How did Coldfells form?
It wasn’t really intended to go anywhere. It was winter and there was a snowstorm that hit. At the time, I lived above the tattoo shop where I was working in Ohio. We closed down for the day, and I was snowed in, so I started to play guitar. I was just getting into doom at the time and I wanted to just make some really slow dark music. I wrote and recorded what became “On Carven Throne” first, and “Dungeons Deep” kind of just came along with it. At the time, I was taking guitar lessons from Aaron, so the following week when I went in, I showed him what I had made. He thought it was good and we had been talking about doing a project together, so we went forward. He and Andrew went to work on tracking bass, drums, and vocals. When they finished, we uploaded the songs to bandcamp and that night Jim from Eihwaz had decided he wanted it. Aaron had a message in the morning offering to release it and we decided to do some more.
Where do you see the band going next?
Hopefully live, even if it’s just occasionally. I want to continue to put out music, no matter what, but I think eventually we should have some live performances too. We’ve gotten together a few times and jammed and it takes on a whole new life in that way. I really enjoy it.
What are your favorite albums/artists?
I could go on for a while about this, and I have a few albums/artists that I go back to consistently, but when it comes to this style my biggest influences for Coldfells come from Abigail Williams, Wolves In The Throne Room, Alcest, Thrice (No one ever notices that one), Swallow The Sun, Mouth of the Architect, and Anathema. There’s obviously a lot more than those, but I’m not gonna bore you with my love of The Allman Brothers, John Mayer, post hardcore, or early 2000’s metalcore.
You guys put out a vinyl edition, which sold out fairly quickly. Are there any plans to reissue? Or is it digital only for this release going forward?
The album will not be reissued on vinyl. We wanted it to be 100 and that’s that. Repressing them takes away what made that whole process special and personal. If you have one, it was numbered and assembled by us. And you have one of the only ones. As for other formats, though, that’s not off the table. We’ve discussed a possible CD release of it, which I would love to do. The wheels in Coldfells turn slowly, so nothing is decided yet. But I’m hopeful we’ll get it circulating again.
Do you plan to stay as a three-piece? Or would you consider adding other members at some point?
As for recording, yes. We have a good dynamic between the three of us, and it’s always difficult to bring someone new into the mix. But if/when we play live, we need to have a drummer since Andrew takes on bass in that situation. So, live, you’d see four of us, but at its core, Coldfells is a trio and I don’t intend on changing that any time soon.
Black metal has gotten quite a bit more widespread lately, and it’s grown into some really interesting directions. What are your thoughts on the genre?
Interesting is one word to use haha. I think it’s great that black metal has grown and evolved. I think in a lot of ways, branching out and taking risks with the genre is what makes it true. Some people tend to act like if it doesn’t sound like the classic names everyone loves to drop, then it’s not black metal. But that attitude behind saying “Fuck you, if I wanna experiment with this I’m going to,” is way more true to the spirit of this genre than staying within a box that a couple of guys molded almost 30 years ago. I’d much rather listen to the Uadas and Nachtmystiums of the world than some dudes using the same 4 power chords on a tape recorder because they think that’s the only way to be black metal.
BUT, along with that evolution, we have been exposed to a lot of crap. And unfortunately, there is a LOT of bullshit circulating in black metal right now. I’m not going to go on a tangent about what bands piss me off, but there are quite a few making a mockery of it because it’s cool right now. They’ll fizzle out. It’s just a matter of time.
What are you working on now?
I have some new Coldfells material, but it’s all very early stages. Nothing worth noting yet. I also have a Horse Drawn EP written, but between Coldfells, finishing my Plaguewielder obligations, and life, I haven’t been able to record it yet. But it’s coming.
Where can people find your stuff?
coldfellsdoom.bandcamp.com
Hddm.bandcamp.com
These are really the only two things I’m working on at the moment, so they’re the best places to keep updated. There, or each band’s Facebook page.
Which do you prefer: playing live or recording, and why?
Both have their appeals, but I prefer to record. There’s nothing like starting from scratch, building a song, and getting to enjoy it for the first time. That excitement is amazing. The process of building something like that is extremely fun, relaxing, and rewarding to me.
I do love playing live, and that will always have a special place in my heart, but it’s stressful. And as I get older, I’m finding myself becoming more awkward in social settings. I spend more time than I would care to in the van at shows anymore and that kind of defeats the purpose, haha. I’ll probably never stop fully, but live shows have slowed down for me. There is however this one place in Maine I really enjoy playing…
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