Dragged Into Sunlight Interview

First thing to bring the page back is this, an interview with Dragged Into Sunlight. I had done this back in September with high expectations for my ability to grasp web development with literally no understanding of the trade. Well, considering the fact I'm posting again on blogspot, not the domain, things didn't go as planned, and thanks to a nudge from an informed friend, its due time this interview pops up and gets read.

Dragged Into Sunlight, the mysterious band out of the UK deliver slab after raunchy, heart-stopping slab of some of the finest in blackened sludgy doom (and a myriad of other genres) to date. I was lucky enough to land the opportunity to chat with DIS via email so I asked away and this was the result:

BS: I’ve never personally found or heard any of the material off of the ‘first’ album, Terminal Aggressor. Is there reasoning behind the scarcity of this album? Are there any plans of rereleasing this album in the future?

DIS: Terminal Aggressor was never meant to be an 'album' as such, it was always going to be a limited press tape release. At that time, we were all heavily into the noise scene and in advance of a Glasgow Implodes 2009, headlined by Skullflower and Vomir, we opted to record Terminal Aggressor.

We pressed 100 copies of the tape with artwork by Kara Yui and traded 20 copies at the show. The remaining 80 copies, some of which were sold, traded and given away, have distributed themselves. There are a lot of people who will never hear the recording, but this is the same mentality which underpinned the tape trading scene in the late 80s/early 90s. If you didn't attend the shows, it was difficult to access underground music. It is far too straight forward to add countless downloads to virtual libraries, yet in doing so, music loses its intrinsic value and without physical artwork, there is a lack of true appreciation.

There are no plans at present to re-release Terminal Aggressor. We will however release a sequel in 2012 with artwork by Kara Yui.
(After doing the interview, No Clean Singing released the ‘banned’ video for Buried with Leeches and an excerpt from Terminal Aggressor, also mentioned later)

BS: Terminal Aggressor was the first in a three part series if I’m not mistaken, with Hatred for Mankind being the second installment. What can we expect from volume three?

DIS: As above, Terminal Aggressor was always a limited press tape release. Hatred for Mankind is Dragged Into Sunlight's first full length recording, released via Mordgrimm records in 2009 and re-released by Prosthetic Records in 2010. This year, we will release Widowmaker, the first instalment in a trilogy of releases. The theme demonstrates a heavier, louder and slower approach. It is not by any means a reflection on the future direction of the band and having started writing the follow up to Hatred for Mankind, the sound is still as raw and vehement as it always has been. Widowmaker is different and we anticipate that those who genuinely appreciate Dragged Into Sunlight in all its forms will accept this particular recording as being a single tentacle to the beast.

BS: Is there an estimated time of arrival for the next album or any other recording plans before then?

DIS: Dragged Into Sunlight will release a collaboration with Gnaw Their Tongues in early 2012. We will then release the first instalment of Widowmaker followed by the second instalment of Terminal Aggressor. That is all at present.

BS: The second installment of Terminal Aggressor, is that to continue in the "noise" vein?

DIS: Terminal Aggressor II demonstrates a faster approach than the first instalment. It still shares the characteristic noise overlap but for the most part, it is best described as; fast, bleak and pale with disease.

BS: Gnaw Their Tongues reminds me of a soundtrack to the demise of the world. How did you get involved with Mories? Can we expect the end of the world, or at least an epic soundtrack to it, with the combination of DIS and GTT?

DIS: Mories is a good friend of ours. We toured Europe in July 2010 with our friends in Weedeater and Black Cobra. Aderlating, one of Mories' many guises, were on our show in Amsterdam and we kept in touch. The collaboration with Gnaw Their Tongues is.... Different. Mories has such a unique take on extreme music, something like this was always going to prove interesting. The 7" is absolutely essential for any fans of harsh noise and should appear on Sadisdique Records in early 2012 if not earlier.

BS: The band keeps an esoteric persona, via not revealing the members full identities, facing away from crowds, and definitely within the artwork provided by Justin Bartlett. Are we all truly waiting for some big thing to reveal itself or has the persona, mixed with the minds of the fans created something that it’s not, and may never have been?

DIS: There is nothing to reveal. We revel in mystery and that is how we work best. Irrespective of surroundings, Dragged into Sunlight is an entity of its own wrongdoing and a means of channelling our art. Those we work with, such as Justin Bartlett, are likeminded individuals with a similar understanding to our own. It is an extended family with Justin's artwork as an interpretation. We prefer artists to develop their ideas from their own interpretation and it is often interesting to see what they see.

Those listening to Dragged Into Sunlight are given a blank canvas, it falls to them to paint the picture and see whatever they wish to see. We cover various genres, but it's always interesting to see an interpretation of our music.

BS: It’s noted that Dragged into Sunlight will be making an appearance at the 2012 Maryland Death Fest, is this true, and if so, can the US expect a subsequent tour schedule to appear?

DIS: We are scheduled for Maryland Deathfest and we will see what comes as a result of that.

BS: The video for Buried with Leeches that uses clips from the film, Begotten, was this a band made, or fan made video?

DIS: It was a video the band made after watching Begotten on repeat. The video was initially banned and recently re-hosted by No Clean Singing. It is also in the media section of the band's website.

BS: Have you noticed the similarities between your songs (the songs on Hatred for Mankind) and parts of this film (Begotten)? And were the similarities intentional?

DIS: The parts of Begotten were always very fitting for Buried with Leeches. It is as intentional as it is coincidental. E.Elias Merhige demonstrates his work in a similar manner to Dragged Into Sunlight and our themes tend to overlap. Perhaps we are pieces to the same puzzle.

BS: I had mentioned the “Allegory of the Cave,” from Plato’s Republic (below) having a passage in it that seemed fitting to the band. Do you find that the allegory of Plato and “image” of the band are similar?

DIS: There are many propositions underpinning Dragged Into Sunlight. The meaning is locked within the concept and the concept is locked within the meaning.

Excerpt from Plato’s Republic – Book VII ‘Allegory of the Cave’
“And if someone dragged him away from there by force, up the rough, steep path and didn’t let him go until he had dragged him into the sunlight, wouldn’t he be pained and irritated at being treated that way? And when he came into the light, with the sun filling his eyes, wouldn’t he be unable to see a single one of the things now said to be true?”

BS: A lot of music sounds far too polished and digitized these days. Are there any bands you would recommend that hold a more natural sound?

DIS: At present, Dragged Into Sunlight advocate the following; Disma, Cough, Diocletian, Lake of Blood, Dead Existence and Lazarus Blackstar.

BS: I've been in contact with Fallen Empire here in the states (a label and distro that delivers bands that are anything but overly polished) pretty regularly and saw that recently they had acquired a shirt design for DIS. How did you get synched up with Fallen Empire?

DIS: Fallen Empire is a relatively new outfit. Mike contacted our label initially, his passion for extreme music is truly infectious.

Fallen Empire was established with the sole aim of distributing our vinyl in the US. If everyone shared such the same devotion to extreme metal, we would all stand to prosper.

BS: Anything you would like to add that I may have missed?

DIS: Nothing.
S: