Ulthar: Utter Cosmic Metal Insanity
Image Credit: Anastasia Davidchyk
In the eldritch shadows where the realms of H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horrors intertwine with the chilling echoes of blackened death metal, there exists a band that channels the very essence of these darkened depths: Ulthar. Conjuring the arcane tales of forbidden cities and unspeakable entities, their music is a ritualistic summoning of madness and despair.
As the village of Ulthar stands as a testament to Lovecraft's haunting narratives, so does the band embody the raw, unyielding spirit of blackened death metal. Join us, brave souls, as we venture into this abyss, where Shelby unveils the cryptic lore, the trials, and the malevolent symphonies of Ulthar.
Beware, for here be monsters.
Hi Shelby, thanks for joining us in the Citadel. How are you doing, healthwise?
I’m doing great, thank you. I assume you ask because of my throat cancer diagnosis and treatment throughout the last year. It appears that the radiation and chemotherapy were effective, the cancer is gone, and my tests are coming back clean. Thank you for asking. I even traveled to California in June to test out my voice with Ulthar, and it appears to be recovering fully.
The village of Ulthar was created by HP Lovecraft in one of his spooktacular stories. How would you describe your music to someone from the 1900s?
I would describe it as the sound of utter madness. I don’t think a human from that period would even be able to recognize what we do as music, just a horrific racket driving one to insanity.
You often mention that Ulthar is cultivating its own mythology, what does this mean in the context of the band?
We have certain words and phrases that we use in our lyrics, even certain musical ideas, that are specific only to Ulthar. It’s a bit of world-building, a bit of science fiction, but always an attempt at doing something unique, something you won’t hear from every other metal band.
Both Anthronomicon and Helionomicon are labyrinthine journeys into your minds, inaccessible to mere mortals like ourselves… you said “There’s a lot of numerology and weird little secret foundational bits… there’s some hidden math in it that made it extra fun and challenging.” Can you give an example of this to satisfy our curiosity?
I don’t want to give away too much to the listener, but “Anthronomicon” specifically has sort of a pyramidic structure, numerically speaking. A pyramid that inverts at some point in the song.
Would you say that there’s an ideal way for someone to consume these two albums? A certain state of mind, with lyrics in hand, a specific time of day, with a nice chardonnay, etc?
I think the only thing that I would suggest is actively listening. Of course I don’t mind if someone uses Ulthar as background music, but the most rewarding listen will be one where the listener is fully engaged, looking for secrets hidden in the music. They’re there for those curious enough to look for them.
What 3 tips would you give to bands who have to collaborate remotely?
Learn to read and write music.
Learn to program drums.
Collaborate with people you trust and can depend on.
What would an Ulthar show look like if you had no monetary restrictions? For example, I’m imagining you build a giant obelisk that people have to climb and that gets increasingly more complex and convoluted while attendees get brief glimpses of the band performing through a complex set of mirrors.
That’s a terrific idea, but we’re not a band that will ever depend on big stage props, costumes, or anything like that. Anyone who has seen us live knows we are just completely stripped down, bass, guitar, drums, and vocals (maybe a sample or two), no fancy lighting or theatrics. We are just three guys delivering the goods. We want the music to speak for itself.
Imagine you have to play a cover at your next show, what song would you pick and why?
Popol Vuh’s “Aguirre I”, just to fuck with people’s heads. But I don’t think we’ll ever play a cover song.
What are your thoughts on new technologies, specifically AI, working their way into the metal scene?
Fucking horrible. Technology has ruined everything already, now it will even ruin art. We are doomed as a species, and we deserve it. Fucking stupid arrogant humans. We have way bigger things to worry about than the metal scene.
We request artists to ask a random question to the next band we interview (they don’t know who it will be). Dennis Mikula, the driving force behind DSBM enigma Ghost Bath asks:
“What’s one of the weirdest genres you can think of to mix with metal? And do you think, if done well, it could work?”
Dennis Mikula (Ghost Bath)
Maybe cumbia, reggaeton? I’ve heard metal mixed with flamenco, but I would love to hear someone mix a more dance/pop-based Latin music style with metal, and do it well. I can’t imagine it sounding good in my head, prove me wrong.
What is one question we should ask the next band we interview?
Who is your favorite Christian metal band and why?
Any final parting words?
Thank you for your thoughtful questions, and thanks to any readers that have taken the time to listen to our music.
We’d like to thank Shelby for visiting the Citadel. Make sure to head over to the Bandcamp and support Ulthar, now!
