Back in 2021, Zero sat down with Pete from Alghol. Fuck me if it’s not been 4 years already… Anyway, back then, Alghol had just released their fantastic debut, The Osseous Key, and their excellent 2023 follow up in Night Eternal not yet conceived.
Anyway, better late than never. Enjoy this moment from a project that has only gone on to deliver again and again during the time between then and now.
Shout out to Zero for putting this one together.
Alghol 2021 Interview by Zero:
Alghol, while a relatively recent addition to the scene, has already garnered considerable attention and positive feedback. How has the reception of your work aligned with your initial expectations? When you first embarked on this project, was there a specific vision for its reception, or was the primary focus simply on creating music that resonated with you personally?
Haha thank you! I’ve definitely been blown away by the reception to this stuff! In the beginning, I didn’t really expect anybody to listen to it, let alone be so stoked on it. The plan has always been, and continues to be, to just write stuff that I like and want to listen to and to see how it goes over. I’m certainly quite pleased with how it’s been going so far though.
Alghol’s sound possesses a distinct character, perhaps not immediately associated with the American black metal scene. Could you elaborate on your primary musical and lyrical influences, and how these elements have shaped your artistic development to the point where you felt ready to share your work publicly? How do you synthesize these influences into your own unique sound?
Musically, I’d say my main influences would be Dissection and Burzum. Those are far from the only influences on my sound, but I think they’re probably the most prominent. Lyrically, I’d have to say King Diamond and Ghoul. I love the storytelling aspect of King Diamond’s work. The same goes for Ghoul in the way that they’ve created this whole world full of characters that their albums take place in. I love that kind of shit. I basically just cherry pick certain aspects that I like from all sorts of bands and styles of music, then try and emulate those elements and put my own spin on them.
Portland, Maine, appears to be a fertile ground for black metal, boasting a thriving and active scene. What factors, in your opinion, might contribute to the prevalence of black metal bands in this particular region of the United States? Do you believe the environment, perhaps the proximity to nature, plays a role in fostering this creative output?
Haha oh man, I have no idea. There are definitely some killer bands here in Maine, and New England in general. If I had to guess, I’d say the easy access to nature might play a part in it. For me anyways, I think the environment I’m in now and grew up in kind of helped shape my relationship with Black Metal.
The Osseous Key is visually enriched by the artwork of Logan Hamilton, who created both the cover and individual pieces for each track. How did this collaboration come about, and what made Logan the ideal artist for this project? What was the impetus behind the inclusion of these additional visuals, and how do they complement the album’s narrative and thematic content?
I met Logan through Instagram and he ended up doing the first ever run of Alghol shirts with his screen-printing business Grim Graphics. We wound up becoming friends pretty quickly over our shared love of heavy metal, skateboarding, and beer drinking, and he’s just an awesome dude to work with. He also happens to be a wildly talented artist, so when the time came to get an album cover done for “The Osseous Key”, he was my first choice for the job. As for the additional art, I got the idea from the “Meloria” album by Ghost. The LPs came with these sick art books, where each piece corresponded to a track on the album, and I just thought that was super cool and really added to the listening experience. Since “The Osseous Key” tells a story, I thought it would be cool to try to do something similar for the album. Logan was way into the idea, so he cranked out eight absolutely killer pieces, one for each track. I hand wrote the lyrics out on some paper and sent those to him to scan in, and he put it all together in these awesome little booklets. I really couldn’t be happier with how they came out.
How important are visual elements, such as artwork and logos, in the context of black metal, both for your own work and the genre in general? Do you believe these visuals play a crucial role in attracting listeners and enhancing the musical experience?
I think the visual aspect is super important. Having cool cover art or an interesting logo could be the difference between someone checking your music out or breezing by it. There’s just so much music out there these days to sift through, so when a band has a sick cover, I know I’m more likely to stop and check it out. I’ve definitely taken a chance and ordered albums based on the cover art alone, and some of those records wound up becoming fast favorites. I also think having something that compliments the music is important. When the visual and musical aspects work well together, I just think it adds to the overall listening experience.
Your releases, including The Osseous Key, have seen considerable success, often selling out quickly. While acknowledging the positive reception, what are your immediate and long-term plans for Alghol? Are there any specific projects or creative directions you’re currently exploring, and what can fans anticipate in the future?
Haha I think the whole sell-out hype thing is a bit overrated, but I’m certainly happy everything has been selling. That being said, I plan on pressing and repressing stuff as long as there’s demand for it. That goes for all the previous releases as well as “The Osseous Key”. As for the next step, I’ve already started to work out a storyline for the next album and have one song recorded. I plan on taking my time with that and putting together the best album I can. I will definitely be working with Logan again to create some cool accompanying visuals. I might do a couple splits or an EP in between, but I’ve got no solid plans so far besides album two.
Finally, are there any artists, authors, or other creators whose work you find particularly noteworthy or inspiring, and that you might recommend to our audience?
Listen to King Diamond, Jimmy Buffett, Avicii, Elvis Presley, and Ghoul. Oh, and also the original versions of the first two Dragonforce albums. None of this 2010 remaster nonsense where they fixed all the sloppy playing and botched high notes. Read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, The Death Archives by Necrobutcher, and Jackpot by Jason Ryan which is this killer book about weed smugglers in the 70s. My favorite artist is my friend Logan Hamilton. Rotting Reign has been doing some incredible artwork as well. Tikiland Trading and Lost Temple Traders are the spot to get the sickest tiki mugs in the game. Guinness is good for you and martinis should be made with gin. Haha I think that’s all I’ve got for now. Thanks for the opportunity! I had a blast answering these questions.
As Alghol continues to evolve, it’s clear that this is a force to be reckoned with, a project that not only keeps the flame of underground black metal burning bright but also adds its own unique and ever-evolving fuel to the fire.
Mithraic Magazine 
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