Thornspawn – “I stand alone, against all, with victory crowned over my brow”

From the category of underrated and overlooked bands: Thornspawn. That fact in itself would be enough to put the band in the limelight for once, but in addition, the band recently came up with their fifth long-player, the first since 2008. Added bonus: ‘Coronation Of The Supreme Beast’ is the best the band has produced in years and Thornspawn mastermind Blackthorn is not only a true insider and veteran in (American) Black Metal but also a kind conversationalist…

Hello Blackthorn, welcome to these pages. Let’s just start right away, because I have some burning questions that I’d like to fire your way. But before we get started I am wondering: what took you so long? While you have released a few things in between, the last Thornspawn full-length dates all the way to 2008, that was quite a wait…
Hail to you demon spirit and I thank you for inviting me to your sinister pages of The Whispering Darkness. To be perfectly honest I saw no matter or rush to release something that was not straight from the fuckin heart. But most importantly the lack of serious labels that would truly support my vision was something that I always ran across. These days any fuckin idiot can say they run a label and that they want to release your album. But lack a true sense of support and standing firmly by their artist with “label support”. Such as the funds necessary to enter a reputable studio and also cover the cost of art, layout, merchandise, etc, etc. I had many offers to release a new album year after year, but these labels simply wanted for me to hand them over a full length and they would release it and that alone was them showing me “support”. Labels of yesteryear truly stood their ground by their artist and invested in their art even with tour support, proper promotion, merchandise etc, etc. Now the “underground” labels, most of them, are parasites…

‘Coronation Of The Supreme Beast’ has just been released, and, let’s put it this way, I don’t think it will surprise anyone. The album fits seamlessly into the Thornspawn discography and proudly wears the band’s DNA. Still, if you would compare it to your previous full-length, where should we look for the main differences?
Thank you for your words and insight of my unholy doctrine and hate speech towards all false white light hood. This release is something of a very personal tale and nocturnal voyage in to the darkness that lives within the corridors of my mind. Even though it has the “Thornspawn sound” and such, I truly believe this album is filled with far more rage and fuelled by a sense of vengeance, retribution and over all victory over my own personal agendas and demons. It has the ferocity and caustic vileness of ‘Sanctified by Satan’s Blood’ no question, but with a story to tell. And in the end with its victorious anthems I have truly proclaimed and seated myself as the apex beast and coronated victor. I stand alone, against all, with victory crowned over my brow. The only difference I could pinpoint is that it was created all by my maddening mind. I truly enveloped myself in this world, and even though it took the time it did, it is far superior than anything else released by Thornspawn in later years.

When we compare ‘Coronation Of The Supreme Beast’ to the previous albums, it is clear that the path of a shrill and minimalist sound of the previous album ‘Sanctified By Satan’s Blood’ (2008) has been continued. While you have permanently abandoned the darker and almost Death Metal-fuelled sound of ‘Wrath Of War’ (2002), ‘Coronation Of The Supreme Beast’ does sound a bit different again, creeping quite close up to the cold sounding classic French bands from the mid 90’s and up to the Mütiilation albums around the mid 00’s. How would do you look back at the sound of the earlier albums and compare them with your latest effort?
In the beginning others within the group had full control of its musical direction and handled all the guitaring and compositions. I for one focused my part naturally on drums, lyrics and vocals, that was my offering. As with all bands that have multiple ideas, factors, band members, visions & composers there is a “democracy” to consider when creating hymns as a “band”. I am not dismissing that the old material lacked or was bad for that matter, but it truly did not have my perspective, marked within its guitar composition. Now focusing on the latest release as mentioned in the previous question, this album is me. And it embodies my ideas, my writing style & skills. There is no room for others to suggest or try and deviate me from its one true cause and terminal message. I believe that for the first time Thornspawn has truly created a true Black Metal album. Without it being influenced by others within its reach and or influenced by what others or even myself are listening too. The album bleeds darkness and the studies of the occult that I engulfed myself in for all these years. I truly believe that I captured something from the unknown and dragged it back with me to this dimension.

