Foscor

Band: Foscor
Interviewee: Fiar
Year: 2007
Website: www.foscor.com
MySpace: myspace.com/foscor
Label: Temple Of Darkness

Interview

Foscor recently released the absolutely beautiful and astounding album "The Smile Of The Sad Ones" through Temple Of Darkness Records. I recently had the opportunity to ask a few questions...

Lou: Thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Fiar: Greetings Lou!! Thanks a lot for give us the chance to explain a little part of our world. It?s a pleasure...

Lou : For the benefit of the people out there in Internet Land, please could you describe the music that Foscor plays.

Fiar: Well, Foscor performs something we like to describe as Dark Black Metal. It?s no other thing than Black metal based on the freedom of language used in early/middle 90?s, mainly by Norwegian bands, so dense and emotive... but trying to take it to a some personal place which could express our personal vision of life, sad cause the reality but proud to be there.. I could compare our music to many bands we have learned of, but I sincerely think some good way to describe the different musical moments have make Foscor play what we do, is to mix the majesty and rawness for the dense side in Black metal, with the emotive and sensitive side of Doom English bands, and the constant will to take the music some steps far, to create something unique, according to what some people now call as Avant-garde, but we clearly identify with the will a band like Ved Buens Ende put in their creations, and nobody can?t say it is not Black Metal.. you know what I mean?? Strictly talking about music, we can mix mid tempos with so fast parts, where no differences between the wish to create a great wall with guitars can be seen... We don?t look for complex structures in the songs, maybe the simplicity shows richest moments in our musical concept, and where to express emotions is more important than the self-music. Our language comes from classic Black metal, but cause this emotive way to work our music in the most personal way we can, no limits are thought previously.

Lou : The name Foscor seems quite unusual, where does it come from?

Fiar: It means "darkness" in our language, Catalan... A kind of metaphoric way to show the place or the wall we use to start an inner path to discover our deepest feelings. As most of lyrics explain as short passages on this new album, life is a personal fight to accept limitations came from the question to know all have an end, the dead, and how each individual essence could try to improve itself, and increase the self being to advance with sure walk. Darkness as an own world or state, where the enigma of existence arrives to a second order, and present moment becomes the most important one, where only oneself matters, enriching and learning from what surrounds us, and dancing with death as the only way to affront life. The use of the word in Catalan wants to show at first, our condition in a cultural and artistic society where to get the excellence has been so important in many moments. Where to fight with external damages has made to learn from one selves, and keep the strength for advance with passion and believe in the own possibilities. Could be a good resume about the name choice..

Lou : How long has the band been together?

Fiar: The present line-up was created in the moment to see released the first album, in 2004. before that Foscor worked as a studio band, basing the compositions on Falke and my compositions entirely, and adding the work of the first singer, Norax, once the songs were recorded. In this moment we were playing in another band called Lux Divina, were Norax sang, but cause some changes in our lives he decided to leave Foscor, as well as Lux Divina stopped its activities... Falke and me decided to put all the efforts in our first band, which started working as a home project in 1997.. with no hurries and no thought to record something. Then Wilhkiem ( guitar ) and Nechrist ( drums ), from the black metallers Shemhamphorash entered to Foscor, and with the official release of ?Entrance to the Shadows? Village? we started a long path sharing moments on stage, promotion and learning, which have took us to the actual moment, where from the work of the 4 members we have seen released the second album ?The Smile of the Sad Ones?... for many years to come..

Lou : Which bands have inspired you the most?

Fiar: As I commented before, with a so general description... the Norwegian school of early/middle 90s touch us up so deeply. The majesty of Emperor and their emotiveness performing something as dense as darkness... the transcendental and calmed rawness of Burzum, the enigmatic and dynamic way to play Black Metal of Ved Buens Ende, or the spiritual aggression and will to break rules of Dodheimsgard could be found easily in our background... But we can?t deny acts as Katatonia concerning musical language full of emotion, Anathema or My Dying Bride, and also ambient proposes like the ones of Raison d?Etre... cold and ethereal... so distant proposes at first that compose our colours palette, put I think I can talk in the name of the whole Foscor when I name these bands as clear examples of music that have deserved our attention over many others, and obviously have touch our path in the music creation. Anyway, as we are obsessive listeners of music since times of Death Metal grandeur.. be sure all the bands have make us learn something in the past and in the present we have mix in some way to create what Foscor is.

