STORMCAST returned towards the end of last year stronger and more robust than ever before. They marked this triumphant return with their eagerly anticipated latest album Tremors in the Ether. Lotty caught up with band founder Mike Angastiniotis and they spoke about the album, the songwriting process, and burnout.
Hello, Mike; thanks for joining us. For those who aren’t aware, the band was on hiatus for a while. Could you fill us in on that?
There wasn’t really a hiatus between The Ghost Eater and now. When we released The Ghost Eater, our goal was to start gigging and get as many gigs as possible. After we released it, until the end of 2019, we were mostly gigging here and there; we weren’t writing anything new. We had plans for 2020 which went down the toilet, as with everything else. We did take about six to nine months where we didn’t do anything, because life was happening and everything was so weird. None of us really had the capacity to meet up and play or write at that immediate time.
We then started writing in early 2021, and that was very weird. We were writing from home; we weren’t meeting up that much. We’d had some ideas previously which we had just jammed together in the rehearsal room for a couple of songs – very basic and very premature things. These then came back later while we were writing the rest of the album. So it wasn’t so much of a hiatus; it was more a long quiet time of not knowing what to do.
We got to a point where we realised we had to stop faffing about and making noise on social media; we just needed to write the album and see what would happen.
Sometimes having that quiet period is pretty good for all of us.
Yes, it’s sometimes necessary.
Absolutely. So let’s talk about Tremors in the Ether. I noticed you went in a new direction with the sound. Could you tell us about that?
It is quite different to the previous record for sure. Talking about the previous record, first of all: it was a very experimental time. It was something that I did by myself; that was a very weird period as well, and you can tell from the songs. I listen back to it and I think how all-over-the- place it is! [laughs] I do like the songs, but looking back, I know I could have done them better. It’s a reflection on where I was at that time; it’s not the best album, but it is what it is and I am proud of it.
How it compares to Tremors in the Ether: I had a lot more time to sit and be more mindful on how to structure good songs; not trying to fit into some sort of mould or anything, but to write the songs how we feel they should be.
Correct me if I’m wrong here: it sounds like you brought the sounds back from your first album [Frame of Mind] and The Ghost Eater. It sounds like they have been meshed together in a slick way.
I can tell why you would say that, as you can hear that the orchestral elements came back in Tremors in the Ether, and that’s why it brought back that feeling from Frame of Mind. The orchestral elements were missing from the previous record. The main reason why I didn’t add the orchestral or atmospheric elements on The Ghost Eater was because I did everything by myself, and I didn’t know how to programme these sorts of things. So I just made the best of what I had. Now I’ve learnt how to do it, and I came up with ideas – I learnt as I went along.
When recording the songs, do you already have in mind what vocal style you’re going to use or is it a case of trying things out at the time and seeing what works?
‘King Of The Everlost’ for sure. It has quite a fast vocal pattern and there’s some parts with shorter syllables, they pretty much happen one after the other. Also you go straight into a chorus which is clean signing and you hit a couple of high notes on it as well. So transitioning from growls to cleans takes practice, otherwise you go straight into the chorus with the clean vocals and it starts tweaking then you’re all over the place. You have to be relaxed first of all and just go with it, but you need to practice it a lot. I haven’t actually perfected it yet but I am getting there.
I really like the track ‘Oceans’ – I got Opeth vibes.
It’s my favourite one as well.
Now that the album is out, are there plans for future live shows?
I moved back to Cyprus about a year and half ago, and the others are in the UK still. We have an album presentation arranged in Cyprus for this Friday. After that, we will have to come back to the UK to do one as well. We will have to see when that is.
At Rock Out Stand Out, we like to encourage keeping the conversation about mental health going. You spoke quite openly about burnout recently; how did that manifest?
It was a result over a period of time. During COVID, I was working full time, and stuck at home. I like going outside, not out drinking necessarily, but I like being outside; you know, going for a walk, going out into the garden, and interacting with the outdoors. All of sudden, simple things such as going to the Off Licence could cause you to catch something that could kill you, which was nerve-wracking.
I mean, looking back, it was very over-exaggerated; but still, it was reality, and that was what we knew. It felt like such a restriction on freedom as well, and after that, I was coming and going to Cyprus when I could, because lockdowns were very different in the UK to how they were in Cyprus. My partner at the time got COVID and she was very sick with it; she lost her sense of smell and taste for six months. That was depressing.