One of the things that struck me most with ‘Coronation Of The Supreme Beast’ is its volatility. Of course, all within the borders of the band’s musical frame work, but especially towards the end of the album there’s more variety than Thornspawn has even shown. Those slower, dragging and even doomier tracks are a great addition to the Thornspawn-formula. How did this creep into your repertoire?
I believe that you have tapped in to my world and can see that the diversity of each song stands on its own very well. Each song does not sound as the other and continues to lead the listener deeper in to a catacomb of mystery and final sacrificial death. The songs that you speak of that have a wider dimension in its song writing came to me one night as I was attempting to meditate and channel something from beyond the grave. Here in the very cemeteries that one sometimes dwells, not only does death lurk, but death truly lives down there. A mummified statue with piercing dreams spoke & I obeyed. And there in the left-hand path I stayed motionless and studied what I was gifted to witness.

There might be a bit more variation for sure, but the majority of the music is still pretty much full-speed of hate filled Black Metal in the traditional way: harsh and fierce, but also pure and sincere. How important are these values to you?
To embody darkness and its caustic malevolence is the doctrine of black metal. Its ferocious assault and its blood curdling dementia is what the beast demands. Most of the times I sit in my study or while I am at my Temple and observe. Not bands, not music, not metal, not influence, but the baneful actions of humanity. The calamity and despicable acts that man himself does to oneself and to others. And to truly absorb these energies of great despair and bleakness is where I have found that the essence of the elder demons lie within. One can not falsely create these impure and yet pure states of harshness and ferocity. You have tapped in to something that is greater than oneself and either you embrace it or you become its prey.

In a sense Thornspawn’s steady musical course is something to admire, yet your music has more or less always garnered some mixed opinions – which, I think, is fine in itself, but I’ve more than once seen the band been described as a “third rate Marduk”. I never got the impression you cared much about such statements, also evidenced by the fact that you still release the same sort of records to this very day. Do you think these unsubtle expressed differing opinions and musical tastes are a part of the game or are you still trying to get some sensible feedback out of this? Or, option C, do you really not care at all?
I always shook my head in disbelief at some of the comparisons that reviewers chose to classify us with. But it has never really mattered to me what others think. Sure, I am thankful for those that take the time to attempt and understand or have truly entered my world and have chosen to stay. But it has always been for me a sense of self pride and accomplishment that I am able to expel these unclean spirits that dwell within and share them with those that care to listen.

You have previously cited David “Blackmoon” Parland as one of your main influences when it comes to guitars in Black Metal. This new album kicks off with a song called ‘Blackmoon Arise!!!’, I assume this is a tribute to Blackmoon? How would you say that his distinguishable hand translates into your music in general and this song in particular?
I have always admired Blackmoon since the times of Necrophobic and later Dark Funeral, War, & Infernal. In those times of course, I did not play any type of guitar or wrote any music on said instrument. But I always had an immense respect for his playing abilities. The tribute and ultimate song & title that I dedicated to Blackmoon was not that I was trying to write like him or sound like him. It was a form of respect and appreciation that it was he from beyond the grave that inspired me to pick up the guitar and begin to practice daily for years on end. I didn’t study his writing or playing for that matter as said before it is a gratitude that I felt necessary to share with others that it was because of him that I took the courage to attempt and learn a new instrument. By far am I a “guitarist”, but, I am a novice student to the destructive power that holds the electric guitar.

