The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Phil Swanson of Solemn Lament

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

Surreal is the first word that comes to mind. A massive underground music nerd who was just wanting to be part of something in any way possible. Started writing reviews for a friend’s fanzine in the ’80s that led to interviews. Tape trading and vinyl collecting that led to a small retail and wholesale distro working with bands to get their music heard and released before deciding to sneak my own music into the mix. Eventually I got better at it apparently to the point even more talented people than myself wanted to be a part of it with me.

Describe your first musical memory.

Staying home sick from school in the ’70s bored and exploring my parents’ hi-fi and record collection. Nothing good, but at the time I really didn’t know what listening to music was all about until I pulled the record out of the sleeve and put it on while watching the cover come to life. It literally blew my mind.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I have been lucky enough to experience everything I could ever want to in music. Met my heroes, played with my friends I idolized and earned their respect. Developed relationships with musicians who are now the closest people to my heart as I will allow whether they know it or not. The journey has been the best memory. To be a part of something I only dreamed of and never thought possible.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

As a child of 13 when I was brutally beaten by a group of kickers in Texas and the people I thought were there to keep me safe looked the other way. My belief in trust was tested and lost forever in that moment and so many moments after.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Catharsis.

How do you define success?

Achieving personal goals however large or small. It’s a very relative thing and can happen in many different ways.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Violence on more occasions than I would like to admit at this stage of my life. Things that haunt me and make me feel my struggles in present life are justified by things that surrounded me in my past.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A finished graphic novel or film. I have written several scripts, one came very close to publication but timing was lost. I was writing scripts at the same time as my music progressed and then music took precedent. If I wasn’t so complicated and difficult that I could play along I probably could have had the opportunity, but I tend to pull back every time I have the chance to move forward.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Escape.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Taking my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to the highest level I am capable of while I still can. To be a legitimate player and threat in any room I enter. To have the respect of anyone I tap hands with.

https://www.facebook.com/solemnlament
https://www.instagram.com/solemnlamentmusic/
https://solemnlament.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrWvrLIkGZEmsJwRx2_Plmw

https://www.facebook.com/svartrecords
https://www.instagram.com/svartrecords/
https://twitter.com/svartrecords
https://svartrecords.com/

Solemn Lament, Solemn Lament (2021)

The 15-year history of Vestal Claret is nearly as murky as the cult-minded doom in which the Connecticut-based outfit specialize. Their new self-titled full-length arrives as a return for multi-instrumentalist/engineer Simon Tuozzoli (also of Owl Maker) and vocalist Phil Swanson (Seamount, ex-Hour of 13, etc.), as it’s been six years since they issued The Cult of Vestal Claret (review here) through Cruz del Sur Music. That offering was as cohesively metal as anything the band had done up to that point, and it seems that the new one is looking elsewhere for inspiration. I dig that, and medieval folk and cult doom go together pretty well, so yeah, sign me up for this one. Justin de Tore on drums don’t hurt either.

Interesting though that for the record they wanted to get less metal they got a dude who’s worked with Power Trip and Cavalera Conspiracy to mix it.

Wonder if they’ll do shows when such a thing becomes possible? It’d be something to see Vestal Claret live after all this time.

From the PR wire:

Vestal Claret release new album

Critically acclaimed occult metal band VESTAL CLARET are pleased to announce that they have released their new self-titled album via Bandcamp.

Purchase/Stream the album here: https://thecultofvestalclaret.bandcamp.com/album/vestal-claret

After a dozen physical releases on various formats and labels, to a more and more saturated genre, Vestal Claret set off to compose something musically broader and songwriter-oriented. Cliches were avoided, as well as anything that could gallop or be muted in its riffing.

The first two songs written from the new record were “Abandoned” and “Shadows.” Their creation, released as the demo Two Stones 2017, was meant to be an experiment to pursue the possibility of stepping away from any heavy metal tendencies. Those two songs became a template for creating a new life for Vestal Claret, while also bringing the band back closer to its original intent.

Musically, the new recording relies on Simon’s natural progressive nature. Influenced by his years in the New England music scene and his love of medieval folk, the creative process for this recording was an ideal situation. He had complete freedom to perform and produce as broadly as he could imagine.

Phil wrote the lyrics while driving cross country, spending well over a year living in a van, split between the beaches of Southern California and the Sedona Arizona desert. Isolation and recluse are its strongest influence.

