WHW's era has started more than 10 years ago, right? What made you all to make this decision? What kind of music you were playing back then?

While Heaven Wept began in November 1989, under the moniker Dream Wytch and we performed music that incorporated doom, thrash, and progressive elements. We originally formed for musical reasons; we wanted to play music that we enjoyed, that nobody else did.....later on, the purpose of the band became self-expression/catharsis.....this was about the time the name WHW was insurrected (October 1991).

What do you think about your very first release/ demo and your music back then? Do you play songs from that period today during your liveshows?

We did not officially release anything until the "Into The Wells Of Sorrow" 7" in 1994, but there are numerous rehearsal tapes from early 1990-94.....and I suppose that there are aspects of those songs that I still like, but most are too disjointed for me (remember, these had a lot of different elements to them, but we had no style of our own)..... These days, we do perform some songs that date back to 1991 like "Into The Wells Of Sorrow" and "In Aeternum," but nothing other than the officially released material.

I'm sure it's impossible to fit all those 10 years in this small interview, but may be you could tell me about most important milestones of WHW's career? Your achievements best shows, interesting people : or even tragedies!

Hmmm.....the first milestone was the insurrection of the name, the origin of which is the day I received the letter from my first true love telling me she had given up.....the sky turned black as I read it and exploded into tears.....

The next milestone was meeting and jamming with Jon Paquin, (who is one of my favorite drummers of all time to this day!), and subsequently forming the first truly productive line-up with him and Gabe Funston. Jon really opened a lot of new avenues for me as an artist, and has set the standard to which all future drummers of WHW will be compared. The relationship I have with Jon can be extremely volatile at times, and we have struggled together with personal demons ( conjuring them on occasion too!), but we are still very good friends even now. Anyway, it was this line-up that produced the "Lovesongs Of The Forsaken" demo CD in 1994, which is the first "real" release from WHW, and in some ways, it still stands the test of time, although we would approach the production differently now..... A personal milestone for me was the completion of the song "Thus A Kiss I Die".....it is my first masterwork and the greatest expression of the tumult in my soul so far..... Lastly, I would like to mention the first album "Sorrow Of The Angels" - from day one as WHW, this was to be the title, although the tracklist varied numerous times.....anyway, once I held the final product of 9 years of work and anguish in my hands it was extremely gratifying.....

I know that WHW had some line-up changes during all those years: Lets talk about you current line-up. Please tell me about you and you friends. What are you doing for living? Got any jobs? Do you have any musical education or you self-taught? Also please tell us about your/ their other bands/ side projects (if any) as well.

Well, the current line-up is virtually the same as the live line-up from 1999: myself (vocals, guitars, keys), Scott Loose (guitars), Michelle Loose (keys), and Jim Hunter (bass).....the only difference now is we have Trevor Schrotz on drums instead of Paquin..... We all have jobs outside of the band.....this type of music does not generate a lot of income, but that is not why I perform it anyway.....most of us do something related to music though.....

I have studied classical compostion for years, and most of the past (and present) members of WHW have all had some kind of formal musical instruction.....the two most notable exceptions are Jim Hunter and Jon Paquin, who are naturally gifted.....

We all are involved in other musical projects besides WHW: Scott, Michelle, Trevor, and myself have another band called BRAVE (formerly Arise From Thorns) that is much more oriented towards progressive rock than metal, and Jim plays bass in October 31 these days.....all of our projects have
cd's available, so contact us for information of how to get them!

Sorrow of Angels was released quite time ago. Do you think it was a successful release? Is there any progression since previous albums? What you don't like on this album and what are you going to improve on your next release? What makes you proud of Sorrow of Angels? How many albums sold so far?

"Sorrow Of The Angels" was a success for me, because we managed to capture the true emotion behind the music, the production was good (although not perfect), and our performances were good as well..... "Sorrow....." was a massive step forward in all respects compared to all of the previous releases for all the reasons I just mentioned.....plus, Mauro did an amazing job with the graphics on top of everything else.....

I am never completely satisfied with any recording; there is always something to improve upon.....but, my biggest issues, which will be resolved on the next cd, are: the drums are not as large as the should be for our dense sound, the guitars were too tinny (black metal sounding), and the keys were not as loud as I would have liked them to be.....plus, I have a problem with "The Death Of Love" in that it wasn't really finished before the cd was released, and like the other songs only grew into it's most mature form after playing it live.....

I know that "Sorrow....." was well received everywhere, and we sold out of the initial pressing very quickly, but I do not have any idea how many
copies we have sold cummulatively.....

Sorrow...is only 28 minutes long. Why is it so short? You know, now I even hate this album, cuz it's too short! I love all the songs very much, but there are only 4 of them so after months of listening to Sorrow I know every song so good that it's not interesting to do that one more time. It's like you listen to tune and you know what kind of tune you'll here next second. You didn't have more good songs at that time (I'm sure you did) or what?

Well, "Sorrow....." is actually about 39 minutes long, but still short for today's standards.....originally, there were 3 other songs we recorded for it, but I was not happy with how they turned out, and rather than release inferior material far the sake of filling up a cd I chose to release only the strongest songs we recorded and those that were most representative of what WHW is all about.....

I also want to ask you about your complete discography. Please mention compilations and 7" as well.

The complete WHW discography:

"Into The Wells Of Sorrow" 7", 1994
"Lovesongs Of The Forsaken" demo, 1994
"Lovesongs Of The Forsaken" MCD, 1995
While Heaven Wept/Cold Mourning split 7", 1998
"Sorrow Of The Angels" CD, 1998

We have also appeared on the following compilations:

"Scenecubator", 1993
"Funeral Aspects V.2", 1995
"At The Mountains Of Madness", 1999

There are a couple others I can't remember right now from the 1994-1995 era.....

Lovesongs of the Forsaken. Please tell me about this album. I couldn't find the MCD so far, unfortunately. Who has released the album? Who carries the distribution? How many songs on this album? What kind of music? Is it more doomy or in the vein of Thus With A Kiss I Die?

"Lovesongs....." was released through Sinistrari Records, which I was orginally involved with.....they have also released music by Tristitia, Grand Belial's Key, Twisted Tower Dire, Crucifier, and Arghoslent..... This release was basically our demo released on cd, but re-mixed and with a few alterations.....it was about 20 minutes long, with 3 songs: "In Aeturnum," "La Mort D'mour," and "Sorrow Of The Angels".....and all of these songs were written around the same time as those featured on "Sorrow....." so, they are very melancholic, but more diverse, in that, one was more mid-tempo, one was a ballad, and that last was exactly in vein of the album material..... These songs are performed together as a trilogy generally, and in that sense "Lovesongs....." as a whole, IS similar to "Thus.....", even though they are really 3 separate compostions.....

Do you have a favorite very special song among other WHW songs or all the songs are the same to their creator?

Again, I would say that I am most pleased with "Thus.....," but I am also very proud of the final version of "Into The Wells Of Sorrow," which features my first experiments with 18th century counterpoint.....

WHILE HEAVEN WEPT plays pretty strange music for today. This genre is not popular any more. Most of contemporary metalheads think that doom metal are bands like ANATHEMA, MY DYING BRIDE or TRISTANIA. Many among fans don't even know CATHEDRAL's Forest Of Equilibrium. At the same time people who remember bands like CANDLEMASS are not as active as they used to be, they got families, kids... Or I'm wrong? Do you feel demand for classic doom metal?

Was epic doom metal ever popular? Candlemass were the first and only band to achieve in real recognition so far, but then again, there have only been 5 or 6 bands since that followed in their footsteps: WHW, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, Forlorn (Swe.), and Millarca..... When we started, you could count the number of doom bands really easily: Trouble, Candlemass, St. Vitus, Penance, Revelation, Count Raven, Cathedral.....and a couple others.....that was it! Then, the bands you mentioned came along - the early Peaceville sound: MDB, Paradise Lost, Anathema.....none of whom I consider to be doom, rather melancholic death metal (at the time).....but I always appreciated the mood of their music more than the Hellhound bands (Wretched, Obsessed, Lost Breed) which was more like biker rock.....

Anyway, back to your question, I think that there is a demand for the true believers in doom metal.....especially considering everyone from Candlemass to Cathedral to Solitude to Anathema have all evolved beyond their initial sound/style.....in some cases for better, but most for worse in my opinion.....
.....but, true doom will never be popular because of the nature of the music.....; the masses either want to live in fantasy or shallowness.....few people want to admit that their lives are shit, and that they are unhappy.....subsequently, they do not want to hear music that reminds them of reality.....do you know what I mean? Just look at what is popular in America.....MTV's pre-packaged pop shit.....disposable muzak for feeble minds.....

