Inhale heavy riffs, obey the witch and stare in the eternal black void of ‘Servus’! Released one week and two days ago, this is not only a good reason to take a closer look at the debut full-length of Belgian Doomsters Bathsheba, but also to celebrate my first encounter with the wonderful Michelle Nocon. ‘Servus’ much notably and rightfully has gained a massive media echo and shall pave the way for further touring efforts outside their native territory.
‘Servus’ is a very spiritual album. It’s about deep feelings and experiences that are very abstract. There are other feelings like ‘saudade’ which is also very deep and hard to grasp for some people, but they are more concrete. ‘Servus’ is about things that are hardly on earth anymore. During the process of ‘Servus’ I had a lot of dialogues with myself, I went through a lot of weird things, also demonology related somehow, as the talented vocalist recalls about the progress of creating the album, which was released on February 24th, 2017 by Svart Records. And while they were only just an opening act at the joint venture of Occult Sabbath and Feverdance Rituals, it certainly will only be a matter of time till the four-piece will do a headlining tour. Being amongst those who have been chosen to appear at prestigious Roadburn Festival and sharing stages with the likes of legendary Coven & Jinx Dawson, Chelsea Wolfe, Oathbreaker, King Woman or True Widow, to name but a few, will clearly up the ante for them. If you’re not yet fully convinced of the greatness of Bathsheba and ‘Servus’, you might give yourself and the band a chance by streaming the album in its entirety via German Rock Hard Magazine!
She-Wolf And The Faceless Ghouls: Bathsheba MMXVII – by Burning Moon
The Netherlands-based festival comes out of the gate with its first announcements for Roadburn 2017 and immediately proves why it’s like nothing else happening on this poor pitiful planet we happen to occupy. To bring Coven back to the stage for the first time in untold decades and for their first European show ever? Come on. I don’t care where you live, that’s worth getting on a plane for.
Coven will play their first show in decades, and for the first time ever on European soil. Devil Horns, the Left Hand Path, Satanic Rituals, Black Magick, Sexuality, and a seminal debut-album that has had a lasting appeal since 1969. Coven’s Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls was not only ahead of its time, the iconoclastic troupe – helmed by high priestess, and the original wicked woman,Jinx Dawson – heavily influenced future generations of musicians, from Ghost to The Devil’s Blood, from Witchcraft to In Solitude, from Blood Ceremony to Lucifer, and even our festival.
We are equal measures excited, proud and overwhelmed to be able to announce that Coven will thrill Roadburn Festival to it’s darkened core on Thursday, April 20 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Jinx Dawson, and her unholy union will take their cult-ritual to the stage for the first time in decades – and for the first time ever on European soil.
Jinx Dawson commented: “Roadburn Festival’s intrepid ring master, Walter, hath stirred us from our Coven lair. We shall be performing a musickal ritual for the first time in many ages. We are wickedly delighted to travel to the Netherlands for this very special festival concert, and to bring our musickal form of Witchcraft once again to the live stage.”
Known by many classic rock fans for Jinx Dawson’s early seventies hit, ‘One Tin Soldier’, from the counter culture flick Billy Jack, the song was an anthem for hypocrisy and added more mystery to Coven’s occult imagery and aesthetics that laid the groundwork for hard rock and heavy metal.
The band’s diabolical mix of proto-metal paired with dark psychedelica and prog was dabbed in deeply occult lyrics, and has always been a celebration of all things Left Hand Path. Whether it’s the much sought after and talked about Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls, or the band’s third album Blood on the Snow, Coven’s output has terrified peers and audiences, as well as the moral-elite since their incarnation. Their extreme dark and shocking rites, thriving on a strong woman’s sexuality, was unheard of at the time.
Though Coven went clandestine not long after the release of Blood on the Snow, Jinx Dawson, and the band always remained a landmark within the metal community, and hailed as one of the 10 greatest heavy metal front women. Having battled with record companies, management, opposing religious organisations and law officials has only added to Jinx’s legacy to stay genuinely true to her own firm beliefs, based upon a very long lineage of Occult Adepts and Practitioners of the Ancient Arts.
With the release of 2003’s Goth Queen: Out of the Vault, and 2013’s album, Jinx, Dawson rightfully regained her throne as ‘the originator’ of the burgeoning occult rock scene – a movement that we have wholeheartedly embraced at Roadburn over the years, while offering a platform to her children of the damned.
Having the mysterious Jinx Dawson / Coven at Roadburn isn’t only a thrilling once in a lifetime event, it is also our way of paying a humble tribute to a woman that has been such an integral influence on the festival since its incarnation in 1999, and an inspirational heroine to many bands that graced our stages over the years. We couldn’t think of a more fitting ceremony, and welcome all of you to Jinx’s lair on Thursday, April 20 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands – don’t break the circle, and join us.
It is a great honor for Psychorizon to welcome one of the most promising apparitions of this age for some further introduction to the world: Jess and the Ancient Ones. This grouping of seven finnish musicians, namely vocalist Jess, lead guitarist Thomas Corpse, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Thomas Fiend, rhythm guitarist Von Stroh, bass guitarist Fast Jake, keyboarder Abraham and drummer and percussionist Yussuf won’t have to hide behind others like Jex Thoth, Blood Ceremony, The Devil’s Blood, Christian Mistress, Rise and Shine, Purson etc. Their brilliance is easily transported into live videos on their youtube channel and even songs of more than ten minutes just flow to ones mind and make them want to dance and sing along. But how do they manage to summon up this magic? Here might be some answers!
