CVLT Nation interviews
Lazarus Blackstar

Interview by Sean Fitzgerald

Slow and heavy since 2004 Lazarus Blackstar, have a horrific crushing sound like something out of an exorcism. I talked to Mikhell, vocalist with the band about the release of their new album ‘Hymns For The Cursed’.

So when is the new Lazarus Blackstar album coming out and who is releasing it, is it Throne Records, will it be on vinyl, how many tracks etc? I see Tony Sheppard from Deviated Instinct has done the artwork for it, how did that come about? 

Undergroove Records will release hymns for the cursed. Its just on CD for now and has seven tracks including an Infest cover, it will be out sometime soon hopefully?? But I’ve had no date yet. I think Throne Records is no more because they stopped answering our mails a long time ago??? So either they folded or there very rude,? its a shame because they were going to do a very nice vinyl release for us. We choose Tony because of his magnificent beard! Why else??

Lazarus Blackstar – The Self-Inflicted Wound from their forthcoming album Hymns For The Cursed.

Your music is doom ridden death metal, but your roots are very much in the DIY crust scene and members are involved in the anarchist ‘1 in 12 Club’ in Bradford. Are your beliefs very separate from the band? 

Beliefs separate?? Not really, just because we play doom metal it don’t change us as people. We’re just not singing about bombs being dropped on poor people or the usual stereotypical anarcho punk, don’t do this, don’t do that, this company that. You know go buy a crass record or even better read some books if you want that.
I wouldn’t use the word death metal to describe us as that’s not really musically an influence on us, we like Autopsy of course but… were simply a doom band.

Speaking of the ‘1 in 12’, how did the gig go playing their tent in the middle of Bradford city, any weirdo’s or town councilors turn up?

It was fucked up, some heavy metal toddlers came along and stole the mic and started screaming there heads off, seriously, little kids on the front row. we were all and laughing smiling on stage, it was ermm!! a happy gig ha ha ha. Never again!!! Ha ha just kidding it was really fun day

Lazarus Blackstar – Tomb Of The Eternal Winter at Bradford May Day, 28/04/12

There is such bleakness in your lyrics what do you think keeps you going and influencing you? Do you think that your environment has shaped the way you write & create music? What are the lyrics about on the new album?

Our environment has without a doubt had an effect on us, I am from Liverpool, the rest of the bands from Bradford and Birmingham, all rough urban and industrial working class towns, non of us have had a easy life, but obviously we’re still more privileged than most of this rotten planet. I am trying to write lyrics about the world we live in a more emotional way or even a abstract way if you like? about the human condition. I want to project a feeling of misery, being lost, feeling alone, being down trodden, am trying to reach out to people in a different way and talking about the way the human spirit is being crushed by the system that were born into and I say the system as in our environment, an environment that in many ways has been artificially grown around us, for us, without our consent, the concrete, the bullshit media, the rip off banks, the way were educated, taxed, inspected, given bullshit morals that have no real meaning through the man made invention of religion, shit pointless jobs, basically capitalism in its big old shinny coffin. But I’m not writing about the system itself directly I’m writing about the fallout of this capitalism and the hardships its created for people, what it might lead them to do or not do with there lives, how it makes them feel. It’s for the people who are on the brink, the tired, the cursed, the suicidal, the lost. Maybe people can take something away from that, some strength because they can relate to felling totally fucked up by there environment, because they have been bullied, beaten up, raped, spat on, abused or traumatized in one way or another, in fact I think people can relate to that more than politics especially in our current world situation. some of its highly personal too me, dealing with my own demons.

What’s the next plans for Lazarus Blackstar, any tours planned?

I think the guys are writing another album, am not sure ha ha I’m kind of isolated from the band in another town you see. We have a few punk/hardcore shows coming up, one with with Tragedy, and Doom and so on. No there’s no tours planned, but we will play anywhere as long as our costs our covered.