Mixing and mastering was provided by Arthur Rizk (Powertrip, Sacred Riech, Cromags, Cavalera Conspiracy, Code Orange, Pissed Jeans, Ghostmane, Inquisition) and drums were performed by Justin de Tore (Magic Circle, Innumerable Forms, Mind Eraser, No Tolerance, Rival Mob).

No boundaries or barriers confine this new vision of Vestal Claret. It contains as much simplicity as it does complexity. It has no intent nor idea to be a genre recording. Its only ambition is to complement the bands maturity as musicians and songwriters to the best of its current ability.

Vestal Claret is:
Phil Swanson: Vocals
Justin DeTore: Drums
Simon Tuozzoli: Guitars, Bass, Organ, Percussion, Vocals, Various Instruments

Additional musicians:
Matt Campbell: Piano
David Caldarella: Violin
Jessie May: Cello
Madeline Baldwin: Vocals
The Mother: Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/VestalClaret/
https://thecultofvestalclaret.bandcamp.com/

Vestal Claret, Vestal Claret (2020)

You know how I know Vestal Claret enjoy making their listeners squirm? Because not only is their new video for the song “The Stranger,” which is among the most singularly perverse tracks from their new album, The Cult of Vestal Claret (discussed here), but the lyrics appear in the clip itself, overlaid with the video footage. There’s no getting around them, and the video only furthers the band’s well-honed atmosphere of deranged, sexualized violence.

“The Stranger” repurposes an episode of Showtime’s Masters of Horror to tell its tale of kidnapping and psychotic abuse, and yeah, put together with vocalist Phil Swanson‘s lyrics, it’s pretty fucked up and troubling. That’s what Vestal Claret — Swanson and multi-instrumentalist/recording engineer Simon Tuozzoli — do, and they’re good at it. There’s not much gore to speak of, but still, the cringes come easy as the clip plays out, complete with van, rag soaked in ether, and a blood-stained tub in the basement.

The entirety of The Cult of Vestal Claret is available now for streaming through Bandcamp, and you’ll find that on the player following Cruz del Sur Music‘s announcement of the video.

Here goes:

Vestal Claret, “The Stranger” official video

VESTAL CLARET releases new videoclip

America’s heavy rock doomsters VESTAL CLARET release today their first videoclip off “The Cult of Vestal Claret” their last release out on Cruz Del Sur Music early May 2014.

The song chosen is “The Stranger”, one of the most catchy yet disturbing tunes of the album; for the visual side we were inspired by the Masters of Horror’s episode “The Fair-Haired Child” which partially depict most of the upsetting lyrics of the track.

The release of “The Cult of The Vestal Claret” introduced the band to a wider audience thanks to a mature yet in-your-face song-writing. Some of the songs have been already released by Vestal Claret on limited edition split albums, but have been completely re-recorded for the occasion. Featuring the charming vocals of Phil Swanson, Vestal Claret’s sound has been enthusiastically described as “the jangling melancholy of Trouble, the epic stomp of Candlemass, the creative freedom of Sabbath”, but also raised some controversy in the media when some songs’ lyrics were described as “nauseating”.

You will not get a better chance to judge by yourself by checking the video clip above or listen to the entire album streaming on bandcamp!

Vestal Claret, The Cult of Vestal Claret (2014)

Vestal Claret on Thee Facebooks

Cruz del Sur Music

Leave a comment on this post to be entered into a contest to win a CD of the new Vestal Claret full-length, The Cult of Vestal Claret, from Cruz del Sur. The album (discussed here) came out last week, and if you’re a fan of traditional doom, classic metal or any number of deviant behaviors, the latest work from the core duo of Phil Swanson (Hour of 13, etc.) and Simon Tuozzoli (King of Salem) — plus drummer Michael Petrucci (Curse the Son) — is one you’re going to want to check out. At very least with all the commitment that entering to win one for free requires, which is basically none.

You know the drill by now. If you want the disc, comment on this post and don’t forget to fill in your email address so I can get back to you and tell you you won. Goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway that your email doesn’t get shared with anybody because fuck that shady shit.

Here’s the full stream from Cruz del Sur‘s Bandcamp, followed by more info about the record. Don’t forget to enter!

