[Archive] Interview with AARON TUCK of Black Metallers LUMEN AD MORTEM.
Note: This interview was originally posted to our old website, which suffered an unexpected and untimely death on NYE 2024 (RIP).
This was interview between myself, your host, and Aaron Tuck who performs multi-instrumental Swiss-Army knife work for South Australian black metal supergroup Lumen Ad Mortem.
Given this interview was conducted prior to Froth and Fury Fest in November last year, you can always follow up a read of this interview with our FNF coverage right here on the blog, as well as our podcast!
Peace, Love and Blackened Grindcore xoxo - Brady.
Pic credit: Jai That Aussie Metal Guy for Crannk Media. Check out the other pics right here in our Froth and Fury Festival Review: Part1 or @crannk on IG.
Froth and Fury 2024, huh?
What a day. What a weekend.
Absolute chaos.
Prior to our festival-wide coverage of the day itself, I'd be remiss not to post each of the interviews conducted prior.
Especially seeing as these will give you guys a decent snapshot of how the artists felt towards the festival, alongside our recount of how the experience panned out on the day as spectators.
I'll just say this ahead of the review, Lumen ad Mortem were every bit as fantastic as I'd expected onstage last Saturday. Especially given my prior exposure to them during The New Dead Metalfest (see here for review of the 2023 iteration, review of 2022’s TNDF also available on the blog)!
For now though, and without further ado - let's hear from the Black Metal Wizard of Oz in Aaron Tuck regarding his thoughts about the band, the festival, Adelaide/SA’s music scene and more!
[Brady]: Having formed as recently as 2019, it seems like Lumen ad Mortem have already had several opportunities to play festivals in Adelaide, Melbourne and abroad?
[Aaron]: "Absolutely! We’ve been fortunate to have been offered some really great shows. Out of our first 5 shows, the smallest was our first show which was at The Bendigo Hotel in Melbourne. The rest have been all-day or multi-day festivals including Heavy SA, Necrosonic (Brisbane) and Essence (Canberra)."
““We’ve been lucky to have not played to an empty room yet. Hopefully that doesn’t happen any time soon. We’re keen to get to Sydney, Hobart and Perth and back to Melbourne in 2025.””
Pic Credit: Jai @crannkmedia. With permission and also used in our Froth and Fury Festival 2024 Review.
[Brady]: How's the experience been moving relatively quickly from forming as a band, then becoming a regularly touring act in the wake of the pandemic?
[Aaron]: "It’s been really interesting as the band began basically as a two piece recording project back in 2019, but we didn’t actually play live until after our album was released in early 2023. We’ve been lucky in that we had some amazing musicians who have joined us to make Lumen Ad Mortem a live band."
"I write all the music, so had the fun job of tabbing parts and teaching the other guys, but they’re all professionals so they picked it up really quickly. I also write relatively simple riffs as the other guys mostly come from more technical death metal bands, so for the most part they’ve been fine."
[Brady]: Furthermore, with the band being comprised of Aussie scene luminaries across the extreme-metal spectrum, how did the original vision of the band congeal into its' current form?
[Aaron]: "Basically it began as an idea between Greg and myself and we knew what we wanted before we even started writing anything. The vision has always been clear. We have known Morris Ewings (bass) and Lachlan Stopa (rhythm guitar) for many years... I’m talking high school and early metal scene days in our first bands, so they were our first choice. They’re both completely chilled out but really dedicated musicians."
"With Lachlan Odell (keys) and Rory Amoy (drums), they both played in bands with Morris so came highly recommended. Both are great lads that picked the music up really quickly."
[Brady]: Previously, I enjoyed your brutal ensemble at The New Dead Metalfest a while back - how does it feel landing amongst the more diverse (albeit heavy/alternative music-focused) lineup of Froth and Fury Fest 2024?
[Aaron]: "Thanks! The New Dead was an amazing show and a great first Adelaide gig for the band . With Froth and Fury Fest Anita and Jason have taken that to another level. It has definitely put Adelaide on the metal map and is attracting bands and punters from all over Australia and the world. We’re hoping that that diversity means we will reach a new group of people that might not make it to the more underground metal shows."
"The lineup is diverse but there are some seriously brutal bands on there. Dharma, Psycroptic, Bifurcation, Organectomy and Pestilence to name a few. We can’t wait!"
[Brady]: Regarding your live set tomorrow - picture yourselves as a new entrant to the festival, Lumen ad Mortem or perhaps even black metal as a whole. How could your set be described from such a perspective?
[Aaron]: "We might be the only band on the bill with live keyboards? Apart from that, our sound has a dark atmosphere which might contrast with some of the other bands on the day. We think it will fit in well with the vibe on stage 3."
(Author's Note: As per the review - fit in well was an understatement!)
Pic Credit: Jai @crannkmedia. With permission and also used in our Froth and Fury Festival 2024 Review.
[Brady]: From an Adeladian perspective and indeed the greater South Australian surrounds, how is the state of black metal faring down here? Any particular recent acts of note to point folks towards whilst they're here for Froth and Fury?
[Aaron]: "We have some amazing black metal in Adelaide. Christ Dismembered, Numen Noctis, Diabolic Rites, Dream Upon Tombs are all amazing. There are probably more that I haven’t heard so my advice would be to get on Encyclopaedia Metallum and have a look."
[Brady]: November is typically the retreat of the cold, bleak climes of winter, with Froth earmarking a transition to sunnier dispositions generally. Hows' the experience of playing a typically bleak and aggressive sub-genre in the warmer months?
[Aaron]: "True. Maybe we should do a reggae version of one of our tracks and wear Hawaiian shirts? You never know what could happen when we get a few beers into us. People will have to come and watch our set to see what we have in store for Froth. We promise to bring plenty of blast beats and grim soundscapes. We also have some killer new merch for Froth and Fury."
(Author's Note - 1. That merch is SICK. 2. When I searched black metal reggae on Youtube, I wasn't sure what to expect but uh, this is certainly something).
[Brady]: If you could craft an ideal lineup of any five extreme metal bands (existing or defunct), who'd be the main picks?
[Aaron]: "To help me narrow it down I’ll keep it Aussie. Darklord (RIP), Astriaal (RIP), Sadistik Exekution (RIP) Naxzul, Spire. I’m not sure if Naxzul are going to play again but most of the rest are long gone. I think Spire are my favourite extreme metal band still gigging in Australia and hope to get them down in Adelaide some time in 2025 after we record album 2.
Cheers,
Aaron."
Cheers indeed, Aaron! Now as mentioned, stay tuned for our coverage of the actual set from the day, as well as more incoming interviews and content from the massive day that was Froth and Fury Fest 2024.
For now, please do check this talented menagerie of black metallers via the following links:
And just some of their many examples of tasty metal-AF merch, courtesy of Voodoo Print.
We also now have a BlueSky profile, which you can check out here.