In a genre so dependent on atmosphere and theme, black metal has stretched its arms into what seems to be every corner of religion — Christian black metal, pagan black metal, satanic black metal, and a million other variations. One particular flavor, Catholic black metal, has been relatively untapped, until now. Quite possibly the most talented among the chosen few in this sub-sub-genre is a mastermind anonymously known as Within Thy Wounds.
Within Thy Wounds caught our attention in the Year of Our Lord 2020, a dark and cold era of humanity that left little to be cherished in memory. Yet, one of the few precious gemstones found in the rubble was Within Thy Wounds’ record, Forest of Iniquity.
Doused in mystical melodies, reverent soundscapes, and a specific transportive quality that could be considered orthodox “atmospheric black metal,” Within Thy Wounds embodies the very essence and mystery of both his Catholic faith and his musical influences.
So, I know Within Thy Wounds is an anonymous project. However, what can you tell us about you as an artist without giving away your identity?
Oh man, that’s a great question. I guess what I would say is that I’m a normal guy who loves listening to music, who is inspired by music, and who loves making music. I’m just a normal guy who lives his normal life, but I just happen to be really, really into music, and Within Thy Wounds is a product of that.
Thus far in the project’s short existence, you have released a demo literally called Demo in 2019, as well as your sole album, Forest of Iniquity, which was released in 2020. When did you formally start Within Thy Wounds?
Actually, Within Thy Wounds really started around 2017. I got really into black metal around 2015-2016. I was a junior at a Catholic high school, and I got super into Burzum. That was sort of my entryway. Man, I heard Filosofem for the first time and it was just like…I still ritually listen to that album. It’s my favorite black metal album of all time. Not to discredit any black metal artists at all — I’m a big fan of a lot of them) — but I don’t think there will ever be a greater black metal album recorded than Filosofem.
I’ve always wanted to be in a band, but I’ve never been in a band. I could never find people who were into the same music as I was. If I did find something relatively close, it was never as extreme as I was into. So, for example, I’d find someone who liked a few Metallica songs, but as soon as I showed them Dissection they’d be like, “Um, this is weird.” I went off to college and I remember this vividly. My freshman year in college, I was in my dorm room, and I believe it was Noisey that released a documentary called ‘One Man Metal’ on YouTube. It’s a three-parter that focused on three bands: Xasthur, Leviathan, and Striborg. Watching that documentary was honestly the spark. I said, “You know what, if these guys can do it by themselves, what’s stopping me?” That was around 2017/2018. Nothing really happened for about two years, but it was around Spring break of 2020 that I sat in my room and was like, “I want to make a black metal record.” So, I returned home from college, and I recorded Demo in 2–3 days. That was the birth of Within Thy Wounds.
I knew I wanted to start a solo Christian — and in particular, actually, a Catholic black metal band — because there are lots of Christian ones out there, but I’d never seen any Catholic black metal out there, except for maybe Reverorum ib Malacht. I wanted it to be quality. As a matter of fact, one of the only Christian black metal bands that I was a fan of at that time was Vials of Wrath, because I felt that Vials of Wrath was so good and on par even with Xasthur and Leviathan. He (Vials of Wrath) was the only [Christian black metal artist] I heard at the time that I was like, “This is actually good.” The production was good, the riffs were good, the atmosphere was great.
I’m a big believer that theology should never be separated from spirituality. I would say, in general, the music is very introspective, because I treat Within Thy Wounds as sort of an outlet for theological reflection, especially with Forest of Iniquity.
Speaking as a fan of you as an artist and black metal as a genre, Forest of Iniquity was a fantastic album. In fact, HM included it in the top 25 releases of 2020!
I did not expect the response that Forest of Iniquity got at all. I dropped that album the morning of March 6, 2020. I had a three-hour class that morning. I put it up on Bandcamp the night before, and I was just so shocked to see people already buying it. I was in class seeing notifications and like, “Oh, people are buying this.” I’m so thankful that people connected with it. And on another level, it seems like a lot of people have really connected with the spiritual aspect of the album, which, of course, is something I wanted.
One thing about your music is that, even though it’s hard to understand all or most of the lyrics in black metal, there is something distinctively spiritual I can sense when listening to Forest of Iniquity. There is a deep sincerity that is hard to miss, almost like a crying out to God. There is a haunting nature to it. Do you consider yourself introspective? How would you describe your music?
Yeah, absolutely. Obviously, Within Thy Wounds goes hand-in-hand with my spirituality. I don’t mean this as in “I’m super smart,” but when it comes to my faith, I’m very intellectual. I’m a big believer that theology should never be separated from spirituality. I would say, in general, the music is very introspective, because I treat Within Thy Wounds as sort of an outlet for theological reflection, especially with Forest of Iniquity.
With Demo, it was quite literally a demo. I am an introvert in that I recharge by being alone. I’m a very social person, but I recharge by being alone. Within Thy Wounds is almost like my theological reflection journal. It’s what I’m reflecting on in regard to Jesus Christ and his Church and the incarnation and those sorts of things.
Are there any plans for new music in the near future?
The inspiration has been a bit lacking for a while, unfortunately. It’s not something you can force. I’ve just been really busy with my personal life. When I released the split with Daygraves [titled Nocturnes], even that was a little hard. Writing those two songs… I don’t want to say it took a lot out of me, but I had a difficult time. I felt like with Forest of Iniquity, everything just flowed so nicely, if that makes sense. I wrote the split, and I actually was pretty proud of how that came out. People seemed to like it. I was nervous for that release actually because it was a bit stylistically different than Forest of Iniquity or Demo. It wasn’t super atmospheric.
New music, I think sooner than later. I have been working on some things for Within Thy Wounds. I have the shell of a few songs, not necessarily what I’m planning on being my next full-length, but I was planning on it being another EP or Demo II, because these songs are a bit different stylistically. Still 100% black metal, but from what I’ve noticed, I’m going in a more of a raw direction. It’s still going to be atmospheric. I’m trying not to force anything.
If you had to name a few, what bands and artists are your primary influences?
Oh man. Of course, number one is Burzum. I know that’s a problematic answer [laughs], but I’m talking about the music. Burzum’s black metal albums remain to be my favorite. Xasthur is a huge one for me, especially The Funeral of Being album. My favorite band of all time, Deafheaven. I think they just have a great sound. Even their latest record, which is totally not black metal whatsoever, is phenomenal. I wanted to hate that album, but I loved it [laughs]. I wanted to hate it in the sense that I was upset that they weren’t releasing Sunbather II, because that’s what I’ve wanted ever since I heard Sunbather. But I could not help but love that album.
More recently, I don’t know if you’re familiar with Lamp of Murmur. There’s been a recent wave of raw black metal. The thing I love about the raw black metal scene right now is that it’s focused on atmosphere and riffs. It’s not atmospheric black metal, but it has an atmosphere, for sure, and the riffs are killer. It’s almost thrashier at points. There’s another raw black metal act called Sanguine Relic, which is a big inspiration, as well. Wolves in The Throne Room is another big one for me, particularly Diadem of 12 Stars. Ulver. MØL. Those are my inspirations.
In closing, I have to say that your music has a peacefulness to it that is hard to describe. When I listen to black metal, I find myself more at ease. It’s mystical. Have you felt that way about your music so far?
I 100% agree. Obviously, I love all black metal. Since I’m a Christian, it’s a genre that’s filled with a lot of darkness and the Satanic imagery and all that sort of stuff. But I really like when it’s more mysterious, or fantastical. That’s what I really, really like.
You can follow Within Thy Wounds on Instagram and Bandcamp.
