Instinct

Metal Mayhem: How long have you been playing black metal?
Instinct: Continuously since 2003, though before 2005 I released material under a different name. Spring 2005 saw the creation of Instinct with a slightly different shift in musical style to what had come before. Lyrical themes changed entirely at this time too.

MM: What were your main musical influences?
Instinct: In all honesty I can’t recall any band besides Darkthrone that had a great influence on my writing back in 2003. I have always been into black metal but have never thought ‘I want to sound like X, Y or Z’. While there is of course a frame in which to work with black metal, I do believe Instinct has its own sound and atmosphere, and others have told me this too. Stylistically it is nothing ‘groundbreaking’ of course but I do believe my use of dynamics and atmosphere is a cut above a lot of BM from England. The only band who have influenced my in a direct way over the last five years is Drudkh. I am inspired and influenced my more non - musical things such as Nature and solitary spirituality. My surroundings are reflected musically also; cold, vast, miserable, dark, epic, beautiful, mournful - I could go on but I’ll leave it there.

MM: What does black metal mean to you?
Instinct: It is more a case what does Instinct mean to me. Instinct is my life; it is the truest expression of myself thus far. That is all that matters to me. BM bands come and go, most modern bands I hate for one reason or another, usually lack of lyrical conviction or lack of atmosphere. ‘Satanic’ black metal is even more worthless in my opinion. It is very obvious 99% of these ‘artists’ are faking it. A lot of pagan (for want of a better word) and Nature inspired artists get respect from me, then again a lot don‘t. I have to be in the right mood, mindset and surroundings to listen to black metal in a deep, absorbing, spiritual way - and this should be the only way; not as background music to a drunken party of ‘fist banging’ knuckleheads. F**K that.

MM: What support have you had for the band?
Instinct: Good support from those who, to a degree at least understand what Instinct is about and who listen to my music in the correct manner as I was explaining earlier. Of course there are those who will play Instinct while driving a car, washing up dishes etc but what can I do? The same goes for those pieces of s**t that upload underground BM releases to their blogspots for all the tight vultures to descend. I make no money from Instinct; neither do the labels that have released my work. As long as those f**kers keep uploading and the vultures in turn, keep downloading my and others work, then the labels will collapse. No demand for a CD, cassette or vinyl, no release. The small labels barely cover production costs for the next release through sales of those previous. As Alan Partridge would say in all his conservative wisdom ‘scum, subhuman scum’. I digress anyway. I only give a fuck about those who buy my releases. The packaging and art is as important as the music and lyrics. Magazines have been supportive, especially Zero Tolerance. Terrorizer magazine can suck my bollocks though.

MM: Who do you see as the most important and exciting UK BM bands?
Instinct: Those who push the envelope a bit either musically or lyrically (Caina, Hateful Abandon, A Forest of Stars, White Medal) and a few Nature/pagan/heritage bands such as Wodensthrone, Myrrdin and Fen. There are a few others who I openly support too.

MM: What feedback have you had for your musical output, and from where?
Instinct: Excellent feedback. I have quite a few ‘hardcore’ followers around the world now. They want to own everything I release; I like that. The sound and atmosphere of Instinct appeals to quite a few people. Some have said Instinct sounds totally English and reflective of the land here. This is good too. A couple of mediocre reviews here and there, the rest have praised highly.

MM: Do you think there is a BM 'scene' in the UK?
Instinct: A small one, mostly populated by clueless pricks in my experience. I have my contacts, I know a lot of the bands and artists, I attend maybe two gigs each year, that’s enough ‘scene’ involvement for me. Black metal should not be about unity or common causes. Create in solitude, listen in solitude.

MM: Black metal has never seemed to gain as much of a foothold in the UK as on the continent – why do you think that is?
Instinct: I’ll be honest, I have no idea, nor do I care. Off the top of my head, I’d say because every white youngster in the UK nowadays wants to be black and pretend they are gangsters living in LA. The youth have no idea of their pre - Christian roots, they have no identity, they are taught to embrace all other cultures but their own, they are spiritually void and they have no respect for Nature. They see no attraction in music such as BM, which celebrates European heritage and the beauty of Nature. As I said, I do not really care. We will continue in this way until Nature destroys us. Does that answer your question?

MM: Are you touring this year, and if so, will Manchester be on the list?
Instinct: Instinct has never and will never play live I’m afraid.

MM: The north is often neglected by touring BM bands, why do you think that is?
Instinct: Because London ‘is the place to be’ if your into multi - cultural cesspools and stinking fumes. Probably because it’s the capital, so a lot more metal fans in one location and it had good access routes from the surrounding counties.

