KILL SCREEN 061: Urath of WRATH OF LOGARIUS Finds Energy within the Unknowable

For some bands that enter the Kill Display arcade, their references to video video games can both be refined, cryptic or downright shocking. For the seasoned Soulsborne gamers amongst our readership, nevertheless, the connection to at the moment’s topic couldn’t be extra clear. Wrath of Logarius, a comparatively new addition to Season of Mist’s roster, is a direct nod to FromSoftware’s eldritch masterpiece Bloodborne. The Logarius in query is Martyr Logarius, a hard-as-nails however utterly optionally available boss residing in Cainhurst Fortress, a terrifying husk of a person turned punishingly troublesome monster. It’s this tragic determine that serves because the avatar for what the band touts as “formless black metallic,” their home-brew mix of black and dying metallic with an emphasis on the terrors of the cosmic unknown. It appears becoming then that the skull-masked guitarist identified solely as Urath is chosen as our newest participant character.

For the next dialog, the guitarist opted to put on his stage masks as a way to stay each faceless and anonymous. Despite the souvenir mori presentation, Urath proves desperate to share his fondness for all issues horror. The Northern California quartet is something however singularly-focused on the sport that spawned their moniker, nor was their admiration for the title a foregone conclusion. Creatively, the band attracts inspiration from bizarre horror from throughout video games, motion pictures and books. And in terms of the guitarist, a lot of his private picks show surprisingly regular, making the lore of the band extra formless than initially anticipated. Given our pursuits, nevertheless, it’s their bond with digital dread which we’re most . With their debut full-length Crown of Mortis launched into the world, Decibel’s extraordinarily excessive co-nerds are able to face the concern.

Searching for bonus DLC to this blackened interview? Remember to decide up the latest subject of Decibel (dB248/June 2025) for an unique excerpt from our dialogue with Urath. We promise it’s not practically as troublesome to get by because the Orphan of Kos.

What was your very first gaming expertise?
I’d say enjoying on the arcades, like Chuck E. Cheese after I was little. Enjoying, like, Mortal Kombat again once they used to have it. They used to have some fairly cool video games again within the day there. There’s one other place that was native known as Nickel Metropolis. You pay a canopy payment to get in, however then all of the video games can be a nickel, so all of us would simply go over there and play Killer Intuition all day or Metallic Slug, stuff like that.

That should have been wonderful as a child. I [James] would have misplaced my thoughts!
Yeah. And what sucks is I didn’t discover out about it, my mother and father didn’t know, it was at all times laborious to seek out out about stuff. It was at all times this rumor and I may by no means determine the place it was. After which lastly I went there for a party and I used to be capable of inform my mother the place it was.

To date we’ve heard Mortal Kombat and Killer Intuition. Are preventing video games the go-tos while you’re on the arcade?
Yeah, I do a whole lot of preventing video games and shooters. I used to be a giant fan of Time Disaster and Home of the Useless. Silent Scope was actually enjoyable, the previous Aliens rail shooters and stuff. Jurassic Park, that was a cool rail shooter.

Do you continue to play these sorts of video games?
Yeah, I play a whole lot of video video games really. However primarily I’ll follow shooters. I type of bought into the Souls video games a bit afterward after I moved in with some guys, like, 10 years in the past. They began telling me about Bloodborne. I used to be like, “What’s Bloodborne? I don’t perceive.” We began type of going by it, and I used to be attempting to play and I used to be like, “Dude, that is like inconceivable to beat.” So it took years of play, cease, play, cease, as a result of as quickly as you cease enjoying these video games, you type of simply neglect the best way to play after which you must begin over again. There’s that huge cycle. However yeah, I play a whole lot of video video games, principally shooters, motion video games.

What have you ever been enjoying these days?
Truly, this can be a little completely different. There’s this old-school battle racer/road racing sport known as Tokyo Xtreme Racer. They simply got here out with a brand new one for 2025. I used to play this on a regular basis again on PS2. Principally, you’re driving across the Tokyo freeway the entire time searching for different racers to battle. The way in which you win is you must create and keep a certain quantity of distance to empty their life bar. It’s basically nearly like a preventing sport, nevertheless it’s a RPG, too, since you’re build up all these items. That’s what I’ve been enjoying a whole lot of.

