Dragged Into Sunlight
Words: Brayden Bagnall
Balaclava-wearing black metal mentalists Dragged into Sunlight had a pretty great 2011, with a landmark appearance at Damnation. Now, they promise you ‘40 minutes of madness, depression and isolation’ on their latest album Widowmaker, out last month. Ghost Cult’s Brayden Bagnall sat down for a chat with the man known only as ‘T’, to find out more. First of all, thanks for your time. How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet listened to the band? Everything heavier and louder than everything else. Dragged Into Sunlight are an enigmatic
band; you rarely play live and have chosen to keep your identities hidden. What is the reason behind your anonymity? We live in a world where everyone knows everything. Is there really a necessity in knowing what everyone is thinking every second of every day? Dragged Into Sunlight are accomplished individually and collectively, there comes a point when you have to wonder whether it is the audience who needs to know the pander of their crowd or whether it is the musicians who need the appraise of their audience. It is certainly a disappointment that extreme metal is as overexposed as it is at present. Is it difficult to maintain this visage when information is so easily obtained from or leaked onto the internet?
band to record in this format? Widowmaker started as a void. It was a space that needed filling. A sound that, although present on Hatred for Mankind, was not as apparent and left a lot of room for exploration. With Hatred for Mankind, the elements were rolled into one massive ball of hate. On Widowmaker, they are laid out side by side like victims. The elements had been so heavily suppressed, there was really only one way in which an adequate means of redress could be found, and that is in the same manner as with everything Dragged Into Sunlight do: balls to the wall, relentless devastation and zero compromise. The end result is Widowmaker, 40 minutes of madness. Can you describe the recording process of Widowmaker please?
Not really. There are many heads to Dragged Into Sunlight, like a hydra. Dragged Into Sunlight is a collective of like minded individuals, and it would be an error to think that the band does not extend beyond four silhouettes or those onstage.
Long.
Your upcoming LP Widowmaker is essentially a 40 minute long song presented in three parts. What inspired the
Widowmaker as a recording, pulls from so many different strains of influence, that the end result is a very diverse recording.
What emotions and sensations do you want the listener to feel throughout the duration and after they have listened to the album?
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