DUST PROPHET- One year later- ONE LAST LOOK UPON THE SKY
Close your eyes, an apocalyptic desert world is being built right in front of you....for only you.
ONE LAST LOOK UPON THE SKY, released January 27, 2023 was probably the first album this year to grab a hold of me. A Storm of Space and Time and When the Axe Falls set the table for a journey carefully crafted by singer Otto Knizel's mind that resonates with me a year later to my very core.
Ending with the haunting tones and vocals through Bury Me Before Noon, Dust Prophet closes this album leaving the listener empty and exhausted. Which may not sound exactly how you would expect, but for me it leaves a longing in anticipation for what's next.
I have had the pleasure of seeing Dust Prophet live so many times, each time far better than the next. Showing a dedication to the live performance of these songs as well as recorded. I wanted to know how the band feels one year later and was able to ask their lead singer Otto about it!
Tell me a bit about One Last look...
One Last Look Upon the Sky was released on January 27th , 2023. It’s our debut album and was recorded and released entirely independently. That’s something we’re very proud of. For a band that’s completely “on our own”, it did great with both sales and critics.
It debuted at #13 on the Doom Charts for the month of January and got a ton of very positive reviews.
We were featured in Decibel Magazine,Outlaws of the Sun,Classic Rock (UK),Doom Nation,Metal Injection and a ton of other outlets. We also have it being distributed in the Ripple Music store, which was very awesome of Todd (Severin, owner of Ripple Music) to do. We’re not signed to Ripple Music; he did this to help us out and get the music to a larger audience.
It was a long time-coming for us as a band, we had so many roadblocks and false starts when we first
launched, and had multiple lineup changes before we were even able to play shows. There were times
when it felt like it was never going to work, so getting the album officially released was a big
achievement for us. Beyond the already mentioned reasons, it felt like all the struggle and frustration we
encountered trying to get this band off the ground was worth it.
What is your favorite song on the album currently?
My favorite songs to play live are Dear Mrs. Budd and When the Axe Falls. I’m particularly proud of the lyrics I wrote for those two songs, so there’s a sentimental love for those 2 every time we rock them live.
What was the best part of recording? Worst part?
The best part was seeing how the recordings came together, starting from just drum tracks; to guitars;
guitars and bass; guitars, bass and vocals etc. Seeing and hearing the progress and how the process goes from raw tracking to a final mix is always exciting. I love seeing how the building evolves and becomes the finished product.
The “worst” part is relatively speaking. It’s just the time, or lack thereof. Having to be as efficient as
possible and utilize our limited resources, we must maximize that efficiency. And that can be very
stressful. But that’s not unique to us. Every band and artists feel that proverbial squeeze.
How do you feel about the album 1 year later?
I’m very proud of it! Of course, there’s always small things that we can nitpick and critique about how
we did “such and such” and over analyze the process. But again, that’s not unique to us. I think all bands and artists do the same thing, at least to a certain extent. I think we made a good album that accurately represented us at that time.
I say “at that time” because since the release we added a 4th member, Jason Doyle, as a full-time guitar player so I can have more freedom to focus on vocals. Jason did the mixing and mastering, so even though he didn’t formally perform on One Last Look Upon the Sky as a musician, he still appears on it. And we also now tune down further than we did on the album (Drop B now, compared to Drop C on the album). So now we have a very different sound, lol.
BUT having said all that, I’m proud of the material and I’m proud of the result. We worked our ass off on it.
Best live song? Most memorable performance of 2023?
That’s a really tough question. We’ve had a ton of awesome shows this year. Maryland Doom Fest; RPM; New England Stoner & Doom Fest; playing Café Nola in Frederick, MD; and then shows we had at Dusk in Providence, RI; playing in Manchester, NH (our hometown). I don’t know if I can pick just one show.
I’m grateful for a full year of great live shows that have been fun and fulfilling for me as a musician.
You can check out the album and merch on Bandcamp, link below.
AJ
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