Grave Pleasures frontman Mat McNerney, aka. Kvohst, talks about moving on, dancing, and the rush of pushing forward.
After releasing a couple of obscure but well-received tapes, Beastmilk was unleashed upon the world in full force with their 2013 debut Climax. A meeting of minds shared by Mat McNerney (Hexvessel, Gangrenator, ex-<CODE>, ex-DHG) and guitarist Goatspeed, Beastmilk reinvented the gothic rock of the early 80’s with an outrageously infectious energy. In early 2015, however, Goatspeed and drummer Paile departed the band, leaving McNerney and bassist Valtteri Arino with the decision to put Beastmilk to rest. Bringing in guitarists Linnéa Olsson (The Oath) and Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu), and with In Solitude’s Uno Bruniusson behind the kit, the group reinvented themselves as Grave Pleasures. Their debut Dreamcrash soon followed, taking their gloomy death rock to new hazy depths. Taking some time out of his busy touring schedule, we asked frontman Mat a few questions about the past, present, and future of the band.
Thank you for taking time out of your European tour for this interview. After coming down from the rush of “Climax”, my initial impressions of “Dreamcrash” is of a band who have both reinvigorated and reinvented themselves. The change of both the line-up and the name was worrisome at first, but after some time with the new album, these anxieties have been alleviated. It’s definitely a different beast, but the spirit of estrangement and apocalyptic dread remains. How has the initial response to “Dreamcrash” been, especially compared to “Climax”?
“It’s been mostly very very positive. I have been overwhelmed by the positive reactions – since I thought we would get a lot more negativity to the record. There were some who were disappointed, who wanted another Climax – exactly the same record. But on the whole I think the press has been much wider and broader for this album. There have been places picking up on this record, like Rolling Stone for example, that never really got into Beastmilk. I think with this record we have proved ourselves as serious musicians, and not just capable of putting out a hit debut but following it up with a more mature and thorough record. Which I think Dreamcrash is. I see it as the next step from where we came from. Climax was a very underground record. It didn’t sell that much. Dreamcrash has been doing better really. As it should. We’re now reaching a much bigger audience.”
Whereas the moniker and concept of «Beastmilk» reflected a certain obsession with masculinity and the pressures and alienation that this entails, Grave Pleasures seems more like an archetypical name for a death rock band. Does the new name hold any similar significance?
“I feel that Grave Pleasures is the band name Beastmilk should have always had. It’s more in tune with the concepts of my lyrics. The “love through death” message that I had for the Climax album. It’s about embracing your nihilism. It’s more about connection and in realizing and empathizing with your imminent doom, you will somehow reach enlightenment! I had to struggle to find a meaning from Beastmilk and try to explain it to journalists. You’re probably the first person that has quoted something we said about it in an interview. Most people just rolled their eyes at me like “oh really, you had a concept for this daft name?!”. To be honest it was a juvenile name that was more a middle finger salute to a band name than anything else. Beastmilk was an anti-band and as such, it ended up in the grave. Literally!”
At times listening to “Dreamcrash” feels like being submerged in a feverish haze, not unlike the acid-drenched sounds of Pornography-era The Cure. The more straightforward post punk that dominated “Climax” seems to have taken a backseat. Was this a conscious choice, or did it come naturally as the band was reborn?
“We would have always expanded the sound, whatever the lineup. I mean that was my mission with the 2nd Beastmilk record, that became the 1st Grave Pleasures record. We wanted to create a different atmosphere altogether. If Climax is the nuclear explosion, the party so to speak. Then Dreamcrash is the comedown the next day. It’s the nuclear fallout. It has that hazy kind of tripped out mood that Climax totally avoided. Each album is like a different side of the coin for me. It feels like the same artist, but with a different palette.”
There’s a psychedelic tinge throughout “Dreamcrash”, which I assume is at least partially due to the addition of Oranssi Pazuzu’s Juho Vanhanen. The almost tribal drums add another layer to the dreamy atmosphere. How have the new members affected the songwriting process?
“Everyone collaborates. The drums are written by the drummer now – so they have a more prominent role in the band. Juho added a lot of his own personality to the record in the guitars. I don’t know if that was psychedelic really. I mean Vanhanen has a lot of sides to him. He’s not just a psychedelic musician. He’s into a lot of music and so that comes through I think. I think the more open nature of the way we write with Grave Pleasures is what brings more of the band’s characters and personality into the songs.”
Throughout the years you have been recording and touring with bands taking quite different aesthetic and musical approaches. Do these projects reflect different aspects of your artistic personality, and how does performing with a black metal or folk band differ from the less theatrical appearances with Grave Pleasures?
“I don’t think they’re necessarily less theatrical or more theatrical. All music is and isn’t. It’s probably on my psychiatrists notes somewhere. There’s that saying “someone’s psychiatrist knows everything about you!” ha ha.
I am a bit schizophrenic with the way I approach music. It’s because I want to do too much. Sometimes I try to put 2 vinyls on the LP player at the same time. I love music. I just love it to death. I have never felt any boundaries and never wanted any to exist.”
Despite being firmly rooted in the gothic rock and post punk of the 80’s, your music has reached out to fans beyond goths and metalheads. Do you notice any major variances in how different crowds respond to your music?
“I am really proud that we seem to have gotten this really eclectic crowd around us. Just as you say. It’s utterly true. It’s very rare you know! The goths in the UK react a bit differently to the metal people that come and see us in Germany. To be honest I think the crowds are still figuring us out. We might be a bit ahead of our time on this scene. There aren’t too many bands around doing what we’re doing and so I think the scene itself is still really young.
So yeah we get people dancing, but the guys are still a bit hesitant. You often see metal guys shifting around trying to dance but feeling unsure. I always try to break the ice by dancing like an idiot for them. I feel that if I can get up there and dance like a fool to my own music, then people will feel comfortable enough to join me! Haha.”
With your first headlining tour currently going on, the future looks bright although your collective disposition seems far from sunny. Besides finishing the European tour, what does the near-future hold for Grave Pleasures?
“We have another tour for January with Tribulation and Vampire. So the road goes on. There there are a couple of videos and singles in the works. So we go on with our Dreamcrash journey and hope to keep reaching out to more people with it. The future is bright and atomic ;)”
