an interview w/ Lightning Swords of Death & a new MP3

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Lightning Swords Of Death – “Nihilistic Stench” (MP3)

LSOD at Scion Rock Fest (more)

The reaction was immediate; LA’s Lightning Swords of Death floored me in the choking fog of Lit Lounge last year, destroying the small crowd at the NY date of a short east coast campaign. Then it happened again when Scion Rock Fest got their heaping dose of rattling doom riffs and charging black metal fury. LSOD was to be feared, and their riffs to be admired.

During both appearances, the band played songs that didn’t appear on their previous release The Golden Plague, but would later show on The Extra-Dimensional Wound, the band’s new album which hits store shelves Tuesday (5/25) via their new home Metal Blade Records. “Nihilistic Stench” from that album is available for free download above.

As the band prepares to release their ravenous new beast into the wild, we cornered maniacal vocalist Autarch for a sit down on his band, its moniker, the LA scene, and the new LP. Check that interview out below…

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Are you a fan of 70s film? Is the moniker LSOD a reference to the Lone Wolf & Cub series? If so, how does the concept of the film (a lone warlord with his infant son taking on the emperor’s army) apply to your ideology as a band? Who are filmmakers that influence the band?

We are definitely fans of 70’s cinema and the Lone Wolf and Cub series is among our favorites. Our name was inspired by the second of that film series originally titled as “Baby Cart in Hades”. The film it’s self has little to do with our ideology. However, Itto Ogami the protagonist often described the path he walked as a hired killer, as “The Path of Hell”. We chose the name at the time because it sounded fucking brutal and demanded our song writing to live up to such an absurd moniker. Since than the name has come to mean a lot more to us along our own “Path of Hell”. Alejandro Jodorowsky is a filmmaker that certainly has had an influence. The work of Werner Herzog, Ken Russell and John Boorman also come to mind.

Lightning Swords of Death L to R: Roskva (Guitar), Thrudvang (Drums), Autarch (Vox), Menno (Bass)

You recently toured with Behemoth and played high profile gigs with Immortal and Scion Rock Fest. What is your favorite live show memory of this year so far?

That Behemoth tour was a great experience. Truly a tremendous opportunity for a band that had never toured with a major act. I am not sure which show stands out the most.. Perhaps playing a giant converted church in Pennsylvania called Mr. Smalls, place was huge and filled to capacity. Seriously, that tour as a whole was amazing for us and Behemoth were true metal brothers, we learned a lot touring with a band like them.

The cover art is very striking; it seems as if HR Giger was a definite inspiration, but what was the inspiration for the art and how does it relate to the album concept?

I am very inspired by HR Giger, Albrecht Durer, Ernst Fuchs and the Hermetic Gnostic artist, Johfra. The image depicts the polymorphic, emanations of living chaos erupting from the extra dimensional wound (a rip in the membrane that defines the hyper-modular latticing of the multiverse).

The Extra-Dimensional Wound cover art

There is a large difference in the production styles between The Golden Plague and the new LP. What was the spark that kind of provoked a move to this production style and away from a decidedly lo-fi sound?

That lo-fi sound you describe was by no means intentional in some attempt as coming off kvlt. We were simply working with what resources we had. The result was a release that sounds like it was recorded in a bunker, in retrospect I like the sound. It reminds me of EVP recordings. The Extra Dimensional Wound is our first pro recording experience. We tracked at Trench studios with John Haddad and than the mixing and mastering was handled in Sweden at Necromorbus Studios by Sverker “Necro” Widgren. We are very satisfied with this release. It will punch a whole through this world and drag the listener deep into Hell’s heart!

What are you thoughts on the underground metal community in LA? Who are some bands that you feel that are important/etc…

We lost several venues this year, and with it a festival so things are a bit grim right now. Due to the nature of our music and beliefs we are quite isolated. In other words, we keep to ourselves. Most of the bands we have relationships with live outside the city such as Valdur from Mammoth Lakes California, they are an amazing band. There is a very cool, very primitive band called Harassor out here that we all like and have played with several times. I should also mention that there are some very good power metal bands emerging from Los Angeles. Bands like Huntress, Professor and Holy Grail come to mind. There definitely is a lot more metal here than there was ten years ago.

How did your writing process differ on the new LP? What were your goals/things that you learned after The Golden Plague?

We had different inspiration conceptually and with a different desired result from the output of our energies. The plague haft poisoned the Earth and now we shall re-open the wound in the second phase of our black metal psychic attack. This coupled with the fact that we knew that this was a wider release on prestigious label with more resources within our arsenal. It is a bigger album. longer, louder, and more brutal than anything we have created before.

Are there any more touring plans in the works?

We will be doing some shows in the first week of June in and around California with Abigail Williams.

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Thanks to Luis, Autarch and all of the LSOD guys.