Then other things happened. I changed jobs. It was a bad decision, because while it was better for me financially, it was not the kind of workload I was ready to take on. At the same time, we were thinking of moving our life back here [Cyprus], so a lot of big things were happening all at once.
In the meantime, I was wondering what I was going to do with the band. I had all these really great ideas that I wanted to write and didn’t know how, when, or what I was going to do; I needed to find a way. The whole struggle manifested in me finding it hard to be happy with anything; simple enjoyments weren’t there anymore. For a period of time, I spoke to a specialist. It did help, but what I learnt from it was that I need to be creative, I need to be productive with stuff that I enjoy doing, and that’s why I knew I had to make this album; because if I didn’t, I would lose my mind. I didn’t care how difficult it would be, or what it would involve: it just had to happen.
So that’s where the album came from, essentially, and where a lot of the themes on the album came from. The songs within the album touch upon that difficult period of time.
I can hear that in the lyrics for sure.
I think the best kind of music comes from a place of struggle.
And listeners who have been through what you have, or similar, are more receptive. It tends to be a release for them.
Yes, because it’s a form of empathy. They start to think, “Oh, I know exactly how that feels – this music understands me, and I understand the music.” That’s how people connect with artists and with music in general.
Your story reminds me of something similar I was going through too.
A lot of the time it does come down to the individual. We expect a lot from ourselves, and we expect to achieve the best, not to disappoint anyone, and to always be perfect at everything. Life doesn’t work like that.
Exactly! Do you feel that you’re at the recovery end of burnout?
I am very perceptive and I really question how I’m feeling sometimes. It takes practice, and it’s a good thing to do. I still get stressed about things on a daily basis: it could be something small like needing to put laundry on or I’m not going to have socks tomorrow. You have to stop and think, “Hang on, why is this stressing me out? What can I do about it? Is there anyone I can ask for help?” Asking for help is often a difficult thing to do.
Burnout is being talked about quite a lot now, which is good. Do you have suggestions or advice on this? What signs to look out for?
I think the signs can vary from person to person. For me personally, the point where I reached burnout was where I felt I had the whole world on my shoulders, and everything was my responsibility. I knew it was burnout when I felt like I didn’t care about things, because that’s contrary to my character. I do care about a lot of things: about people, my work, and things being done in certain ways. So when I reach that point of apathy, I know that’s when I need to go to bed, take time out, and reset. I also sit and think about what could be causing these difficult feelings – this struggle. As big as I make it in my head, I wonder whether it’s really important to get a certain task done. What would happen if I didn’t do it, and what are the consequences? Most of the time, there aren’t any consequences, and it’s just stuff we have made up. You know what I mean.
I definitely do. I was talking to a close friend of mine about how last year I let the website slip due to a hectic year, and how many people I felt I was letting down. She asked me, “Who are you letting down?” and I said, “Actually, I don’t know.”
Yeah, exactly. I used to feel a lot like that about the band, because back in the day when I was based here [Cyprus], we were active and gigging all the time. People would ask me when the next gig was, and we would tell them when it would be. We were always doing something and living for the band; I was much younger then. Then we went on a hiatus and everything went quiet, and I was feeling guilty towards those people. I reached the point where I realised, “Am I doing it for me, or am I doing it for them?” I needed to really be a bit selfish at that point, and to do it when I was feeling ready.
You mentioned you like going for walks earlier; it got me wondering whether there was anything alongside walking that helps you unwind.
I don’t want to say playing guitar, because I can get really annoyed and it can make things worse! [laughs] There’s a time and place for playing music to relax or whatever. Sometimes it is my go-to, to doodle on the guitar. To actually relax, I need to get outside and see some cats in the street. Go around and have a nosy in people’s gardens – from the road, obviously, not actually going into their gardens! I like appreciating those things; I feel like a pensioner, just being nosy. There’s a park near where I live with a lake and some geese; I love walking around there sometimes.
You’re in horror film. Who would have on your survival team?
I would probably pick Eddie Hall, because he’s hard and he’s really funny as well.
Do you have a message from Stormcast fans and our readers?
Always be yourself and live life on your own terms as much as you can, because that is your pathway to freedom. In today’s world, it’s not like we are free, but we should strive to be as much as we could.
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