A week after our review of Silvanthrone's debut LP, Forbidden Pathways to Ancient Wisdom, The Black Metal Guy calls up guitarist and songwriter Spellbearer to learn the band's story and shoot the shit about songwriting. Over the course of this relaxed but high-density conversation, Spellbearer discusses the uphill battle to record Forbidden Pathways, makes the case for teaching yourself songs by only one great band, and leads us through the cryptic mists to the essence of true PABM (Pennsylvania Black Metal). What emerges is the portrait of an understated but assured young warrior coming into his full power, guided by a rare sense of where he stands in the tradition.

00:00 - Introduction / lineup / Goathex

03:50 - "Alright, Lombardo beat!" - how Silvanthrone plays music

10:19 - From the S/T EP to Forbidden Pathways

18:04 - "The most masterful riffing I can imagine" - learning from vs. imitating influences / tempering melody in blood / picking with power and inflection

34:52 - Interlude - Silvanthrone, “Ghosts of The Desolate Corridor,” fr. Forbidden Pathways to Ancient Wisdom (Nihilistic Noise Propaganda, 2021)

39:09 - "I never understood how reviewers do it" - we talk over the Terminus review (Ep. 38)

45:49 - Quest for The Double LP - short vs. long full-lengths / record vs. CD vs. radio vs. aux

52:27 - Pennsylvania Black Metal - the circle and the ancestors / Spellbearer's path ahead

01:03:54 - Black Task, “Sex and Destruction” fr. the Black Task EP (Damnation Records, 1985)

NOTE: The Thai black metal band Spellbearer recommends is กาฬพราย, pronounced “Kan-Prai.” You can check out the full-length demo, ทุกขอัคคี  (Blaze of Suffering), on Greg Biehl’s crucial Youtube channel.

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