It's funny - when you think about Black Metal, your mind immediately whispers names like IMMORTAL, DIMMU BORGIR, EMPEROR, BURZUM, and perhaps a slew of others. Scandinavia IS the main breeding ground for this subgenre of Metal, but that isn't stopping other like-minded bands from spawning elsewhere. Let's take a look at America for example. Los Angeles-based horde SOTHIS are one of THE most capable Black Metal bands this side of the Atlantic. With an ever-rising following, SOTHIS continue to press on, showing no signs of stopping, or the desire to stop for that matter. And why would they? They have all the right tools to command success. Lead vocalist Drogoth brings METALEATER up to speed on what's currently on the band's agenda, which includes focusing their efforts on their #1 priority - completing their first full-length album.

It's been a while now since you first announced plans for the new album. Can you tell METALEATER about the current status of the recording of SOTHIS' first full-length album?

"Basically, we've completed the writing, and have begun the pre-production recording phase. This is where we record the songs in our studio ourselves, and then scrutinize the different parts of the songs to see if we want to make any changes to the material before we enter the studio. The reason we do this is because there are no recordings of the songs, and therefore the only time we hear them is while we're playing them in rehearsal. It's difficult to truly scrutinize each member's performance while you're playing yourself, so we listen to the pre-production recordings to see if any portion of the song needs improvement. I personally find this phase of the recording process very valuable, because it's difficult for the other members to give me feedback on vocals, because they're concentrating on their own performances while playing live. I think that the quality of the vocals will improve greatly once I get more feedback from the other members."

You previously stated that you hoped to enter the studio this month (June) to begin the recording process. How is that panning out?

"That probably won't happen. It's very difficult for us to estimate exactly how long the process will take to record our first full-length album. SOTHIS has NEVER compromised on quality, and we don't plan to. All I can really say is that recording this album is our #1 priority, and it will be done once we are happy with it."

Ideally, when do you plan on having the album ready for mastering? When will the album hit the shelves?

"Again, that's very difficult to estimate. We also don't currently have anyone to distribute the album, so even once it's finished, there's still the matter of finding someone to license, manufacture, and distribute the album. I have no idea how long that will take, and can therefore make no promises."

Which producer are you working with this time around? Do you feel he is a better fit for SOTHIS' music?

"Dross (drums) produced the Demo, and will be the producer on the full-length as well. If we do bring someone else in, it would be as a co-producer position working with Dross. Ultimately, Dross and the rest of SOTHIS will always have the last say in any decision concerning our released material. We have talked to some people, however we have not made a final decision on a producer, engineer, or even which studio we will record at. We've even discussed finding someone else to do the mixing with us as well. It all depends on who's available, and who will work best with the band to get the highest quality recording possible."

How would you describe the new material?

"I would describe the material in general as very aggressive. There are eight to nine songs we're considering on putting on the final album, and although there are definitely a variety of styles in there, a majority of the material is very aggressive."

Will any of the four songs on your 2005 Demo be included on the first full-length or will they all be brand new tracks?

"All brand new tracks. The current plan is to record nine songs, and probably release eight of them on the album, and then save one track to use on a compilation album sometime, or perhaps as a bonus track on a future release. We haven't totally decided that yet."

Have you secured a label home as of yet?

"No, we have not been searching for a label for some time now. When we did a label search last year, we weren't happy with any of the offers we got, so we decided to go it alone for awhile. The current plan is to finish the album, and then shop it around to a few labels and see if anyone is interested. If we're not happy with any of the deals we're offered, we may just find someone to license and distribute the album without actually signing with the label."

How is the bassist situation? Have you found a permanent replacement yet, one who will be with the band for the long-term?

"We have been talking to a few people, but unfortunately, the timing is bad for a full-time member search. The reason is that it's too late in the process to bring someone in on the album, because we'd prefer that the musicians on the album were the members that were involved in the writing process as well as the performance. Scathe will be performing the bass lines for the album, just as he did on the demo. Once we're finished with the album, we will be looking to be playing some live shows, for which we will need a bassist. Once we decide on a live bassist, we'll give him some time and see if he works out. If he does, we'll offer him the full-time position and he will then be involved in the writing process for the sophomore release."

Is your live schedule still currently on hold until after the completion of the new album?

"Absolutely. We are not full-time musicians. We have day jobs, and families, and other responsibilities which makes it difficult to concentrate on more than one goal at a time. SOTHIS will never compromise on quality, and therefore can only devote our small amount of time to one project, and currently that project is the album."

