(Today we present Comrade Aleks‘ very interesting interview with Ryan Wilson from Texas-based Pneuma Hagion, whose new album will be released to hideously infect our minds next month, courtesy of Everlasting Spew Records.)
This duo from Texas consists of Ryan Wilson (all instruments, vocals) and Shane Elwell (drums). Both of them have had rich activity in metal and non-metal projects for years, and the new album of Pneuma Hagion From Beyond provides us Lovecraftian horror-influenced, death-metal-oriented material filled with inhuman, fierce, and raw aggression.
According to the official press-release “From Beyond explores Lovecraftian ideas of horrifying extra-dimensional entities forcing their way into the causal universe by infecting the minds of humans”. Sounds exciting! It’s Pneuma Hagion’s third full-length album since 2015, so without doubt it’s the most focused and well-built material and it’ll be available from Everlasting Spew Records on August 30th.
Meanwhile, you can listen the album’s first track “Harbinger of Dissolution”, which we premiered here, and read the following interview with Ryan.
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Hi Ryan! How are you doing? What’s going on in Pneuma Hagion’s camp?
Hey Aleks, I’m doing well. We are preparing for the release of From Beyond, and so far the reaction to the first single has been very positive, so we are pretty excited.
From Beyond is Pneuma Hagion’s third full-length album. First of all, how do you see your progress in comparison with the Voidgazer (2020) debut released not so long ago?
I think with each album we have been getting a little heavier, and little more massive. We are always trying to create the heaviest music possible with as much low end as we can possibly get in the mix. We really try to make the music palpable, like a physical presence with a weight that you can actually feel. I think this new album has gotten closer to our ideal levels.
From Beyond is dedicated to Lovecraftian mythology; is it the first time you have approached this topic? How long have you been into the cult?
There has been a little bit of Lovecraft in all of the Pneuma Hagion releases, including the demos. Early on we were more focused on Gnostic metaphor, but with this album, the Lovecraftian themes and influences are in the forefront.
I’ve been a huge fan of Lovecraft’s stories for most of my life. The key thing about Lovecraft is the sublime horror that he evokes; it’s a horror that can’t be seen, can’t be touched, and really can’t even be easily imagined. I love this; something that is beyond comprehension, but just graspable enough to be terrifying.
By the way, being one of the Intestinal Disgorge founders, are you responsible for the Lovecraftian touch there as well? How do both death metal and grindcore work for you regarding the transmission of Lovecraftian vibes and messages?
Yes, I was the reason behind the Lovecraft era in Intestinal Disgorge. I always want to put some of that otherworldly, incomprehensible horror into my projects. Music is a great medium to express that Lovecraftian spirit because there’s no visuals, aside from album art, to guide you. All of the imagery appears in your mind, and in that way it becomes more subtle and more terrifying. I hate movies and video games based on Lovecraft because they show you the horrors instead of leaving them to your imagination.
Do you separate for yourself the vibes you put into these bands? Do you think of different aspects of cosmic horror for Pneuma Hagion and Intestinal Disgorge?
I think Pneuma Hagion features the perspective of the extradimensional beings themselves, while Intestinal Disgorge focuses on the humans whose minds are invaded and corrupted. So Intestinal Disgorge deals more with the madness caused by these interactions, while Pneuma Hagion focuses on the source of the madness itself.
Did you shape From Beyond‘s structure according to the lyrical concepts? Or did you just write Pneuma Hangion’s album without caring a lot about the message?
The lyrics don’t really follow any conceptual progression or structure. I simply wrote the music first and then wrote the lyrics afterwards, trying to make each set of lyrics fit each particular song. It definitely isn’t a concept album in the usual sense.
Ryan, you’ve recorded a damn lot of albums — how do you see From Beyond from the perspective of your experience? Did you improve some of your skills? Did you face any technical difficulties? Or was it just an easy ride towards death and damnation?
I’ve been releasing albums for almost 25 years at this point, so a lot of it is very routine. However, I would like to think that I’ve gotten a little better from a technical standpoint as the years have passed. Recording has gotten easier, and mixing has gotten easier, both because of experience and because of advancing technology. It’s a great thing to not have to go to an expensive studio anymore and deal with engineers who listen to pop and rap and have no idea how to achieve the sound you want.
The album’s official press-release states that the concept of From Beyond is built around the influence of extradimensional entities who try to pervert human minds. How did you come to this theme? Can you tell more about the concept?