Lou : Aside from the tracks on your MySpace page, the first music I heard from you was "The Smile Of The Sad Ones" album. Which other albums and EPs have you already released and where can we buy them from?

Fiar: We started spreading in 2001 a promo CD with 3 songs which later were included in our first album, with an improved production; it gave us the chance to see released a first split CD/Tape limited to 300 copies with the band Xerión, good friends, through their label Nigra Mors Productions. After that we closed the contract, which made French label Sacral Productions, release our first full-length album ?Entrance to the Shadows? Village? in 2004. Cause the disappearing of Sacral Prod. The album license was bought by Adipocere Records that re-released in 2007 the work with 2 bonus tracks. While, we collaborated with German label Northern Silence Productions in the December Songs- A tribute to Katatonia, with 2 covers... a great experience and perfect chance to spread the Foscor?s name. In 2006 we started the composition of the new album ?The Smile of the Sad Ones?, first we recorded 4 songs as a promo CD, and before to see which options to find a new label we had, we started the true recording of the album, which finally was released by the label Temple of Darkness Records, based in Barcelona, as us... The re-release of the first album can be bought in different labels or distributors, but Adipocere Records or ourselves are whom has the most part of copies... the same happens with the Tribute to Katatonia, a perfect way to listen great songs, covered by bands like Dark Fortress, Forgotten Tomb, Xasthur, Beatrik between many others... Northern Silence or us have copies in the different formats it was released: 2Lp, Double DigiCD, or Double Jewel case version. The new album can be got directly to Temple of Darkness Records, or exclusive distributors in France with Holy Records, Finland with No Sign of Life, Hungry with a Firebox sub label, and surely UK through Plastic head... between many other labels and distributors in this moment are being closed. You have to think that the album was officially released in September, so, many work has to be done yet.

Lou : Thank you for reading my review of "The Smile Of The Sad Ones" (posted on Loucifer Speaks on 12 September 2007). As you know, my two favourite tracks on the album are "El Palau dels Plors" and "...I Tornà de les Cendres". Which tracks are your favourite from the album and why?

Fiar: I think the whole album can?t be understood listening only one track... for me, each track has a so important role in the album... different moments, and different ways to express the general album concept... but maybe one song caught my interest over the rest, ?The Smile of the Sad Ones?, the first song after the intro overture ?Sot Endins?... I think this song has many elements that describe or resume the vital moment this album hides, at the same time that shows many elements of what I think could be a future Foscor album. Some elements on the guitars, on the voices, and also in the song?s structure are unique in our way to work a song, and surely could be understood as the first song of the album and the first song of a future work, concerning the language. Anyway, your choice goes in a high density and intensity way... good taste my friend!!!


Lou : The songs on the album seem to be fairly intricate with a number of different layers weaving in and out of them. Who writes the songs? Is it a group effort, or is it the job of one or two people?

Fiar: Well, Foscor started being a band based on Falke?s and mine compositions.. this point hasn?t changed at all. We could see half part of the songs written by one, and the rest by the other, but something has changed deeply for the final result of its songs... the personal touch of Nechrist on drums, and Wilhkiem on guitar lines have given to the result a so different face than in many moments Falke and me imagined. The first composition seems to be simple, and the later work with rehearsals, home sessions working on details and adding new riffs and touches, gives this different layers appearance, and enrich the creations in a surprising way for all the members... It is a great moment when we discover the song as something external to ourselves, as a not own composition... then to play it thousand of times became a true pleasure and a new experience every time.

Lou : The whole album has a relatively dark and cold aura about it and initially this did surprise me a little. I think this was mainly because when I discovered that you guys are from Spain, my mind went back to those holidays in Alicante that I had as a child - which seemed to be a million miles away from the music on this album! Where do you get the inspiration for your music and lyrics?

