Interview: Ryan Lipynsky
May 2 2008 at 12:05:35 AM .JPG) Riffs? I got yr stinkin riffs. Ryan [Rion] Lipynsky, AKA Killusion, took his occult obsessions to their logical end with now defunct Ambient Metal duo, Thralldom. He’s mined the deep end of sonic white magick with Unearthly Trance bassist Jay Newman in “Ouija noize” duo, Abandoner, and he’s done his own damage with one-off sonic terrorist outfit, Torch of the 555th Order. As a member of New York Deth Punx, Villains – and the Howling Wind - he’s riffs and vox, beer and brawl. Unearthly Trance brings all of Lipynsky’s interests together under one guise and fortifies it with a rhythm section that prides itself on sounding as fathoms deep as Crover/Lorax on a good night and as fleet of foot as Agnostic Front could ever hope to be. Lipynsky talks about some and more of this, including his preferred torture method and why Pabst is only for the while belts, anyways. The Trance’s fourth full-length, Electrocution, is out now on Relapse. Left Hand Path: I'm a firm believer in place shaping one's art. Do you think Montauk and New York City have contributed to the way you approach music? Ryan Lipynsky: Well, to be truthful, the town that has the most influence over me is a place called Mastic on Long Island. That is where I grew up and it is basically the last town going out east before it becomes much more sparse. It was basically a white trash nothing to do town. Growing up there absolutely made me start playing music because there was nothing else to do but drugs or jail. Montauk Point was a place that when we were teenagers we would get in the car and take a long drive out east to hang out in an abandoned military base. NYC was the place that we could hop on the mastic/Shirley stop on the LIRR and go to and check out some shows and just see the explosion of excitement from this huge city. That is what is great about Long Island. Almost every decent sized town has a train station. There WAS an escape if you were adventurous. Montauk has always been sort of ominous and quasi-mystical for me, what with everyone calling it "The End." Never been to Mastic but it sounds like I need to get there. Soon, I suppose, 'cause it sounds like that whole area is being sweetened up for the yuppies. Mastic is the last place you’d like to visit. Nothing worth a damn except a beach. Lots of people out there are hooked on oxy and coke and caught in some sort of fake ghetto reality. Montauk is a mystical place. It has a certain feeling that is just impossible to describe until you have been there. I encourage anyone who lives in NY to go visit camp hero for an eerie time. What sort of music where you playing growing up? Suffolk County, Long Island was mostly made up of a Death Metal scene and a Hardcore scene. I got caught up in the active and healthy 90’s LIHC scene but it died around 98. When I first started out I was playing some hard rock and heavy metal covers and even writing a few originals. That was the thing; I’ve been writing tunes with Darren [Verni] since we were kids. Over the course of 15 years or so it morphed from hard rock to aggressive metal to old school hardcore to progressive hardcore to sludge doom to progressive doom to aggressive metal … haha! I always played music with heavy riffs. In 2000, the heavy music and hardcore scene was pretty much dead. Which made it pretty easy to eventually move to Brooklyn. It definitely shows that you and Darren have been playing together that long - and also that you've been playing this logical mélange of punk/metal/doom agro rock for eons. All of this experience has just turned into granite. Just solidified your sound. It's these massive chunks of low end and thuds sealed within these riffs. When did Newman come on board? I can't imagine your process/sound changing that much with his addition. It's a seamless fit. That's one of my favorite things about UT; you’re just these unadorned guys that fucking destroy. Shit, the first time I saw Newman he had on a fucking South Park tee and Chuck Ts! That's real Metal! I started jamming with Newman around ‘98-‘99 with a half-serious improv drug doom band called Drugged Ape. We used to get wasted and high and just improv some doom riffs with a variety of different drummers, guitarist and vocalists in different sessions. Darren happened to be one of them. I moved away to Boston for a short period in ‘99 and immediately wanted to move back to NY and start a serious band. Jay [Newman] and I had very similar musical interests and I was looking to do something that was very bare bones and heavy as hell. We originally had a different drummer of UT, Pete, but Darren quickly assumed his role after Pete left in 2001. Darren always used to come down and get drunk with us as UT practices in the beginning