“If you’re engrossed in it, and it’s appealing to you emotionally, it doesn’t matter what label you put on it or where the threads that made the tapestry come from. I feel the name, Metallic Taste of Blood, the accidental bite of the lip and the resultant taste being pleasurable, is a more useful description of the music than any discussion about genre. Most of us can relate to the feeling of something being, slightly, or even very, wrong, yet simultaneously enjoyable.” (Colin Edwin)
Defying classification
Since Porcupine Tree went on hiatus, the influential progressive rock/metal band’s skilled, Zen-transmitting bassist, Colin Edwin, has been exploring new sonic districts with the daring Obake and Metallic Taste of Blood projects, among others. Together with his versatile co-conspirators, guitarist, producer and sound designer, Eraldo Bernocchi, and drummer, Ted Parsons (Swans, Prong, Buckethead, Godflesh, Killing Joke, Jesu), Edwin has recently finished working on the sophomore Metallic Taste of Blood album, Doctoring the Dead—out next week on the always adventurous RareNoise imprint—which like its self-titled predecessor, features a turbulent wall-cracking hybrid of styles, only more eclectic, crystallized and powerful. Elements collide and merge into something unholy, edgy and quite tasty and addictive, a shapeshifting mixture of grimy, drilling, pounding metal voodoo, dirty, evil caterpillar dub, celestial post-rock and spacey ambient.
Armed with skills and experience, each one of these guys had brought a myriad of influences into the studio, and somehow everything just blended beautifully together. There’s definitely chemistry here, it’s a distinct group effort, nobody tries to stand out, they operate as a tight and highly effective unit. Three tracks also include the spicy contribution of keyboardist Roy Powell (InterStatic, Naked Truth, Mumpbeak). Doctoring the Dead not only demonstrates a more assertive and eclectic MToB, it also opens a secret door into an exotic uncharted path with so much to explore, an idiosyncratic world of sound with so many possibilities. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before this current MToB lineup meets again to explore things further.
The story?
Edwin :: Eraldo Bernocchi and I met in the virtual world first, I think it was actually via MySpace before it became an uninhabitable spam zone for everybody. Through random trawling and eventually being a Rarenoise customer, I had discovered Eraldo’s album “Parched” which I really enjoyed, I knew some of his background too with other projects like ‘Charged’ and ‘Soma’, both very different but equally compelling to me, so it was great to connect. We finally had the opportunity to meet when I played in Italy with Porcupine Tree, and we got on well, so agreeing to work together was an easy decision. We started working as a duo initially with writing sessions at Eraldo’s place in Tuscany, but without any existing ideas or preconceived plan, and we soon realised we had the basis of something worth developing, so getting other people involved became a certainty. Eraldo suggested Balasz Pandi as a drummer, who in turn suggested Jamie Saft on keyboards. We toyed with the idea of a vocalist, but in the end, we all felt it wasn’t necessary.
The first album?
Edwin :: When we were putting the website together, the tech guy asked me what genre the music was, I wasn’t sure what to say, so I forwarded his question to everyone involved and got no sensible replies, so it’s a question I still can’t answer! Any descriptions might correctly identify the elements, but end up being useless as a description, for example, “Jazz meets Metal” while pointing you somewhere in the right direction, would probably bring to mind something far too tasteless. Of course there are identifiable ingredients: dub, free jazz, heavy riffage, dark ambient electronics, but the album is none of those things, and I feel that despite all the disparate parts, it works really well as an album. On paper it probably shouldn’t work, four guys from four different countries, with vastly different musical backgrounds, but I have to say, I am still really proud of the results. I guess it really comes down to the way the atmospheres work for you as a listener, if you’re engrossed in it, and it’s appealing to you emotionally, it doesn’t matter what label you put on it or where the threads that made the tapestry come from. I feel the name, Metallic Taste of Blood, the accidental bite of the lip and the resultant taste being pleasurable, is a more useful description of the music than any discussion about genre. Most of us can relate to the feeling of something being, slightly, or even very, wrong, yet simultaneously enjoyable. Petulia Matiolli’s cover art for the album was perfect for me, evoking the feeling that, underneath the surface of things, the Metallic Taste of Blood is all around us.
