In Conversation with Mark Rice

Recently I read through the extremely epic Metallic Dreams by Mark Rice. I say epic because everything about this novel is big, including the fact that it cranks up the volume and does other stuff not entirely in polite company. Seriously. This is not the book you're going to give your grandma to read (go check out my review here). But by the time I finished the story, I knew I had to have Mark over, because I don't think I've encountered anyone yet who's as passionate about metal as he is... So welcome to my blog for a little, Q&A, Mark.

Metallic Dreams comes across almost semi-autobiographical when considering the bands that you make mention of. When did you have your metal epiphany, as it were?

Music was always a force in my life. My introduction to metal was tiered. As a toddler, I soaked up classical music from my father’s records and live performances. (The roots of true metal are in epic classical compositions, not in the simplistic blues stylings that gave birth to rock ‘n’ roll.) A few years later, my elder brother was part of the punk movement. I enjoyed the raw energy and aggressiveness of his music. Punk’s angst resonated with me, but I couldn’t have imagined the life-changing impact that was about to come in the form of heavy metal. At age ten, when I heard the riff of Saxon’s Princess of the Night carving through cold night air on the west coast of Scotland, my horizon blew open. Vivid images appeared in my mind, stirred up by the lyrics, “She used to be an iron horse twenty years ago, used to bring the mail to me through the ice and snow. I sat alone and watched her steaming through the night, ninety tons of thunder lighting up the skies. She was the princess of the night.” The hair on my arms and neck pricked up. Shivers trickled down my spine. Inside, my soul went berserk. The experience was at once visceral, cerebral, sensual, spiritual and celestial. I realised that this music had changed me: I had become a metal child. By the time I left primary school at age twelve, I’d amassed a huge amount of vinyl and cassettes, and had started going to live metal gigs at the Glasgow Apollo. First metal album bought: AC/DC – If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It). First metal gig: Iron Maiden, Glasgow Apollo, ‘Beast on the Road’ tour, 1982.

The novel is definitely not for the faint-hearted, and I suspect you deliberately went about finding as many ways as possible to be controversial. Knowing that this might alienate some readers, what were your motivations for this?

I set out with only one goal: to create the definitive work of heavy metal fiction. Certain elements of the story were bound to offend some people, but I didn’t worry about that. My job was to craft the story in its true form, not to dilute it. Controversy that followed – such as a castration threat from a Viking woman – was a side effect, but not something I had aimed for. Open-minded readers were always going to appreciate having their minds expanded, while those with delicate sensibilities were bound to be stunned by certain situations in Metallic Dreams. Shocking people into a higher state of awareness is more effective than preaching to them.  A writer can’t push the envelope if (s)he stays in a comfort zone, afraid of offending readers. To create original art, it is necessary to have an unflinching belief in one’s vision. Fearlessness is the key.

What are the top five songs that you'd compile into a set list of required listening for your Metallic Dreams readers? Why are these the "go to" songs in metal for you?

AC/DC – Whole Lotta Rosie, the live version from If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It). This is my favourite version of my favourite track by my favourite lineup of my favourite band. As such, it has to be on the list. I walked through a snowstorm for an hour to buy this, the first metal album I ever had on vinyl. I wandered home oblivious to the cold, spellbound as I held the record in my hands, gazing in awe at the cover. The album was recorded live at the legendary Glasgow Apollo (RIP), the venue of my earliest metal gigs. The crowd’s energy is more palpable than on any other live album I’ve heard. Part of that energy must derive from the audience’s excitement over AC/DC returning to Scotland as conquering heroes. (Angus and Malcolm Young were born in Glasgow, Scotland – as was I - while Bon Scott was born in Kirriemuir, farther north in a Scottish burgh called, amazingly, Angus.)

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Last of the Teenage Idols. Since SAHB burst onto the music scene in the 1970s, Scottish legend Alex Harvey has influenced every Glasgow band worth their salt. Metallic Dreams contains many tips o’ the hat to Alex. I placed some in clear sight and hid others as ‘Easter eggs’ for diehard fans to discover, as I did with myriad other musical references throughout the book. The title Last of the Teenage Idols was inspired by a ‘teenage idol’ competition run by a Glasgow newspaper, and won by Alex. In the early chapters of Metallic Dreams, Spark MacDubh and four of his friends start a band in their teens, partly motivated by a desire to be teenage idols.  At various points in the story, they discuss Alex Harvey and his contribution to Scottish culture.