What do you call as "stoner rock"? Any bands to mention?

As far as stoner rock bands.....I'm talking about bands trying to be like Fu Manchu, Kyuss, etc. these bands try to be heavy (ala sabbath), but end up lacking substance.....they have nothing to do with doom or METAL..... I don't really want to mention anyone specifically, but I will say that you can look at labels like meteor city, man's ruin, rise above etc. for examples of what is not doom or metal..... If you really need an example, cathedral is a perfect one.....after "forest of equilibrium" they got more and more groovy.....to the point of becoming disco basically..... fair enough, perhaps that is what they want to do, but don't equate that with DOOM FUCKING METAL..... do you know what i mean.....? i am not a musical midget - i listen to everything from jazz to classical to prog, but i will defend the integrity of true doom come hell or high water.....

Doom metal in the States. What do you think about this phenomenon? I saw an interview with a young doom metal band from the states and the guys told that nobody care about such music in the USA and they want to move out to Europe. You also release albums in Europe and even plan a tour on our soil. So, do you have any support in the States? What do you think about your doom scene (if it exists)?

There was a brief period in time, around this area in particular (around Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland) when there were a lot of active doom bands.....most of the bands on Hellhound came from here, plus Pentagram.....this was between 1992-1995 for the most part, and all of the doom bands were like a family.....then the advent of stoner rock faggotry divided the whole scene..... I can't say there ever really was a US "doom scene", yet we had a lot of bands with no support, aside from Europe.....but now, there are warring factions spread all over.....bands like WHW, Solstice, Electric Wizard, Warning, etc. remain true doom, while everyone else has gone off to buy some fucking flares and grow some shite chops.....
Let me just say this: HIPPIE ROCK AND BIKER ROCK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DOOM.....DOOM=MOOD.....the intro to "Black Sabbath" is doom.....watching your parents die is doom.....having your heart butchered is doom.....being stoned and "groovy" is not..... These days, there are only a few doom bands left here.....Cold Mourning, Pale Divine, Warhorse..... everyone else is defunct or false.....

You write all the music. Do other guys help you or they are nothing but people who should play the stuff you say? And how much time it takes to give birth for a song? Do you need help from artificial ingredients like alcohol or drugs for an inspiration?

For the past 11 years, I have been the sole composer for WHW, but everyone has their input, and the arrangements are affected by that, but I do have the final say.....however, things may change in the future.....although it is not likely..... The songs write themselves through revelation.....then I orchestrate them after the exo-skeleton is complete. Sometimes, it only takes 5 minutes to complete a compostion, and in other cases it may take years.....and honestly, they are never REALLY finished; they continue to grow and evolve like children do..... My primary inspiration is life experience.....failed relationships, the deaths of people close to me, the dissolution of friendships.....and a long history of depression to begin with..... Alcohol certainly has intensified feelings of isolation and sadness for me, so I am sure this has an impact upon the music.....and the use of LSD and marijuana over many years has helped me take a few more risks compostionally, but I do not require anything other than reality to compose the music that I do.....

WHILE HEAVEN WEPT exists for more than 10 years and at the same time you don't have much success. You play beautiful music but not many care about that. What helps you to keep on fighting? Where do you get strength to go on and brake this wall of apathy? In my country metal bands experience the same situation and I know dozens of them who gave up, unfortunately...

WHW isn't about being popular; it is purely about expression and catharsis.....to be honest, I don't want every fucker in a Cradle Of Filth T-shirt listening to this music because it is "cool" or "heavy" anyway.....there are plenty of other bands who can do that..... I just write music for myself and the people who the songs refer to..... I am perfectly content in being a "cult phenomenon".....if I wanted more than that, I would play black metal or stoner rock.....besides, BRAVE is the outlet I hope to succeed with commercially anyway.....

Now it's time to talk about your upcoming album. You say it will be in the vein of Thus With: The song is very good; it has cool changes in tempo, lots of tasty moments. But does it mean that your album will be more symphonic and less doomy this time?

The new album will indeed be much more symphonic, but no less doom.....I am not talking about doing something cheesy like Rhapsody or Angra, rather I'm talking about dark symphonies in the vein of Pulsar or Jane.....; basically, the music will be similar, but the keyboards will sit up higher in the mix, and there will be independence between the instruments.....otherwise, it will continue in the WHW tradition.....

