Sothis

Sothis is an up & coming band from Los Angeles that will appeal to fans of the symphonic black metal of Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, and Samael. They are about to release their debut album, De Oppresso Liber on Candlelight Records who’s also home Obituary, 1349, and Blut Aus Lord among others. The Gauntlet had a chance to sit down with Sothis drummer Dross to talk about their new album.

The Gauntlet: When I first checked out your record, the last place I would have expected you to hail from was California! Can you let our readers know what helped shape the sound of the band?

Dross: We get that same comment all of the time. Everyone thinks we sound Scandinavian because we are so melodic. All of the members of the band are Thrash Metal kids turned death metal kids turned black metal fans. We have been shaped for years and years and years of our exposure to all types of metal and just about every genre and sub-genre out there. The influences for who we became in this particular incarnation would be bands such as Emperor, Immortal, Gehenna, Old Man’s Child, Dimmu Borgir, Limbonic Art, Mactarus, Tartaros, And Oceans etc.


The Gauntlet: Was being a symphonic black metal band in a place like the States more of an obstacle in terms of finding a scene to nourish your live show in?

Dross: I think that Los Angeles is a decent place for a band to find itself in terms of who they are as a live band. There are a lot of decent opportunities and a lot of great people here to help you climb the ladder as a young band. There are a handful of symphonic black metal bands here in Los Angeles. I suppose the challenge that all black metal bands face that are from the States is being taken seriously as a competitor and peer of their European brothers. I think Sothis is up to the challenge though.


The Gauntlet: In an age where young bands rarely release demos much less, a great one, yours got all sorts of attention in 2005. Did the labels start getting in touch right away and why did you choose to work with the folks at Candlelight Records?

Dross: We did get approached by record labels after the release of our demo but only by very small labels with ridiculous offers. Therefore Asperia, Drogoth and I decided to fund the production of the album and I handled the producing and engineering (tracking) of the album while Drogoth handled all of the artwork for the album. Once the album was done, we shopped the record to labels and then began to speak with several labels. We ultimately chose to work with Candlelight Records because they moved really quickly and they didn't take two weeks to answer a simple question. They didn't act like a fat corporation with tons of employees, none of which could make a decision and we felt they would be easy to work with and a terrific fit for us.


The Gauntlet: Asperia’s keyboards play a pivotal role in much of the material on De Oppresso Liber. When you were writing the album, did the guitar sections come first or did you work around keyboard melodies?

Dross: It works both ways to tell you the truth. Most often the guitar riffs are the foundation but we don't have a particular way we have to work. With the Sothis process anything can happen. For instance the Keyboard line on the chorus of the song "De Oppresso Liber" started as an acoustic part that Scathe brought to the table. We doubled its speed and gave it to the Keyboardist and then wrote two brand new guitar riffs to be played behind it. Everything is open for use and rework in this band. We are all writers and contributors and everyone is open to experiments to see what works best for a riff or a song.


The Gauntlet: Andy LaRocque of King Diamond’s band mixed De Oppresso Liber at a studio in Sweden. Knowing how hard you’ve worked on your sound through these past 7-8 years, was it a nerve-racking experience having an outside hand involved in such a precious step of the process?

Dross: We were fairly confident in Andy's abilities to do a good job with the mixing process. Plus we knew that we would be attending the mixing process and ultimately in control of what the final outcome would be so there was no need to be anxious about the outcome. The tracking is probably the most important part of making the album anyway. You can't magically pull quality mixes out of bad tracking no matter how hard you try.


The Gauntlet: The cover art is out of control metal! Who did it and how much input did the band have along the way?

Dross: We had total and complete control of the album art. The album title and concept was mine, and our vocalist, Drogoth made the album cover. Our debut album is complete made by the band itself from top to bottom, man. I agree that the album cover is very fuckin Metal by the way (laughs). We wanted our album cover to be one of the covers that inspired someone to buy the record for the cover alone and take a chance on what was inside. We also wanted the record to be full of detail so that you could stare at it for hours and hours on end. Hopefully Drogoth and I will be able to continue to produce everything for the band so that the control will stay in our hands. The bottom line is that we'll do whatever we think is best for the band no matter what.


The Gauntlet: In 2007, you released a live DVD filmed in Mexico. It has been said that they have some of the most ardent metal fans there. Why do you think there is such a deep connection to heavy music there? Is it a result of the political corruption, economic strife, religious constraints or all of the above?

Dross: I think that Latin fans are maniacs because they aren't as exposed to the constant barrage of major tours coming through town every day of the week. I've heard a lot of bands talk shit from the stage about fans here in the states for just sitting there, staring at them with their arms crossed. That can happen if fans are just captivated though. I've seen a lot of bootleg videos that were made in Mexico City of some of their shows and it is fuckin crazy man. I love those crazy bastards down south; they are metal as fuck man!


The Gauntlet: There has been a trend of young bands sprouting up on MySpace who look like emo kids but are playing black metal-styled metalcore. I would love to hear your thoughts on this! If you don’t know what I mean, look up Winds of Plague.

Dross: Yeah, I've been watching this phenomenon for years now man. I see these fuckers that look like members of Hatebreed but then they sound like fuckin Cannibal Corpse or Suffocation! It is a sure sign that we are both getting old my friend (laughs). The labels only have eyes for these kinds of bands too because they sell so fuckin well man. I went to check out Winds of Plague right now but their player isn't working on MySpace for some reason. We are actually label mates with Abigail Williams and they kind of run in the same circles too. I really don't know what to make of it to tell you the truth. I'm not going to judge it either. It is what it is and my guess it'll be done and gone by the time we put out the third record.


The Gauntlet: What are 5 albums that every metalhead should have in their collection?

Dross: I'm going to space one out from each genre so I can make the most well rounded Metal Head decision I can make. Here is my list:
1. Black Sabbath Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
2. Iron Maiden Powerslave
3. Metallica Master of Puppets
4. Death Leprosy
5. Emperor Equilibrium IX


Read More News

Tags:  Sothis  , Dross, interviews

Carlos Ramirez    October 02, 2008