This goes back to the idea of sublime terror that I mentioned earlier. Our minds have the power to create much more sinister and frightening ideas and images than anything the physical world can actually produce. The idea of extradimensional entities invading people’s minds is a huge theme in the stories of Lovecraft, and I enjoy trying to evoke similar feelings via the medium of music. Like I said earlier, music is a great platform for the sublime, where the art lies in sound and not in visual cues so that your mind gets to handle all of the relevant imagery.
Did you use some specific deities from H.P.’s pantheon or did you take some certain stories as a basement for your lyrics here?
I didn’t use any specific deities from the mythos, but I did take inspiration from certain stories. The stories most often referenced were, of course, From Beyond, but also The Dreams in the Witch-House, At The Mountains of Madness, and The Call of Cthulhu.
Did you think that your music has indeed influenced you or the universe in general? Do you see it as metaphysical work of some kind or just a way to channel your negativity or dark creativity?
I am a creative personality and am only content when I am creating. It’s really as simple as that. If I’m not being creative, I feel miserable. I don’t necessarily know why I am creating something; I just know that I have to create to feel better. I’ve always been that way, and I’m sure other people with creative personalities know exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes it helps to channel negativity into a positive result, too. It can be helpful to turn negative emotions into something beautiful so that you can balance out the two extremes.
It seems that you’re involved in eight bands and projects or so. What are the most active ones for you today?
The primary projects I’ve been working on lately are Pneuma Hagion, The Howling Void, Liquid Viscera, Intestinal Disgorge, and a new power electronics project called Thoughts Casting Shadows.
Besides Thoughts Casting Shadows you’re involved in a few more non-metal projects; I saw titles like Abominatum, Ancient Crypt, Blurricane, Career Politicians, Executioner’s Mask, Festering Wounds, and more. What are they?
Abominatum is pure Abruptum worship; it’s basically an attempt to create something similar to the three Abruptum full-length albums. Ancient Crypt is dungeon synth, Blurricane is mathcore (and kind of a pre-cursor to Ischemic Necrosis). Career Politicians is hardcore punk, Executioner’s Mask is a post-punk group that I write many songs for, and Festering Wounds is an old death/grind project.
Shane took part even in more bands I think. How did you both find time to work on the album?
Shane and I spend all of our free time working on music. If we aren’t at work, we are both usually practicing or writing or recording. It’s fairly easy to create a lot of music if that’s what you devote most of your free time to. For example, you won’t find me out socializing or going to shows or movies or anything like that. I’m pretty much always at home working on music if I’m not at work.
By the way, do you both perform live actively with your bands? Do you plan to present From Beyond stuff with a series of gigs? How easy is it to organize such events in San Antonio?
Shane plays live all of the time with his band Noisy Neighbors, and Intestinal Disgorge played at this year’s Maryland Deathfest, though I didn’t make the trip for various reasons. Our friend Mike filled in for me on guitar. I generally dislike playing shows because I’m not a fan of crowds, and I’m not a fan of scene politics and socializing in general. I’m a bit of a recluse and very introverted, so I’ve never been one who enjoys playing live or touring or any of that.
Well, I’m not sure that it’s the right question here, but the last interview I did with bands from your area were Elliott’s Keep and… The Howling Void. So do your surroundings, this place in general, somehow influence you when you write your stuff? I mean cultural, maybe emotional impact?
I’m sure there’s some influence from the cultural milieu and the landscape, but I can’t pin it down exactly. People sometimes ask me how someone who lives in Texas can write stuff like The Howling Void, I guess because they imagine cold and arboreal landscapes in their minds when they listen to it. But I always respond by saying that the influence all comes from within, from inside of my head. It doesn’t come from outside. If anything, I take influence from paintings rather than from the actual world outside my window.
What are your further plans for the rest of 2024? Will you take a break or are you already writing and recording new material for some of your bands?
I mentioned the power electronics project Thoughts Casting Shadows earlier; there will be an album coming out later this year. Shane and I also recorded three songs with Liquid Viscera that will be used on an upcoming split. Aside from that, I am planning on writing some new Intestinal Disgorge material, and maybe something new for some other projects I have, like Ischemic Necrosis. I plan to stay busy.
Thanks for the interview Ryan! Did we miss something? Would you like to add a few more words?
Thank you for your thoughtful questions, I enjoyed answering them. And thanks to everyone who listens to any of the numerous bands I’m in, and I hope everyone enjoys the new Pneuma Hagion album when it drops on August 30th on Everlasting Spew Records.
https://www.facebook.com/pneumahagion218
https://pneumahagion.bandcamp.com/music
https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/album/from-beyond