Doomed Confessionary: Victor Rosewarth (Vale Of Amonition)
Vale Of Amonition is a doom metal band out of East Africa; formed in Uganda, molded and shaped in Kenya. Drawing from traditional and extreme doom, the band has been able to fearlessly forge a wholesomely dark and intense stance covering three full-length albums and two EPs, underscored with tribal menace.
Vale Of Amonition consists of Victor Rosewrath (vocals, guitars), Solomon Dust (guitars), Mordecai Ogayo (bass) and Jude Bulinda (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Vale Of Amonition is a progressive doom metal band from East Africa. We’ve been active in the African metal scene since 2009. We were the first extreme metal band to come out of Uganda but we found our sound better appreciated in Kenya and that’s where most of our collaborations, recordings and performances have been and we presently have two Kenyan members as our rhythm section.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Living and working as a metal band in Uganda was the one. We were total outsiders and just such an ill fit with the rest of the artistic topography in that country. So as a consequence, really, all our efforts were driven towards getting the fuck out of there.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Our perseverance. Our adherence and commitment to our singular unique vision.
What was your biggest regret?
Turning down a gig in Egypt back in the day. We were not organized enough when we were invited to play at the El Sawy Culture Wheel in Cairo and we hope we can someday, we have friends and contacts in Egypt. Egypt and South Africa are the two axes on which African Metal revolves and breaking into both of them is significant for any band from the continent.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
The two times we played the Nairobi Metal Fest in Kenya. Kenya has such a passionate, vivid, ALIVE metal and core scene and being present in that sort of energy was invigorating.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Surprise? I don’t know if I can qualify much as a surprise anymore hehe. I mean, we make pretty avant-garde music by certain standards so nothing was quite shocking on a musical level.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
A lot of funeral doom; Ataraxie’s latest album, »Le Déclin«; Monolithe’s »Black Hole District«; My Dying Bride’s »A Mortal Binding«; the Esoteric classics: »The Pernicious Enigma«, »The Maniacal Vale« and »Paragon Of Dissonance«; Ahab’s »The Coral Tombs«, »Ashenspire« and JPEGMafia.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
When I was about 20, I wrote to Mille Petrozza and he wrote back. He was stoked to know that there were Kreator fans in Uganda. Or at least one hehe. Anyway, he told me that if I wanted to become a serious metal musician it was better to find people to play with than just practising scales in my bedroom. Sage advice as far as I’m concerned. I was a bit of a loner and my practical application of that advice was to actively seek out other people into metal and that’s how I found my first bandmates.
What are your guilty pleasures?
This is a tough one because guilty pleasures are not a thing I entertain any longer. I just like what I like and don’t care. The people who know me know I listen to so much music outside of metal.
Can you say something more about current music scene in your city?
I live in Toronto, Ontario now and that’s a huge metal hub. So many great local bands – and some legendary ones in the rearview, like the sadly missed Woods Of Ypres. It is the most vibrant musical city I’ve ever lived, I love it.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
This is a tricky one cause we don’t all live in the same parts anymore so I wouldn’t hold my breath just yet but we are full of surprises, so just watch this space – does anyone still say that? It sounds antiquated.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Recording the next album which we are writing at the moment and playing festivals all over the world.
How can people best support your band?
Bandcamp for now is the surest way: valeofamonition.bandcamp.com.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Outside of extending my sincerest metallic hails, I’d urge our listeners to look into African mythologies and literature and political histories as an accompaniment to the sounds we’re making. Our influences from that sort of thing are covert but once you start digging, certain things we’ve talked about will be clearer.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well