Since 1982, Thomas Gabriel Fischer (AKA Thomas Gabriel "Warrior") has been one of the guiding forces behind extreme metal. With the formation of Hellhammer and his subsequent work with Celtic Frost, he helped to lay the foundations for black, death, thrash and several other iterations of dark, heavy music. Though many artists would be content with resting on such a legacy, Thom has continued to make a truly menacing sound with his latest project, Triptykon. And with a new album arriving this spring, I decided to conduct an interview to see what he had in store for us on Melana Chasmata.
Metal Injection:Hello Tom, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. I'd like to begin by focusing on Triptykon, particularly the new album. To what extent would you say Melana Chasmata follows the path laid out by Eparistera Daimones? Would you say this album acts like a sequel to the previous one?
Thomas Gabriel Warrior: With the exception of a debut, every album acts as a sequel to the one before. And even more so if the artist in question pursues his or her music with any degree of integrity and honesty. Triptykon's new album is no exception, but being a sequel doesn't mean an album is a copy. A sequel, in my mind, ideally should reflect a movement, a development.
MI: What would you say then marks this album as a movement or development from the previous one?
TGW: The music and emotions on the new album are a direct result of the changes in our individual lives, some of which have been vast.
MI: On Triptykon's previous album, many of the lyrics invoked themes of vengeance, longing and despair. And yet on "The Prolonging", there is an almost triumphant determination in the words. What went into this dual-effect? Is this duality something fans should expect on the followup as well?
TGW: I am not sure if I see this as a "duality". A "triumphant determination" may easily arise from "vengeance" or "despair". To me, the emotions expressed on Triptykon's first album reflect very much one common state of mind. This isn't much of a surprise, given the manner in which Celtic Frost self destructed itself, completely unnecessarily and immaturely. Our new album was created during years which saw entirely different emotional challenges descend upon some of the band's members. Some of these challenges affected lives significantly, forever. Of course that can be heard, both in music and lyrics.
MI: Stylistically, many people think of both Monotheist and Eparistera Daimones as "Doom Metal." Do you think this term is accurate?
TGW: I think that is ludicrous. It is simply impossible to characterize either Celtic Frost or Triptykon by means of a single style or sub genre. I began writing doom-like songs in 1983, when I created Hellhammer's Triumph Of Death, and I have loved pursuing such music ever since, if it reflects my emotions at the time I am writing a particular song.
But at the same time, Celtic Frost (and thus Triptykon) have a strong thrash metal background and, at times, speed metal influences – as well as wave, jazz, classical music, black metal, electronica, hard rock and experimentation. The reason for this is that Celtic Frost arose at a time many of these genres began to be developed, and we were part of this. Moreover, the scene wasn't as fragmented back then as it is now. Which, in my opinion, was a good thing.
I would thus never think of attempting to label our music by means of one single style. If you must, call it metal, heavy rock, or hard rock.
MI: The extreme music scene definitely is very fragmented. What would you say are the main reasons things were better before this happened? Is there anything that could be done to remedy what we see today?
TGW: Fragmentation obstructs both unity and diversity. In my opinion, our scene can only be strong if it is reasonably unified. And an artist – and music is art – (art) will always be superior in expression and craft if arising from a fertile ground provided variety and diversity. But these are mere observations.
A reasonable level of openness and curiosity would probably be very helpful in achieving such things.
MI: You've noted in several interviews that in order for Celtic Frost to have made an authentic album, certain elements had to be in place for it to be "real." With that in mind, what are the essential elements of a true Triptykon record?
TGW: Honesty and courage.
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Melana Chasmata, released through Century Media, will be available in North America on April 15.