Amorphis – I of Crimson Blood. While writing Metallic Dreams, Amorphis’s Silent Waters was one of my most listened-to albums. Not only is I of Crimson Blood a perfect example of metal virtuosity, its lyrical themes reflect some of the novel’s ideals: transcendence; loss; heritage; blood.

Wintersun – Land of Snow and Sorrow. This track hadn’t been released when Metallic Dreams was published, but it has a strange and serendipitous link to the book. A huge fan of Wintersun’s debut album, I bought one of their T-shirts several years ago. It featured the words ‘Far Away There’s a Land of Snow and Sorrow’ on the back. I liked the alliterative impact of ‘snow and sorrow’ and realised that the imagery it evoked was in line with events in the opening chapters of my novel. As a mark of respect to Wintersun, I revised my story’s third chapter (which describes the main character’s resurrection) to include the sentences, ‘Moments ago I was killed by snow and sorrow. Now I’m buzzing with life.’ This is another example of an ‘Easter egg’ for eagle-eyed metallists to discover. A couple of months ago Wintersun released their long-awaited second album, which contains the track Land of Snow and Sorrow, written after Wintersun’s frontman had discovered Metallic Dreams. I gazed in amazement at the words of the first verse. They perfectly described Spark MacDubh’s death, resurrection and re-rentry into the world. So a band in Finland created a T-shirt featuring three words that inspired a Scottish writer to revise his book and include those three words, after which – by chance or serendipity – the main man in the Finnish band read the book in question and then expressed one of its story arcs through the lyrics to the song named after the T-shirt that inspired the writer who wrote the novel that inspired the musician who created the T-shirt featuring the words…  Makes the head spin, eh?  I’ve often come across mutual respect in metal, but never more serendipitously than in this example. How does the song sound?  Listen for yourself. There’s no band more original, innovative, musically accomplished or groundbreaking than Wintersun.  Flawless!

Saxon – Princess of the Night. My first experience of metal, this track sounds as fresh and relevant now as it did when it was recorded three decades ago. Early last year Saxon requested signed copies of Metallic Dreams – one for each member of the band, one for their manager and four for the road crew. Happy to oblige, I personalised each copy then posted them to the band’s manager in Germany. A few months later, I was put on the guest list for Saxon’s gig in Glasgow. After the show, when I was hanging out with the band and their manager, Leo, they signed my paperback copy of Metallic Dreams. So each member of Saxon has a copy signed by me, and my copy is signed by all five of them (and Leo). One of my most surreal experiences was listening to Saxon’s Biff Byford discussing his reactions to my book, which he had been reading on his tour bus as it crossed Europe.  Life-affirming.

You've got exactly 16 words to describe Spark MacDubh to someone who's never heard of Metallic Dreams before. Go!

A hairy philosophical savage with music in his soul and love in his heart. Scottish. Relentless.

Here's your chance to share snippets of what at least three reviewers have said about Metallic Dreams... 

“Halfway through the first reading, I started thinking I couldn't wait to finish it so that I could start reading it all over again.”  – Princess Ducky

“Mindwarpishness isn't the book's only style. At times it felt like an Irvine Welsh novel, not just because of the dialects used, but because of the humour and slightly askew views of normal life. Obviously it’s Welsh off heroin and on heavy metal instead. It's certainly a rollercoaster of a book that takes you on a tale of redemption and discovery, anchored around a very genuine set of relationships which, if you can't relate to them, highlight that you have no real friends and a very drab childhood to look back on.”  – Godzilla

“I read this book at lightning pace over the past two days: on the bus, in my bed, at the breakfast table, in the factory canteen.  It is a slice of fried gold as ever there was. A brilliant read, Scottish Heavy Metal!  Hah!” – Jimmy McCarthy, haggischorizo metal blog

“He loves the written word, and has such a precision of language and ease with his prose that many other writers would be well advised to read this just to understand what it means to strive for excellence in one's manuscript. All that aside, it is a fun read and a great rock and roll ride.”  – Anne-Marie Klein, author of Behind Blue Eyes

“The first surprise was how poetic I found the writing; it certainly wasn't what I expected of a book full of heavy metal. It sucked me in and forced me to keep reading.”  – Helle SØe Gade

“Metallic Dreams doesn't just tread on your average person's sensibilities, this novel turns the volume up full blast and goes in with a raging boner.”  – Nerine Dorman

“The text inside is pure genius but he should have taken my advice and put a pair of tits on the cover.”  – DT

“Mark Rice should be kicked in the gonads for writing Metallic Dreams.”  – James Pettigrew, Scottish poet

Lastly, what lies ahead for Mark Rice? Can you tell us more about future projects?

