Interview / Crotaline

After the release of their smokin’ debut LP, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, I got to chat quick with Matt aka Astharoth of Crotaline. Here’s a bit of what we talked about!

The record is finally out, and it’s awesome. I know it’s been a long time coming. Were you sitting on these songs for a while, carving them out precisely to have everything be a certain way? How’s it feel to have the record out now? 

Thanks for the kind words. The songs on this album are from a mix of time periods in the bands lifespan. Some like Breeding and Red Moon were written back in 2021 but most came to be between 2022-2023 when we had a weekend of riffing and debauchery in the freezing cold of Minnesota. Being precise is not what we strive for on this record. We wanted to emulate the raw fury and innovation of the firstwave black metal bands. While the second wave and modern black metal scene gets lauded it is the early bands that Crotaline worships. The bands that weren't trying to be a part of any specific genre and defied any classification. 

The reason it has taken so long to record the album is mainly due to having lived so far apart until recently. 

It is a great feeling to have the album out. We finally gave life to these creations and we are very proud of how the album turned out.

How much did being in Minnesota, in that freezing environment dictate how the record “thawed” out and into listeners’ ears? Do you think if you didn’t have that time there, the record would be a lot different?

Reptiles are ectotherms so the freezing cold slowed us down and made us wrote slower riffs. The writing session in Minnesota was a necessary step in both Cerastes {fellow band member} and my own musical career. We played one of our first shows and learned a lot about writing and recording in a short time.

Crotaline sounds like Crotaline, but everyone makes their own connections and comparisons. In my review I said I can hear some early Slayer, Death, and the more doomy Samael stuff sprinkled across this record. But that’s me. What were some do the influences for the band when writing this record?

All three of those bands are spot on comparisons to the music Crotaline is inspired by. For me Worship Him by Samael is the perfect album. Plodding, atmospheric, and pure fucking evil. Ughhhh the way the riffs on the album are so slow but somehow never seem to cease! It is a masterpiece.

Another big influence for the album is Mortuary Drape's seminal All The Witches Dance. Another great example of a band that can play real fast but also know when to slow down and let the atmosphere take over. Darkthrone is also hugely influential specifically Quintessence, Old Star, and Eternal Hails. I can sit here and talk influences all day from Black Flag to Disembowelment but the first wave black metal bands are definitely the biggest spark in the Crotaline fire.

Since you mentioned Worship Him as a perfect album, and I have hyperfixated on Samael, where my mind went in terms of their discography when listening to the album was Blood Ritual. How do you approach that “Crotaline slither” in your songwriting? Is there a mindset the band gets into to ensure those slower moments maintain that evil energy without losing the momentum of the faster riffs?

Blood Ritual is great and honestly it's where I personally stop with Samael. I don't care for Ceremony but Blood Ritual is a great change of pace from Worship Him. 

In my opinion I think slower music is a lot heavier than faster music. Faster music relies more on technicality and brutality typically whereas slower music relies on atmosphere and planning. When writing slower riffs I tend to embody emotion, whether thats anger, grief, or sadness and attempt to convey those emotions through my guitar. I think that the slow parts can pair well with the frantic nature of the fast parts by acting as a reprieve causing inward reflection

What is a riff or song you will never get tired of hearing, and what is a riff or song you will never get tired of playing? (Can be your own or a different artist, doesn’t matter)

This is a great question and a very hard one to answer. If I was on my deathbed knowing I was to die in 30 minutes I'd want Defenders of the Faith played in full. There's not a single song on that album I'd skip and it is an album that feels so uplifting in a way. Maybe it's the sentiments of Rock Hard, Ride Free or maybe it's just the soulfully crafted riffs harmonies, and solos but it is one release I could just listen to over and over and over again.

Playing wise I always check my live tone by playing I Am the Black Wizards and will never get tired of playing that. I also go crazy every time we play the main riff of Blind Snake. That is just a banging evil doom anthem.

Are you all secretly reptile lizard people?

Well if I told you I would [Redacted]

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There ya have it! Go check out the debut Crotaline album, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire if you haven’t already and be sure to read my review of the record here.