
Hello dear Shane, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
I’m Great thanks. I’m currently at home in front of an open Fire, as its fairly cold here in Ireland, the green hills are white outside with Frost.
Being from Boyne Valley, how has your geographical location influenced your music and overall artistic direction as a band?
Its had a huge impact well firstly the Bands Name “TEMAIR” ( pronounced “Chower”) it is the old Irish Gaelic name for Tara or the Hill of Tara. (The Band ABSU wrote their Album “Tara” after this place)
This is where I live so thought it would be a great name for the band. The area is steeped in history from the world famous Newgrange to the Hill of Tara itself along with 100s of other not so known passage graves and castles etc. So its hard not to be inspired by the area.
As the sole member behind Temair, how do you manage the creative process of writing and composing music, lyrics, and playing multiple instruments?
I’m first a guitarist, so I’ve been playing for over 30 years so that’s my starting point, once ive the foundation of the song wrote on guitar all the other elements like drums, bass, keys and lyrics will be added.
Temair draws influences from various extreme metal genres. How do you approach blending black metal with death, and Viking dynamics to create your unique sound?
I definitely have influences from the black, Death & Viking metal genres, however TEMAIR is different from other bands I’ve been in, as there is no format to what TEMAIR must sound like. I think too many bands get caught up with sounding “Blackmetal” or “Deathmetal” etc. I approach my music by just picking up the guitar and playing what I would want to hear, that’s why my songs are so diverse, but all stay true to the Temair sound.
Your debut full length “Engineers of Transgression” features 9 tracks. Are there any particular themes or influences that you're exploring on the songs?
Yes a wide variety of themes on the Debut album, from War, History, Nature, The Universe & Society. The title track “Engineers of Transgression” deals with the destruction of our natural world from building urban wastelands . To other songs Like Valour & Lore which is about my ancestors that lived thousands of years ago and how they are still felt in our Forests, Mountains, Valleys & Rivers but these places are being destroyed too by greed. Another example is The Song “The Pillars of Creation” this is about the cosmos and where stars are born. I’m fascinated by our universe, this song sounds very different from the others on the album but ties in with TEMAIR very well I think, basically I want the listener to go on a journey with TEMAIR and not know what the next song will bring. One last example is “Seas Roar On” the lyrics of this one is directly translated from an old Irish poem wrote over 100 years ago. So, like the sound of TEMAIR the themes are also very broad.
Can you give us a glimpse into the creative process behind your music? How do you typically approach songwriting and arranging?
As mentioned, I start writing a new song with guitar first, and one element I think is very important to a TEMAIR song & sound is melody. Even though some songs are very extreme/heavy once I have a melody which takes the listener through the song I know that it’s the basis of everything else that will follow.
With eight distinctive tracks on the album, how do you ensure that each song stands out individually while also contributing to the overall flow and cohesiveness of the record?
I think all the Songs are so different from each other and stand on their own merit . However I think they all fit together perfectly like a jigsaw as the unique sound & feel takes the listener on an unknown journey through the world of TEMAIR.
When you release a record how much attention do you pay to things like track order, lay out and art work? How planned is everything?
I actually spend a good bit of time on Artwork as I am also a Traditional free hand artist (you can find my art page : Ogham Eire Art on Instagram) and also did a lot of Graphic design work. So this part of the process I really enjoy too. In fact the album “Engineers of Transgression” artwork has been fully completed and will be getting a CD release in a few weeks. All artwork is done me also contains a booklet which is great.
How has the reception been for your music so far?
Reception has been great so far. To be honest considering the metal scene in this day and age is saturated with so many bands its hard to get your name out there as there’s a new band every day. However, I feel TEMAIR is unique enough to be noticed in a vast sea of bands. Today numbers seem to be important whether it be YouTube hits, Instagram followers or Spotify plays, personally those numbers mean nothing to me, being popular and having a huge following doesn’t necessarily mean your music is good or original. So Im happy if a handful of people enjoy the music as I’m creating it for myself more than anything.
I have had some indie record labels contact me with but unfortunately, they weren’t for me so I declined, so hopefully in the near future I can work with a record label to get my music promoted and distributed so more people can have access & hear TEMAIR
When you work in the studio what kind of process do you go through? Do you come in all prepared or do you improvise?
Im lucky enough to have my own studio where I live , I think its important to have a music space to create and write. My process is just plug in the guitar and play. If I don’t feel creative ill go through the demos & unfinished songs and see what I can add to them.
What are some techniques you haven’t used on your current album that you would love to experiment with in future releases?
Which each song my techniques are evolving, from vocal styles to song structure so each future release will be exciting for me and the listener.
Are there any plans for collaboration with other artists or musicians in the future, and if so, what excites you about the potential of those collaborations?
Yes im hoping to do a split release with another Irish artist later next year, our plan is to have 2 songs each on an EP.
As a metal band do you feel that you’re a part of a greater worldwide community of metalheads?
Yes the Metal community is very special from the fans to the bands, its full of good people and some of the brightest people i know.
For those of us, myself included, who have extremely low knowledge of Irish’s metal scene, what can you tell us about its history? Are there any bands who you feel really represent the country?
We do have alot of underground bands and there is a small scene here. We have independent labels also some podcasts like the Metal cell which promotes small bands.
We also have some bigger bands that have been on the Metal scene for years Like Primordial, Mourning Beloveth & Cruachan all of which have had some type of worldwide success.
What ways has been the best for you in order to promote the band? What do you do to reach as many interest as possible?
To be honest I just upload to Youtube and spotify, but i think bandcamp has been great to get some exposure, once my cds come from the factory plant ill be selling them on bandcamp. Having a physical copy of an album has always been important to me.
We have come to the end of the interview, thank you for taking the time off to answer our questions, and we wish you and Temair the best in all upcoming endeavours!
Thank you for reaching out & having an interest in TEMAIR. as we say in Ireland - sláinte
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