In the past you have worked with a good amount of different labels, including Agonia Records and Osmose Productions. Over the past twenty years or so I’ve read some things about your relationship with labels. How do you generally look back on the “business” side of the band over the past three decades? And now you’ve teamed up with Werewolf Records, who in turn are working with Hells Headbangers. Both labels have a good reputation and a fantastic back catalogue. What do you expect from this new collaboration?
In past years I have worked with some big labels and things seem to fizzle. Whether it is for the lack of sales perhaps, or the fact that I refuse to listen to label bosses. I am not a difficult person to work with, but I am terrible with deadlines or orders from anyone. So that could be another reason why it took so long to release a new full length perhaps(?). Regardless the past is dead and rotting, I tend to never look back on past business dealings, ex-band members or past lives. Working with Werewolf Rex has been a breath of fresh air, considering we have known each other for the past 24 years. He has been a fan, a supporter and a friend since the demo days. We both respected each other and trade for some years. Through the years we lost contact but once again our paths crossed, this time he offered to assist me after listening to a rough mix of my latest work. The CD is out now, and actually as I write this I am working with his layout person to get the vinyl & tape version off to press.

Thornspawn has celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and besides the band you have also organised a Black Metal festival, so actively being around for this long in the American Black Metal scene you have seen bands and trends come and go. If you’d reflect with me on Thornspawn’s role in the development of American Black Metal, how would you describe that?
In the beginning Thornspawn was a band that wished to unite the USBM movement of those times. With my then active and first Black Metal Festival (Sacrifice of the Nazarene Child) the objective was to unite all the bands that were spread through out the country. There was much unity and support for one another from both ends. What ever I could do to push the bands name and assist my brothers I would do. But those times are gone and now there is a new “movement” that I am not really in touch with. After the ending of my festival in 2010, I decided to step back from the entire “scene”. And I focused not on my band, nor on other bands, nor friends or metal brothers. But I became a recluse as to focus only on one thing, myself. There is new blood that is coursing in the USBM movement and there are bands that are truly hungry and attempting to break free and beyond the barriers of their confinements. But to be perfectly honest the development of the USBM scene at least for myself was short lived. Even though I established a legendary festival, united and assisted bands, did all I could to get the movement and unity reinforced I don’t think that bands then truly knew my attempts or much less now.

And, zooming out a bit more and looking at American Black Metal as a phenomenon from a more global perspective, your native scene has long not been taken seriously, especially by Europeans. Compared to the European originators of the first and second wave the first American Black Metal bands sounded indeed quite distinctively different. How would you typify those bands from the first generation of American Black Metal?
You are very correct in your statement. The USBM movement truly had to fight and claw its way in to the spotlight of the underground. It was never really respected and much less accepted by the European movement. But to be honest from within we didn’t care or worry about what others or the world for that matter thought of our campaign. We had both a mixture of Satanic Death & Unholy Blackened Metal to guide us and spread our hateful propaganda. Like mentioned above even though we were so spread apart due to the country being so large and vast. We still corresponded back and forth supporting each other and spreading our music to those that cared to listen. Now I will say that there are European bands that did support us and looked beyond the fact we were North American. As well as many zines did correspond and asked for interviews in those times. But we who began this in the late 80’s early 90’s had our ambitions and objective, we were going to take the underground by storm with our sonic torment and unholy lyrical manifestations guided and influenced as well by the south American bands and death squads!!

I know that you do not really fancy talking about musical influences, but if we’re taking the previous two questions back to Thornspawn, after thirty years of creating music under this moniker, I can imagine that the way you experience music does change. In what way do you think that the music you listened to in the early 90’s are still present in your song crafting today?
I can still recall the moment when we began writing our first songs and yes of course guided by the influences of the 80’s & 90’s. There were many barriers to break and even some new to discover, we truly felt that we as first and foremost, fans, had to pay homage and have a direct line to those bands that truly captivated us as kids. As time went on we slowly took our own paths and began to focus on not what other bands that we listened to were doing or attempting to emulate their sound. But to rather discover our own savage and barbaric sound, filled with razor sharp riffs and kaos filled compositions. Fast forward many years later and at least to this day I have led astray to permit myself to enter in to any type of inspiration based on what I listen to. It would be me, my writing, but in some way distorted by the focus on someone else creation. So instead I focus on not what I listen too, but rather what I am studying, absorbing or observing in my private life and research.

