BAND OF THE WEEK: Abraxas Horn
Horror, horror everywhere.
What did you expect from people who spend their time daydreaming about the most horrendous images ever shown on screen, and actually have a whole community and talk to each other on podcasts about it and stuff? Lullabies? Well, you might, because lullabies can be quite creppy, but I digress!, so let’s get back to the point. Yes, this is creepy, foreboding, downright nasty music we’re talking about, and it will just get worse from here. That’s what happened in the time that has passed since Abraxas Horn released their first album, ‘Shadow Mountains’, a little over two years ago. At the time, it was a perfectly scary, mostly synth-based instrumental soundtracky kind of thing, made by this one dude Brandon, who also hosts the The Horrorwolf666 podcast. It was naturally the accompanying music for whatever unspeakable atrocities go on in Brandon’s head when he’s not watching horror movies or nerding out about them on his admittedly awesome show, but that wasn’t enough, was it? No, he had to go out and get a couple more horror nerds like him and drag us all into this goddamn torture dungeon. Thanks, Brandon.
So yeah, now Abraxas Horn isn’t just a safe little creepy thing to put on when you’re going through Quake for the millionth time and you can’t stand NIN anymore or whatever. Brandon went and got the great Mike Hill from Tombs (and Scorpion Throne too - btw, will we ever get a proper album out of that one or what, Mike?), a very early supporter of our own little podcast (remember?), and Matt Priso (of Spells Ov Torment and his own sick black metal project, erm, Sik, not to mention a really cool visual artist) to jump with him into the void, and the result is ‘Liminal Darkness’.
Though it’s still Brandon’s textures - now mainly created on guitar, his main instrument - and the knack he has for creating genuinely unsettling atmospheres that are at the core of everything and make this a supremely terrifying listen (lest we forget the experience the man has had with bad-mood music through his years in Tripping The Mechanism), the addition of Priso’s programmed (blast)beats and Mike’s traditional way of delivering his potently written lines in a distinctly evocative, frightening fashion really elevate the atmosphere to another level of darkness and horror. Though this is still very much within the realm of ambient music, the extremity - and therefore, its impact on the listener - has been raised tenfold and there’s black metal’s ugly smear marks all over the furniture now. Hey, we’re not complaining.
Check out the interview we had with Brandon after the jump to discover more about Abraxas Horn!
You can find Abraxas Horn on Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook and Spotify.
You can listen to The Horrorwolf666 podcast here.
‘Liminal Darkness’ is out now on Bandcamp.
“I want to keep mixing up the styles and keeping things extremely dark and grim.”
- Brandon Legion
Can you tell us a bit more about your background as a musician, and also about the origins of Abraxas Horn? What was your motivation behind it?
Brandon Legion: I started playing guitar when I was a teenager. I ended up joining my first band around the age of eighteen or so. Tripping the Mechanism was my first band and only band before Abraxas Horn. TTM was a doom/Sludge metal band that I was in for almost seventeen years. We got to do a few US tours and record more than a few albums with my friend Phillip Cope of Kylesa at the Jam Room studios in Columbia South Carolina, I and a killer time with TTM! After we disbanded I was in need of a new creative outlet and I have always been interested in synths and dark ambient music but I never had the time to explore that avenue, but now i do and so I picked up a midi keyboard and went to work. The name Abraxas Horn comes from my favorite film ‘Mandy’. I have a great love for film (especially horror) and ‘Mandy’ was a major spark to get the Abraxas Horn train rolling.
‘Shadow Mountains’ was pretty much a solo affair, right? Did you already envision a potential growth by adding other musicians to participate in the project back then, or were you convinced it’d be a solo thing always? And then, how did you decide to invite Mike and Matt to be a part of it?
Brandon: Yeah, the first album was a solo effort of mine and I never planned to have other musicians join up at that time, but the second album started to evolve into something different and much darker. The inclusion of Matt and Mike, who I call brothers, was just a natural progression that just happened and everything just clicked instantly.
The new album does seem like a great evolution from what you had explored already, more fleshed out, more “dramatic”, in a good way. Did you have any specific idea in mind before you started writing for it?
Brandon: When I started to plan out the second album I wanted to go darker and nastier than the first album. I also wanted to include guitar since that’s my main weapon of choice. The inclusion of drums from Matt and the haunting vocals of Mike, the darkness of the album just started flowing. The end result went well beyond my original expectations! I’m very proud of what we accomplished!
Aside from their amazing performances, did the guys bring anything to the table in terms of writing ideas that enriched the outcome of the album?
Brandon: Definitely! Mike and Matt totally contributed to molding this album into what it is today. Their knowledge of the craft and artistic views really helped out on this album.
You’re obviously very much into horror (your podcast is awesome!), so especially with music that has a very “soundtracky” vibe to it, I suppose this an important inspiration to you, perhaps even greater than most musical influences?
Brandon: Thank you for the podcast compliment! I really enjoy doing the show! I would say horror is the biggest influence on my music. I love how horror transcends the boundaries of reality and plays on the fears and brings on the nightmares. This is what I want to do with Abraxas Horn, I want to create that same feeling with our music.
With that in mind, would you like to talk a little bit about the lyrics/concepts behind the new album?
Brandon: The concept behind the album is the manifestation of pure darkness. I wanted to create something that would haunt your dreams and make you question reality. I also wanted to invoke those childhood fears of things that roam around in the darkness. That primitive fear of the unknown that is instilled in us all.
What is your method of writing usually? What is typically the starting point for a song/piece, and how do you usually develop it?
Brandon: My starting point most of the time when it comes to writing is pretty simple. Once I get the idea in my head, I start getting to work with finding the right sounds on my keyboard. Then I start to build from that point. I usually always start with the synths first then add other instruments afterwards.
Is playing live a possibility, and something you might enjoy doing with Abraxas Horn?
Brandon: Hmm… as of right now I do not see Abraxas Horn as a live project but I won’t say it could never be something we could do live. Never say never.
How do you see the future of this band, as I think we can call it that now, do you think you’ll keep being dedicated to it, developing this great mix of styles you’ve achieved?
Brandon: Oh yeah, I definitely will continue this with Mike and Matt. I see this project going on for a long time. I also want to keep mixing up the styles and keeping things extremely dark and grim.
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