Ancient Forest Zagast Interview

When people normally think of ‘Black Metal’ they immediately have visions of a dark, ice cold Scandinavia… One of the last places they would think to find it in is a small country in the heart of Central America. 

Self-releasing the 2015 demo entitled ‘Presence’ in 2015 via his own label ‘Ascending to Death Records’ as well as recording local metal bands, DMD caught up with multi-instrumentalist Zagast from Salvadoran one man black metal artist: Ancient Forest…

*For my personal thoughts on AF check out the review of Presence here*

DMD: How would you describe the music of Ancient Forest?

Z: It is a mix of subconscious feelings and music

 DMD: What inspires you to write your music?

 Z: I just want to make something of my own, when someone writes a book they look at it and think "I am happy of MY work" so I do the same with AF. On the other hand, when I was in other bands I noticed the lack of interest of my partners to record something in a physical format, so these were my two biggest reasons to start making music on my own

DMD: What are the pros and cons of being in a one man project?

Z: Well the Pros are: There’s no one telling you what to do.

   You don’t have to look at the time and be in a hurry to finish recording.

The Cons are: It’s very hard work when its your first time as a one man band plus you have to do all the recording stuff, plus Laziness can be a problem (haha) when you picture yourself writing drums, guitars, vocals etc      

DMD: Are there any plans to add more members in the future or are you going to keep AF strictly solo project?

Z: AF is and I hope always will be a solo project.

DMD: It mentions on AF’s Metal Archives page that you don't plan to play live with AF, why is that?

Z: I want to keep that idea because I am very jealous with AF, so I want to keep that essence and not play live.

DMD: What bands do you listen to the most?

Z: I listen a lot of bands. My favourite genres are: Doom, Death, Black, Avant Garde and Gothic but the bands I hear most frequently are: Emperor, Burzum, the Sins of Thy Beloved, the Gathering, Sirrah, and Artrosis

DMD: Tell me about Ascending to Death Records 

Z: ATD Records was born because of the need to record local bands and of course AF in a homemade way

DMD: What other bands have you recorded?

Z: Since I was in my first band (Tears in Moonlight) I started  recording stuff and my first real recording was that demo. Later, I joined Norsk Sed and we recorded "Embrace the End" a two-song demo which was the first release from my label. 

DMD: How many physical copies of the demo did you have made?

Z: Only 5 physical copies were first made and given away  for free to my friends but if someone wants a copy I can just burn a disc for sale.

DMD: Do you plan to have a lot more physical releases with AF in the future- not just on CD but also on vinyl and cassette tapes?

Z: I don't think so because there is no one who owns something to listen on it at least in my location.

DMD: What is your current recording set-up? and what brand instruments and recording software you use?

Z: Like I said, I like to record my songs in a very home-made way so this is my gear:

    - Juggs Starmaster 5 drumset

    - Ibanez- GIO GRG270 guitar with a digitech death metal pedal

    - A 4 way mini-mixer with generic microphones

    - Adobe Audition 5 to mix everything

    - A self-made guitar in a jackson style

DMD: What is your opinion on the state of metal today?

Z: Everything is changing progressively and metal is not the exception, I hear a lot of new bands just to see the changes and I have seen some very good new bands and some very bad ones… but I have to admit that I don’t like the way metal is going with all that "core" stuff.

DMD:How would you describe the metal music scene in El Salvador?

Z: Bad, not because of the bands but for the lack of interest to actually record something. A lot of the active bands in my country just decide to sell t-shirts, stickers, posters etc… I mean come on, I want to hear your songs in my mp3 player, not to wear your shirts. But at the end of the day, it’s about music, not fashion and I’m not saying the merchandising  is bad, but I will always say put music first, then merchandising!

DMD: If you could only listen to five albums for the rest of your life what would they be?

Z: That is a question I was waiting for for so long and I don’t know why, haha! There are more than 5 but this is my top 5 right now:

      "Silence - Sonata Arctica"

​      "Mandylion - The Gathering"

      "Vovin - Therion"

      "ACME - Sirrah"

      "Songs of Battle - Hin Onde"

DMD: Would you say the Environment here and your surroundings (in Sonsonate, El Salvador) have had an effect on your music?

Z: No, because in my lyrics I don’t talk about anything from my surroundings but I would like to be in a place where I can be closer with       the natural things I like (forests and mountains) 

DMD: Do you think anything about your music change if you lived anywhere else?

Z: Maybe, because the place you live in affects you directly in your creativity

DMD: Do you like using Bandcamp to showcase and sell your music or do you plan on expanding into Spotify, iTunes and other music streaming platforms?

Z: I do want to expand the way my music is heard by others-

 its just a matter of time until I release a new demo or full length, then I will upload it to another streaming platform

Presence is streaming on Bandcamp now you can buy it here

To contact Zagast for more information you can email him: atdrecords@gmail.com

Introduction....Where does the music take you?

Desert...Mountain...Dust... is a multi-genre underground music blog, specialising in the eccentric and enlightening sounds captured by enthusiastic music-makers worldwide.


There is no genre restriction here, I only want to write about music beyond the outer limits that I enjoy enough to write about.


If you are in a band/make music and want me to interview you or review your material drop me a message with a link to your music here: lungsofashes@gmail.com

Always remember:

"Music journalism is written by people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read."-Frank Zappa

Ancient Forest 'Presence' Review..ONE MAN BLACK METAL

When I first saw the words 'Depressive Black Metal' next to the artist name, I will admit I became skeptical, I am the first to throw my hands up and say I definitely don't consider myself a Black Metal connoisseur by any stretches of the imagination, But if a band from the BM world catch my ear and make me feel something in-explicably epic, then I am more than happy to add it to my collection.

In my experience with this sub-genre, there are plenty of groundbreaking, pioneering acts really pushing the boundaries and are not afraid of trying a fresh approach or crossing over, but all too many emerging bands remain too scared to stray from the well-trodden musical path with no thoughts of experimenting for future influence.

Thankfully, instead of following the pack, one man Black Metal artist 'Ancient Forest' focuses his attention on creating a dark, ethereal world with a smattering of unpredictability to reflect the artwork and lyrical themes.

In opening track ‘Distant Shadows’ fuzz drenched guitars drone and groan wonderfully, coupled with hypnotic drum beats, while chilling vocals speak of ‘landscapes of solitude’ conjuring up visions of desperate souls eternally wondering the earth long after their deaths with ‘no place to rest’.

A spidery, guitar pattern leads into the second and my personal favourite track of the demo:
‘Beyond Elements.' The vocals now transform into barely a whisper but still remain possessed and just as menacing as before. A sudden and unexpected stop and a demented cry of ‘It has begun’  cue up the dream-like swaying outro, with a very sweet chord progression,  laying the song to rest in a shallow grave of amplifier feedback. I enjoyed the slow pace kept throughout the release, which has an almost meditative effect on myself.

The only things stopping me giving this release a higher score are:

The Production: Yes I know black metal is a genre built on a more lo-fi approach to recording, but even bringing the vocals up just a notch would bring more of an intensity to the tracks. Also I am not sure if the bass guitar was intentionally left out just leaving guitars, drums and vocals or it's just buried in the mix, but I would love to hear it included more to thicken up the guitar parts or add a complementary pattern.

The length: Unfortunately there are only two tracks. Even just one more track is something I am really missing, the stunted length had me constantly pressing repeat just to re-enter the blackened ancient forest once again.

A very promising beginning.
It has indeed Begun.....

7.5/10

Check out an interview I conducted sole member with Zagast here

You can listen to and purchase Presence here:

https://ancientforestmetal.bandcamp.com/releases