Please tell me about other WHW releases/ activities you plan for this year.

Aside from the new cd "Of Empires Forlorn," we intend to re-mix and re-master "Sorrow Of The Angels" for a private pressing with different artwork ( + bonus track!)..... In August, we will be over in Europe to do a tour with Solstice, who are one of the only other epic doom bands left.....

Please tell me about your another band Arise From Thorns. What kind of music you play there? Do you have any releases?

OK. Arise From Thorns changed their name to BRAVE in March 2000 first of all, but have not yet released anything under that moniker. BRAVE is different from WHW in several ways, although we utilize similar chord forms for both bands; Michelle sings (quite beautifully, I might add ala Tori Amos or Lisa Gerrard), there are many more acoustic parts, and the music is more technical than that of WHW, but more commercially accessible.....however, progressive rock is only slightly more popular than doom! I think that BRAVE has a lot of potential..... As far as releases there are two AFT cd's: the self-titled debut, and "Before An Audience Of Stars," which will be re-issued on the Dark Symphonies label at the end of January 2001. In November we recorded 4 songs for a new ep, which will be released sometime early this year.....it will be entitled "Waist Deep In Dark Waters".....

You told me that you had gigs in the past. Do you play live often? How many people usually visit your gigs? And who visits your gigs - youngsters or grownups?

WHW rarely plays live because of the personal nature of the music, especially in the US, but we did do a few in 1999.....only the hardcore supporters of the music came out, pretty much what i expected and hoped for to begin with..... WHW will only perform in Europe from now on, aside from the occasional one-off locally..... BRAVE on the other hand, performs almost every weekend, and will continue to do more shows in the future, hopefully touring sometime this year.....BRAVE will be in Europe with WHW in august too..... The BRAVE audience is rather diverse: metalheads, goths, prog. freaks, families, average listeners.....

For some bands playing live is just a job, fun; they enjoy manipulating with crowd, entertaining people. Some bands hate to play live cuz it happens in small hot venues in front of stupid drunken people... And another part of bands play live cuz it's like a drug for them: they feel energy which comes from their fans and like vampires they need this energy for living, ha-ha. What about you?

I love performing live when the circumstances are right, especially for WHW.....there is definately a relation between the audiences enthusiasm and the band's performance.....either way, we try to give 110% every night.....that energy is the best high of all.....

I don't know about your other albums but Sorrow deals with "love" theme. And in your case love is pretty melancholic and sad. You know, we have so many great songs (even in popular music) about lost love, tragedies, departures: at the same I can hardly remember even a dozen of songs about "happy" love. It looks like people do not like to share with others with their happiness, but they just need to cry out about how depressed and unhappy they are. Do you think that it happens cuz we are so egoistic or positive feelings just can't create art?

I can only speak for myself in that I write what I feel.....and if I were happy, I would compose positive music.....I think there are some really beautiful examples of uplifting music: Bach's B minor mass, Boston, Kitaro.....I just haven't felt that way myself..... I must add that if I were happy, I probably wouldn't do WHW.....not that I am a completely miserable bastard, but I am often morose and saddened by the circumstances of my life.....I am just being honest, you know? If I had a faithful, beautiful wife, and a secure future I would probably be composing ballads as deep in their bliss as the songs of WHW are deep in their despair.....

You are a musician, an artist... At the same time you live in the country of greed, individualism and total apathy to everything except moneymaking. American art is based on commercialism and it's degrading. I even say that American art is a form of propaganda: Europe is also slowly drowning in this "American dream", but our deepest cultural roots help us to resist. Your music isn't really commercial: Do you (as an artist) feel a conflict between you and your environment? Do you have any hope for our future?

I have nothing to do with this fast-food, shallow, trend-oriented society other than the fact that I live here.....don't get me wrong, America is great economically (most of the time), and we have more freedom than many countries (although not as free as it would seem), but there is a lack of culture and a dumbing of the society with every subsequent generation..... It is imperative that the European peoples acknowledge the threat of mericanization by defending their heritage.....never forget who you are or
where you come from.....but, be aware of the adversary.....learn about it.....experience it.....that is usually enough to tear through the silver lining of the so-called American dream..... Integrity is the hallmark of a true artist.....

For more information feel free to contact me via email at:

plomerus@hotmail.com

P.O. Box 1077, Dale City, VA. 22195 USA