Please tell us how and when you got together as a creative gathering.
Thomas Corpse:
The idea was conceived a few years back, as a result of long, dark and hypnotizing nights with Mr. Fiend and some other fiends. Loving different kind of music since our birth, it felt natural to explore the other end of the shadows. Lineup came together fairly easy, as all the members were summoned up from close quarters. We’re a young band still, but each member has been around long enough to know, that all that glitters is not gold.
Your self-titled debut album is now available at finish label Svart Records – how does it feel and why did you not pick another name for it?
Thomas Corpse:
For the first time ever, we have been most satisfied with the label we’re in, as in the past some of our choices have not been proven worthy. Svart Records has a different kind of game, and it’s a game that is based on loyalty, honour and trust. Did I mention that they do killer vinyls? Well, they do. We left the debut unnamed, as it felt like the right choice. One’s gotta listen to one’s inner voice, and so we did!
How much of the things your lyrics deal with is autobiographical/true to life?
Thomas Fiend:
They are very much true to life, naturally. If you mean the so-called everyday mundane life, that is not so relevant when it comes to our lyrics, I think. The mundane world is not the only level of existence and it’s interesting and challenging to describe things and visits to the astral plane since the same laws of reason don’t apply there at all.
Thomas Corpse:
Every song, every text, every melody, everything has been honestly conceived from the visions, sights, trips and feels of the authors. Correlating with the metaphysic forces, sinking deeper within in search of self, and thus exploring beyond the laws of the natural world. We’re not in it for the shock effect, just writing what comes from within and thus keeping it real.
Front cover of ’13th Breath of the Zodiac’ 7″ single, released on October 26th, 2011 by Svart Records.
In 2011 you released a 7″-single called “13th Breath of the Zodiac”, the B-Side of this is a cover version of Coven’s “White Witch of Rose Hall” – did you contact the band prior to the recording and if so, was it complicated to get their approval on this?
Thomas Corpse:
There were no contact’s made between us and Coven. A little small talk moment with Jinx Dawson would have been great though, as she’s an amazing singer! And of course, she is also the original witch. All hail Jinx! We wanted to honour this great band, and so we did the cover version. Ah, gotta love that song.
Speaking of Coven, would you name them or other groups from the late 60s/early 70s as a major influence?
Thomas Fiend:
They’ve definitely had an impact on me, that’s for sure. More from a musical than from a magical aspect. The latest discovery from that era for me is a band called Shocking Blue, awesome stuff.
Thomas Corpse:
Their debut will always have a special spot in my vinyl collection, and surely have they left some musical scars to our skins as well. They are not the main influence, but they’re respected for sure.
Neil Young, NWOBHM, UFO, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, The Shocking Blue, Iron Maiden, Tom Waits, Mountain etc. our musical scale is really wide, and those fore mentioned bands were just a drop in the ocean. All the members have a very different taste for music, and that’s one of our sharpest edges in my opinion.
Also in 2011 you published a promo – how were the reactions towards this work? Although your native Finland is known to be a real Rock-loving country, are you surprised to be on the charts with your debut?
Thomas Fiend:
Yeah I was really surprised that we were not only on the charts but that we were in top 10, at #7. As a matter of fact we were at #1 on the chart which counts sales only from music stores, not from supermarkets etc. It was a really big surprise indeed.
JATAO live magic 2011 at Lutakko w/ Blood Ceremony (CAN). Photo credit: Maija Lahtinen.
Your band name evokes at least a slight connection the Blood Ceremony’s second album called “Living with the Ancient Ones” but due to the fact that you as a band existed before this was out, it must be a coincidence. Anyhow, what do you think about this Canadian foursome?
Thomas Corpse:
I like their latest album, but not because of the name, hah! Love the sound they have (though did not like it a lot around their first album), cos’ it’s a nice mixture between the old gold and their own unique brand of sonic waves. We met them on Lutakko, and they were a really nice group of people. I wish them all the best.
Thomas Fiend:
We played a show with them last year. Nice people, good music. I hadn’t heard them at all before the gig, and I really liked both their show and their music.
How would you – if at all – assess the constantly growing number of “female-fronted” bands in the occult/retro/psychedelic or whatsoever genre?
Thomas Fiend:
I think it’s only a positive thing. I mean, if you look into the 60’s and 70’s rock stuff, there’s a lot of female fronted groups. And in any case, should there be something weird or wrong in women playing rock music as well?
JATAO live magic 2011 at Lutakko w/ Blood Ceremony (CAN). Photo credit: Maija Lahtinen.
Is there anything else you want to tell the readers of Psychorizon, like casting a spell, speaking words of wisdom or tell us to go to hell?
Thomas Fiend:
I bet me and all the readers are already going straight to Hell anyway, heh. So see you there someday.
Thomas Corpse:
Maybe we’ll see you along the lonesome road someday. Until then, be all you can be.
Photo by Burning Moon
She-Wolf And The Faceless Ghouls: Bathsheba MMXVII – by Burning Moon
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