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Los Angels, CA
Industrial-Black Metal a Dawn of Ashes will be releasing their new album Theophany on Metropolis Records May 20, and we got the opportunity to sit down with front man Kristof Bathory to get behind why they disbanded, the current course of their vision, and what to expect down the road.
Back in 2013 Dawn of Ashes disbanded and partly reformed as Urilia. What made you decide to bring back Dawn of Ashes?
After the last Dawn of Ashes tour in 2013, I was approached by a record label (I will leave the name out). Through a period of time, I fell victim of being manipulated and was forced to make extreme changes in order to make a giant leap in the band’s career. One of the major changes was to change the band’s name which I really was not a fan of doing. Not to say ‘URILIA’ wasn’t a great name. It just didn’t feel right to let go of something that I build from ground up. Finally, I had it with this label after not being fulfilled from tons of broken promises, I then decided to resurrect DOA but as a new entity that derived everything that URILIA represented. Dawn of Ashes now is a stronger and more powerful force with a whole new meaning.
Dawn of Ashes originally started off an Industrial band years ago and then you blended Black Metal with it. What made you decide to meld the two styles of music?
When I first pondered on the idea of creating Dawn of Ashes, I wanted to make a purely Industrial Black Metal group similar to the Norwegian group ‘The Kovenant’. After dealing with a lot of fake, unprofessional musicians, I decided to create DOA as a solo project that was more influenced by Industrial with the aggression and energy from Metal. Throughout the years, It just kept piercing my brain on the thought that DOA should be doing what I initially wanted the band to be doing in the first place. I then made the drastic decision to go full force and do what I wanted to do. I couldn’t change the name because It was hard for me to abandon the vessel that I worked on for so long. Genocide Chapters was a good idea and the band’s first attempt to crossover into the Extreme Metal world but I still feel that it wasn’t exactly what I was visioning since it lacked the Industrial side. GC wasn’t a bad album but I felt that I could do way better. Anathema gave the next attempt to bring together a blend of Extreme Metal, Rock, and Industrial which was a huge improvement. Since after the retirement of DOA, I went through a major personal reconstruction and new development of a stronger side of myself through my journey in the Left Hand Path. This gave me time to create a powerful outlet in URILIA and be able to educate my audience on a path of strength and wisdom. After deciding to bury URILIA and resurrect DOA, I now have a new calling and this beast has awakened from slumber.
You have received comparisons to artists like Behemoth and Septicflsh. Do you think those are fair comparisons?
Both bands are definitely a huge inspiration and it was actually an honor to read this statement. I definitely feel that ‘blackened’ side shines in the new album. Definitely a fair comparison.
What message do you hope people will walk away with after listening to your new album Theophany?
My main calling now in DOA and as a spiritual mentor is to provide my audience with knowledge of the occult, and to create a mature, educational process for those who seek wisdom from the Left Hand Path since it’s very misunderstood especially by all of the juvenile garbage that is being tossed around.
The lyrics and theme behind your new album Theophany, seemed to be occult driven based on your religious beliefs. For those who aren’t familiar with the Left Hand Path can you explain what it is?
The Left hand path is a power to dig within your subconscious in order to transcend into self-deification. In order to be divine, you must be willing to disconnect from seeking guidance outside of yourself by utilizing various skills, philosophy, strict discipline, and magick tasks. This is a lot of hard work that takes dedication to master. The results have done wonders for me.
Mick Kenney of Anaal Nathrakh was your producer on Theophany. What was it like working with him?
Mick is a genius as a Metal producer and I knew he was right for this album since he did such an amazing job with everything that he has done in the past including the URILIA EP. I have been a huge fan of Anaal Nathrakh and always liked the outcome of his albums so I wanted to capture some of that raw Black Metal sound that I knew he could nail down easily. Overall, he did a flawless job.
Extreme Metal has gone from being more underground or having a cult following to seeing a large rise in popularity. What do you think has triggered the growth?
Extreme Metal will always be underground but definitely has become a more popular underground genre. Honestly, it’s the fans that are making it grow. Metal fans are so incredibly diehard for this type of music and it just spreads like a plague. Hopefully this will eventually cause a revolution where we go back to cherishing physical albums instead of downloads. Only the fans can make this happen and that will help this underground genre to transform into something bigger.
How do you see the music industry as a whole changing in the next 10 years?
To think in a positive way. I hope we grow out of this stagnant era and rebuild a music era that will help the artists, the industry, and to be able to give more to the fans. This is a wishful dream at this point.
Any possible tours coming up?
There is talk…
Any final comments?
I just want to thank every supporter that have stuck with DOA through thick and thin. You all keep the blood flowing through this body. Thank you!