Clearly, Wrath of Logarius is a reference to Martyr Logarius from Bloodborne. What’s it about this character particularly that you simply felt finest represents this concept of formless black metallic versus any of the opposite characters that you might discover in Bloodborne?
You realize, that’s type of a great query. His entire backstory resonated with me extra—being a part of the Executioners and looking for his folks. It actually spoke to me, the kind of individual he may need been. He looks as if he bought corrupted in some unspecified time in the future and become what he’s. I used to be simply drawn to that character, the way in which he seemed and his fortress and every thing. The enemies there are fairly loopy trying, too. I used to be simply drawn to that character.

Did you spend a whole lot of time trying up the lore whilst you had been enjoying the sport? What was the expertise like while you first encountered Bloodborne?
Initially, I used to be simply attempting to get by it, to be trustworthy. It was an excellent brutal sport. You’ve bought to sit down there and grind it out. Determining the best way to stack various things together with your ranges and what sort of weapons you’re utilizing and all that stuff, after which completely different runes. That every one got here afterward with our guitar participant Vastator. I bought him into that after which we began enjoying co-op and we ended up beating it and attempting to see how far we may get by it. However throughout that point, we might discover new notes and type of determine what the entire thing was, after which we’d go surfing and hearken to completely different lore. It’s just about all hypothesis, no person actually is aware of for certain. That’s type of what we actually like about it.

A part of the attraction on the lore for some folks is that you must actually dig into it, spend time on it and actively pursue it. It feels like that’s a component you take pleasure in.
Yeah, we like doing that. We type of hold it cryptic within the music as nicely. We don’t actually say precisely what we’re doing. We at all times gotta phrase it in a approach as if you happen to discovered a letter contained in the the sport or one thing. The quilt artwork, too, for the brand new album, I actually needed that to type of appear like a canvas you’d discover within the sport as a result of I do know you gotta discover completely different artworks in Elden Ring. I needed it to type of appear like it was from that period.

Was Bloodborne your first FromSoft ARPG?
Yeah, however I performed Tenchu lots again within the day, too. They made a few the later ones. However yeah, the primary Soulslike was positively Bloodborne, after which I went into Darkish Souls after which Elden Ring after that.

Clearly Bloodborne has resounded at the least considerably extra contemplating the band title. Is there one specific purpose you discover Bloodborne actually saved you hooked greater than among the different ones?
I feel it’s as a result of it’s extra primarily based off of cosmic horror. I grew up on a whole lot of John Carpenter motion pictures, like The Factor. Perhaps you’ll be able to throw another motion pictures in there. Stuff like that or Lovecraftian stuff, it’s simply bizarre. Whenever you learn it, it’s like, What’s going on? And also you begin attempting to piece all these items collectively. I similar to the thought of all of it being up for interpretation, like no person actually is aware of any actual solutions, it’s all simply hypothesis. At its core is what persons are afraid of: the unknown. No one is aware of what these creatures appear like, no person is aware of what they do, the place they’re from. That’s what actually makes it visceral.

In talking with New Noise journal, you had mentioned, “We had been melting every thing cosmic horror from video video games, books, motion pictures, and so forth. collectively into inspiration for the band.” Books and films have lengthy been inspiration for metallic bands—that’s not something new. However what was it about video video games that felt like a crucial addition to the formulation?
A variety of it was brutal settings like Bloodborne. The DLC on there may be actually brutal trying. A giant a part of it, what actually type of impressed a whole lot of the melodic sections we use is the soundtracks for the video games. Ludwig’s soundtrack [“Ludwig, the Holy Blade”] is simply loopy. It’s laborious to elucidate, nevertheless it offers you this bizarre pit in your abdomen. Similar factor with Cleric Beast—it offers you this extreme nervousness as you’re battling it. A variety of it needed to do with the soundtracks that they put within the video games and the setting as you’re enjoying it. It simply pairs completely.

