Interview: Rejoice In Our Suffering

Photo by Rejoice In Our Suffering

The first time I heard Rejoice In Our Suffering, I have to admit, I was unsure how to describe the music. Was it black metal? Industrial? Noise?

The answer is, well…yes.

Hailing from West Virginia, Rejoice In Our Suffering puts a new spin on raw black metal, with an infusion of other genres to keep things interesting. Fueled by thematic elements of hope vs. despair, darkness vs. light, there is a larger-than-life story taking place within the musical surroundings. The elements of faith intertwining the lyrical exposition compel the listener to examine our own hearts and minds through a sobering lens.

We were able to catch up with the artist to discuss their music, their faith, and future projects. 

It’s a pleasure having you join Blacforje to talk about your project, Rejoice In Our Suffering! Thanks for taking time to talk with us. You’re in West Virginia. Is that right?

That’s correct. The most southern, northern state or the most northern, southern state, depending on who you ask. And I really appreciate you interviewing me. I love what you’re doing. 

Of course! Thanks for taking time to interview with us. So, is black metal popular in West Virginia?

In West Virginia specifically, I don’t think so. There are a few black metal bands and some dungeon synth and dark ambient acts on the periphery. I think there are also a lot of bands that claim it as a location but aren’t actually from here. Of the bands that are from here, Nechochwen stands out and Torrid Husk were really great. I don’t know if they’re still together though. They’ve been quiet for a long time, but that whole band was incredible. 

There is a very deep mystery that runs through this part of Appalachia that people like to cling to because of how untouched so much of West Virginia is, which creates a nice backdrop for black metal and its subgenres. I do think of the black metal bands that are present; there seems to be a higher frequency of Christian acts in Appalachia as a whole. Vials of Wrath, for example, but they’re from Tennessee. 

The other thing is that a lot of the black metal bands that are from here don’t really communicate with anyone. I’ve emailed a few myself and never got anything back, but if you email a punk band or death metal band, they get back to you very quickly. I understand that and would say that I tend toward that desire myself, but I’ve forced myself to be responsive and do some outreach. 

‘Whom He May Devour’ by Rejoice In Our Suffering (artwork: "Satan Overlooking Paradise" by Gustave Dore)

Your most recent album released January of this year titled Whom He May Devour is aptly described on your Bandcamp as being comprised of “black metal/dark ambient/noise.” I am quite fascinated by the mix of genres you assembled for this record. Can you tell us more about what inspired it?

While Rejoice In Our Suffering is primarily an unblack metal project, I’m heavily influenced by dungeon synth, dark ambient, industrial, and punk rock. There are people I know personally that have made comments such as, “I like the black metal stuff, but I can’t stand the industrial stuff.” So, I label things as accurately as possible, so they don’t get completely turned off to the project born out of an assumption. I’m just trying to be accommodating and clear. 

That album, in particular, was an experiment. It was supposed to have a couple more songs on it, but because of how I recorded early on in its development, I couldn’t include those tracks. They just didn’t work. Essentially, as I finished each track, I posted it on the album page and just released it when it was done. 

As far as the lyrical content, this is the only release that I’ve shared lyrics for so far. It might be the only one that I share them for at all. I’m surprised at how many questions I’ve received about lyrical themes. I honestly didn’t think anyone would care, but I decided to loosen up a bit on it for this one. A lot of my worship and worldview is informed not just by study and prayer but by dreams. I’m aware of how kooky that sounds.

Along with that, I have a habit of constantly analyzing my thoughts and actions from the past to the present, and I have a hard time moving on from things. This helps me grow as I work on things, but keeping it bottled up also does not give me a whole lot of room for growth. The worst parts of myself are what I’m trying to work through with this project - the things I don’t like and want to eliminate in my walk with God. I know that’s a very religious answer, and it might not be one a lot of people enjoy reading, but that’s the truth. Everything comes from a position of introspection and sincere self-assessment, and it wouldn’t be very interesting to talk about the things that I don’t struggle with. Plus a few people have told me it helps them not feel so isolated, and that’s an amazing feeling. 

Other than that, the pieces of the album could be seen as reflections or meditations on their themes. This is particularly true for my dark ambient and noise tracks. They were almost completely improvisational, but I went back and added things to them later. Even though they’re rough, the goal is to induce a kind of meditative state for reflection, as well as share a little bit more about myself. 

Prior to your latest release, you released a raw black metal self-titled album that is really, really solid. Tell us a little bit about that record and why you felt the need to release both albums within such proximity to one another.

I release about a third of everything I make, and the self-titled is probably the most cohesive thing I’ve ever written in terms of theme, production - things like that. I always do everything myself without outside help, so the warts-and-all approach really takes precedence in my work. The album itself is more of a result of conviction. The first album is about the difficulty of dealing with my own sin nature, something that’s present in all people and that Christians seek to overcome. So, that’s the idea of that. 

Whom He May Devour could kind of be seen as a continuation of that album, but it doesn’t have as cohesive of a theme. It’s more of a subplot that could have gone with the self-titled, and it’s more about the influence of evil which causes us to engage with our sin nature and the negative results thereof. More struggle. The final industrial noise pieces are about the results of giving in to those negative forces and engaging with our sin nature in a way that we take pleasure from. The Wrath of God, to be clear. 