Bernocchi :: It was a very natural process. I really believe in things coming together quite automatically and MTOB certainly came together that way. Colin and myself did a major back and forth of ideas and sounds. For a second we even thought about staying as a duo, but nothing competes with a real drummer and his groove, so we opted for Balazs with whom I was already working with Obake. In the end we have managed to avoid any pigeonholing and I really feel this as a strong point for MTOB.
The second album?
Edwin :: The new album, “Doctoring the Dead” is a continuation of the first in that, as before, the underlying sonic territory remains, as it is instrumental, with discordant things and heavy riffs going on, balanced by moments of fragility and release. Initially, we wanted to experiment with a trio format, just bass, guitar and drums, and as Balasz Pandi had other commitments, we decided to get drummer Ted Parsons involved, having previously played in Prong, Swans, Godflesh, and Killing Joke to name a few, he has a background in music with a similar intensity. Ted has also been involved in various dub projects and we were keen to explore a little more of that territory as well. We started recording at Faust Studios in Prague, on Ted’s recommendation, which was a marvellous choice, it has a great atmosphere and we easily settled into a productive workflow. Later it became apparent that the music would be better served with some additional input, so we contacted Roy Powell, who was an obvious choice, as he had stood in on keyboards for a previous festival gig, and he’s a fantastic player and also a lot of fun. I would say that the change of personnel has given us a leaner, perhaps a little more powerful sound, I feel it’s a more direct album, as the process behind it was much more immediate this time.
Bernocchi :: In a way it’s a more guitar and bass oriented album, not that this is important but as we created everything together the harmonic and melodic elements were stronger than before. The drumming is really pounding as Ted is a monster machine drummer, he’s relentless, merciless. Roy was the final touch as he laid some great keys and synths perfectly blending with what we did before but at the very same time he seeded some serious chaos here and there.
Memorable reaction?
Edwin :: The most amusing reaction I’ve had to Metallic Taste of Blood was from my daughter. She was about two and a half years old while we were working on the first album, and I was in my studio listening through a track I had played bass on for another artist, checking it before I sent the final part off, she was sitting on the floor in total silence, completely absorbed in playing with a doll and displaying absolutely no interest in the music. To clear my ears I then put on whatever the latest mix of “King Cockroach” was at the time, and she stood up immediately and started dancing like crazy.
Bernocchi :: Well…Colin and myself had a similar experience. When I was recording details and giving the final touches to the album my 18 months daughter Matilde was going in and out from the studio dancing and laughing especially on two tracks so…I gave her some electronics, diy synths, mini noise boxes stuff like that, and gave her a good volume. In the end she layered 8 tracks that I cut here and there to get rid of the inevitable crap but…quite crazily what she did works really well in a long and spacey intermission. I couldn’t resist as she is pure energy with no filter so if those tracks are working for her, very likely out there someone else will be happy about them.
On heavy rotation?
Edwin :: Irmler/Leibzeit – “Flut”, Inna Zhelannaya – “Izvorot”, Melt Yourself Down – “Live at the New Empowering Church” and Gong – “I See You”. For the car it’s usually mixes of various work in progress stuff I am involved in, I always find it a useful test. I am also revisiting Bauhaus’s back catalogue after reading David J’s very amusing and entertaining autobiography.
Bernocchi :: Triptycon – ” Melana Chasmata” and “eparistera daimones”, The National – “Trouble will find me”, Godflesh – “a world lit only by fire”, Electric Wizard – “Time to die” and Raime – “Quarter turns over a living line”. In the car I have a massive 64 giga iPod constantly on shuffle. I like the idea that I never know what’s coming up next.
Live?
Edwin :: I really enjoy playing live, it’s always exciting to be able to get the music across live, as well as to give it another dimension, and sometimes one you weren’t expecting. We did have the opportunity to play the material from the first Metallic Taste of Blood album live on one occasion, and it worked really well. I have always thought of Metallic Taste of Blood as a very flexible format so I would really love to explore the live side of it much more, with guest musicians as well. We have already had an offer to go and play live later this year, so we’ll see if we can build some more dates around that.
Metallic Taste of Blood | Doctoring the Dead | RareNoise