The Cult of Vestal Claret introduces to the masses a name that thus far has been quite popular only amongst the die-hard fans of the doom metal scene. In fact, Swanson is well renowned for his work with HOUR OF 13 and SEAMOUNT. VESTAL CLARET’s pronounced BLACK SABBATH-inspiration together with Swanson’s signature doomy style perfectly blends with the band’s Traditional Heavy Metal’ influences, not to mention an accomplished drumming style, cutting guitars and catchy compositions. The morbid-themed lyrics walk hand in hand with the mesmerizing music: VESTAL CLARET celebrates the dark side of the human psyche, with abundant references to Occultism, Satanism and other disturbing imagery.

The compact disc edition includes newly recorded versions of four previously released tracks from the split with Ungod, and the long suite “Black Priest” (a different, re-recorded version from the one present on the split with Indian band ALBATROSS). The CD also contains two unreleased songs, a cover version of BLACK SABBATH’s “Who Are You?”, and an exclusive CD-only track titled “Great Goat God.” The vinyl LP includes two songs from the Ungod split, the two unreleased tracks, and an exclusive vinyl-only track titled “So Mote it Be.”

Track List:
CD
1. Never Say No
2. Three and Three Are Six
3. The Cult of the Vestal Claret
4. Great Goat God
5. The Demon and the Deceiver
6. Piece of Meat
7. Black Priest
8. Who Are You
9. The Stranger

VESTAL CLARET is:
Philip Swanson – Vocals
Simon Tuozzoli – Bass, Guitar, Organ, Additional Voice
(Drums by Michael Petrucci)

Contest ends Monday, May 19. Good luck!

Vestal Claret on Thee Facebooks

Cruz del Sur Music

There are many lyricists who delve into occult themes, devil-worship, carnal violence, etc., in their work, but I can’t think of anyone who pushes the boundaries quite as much as Phil Swanson. Noted for his tenures in Hour of 13 and Seamount — as well as the underappreciated Upwards of Endtime, Earthlord and a slew of others — the Connecticut-based singer seems most at home reveling in the taboo, testing and periodically crossing the line between decency and the profane. It’s not the cartoon chainsawing of death metal; there’s something more cerebral and corrupted about his approach. In Vestal Claret, he partners with multi-instrumentalist/engineer Simon Tuozzoli, also of King of Salem, and he seems to have found an avenue for his darkest output yet.

Vestal Claret‘s story is complicated, but in 2013, the three-piece of Swanson, Tuozzoli and drummer Michael Petrucci (also of King of Salem and Curse the Son) released their full-length debut, Bloodbath (review here), after putting the same record out on vinyl with various guests singing in 2011. Now signed to Cruz del Sur Music, the follow-up, The Cult of Vestal Claret, arrives quickly on the heels of its predecessor and furthers the duo’s (Petrucci played drums, but is no longer listed as a permanent member) fetish for psychotic explorations and traditional Sabbathian metal, tracks like “Never Say No Again,” “Piece of Meat,” the startlingly progressive 16-minute “Black Priest” and closer “The Stranger” churning with malevolent riffs, classically-styled lead work and of course Swanson‘s trademark bite.

Handling guitar, bass, organ and backing vocals in addition to the recording, Tuozzoli manages to evoke a full-band feel across The Cult of Vestal Claret‘s nine-song course (the LP has a different tracklisting than the CD, with sundry bonus cuts for each), boldly taking on Black Sabbath‘s “Who are You?” and matching the swing and pace of the original before letting loose one final creep-out with “The Stranger.” The latter track begins acoustically — there are unplugged moments throughout, feeding into the classic metal atmosphere — before moving into one of the record’s most righteous riffs, Swanson‘s vocals arriving with an immediate threat on which the song itself seems to make good, only getting more twisted as it progresses.

They are not looking to sicken simply for shock value, and there is an underlying intelligence and subtlety to what Vestal Claret does, so even if they offend, they’re offending with art and forcing the listener to confront what it is about their material that proves so disturbing. Take a listen to “The Stranger” on the player below and see where you stand:

[mp3player width=480 height=150 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=vestal-claret-the-stranger.xml]

Vestal Claret release The Cult of Vestal Claret on May 6 via Cruz del Sur. More info below, courtesy of the PR wire:

U.S. Occult Heavy Metallers VESTAL CLARET will release The Cult of Vestal Claret through Cruz del Sur Music on May 6 in North America. The album will be available on CD and vinyl LP formats; each with different track listings.

