This interview was conducted by Philip A. Wickstrand with multi-instrumentalists/song writers Clayton Cushman and David Csicsely at Plan B in Portland, OR on June 25, 2011.

There are a great number of great bands that have managed to not gain the level of recognition and exposure that they are deserving of in the Metal community. One of those great unknown bands is Colorado's THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR. Primarily a two man studio band, TFOS have carved themselves a unique niche in the crowded Metal scene by playing psych-edged Doom with lyrics based on Norse mythology. With the recent release of their new album, Essence of Nine, and a split album with APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE and RITUALS OF THE OAK on the German label Eyes Like Snow, THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR will hopefully reach a higher level of exposure and reach new fans with their awesome music.

Phil: You've got your new album out, Essence of Nine; tell our readers a bit about that.

Clayton: When we were done recording Lore we just kind of kept going with the writing process and it just kind of evolved into that album. It's a little bit more on the mellow side, but that's just what felt right at the time, so we just went with it.

David: It's not really a concept album or anything, but it's definitely got sort of ocean undertones in there… fluid, I should say.

Phil: What was the recording process like?

Clayton: Our typical recording process is we lay down the drum tracks and the n just go from there; we just build on layers, Dave and I both play guitar and do the vocals together, so it's like a building process between the two of us.

David: Pretty mellow, though. It was good, flowed pretty easy, so that was nice.

Phil: What would you say the strongest points of the album are?

Clayton: I'd probably say that we're a little more comfortable with our clean tone vocals.

David: Yeah, definitely an improvement. I think that the overall feel of the album was consistent, which is good.

Clayton: Melody seems stronger too to us.

Phil: You've also got the three way split with APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE and RITUALS OF THE OAK; tell us a bit about the songs you contributed to that.

David: Actually, that was kind of a last minute thing. Torsten, the guy from Eyes Like Snow, who owns the label… originally I was just doing the artwork for that split and then all the bands wanted us to kind of jump on there with them, so we had to write those two songs on kind of short notice. But I had a song written and Clay had a song written, so it kind of just worked out really well.

Phil: Since you do your own artwork, how long does it typically take you to come up with the album art?

David: It depends. Sometimes it'll be pretty quick 'cause I'll have something in mind already, but other times… you know, just trying to get the right feel, the art will change numerous times until it's something that we both feel represents the album perfectly. So it could take up to a few months. But a good day it's about a month.

Phil: Which one are you most proud of?

David: That's hard to say.

Clayton: I'd say Essence of Nine, personally.

David: Essence of Nine definitely came out really well. It's up there with Lore, I think. That was probably the funnest one to do, too.

Phil: You guys are in a fairly unique niche in the Metal scene doing Viking Doom, tell us a bit about the song writing process and how you try to stand out.

Clayton: We kind of just play whatever feels right. We don't really try to go into certain genres by any means.

David: We just basically play the music we want to hear.

Clayton: That's exactly it.

David: It's really that simple.

Phil: Are you guys getting more offers for shows with the release of the album? I know you don't do shows very often, but if you get the right offers, what kind of touring would you want to do?

Clayton: We'd love to go to Europe.

David: That'd be the main goal, I'd say.

Clayton: And if it's the right band, you never know. If it's the right band we might play out more, but typically we work more in the studio with just the two of us. Live shows, we borrow a lot of people for them, so sometimes it would be hard to get everyone together to do something like a tour. Those guys have families and stuff.

David: Ideally, a full U.S. tour would be awesome, but it all just depends on the timing really.

Clayton: But we haven't really been offered to do that yet.

David: It still seems that in the United States we're still pretty underground, you know. It's doing pretty well in Europe, though.

Phil: Your new label has distribution through The End, right?

David: Yeah, The End Records.

Phil: That'll definitely help you out.

David: For sure.

Phil: Recommend a book for our readers and then explain why you recommend that particular work.

Clayton: One of my personal favorites is Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. It's a good comment on humanity, I think, but it's a good one.

David: I really couldn't say right now. Drawing a blank there.

Phil: What are the future plans for the band as of this moment?

David: Currently we're working on a new album, actually. We've got all the drums down. It's going to be a concept piece, a historical figure this time, 'cause we usually do songs based off of the Eddas, just the regular folklore, but we figured it'd be cool to change it up to something about someone who was actually around - it'll be Ragnar Lodbrok, if you've ever heard of him. A notorious Viking. He was thrown in a pit of snakes ands then his sons captured the priest who threw him in there, did the whole blood eagle where they cut open his chest and pulled his lungs out in the shape of an eagle.

Phil: And it was considered a high honor if they didn't scream like a bitch while going through it. [laughter]

David: That's right, that's right! Always a plus.

Phil: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Clayton: Thanks for the interview, man - we appreciate the support.

The Flight of Sleipnir

Interviewer: Philip A. Wickstrand

July 8, 2011

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments:

TO THE TOP

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Formed:  2008
    Arvada, Colorado  USA
Label: Eyes Like Snow Records
Genre: Stoner/Doom/Folk Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Clayton Cushman:  Vocals,
         Guitars, Bass & Keyboards
David Csicsely:  Vocals, Guitars
                                           & Drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

Wisdom Calls for Sacrifice
                                         Demo (2008)
Algiz + Berkanan (2009)
Winter Solstice II EP (2009)
Lore (2010)
Essence of Nine (2011)
Apostle of Solitude/Rituals of the Oak
        /The Flight of Sleipnir (Split 2011)

PHOTOS BY PHIL A. WICKSTRAND

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)