ESCAPING AGHARTHA is a North Carolina-based black metal project, themed around deep sea biology. Musically, they capture the vastness and biodiversity of the oceanic depths with an eclectic array of instrumentations. Crushing distortion that weighs like extreme atmospheric pressure at the ocean's floor. Cold guitar tones and searing blast beats that illustrate the hostility of such an unforgiving natural environment. But also, ethereal passages that sing to the beauty this blue world.
The prime mover of this project is Avery Dartman, who recorded the majority of their instruments and vocal parts for their 2020 full length album, Oceanic Womb, along with session drummer CJ Yacoub. I conducted this email interview with Avery about the inspiration behind his aquatic art.
What gave you the idea of an oceanic themed band?
I'm a biology/ecology major, so the idea came to me when I was finishing my bachelor degree. I thought that if I could combine my love of making music with my passion of promoting environmental awareness I could make something really special. Even though my 2020 release "Oceanic Womb" is themed around the ocean, I'm thinking of expanding Escaping Aghartha to be more focused on conservation of wildlife, regardless of the habitat. However, the ocean contains some of the most important ecosystems in the world, from the algae (producing around 80% of the oxygen we breathe), to the fish which people from developing countries eat and depend upon for survival. Additionally, I've always been drawn to the life in the ocean since I was a toddler, as it can be magical and seemingly other-worldly. These two factors influenced me in my decision to start off my environmental theme with an oceanic album.
Who are your heavy metal heroes?
Thanks for going one on one with the GRIM-1. Any last words?
What’s your trick for that nasty, deep sea guitar tone?
Sunn amps! The Sunn Model T is a great pedal platform with tons of headroom to get a crushing, yet atmospheric deep sea guitar tone. Nearly all the guitars on the album were recorded by miking a bass cabinet, so there's a lot of organic tube-drive richness there. As far as pedals, my board is fairly small - an overdrive, reverb, and distortion pedal are what I use the vast majority of the time.
Who are your heavy metal heroes?
Sunn O))) and Opeth are probably my top two heroes. They've both influenced me greatly as a musician, and I appreciate how unique each band is. The way Opeth changes the mood and feeling many times within a single song is mind-blowing. Sunn O))), on the other hand, introduced me to more experimental music and changed how I view music in general.
What’s your favorite aquatic wildlife and why?
I don't have any single favorite, but I'm exceedingly fond of the ancient and alien lifeforms in the deep ocean. Oarfish, coelacanth, whale-fall specialists, hydrothermal vent specialists, and nautilus are just a few that come to mind. To me, there is a beauty in how these animals have evolved to adapt with the harshness of the deep ocean. Crushing pressures, extreme temperatures, and chemical soups aren't conducive to most of the life on land. Yet, these organisms have found ways to not only survive, but thrive in such environments. Scientists didn't even know about hydrothermal vent communities until rather recently.
What’s one Escaping Aghartha song everyone should crank, and why?
That's a hard one, as stylistically every song is fairly unique. I'd say that "Bioluminescent Benthos" is the most representative of my sound, though. It has blistering black metal, eerie post metal with clean vocals, and ends in funeral doom and subsequently drone. It has a little bit of everything, there. Plus it's just a great track.
What’s one album that holds a special place in your heart? Why?
Monoliths and Dimensions by Sunn O))). The textures and heaviness of it still astounds me, even many years after discovering it. The vocals are experimental and sinister, while the guitar tones are among the best of any album. That album is a transformative experience from start to finish.
What’s your favorite nautical film? Or book? Why?
It's not quite a film, but the BBC "Blue Planet" series is one of my favorite things to watch. That series is nothing less than a masterwork when it comes to wildlife documentaries. Some of the shots they get are unbelievable, capturing rare behaviors or beautiful, fleeting, serendipitous sights.
What was the creative process like for your most recent release?
I began writing this album by jamming everyday. I didn't try to force my jam sessions to be in any particular genre or mood - I just let it come naturally. I utilize a loop pedal often in this process, as it can give me a good idea of what the song will sound like when it's all fleshed out. After a couple months, I had a good collection of riffs and started putting them all together to form songs. I had an idea of the topics I wanted to cover in this album, so I sculpted the songs with those themes in mind (ocean acidification, plastic pollution, whaling, etc.) so they'd mesh well.
What’s next for you?
I have a double cassette of Oceanic Womb being released with Red Door Records soon, so I'm excited about that. I've also just recently completed a 30 minute blackened/doom/drone song which I'm releasing this winter. It's themed around white nose syndrome, an invasive fungus which is decimating North American bat populations. The fungus grows in the nose of the bats and wakes them up in the middle of winter when they're hibernating. The bats, hungry, search in vain for insects to eat, ultimately freezing to death. This song, which I've titled "Accepting Death Amidst an Inexorable Blizzard" is meant to represent that desolate and hopeless moment.
Thanks for going one on one with the GRIM-1. Any last words?
We need to keep the ecosystems of the world healthy for our own survival, as we are dependent upon them. I think it's important to be aware of our impact on the earth and attempt to restore what damage has been done, both because it's the right thing to do and also because future generations will curse us if we don't mitigate the damage.
Stay safe mate, thanks for having me. Cheers!
Listen to Escaping Aghartha at their bandcamp.
Listen to Escaping Aghartha at their bandcamp.
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