Are you still working with Jeff Keller Management LLC?

"We have not re-signed with Jeff Keller. We have talked about possibly re-signing with Jeff, or perhaps another management company once the album is ready to be released, with the purpose of helping us find the right deal. However, until we're a bit closer to being complete, we're keeping our options open."

As you know, MySpace has grown immensely and has provided a whole new way to network over the Internet. How has having your own official MySpace page helped you in raising awareness about SOTHIS and promoting your music? Have you noticed that MySpace has really helped you grow?

"Absolutely. MySpace has been an integral tool for helping SOTHIS to spread the word around the world. I can think of nothing that is even close to MySpace as far as a way a band can effectively self-promote. It has helped us reach places around the globe we could never have reached otherwise. It's also helped us connect with, and stay in touch with other bands around the world and build relationships with them. It's a way for fans to get in touch with us, and ask questions, and we can even sell our merchandise on the page as well. And as the band's web designer, it also makes me wonder if I can just stop working on the official band website so that I can have more free time. (laughs) Just kidding, we will always have an official band website, but I have a feeling that a majority of people just finding out about SOTHIS are doing it on MySpace."

DIMMU BORGIR made their stop recently in Los Angeles on May 17 at The Wiltern Theatre as part of the "Invaluable Darkness Tour". Did you attend the show?

"(laughs) That's kind of a funny story. Yeah, I went. I had a few drinks, and decided that I wasn't happy with my view of the stage, and so I pushed by a security guard who was blocking off the area closest to the stage, and he and two other security guards tackled me and threw me out of the show (laughs). That was before their first song was over. The worst part is that one of them put me in a choke hold, and my throat was REALLY sore the next day. It made the next few rehearsals very difficult. HOWEVER... the good news is that I also had tickets to their San Diego performance, and I got to see the entire set. I thought the show was great. I like what they did with the lights and fog, and the 3-tier pyramid platform thing they had going was pretty cool. I've seen them before and was not nearly as happy with the show as I was this time around. I do think that a few of the members have a lack-luster stage presence, but I guess once you've reached their status, you can take it easy at shows and people will still love it. I never plan to do that, but ask me again after five albums, hundreds of shows, and I'm in my 40's. (laughs)"

When we spoke last time in February 2006, you had mentioned that the Black Metal scene in Los Angeles, or Southern California for that matter, wasn't very "vibrant" but that is does have "potential". Has the scene improved since then?

"Dude, I'm really not the best guy to ask that question to. I really wish I had more time to go to shows, but the truth is that I have a full-time career, two kids, and a band, and I have SO little free time it's ridiculous. I don't go to shows nearly as often as I used to, and am therefore not a good gauge for the local scene. Some of the other members of SOTHIS would be better suited to answer that question. I can say however, that when I do go to the shows of larger national acts, that the attendance is great, and there are a lot of younger people at the shows, and so I am encouraged by that. I personally don't ever plan on letting the 'scene', or even the lack of a scene sway me from what I want to do in SOTHIS. I do this because it is my passion, and my stress release from all the shit I deal with every day, and we make the music WE want, and that WE love, and will continue to do so until external circumstances make it impossible to do so."

Once it is all said and done and the new album is finally out, what plans do you have? What touring will the band be doing?

"Dude, we are SERIOUSLY a one-thing-at-a-time type of band, bro. The ONLY thing I can say, is that once the album is done, we want to start rehearsing our live show. We'd love to do some touring of course, but that is totally dependant on the situation at the time. Being in an un-signed, self-financed band makes it IMPOSSIBLE to plan for more than one goal at a time. Bottom line: We'll finish the album, and then discuss what our options are, and then we'll make the next move."

You were going to be interviewed on LA's "The Metal Scene" on Saturday, June 2. How did that go?

"Unfortunately, it did not go as well as we'd hoped. The only real problem was that there was a mix-up at the studio, and they double booked the studio for the show's timeslot. Therefore, we were forced to split the 30 minute time slot with a girl that was playing Hip-Hop music videos. Well, since she showed up before the producer of the Metal show did, she got the first 15 minutes. We had advertised to our fans that our interview would be on the show at 4:30, and so anyone tuning in to see SOTHIS was instead treated to a video of an adorable half-naked 16 year old African American girl rapping about how she chews her bubble gum (laughs). We also had planned on debuting our music video for 'Sinister Nation' on the show, which we did, but due to the time constraints, the video was cut short and didn't even complete. However, I do think the interview went well, and a majority of the video was played, so hopefully SOME people got to see it." [FIN]