Misanthropocene, the sole mastermind behind Unholy Calamity, stands as a fierce force in the realm of black metal, crafting what she describes as Raw Godslastering Black Metal. Since discovering the genre through Mayhem’s haunting riffs, she has devoted her artistry to creating an unfiltered expression of her personal journey into Satanism and the trials that shaped her identity. Her latest album, IntraVenous: Evil in Our Blood, draws heavily from the raw energy of Norwegian black metal, echoing the influences of iconic bands like Darkthrone. In this interview, we delve into her creative process, the challenges of being a solo artist, the provocative themes woven into her lyrics, and her aspirations for the future of Unholy Calamity, uncovering the depths of her dark musical landscape.
Serial Metalbums: To start, can you introduce Unholy Calamity and tell us about your beginnings in black metal? How did the project come to life, and why did you choose this name?
Misanthropocene: Unholy Calamity plays Raw Godslastering Black Metal. I am Misanthropocene, The Queen of Hate and I am the sole member of Unholy Calamity. I first heard black metal through Mayhem’s Pagan Fears. I was just becoming a teenager and that beginning riff captured my cold, shriveled mind. I started playing all of the main Rock instruments at about the same time, and the goal from the beginning was to create the most evil band that I possibly could. I started this project once I felt like the material I was writing captured my truly evil voice. I chose the name Unholy Calamity because I wanted a synonym to Mayhem as a nod to my influence. I found the word Calamity and added Unholy because there are several projects already named Calamity.
Serial Metalbums: Your latest album, IntraVenous: Evil in Our Blood, carries strong influences from Norwegian black metal, particularly reminiscent of the Transilvanian Hunger-era Darkthrone. Which artists and albums influenced you the most during the creation of this record?
Misanthropocene: Norwegian Black Metal has always been my main listening experience when it comes to Black Metal. I knew I wanted to get faster on this record so I took a lot of inspiration from 1349, Early Immortal, Gorgoroth, very early Dimmu Borgir, and of course Darkthrone. Transylvanian Hunger will always be on my constant rotation. The Norwegian inner circle will always be my strongest influences; there’s nothing else like them.
Serial Metalbums: The album’s sound is intentionally raw and primitive, evoking the aesthetics of the early waves of black metal. Can you tell us about the production process? How did you approach it to achieve this particular result?
Misanthropocene: I always intentionally record my music in poorer quality than I can actually achieve should i attempt to. I like to search for sound, and it’s just not the same if I plug my guitar directly into my computer. I used a small orange amp for both guitars and bass, and a cheap, off-brand distortion pedal. The drums were recorded using one microphone directly in front of the kit. To get the mix to sound more full, I use an EQ to raise the bass drum levels and the cymbals to fill the mix more. The vocals were also run through a distortion pedal and any samples were recorded using the microphone on the side of my phone.
Serial Metalbums: Each track on the album offers a unique complexity and variation. How would you describe your songwriting approach for this release, and how do you strike a balance between chaos and structure in your compositions?
Misanthropocene: I always finish the guitar parts first. In my opinion, if the guitar part on its own is structured well enough, then the rest of the song should come naturally. I always start writing a song with a particular idea of the tempo and atmosphere I want in mind before I’ve even pick up an instrument. Sometimes I will get inspired by lyrics I have written beforehand as well. The drums are always recorded last, and they are about 75% improvised every time. I normally listen to the guitar and bass parts on repeat to understand the atmosphere, and the drum parts sort of come naturally after that. When I write to my lyrics they usually play a big part in the structure of the songs. If the lyrics are particularly angry, the song is normally faster, and if it’s more melancholy, it may be slower and more melodic.
Serial Metalbums: Tracks like Tepes Awaits Me and Immaculate Whore are especially oppressive in atmosphere with aggressive riffs. What were your artistic intentions behind these songs, and how did you work to create such sonic intensity?
