Hello Carrion and welcome to Brutal Resonance! Let’s skip the bullshit and get right into your new album “Evangelium Haeresis”. What’s the difference between this dark and brooding album and your prior one, “Testament Ov The Exiled”.

Hide: Over time I`ve come to view "Testament Ov The Exiled" as a sort of prelude. One might imagine it as a simmering cauldron that we stir as it slowly bubbles away. "Evangelium Haeresis" is where we turn it up a few notches, it shows a heavier, more aggressive and energetic side that may have been hinted at in previous albums but has become more defined now.

You told me that you’ve made some stylistic and musical progression since your last release. What do you mean by that?

Hide: I don`t have any interest in repeating myself, I don`t wanna make the same album twice so I`m constantly pushing to evolve. With the knowledge that we'll be able to travel and tour soon, I may have subconsciously steered toward something that would give a varied, high energy live show for us.

During the previous album I brought in the modular synths and this time around I wanted to take it a step further. We used a few hardware synthesizers coupled with late night patching sessions to build up the skeleton of each song and arranged them more as rock songs than ambient dirges. Additionally, as we ended up spending more time on this album than any of the ones before it we had something like two-and-a-half albums worth of songs to pick from that evolved quite naturally over time as it took shape.

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Did you record or write this album any differently than your previous material?

Hide: Each song began its life as sketches made with modular synths, layering and creating texture while trying not to go overboard. I wanted to strip things down to its core without sacrificing the atmospheric qualities. I recorded all the guitars and did the synths using a System-1 from Roland and Korg`s MS20 here and there before sending the demos off to Joe for him to record the bass parts while Sam collected and created the textures, samples, and field recordings for me to cut up and manipulate further. While I might be the main composer, the one who brings the songs in various stages of completion, this is definitely a collaborative effort and I let the other two have free reign over their contributions. I didn`t want anyone to feel as if they`re simply session players playing someone else's songs.

What does the title mean? And what is the overarching theme of the album and connection to your previous work?

Hide: The title translates to "Gospel Of Heresy". I think if the album had a definite theme it might be something along the lines of an aborted resurrection.

Both previous albums and especially "Testament Ov The Exiled" has the undertones of various alchemical ideas related to the concept of "Destroy/Rebuild". "Evangelium Haeresis" is perhaps the darker side of that tale; it`s the version of that story that doesn`t end in glamour. It`s the idea that while you may have had good intention, you thought you did your best, it turns out you didn`t. "Testament Ov The Exiled" was representative of stages in alchemy related to rebirth. Evangelium doesn`t just push you back to the beginning but it does so leaving you worse off than when you began. The idea of having to start over with perhaps even bigger, heavier sins to weigh on you.

Like most of your work, you utilize lots of symbolism in your imagery, lyrics, and other visuals. What did you include this time around?

Hide: The most immediate would be the crucified Christ on the album cover. It seemed fitting as much of this album deals with the sacrifices and the blood you can`t escape spilling in order to reach some kind of salvation or the idea of a better place. A better you perhaps? I`m not sure how much I wanna say about the totality of the albums symbolic content or explaining how things connect, I don`t wanna tell anyone what to think, I`d rather have the listener explore the album and its imagery on their own, coming to their own conclusions.

This is the first proper album with your bandmate Joe Crow attached. What did he add to the band that you did not have before?

Hide: Showing up is half the job. Joe`s fulfilling a similar role to mine with his other band Vanity Kills so he certainly knows and has dealt with the frustration and the issues that comes with that role. He`s also perhaps more traditional than I am musically speaking. While we have similarities we also have our differences and I wouldn`t want it any other way. He`s able to see and hear things from a different perspective and thus is able to add new and interesting dimensions to it that in turn makes me hear it differently as well.

I think I might have been a tad overbearing throughout this process but as I mentioned, he`s been in my position and he understands why that happens. Over time I learned to let go a little more and realize that this isn`t yet another time where I have to constantly remind someone or make sure that things are getting done on time.