Would you say then that among the soundtracks have actively influenced you? Not that you simply’re pulling one thing straight, however affect a few of your writing, your melody selections, pacing or something?
Yeah, I’d suppose so. I would like a whole lot of them to type of sound like they might be nearly like a boss battle or a really disparaging second or one thing for a personality. All these items is all primarily based off of those brief tales that [vocalist] Noctifer and I’ve thrown collectively and talk about the lore primarily based off what every thing is. We need to attempt to take the thought of, Effectively, the online game builders needed to really feel this manner for this boss battle, this manner for this part, that approach for that part, so we attempt to method it like that as nicely.

The method that you simply’ve named it’s formless black metallic. Despite the fact that Wrath of Logarius is just not your stereotypical second wave Norwegian lo-fi uncooked black metallic, black metallic remains to be a part of the equation. What made black metallic such a great base on your interpretation of the FromSoft method to gaming?
Whenever you’re enjoying dying metallic, it’s laborious to translate that emotional layer. With Bloodborne and Darkish Souls, no matter factor you discover, you learn it and it’s like, “This individual’s being tortured,” “This individual didn’t see their household,” “This individual died alone.” It’s all this despair you hear about, and black metallic actually had that. It type of accomplished the package deal for us as a way to make this extra rounded out and let folks hear what we’re attempting to do.

FromSoft is a fairly frequent title introduced up within the column. It’s had this seismic affect in terms of underground metallic particularly. A variety of bands now are overtly both writing songs about both Darkish Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, or they’re making refined references—one thing just like the case of Tomb Mildew—the place it’s a bit much less obvious. For you being in a band that overtly wears that affect in your sleeve, what’s it in regards to the sequence to you that speaks particularly to the underground metallic mindset?
I’d say as a result of it’s so open, I feel it leaves lots for these folks to type of determine what it means to them, actually. That type of sits a bit extra with that model, finally. Individuals usually on this style, they reside of their heads. It’s loopy. Lots of people are wonderful artists, wonderful musicians, and it’s all as a result of they’ve this inner factor happening. I feel there’s a whole lot of that that type of pairs up with it.

Do you might have any hope that Sony’s going to carry a couple of Bloodborne remaster or a sequel? Or are you cheerful to only let Bloodborne be Bloodborne?
A remaster can be cool, nevertheless it’s type of what it’s at this level. It’s been so lengthy, I don’t know if anyone would actually profit from it. Perhaps if we wait even longer when the know-how actually advances, it’d most likely make a comeback. I wish to see a Bloodborne II that will be open world like Elden Ring. I’ve seen Elden Ring mods on PC that change every thing over to this Bloodborne aesthetic. That was at all times fairly cool. I haven’t modded my Elden Ring to appear like Bloodborne but, however I’ll most likely attempt to try this. However they’d must do one thing that will be a giant open-world factor. Whether or not or not they do it, I don’t know—particularly with them making one other Elden Ring [Elden Ring: Nightreign], this quick spin-off factor.

Yeah, the longer that they wait, I [Michael] really feel just like the expectations are solely going to develop exponentially till they do one thing. It could be a bit bit laborious to prime what everyone desires of their thoughts.
Proper. Everyone has these large concepts of what you are able to do with it. It’s a kind of issues the place it’s like, Ehhh, perhaps they shouldn’t do it. I don’t know. You possibly can take Star Wars for instance, proper? The brand new trilogy got here out and everyone’s like, “What is that this? I don’t know what that is.” It’s simply not what folks had of their head or what they anticipated. It’s most likely the same concept.

There are many video games outdoors of Bloodborne which have tackled cosmic horror. Are there another titles or franchises that stick out to you as being of be aware or any type of affect to Wrath of Logarius?
Yeah, there’s been a whole lot of stuff. We consider issues like Aliens and Useless Area as the way forward for cosmic horror, and we’re type of in Victorian-era cosmic horror. That’s type of how I make sense of it in my head. It’s all type of linked. I don’t know, it’s type of bizarre. However I’d suppose that stuff like Aliens and Doom can be the long run, after which Victorian period can be the place Bloodborne sits. I like just about all that stuff. Silent Hill has a cosmic horror component to it. I’d type of argue that simply since you’re simply caught on this nightmare.

I imply, you’re speaking to the most important simp for Silent Hill of all time [Michael].
Yeah, dude. That was large. After I was, like, 12, I may have written you a strat information for the PS1 model, for certain. I put so many hours on that sport. I don’t know why they haven’t remade it but. I like 2, however I need to play the primary one, too.

