from September 2010 to January 2011. Hamon recorded it (as happened on the previous albums). He is able to capture the essence of Mythological Cold Towers and deliver a result which has always satisfied us. We also believe that Immemorial established the band’s personality making our music sound more heavy and cold, the way we wanted.
MTUK: What inspired you to get together in the first place all those years ago? What keeps you going?
Shammash: The taste for music, mysterious and intriguing topics, and the splendour of each Mythological Cold Towers album has always inspired us. Friendship and passion for what we do, the essence and the most important thing which keeps the band together.
MTUK: Your sound has certainly matured since Sphere Of Nebaddon, much more full and atmospheric. What has helped that evolution?
Shammash: I'm glad you realize it. Several factors have helped in this evolution. We are more structured and mature. The current line is well established and there is a harmony between us. The aura of power Mythological is getting stronger.
MTUK: I am unfortunately pretty in the dark as to where Brazilian Metal is heading at the moment, so apologies for my lack of knowledge. What is the scene like in Brazil for your kind of music? Do you feel you fit in with the broader metal scene or are you in a much smaller, isolated part?
Shammash: There is a great scene in Brazil, many fans and Metal bands, but only few of them are known worldwide. Although we have many fans in Brazil, we are distant and isolated from the larger scene. The reason is that there isn’t a great Doom Metal scene here.
MTUK: Do you ever play live?
Shammash: We played very little. There isn’t a good structure and support for local bands here, so we have decided to play just in a few but striking concerts. Now with the release of Immemorial and the results we've gotten through it, we are determined to conquest new horizons for Mythological Cold Towers. We have plans to tour in Europe and it’s going to happen soon.
MTUK: We often hear about the bigger metal bands playing Brazil and some of the other South American countries. The mighty Immortal just passed through for example, but what about smaller interesting bands. Do you get many visiting or do you feel too often neglected?
Are there any places in particular you would encourage the more underground bands considering playing in Brazil should take a look at?
Shammash: Yes, I have seen that Immortal gig here and it was great. Bands have come here almost weekly. As I said before, there are many metal fans in Brazil, mainly in São Paulo, which has a wider audience and good concert places for foreign bands. I'd like to see more Doom Metal bands here but only Anathema, Paradise Lost, Candlemass and Katatonia have played here
MTUK: What inspires Mythological Cold Towers outside of music that feeds into your songs?
Shammash: Besides music, what inspires us is the mystery about the remote past of mankind, who were the builders of those colossal monuments, who lifted the huge monoliths and how ancient people reached such levels of wisdom.
MTUK: Anything else you would like to say to the people reading?
Shammash: "Veiled Secrets, echoing engraved In These Stones / Arising from long forgotten times ...". Immemorial is the sound that echoes the forgotten and buried temples in the deep forests of Ma-noa. We look forward to landing on the European continent, meet old and new fans of Doom Metal and introduce them to our heavy hymns full of opulence.
MTUK: Thanks again for your time, and all the best with Immemorial. It really deserves to make an impact.
Shammash: We appreciate the opportunity to express our thoughts, feelings and information on Metal Team UK. Stay Doom!
For more on the band check out
www.myspace.com/mythologicalcoldtowers
Interviewed by Gizmo
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