You’ve talked slightly to me about this death anxiety that you have. What is it, how do you cope, and how does it reflect in “Evangelium Haeresis”?

Hide: I don`t know if I would say that I`m anxious as much as I`m aware of it. One might say the Reaper greeted me at birth. My life was fairly dramatic from the get go and I spent a lot of time growing up in hospitals, being poked and prodded by doctors. I was in all the tabloids simply for surviving being born. I`m sure someone in the family still has the boxes and boxes of papers, magazines and other publications. I grew up being told I had no life expectancy. While I suppose no one really does, that may be a more philosophical take on things. I`m acutely aware of that I, as well as everyone around me, will die one day. For that reason I don`t want to waste my time; some of that overbearing thing I spoke about earlier regarding Joe definitely stems from that. The sense of time running out and not having done enough. When I`m gone all that will be left of me are these songs, the albums, the music videos, the pictures. In many ways I`m building a mausoleum or my own memorial shrine. I hope to leave behind something of substance. I know my days are numbered and I will use every last one of them trying to do something that I deem as important. If in the process other people find some kind of enjoyment in that then of course that`s great but I`m not just here to receive the adoration of strangers.

You also incorporated themes of dreams and spirituality into your music. Dive me deeper into that and explain how you did so.

Hide: Myself and Sam particularly have always been involved in the loftier side of life so to speak. Carrion is firmly rooted in that be it musically, lyrically or visually.

I`m well aware of the trends within the alternative scene that pull from this for aesthetic purposes but, without sounding too pompous here, we`re not merely using symbols, imagery and ideas for the sake of a cool T-shirt or album cover. There`s a purpose behind it all. For that reason I`m very careful when it comes to merchandise and such. I don`t like how these things are seemingly degraded and made into nothing more than a marketing tool. That said, who am I to deem one person any more genuine than the other? My thoughts and opinions are often based on conversation and experience with this as opposed to pure speculation.

For this album I delved into Jungian psychiatry, exploring the Shadow and the archetypes of the psyche more than anything. After various less than desirable events taking place in my personal life I found myself forced to dig around in my head and sift through those dusty corners all the way in the back, pulling it all apart and starting to throw away what I didn`t like about myself. It`s an ongoing process, of course, and I believe it`s a lifelong process. Shadow work or the integration of your shadow doesn`t happen over the weekend and it requires constant upkeep. Throughout the process I began having several dreams that while not being reoccurring often featured the same characters or entities. Songs like 'Ruina' are directly inspired by this both musically and lyrically but its left its mark throughout the entire album really.

This is your third album, and within it you use the number three as a reference to the Holy Trinity, Nietzsche, etc.. Tell me more of this.

Hide: Over the course of the writing process I was reading and watching a lot off philosophy based things, Nietzsche`s idea of the eternal recurrence took a front seat in my mind a lot of the time. The number three is important in nearly all world religions as well as mythologies. There are three members in Carrion and, as mentioned, it`s our third album. This completes the trinity that constitutes the foundations upon which we can one day perhaps erect a new monument. On a slightly more earthly level I suppose there`s something special about any bands third album. It seems to be where they begin to find their footing so to speak and come into their own.

And what else does Carrion have in store for the future? Any live shows, videos, remixes, EPs, singles, so on and so forth coming up?

Hide: We`re currently working on a music video for the second single off the album 'Revenant'. We're hoping to get it done and be able to show it to everyone soon. We`ve also had offers for shows / tours in both the UK and US that we hope can become a little more real with time as I`d want to give this album a proper push and deliver on every front, be it musically, visually or live. Our focus for now is mainly on the live aspect of things. We`ve put out three albums in three years and I`m pleased enough with this album that I see no issue with letting it have its moment to shine before we one day might begin work on a fourth. That said I have toyed around with the idea of a remix album to serve as a companion to "Evangelium Haeresis" but I won`t make any promises yet.

Lastly I’d like to thank you for your time. I wish you the best of luck and leave the space below open for anything else you may wish to say.

Hide: Glory paid to ashes comes too late.

Carrion

Nov 2021

Industrial Metal