Before AUROCH head over to Europe to destroy shit…check out their interview Letter by Letter:
A – Arturo Perez-Reverte
I am a huge admirer of the Spanish magic-realism writing style of Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and the films of Almodovar, but I don’t think that anyone else is capable of capturing such a whimsical atmosphere, and blending it with the tones of excitement in the same fashion that Perez-Reverte does. This may seem odd, as he is largely a historical author, but I find his seminal work ‘El Club Dumas’ to be absolutely unparalleled in scope and mystery. It is a grand adventure that is coded in metaphor, drenched in ambience, and completely unsurpassed within the genre of fiction concerning occultism. If I managed to capture even a fraction of “lo real maravilloso” in my lyrics for Taman Shud, then I can die happily.
U – Ur Rune
The second letter in the Nordic rune alphabet, the Ur rune represents the Auroch, strength, endurance, but most importantly (in regards to the concepts explored on Taman Shud) manifestation. Though the lyrics and archetypes portrayed on the album are connected to higher thoughts very dear to us, and something non-corporeal, the disc still functions very much as a conduit from the most base and primal world. From suffering and always upward, ever higher. So the Ur rune is both the gate of manifestation, and the characteristics needed to reconcile manifestation. This is a part of what is portrayed on the album cover.
R – The Ruins of Beverast
Far and away one of the most influential bands for us. I really think he/they get better with each record. Blood Vaults is a fascinating, disturbing journey, and I am very excited to see what their next move is.
O – Ouroboros
I will forego a tired and well-worn explanation in to a symbol that is no stranger to being used in heavy metal music, and rather share an insight in to the context in which we presented it in the album. On Taman Shud, the Ouroboros (or Auroboros, as we have taken the liberty to twist it in to) is the incomplete spiritual path of man, and man’s reasoning. In a well thought out philosophy that has undergone adequate reasoning and objective scrutiny, forces and forms are allowed to become archetypical and truly sum up the essence of the paradigm. A faith which is consciously based around a division, a moral fissure, may never truly allow itself to grasp the whole truth of a thing, but instead puts limitations on its own perceived paradigm, while fruitlessly laboring towards a half formed verb. It confines itself to a wholly carnal existence, and never even mind spirituality, it does not allow objective thought on the mental level, whilst claiming to be universal. The gilded, shimmering Auroboros in this context is the image of false reverence, the serpent of distraction. Welded in to place and gnawing at its own tail. This is linked to the worldliness that I have described in the letter U, and toils towards the death of morals.
C – Christy Mack
The haircut. The makeup. The booty. Goddamn. Big fans over here.
H – Health
In the writing of Taman Shud we discovered American noise rock band Health. They create some very vast feelings with their music and it immediately became an influence on all three of us. Though our song “Death Canonized” grew in scope… and general… death metal-ness from when we first wrote it, it was initially inspired by Health’s song “Tears” (and in turn the middle section of Voice of Gemini was too).
