While Heaven Wept

Interview with Tom Philips conducted by Linn-Elise Jenssen in 2010

WHILE HEAVEN WEPT is a metal band from Dale City, Virginia in the USA. Tom Phillips is the founder of WHW, and he has also played in several bands like: BRAVE, TWISTED TOWER DIRE, POLARIS, GBK, SOLSTICE and PARASITIC INFESTATION. WHW recently played at the Hammer Of Doom III in Germany, to perform their new album “Vast Oceans Lachrymose”. This was perhaps the greatest receptions they’ve ever had from an audience.

“Sorrow Of The Angels" was WHW’s first album in 1998. ”The Empires Forlorn” saw the light of day in 2003, in three different editions. “Vast Oceans Lachrymose” from 2009 is your new album. What was it like to release a new album after so many years?

In many ways, "Vast Oceans Lachrymose" is a liberation; musically it's more diverse than anything we've released before, but it's also the revealing of facets of our music that we've always known to exist. It also marked the end of a long silence, that was often fraught with apathy and in the case of the lyrics particularly, a "lack of inspiration". All that changed after I found myself once again in a very dark place emotionally and spiritually, having endured the most brutal ending to a relationship in my whole life...which of course made WHW very much a necessity. The most profound liberation was being able to cycle through the stages of bereavement and come out on the other side, scarred, but for the most part healed.



Can you please give us the brief history of WHILE HEAVEN WEPT? When and why it all started…?

While Heaven Wept first began back in 1989 with strictly musical aspirations (and few different monikers during the first couple years, although the music remained the same). The primary ambition at the time was to stretch beyond the confines of specific genre of Metal, and even incorporate elements from very different musical styles. By the time the name While Heaven Wept was insurrected in 1991, the premise of the band had changed significantly - not so much in musical terms, rather the emotional and spiritual; after the devastation of my first real relationship ending, and a series of problems within my family (among other things), WHW became my vehicle for expressing all the things that I otherwise could not. Since then, we've always been committed to playing only music that is genuinely from the heart and soul, based entirely upon real life experiences and the resultant emotions.

Your song “Vast Oceans Lachrymose” is a pure instrumental track. What are the emotions behind the melody and the guitar solos?

I think that "Vast Oceans Lachrymose" stems from the same place as "The Drowning Years" from the previous album, being that they were both composed around the same time...these songs with their long, sweeping melodies epitomize what some people have referred to as the "aural paradox" in our music - where by they are very beautiful, incredibly uplifting and deeply gutting at the same time; there's always an aspect of duality to our music, and in the end it is up to each listener to determine what the real meaning is. Of course, I know what I lived through, and what I was feeling when these melodies came through my fingers, but that doesn't necessarily result in someone else having the same responses. Ultimately it is the sound of triumph and tragedy simultaneously.

WHILE HEAVEN WEPT played at the Hammer Of Doom III on the 8. February in Posthalle, Wurzburg in Germany. What were your expectations for this concert?

Hammer Of Doom III was a truly magical experience for WHW...perhaps the greatest reception we've ever had from an audience, and it was a deeply emotional performance - for the band, and according to many members of the crowd as well I'm told. We were very much looking forward to this opportunity and weren't really sure what to expect given our varied performances in the EU during the 2004 tour, but all of our anxieties were for naught; there's just nothing quite like having the whole audience "in the moment" with you...singing at the top of the lungs, a phantasmagoria of smiles, fists, and tears...in a word, overwhelming. Needless to say, it was an honour to share the stage with Saint Vitus, Asphyx, Lord Vicar, Centurion's Ghost, Old Season, Ahab, The W'izard, and Atlantean Kodex...but even more so to have the chance to play for such a wonderful audience.

Are you going to play some other places during the spring/summer?

Absolutely! We intend to play as many places as possible in support of "Vast Oceans Lachrymose" - both in North America and the EU over the next 12-18 months. We haven't yet confirmed any dates apart from a gig or two locally, but there are many offers on the table on through to 2011. We'll keep all of our websites up-to-date with concert information for certain.

You are going to do ”Voice In The Wind” from the album “Of Empires Forlorn” from 2003, on your tour in Europe this year. This is the first time you are going to perform it in publicy. Why, is there a special reason for that?