Eldritch horror has positively seen a surge in reputation in no small half to indie builders—clearly taking affect from video games like Bloodborne, Everlasting Darkness, Name of Cthulhu, issues like that—to sort out one thing as lofty as cosmic horror. Do you favor the makes an attempt which might be made by AAA studios which have the larger budgets to tackle such a bigger idea or do you favor smaller builders who’re tackling such a wierd idea with no expectation of return on funding [with] a bit extra freedom to actually get unusual with the mechanics of it?
The indie builders positively make some some bizarre stuff. I do know I see lots. I feel it has its personal class on Steam. You possibly can click on on “cosmic horror” and possibly see stuff like that. I performed one known as Moons of Insanity. It was fairly trippy. I feel the older I get, the extra I type of drift in direction of PC and indie video games. I’m beginning to take extra gratification in enjoying these indie studio video games, like Tokyo Xtreme Racer. No one’s ever heard of that, however for some purpose, you’ll get a sport with, like, one or two guys making the factor and it’s higher than a whole lot of the stuff that got here out within the final two years, you understand? I’m type of drifting in direction of PC now and I’m most likely gonna make the complete transition most likely fairly quickly.

What have you ever been enjoying on prior?
Normally I play PS5 and Xbox, however I type of simply realized I’m enjoying the identical video games time and again. It’s at all times multiplayer shooters and stuff like that. It’s like, Effectively, I type of need to get impressed greater than get pissed off at some 12-year previous child killing me.

It feels like a part of the draw on that’s that you simply wish to spend time on some issues which might be a bit completely different than, say, your Name of Obligation and stuff. Do you discover that conjures up you a bit extra?
Yeah. Primarily, I’m a extremely visible individual. I used to be very into sculpting, portray—I did a bunch of various issues, completely different mediums. After I take a look at stuff, I type of hear issues typically, like, this soundtrack may go along with that factor. I additionally do brief movies and stuff like that, so I’m at all times fascinated about music that goes with visuals on a regular basis. So after I play video video games, I’m continually fascinated about that, too.

Apparent one apart, if you got the possibility to create your individual rating, soundtrack, no matter for a online game, is there a selected title, franchise, and even one thing as broad as a style that you’d be most occupied with engaged on?
You realize, I at all times preferred the stuff in Silent Hill. It’s that bizarre kind of rock. The band Placebo, they type of remind me of the Silent Hill kind of music. I’ve at all times preferred that—that basically darkish, folky kind music. I don’t know the best way to clarify what the style is. The bizarre sounds they’ve in Silent Hill is at all times fairly trippy, too. I’m very into unusual noises and stuff like that. We’ve type of talked about as a substitute of doing an orchestral backing monitor factor for black metallic, what if we had been to do that cinematic, cosmic refrain sci-fi factor within the background? However we gotta determine the place that matches as a result of these noises are so huge and distorted, and so they may very well be just about no matter. However yeah, I feel a Silent Hill-type eerie people music factor can be cool.

It sounds sounds such as you’ve already began LP 2. So, you’re transitioning into PC gaming, you’re searching for out this type of headier type of gaming, one thing a bit extra narrative. However you introduced up shooters being your go-to multiplayer expertise, the place you’ve been spending a good bit of time. What, to you, is the worth of being of getting this multiplayer, not-as-heavy of an expertise in gaming? What’s the significance of escapism in gaming to you?
I feel everyone type of must have these releases and gaming is only a completely different route so that you can have it, type of will get you considering. One that will get you considering can be Indigo Prophecy, that sport’s fairly trippy. Stuff like that. I feel individuals who play video video games usually, like I mentioned, reside in their very own head. They’re very inventive folks. It’s to not say that different folks aren’t, however I feel everyone’s drawn to various things. Some folks will watch loopy crime dramas and stuff like that, some folks will watch motion pictures, some folks bake. I feel it’s essential for folks to have these releases, and I feel that’s actually what it does.

