interview to RIVERS OF ASH (UK)

1. Hello dear Isaac, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.

Hi, thanks for having me, and I'm feeling great thanks. I'm currently in my home studio (a.k.a. my bedroom) which is where all the magic happens.

2. Let’s start with the boring basics. Care to explain to the unknowing precisely where in the world you emanate such an aura of repugnance from?

I come from the town of Stockport, near to Manchester in the UK. The metal scene in Manchester is great as you may already know, and there are plenty of bands that come and perform at various venues, from arenas to bars.

3. What has changed in your mindset since the beginning of your musical path? Explain me, please the evolution process that made you become a musician.

I started out my journey as a musician on an old acoustic guitar, learning some songs I liked. Once I got an electric guitar, I started to learn about music theory and how to make songs of my very own. I am by no means an expert but have definitely come quite far from where I started.

4. In a world full of dull and empty shell-like bands, what is it that you are trying to reflect in your music?

I try to evoke some sort of emotion in the listener, as I find that's what the best music does. I think a lot of bands nowadays lack that emotional aspect and just churn out whatever their label wants them to, and I think it's in the underground scenes where you'll find the most sincere forms of music.

5. UK has a rich history of extreme (doom) metal, how has your country influenced your sound and style?

Black Sabbath would be an obvious one, since they were essentially the founders of metal. My Dying Bride is also a big one, but I think a lot of my influences are from overseas, particularly death metal bands like Death, Nile and Dying Fetus. I'm finding the music I'm making currently though to lean more into sludge elements, like Lord Mantis or Primitive Man.

6. Your debut studio was released in July 2025. How the songwriting process all started? What would be your moment of joy on this particular EP?

I started writing this EP during my GCSE exams (the exams that 16-year-olds in the UK take) during May and June. I found it provided a form of distraction from the stress of the exams. I also learnt the basics of music mixing and mastering, and while far from perfect, I think I had a decent go at it coming from nothing. I think my moment of joy would be the song "Unholy Vengeance", as it was the first full song I ever wrote.

7. Can you brief us about the writing and recording procedures of your music? You´re eminently a guitarist, isn't that right?

Yes, the guitar parts are the only parts that are performed, as the drum and bass are programmed. For the drums, I have various MIDI packs that I've bought which I use, and also program my own parts when I have something specific in mind. The bass is pretty simple, just copying the guitar and filling out the low end of the mix. I use mostly free plugins and online resources like YouTube have been so incredibly helpful in teaching me the basics. My recommended is full of audio production videos now.

8. If you could sum up what you hope to express with your music, what would that be?

I use it mostly as an outlet for things I might be feeling, and I hope some of that same energy is conveyed through it. Whether I'm angry, sad, or empty, I try to capture it in a sonic form to the best of my ability. It might not be the most technical or groundbreaking, but that's not really my goal.

9. What is your favorite part of writing and performing music? What are some of the challenges you face as a sole musician?

I love the feeling of coming up with an idea and then building around it. For inspiration, I like to load up a drum track on YouTube and jam until I find something that sounds good to me. Once I have the foundations laid, I find it easier to build up from there and continue to come up with more riffs/parts on top of it. However, being a sole musician does limit me to my ideas only, so when I get into a creative plateau there's not really anyone to help me with inspiration.

10. What are your experiences with promoting Rivers of Ash so far in today’s digital environment and the changing nature of the music industry?

I feel like music nowadays is nearly all marketing rather than substance, and this is mostly done through the various social media platforms. I'm someone that doesn't personally use social media, but I made accounts for Rivers of Ash on the different platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram etc). However, I've found it quite difficult to stay consistent with posting content and videos to grow my audience, it feels like a whole other job in itself. There's also the issue of getting people to actually listen to your music, as I think that's the hardest part. Given it's quite a niche genre of music, it makes an already hard job even harder, as the audience for it is significantly smaller than more popular genres.

11. Internet brought an overpopulation of extreme metal bands and recordings. Did this affect the quality of the scene?

No, I think the more the merrier personally. Sure, it seems like there's an overwhelming amount of music that you could listen to, but I think there's nothing better than stumbling across some obscure demo from a band that nobody's heard of. I think the internet has also helped immensely in preserving these demos, especially ones that only released on physical media like cassettes. With the sheer amount of music out there nowadays, there's definitely going to be some of it which is uninspired and just a poor emulation of someone else's style, but for every soulless band there's a sincere band putting passion and feeling into their music.

12. Who are your greatest heroes in the field of Death Metal?

Chuck Schuldiner comes to mind right away, the man behind Death. Him being a self-taught musician like myself also inspires me as well, especially given the impact he had on metal. I don't think I would be writing this today without him and his work. Karl Sanders from Nile also comes to mind. The stuff he can do is incredible, especially at his age, and inspires me to practice and improve as a musician. There are many other bands which I thoroughly enjoy and have shaped me as a musician as well, like Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Amon Amarth, Behemoth and others.

13. If River of Ash was an odour, what the fuck could it be?

It'd be the stinkiest, most rotten corpse that you could imagine, oozing with maggots and worms.

14. What would you like to see Rivers of Ash accomplish that you have not been able to achieve yet?

I'd eventually like to find people to perform live with (and potentially record with as well), as live shows are a goal of mine. I don't really have any connections to make it happen currently, but I've been thinking about maybe putting advertisements out once I release a full-length album. I think releasing physical media would be nice, as I'm an avid collector of metal CDs myself, although I don't think it would be financially viable without a record label deal. Merch is also a goal as well, but I don't have any ideas yet design-wise.

15. That's all the questions I have for you man. I'll let you have the final words by saying whatever you'd like to our readers?

Hey guys, thanks very much for reading, keep on supporting your local bands and stay metal

https://riversovash.bandcamp.com/