MM: Many black metal bands shun popularity – do you think this is keeping black metal under the radar in the UK, and would you like this to continue?
Instinct: Well the more deserving bands and individual artists are starting to get recognition. See how many English BM bands Candlelight Records have signed in the last 12 months. Some of these bands have my support and respect and they want to move onto the next level, that’s fine with me. However, they are leaving the underground behind, but artists in the murky recesses of the UK underground seem to be comfortable staying, like myself. Also most of these bands signing to the larger labels tour quite often. This is of course very important for the label in terms of awareness and sales. It is a good thing to see the UK clawing some respect back. There are a lot of very embarrassing bands in this country who are mocked internationally. They need to split up and start death core bands or something. I’ll name no names.

MM: How easy is it to find a label as a BM band in the UK?
Instinct: That depends on many different factors. Before all else there has to be skill and conviction. A band or artist who cannot string five chords together will, and rightly so, get nowhere. Compose good songs, execute them well and have a strong lyrical approach and image. Attitude is everything too. But even with all this, a record deal is not guaranteed. I know several incredible underground artists who are so deserving of being on a good label but who have had no luck. Also sending out demos to distros and labels is very important. Uploading a few mp3s to Myspace is a totally lazy copout and gets zero respect.

MM: What is next for Instinct?
Instinct: Instinct will have two releases out in 2010, both vinyl format. The first will be a 7” split with Myrrdin, the second a 12” split with White Medal. All new material for both. No more activity until 2011 once these have been released.

MM: What do you see on the horizon for the future of black metal a) in the UK and b) in general?
Instinct: I have no idea and again, nor do I particularly care. I guess for the UK some more underground bands will get signed, as for general, probably more of that shoe gaze hybrid shit for trend followers who cannot stomach full on black metal but want to appear ’extreme’ to their friends. Who cares anyway? There will always be the underground for serious artists.

MM: Do you think politics have a place in BM?
Instinct: To a degree, but I’m not going into that because I have very strong political opinions and support certain bands though more out of a shared hatred rather than me wanting to see social change for the better. Instinct has no political lyrics since ‘Demo One’. This may or may not change, but it will always be connected to my spiritual convictions. I would rather listen to a good, intelligent (as in no Hitler speech samples etc) NSBM band than a fake ‘Satanic’ band called GoatFister or whatever.

MM: Is tape trading a dead form of media, or is it something that will BM will always carry on? If so, why, when other genres have dropped it?
Instinct: No it is not dead. Instinct still releases cassette demos, like many other BM bands still do. As long as there are companies producing cassettes for dubbing/duplication, then the format will continue to be used within the underground. It is a unique format nowadays of course but allows for more options in terms of packaging. The same can be said for vinyl too whereas a CD is just boring more often than not. Have other genres dropped it? I have no idea about that.

MM: Do you think the lack of headline-grabbing antics (like what happened in Norway in the early 90s) has been a factor in black metal not taking hold as much, and if so, is this a good thing?
Instinct: Taking hold in the UK or general?? Black metal is more popular now than ever before on a global scale, of course This displeases me but what can I do when some little prick decides to wear corpse paint while standing on a garden bench looking ‘grim’? I can’t answer your question. For myself my music and BM aids me spiritually as an introvert but also aids a physical connection with Nature. Effecting social/political change through direct action is not my concern; why would it be when all I feel is disgust for 99% of humanity? Let Nature kill us all, then perhaps those who survive will have no choice but embrace the old gods and ways. If someone wants to blow up a mosque or church I will of course applaud such an action, but it will not change anything.

MM: Is it a struggle running a BM label in the UK?
Instinct: Not for me. I release very little each year, and half of the releases are Instinct. I make no money, I am fine with that. If I had to rely on sales generated income then it would be a struggle.

MM: Is black metal a 'lifestyle' or a philosophy to you, or is it just music?
Instinct: When you have responsibilities such as a mortgage etc like myself, then it is obvious that black metal in a musical sense cannot be a lifestyle. However, everything connected to Instinct on a personal, spiritual level, including my outlook on life defines who I am as an individual. Instinct is an extension of these things so I cannot separate myself from Instinct, ever. But then what is a BM lifestyle anyway? Is it going shopping with corpse paint on? Sorry, never done that. Is it wondering woodland and fields under the moonlight at night? Yes I do this often for several very important reasons but I do not think it is a ‘lifestyle’ thing. It is what I do for myself.

Article by David Keane