www.cruachan.cjb.net

Media Archive | Interviews | Ablaze, Aug 2002

- This first question is for sure common, but since it is the first time you are featured in AblaZine, I would like you to remind us the history of CRUACHAN. By the way, as your first album has been released more than 4 years ago, could you please tell us what happened in & for the band during this time?

It is a fairly long story, I started in a band called « Minas Tirith » about 7 years ago, we played music dedicated to JRR Tolkien. We had a tiny bit of folk influence which I really liked so I decided to start a dedicated folk metal band. Cruachan was born, I got my big bro’ in playing all the wind instruments and loads of other people that are gone now. We signed to Nazguls and released « Tuatha » which got quite a good response considering it had such poor production. We then received interest from « Century media », they flew me over to Germany to discuss signing. They tried to impress us with how good they are but they are nasty, nasty people. Their contract was laughed at by any solicitor we showed it to, it had ridiculous clauses that said things like « If I write a piece of music in my bedroom, it will not be classed as my music, it legally belongs to Century media. Fuck that, there was lots of crap like that on it. Because of them I just said fuck it and left the whole music thing alone. I felt totally disheartened that a band would spend all that time trying to do well and thats what is waiting at the end. Any way, it turns out not all labels are like those wankers and when we got back into it, Hammerheart were there to take us. Fair fucking balls to them.

- Nevertheless CRUACHAN is back with a new album, "The Middle Kingdom", and a new line up. A new female vocalist has joined the band, as well as a new drummer, while Leon, Collette and Jay have left the band. Could you introduce the new members? What is their musical pasts?

We originally got Karen in to sing two songs, I was going to sing the rest. When we heard her sing we were totally impressed and asked her to join full time, she was delighted and said yes straight away. Joe was found in our local pub in a pool of his own vomit and faeces. They have both been in bands before, I dont really know what bands or anything so they mustn’t have been very good.

- As we speak of the line up, why do you now use your real names and not the archaic Irish form used on the previous album? It appears like a paradox as it seems that you still have the same kind of influences and the same passion burning for the glorious past of the Celts…

The reason is quite simple on my part, a lot of people were confused. They thought Keith Fay and Keith 0 Fathaigh were different people. Anyway, the irish names were not done to try make us sound mystical or anything, they are the true translations of our names.

- Musically, your style has changed a bit as you are now quite far from your Black Metal debut. Why have you put such a distance between this musical genre and CRUACHAN? What do you think of a band like SKYCLAD? Do you have anything in common?

Musically we never really did sound like a black metal band but we did and still have a lot in common. Our beliefs, although strictly private, are similar to a lot of todays black metal bands. The main difference is that we are not using our beliefs as a selling point. Skyclad are a very good band, if the truth be known it was songs like « the widershins jig and Spinning Jenny » in their early days that influenced me in some ways.

- How would you define your new album in comparison with "Tuatha Na Gael"?

A lot better. 4 years is a lot of time to improve on every aspect of the band. Certainly as a song writer I have improved. One major criticism of Cruachan was our repetitiveness, I think we have sorted that out on this album. The vocals are a lot more in tune with the music in sound and idea. The production is a lot better .

- Most of the bands coming from Ireland are using some folk influences in their music. Just think to PRIMORDIAL, CARNUN, WAYLANDER, GEASA… But "The Middle Kingdom" will set new standards in the Celtic / Folk Metal. How did you decide to play this kind of music?

First things first, Cruachan was the first band to do this music. I will not mention names but I can clearly remember looking at a certain bands internet page and reading about how they were the first to do this type of music. I felt pretty angry about this especially when it was at the time when we stopped playing, well at least it gave me a determination to get Cruachan back. Musically, I listen to all genre’s, like a proper musician should. I draw influence from everything and anything. I adore classical music and I think this is shown in a lot of my keyboard parts, I obviously listen to a lot of different metal, and there is a lot of different metal styles on the album. It never was a decision to play this music, its just a part of myself and my brother John to write music this way.

- What is the most important aspect in CRUACHAN, the folk musical feeling or the tribute to the first Masters Of Europe it represents?

A hard question. Both are very important.

- Does that explain the number of instrumental tracks featured on the album?

The instrumental tracks are very much a part of Cruachan and always will be. Some of the tunes that we use in the instrumentals are variations on tunes played by the celts hundreds of years ago.

- When it comes to your musical influences, which are the bands which influenced you? What is the importance of folk music in your everyday life? Do you play in non Metal - folk - bands?

My influences have been covered up above. Folk music is very important to me, I listen to a lot of different trad. Music, not only from Ireland but Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal - all celtic countries with proud celtic roots.
At the moment I work full time but I am seriously considering doing a kind of unplugged cruachan thing were we can play the pubs of Ireland doing traditional songs for a fee and making a living that way. So when we come back from playing abroad we can hang up our electric guitars and go playing around Ireland. It is something I would love to do.

- Unfortunately, the Celtic / Gaelic history is not wellknown by most of our readers. Could you please give us a few details about the topics you deal with in your lyrics?

I write many different songs and poems, only a few are ever used in Cruachan. On the new album there are a few different subjects sang about. One song is about the wild horses that roam the Wicklow mountains close to my house. Another is about the faerie lore of my country. One song, « Celtica », is a narration of the Morrigans view on the fate of our planet. The Morrigan was part of the badb, She was a goddess of war. « To hell or to Connaught » tells of the time the English roundheads came to Ireland and terrorised the peasant people. « Na Fianna » is a simple little poem about Irelands famous band of celtic warriors.

- One of the tracks has a very particular story… Could you tell us more about "Ó ró sé do bheatha bhaile"?

In 1916, Ireland was part of the British commonwealth and a lot of our men were fighting for England in France. At this time my people had enough of British rule, we were treated like dirt in our own country, we almost died out as a people because of the famine and the British would not lift a finger to help. I have no grudges against the English today, if anything, most English people are ashamed of how Ireland was treated back then. Anyway, to keep things short, Padraig Pearce (the leader of the IRA at the time) wrote this song to encourage our men to come home and fight for our country. He was executed by the British in May 1916, for standing up for HIS country. Independance did come but at a cost as we all know.

- Do you think that CRUACHAN will one day hit the stage and tour all over Europe?

Well, finally we are signed to a proper label, it should definetly happen in the near future. The sooner the better.

- As you know, there is a Celtic Music festival every year in the French Brittania (in Lorient). Did you ever attend it and would you like to play there?

My favourite folk group « The Chieftans » have played their quite a lot in the past. I have never attended but as you can imagine it is a place I would love to go. To play there would be an absolute honour, the acoustic version of cruachan that I am planning would be well suited.

- Thank you very much for this interview. Could you please close off with your own words?

Thanks to ablazine for the interview, thanks to all who read it. Slan leat.