This month I was able to interview Dave of Within the Torn Apart. Dave's answers are very informative not only about himself and WTTA, but also regarding the genre of drone, and what it's about.

Drone is a taste that must be acquired, and hopefully you will acquire a taste for WTTA!

Dont forget to listen to this month's podcast! The Podcast of Doom!
www.metalblessingradio.podomatic.com
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MBR: Hey Dave, I hope all is well with you. Can you tell us a bit about WTTA and what you do?

WTTA: Wtta is a doom drone band I’ve been working under since 2007, it started under the name “In Emptiness” and made a 2 track demo that is no longer available, although I did include one of the demo tracks on the e.p i just put out, as for what I do I make 90% of the music, Elan makes the other 10, but this will change as soon as the second album gets started on, by then Elan will be making 30% of the music since he will be incorporating drums into the mix, I handle all bass, guitars and drones, and some vox, Elan handles drums, ambience and soundscapes, and some vox, then we have Fire whom is our session vocalist and Mikey Erasmus whom will more than likely do session vox anytime as well

MBR: Now WTTA is a Drone project, which of course is not the most widely popular genre by any means. How would describe drone to a new listener, and what tips would you give to help someone acquire a taste for this genre?


WTTA: First and foremost turn your lights out, sit back first against your sub speaker, turn the bass up full and volume up full, and drone out, thats how our music should be listened to, as for people getting into drone theres no real way to explain it, its all about the (((vibrations))))))), its all about the riff, drone is not meant to be technical or pretty, its about being taken to another realm, or as Greg Anderson puts it its like an audio massage, its about being able to feel the music, not just hear it, but this genre is very hard to accept, so the average music fan cannot nor will not feel at home here, if you have a scene mind then you definitely will hate this music, but if your an open minded and id even go as far as to say spiritual minded person then you will be able to appreciate drone.

MBR: If you will, give us a brief history of WTTA and where you are now. I understand that Sullen Records will be releasing your next full-length album; how does this make you feel?

WTTA: WTTA started out in 2007, under the name “In Emptiness” as I previously stated, after I found out a satanic band had the name first i dropped it, Mr Morder helped me come up with Within The Torn Apart, it has a double meaning, the first being the Lord living within my torn apart past, wiping it away, making me whole again, and the other meaning is a tribute to one of my all time favorite bands Napalm Death, which has ties to a couple of different drone influenced bands, including Scorn, Lull, and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine, and of course one of the greatest doom bands of all time, Cathedral, as for Sullen releasing my debut that is sweet, and I really thank James for that, as for future releases we will see eh?

MBR: I have to be honest, I am not yet educated in the way of drone, but I am working on it. What are some of your influences, and what artists would you recommend to people who want to find a good example of what drone is all about? I’ve heard you talk about Sunn, but I still haven’t got a chance to check them out yet.


WTTA: I would say your first stop should be Earth 1 and 2, then Sunn o))), listening to Earth's first 2 albums you will hear the birth of doom drone, and listening to Sunn you will hear it perfected, these 2 bands surpass all others, well Earth did with their first 2 albums, now they play drone influenced sludge/stoner doom, if I were to recommend just 2 albums to really get someone into drone I would say Earth 1 and Sunn o))) Alter, or Black 1

MBR: As I write this interview, my dog and myself are listening to your “Drone In – Blood Out” album. If I understand correctly this album is more of timeline of WTTA, is there a change in sound or direction on the new material being released on Sullen?

WTTA: Yes it is, and yeah there is a huge difference in sound, to get the best idea listen to the first track and then the last track, and the last track is only a taste of what the new material sounds like,lol

MBR: What are a few of your favorite albums of all time? Also who are some of your personal favorite bands/artists?

WTTA:
1.Faith No More-Angel Dust
2.Sunn o)))-Alter or Black 1, and White 1, sorry, cant pick just one
3.Napalm Death-Fear Emptiness Despair
4.Earth-1
5.Saint Vitus-Born Too Late
6.Paramaecium-the first 3 albums, sorry i know i cheated,lol
7.Megadeth-Killing is my Business
8.Metallica-Master of Puppets
9.Argyle Park Misguided
10.Circle of Dust-Brainchild, and the Brainchild project as well

MBR: So how did you acquire your taste for drone and ambient? And when did you become interested in creating this type of music yourself?

