Northern metallers, Pantheon, hail from the historic city of York. They speak their minds and take no prisoners.
The group released their latest self-released EP, “Intervention,” at the start of 2013. Zero Tolerance’s June issue (#053) covermount CD, features the track “Voices of Hate” by Pantheon. Pick up the issue for a free 18-track CD of pure metal awesome!
“Intervention” was produced, mixed and mastered by Zak Bajjon (Venom, Bal Sagoth, Cradle of Filth) at Silverbear Studios (UK).
Think twin riffs, pounding rhythms—lyrics regarding political unrest and uprising. Simon Dawson (lead vocals, bass) tells us that “Voices of Hate” is loosely based upon the perspective of a suicide bomber. “We try to keep the message strong, but open to interpretation,” says Dawson. “…but it’s interesting when someone takes their own message from it, that’s what metal is all about!”
Inspired by legends such as Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, Pantheon acknowledges the old school/traditional styles, but makes it known that their music remains firmly set in the 21st Century.
ZT: For such a young and new band you’ve had your fair share of trials and tribulations. Tell us a bit about the bands career to date.
“I think in any band, especially in the developing stages, you’re going to have ups and downs. In Pantheon these are things that we’ve learnt to overcome from experience and we’re a lot more ‘clued up’ on how to approach people as a result.
One of our strongest moments was one which was a potential threat to the band; when we found ourselves without a drummer and frontman. We made the decision to became a four, and the slicker lineup definitely gave us an edge to our song writing and. Our proudest accomplishment has to be the new Intervention EP we released earlier this year. Although a 4 track EP, a lot of big decisions and development went into the sound that you hear, with a new cleaner vocal style and a bigger focus on the twin guitar sound.”
ZT: Now that the line-up issues are sorted for Pantheon is there a concise group vision for the band?
“Looking at where we are now, we’re putting a lot of thought into raising our profile to achieve more as a band, but we’re trying to do this while purveying ourselves as the honest British metal band that we are. We’ve already managed to get some decent radio and magazine coverage, which is encouraging.
Personally, my vision for Pantheon is to take our music and attitude as far as we can. I know that as long as we’re believing in the music that we’re writing, we’re moving in the right direction.”
ZT: With the completion of your new EP, can you tell us what is next for Pantheon?
“We’re very much a live band, which is difficult to purvey on CD alone. In the near future I’d like to see Pantheon performing some more higher profile live shows in the UK, especially London. In time we’d like to begin branching out into other territories. We do have a view to record a full-length album at some point, we’re working hard on new material right now, but the time has to be right.”
ZT: When recording your latest EP are there any experience that you look back on with particular fondness?
“One of the most important and memorable experiences (something that we’ll take forward with us) was working with producer Zak Bajjon, who’s most known for Cradle of Filth, Lionsheart, Bal Sagoth and Venom.
We learnt that having the right producer definitely helped draw out the best performances from us as musicians. It’s also made us more aware of the business attitude you need to have as a band, and of the mountain we need to climb. The recording process was only a few weeks , but we’ve reworked nearly every aspect of Pantheon, which has taken us over a year, so we’re very much a new band!”
ZT: Is there a particular image you want to convey in your songwriting? Tell us something of the bands big influences?
“A big part of Pantheon and the attitude we’ve developed is being honest with ourselves as a British band and creating the sound that we want. We’ve adopted some of the classic British metal character but we’ve also added some heavier sounds from thrash and death metal.
The messages we hope to portray lyrically are important to us. They’re usually themes inspired by issues and ideas we’ve experienced personally or through the media, like the constant war in the middle east or the evil surrounding crude oil. A question I always ask is, how can you write honestly with a clear message if you haven’t experienced what you’re writing about? I wouldn’t want to presume how it felt to be in a WW1 trench – I wasn’t there. Our song ‘Voice of Hate’ is from the point of view of a suicide bomber, but it’s interesting when someone takes their own message from it, that’s what metal is all about!”
ZT: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, are there any parting words you’d like to share with our readers?
“Thanks for the support we’ve received so far for the new release and to the Zero Tolerance team for pumping out a quality metal magazine. Keep supporting new metal bands and please visit the official Pantheon website regularly for news and media:
www.pantheonofficial.com
Questions answered by Simon Dawson – Bass and Lead Vocals
Pantheon is:
Simon Dawson—Lead vocals, bass
Matt Dawson—Guitar, backing vocals
Dan Richardson—Guitar
Andy Hayes—Drums
