Dreams of Consciousness: Hey Jeff, it's been 3 years since we spoke about the reissues of your first two demos, 1994's Frozen Dreams and 1995's The Lonely Flowers of Autumn. What have you been up to since then?
Jeff Longo: Good afternoon, Adrian. Very nice to connect with you again! We have been quite busy, writing several albums at once. This Sworn Trilogy EP is a teaser for the first new album we’ll be releasing, later this year with CDN Records. The album will also feature a tetralogy and 4 re-recorded bonus tracks from 1994’s Frozen Dreams demonstration cassette for the 30th anniversary of the band and that demonstration cassette. In total, 11 songs of atmospheric brutality. I am very excited about it, because it feels like (yet another) new beginning for Blood of Christ due to the involvement of Christopher Roche. His enthusiasm, lyrical and creative approach and vocal style is perfect for us and invigorating if I’m being honest. We haven’t played any gigs since December 2018, but we’ll be back on stage this summer to support our new EP.
DoC: You just released a new three song EP called The Sworn Trilogy. When did you start working on these songs? What were your intentions for this release? Would you say you brought new influences into your sound for this release?
Jeff Longo: My main influence, and I am only speaking on my own behalf, was our first album, …a Dream to Remember. I really had hoped to get back to the spirit of that era and craft that we were creating back then, and I feel that we did a topnotch job with The Sworn Trilogy, of just that. Having Christopher in the fold really brought a new, positive energy compared to our last album (2018’s Unrelenting Declivity of Anguish) and I feel that his vocal style fits really, well with the mood of the songs.
Our intention for this release was to get something fresh out there and provide some foreshadowing of what’s to come later this year, as well as have something new to support on the road at our summer gigs. We started working on these songs in late 2023 (one of them was originally featured on our Eastern Beast – Western Wolf split album with Vomit Remnants).
DoC: Where was The Sworn Trilogy recorded? Who handled the engineering/mixing of this release?
Jeff Longo: We recorded the drums with Thomas Ireland at Icehouse Studios in Goderich, Ontario and Thomas also handled the drum mix. Everything else was taken care of at Alien Avenue Recording Studio, just outside of Toronto. We typically produce everything ourselves, with some guidance from Thomas. He has a good ear for tight performances and melodies.
DoC: Dan Swanö of Edge of Sanity mastered the EP (as well as the reissues). Why did you choose Swanö to handle the mastering? What would you say he brought to the sound of this release?
Jeff Longo: We chose Dan because he is the master. We have loved his recordings and music since the early Nineties and feel that every recording he touches always has something unique and special about it. I think he brought a massive level up to the Sworn songs; he really enhanced the mix overall and I honestly think it is the best sounding release we have done to-date. I can’t see us working with anyone else to master our music to be honest. He’s very, very professional, easy-going and works quickly.
DoC: Tell me about the lyrics for Sworn Trilogy - is there a unifying concept or narrative behind the EP?
Christopher Roche: The overall theme of The Sworn Trilogy lyrics is the folly of cowardice, resulting in damnation for an entire familial bloodline, revelry in the lust for power and the realization that the power itself isn't worth the price. The idea of "the abyss" staring back into you if you stare too long into it being the catalyst and the adage of "the sins of the father" not having to be perpetuated in the son. The easiest way to describe it is nihilism and the escape from it. Of course, it's told in the grotesque imagery of a man commanding hordes of undead to reap souls from the living to feed the abyss from which his power and curse both originate.
DoC: The last time we spoke, you were also planning a reboot/re-recording of songs from your third and fourth albums, to be titled "Chaos and Anguish". What is the status of this release?
Jeff Longo: It is on the shelf, as they say. We are very busy focusing on new material and have roughly three full albums’ worth of songs in the “blueprint” stage. Jason Deaville, our original singer, however, did re-record vocals for two of the songs that were intended to be a special release. I think those might see the light of day later this year. We just need Christopher to add bass to them to compliment the re-recorded guitars and vocals. Essentially, the main reason I had shown interest in rebooting this album was because I wasn’t happy with my own performance and guitar sound on it (due to my unrelenting push for more gain, not any fault of Thomas Ireland’s mixing). As for the rest of the album, it is water under a bridge in our discography now. I am very proud of Unrelenting Declivity of Anguish as a whole and a few of the songs are staples in our live set. Onward we went.
DoC: You started Blood of Christ with your brother, Jason, when you were still teenagers. After all these years, what brings you back to BoC? What do you want to accomplish with this band that you haven't yet?
Jeff Longo: The band was started by Marek Kopala and me. Jason (Longo) joined very soon after the inception and was in the lineup for our first demonstration cassettes in the summer of 1994. What brings me back to the craft, it’s a good question and I am not sure – honestly, I hate this word, but; I feel like it is a compulsion (both the band, making music and playing guitar). I think I’ll make music until I am old, decrepit, and physically unable to. I do it purely for the true love of the guitar as an instrument itself and see no reason why I shouldn’t continue. If people enjoy what I and we do, that’s a bonus and really flattering.
Playing gigs is still a fun and rewarding experience for me, even after 30 + years. There are a few accomplishments that I would like to see happen, that haven’t yet; but if they don’t that’s OK too. I am proud of what we have done so far.
DoC: What's next for you?
Christopher Roche: We’ve got live shows about to be announced in Southern Ontario, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for those details!
The bands that we are going to be playing those dates with are all incredibly talented bands, so it will be a blast.
We’ve also got a new shirt coming out for the Sworn Trilogy, which you can order through the site as well as getting them at one of those soon to be announced shows.
I can’t wait to see everybody there!
Thank you for your time, appreciated.
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I'm Crushing Your Head, I'm Crushing Your Head:
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