interview with Pulsar Colony
What is the name of your band? Pulsar Colony.
What does the name "Pulsar Colony" stand for? The unknown, a state of mind that escapes the mundane and banalities of every day life, an alternate universe that defies the physical laws of the known universe, a place you can dwell in simply by perceiving it, kind of like a mental wormhole. Pulsars are rotating neutron stars that give off huge amounts of radiation, so one would have to be very powerful to establish a colony on a pulsar. So in that regard, the name “Pulsar Colony” symbolizes escape and defiance of society’s expectations and the power of natural forces incomprehensible to man.
What made you call the band "Pulsar Colony"? My fascination with outer space, mainly. I’ve always been intrigued by the structures that exist out in the nether regions of the cosmos.
How was the band formed? It emerged out of a solo project that I started working on in late 2007. It started off as sort of a weird experimental progressive hard rock thing, then I started going back to my black metal roots when the material for the first album started to develop.
What made you form the band? The desire to express the images, atmospheres and sensations I have deep in my psyche through music.
Can you briefly introduce your band and who you are? Charles Sabo, the songwriter/mastermind of Pulsar Colony.
Where are all bandmembers from?/Who does what in the band? I’m from Fayetteville, Arkansas. I do everything, all instruments and vocals, except on the latest album I had a drummer.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? I was actually not ambitious at all when I started back in 2007/2008. I had a strong desire to create music, but I had no idea what I would do with it, and no concept of sharing it with others.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? The most recent album “Equilibrium Zone” – by far my favorite and the best representation of Pulsar Colony’s sound – I would describe as old school black metal with psychedelic and futuristic elements. A few people have compared it to Deathspell Omega and Blut Aus Nord. I would also compare it to Darkspace, insomuch as I attempt to create that outer space vibe. The two earlier albums are similar, but with more doom metal influence, more experimental, and more drawn-out.
Where was your first gig? Never played any gigs with Pulsar Colony as it’s a solo project, but maybe that’ll change. I wouldn’t mind finding the right musicians interested in performing PC music on stage, but that’s such an involved process, I’d have to be really motivated and committed to doing it.
Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write everything.
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? I don’t really have anything bad to say about it. The good is that it’s what I was meant to do in this world. It’s my embodiment of the energy from higher powers such as Odin, Athena, Svarog, Cthulhu, Morgoth, etc. I don’t put much focus on genre, but I feel most associated with black metal, and over the course of “Equilibrum Zone” and the upcoming album the music has been heading away from experimental/progressive leanings and down a more focused black metal path.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? The songs are influenced by a variety of concepts but I’d say individualism is what they revolve around. Black metal has been my favorite style ever since I bought Emperor’s “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk” back in high school. I’ve dabbled in other styles throughout the years, but I always end up going back to black metal in some form or another.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? All original, I have no interest in covers.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? I’ve made three albums: “Snowball Earth,” “The Deep Sleep,” and “Equilibrium Zone.”
Do you have any clips on YouTube? I have a few lyric videos of songs from earlier albums. You can find my channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/PulsarColony.
How old are you?/What got you started in music? Music has had a profound impact on my mind ever since early childhood, really. I’ve always wanted to create music. I’m old enough to have a good grasp on my musical goals and how to execute them (I would like to think so, anyway), and also to see the last remnants of this world before it totally degenerates into this post-modern drudgery of social networking, smartphones, empty-headed Christian fundamentalists, and other frivolities.
At what age did you start playing? I think around 10 or 11.
What year was the band started? Early 2007 is when my band of over 4 years broke up, at which point I started developing my own style and later that year working on solo music. 2008 is when the material for the first proper Pulsar Colony album started taking shape, so 2007 or 2008, depending on how you look at it.
How old were you the first time you saw a liveband play? Very young, maybe 11 or 12.
How old were you at your first gig?/Best/worst gig you've played? My first live performance with a band was when I was 18. From 2002-2007 I played in a death/black/doom metal band called Onset of Winter. We played several gigs, much more than any other project of mine, so a lot of “best” and “worst” gigs occurred then. One of my worst gigs was in May 2013, with a different band (that broke up not too long after that) at a local bookstore. We played great, our music was solid, but there was no enthusiasm or support from the scene whatsoever.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? In the final days of 2013 and the first half of 2014 I’ll be recording the next Pulsar Colony album. I’m also awaiting the release of “Equilibrium Zone” on CD by Razed Soul Productions, which should be very soon, so I’ll be trying to promote that.
