- We welcome The Wolves of Avalon on our portal True-metal.ru!

- Thanks for asking us guys.

- There is practically no information about The Wolves of Avalon in Russian-speaking portion of the internet. Tell us about your band.

- Well, we are an English black metal band with folk, pagan and other influences. There are basically two of us, Metatron and me James ‘JM’ Marinos but a solid group of four others who make up the collective band.

- What’s the current line-up of the Wolves of Avalon?

- The line up of the band is Metatron and me, James ‘JM’ Marinos. Steve Clark, Alan Davey, Steve Wallace and Mike Lewin are all part of the group but as I said already the writing, concepts and band at its core is Metatron and me. The other guys all feature on various recordings that really bolster our sound out.

- The booklet for «Carrion Crows over Camlan» lists 11 people in the line-up. Can you tell us about what contribution each of them made to this album?

* Sure, Metatron came up with the concept of the recording, which was essentially King Arthurs last days surmounting to the defeat of the Britons. Once the story was lyrically complete, I set about writing the music, playing guitar, keyboards and backing vocals for the album. Steve Wallace recorded drums and Alan Davey played bass. The other musicians you are referring to are all of the players who added folk instrumentation to the recording after the body of the album was written.

- How do you divide duties among the members of your band?

- It’s a two man operation really, Metatron is more of the band spokesman and lyricist who arranges all of the pathways leading to the label, concept, magazines, distribution and press. I work more closely with the recording, production, guests and writing aspects within the band. However we both try and do as much as we can to help each other out, the way a band should be!

- Let’s talk about your album now. How would you describe the music style of Carrion Crows over Camlan?

- I hear it as an album with Black Metal at its heart, however there are many other elements drawn in. We have quite a lamenting sound and musically its not as fast as a lot of other black metal releases. I think what makes us (and that album), stand out is that we have folk musicians featuring on our songs putting you in the picture of the ancient Britons sonically as well as lyrically. Have a listen, I always prefer people to make their own opinions haha!

- What’s this album about? Is it a historical epos or the lyrics are about myths and legends?

* A historical epos as you put it, we don’t write fictionally, although a lot of the stories we cover are open to historical debate making them perhaps in the realms of myth. The album Carrion Crows is a historical insight into the story of the Britons circa 5th and 6th centuries and more specifically King Arthur with reference to specific battles and tribes who fought against Saxon invaders.

- History of Britain of the 5th and 6th centuries is covered with myths and legends. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the actual truth is and where is the myth. Do you think King Arthur is a true historical figure or fictional character, which incorporates different images of kings?

- A good question and as I mentioned in this case it is perhaps hard to say where the boundaries are between history and myth. However what we do know is that during that era the name Athur was commonly chosen for new born men in Briton, suggesting a man of great power and social hierarchy did exist with that name. If he did exist he would have been more of a tribal leader than what most people would associate a king to be like, a savage warrior rather than a man baring robes and crown. Maybe the term king can be seen in this case as a retrospective term.

- Does this period in history attract you the most or it was used just as a concept for the first album?

- Indeed we are in many ways a pagan black metal band, so this period in time is a natural choice for us musically as we are enthusiasts of the subject historically and spiritually.

- When do you plan to release next The Wolves of Avalon album and what would you say we could expect from it?

- Well im glad you asked because I have almost finished writing it! Its still very much in the same spirit, but I feel already the songs have surpassed our first recording and they are in many ways heavier and more atmospheric too. The whole dynamic of the band is more enriched now and we’re hoping to release it for Autunm/Winter this year. I will keep you updated.

- Do you plan to perform live and make music videos?

- At present we aren’t looking to play gigs, but its not out of the question. I’m planning to make a video for one of the tracks written for the next album and although its early days to say which song yet, its almost certainly going to happen. It definitely won’t be your average music video though.

- Tell us about Godreah Records, why did you pick this label for the release of Carrion Crows over Camlan?

* Metatrons other band The Meads Of Asphodel started on this label and now they are on Candlelight Records. The links were already in place, so when Metatron discussed with Godreah about bringing The Wolves Of Avalon to the label, they were happy to continue the relationship.

- Do you track your album sales? How is it selling so far?

-As far as I know it’s sold/traded no more than two thousand copies, but I don’t know much more than that im afraid.

- It is little known about life of metal musicians in England. How hard is it to record
an album, then release it and earn some money?

- It’s a tough game all over the world with music at the moment, regardless of style. There are thousands of people who are struggling to get their music heard, let alone get paid for it. With us it’s a labour of love rather than a profiteering business, but at the same time, if you don’t love making music only to satisfy creativity, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. I am very lucky as I work in a recording studio so I do have the luxury of tracking some of my music there. However most of it is still done from my home, which is where the entirety of Carrion Crows was recorded. I would recommend to anyone who is looking to make their own music to do everything as much as possible for yourself, as its a costly process to record and release material!

- What do you do apart from music?

- I love walking, in fact im writing to you from The Lake District in Cumbria, England. So many natural wonders are to be absorbed here and is an extremely beautiful part of Britain, I would recommend visiting here if you have never been to England before.

- To conclude, if there was a prize for the metal bands for their contribution to metal scene, what bands would you nominate and in what nomination would The Wolves of Avalon win?

- Haha, I don’t know. I guess there are loads of bands I could nominate for all kinds of awards, but if we were nominated for one it would have to be ‘band that drinks too much whisky award’… My favorite is Jura single malt by the way…

- Thank you for the interview. We wish you good luck in your career!

- A pleasure, speak again soon.

The Wolves of Avalon: КJames ‘JM’ Marinos
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