From The Dark Past: interview with December Moon (Was Sarginson)
From The Dark Past, the TrueMetal column by Mickey E.Vil (Radio Onda D’Urto FM, The Mugshots) in collaboration with Henry der Wanderer (Nott, Nebrus). To rediscover obscure gems unfairly buried in the past. Bands that, in the Nineties, had all the credentials to achieve success but for some reason they didn’t succeed. Follow us, today we will light up the darkness by bringing back to light… December Moon!
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Was Sarginson is a man of few words but we wanted to contact him to talk about this real hidden gem of British black metal. Involved on several fronts with several bands – including Cradle Of Filth – in 1996 together with another member of the most famous vampires of black metal, Robin Graves, he recorded a real masterpiece, entitled Source Of Origin and signed December Moon. The cards in order for the project to evolve were there but the non-existent promotion by the label and the multiple commitments of the musicians meant that everything ended before it even started. Source Of Origin is an original album, which integrates – in addition to symphonic black metal – thrash metal influences, suggestions borrowed from classic metal, dark ambient and even a surprise (try to find it!) in full King Diamond style! The keyboard orchestrations, curated together with the sound engineer Mags of the historic Academy Studio (My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema, etc.) are engaging and founding on a structural level but absolutely discreet. The album begins bravely with an instrumental track that makes things clear right away: December Moon knew how to play and they knew how to compose, wisely dosing violence and melody, atmosphere and power. It’s a shame not to have live testimonials and it’s a shame that the debut album didn’t have any follow-up. Today there seems to be some timid signs of interest, given that a vinyl reissue of the album is planned. We want to make a small contribution to keep this black flame alive.
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So, dear Was. First of all, do you have any news and updates about the upcoming vinyl re-release of Source Of Origin?
Nobody knew anything about this reissue until it began being advertised. Turns this is all legit, just nobody notified anyone about it. So, if vinyl is your thing, you can find it on the ASRAR record label’s official webpage.
Can you tell us something about the genesis and the evolution of December Moon back in 1992?
It was pretty simple really. Rob had some songs he wanted to work on, and in our downtime we would rehearse at my house and at a cold unused pig farm! There we worked on the songs and wrote a couple together – ‘Nocturnal Transcendency’ and ‘Twinned With Destiny’ were two we wrote, possibly more. We then got an offer from Spinefarm to do the album.
What do you remember about recording the two demos and how was the sound of the music recorded on those tapes compared to the one on the album? Is there a way to listen to the tracks contained on the demos?
I don’t think so. I don’t know anyone that has a copy, unless they are online somewhere… I think the second demo was just recorded in my house. I can’t remember! Some of the original demos were just Rob on his own too.
How was the composition and arrangement process back then? Who played what on Source Of Origin?
Rob played guitar, bass, vocals and some keys. I played drums, some keys and wrote lyrics. We would just play and jam organically and see what came out. It was fun back then, and before any bullshit comes into play that was out of our control – like labels, contracts, etc.
How did you manage to be released by Spinefarm Records and what do you remember about the production and the recording of the album at the legendary Academy Studio?
Spinefarm offered us a deal, paid for the studio and the recording. We were there for two weeks, just Rob and I with Mags producing who is a fantastic guy. With hindsight, even though we got a lawyer to look over the contract, we didn’t really know what we were signing, and we never really got any money from sales. To this day I don’t know how many it sold. It was released and left to die. Music For Nations were interested in us doing a second album and looked at our original contract and said it was an absolute “piece of shit”. The second album could never transpire due to schedules at the time anyway.
Which topics did you cover in the lyrics of the lp?
I just made stuff up that would fit for a lot of it. Poetry just ripped off and chucked in. ‘You Can’t Bless The Damned’ is about the plague affecting Suffolk, which Rob wrote.
How did you conceive the artwork of Source Of Origin and who took care of it?
We took an old calendar photo of a sunset and literally stuck a moon and a logo over the top. I think the label then spruced it up a little. Nothing too deep at all!
Have you ever performed live as December Moon?
Nope.
I remember an amazing response from the press, in terms of reviews. What happened back then? Why did you decide to call it quits and do you thing December Moon had the potential to grow into something bigger?
Yes, potentially. Probably not something “bigger”, but certainly a platform to expand on further and develop. But at the time we were both in other bands that had busier schedules.
Recently I’ve been asking Dani Filth about Robin Graves and he told me: “Nobody on Earth knows where he is and what he is doing”. Are you still in touch with him?
No, sadly not.
Which memories can you share about the days with Cradle Of Filth?
Nothing but great memories of those early days. We had a lot of fun. Most of them went towards the Black Metal thing which was popular and I descended into other things. But yeah, all positive.
Are there any current or future projects (including December Moon) you are involved in?
Nope!
Which final message and greeting would you send out to italian people who loved December Moon back in the days and to the ones who possibly will re-discover this gem?
I’m pleased you enjoy it, and hope to have it officially widely available again for everyone. Please don’t feed the bootlegs.
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Line-Up:
Was Sarginson – Drums, Percussion, Keyboards (additional)
Robin Graves – Vocals (lead), Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
Guest/Session:
Mags – Orchestrations
Rachel – Vocals (female) (track 6)
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Discography:
Nocturnal Trancendency / Demo 1994
Rehearsal / Demo / Demo 1995
Source of Origin / Full-length 1996
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Compilation appearances:
-“You Can’t Bless the Damned” on Blackend: The Black Metal Compilation Volume 2 (Death Records, 1996)
-“The Apparition of Mother Earth” on Hard Rock Le CD De L’Extreme N°3 (Hard Rock, 1997)
-“You Can’t Bless the Damned” on Spinefarm – L’autre pays du Metal (XIII Bis Records, 2001)
-“Twined With Destiny” on Britannia Infernus – A History of British Occult and Black Metal (Godreah Records, 2002)