Doomed Confessionary: Sarantis, Briony, John & Will (Amon Acid)
Hailing from Leeds, UK, Amon Acid formed in 2018 to make psychedelic doom metal. It started as a bit of fun between two people, jamming at home, but after self-releasing their first EP, which received a positive response, it became a serious mission. Indeed, the core duo of Sarantis and Briony are serious, and one listen to their album »Paradigm Shift« is enough to convert unbelievers into fanatics, so hypnotically addicting is their sonic drug.
They just dropped new full-length album »Submerging« in digital format with vinyl pre-orders available via Black Farm Records.
Amon Acid are Sarantis Charvas (guitar, vocals, synths), Briony Charvas (bass), John Sutcliffe (drums) and Will Grinder (guitar).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Psychedelic space wizards.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
S&B: We started jamming and recording as a two piece focusing on psychedelic music, our back catalogue has different approaches to psychedelia. We relied on using a drum machine which was really fun but playing live was a real challenge for us. Finding a drummer (John) and another guitarist (Will) really pushed us in a heavier direction. John hits hard, playing loud and heavy really makes sense to us since we all have roots in punk & hardcore. Will brings another dimension to our riffs and we’re so lucky to have the line-up we do now! We’re always trying out new ideas and like to experiment with different ways to layer sounds, and always on the look out for people to jam with who can bring different perspectives but the experimental approach means that recording requires a lot of flexibility and time.
What can you be most proud of so far?
B: Recording and releasing albums is always a buzz but I think putting on gigs in our local area is something I’m really proud of. Bringing bands together from around the world to play our local venues has been a massive achievement, organising a doom weekender at the 1in12 club in Bradford was pretty hard work but the lineup was killer and we got to play with a bunch of amazing bands.
S: Producing our recordings have been pretty DIY, a lot of work has gone into crafting our sound, bringing in different influences and recording. I’m also proud of the people we’ve worked with during the recording process and physical releases.
J: I love that the band allows me the space to develop my craft and style. I have become more disciplined as well as open minded to include jazz and hip hop chops along side traditional rock power Neanderthal beats. It’s also super sweet to be on another record as I approach 50 haha!
What was your biggest regret?
S: Not being able to drive, we are eternally grateful to Will for carting all our shit around to gigs!
B: For me it’s not starting a band when I was younger, I grew up in a small town and there was always some resistance from my mates about playing with a girl (unless I was willing to sing). That sucked. Starting Amon Acid with Sarantis changed everything – as a band we’re all looking out for each other and that rocks.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
S&B: We’ve played with some amazing bands over the years and made some great friends. Playing Fellfoot woods has to be one of biggest highlights for us, there’s a real magical feeling playing in the middle of the woods, everyone tripping out and the ceremony of the crow is wild (if you know, you know).
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Putting out music is pretty nerve wracking, especially now we’re on our 9th release and we have some awesome fans, we don’t want to let them down and honestly we’re still pretty shocked when people dig what we do. The doom scene is particular is just full of really laid back, sound folks. The open mindedness of the scene has really encouraged us to keep going.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
All: When we’re driving to gigs we tend to listen to loads of doom/stoner/psychedelic music, Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Sleep – ya know, the classics!
S&B: We’re pretty seasonal in our listening habits, winter is for doom but now it’s getting warmer we’ve got more Greek music on rotation again. We’re pretty passionate about Rembetiko (think Greek blues from the 30s). This week we had our mind blown by this Greek rapper, Negros Tou Moria, he’s a pioneer of Trabetiko (Trap/Rembetiko) and he lays down really insightful bars over beats with traditional rembetiko samples. Since we’ve tried to mix it in with rock it’s great to hear someone take it in a completely different direction. We’ve also been going back to listening to music from our youth – Butthole Surfers, L7 and Lunachicks! The most exciting new doom release for us is Double Horse!
J: Speed – Australian moshers with flute breakdowns.
W: Full Of Hell – »Coagulated Bliss«, Thou – »Umbilical«, Kim Gordon – »The Collective«, High On Fire – »Cometh The Storm« and Richard Thompson – »Ship To Shore«.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
J: Buy shit, buy twice… get the best gear you can afford as you get what you pay for in sound quality and durability. Also – do the opposite of what other people tell you to do. If someone says you can’t do something then do the thing. Know that music isn’t a sport or a competition and if you win trophies or accolades then it’s usually cos you sucked a dick to get there. Never compromise on your values, fuck the industry, never stop partying.
S: Be yourself – I didn’t listen when I was younger.
B: Keep it simple – groove is more important than trying to prove yourself all the time.
What are your guilty pleasures?
We’re all getting on in our years, being guilty about anything is a waste of precious time.
Can you say something more about the music scene in West Yorkshire?
There is a podcast from Sheffield called 9 Hz and I think they sum it up pretty well. The northern doom/stoner scene in the UK is massive and we all try to support each other, it’s a beautiful thing to be part of!
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We tried to take a bit of a step back this year to start writing and so we’re currently practicing a load of new songs but we have a few things coming up:
On the 29th of June we headlined a benefit for radio Caroline at the Hotbox in Chelmsfold with our mates Codex Serafini and Thee Crow. Radio Caroline was a pirate radio station transmitted from a boat in the late 60s/early 70s. I was really excited to get involved, when I told my parents they got pretty excited and told me stories about sitting next to telegraph poles with their transistor radio listening to Led Zep and Black Sabbath. The electric salad company who are organising the gig are very cool folks and they’re also organising Kozfest which we’re playing in July the 26th at Axminster show ground. We’re also supporting Hippie Death Cult at the Northern Quarter in Huddersfield on the 5th July, those guys rock and we were gonna buy tickets before we got asked to support so we’re dead happy about that one!
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Keep on trippin’.
How can people best support your band?
Tell your friends and share our music. Support your local DIY scene.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Keep on trippin’.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well