Interview: Marble Tomb
Photo by Marble Tomb
There have been some quality artists arising in the black metal world the past few years, one of which is arguably Marble Tomb, a raw black metal act out of the U.S. With the release of their 2022 debut album Dawn of The Vertical Flame, Marble Tomb quickly caught the ears of eager listeners looking for fury and an unrelenting attack sonically. Vocally, there’s a lot of depth and experience from a veteran artist behind the Marble Tomb project, which gives a depth to a “debut” album. In reality, he’s no new kid on the block. Instead, he’s been in black metal for a while now, engrossing himself in various projects throughout his time prior to founding Marble Tomb.
We were able to connect with Marble Tomb to ask some questions about them as an artist, what drives their creative process, and what lies behind the curtain of their personal philosophy.
Thanks for joining Blacforje for an interview! It’s an honor to be able to talk with you about your work as an artist, including your latest album, Dawn of The Vertical Flame. To start off, where are you based?
West Coast, USA.
Dawn of The Vertical Flame is an absolutely ferocious masterpiece of a black metal album, man. Great work. What inspired you to write this record?
Aside from a few riffs I wrote decades ago, the musical structures of the songs were laid out over the course of several years. Initially, I just wrote the songs to reflect my general feeling at the time. As time went on and I gave my life back to Christ, I understood that I had a small collection of potentially powerful worship hymns. Once Headlight Productions said they would take a chance on Marble Tomb, I threw everything I had into the album and worked countless hours to make it as reverent and fierce as it could be. The inspiration, at first partially and later fully, comes from my awe and adoration of the Lord I serve.
How do you feel fans and new listeners have responded to the album so far?
The responses have been nearly all positive. I make this music for the unsaved first. Our battle plan is to infiltrate Satanic black metal and propagate our message. I won't be deterred, and so far I'm pleased with the results. I also make this music to galvanize the faith of our Christian brothers and sisters. I have received many messages speaking to the edifying nature of the music, and that pleases me greatly. There have been some detractors and scoffers, as is to be expected. What seems worth mentioning is that all of their ire and venom is aimed at the themes and lyrics, never at the prowess of the music itself. Very telling, no?
I know your faith is a big part of your music. Can you tell us more about that, how it impacts you as an individual, and how that overflows into your work as an artist?
When I wake up, I know I have a choice to serve God or serve myself. Often this means I have to do something, ANYTHING to advance further into spiritual battle for Christ. Most days, this means creating new music or staying visible online to spread the message. It could be grabbing my guitar, writing lyrics, hiring new graphic artists, or simply fine-tuning a current mix. I hope all that I do toward these ends will be pleasing to His eye. I tried to live my way for decades, and it led to atrocious places. Dead end after dead end. Once I gave my life over to Him, I truly have become ascendant in so many ways. I stumble, as we all do, and life isn't perfect, but He taught me to become fluid and trust His ways through all appearances of adversity.
Do you have other projects or bands outside of Marble Tomb, or do you plan on pouring all of your creative work into this project, at least for the foreseeable future?
In addition to creating black metal with Marble Tomb, I also perform death metal in Antiviper and black/death war metal in Cataclysmic Warfare. I am also working on a clothing brand alongside Anthony from Anchor Merchandising. It’s called Funeral Bells, and as with all these endeavors, we will always attempt to reach lost and dwindling souls, in the hopes to pull them out of the snare of sin and join our legion of faithful believers. I also have plans to assail the world of secular music with my take on a thrash metal project, as well as a bit of doom metal. This is in addition to several others in mind. Most of this is done by myself, as well, so if anyone is interested in assisting me in any of these endeavors, don't be shy. Contact me.
What bands and artists have impacted you as an individual and in your work with Marble Tomb?
So many people groan at this question, but it's typically one of my favorite sections when I'm reading an interview. It is nice to see what my favorite artists have or currently enjoy hearing. I grew up loving metal in the late 80s as a small child. Dokken, WASP, Twisted Sister, Danzig, Iron Maiden, Manowar, and Mötley Crüe were among my favorites. In the early 90s, I loved thrash bands like Slayer, Sepultura (the older the better!), Celtic Frost, Destruction, etc. Toward the mid 90s, I heard bands like Bathory, Emperor, and Dark Funeral. I was hooked Immediately. Musically speaking, Nargaroth, Moonblood, and Sargeist are probably my three biggest influences from the black metal underground. Lyrically I couldn't be more opposed, but no one can take away their sheer musical brilliance. I may be a bit late to the party, but these days I'm enjoying my new journey into the world of 80s and 90s gothic rock/darkwave.
Most important question: what’s your favorite flavor of ice cream (and why)?
Too much sugar is bad. It causes inflammation, and that can cascade into a storm of destructive effects on the body. That said, anything besides mint is fine with me.
You can follow Marble Tomb on Bandcamp, Instagram, and Facebook.