Again picking up on the previous topic, is there anything in particular, or at all, in the current Extreme Metal scene that you find interesting enough to find its way into your own music? And, while we’re at it, how do you look upon today’s metal scene in general?
I still remain a supporter, collector and a fan of many genres of metal music. But as mentioned before I refuse to let anything creep its way in to my sanctuary when I am in process of writing either music, lyrics, guitars, etc, etc. There are various scenes that I find rather refreshing and they have attracted my full attention to some bands. But I am extremely selective on what I listen to or purchase. These days my attention span is at its worst, so usually if I skim through something and it does not impact me in a way that I wish to investigate and want to hear more I pass it. There are good and bad in all “scenes”, but what I see for the most part I usually compare it to the days of yore. And I can say that it has become a circus and infiltrated by those that are just passing by looking for the next entertaining and controversial thing. Or those who have been doing this for as long as I have and, in the end, just want to get paid before they checkout.

We do not get to see Thornspawn at this side of the pond, but earlier this year you have played Steelfest in Finland. I suppose that is something you very much looked forward to? Is there any other touring or gigging planned to promote ‘Coronation of The Supreme Beast’?
I was very honoured for the invitation to perform at this years Steel Fest. And I wish to thank the organizers and all-around production of said fest as being one of, if not the most professional festivals that I have performed at. From the attention and detail to their hospitality, to the bands, the stage hands and all-around experience I cannot complain and can see why they are one of the strongest and sought out fests in Europa. There will be two festivals that I will perform in the next coming months (Kult of Leviathan Fest in Sept 2024 & Desastrious Festival Oct 2024) where I shall perform the entire ‘Coronation of the Supreme Beast’ release in its entirety. Then after I will focus in 2025 to begin assembling a tour of East Asia & Europa to spread the unholy doctrine of Thornspawn and its new release. Those interested may contact our booking agency OrderOvBaphometProductions@gmail.com.

While the new album is still hot, are there any plans for the upcoming period that we can look forward to? Wasn’t there something mentioned about a new split release?
At this moment my only focal point is the new album and nothing else. I have been approached by several old labels that have shown interest after hearing the new album of what I have planned for the near future. But I dismiss them and their interest to work with Thornspawn until I fulfil my duties with this new album and of course honour my blood pact with Werewolf Records. Now that the new album is out, there were some splits that were planned for some years now. But I am not concerned for them at the moment. Maybe next year, who knows. What I do know is that ‘Coronation of the Supreme Beast’ has taken the BM underground world by storm and it is very obvious that it has knocked the fuckin heads off some people, and that is always a positive thing.

Alright that was about it, thanks again for sharing this conversation with me. As usual I’d like to give the last words to you…
I hail you for the interesting & insightful questions that you have presented to me. How I loathe the typical & mundane interviews of some zines. Those that wish to get in contact may do so for anything involving Thornspawn, or my side/solo project Temple of the Beast & my label BlackDeath Coven Records at the following address: XanderBlackthorn666@gmail.com

I just released on my label the first of several volumes of Sacrifice of the Nazarene Child-Black Metal Fest Vol I. Judas Iscariot live in 1999 on black and purple vinyl. As well as from Mexico, Maledictvs-In Rebellion with Him by Nature on white/black splatter vinyl (this is the main project of Thornspawn’s bassist, Hella). I also have the Thornspawn/Maledictvs split cd – “Guided by Vengeance & Bloodlust” on Werewolf Rex as well.

-To all the nameless philistines who feel geographically blessed. Bow your head in mortal servitude, for the truest of black bleeds from the heart, and not of the soil-Swornghoul 1997-(RIP)

Photos by: Ivan Sanchez of Tales from the Frontline.