A few projects are in the works. (1) A follow up to Metallic Dreams is underway. The title is out of this world, but I’m keeping it under my hat until release day. (2) I’m mid-way through a dark mystery novel set on the Scottish island of Lewis. It’s social commentary run amok. (3) While carrying out research for a story, I gained access to the University of Edinburgh’s Survey of Scottish Witchcraft (the most thorough record of the witch trials in Scotland between 1590 and 1727). I discovered that four members of my family – all on my mother’s side – had been tried for witchcraft. Despite the pre-trial records being thorough, with dates, alleged crimes, accusers, places and judges listed in detail, there are no records of what happened after the trials. There’s only one conclusion to be drawn from that, and it’s one I felt – and still feel - to my core. As a child, I was terrified of witches. It wasn’t a learned fear, but an innate one: My instincts bristled at the mention of the word ‘witch’ or the sight of any witch-related paraphernalia. I faced my fear and overcame it but didn’t understand its source until I found out that members of my family had suffered torture, injustice and execution in the name of witchcraft. Then I understood why witch-related things had terrified me as a child.  On some level I had been aware of the horrors inflicted on my family members: I had felt their despair. I decided to go on a shamanic journey into the past, in order to right some old wrongs using literature as my weapon. I felt four folk invoking me to tell their stories to the world, to shine the light of truth on the darkest part of my country’s history. Since then I’ve taken several shamanic journeys. These weren’t trips of imagination, but descents into the experiences of my kin in centuries past. I’ve been warned against doing this. Some people who embark on such journeys end up in a catatonic state, unable to find their way back. (4) I may publish a collection of my poems in 2013.  Of the hundreds I’ve written, some have been published in anthologies.  I like the idea of having my more polished poetry available in one volume.

LINKAGE
Amazon UK Page
Amazon US page
Blog 
Lulu Storefront 
Goodreads Author Page 
Metallic Dreams Facebook Page 

Twitter 

Introducing Eye of Solitude

Today I welcome Daniel of Eye of Solitude, a UK-based doom band that has recently given me the wicked thrills with their album Sui Caedere. This has got to be one of my best finds for the past year, and I'm a huge fan. Their music is perfect for me when I'm writing and need sounds that are atmospheric and bone-crunchingly dark and heavy at the same time.

Daniel, you've got exactly 16 words to tell someone who's never heard of Eye of Solitude before, let alone doom metal: go!

Doom death with inhuman vocals, heavy fucking riffs and soul crushing melodies.

Textured, layered... Your music suggests a sonic landscape laden with despair. How has your sound evolved since you first laid down tracks?

We have evolved enormously since The Ghost, our debut full length.The music has taken on higher levels of composition,firstly, and with that, elements like atmosphere, both on record and live, riffage, approach towards the public etc, have been increased, exploited and analyzed carefully for a good interpretation on both sides, the band and the public.

Where would we be without the public and vice-versa? Haha! We try to create a good atmosphere, even though the textures and layers on the album are very hard to reproduce live, but so far everything went extremely well, we are very happy with the live sound, we are happy with the record sound, so I guess I couldn't wish for more than just to expand our horizons even more.

I have to ask about the Sui Caedere cover art, which makes me think of a Max Ernst painting. Can you elaborate a little more on your choices of visuals? And perhaps also share a little about the album's particular underlying themes.

The artwork has been created by Giannis Nakos of Mortal Torment from Greece. He's a very close friend and a fantastic artist, he actually made the first half of the front cover in just one night! That was amazing,coming to work in the morning and finding out a whole bunch of artwork files in my inbox.

Right, the cover is a bit tricky to explain, it resembles a hung angel, in a desolated kind-of background.

I would call it a typical sort of artwork for a band that plays what we play without falling into a stereotypical asset specific to bands.

It represents the highest form of divinity close to a deity. And just like all divinities,they should be pure and free of negativity and such, and yet it commits the deadliest sin in history. Sui Caedere is Latin for killing oneself. Suicide is one of the worst sins,but suicide can be interpreted in oh so many ways.

We would like to leave the listener to decide what they understand by suicide.

And the question that most musicians hate to answer... What's your musical background? Who got you excited about music before you knew you had to create your own? Who're you listening to now?

Haha, no worries. My background varies from classical music to brutal death metal, to shoegaze and cascadian black metal, post metal, post rock and so on.