The compact disc edition includes newly recorded versions of four previously released tracks from the split with Ungod, and the long suite “Black Priest” (a different, re-recorded version from the one present on the split with Indian band ALBATROSS). The CD also contains two unreleased songs, a cover version of BLACK SABBATH’s “Who Are You?”, and an exclusive CD-only track titled “Great Goat God.” The vinyl LP includes two songs from the Ungod split, the two unreleased tracks, and an exclusive vinyl-only track titled “So Mote it Be.”

Track List
CD
1. Never Say No Again
2. Three and Three Are Six
3. The Cult of the Vestal
4. Great Goat God
5. The Demon and the Deceiver
6. Piece of Meat
7. Black Priest
8. Who Are You
9. The Stranger

Vinyl LP
1. Never Say No Again
2. Three and Three Are Six
3. The Cult of the Vestal
4. The Stranger
5. So Mote it Be
6. Black Priest

Vestal Claret on Thee Facebooks

Cruz del Sur Music

Kudos to the Connecticut duo of Phil Swanson (formerly of Hour of 13 and so many others I’d be out of breath from typing the names; as much a statement about me as about the bands) and Simon Tuozzoli (also King of Salem, ex-Guerra), better known as Vestal Claret, on their signing to Cruz Del Sur Music for the release of their second album, The Cult of Vestal Claret. The band’s debut, Bloodbath, came out first in 2011 in an edition that featured a host of guest appearances, and also earlier in 2013 on a Nine Records CD band-only version (review here), and either way, the record secreted a nasty ooze of Satanosexual cultistry, Swanson‘s lyrics proving, as ever, to push the boundary between righteous and legitimately disturbing. As the material on Bloodbath had been around for a number of years, it should be interesting to hear what Tuozzoli and Swansonput together for the follow-up. If you can expect anything, expect malevolence.

Here’s the announcement of their inking the deal, sent down the trusty PR wire:

VESTAL CLARET signs with Cruz Del Sur Music

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce another prestigious addition to its roster, occult metal unit VESTAL CLARET!

One of the most mysterious and intriguing bands to appear from the American underground in the last few years, VESTAL CLARET is the creation of Simon Tuozzoli and Phil Swanson (SEAMOUNT / HOUR OF 13 fame), and play a killer mixture of doom and heavy metal riffage with a definite penchant for the morbid and sick atmospheres. Are you ready for the ritual to begin? You better go sharpen your krises!

The band’s first release with Cruz Del Sur Music, The Cult of the Vestal Claret, is the follow up to their 2011 debut, Bloodbath and will see the light of day in April 2014. The album will be available on CD, digital and vinyl formats.

https://www.facebook.com/VestalClaret
http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/

Vestal Claret, Bloodbath (2013)

A long-awaited debut after several EPs, demos, a single and a split, Vestal Claret’s Bloodbath was released on vinyl through Cyclopean Records late in 2011. The album, a double-LP, found the Connecticut band’s lineup of vocalist Phil Swanson, guitarist/bassist Simon Tuozzoli and drummer Michael Petrucci joined by a range of guest guitarists and vocalists, including members of Forsaken, NightBitch and Black Pyramid (among many others), as they ran through more than an hour’s worth of dark, classic metal, touching on doom here and there but adherent to atmosphere more than to genre. The story of how Vestal Claret even got to that point is a winding one, with the band starting up in 2005 concurrent to Swanson’s fronting Upwards of Endtime before joining Hour of 13 and Tuozzoli recording initial Vestal Claret demos at his UP Recording Studio (where Bloodbath was also put to tape), and the band eventually bringing in Petrucci for drums, who now also plays in Tuozzoli’s heavy rock outfit King of Salem as well as fuzz-deliverers Curse the Son in addition to being a professional, touring percussionist for the Blue Man Group. But even through all of that and more – Swanson in and out of Hour of 13, Seamount, etc. – Vestal Claret managed to get a record out, and a different version now shows up on CD through the upstart label, Nine Records. What’s different? The guest appearances are gone, which leaves Tuozzoli, Swanson and Petrucci on their own as a trio for Bloodbath’s 71-minute duration, and the tracklisting has changed, giving the CD a different flow than the LP edition, with parts recorded following the first Bloodbath release. So basically, Bloodbath is two albums, with mostly the same songs, and this CD is the second of the two. The “band version.” I told you it was complicated.

