Skavengers Daughter - Drone Worship and Medieval Tourture

I caught up with Adam Whiteman of Skavengers Daughter to find out what we are in for at Sonic Furnace - Extreme Music Mini Festival...

What are Skavengers Daughters main influences?

Main Influence wise I would definitely have to say SUNN O))) and Earth but the style we have also takes a lot of influences from artists like Merzbow, Coltrane and even Boris.

How did the band start?

The band originally started when my former writing partner William Brown (ex. Wrath of Fenrir, Dark Misanthropy, Septik Piggery) and I decided to have a jam. We are both into our drone doom and decided one day to have a jam. It was good fun and I originally wanted to work with him for my solo stuff but then we decided to create SKD instead.

Where does the band name come from?

The band name came from a medieval torture device known as the Scavengers Daughter where the victim was locked into a prayer position for extended periods of time until their organs began to fail. It was fitting at the time as how abrasive and monstrous the sound was that we were creating. Chock that one up to Will as well hahaha.

Drone and doom bands can be equipment nerds, you only have to look at people sharing the all the equipment stats and configurations that SUN O))) use on stage...What Kind of equipment does Skavengers Daughter use?

Currently the tone we get is done by have guitars tuned to drop A / B standard as it it large sounding and have a firm bottom end.
Our second guitarist James uses a LES Paul with alnico humbuckers and a Super Fuzz and I myself use a LP set up with a humbucker in the bridge and a P90 in the neck as well as a Stratocaster plus various delays and distortions to created a layered sound.Then Amplifier wise it's usually big tube amp heads as well as some combo amplifiers to add a bit of high end for rolling effects. The sound can be abrasive and yet beautiful at times.

Are there themes to songs or is it all for the drone?

Well a little bit of column A a little column B hahaha.
A lot of our songs are based on instrumental rhythmic repetition with roots steeped in Tibetan and Buddhist mantra it flows through you like being punched by the ocean. But lyrically a lot of the themes range from depression and suicide to bible passage. I feel that in some essence the slow rumbling of the universe coincides with the stories of man.
Also I like to play really loud and make people hate me hahaha.

Tell us about the bands line up? Who's in the band and do they have any other projects?

Our lineup can change at random due to the style of band but overall this is something that none of us really have done before.
Out of the current lineup James and I play in a stoner doom project called STONE who are making tracks to live work soon.
As well as James working as a DJ under the name James Business and I myself used to be in a group called PARASITICAL VIVISECTION.
Our vocalist currently writes music under the name Emortuus and has released several albums under his name. We do come from different backgrounds but in the end this is something we wanted to do and create something that was uniquely our own.

What has been the best moment for Skavengers Daughter so far?

...the best moment of SKD would definitely have to be the first show. We may have played to 3 people but in the end we finally took something that had been an idea and turned it into a reality.

Skavengers Daughter are releasing a recording especially for Sonic Furnace. You can get your copy at the show. Sonic Furnace - Extreme Music Mini Festival, June 03 at Babushka, Leederville WA. 

Heres a taste of what they do...