WTTA: I first got into ambient by listening to some live Pink Floyd with my dad as a kid, 7 or 8 years old, as for drone I got into it in the early 90's after first hearing Earth, doom i got into in 87 when i fell in love with Saint Vitus, Born Too Late was my first favorite album, as for making ambient I’ve been making it as far back as 93, my dad has always been in bands, and always had a recording studio in our house, so I learned early since he always trusted me not to break his instruments and recording equipment, I first started making noise drone with a 4 track, a bass and guitar and a lot of effects, then I moved on to ambient a couple years later, by this time I had a live doom band which was influenced by Saint Vitus and Black Flag, so it was a fast doom,lol, I made over 30 tapes worth of material from my ambient project which was nameless back then, as soon as I can figure out how to transfer them to my computer I will be using them for a project, the material ranges in age from 93 to 2003, as for my noise drone I have 2 tapes worth of that, but I don’t know if I’ll ever release it, I love it personally and listen to it alot, this being the main reason I make my own music, really and truly its for myself, so I can listen to what I want to hear, if I make it then it will be exactly that with no filler,lol, and if people dig my music along the way then its just a blessing

MBR: I will be featuring some of your new music on the July podcast, is there anything you would like to tell people before they venture to listen to WTTA?

WTTA: Take a dump first,lol, inside drone joke, um make sure your not busy, you can’t just listen to a track for a minute or 2 and leave and come back to it, the whole point of the song will be lost, if you can’t listen to it from the first tone to the ending tone then you’re missing the point and I’d rather you not listen to it at all, this is not to be rude but I put my heart and soul into this music, and if it’s not taken seriously then i take that personally, point being drone is not just a radio friendly venture into a 3 minute track,lol most intros in drone are double that, you will rarely hear a track under 7 minutes in drone, most go over 10 though


MBR: What kind of things do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?

WTTA: Music is what i do 75% of the time, when im not working on music i am a pro wrestling fanatic, basball fanatic, i try and catch as many drillers games as possible, and im a video game fanatic, and my 3 kids, they are a part of everything I do, they are my life, and then there's my time with God, one hour a day reading my bible and learning the word of god and 4 hours on Sunday since i don’t go to church, and 15 minutes at night praying to our God for peace in my life

MBR: How does the song-writing process normally go for you, and how do you usually go about creating some of the unique soundscapes that we hear within the music of WTTA?

WTTA: Well thats a hard one to answer, usually I will spend a couple weeks making the very base of the tracks, which starts with alot of ambience which is usually lost during the completion of the song, but it fills in all the cracks along the way, then I lay down the bass lines, and then the guitar tracks, then mold all of that together, then lay down the vox, and then throw some effects over the mix and then master it, usually a typical song can take anywhere from a week to a month to create, but sometimes alot longer,lol it took me the better part of a year to get the sound to where it is now, but i also have to factor in my kids being here, and alot of other things that effect the recording process


MBR: And as far as lyrics and subject matter are concerned, where do you draw most of your lyrical influence from?

WTTA: The bible and my personal life, the second album will be alot more biblical themed, but the debut deals alot with my divorce and my depression, and God’s eternal love, and how he fixes everything

MBR: Has the drone scene responded well to your music?

WTTA: Very well, the secular scene knowing it’s a Christian project has embraced it as well as the Christian scene, WTTA is doing very well, God has blessed me


MBR: What does the future hold for Within The Torn Apart?

WTTA: Not sure, I know the second album will be started on in December but from there only God knows

MBR: Thank you for doing this interview, is there anything else you would like to say to any one who is reading?

WTTA: Thank you eternally for listening to WTTA, God bless you

Great interview Blake

thanks! let me know how you like the podcast

I enjoyed the interview. Now for the podcast!