Past Elden Ring: Nightreign—which I feel everyone on the planet is counting down the times for—are there another video games which might be arising that you simply’re excited to take a look at?
I haven’t been paying an excessive amount of consideration to something not too long ago. I’ve been doing all of the music stuff, to be trustworthy. I like Tokyo Xtreme Racer as a result of I can simply bounce in, bounce out. It performs like a multiplayer sport the place you simply present up and do your factor and get out of there. However I’ve been so busy with music. I even purchased the brand new Ninja Turtles sport [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate] and I haven’t actually gotten too deep into that. I’ve been that means to get into that. However so far as new video games, I couldn’t inform you what’s popping out this 12 months, actually.

The way in which you mentioned that made it sound like this isn’t the way in which you usually do issues. Do you usually control the calendar?
I normally know what’s popping out and when it’s popping out. However I’ve such a giant backlog, too. I nonetheless gotta end [God of War:] Ragnarok. I gotta end Resident Evil 4, I feel I made it about midway by. Alan Wake 2 is there. I’ve a lot stuff simply backed up. I really feel like I’m type of at a degree the place I’ll simply catch up after I can. I feel that’s a part of why I haven’t actually thought of what’s popping out. However yeah, normally I attempt to sustain and I purchase every thing. I type of realized, Effectively, I purchased this and I haven’t performed it, after which it finally ends up on Sport Cross or one thing without spending a dime. I ought to have simply waited and perhaps performed it without spending a dime.

With the franchises you talked about there—clearly we’ve been speaking about Soulsborne, Silent Hill, Alan Wake and stuff—that Turtles appeared like a little bit of an outlier. You haven’t actually talked an excessive amount of about Nintendo stuff or the bright-colored facet of this. Do you usually lean extra in direction of the darker or extra severe tones, or do you combine it up with a bunch of this and that from throughout?
I feel it’s perhaps 60 p.c darkish horror stuff and the remainder is simply random stuff that I grew up with, like Turtles. I used to be an enormous fan of Turtles again within the day. That was one other sport we used to play within the arcades, too—the four-player Turtles. Every time new stuff comes out that’s been in my mind for, like, 25 years, then I’ll normally verify that out.

Do you get to make it to arcades a lot anymore?
Probably not, no. I’ve been that means to construct one, however I normally use emulators and stuff and we simply play on the observe room. It’s sometimes what we do. There’s a couple of arcades right here, however they’re normally fairly noisy and there’s a whole lot of obnoxious folks round. [Laughs]

Is gaming a shared expertise throughout the band? You mentioned that you simply teamed up for Bloodborne, however is it a communal expertise or a solo expertise sometimes?
It’s normally communal. We might play Bloodborne lots, we performed a whole lot of Elden Ring lots collectively. That may be type of it. Name of Obligation would would occur lots, too. What else? Far Cry 5 was fairly cool. Normally if there’s a great co-op sport that everyone likes, we’ll bounce on it at one level or one other. Kind of, it’s 50/50, everyone does their very own factor after which jumps on one thing.

Would you say everyone within the band at the least has passing pursuits in several video games or is there one individual within the band who’s like, “Yeah, I don’t get any of this?”
No, I feel everyone has a fairly good grip on what’s happening with stuff. Whether or not or not they play it actively is completely different. I haven’t turned on Bloodborne in perhaps… each on occasion I’ll flip it on to see what I used to be doing earlier than, however I haven’t actually sat there and finished a playthrough shortly.

In case you had been to counsel anyone to select up a sport from the FromSoft catalog, however you’ll be able to’t decide Bloodborne, which might be the primary one that you’d decide?
It might most likely be both Demon’s Souls or Darkish Souls III. I’d sometimes say do Darkish Souls III as a result of it’s positively a bit extra accessible than Demon’s Souls, however Demon’s Souls positively seems lots higher. It’s simply whether or not or not you’ll be able to punish your self to get by Demon’s Souls.

These are two starkly completely different titles. Demon’s Souls, you’re getting gang jumped into that one. Even if you happen to’re a fan of the franchise, enjoying that one is tough at instances. It’s robust.
Yeah, I nonetheless haven’t completed it. It’s so laborious. I gotta burn by it. However man, that’s one of many ones that’s in my again catalog, too.

Crown of Mortis is out now through Season of Mist and might be ordered right here.
Comply with Wrath of Logarius on Bandcamp and Instagram.