Thank you so much for reaching out! Things are going well with me; and I certainly hope the same for you and everyone else at Metal Temple!

Actually it was Nattewolf (JP) who contacted me online, in reference to another project that I'm involved in. He expressed great interest in what I was doing in the states, musically, and we just hit it off really well; becoming really close friends over the subsequent years. In the case of BlightMass, my entry into the band was only about a year ago. My first official visit to France will be in January/February of 2020. We have a small tour lined up (8 dates in all) to support our debut release. Maybe following this event, my time back and forth to Europe will increase. This is absolutely a hope which I carry.

There are a couple of different elements that brought me to the decision to suggest the name change. My relationship with Purgatory Unleashed began when Nattewolf commissioned me to track vocals for one song on their upcoming album. From what I understand, once the lead vocalist heard my performance, he suggested that he wanted to then track the same song again. The other members of the band disagreed with him and at that point he became insulted and through some uncertain terms, resigned from the band. Shortly after, Nattewolf again commissioned me to perform vocals and rewrite the lyrics for the entire album, which I gladly agreed to do. Once the album was nearly complete, I realized that I was truly developing a great fondness of the material, and offered to be the lead vocalist for any and all future endeavors.

My only real condition with this was that we consider changing the band name to something a bit more ominous. I suggested this because of the mild response I was receiving, in reaction to the band name in the Tampa local scene. In the states, the word "Purgatory" doesn't tend to inspire fear or disgust; it's a place that is viewed more as neutral. Basically, the name at the time (to me) translated into "Spirits who aren't good but aren't really bad, being unleashed." BlightMass wasn't my first suggestion, but we settled on it because of the mutability of the concept as well as the words, themselves. Furthermore, the name matches perfectly with the lyrical content!

We were definitely thrilled to receive the initial offer from GDR. Being that the label is based out of France, Nattewolf is spearheading the relations between us and them. Generally speaking, the experience has been a positive one. As a unit, we are happy to be working with GDR and will be open to negotiate further releases with them, in the future. To address the promotion question, I believe the label has performed nicely in terms of holding up their end of the agreement.

From my understanding, the album is receiving quite positive reviews in France from the fans and the media alike. I can speak for the states, in that the local Tampa scene has been very impressed with the finished product. We can only hope that the trend continues the upward trajectory and this album reaches the potential that we (in BlightMass) feel it is capable of earning.

The title, as I intended it to be understood is as follows: We are generally taught to believe that a person is the construct of two primary elements: the body and the soul. We often hear that once the body dies the soul lives on. My idea for the title was simply to present an alternative perception where the evil and suffering which permeates many aspects of existence, can decimate our soul; leaving our body to live on until it expires from whatever conditions apply to the individual person, animal, etc. This concept is also referred to in the lyrics to the title track. So the concept was not exactly meant as if something is "being cut away" from your soul, however that is a pretty cool idea as well!

The lyrical theme for this album is rather an homage to horror/sci-fi/history/religious-cult literature and film adaptations. The intro to the album (Pale Child) is devoid of any real lyrics, but the concept of the track is made clear once the track draws to an end, to signify the awakening of something treacherous. The album, as follows, is one assault on humanity after another. Each track bearing its own version of the apocalypse, derived through a different catalyst. Some tracks deal with more of an individual quelling of existence, whereas, others more so allude to mass extinction.

I believe that for me, this album really stands out on a spiritual level because of the visions I get when I review the lyrics or listen to the music. One of my primary enjoyments as a musician is writing lyrics, because (like music) you can truly move people's emotions in any direction you choose. I hold the key. I am driving this vehicle; and I will take it anywhere I want it to go. In addition to what I consider to be a fantastic album, musically, I hope the fans will take the time to check out the lyrical concepts and get a better understanding of why I truly feel it stands out as a complete package.