So, the self-titled is about my struggle with my own sin nature, and Whom He May Devour is about fighting against those things that push me toward engaging with it in a pleasurable way. At the end, Romans 1:18, the Wrath of God, is about what we bring on ourselves as a result of not doing what’s right - what’s plainly available and made obvious to us.  

I feel like this is where someone would say all of that, then follow it up with, “You dig?” The discussion could go very deep when we start thinking about our own behavior, thoughts, words.

They were released so close together because they were being worked on at the same time. As well, I think I just needed to get them out. I’m not good at making something, then waiting to release it later. I have it, it’s finished, I’m putting it out there. 

I know you’ve already answered this somewhat, but can you tell us more about the purpose behind Rejoice In Our Suffering and what motivates you to make this music?

Actually, this answer could change or evolve anytime someone asks me. I’m sure my answer would be different a few months from now, to a degree. The bare-bones level of it is that Rejoice In Our Suffering is a cathartic way for me to express my struggles as a Christian trying to lead a life that gets as close to Jesus as possible, while dealing with clinical depression and anxiety. I fail all the time. 

What I notice about most Christian music is that it takes a very positive context and pushes it out there, and I think that’s great, but that music doesn’t reach me very well. I know a lot of other people it doesn’t reach at all. It’s a great thing to be positive regarding God and our religion. Overall, it’s something we’re supposed to do. But when that music touches on the difficulties of doing that, it’s always followed up with something like “then I saw the church doors, and everything was okay.” That’s great. I really hope it is that way for most people. But sometimes, it doesn’t help. Faith becomes most important when you realize those things aren’t making you feel better. When someone may feel alienated from church, friends, their community, even God…

That’s where the work of this project lives. It’s in the valleys of things I’m doing wrong, clinical depression, existential dread, contemplation on the darker aspects of what makes us human, and especially in the “I don’t know.” 

It’s an extremely complex thing to consider and analyze. As I’ve said elsewhere before, everything can be perfect on paper. I’m very happily married, I have a house, I have more than I need. I’m extremely thankful for all of these things, I know many have it much worse. Why do I feel terrible? Medicine helps. Prayer helps. Church helps. My Friends help. This project helps, but it’s still there. That constant backdrop of something just not being right.

So that’s what I write songs about, and black metal just happens to be an appropriate genre or aesthetic for it. I think the people that are drawn to these darker genres probably feel similarly - a constant pain or a feeling that, even when things are great, something just isn’t quite right. Discomfort. 

You’ve already touched on this, but let’s dig deeper. How would you say faith and philosophy play a part in your work?

They are the primary motivating factors, as I’m sure a lot of what I’ve already said reflects. The idea that the whole of religion in general, or Christianity in particular, should be a constant, rapturous joy is bizarre to me. It’s extremely hard to lead a Christ-like life, and that’s what we’re tasked to do. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t being honest with others or themselves. 

So, what we have is the guide we’ve been given to live right, and faith is what holds us to trying to stick to those guidelines. It’s the core motivation.

Self-titled album by Rejoice In Our Suffering (artwork: "Adam and Eve Driven Out Of Eden" by Gustave Dore)

I believe you are working on a new release for this May, if I read your Bandcamp correctly. Can you tell us what we can expect from this new project?

2025 is the year of split releases, and I will likely have another album or two by the end of the year. There’s a split tape with Nightmare I Am that should be coming out right at the beginning of March. The split with Eunagelion from Oklahoma will also be on tape and come out (soon). The one you mentioned is a split with the industrial project Blackhouse, and it will be exclusively released on 12” LP. All of these came together in a way that I didn’t expect and much faster than I thought they would. The split with Blackhouse is the most industrial-sounding release I’ve made so far, but I still hope the black metal fans will like it, because there’s a lot of that mixed in there, as well. 

Finally, and this might be the next release coming out that isn’t listed on anything, is a split with a couple of brand-new acts - Alaretin from Pennsylvania and Oak of Weeping from Hungary. Alaretin is doing Psalm 66, I’m doing Psalm 77, and Oak of Weeping is doing Psalm 88. “The Triptych Psalms.” I can’t wait to get that out and to watch what those bands do next. We all make very different types of black metal, and somehow we’ve made this cohesive, interesting, thematic thing that I wish was three times as long as it is.

I’m privileged to be on records with any of these guys. They all make music that I’ve spent hours of my life listening to and will spend many more hours listening to. In the case of Blackhouse, I’ve been listening for 25 years, so to me, the gravity of these releases is hard to overstate. 

Other than that, I’m working on an album about demonic influence and possession. This one isn’t going to be as personal, but it will focus on a more common affliction than I think anyone realizes - more of a societal oppression that takes place. The active work of evil against humankind, against the plans of our better intent. How can an individual resist? 

Last question: How can we best support your music? What is the best way fans can share your work?

I appreciate anyone who listens to my music with an open mind or that reaches out to me. I’ve been able to really make progress with my self-imposed isolation by responding to emails, questions, talking to others about philosophy and religion - anything you could name. People should know that they’re important, not just to me. They can visit my Bandcamp, listen on Spotify or pretty much any large streaming service (which is where I post the most accessible material), buy merchandise, etc.

Though the project is primarily catharsis for me, the goal is ultimately to make people think about God. My hope is that everyone will analyze their preconceived notions in this regard. Thank you. 

You can follow Rejoice In Our Suffering on Bandcamp.