anyway, so it was pure fate and logic. Jay’s bass playing has evolved in the band, as he was just starting out when we first jammed. His sound is unique to this band and he has improved with each record. I think his progress played a big role with where UT has gone. With his growth we have been able to grow as a unit. As for our ‘street image’ [hahaha], yes we really don’t give a shit and put it all into playing, our sound and our songs. We aren’t out to impress other metalhead dudes with our looks. That’s kinda stupid anyway, isn’t it? You're fascinated with the occult, religious and quasi-religious iconography. There's Mont, Shiva, Poseidon, Aiwass, and Horus – who figures prominently on the cover of Electrocution – Crowley, metallurgy, alchemy and astrology, Satanism and lycanthropy. It's an overwhelming accumulation. Yet your lyrics remain focused. They assimilate all of these disparate things and channel them into discussions about politics, existence, will, fate. You're reluctant to speak about your relationship with these things, but it's clear that this relationship is powerful, and that it's the guiding force of the music you create. What does your writing process entail and how ‘conscious’ are you of structuring the music around occult thematic? I’ve never actually sat and read what all of my references look like grouped together. It seems insane! Haha! I think of myself as merely a traveler who acquires knowledge through reading and life experience. There is always this small part of me that is still an absolute cynic: The cynical virtue. To me, my references are a way to be more elaborate and expanding to listener. These days there is zero effort to insert any influence into my lyrics. I shoot strictly from the top of my head and whatever comes out is surely just the cauldron of my subconscious speaking. I like to think it’s my style of writing that is what is interesting rather than the other topics. That is for the listener to discover and explore. I will never claim to know all the answers and people who do think they have it all figured out are generally assholes. That is why I am reluctant about being really in depth about something I claim not to be an expert on. I've never really laid all of the references out either. But I started writing down bits and pieces from your lyrics from all the recordings and it is kind of crazy. What's impressive though is that for each record there's a specific occult focus. Not everything is tossed in like the kitchen sink in hopes of flavoring the soup. And another thing that holds constant throughout is an opposition toward a political system. While it's ambiguous, it's always aimed at hypocrisy and the use of power. What do you attribute this to? And do you think addressing this musically can do? Is it pointless? Opposition to oppression is important. It can never be pointless as there is a sharp point to it. It is a mindset that I have had my entire life practically. I have always been interested in esoteric philosophies. There is a relation between the occult and war. A method to the madness. Is Electrocution some sort of metal opera to the Aeon of Horus? I would almost say that the songs, lyrically and musically, work together as some sort of damaged concept record. Well, that was not the intention but I believe that was the result! From the beginning I wanted to have more of a concept than any of the previous records. Partially that is why the album is sequenced why it is. Horus has been entangled in our minds since the beginning of the band. The band is based off the Book of the Law. Many concepts of Unearthly Trance have been influenced by Aleister Crowley and that ain’t no secret. Specifically this line: ‘With my Hawk's head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross. ...’ In many ways Electrocution is our version of this adapted for the New World Order style future that is upon us. Crowley mixed with a little Tesla meets 1984. Right. I mean, I know your influences and I know your political leaning, but I didn't know if it was intended to be a unified program or not. The cover art sort of pulls everything under the big tent, you know?! Who did the cover art and how closely did you guys work with the artist? The cover art was done by Orion Landau. He works for Relapse and did a great job at taking my ideas and notes and bringing it to life. In an essence it is the culmination of all of the ideas on the record under a certain philosophy. It was not really intentional but unification revealed itself in the usual synchronistic ways I do things. When you have this ‘light bulb’ moment you should always go with following it. At a certain point it made sense. Is there any significance in titling the record, Electrocution? Yes. The main ideas can be read about in ‘Diseased’ and ‘Religious Slaves.’ Most of all I wanted another simple one-word title, as it seems to be fitting for a band with a name like Unearthly Trance. No need be as wordy as our first album! Ha! Electrocution is a final step at the end of a life perhaps, and it notes a finality of irony and tragedy. There is also a meaning of referencing “being plugged into a grid” and the god-like role the electric current serves in modern life. It seems it will be our inevitable downfall. Explain your connections and/or opinions on the following people, places and things: CAMP HERO They knocked down a lot of buildings. Two of the coolest ones were the LSD buildings [yes they were real. I saw it many times] and the strange Pink Building. The radar tower is fenced off and it’s now open to the public for a nice stroll or a picnic. Right near the hazardous waste signs and the rumored unexploded bombs in the swamp. In high school we used to get chased by security guards in black trucks and now it is free for all. But back then all the buildings were broken open by a network of people with sledgehammers. The radar tower was great, as you had to travel in pitch black up levels till you got to the top and could see a great view of the end of the earth meeting the Atlantic. The bunkers were occasionally terrifying as the pitch-blackness and the grim smell was enough to make you turn around and run. Great place to explore, but looking back it probably wasn’t to smart to continuously expose myself to those elements. ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS As interesting as it is I’ve never gone to a single meeting or ever been involved. I prefer to have no allegiances. I really don’t have much interest in OTO after Crowley to be honest. BATHORY Bathory is it when it comes to Black Metal. Every one of their first great albums and even the Viking stuff has influenced all the different genres of Black Metal. I find myself going back and revisiting different 80’s records and Bathory always gets plays. That is because despite hammered productions, they had some good songs underneath the filth. Classic and timeless. Hail Quorthon! PSILOCYBIN I rarely do it, but when I do it’s always a great experience with mushrooms. Once every one or two years is enough for me. I always feel refreshed and illuminated afterwards. Rewarding and reflective. But one warning is to always do it in a controlled and relaxed atmosphere with good friends. TORTURE ‘I'll fuckin I'll fuckin pull your fuckin tongue out your fuckin mouth and stab the shit with a rusty screwdriver, BLAOWW!!’ FENRIZ Great drummer and apparently has revealed himself to be a comedian as well. I’m a fan of almost every record he has played on and I’m considered one of those diehard Darkthrone fans. Some really hate the new album but I’ve actually really grown to love it. Fucking great fun, something which is sorely missing in u.g. Metal these days. They have done their time in hell and now its time for a cold one. I get it, and hope they keep exploring whatever it is that they want. How can you argue with someone who compared Lords of Chaos to Oprah! UKRAINE I am half Ukrainian in my heritage. My grandfather used to drink scotch on the rocks all the time and tell me to “get a haircut, you hippy” when I was younger. G.B.H. Awesome British punk rock. This is great shit and reminds me I need to get some more of their records. PANDA MAKEUP Why stop with make up when you can get a full costume: http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/frankbeecostume_1995_817099257 WILD TURKEY I used to drink it all the time in the late 90’s and early 00’s but these days I’ve kinda retired from the turk. The guys in Pelican relearned me on what good tasty whiskey drinking is all about. Makers Mark is very nice! I likes. Makers is good, but there's a ton of cheep tipple. You need to grab a handle of Rebel Yell or Old Grand Dad. Practically imperceptible differences between those two and MM. Some choad in seersucker and oxfords will harp on the "vanilla notes" in MM, but that's snake oil shit. Oh yeah, we weren’t buyin’ the Makers on tour; Pelican got a bottle a night. They were real good with hooking us up with shots and their GOOD beer! Sierra Nevada tastes a hell of a lot better than shit Pabst! I’ve had Old Grand Dad before and it’s quite good. The way I look at it is I’m used to drinking Wild Turkey and anything besides that usually tastes great! Except that ghetto special whiskey that Desecrator had in his pocket before the Villains show the other night! Haha! [Stewart Voegtlin] Comments (0)
|
RSS FEEDS
print
email
© 2009 thelefthandpath.com
The Left Hand Path· news · articles · reviews · staff · contact · gallery · rss feeds · ed. statement |
Recent Comments
|
Recent Photos
|