What are your goals with your music? My goal right now is to make the best, most blackened Pulsar Colony album ever.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? Pretty much right after high school. I try to survive in the world and play the game just as much as anybody, but I’ve never wanted to do anything else besides music.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? It goes both ways. In the early-to-mid 90’s bands like Emperor, Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Bathory, etc. created some cold, atmospheric music, the first of its kind that remains timeless and influential to this day. But there are more recent bands who are taking black metal in interesting new directions and giving the genre a fresh twist, such as Alcest, Cobalt, Wolves in the Throne Room, Drudkh, Alter of Plagues, Inter Arma, Wodensthrone, Winterfylleth, etc.
What are your sources of inspiration? Basically the thoughts, images, emotions, and dreams that occur within my own mind, usually of the darker type. I’m very inspired by mythological, dark, chaotic, natural forces. Any form of transcendence that involves being in touch with those forces in some way is very important to the music I create.
What's the first step when making a new song? Write some riffs on the guitar.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? If people want to download, I can’t tell them not to, it’s their decision. Downloading can be a good thing if it encourages people to buy the album later. The way some people approach it, just downloading MP3’s without giving any thought to support the artist, sucks the soul and loyalty out of music. Buying an album gives you the artistic expression the artist(s) had intended you to experience with the superior sound quality, artwork, lyrics, etc.
What would be your dreams for the band? For the music to always remain powerful and convincing, to never lose the inspirational fires, to never become watered-down.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Lots of doom/sludge like Subrosa, Yob, Sunn O))), Neurosis, Winter, etc. Lots of great black metal bands from all over the place… the US, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, France, the UK, etc. I’ve very much gotten into Hate Forest, Graveland, Kroda, and several other bands from Eastern Europe recently. Some death metal, such as Defeated Sanity, Aeon, Immolation, Deeds of Flesh, Arsis, etc. And a wide variety of non-metal music.
What do you hold most dear? Probably nature. I feel a very deep connection with the natural world when I find the time to immerse myself in it. There is some great scenery here in NW Arkansas.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? Financial woes. Black metal doesn’t pay, unfortunately.
Have you been in any other bands? A few. Aside from the aforementioned Onset of Winter, I’ve had various short-lasting and/or unsuccessful projects. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been developing a whole new sound, which I hope to turn into a serious project with just as much weight and dedication as Pulsar Colony, so we’ll see how that goes…
What would you do if there was no music? I’d probably try to be a writer like JRR Tolkein, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, H.P. Lovecraft, or someone like that.
How important are your fans? At this point there are very little “fans,” but whoever considers his or herself a “fan” of Pulsar Colony, I appreciate their support. I’d be doing the music an injustice if I wrote it to please others, so the music will always be what I feel like doing and nothing else. But that’s what most true music fans appreciate.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? My favorites right now are the ones I’m about to record for the new album, but from my last album, I really like “Tearing Down the Frost Giants” and “To Wear the Mask, to Face the Mockery.”
What do you feel is the best liveband you've seen? I’m not much of a concert-goer, but I’ve seen great performances by Opeth, Tool, the Crown, and Type O Negative.
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? Making a living isn’t really part of the equation, not for me at least. There are a few bands in the extreme metal genre that have been able to get enough financial flow to support themselves, but at the same time there are so many bands, so many labels, it’s hard to be that one out of every 100 bands that distinguishes themselves and gets lucky enough to make some degree of meaningful income. It would be great to become one of those, but I don’t know what the key is and I don’t really feel the need to try, I just go on creating the music I want to create.
Do you have any webpages? A website: www.pulsarcolony.com and a facebook: facebook.com/pulsarcolonyband. Also you can listen to full albums on my bandcamp: pulsarcolony.bandcamp.com.
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Find whatever sound or musical expression that inspires you the most. If you try to do something that deep down you don’t really want to do, you’ll just get bored or tired of it later.
How do you view the music industry of today? Lots of sentiment says that it’s on the decline, but I think there’s still enough loyal music fans willing to spend money on physical products and merchandise to keep it going.
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? Probably finding a drummer and a practice space. Or finding band members who are serious and dedicated enough. That's one of the primary reasons I've embraced one-man black metal.
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? Best: you get to play your music at a towering volume level, which gives it a powerful manifestation and totally immerses both yourself and the audience in its atmosphere. Worst: carrying equipment, and rude/nosey/annoying people.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence? Cosmic, inter-galactic, star-born black metal? I don’t know, it’s a vibe that’s better described in sounds than words.
What is your favorite crappy instrument? Not sure I have a favorite crappy instrument, crappy instruments usually just suck.
What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? Well since this is a one-man project, I guess that would be the times when I talk to myself, hear voices, see demons, and go insane. But that’s actually a good thing, because it helps enhance the twisted vibe of the music. Lol.
What Won't you spend money on? Emo music.
What do you feel a band/musician should spend their money on? First: food, shelter, utilities, transportation, etc. After that: anything meaningful or inspirational.