Fiar: He, he... yes, sunny lands with hot people and Latin folk... to distant from the northern culture. Well, we have listened the same albums every musician in higher lands have listened... and as literature, photography, design or Art history we have been in contact with cause our studies and our wish to learn, we have moved our ass through the paths of what have emanate emotion to our souls... the Catalan Modernism period let us a great cultural background and approaching to the creative moment, so near to Nature... NATURE with big letters, not only the fucking typical beach landscape of Mediterranean fields. I understand perfectly that for a northern person, our culture could seems so distant than his one...but if someone as with you could happens, can get some emotion and passion from our music, and relate it with what is normal for him... maybe could understand we are not copying something done by his similar ones... only that we have grown in a so distant place, approaching our mind and heart to so similar things...

Lou : I've noticed that some of the lyrics are in English and some are in Spanish, what made you want to write in both languages? (I'm not complaining because it makes the album very interesting!)

Fiar: Let me correct you... it is not Spanish, it is Catalan, a language as unique as Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian or Spanish... coming from romantic root. We choose to write lyrics in English and in Catalan, cause considering we have grown listening English expressed songs, so normal for us so... we think in Catalan... so, as we started showing our culture background with the same name of the band, Foscor, why not to show our thoughts in our native tongue?? In this case... not denying we don?t speak or write in English as easy as in Catalan or Spanish... all the lyrics I wrote was done from the first moment in each language... not translating or trying to say what we wanted. I tried to express what I wanted with the resources I had in each language... If it makes more interesting the album... although it hasn?t been the first wish... is something we appreciate a lot.

Lou : Are there any translations for the Catalan lyrics?

Fiar: Not, cause we haven?t made any effort to get its, as no translation in Catalan will be done the people here... I think in the actual days, people has enough resources to get the info wanted... We have no wishes to make difficult to understand ourselves, but I really think it?s not necessary to translate each language.

Lou : After numerous bulletins on MySpace, I've noticed that you're due to be playing at something called the "SATAN LIVES FEST II" in October. I understand that this is to be something of a release party for you. Are you looking forward to it and are there any other bands on the bill that you're looking forward to seeing?

Fiar: SATAN LIVES FEST II is a personal project of Wilhkiem and me, as an union of forces between Shemhamphorash and Foscor, as you say to do something like the release party for our new albums. We have played many times in concert, and all of them cause the relation with different promoters and agencies, have given us many lessons to try with this 2 days festival, to work for the scene and try to show as we want and with the bands with want, our work. Yes, in fact there will be some bands which never have visited Barcelona, or Spain in general and I?m looking forward to see on stage: Forgotten Tomb, Aes Dana, Kult, Handful of Hate... We have personal relation with every band cause different reasons... With Aes Dana we shared the same label in France.. with Forgotten Tomb the Tribute to Katatonia, or with Handful of Hate, a personal relation with their drummer, who we met in Barcelona on stage with his other band Frostmoon Eclipse. 12th and 13th October, at the Mephisto hall... 5 bands per day... and a great opportunity to listen live so different acts with many things to say, from different countries. I hope people here could see the effort done and appreciate the project. I really hope it could have many other editions in the next years.

Lou : Since it will be a launch for the album, will you be playing the album in full or will you play some select tracks along with some stuff that you've previously released?

Fiar: Cause limits of time the venue put, each band can?t play an unlimited set list.. So in our case, we have chosen 5 songs from the new album, which we think are perfect for a live performance with enough intensity, one from the first album, and 2 covers, the Katatonia?s one, and a new one we would like to play paying Tribute to one of the bands I named before which has touch us more... A revival moment for headbanging. In future concerts we will play more songs from the new album, and depending on time, show to people old stuff that surely know more cause the short time the new album has ruled.

