Interview done by Daemon Black
USBMS would like to thank A God Or An Other for this interview
1. Can you introduce the readers to the members of A God or an Other and give us a bit of history on when and how the band got started ?
D: Guitarist/vocalist Trent Boyd and drummer/vocalist Sam
Pickel initially started the band as a two-piece, and released both the
Demo and the Live @ Joonior's EP's with that lineup, and played a
handful of shows. Bassist Dustin Carroll joined the group after posting a
Craigslist ad seeking a band of similar style to what A.G.O.A.O. was
creating. After re-vamping the older material and writing a few new
songs, we released 'Towers of Silence' as a proper debut.
2.
The name "A God or an Other" Is a phrase from the book, House of Leaves
by Mark Z. Danielewski. Can you tell me which member is the fan of his
books and who's idea was it to use that particular name for the band?
T: Thanks, that was basically a song i have been writing for 5+ years now. Our influences are all over the place. As far as backgrounds go, I think Sam listened to a lot of metal like Opeth, Slayer, and Maiden growing up. Dustin has listened to everything. I am heavily influenced by late 90s/early 2000s post-hardcore. We meet in the middle on a lot of different bands though, we all love black metal, post rock, and experimental music. Id say right now we are all very influenced by bands like Xasthur, Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Panopticon, Altar of Plagues, and Red Sparowes.
T: I have been writing a lot. I think we will definitely have another release on the way in the next 6 months. All I can say right now is that it is going to sound very different than Towers of Silence.
D: It was Trent's idea to use that line, although all 3
members are fans of House of Leaves. Trent has a House of
Leaves-inspired tattoo on his leg actually.
3.
In your bio You credit the occult, philosophy and science as
inspirations for your songs lyrical themes. Can you explain a bit about
each members background on these subjects and do you guys apply any of
these practices in your own lives?
T:
Id say that we are all at least somewhat interested in the occult,
though it has become sort of a mainstream thing these days. We are
definitely interested in philosophy and science. I think all of us read
both fiction and non-fiction literature pertaining to both.
4.
A God or an Other has three releases to date, I wanted to ask about the
live @ Joonior's studios CD, how did this idea of releasing a live
recording come about and what was they experience like for the band?
T: The guy that did those sessions, Chris Matthews
Jr., was a local to my area who did them as a series, and it was very
affordable. At the time we just figured it would be a cool new outlet to
display our music, but I don't think he does them anymore. It was fun, I'd like to do something similar again sometime.
5. I've seen A
God or an Other labeled as experimental / post Black Metal but i find
your sound has a lot more in common with a band like Leviathan. how do
you guys, as a band define your sound? and how do you feel about labels
in the metal genre?
T: I
really hate the way people throw labels around. What does it matter? If
you like the way it sounds, that's all that should matter. Unfortunately
it isn't. I guess if I had to define our sound, id like to say we are
experimental black metal. I say experimental just because we are
influenced by so many different sounds and styles. We will always have a
certain backbone to our sound (black metal) but I like having the
freedom to play whatever I want without being attached to just one
sound.
6. You guys recently changed your band logo, what prompted the change and who created the new design?
T: Our old logo was just a hand drawn design
that Sam did, and someone else edited. We just wanted something
different. Plus, the "all seeing eye" image is a bit played out these
days.
7. There are
some great acoustics work on the track "Agate Passage", can you tell us
what are your guys musical backgrounds and is there any certain person,
musician or band from any genre that inspired you guys to create music?
T: Thanks, that was basically a song i have been writing for 5+ years now. Our influences are all over the place. As far as backgrounds go, I think Sam listened to a lot of metal like Opeth, Slayer, and Maiden growing up. Dustin has listened to everything. I am heavily influenced by late 90s/early 2000s post-hardcore. We meet in the middle on a lot of different bands though, we all love black metal, post rock, and experimental music. Id say right now we are all very influenced by bands like Xasthur, Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Panopticon, Altar of Plagues, and Red Sparowes.
8. Has there
been any label interest for the band recently? also what are your
opinions on bands releasing music through a label as opposed to
releasing it them selves?
T: We would love to have the support of a label, but
it would have to be the right fit. I think a lot of bands do the DIY
thing well, but i feel like it must cost a ton of money.
T: We haven't played with Black Table yet, that happens in a couple weeks. We played with Subrosa from Colorado, i think that's who you are referring to. The reception was pretty good when we played out of the Seattle area for all of the bands. Our last few local shows we have had a few technical difficulties that effected our performances negatively (amp problems, pedal problems, etc..). I am very excited to be playing the two Black Table/Downfall of Gaia shows. We are opening for Vestiges in a couple weeks and I am SO EXCITED. I'm obsessed with that band.
9.A God or an
Other has played some live shows recently, a couple with great band from
Colo whom i know, also the band Black Table who I recently interviewed,
can you tell me a highlight of these shows and how was the crowd
response to you guys and the touring bands?
T: We haven't played with Black Table yet, that happens in a couple weeks. We played with Subrosa from Colorado, i think that's who you are referring to. The reception was pretty good when we played out of the Seattle area for all of the bands. Our last few local shows we have had a few technical difficulties that effected our performances negatively (amp problems, pedal problems, etc..). I am very excited to be playing the two Black Table/Downfall of Gaia shows. We are opening for Vestiges in a couple weeks and I am SO EXCITED. I'm obsessed with that band.
10. Can you give our readers a hint at whats in store for A God or an Other in 2014 and what can listeners expect from you guys?
T: I have been writing a lot. I think we will definitely have another release on the way in the next 6 months. All I can say right now is that it is going to sound very different than Towers of Silence.
11.Are there any final words you guys would like to say before we finish up this interview?
T: Thanks for giving us a good interview, and actually giving a shit about what we're doing!
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