The other boys in the band have their own influences, but we do have quite a few in common,which makes us understand the music better and feel it with the same intensity. In my opinion, this is the best things that can happen to a band. having more in common means a better collaboration, a better perspective and a better congruence when it comes to writing the music.

For my readers based here in South Africa, what's the metal scene up to in the UK? Which bands do you share the stage with?

There are quite some things happening in the UK right now. Recently we participated at Doom Over London, where we have supported Ahab, Officium Triste, Faal, Indesinence and others, that was truly amazing!

In the past we have shared the stage with the likes of Saturnus, Esoteric, Decemberance and so on...so things are going well for the UK (doom) metal scene.

In the future we hope to share the stage with other great bands worldwide,there are sooooooo many of them out there!

Go check out Eye of Solitude on ReverbNation, Facebook, or on the Kaotoxin Records site.

Not all Gloom and Doom… A Moment with Tunes of Dawn

My mate Carrie Clevenger has a habit of turning me onto new music. This is one of the many reasons why I absolutely adore her. One of the bands she introduced me to last year was a German outfit called Tunes of Dawn, and I am once again forever grateful for this new musical adventure. Then again, any band that covers the immortal Gloomy Sunday gets a serious kick-ass badge from me. So, naturally, I had to track frontman and bassist Hagen Schneevoigt down so we could shoot the breeze a bit. And at the end of this interview there will be a question you can answer by commenting on this blog (leave your name and email address so we can pick a winner). One lucky sod will win Tunes of Dawn goodies.

Now, over to Hagen…

I had to know what prompted the band to cover Gloomy Sunday. After all, there’s a bit of an urban legend attached to the song that suggests folks commit suicide after listening to it. The band plays on this theme in the music video.

Hagen responds: “Well, we always liked that song. And the legend is true. Gloomy Sunday was written by Hungarian musician Rezs Seress in 1933. It’s about how he lost his big love. It was said that many people attempted suicide after listening to it. We liked that story very much, even if it’s a sad one. But the song fit perfectly into the world of Tunes of Dawn, and so we did the cover.”

Watching that Gloomy Sunday video, and listening to the band’s music in general, it’s clear there’s quite a bit of a homage to Type O Negative, and perhaps even hints at Rammstein in more lyrical moments, even.

Hagen says: “Well, of course Typo O Negative is an influence. We always loved this band. But, in general, we have so many influences, like old Black Sabbath, Elvis and all the classic rock stuff. It goes from classic, jazz to pop and, of course metal. We all have different tastes, so in every song is a bit from everyone’s personal taste. But the main inspiration is life and all its up and downs. We prefer the sad and melancholic things. But always with a glint in the eyes.”

So, to poke at those wonderfully "sad and melancholic things" I had to ask Hagen one of my favourite questions: What songs from your past, do you look to for inspiration?

He responds: “It’s very hard to say ’cause there are so many beautiful songs we would like to do. Just to mention a few... two would be definitely Type O Negative: Love you to Death and Anesthesia.”

Then, the question I throw at all my vic— erm, interviewees… Now, you’re in a situation where you need to explain to someone who’s never heard of your music and who you are, and you have EXACTLY 16 words to do so...

Hagen says: “We are painting tragic but hopeful light with music, where others only paint shadows and darkness.”

Nice! Now, if Hagen had to pick one Tunes of Dawn song that really encapsulates what he thinks the band is all about… the lyrics, the choice of arrangements for the instruments. Why must listeners care about this song?

Hagen says, “If I must pick one, I would pick A Warm Sigh at 6°. The lyrics range between past, present and future. From sadness, hope and romance. From life, death and to dreams. Musically it is one of the more heavy songs, even it is not that fast. The melodic line and heavy guitars combined makes the song powerful, I think. We are better creating songs like that, than faster ones.”

Bands’ first-ever live shows often result in unintended hilarity. Whether this is due to Random Acts of Chaos or the wicked sense of humour belonging to the Heavy Music gods, we’ll never know. Hagen relates his own experiences with Tunes of Dawn: “Our first live show ever took place in June 1994. We were so excited, we did not dare to drink a single beer. Instead we drank lots of energy drinks by mistake. But at least everything went good. We still have some video footage of that show. Mostly we are laughing our asses off, because we look like teenagers playing death metal.”

