Is their some kind of conceptual arc to the lyrics on In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns?
Thomas G. Plaguehammer: I wouldn’t say it was a concept album, but I think Ken was definitely trying to create a mood. Ken’s sort of a visionary. He’s able to write about the occult, cosmology, and philosophy without ever sounding silly or cliché. I really admire that about his writing, because the metal genre is not really known for exceptional lyrics. I think Ken is one of the few who are the exception. IGN Music: You’ve played with a band from practically every facet of the current underground metal movement. Do you find that older death and black metal fans resist you at first for whatever preconceived notion they might have due to your large young fan base? Thomas G. Plaguehammer: For some reason those dudes love to hate us. It’s funny, because we are those dudes – we grew up on all the same stuff. 90% of the metal we listen to is the stuff we grew up on, so I just don’t get it. I mean, okay, so we don’t wear corpse paint or dress in leather stage garb, and we don’t all have long