Misanthropocene: Immaculate Whore was particularly inspired by 1349. I discovered a chord I had never used before while learning one of their songs and formed a lot of the riffs on that song around that chord. Particularly the tom-groove part of the song. The drums are formed around the riffs. Tepes Awaits Me is particularly intense because it is partially about the people around me, and my anger towards a lot of them. I knew I wanted it to be my fastest and most aggressive drum performance from the beginning because of this. The plan from the start of the writing process for the album was to make it much more aggressive than the last one. The lyrics were already written, so I knew what each song would be about once I started writing them.
Serial Metalbums: The lyrics of songs like Sodomize God and The Carbon Baphomet are quite provocative. Can you tell us more about the themes you explore in this album and what inspired you during the writing process?
Misanthropocene: This album is a journey to Satanism. It is a loose, much more grotesque and angry look at how I became a Satanist, and some of the trials and tribulations that got me to this point are rooted in questioning God. Sodomize God has to do with a question of God’s morality, because if God is the type that lets a random child die in the street, then is God really that great? The Carbon Baphomet is a particularly personal subject for me because it has to do with my personal identity. I grew up being told that God made me perfect, but I was born with a penis and I am a girl. I felt like God was laughing at me, and enjoyed my torture. I will not let him laugh anymore. The entire album is a declaration of my personal Satanism, and a complete denouncement of Heaven.
Serial Metalbums: The song Intravenous stands out with its darker depth and underlying melodic elements. Is this a direction you would like to explore more in the future, perhaps by integrating more melodies into your music?
Misanthropocene: Intravenous was the last song I wrote for the album, and I knew when I was done with it that it would be the title track. I had gotten much better at playing guitar by the time I wrote it, so I came up with a lot of cool melodies that I am very proud of. The sampling of an explosion and a heart monitor was an idea that I had before I started writing the song, since I wanted a big ending for the album. Since I have gotten much better at my craft I absolutely plan on continuing to evolve the melodies in my music.
Serial Metalbums: As a solo artist, what are the biggest challenges you face when creating such an intense black metal album? How do you handle recording, producing, and performing all the instruments and vocals?
Misanthropocene: The biggest challenge that comes with doing everything on my own is my limited abilities in playing my instruments. If I come up with something very complex, then I will have to practice that one thing on every instrument for sometimes weeks on end before I get it down. I have been teaching myself how to play music since I was an early teen, and I am about 95% self-taught on everything, so my technique when playing my instruments are probably wildly different than professionals, particularly the drums in this instance, because I can go scatter-brained in and completely lose the groove if I’m not super focused. I only had three cymbals during this recording, so my arms were swinging everywhere as well. I am getting much better at my drumming techniques though, so I am looking forward to applying that to future releases. I also do not have any band members to tell me if one of my ideas sucks or not, so I listen to my own music on repeat for multiple days once a track is done to make sure everything fits and evokes the atmospheres that I intend.
Serial Metalbums: From your debut Infernus Resurgit Sathanas Vivit to IntraVenous: Evil in Our Blood, what do you consider to be the biggest evolutions in your sound and artistic approach?
Misanthropocene: The intensity of the song writing is definitely my biggest evolution so far between the two records. I knew that I wanted to get faster as soon as I published “Infernus…” I particularly worked on my double bass technique and picking style to get more intense. The vocals were also a proud moment for me. I stuck with almost all screamed vocals on the last record, but I really wanted to express complete hatred here, so I chose to yell and wail as well. I also growled at certain points on the first and final tracks to emphasize certain words.
Serial Metalbums: Finally, what are your next plans for Unholy Calamity? Do you have any live performances or collaborations in mind for the future?
Misanthropocene: I very much want to perform live, but finding Black Metal musicians in West Virginia is very, VERY difficult so there is no news on live performances as of now. The idea is always on my mind, though. As far as recordings, I am planning a split release next year, more news to come on that later. The next Unholy Calamity release will be an EP, with half of it being leftover recordings from “IntraVenous…” and the other half being new recordings. I also plan on recording a music video for one of the tracks.