I didn’t hear the original Bloodbath, so I won’t endeavor to compare the two, but it’s immediately commendable that the 12 tracks are they’re presented on the CD sound neither incomplete nor like there would even be much room to add more to them. Sure, the arrangements are fairly straightforward – guitar, bass, drums, vocals – but Vestal Claret sound like a cohesive unit across the album’s course and whether it’s on the catchy chorus of “Tales to Those Forgotten” or the dark, disturbing narrative of “Missing Girl,” they seem more than capable of getting their point across on their own. Opener “Hex of Harm” and the penultimate “Allowance of Sin” previously appeared on the Virgin Blood single (review here), and like that release and the band’s work elsewhere, they skirt a line between cultish devil worship and indecent, graphic lyrical description, Swanson’s lyrics pushing an envelope of Satanic psychosis particularly on “Missing Girl,” where cuts like “Ritual of Revival” and “Hex of Harm” (who knew black magic was so alliterative?) find him casting spells in his trademark vibrato, hit voice perfectly suited for Tuozzoli’s classic metal guitar work. “Hex of Harm” is the longest track on Bloodbath at 9:27 (immediate points for opening with it), and balances well the driving rhythm, strong hook and darkened atmospheres that follow, each piece leaning toward one or more such aspects of the band’s sound, like the more rocking “Devil’s Daughters” or the fuller build of “The Correlation,” which follow, as the album plays out its bleak course. Tuozzoli and Petrucci work exceedingly well together on faster tracks like “Blood Oath” and the slower vibing of the intro to “Submissive to Evil,” and though the music rarely veers into doomed territory, that feeling is never far off, particularly with the drama Swanson works into his delivery on “Missing Girl,” taking on a touch of a British accent for the verses over the chugging riff that gives way to a bridge that winds up as a secondary instrumental chorus. How many times Satan is evoked throughout these cuts, I don’t even know, but the best line comes from “Missing Girl”: “It’s always said the devil has his due/He’ll be paid in full before the day is through,” and though the song’s thematic is disquieting, its intro verses actually creepy as opposed to just creepy-sounding, it’s actually one of the best, most creatively expansive songs on Bloodbath. But wow, that’s creepy.

Read more »

Polish imprint Nine Records sends over word of the long-awaited CD release of Bloodbath, the first full-length outing by Connecticut-based doom trio Vestal Claret. Thee Claret‘s lineup is an impressive assemblage, with frontman Phil Swanson (Hour of 13, Seamount, Upwards of Endtime, etc.) joined by guitarist Simon Tuozzoli (King of Salem) and drummer Michael Petrucci (Curse the Son), and their last release was the Virgin Blood 7″ in 2011 (review here).

Both tracks from that release — opener “Hex of Harm” and the penultimate “Allowance of Sin” — show up on Bloodbath as well, which according to the info below was recorded back in 2006. Long-awaited indeed. The band must be relieved to get it out. Text, links and music follow:

While this release stands in many ways as Vestal Claret’s official debut, Vestal Claret have in fact been releasing EPs, splits and demos as early on as 2006 with its actual formation in 2005 predating just about everything being heard in the current “occult” fashion genre at this time. There is no influence or inspiration from anything of the past two decades that provoked this release or its ideas and concepts. The material on this album was all written in 2006, but with contract in hand Vestal Claret was unable to release these recordings until now.

Most of you have probably already heard this stuff on the vinyl version released in 2011 by Cyclopean Records. Vinyl contains a “Bloodbath’s” guest-version, but here you are dealing with a “Bloodbath’s” band-version. It’s over 70 minutes of classic heavy metal. Meet the Beast himself!

1. Hex of Harm
2. Devil’s Daughters
3. The Correlation
4. Ritual of Revival
5. Missing Girl
6. Blood Oath
7. The Templar’s Idol
8. Tales to Those Forgotten
9. Endurement to the Heirs of Shame
10. Submissive to Evil
11. Allowance of Sin
12. A Call to Satan

http://ninerecords.bigcartel.com/product/vestal-claret-bloodbath
http://ninerecords.bandcamp.com/