Lou : Do you have any plans to tour outside of Spain with this album? I'd like to put in my request for some shows in England now! hehe

Fiar: Yeah Lou!! We are just starting to plan a big tour over Europe with a French band called Otargos, which we hope could take us to the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Poland, Czech republic, and maybe Italy... we are just arranging the idea and spreading the contacts to find local promoters, and band to share stage with... It is planned to late spring 2008... but all you could do for us, will be more than welcomed. Today, to get a so cheap flight ticket by a low cost Airline makes easier the options to visit countries never thought before, without a big agency behind... But, when things can be prepared with enough time, and scarifying things for the best experience we could get... things as what you comment becomes real. Be sure I will do my best to get a visit to England... I would be pleased to meet many friends there for an event like this. Be sure I will keep you informed. Before the SATAN LIVES FEST II we have a show in Valencia, Spain, with Finnish doomers Swallow the Sun and the local band Helevorn, which covered Katatonia for the tribute too. And if things finish as I expected, we could visit Portugal with the guys of Corpus Christii for 2 dates...but it is not yet closed. Is one of the things we want to get as with more interest... to play as much as we can, and mainly out of our country... Time will say...

Lou : This question is specifically for Fiar. I'm currently learning to play bass and I was wondering if there were any tips that you could give me. Also, are there any Foscor Bass Tabs lurking around on the Internet which I could download so that I could play along to the CD?

Fiar: Sorry my friend... I?m a self learning musician, and I don?t use tabs... so if don?t arrive the moment our music could interest as much as to make a book of the songs... I think will not exist tabs or other helps to play our songs. I started playing the bass in guitar way, with chords that helped me to compose the songs.. I continue composing the songs in that way, but as soon as the line-up of the band was completed with 2 guitars, my work is more centred in basic lines once the songs are in the level of rehearsals or work at home to concrete the lines. I only can comment the will I look for when I close a line for a song, according to the sense we give to Foscor songs: every moment in the lines each strings instrument perform, as well as drums or vocals goes in a direction for the benefit of the whole song... we don?t look for protagonists or let some moments for special presences for its. Only if each instrument use serves the whole spirit and feeling of the song, each instrument gets sense.

Lou : I asked you about where we can buy your earlier releases before and I was just wondering if you have any other merchandise available?

Fiar: All the works we have are the ones mentioned before...


-Promo CD 2001
-Split CD/Tape with Xerión- Nigra Mors Records 2002
-Entrance to the Shadows? Village- CD Sacral Productions 2004
-December Songs- A tribute to Katatonia- 2Cd, 2Lp, 2DigiCd Northern Silence productions 2006
-Entrance to the Shadows? Village- CD Oaken Shield/Adipocere Records 2007
-Narrow is the Path to Darkness- Promo CD 2007
-The Smile of the Sad Ones- CD Temple of Darkness Records 2007

We have planned an split 7 inches with Necrosadist for early 2008 for Necroterror Records, a new appearance in a Tribute album to the painter Arnold Böcklin for 2008. Concerning merchandise as t-shirts, we have the first design we made again in stock, take a look to the website, and through Temple of Darkness it?s planned and official longsleeve of the new album.. which could have a second version with a label from United States.. We are talking about that at the moment.

Lou : Do you have any plans to work on another album in the near future?

Fiar: We have so clear that if we want to continue in the direction we are now, and try to grow more.. depending on the fact that live acts, tour, and forthcoming editions could be closed as are planned, we should have to think in a new album for the beginning of 2009. Although we have the support and work of a label for the new album, we are in a situation that still needs a strong part of work from ourselves... to arrange concerts, spread the word, and close the many aspects a band need to take care of, so there?s no a lot of time left to do things faster than our heart wants. So, with patience but sure walk, we are convinced to continue working and growing with Foscor. I hope you could see each step advanced Lou...

Lou : Thank you for your time!

Fiar: Thank you for your support and interest. It has been a pleasure to meet you and share this minutes of interview. I really hope one day we could meet each other in England, playing live or with a beer in our hands. Together in darkness...

Other Links

More Links: "The Smile Of The Sad Ones" Review, Band Profile: Foscor, Foscor Press Release Thread