I'm pleased that you have taken a liking to the juxtaposition of the content! The clean and "dreamy" interludes, as you put it, are part of the reason why I fell in love with the overall embodiment of this album, prior to joining. Personally I am a huge fan of extremely sullen, introspective music. So this was an immediate appeal, from my perspective. I hope the fans agree!

I'm glad you asked, because, this song is one of my absolute favorites! Referring back to a previous inquiry, this song ultimately testifies to the concept of the album, as its namesake. As with (hopefully) every song on this record, if you follow the lyrical progressions, other aspects of the song begin to make more sense. I did my best at taking the existing music, and sort of reconstructing the vocal and lyrical content, based on the emotions that it conjured up. So in this case, the abrupt ending to the song is basically like this, in other words- "You've gained nothing by being pious to your imaginary gods. You will never be free, until you give that shit up. The End." Haha!

Everything I involve myself in, musically, absolutely has to impact me emotionally. That being said, I feel that this was already a very strong album before I even joined. I have an honest and substantial admiration for the musical direction that these guys took this album; and I was elated to have the chance to contribute. I hope that this factor is transparent in the finished product, and that people can tap into the energy that I'm adding to this megalith!

Yes, exactly. It was a situation where the band had most of the album completed, before I entered into the fold. So I had little to no input on the actual music, other than assisting in the arrangement of a few parts, for lyrical purposes. Certainly regarding the intro "Pale Child," I was a bit more involved in the layout. Actually my lovely wife Sara provided the female voice for that track!

In this situation, under the current circumstances of being so far apart, the song writing process certainly has brought adversities that would otherwise not be a factor. So for the time being, our creative process will continue to be an online exchange of ideas and concepts until we agree upon a given final product. That is the most logical path, in this regard.

The music portion of the album was recorded in France, by Nattewolf. He is an extremely talented asset to the metal community, I assure you. He also took over mixing/mastering. He consulted me on a regular basis, throughout the process; as I assume he also did with the other members. I am very pleased with the production work on this album, and I know that our next album will be this and much more! As to the modernism vs. old-school in which you mentioned, I feel that "yes" there is a pleasing mix of these two elements captured in this endeavor.

This is an extremely tough question but for me it's, "When He Wakes." Not only am I a huge H.P. Lovecraft fan, I had so much fun writing the lyrics and recording this song. The music is brutal as all hell; and overall it was just a blast to track this one, due to the rhythmic nature of the vocal cadence.

Ralph was a great friend to many of us; and I can only hope that he would have been pleased with the final product, involving his contribution. Nattewolf was the original point of contact for that arrangement, so I don't have the specific details of when it was tracked. ...Only that when he contacted Ralph, he did what Ralph always did- he jumped in to help. This song is most definitely my deepest lyrical involvement throughout this album. I could write several paragraphs based on exactly what this song represents for me; but if you read and ponder the lyrics, it will probably be the most economical solution. Haha!

The process, currently, is a bit unorthodox. With me living in the states, obviously regular rehearsals are not something that we can easily obtain. So for the time being, the guys run through rehearsals without me directly participating; and I practice the vocals in my studio, via recorded tracks. It's not optimal, but it is necessary. Vocally, these songs are quite challenging. So I need to be able to stay active and fresh on the material, despite the distance.

For BlightMass, I feel that the only challenge that we have faced up to this point, is simply that we live on opposite sides of the planet. I am deeply honored and excited to be involved with this project. That being said, I will continue to devote my utmost in effort to assure I represent these guys properly. So for the future... Let's see what happens! My vision for the band? I vote for astronomical domination!

You are 100%
correct. We are out to support SFYS in the first quarter of 2020 and beyond. Granted, that the first tour is entirely within the French border- I did not have a direct hand in the booking process, however, all has been solidified and we are completely stoked to be undertaking this endeavor!

Thank you so very much, my friend! As a humble hillbilly Metalhead from the mountains of Tennessee, I greatly appreciate the time you have devoted to garnering a better understanding of my inner workings. Hopefully this will not be our last conversation!