Tunes of Dawn back in 1994

LOL, so they must have been like a bunch of Energizer bunnies on stage… But beyond musicians behaving themselves well, like musicians… The audience is also capable of behaving strangely. Hagen elaborates: “Well, strange things happen almost every time, more or less. But I remember one very funny thing back in 2008 when we had our record release show in Berlin. Some people made a huge banner out of underwear, about 10x4 metres. They took everything off that banner and threw it on stage. So the whole stage was covered with bras and panties and so on. It must have been about a 100 items.”

Undergarments aside, but staying with the clothing industry, as for what lies ahead, Hagen concludes: “At the moment we are doing a song for the Berlin-based designer Kilian Kerner for his new collection 2013. We will also perform the song at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week this month. Furthermore we are currently writing new songs for our next album. The release is planned for fall this year.”

Now, be awesome little minions and go check out the Tunes of Dawn website here where you’ll find all their social networking links and more (go check out that music video already, will you?).

As for the question, name one Type O Negative song you’d love to see covered. (Answer by leaving a comment with your name and email address where we can contact you.) Entries will be open until January 17, 2013.

Terminatryx give-away

I have, in my grubby mitts, a signed copy of Terminatryx's album. And I'm going to post it to one lucky reader anywhere in the world. All you have to do is read the Q&A below then mail me at nerinedorman@gmail.com and tell me what the name of Terminatryx's new killer music video is. Please remember to put "Terminatryx giveaway" in the subject line and to include your name and postal address in the body copy.

Today I welcome Paul Blom from Terminatryx here at my blog. Tell us a bit more about the remix album, when it will be ready and where people will be able to find it?

In between our Terminatryx self-titled album release (mid-2008) and the "Terminatryx / Nosferatu" DVD release (early-2009), we decided to see if we can get every single one of the album tracks remixed for new creations and experiences to come from them.

Instead of doing them ourselves or only get local artists to tackle the songs, we looked further afield and got some great participants, including Industriezone (Austria), the legendary Martin Degville of Sigue Sigue Sputnik (with Lloyd Price) (UK), Sheep On Drugs (also UK), Modern-e-Quartet (Greece), The Awakening (USA / RSA), and brilliant local names like Battery 9, Mr Sakitumi (Sean Ou Tim), Axxon, iRONic, Nul, and Jekyll & Hyde.

It is rare that bands release a complete, full remix album in sequence, as opposed to just a few of their hits (especially in SA) - but then, we do like to break the norm. The new versions open up a whole new dimension with these songs (that we've gotten used to with rehearsing, recording and performing live over the years), that it's a whole new experience, from dance versions, epic new takes, interesting avant-garde string-driven renditions and more.

The album will also include our cover version of the classic 1984 Animotion track Obsession (recorded with Theo Crous), plus a few extra bonus cuts.

We're aiming for a late-May / early-June release thru ENT Entertainment (in association with Flamedrop Productions).

The album will be available for global orders at www.OneWorld.co.za and various stores around SA.

Have you got any live appearances soon people should diarise?

We're going to spend more time this year on music videos. We're currently planning two special events (dates pending).

We are also set to perform with Sacred Legacy touring SA (July 1)

All shows will be listed at www.TERMINATRYX.com

You've been venturing into film-making. Tell us more about Virus and what other film projects you have lined up.

I have been at it since the early 1990s (not counting the school years' Super-8 film projects in the 1980s). Our first serious short film was the dark experimental imPERFECTION in 2004 (features as a bonus extra on the "Terminatryx / Nosferatu" DVD release). With our movie and music interests naturally blending, we always end up either featuring Terminatryx in the soundtrack or creating full-on music videos.

Our most recent Terminatryx Virus music video was born as a result of our most recent short film Marked, a werewolf transformation tale. With all the great talents at our disposal (including special make-up FX by Clinton Smith from Cosmesis), we grabbed the chance to use the story as a narrative basis for a music video, and cross-pollinating the two.

So, we included an extra shooting day for band performance footage (and added a little twist as a punch-line to tie the narrative and story together). The video has been grabbing amazing attention, especially from abroad (was requested to be included in the Sci-Fi London Film Festival, selected to feature on EerieTube.com for six months, is the first SA band to have a video featured on the European on-line music TV channel LoudTV.net etc.) SA's MK music channel is also playlisting the video (but may only screen at later times because of the graphic material).

There is another short film in the pipeline and several new music videos. We're also planning our first feature film screenplay.

Linkage:

www.TERMINATRYX.com

www.YouTube.com/Terminatryx

www.facebook.com/Terminatryx

www.twitter.com/Terminatryx

www.YouTube.com/FlamedropProductions