The War Inside My Head: An Interview with Theophonos (Ex-Serpent Column)

Not long ago the artist known as Theophonos, who is also the Artist Formerly Known as Serpent Column, unleashed what might be his best, most diverse, and violent album to date. I was fortunate enough to premiere the first post-Serpent Column music released under the Theophonos name in 2022's MILIM KASHOT compilation, and so I guess I feel quite tethered to the man and his (weird-ass) work, also given this is my second interview with him following an Album of the Decade installment about Mirror in Darkness that also happened to be where he announced the death of that project.

But whatever connection I have to his mind has very little to do with who he is – I actually don't know who he is – and more to what he makes. And what he makes, as Ashes in the Huron River made abundantly clear, is some of the most unhinged, pained, painful, and human music this depressing planet has to offer. 

Thus, given said history and my own admiration of (and perhaps, when I come to think of it, identification with) the violently winding paths Theophonos insists on treading, I thought it might be of some value to unlock the music worshipper within and see who are some of the artists that move and shake that bizarre box he calls a head. This interview is that attempt. I hope you enjoy it. Or anything. I hope you enjoy things.

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What was the first album you bought with your own money, and where did you buy it?

I am sort of kicking myself for this answer, but whatever. It was either The Funeral of God by Zao or The Opposite of December by Poison the Well, and I bought it on the Itunes store. Actually, I’m pretty sure it was the Zao. I remember hearing about it on Sputnikmusic and hearing a few interesting clips. I was already into stuff like Heaven Shall Burn and other shit like that I saw on MTV, and I probably bought the entire Zao discography after that.

What 2-3 albums did you hear the most growing up?

I was born in 1993, so I think my first couple of CDs (all burned by my neighbor who was sort of like my big brother) were Human Clay by Creed, Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park, and a Korn or Tool mix. That shit was always on repeat in my CD player. I was (and still am) just some regular kid from the Midwest.

What albums taught you the most about the technical aspect of making music?

I’m still learning a lot about that. I suppose on the guitar mechanics side, it would be Pierced from Within by Suffocation and Paracletus by Deathspell Omega. Arrangements and composition would have to be Choirs of the Eye by Kayo Dot, as well as Harmony in Ultraviolet by Tim Hecker. As for engineering, that would be The Furnaces of Palingenesia by Deathspell. After the last Serpent Column full-length (Kathodos), I’ve been trying to back-engineer that sound, and still use it as my main reference track. It’s essentially perfect. These days I’m revisiting and learning from bands like Death Grips, Deafheaven, later Ulcerate, and some of the newer indie bands (Color Theory by Soccer Mommy especially) how to be honest with my playing and also the overall content. 

What is the last album that absolutely shocked you?

You know, I was going to answer this with something deeply flawed but also really cool, but the answer might lead to a spiral of stupid bullshit, and I just don’t want to even bother being in that headspace anymore. This is probably my last interview anyway, and y’all just aren’t worth it.

What album relaxes you or centers you the most?

The C-side of Celer’s Evaporate and Wonder. It’s called “Melange of Past Impressions and Recent Knowledge.” It’s about an hour of an intense therapeutic macrodose, like being enveloped by warm waves and leaves. I’ve never heard and felt anything like it (save for maybe ״Spem in Alium״ by Thomas Tallis), and if pressed would be the one record I’d try to carry onto a desert island. It’s absolutely sublime.

The second, if I may, would be Pop by Gas, for similar reasons.

 

What are the 2-3 albums you’ve listened to the most recently?

This week it’s been Yemeni Commandos by Vatican Shadow, Portrait in Silver by Night Sins, and Choke by Soft Kill. 

It’s kind of funny and sad – people always go “oh ok” after they ask me that and I give my honest answer. It’s always something like In Utero by Nirvana, minimal techno, shoegaze, goth rock, or raw melodic black metal (like Owl’s Blood or Shores of Ladon). Sometimes I get into more ignorant stuff, but it depends on what I’m doing.

Because I made Endless Detainment, people always assume I keep up on and constantly jam the most miserable, loud, abrasive stuff adjacent to that sound. I don’t really ever reach for that stuff, especially newer recordings. It’s just too much, man – half of it is just craziness for the sake of craziness.

What album is grossly underrated?

No Ghost by Capsule. Me and my longtime collaborator and friend Maya Chun talk about this all the time. We don’t understand why this never caught on. It’s another completely unprecedented and incredible thing. It’s also a really uplifting, fun, emotionally intelligent, and poignant record. Another one I’d want to carry into a solar flare scenario.

What album would you recommend from your local scene?

I’m not too tapped into the local scene, but I’d just like to shamelessly plug my friends in Heavenly Blue – they have a full-length coming out later this year, and they are very talented, accepting, and brilliant musicians, and thrilling to watch. I wish them the best. 

If I could, I’d also like to recommend Sunlight Ascending – they are also incredible at what they do. I think they have material coming out soon as well.

But if pressed, I’d say Relatives in Descent by Protomartyr. That’s a really great record, something to aspire to. 

I forget I sort of play metal, and I’m at a total loss for local metal, because it’s either true-head stuff that plays it really safe or stuff endorsed by hype-world people that is equally boring and safe. It’s like we’re in a nightmare scenario where you wake up one morning and everybody has decided The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker are the best films ever made.

Pardon my rant, but it’s really sad, man, because the 2005-2015ish period was so intensely free and creative. People were just doing daring stuff left and right without even realizing what they were doing, because we had a healthy environment. Then the rest of society moved onto the internet and brought their stupid fucking bullshit with them. It’s pretty much all in ruins now, and I’m not sure it will get any better anytime soon. I might still release records, but I’m not sure I really want to keep dealing with a place in which I’m not allowed to advance. I can just play guitar in my living room.