Originally, we were adding "Voice" to our setlist because we'd promised a lot of people during the last tour that we would play it next time...we intend to keep that promise. Then last year, you'd told me something very personal that hit me very deeply...what you wanted to talk about next actually...but, the bottom line is we care about those who hold us close, and thus, we'll be playing it in tribute for one of the fans we've lost - your friend (my dear beloved son, Haakon, who died September 19th, 2008… AJ – BtB editor…)

In September 2008, I lost my best friend. He was only 24 years old when he died.....«Voice In The Wind» was played in his funeral, because it was one of his favorite songs. It was also the first time I heard this song. I definitely found comfort in «Voice In The Wind» in my times of loneliness and sorrows...What thoughts come to you when I tell you this?

First of all, I want to say on behalf of all of us in WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, we are deeply sorry for your loss and hope you have found your way back to some semblance of "normalcy" - please do let us know if there's anything we can do. As for the reaction when you first spoke of this tragedy, quite frankly it hit me quite hard being that I'm somewhat of an empath...in some ways I was at a loss for words, in others I couldn't believe that one of our songs meant so much that it would be played in tribute to him. Ultimately, I hope that this song continues to bring some comfort to you and his loved ones...and also that the melodies soothe his soul for eternity.

What’s the story behind “Voice In The Wind”?

Klaus Hess wrote and recorded it with the German symphonic rock band Jane back in 1977...our version is an interpretation/translation of it as opposed to a direct cover; we wanted to pay tribute to this often-forgotten or overlooked band by keeping the basic structure and sparse nature of the song intact...but at the same time making it more personal and in some ways, perhaps more cohesive in its meaning. The lyrics and vocal melodies are completely different (as are the guitar leads) and very much "WHILE HEAVEN WEPT - as always derived from my own real-life experiences...in this case, a girl (who had a beautiful voice) that I loved but always knew would fly away. And while "Soulsadness" is easily the best overall song on the album (in our humble estimation), "Voice In The Wind" was - and will always be - my "baby" from the "Empires" record.

Why classic metal with epic themes? Is this something you’ve been interested in since your childhood and youth?

We've never intentionally set out to play any music based upon a concept or thought...it's never been about genres or parameters...what you hear is simply what we genuinely feel, what's in our blood, and is distinctly "us". Of course we all grew up with Metal in our hearts too, but I think you know that there's a lot more to WHILE HEAVEN WEPT than that musically...we have so many influences, many of which would be quite surprising to your readers I'm sure. Speaking of myself personally, I have been listening to Metal since the dawn of the NWOBHM, grew up with Thrash and Doom, evolved with the Death, Black, and Grind waves...all this, and everything before or since is absolutely a part of me.

I cannot free myself from thinking that there's a religious meaning in the band's name, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT… is it so, or is it just me…?

It's just you, ha-ha...WHILE HEAVEN WEPT has absolutely zero affiliation with any religion or political stance - it's strictly human experience and emotion. The religious imagery is strictly metaphoric in all the ways we've implemented it; for many people there is nothing deeper nor more powerful that their faith, so I've utilized these images and ideas as ways to describe the magnitudes of emotion that I felt in each of the experiences or scenarios detailed in the songs. Of course, the various band members each have their own set of beliefs, that they hold dearly...but WHILE HEAVEN WEPT in and of itself is non-denominational and otherwise not of any path Eastern or Western.

All musicians are to a certain extent more or less inspired by other musicians, authors and other creative artists and I assume that you guys in WHILE HEAVEN WEPT are no exception. So, what and who has been essential sources of inspiration for you before when WHILE HEAVEN WEPT still was a young band and now as a renowned veteran band in the scene?

Since the very beginning, our primary influences have remained the same: early Fates Warning, the first two Candlemass albums, and late 70's Kitaro...this is the "sacred triumverat" that combines to form the foundation of all things WHW. We certainly listened to a wide variety of bands/artists then and now including: Black Sabbath, Dio-era Rainbow, Rush, Deep Purple, King Crimson, Slayer, Dark Angel, Holy Terror, Cirith Ungol, Witchfinder General, Trouble, Bathory, Coroner, Celtic Frost, Voivod...the list is really endless, and that isn't even considering all the Classical, Jazz, Electronic, and Avant Garde composers that we adore! In the succeeding years, very few "new" artists have exerted influence upon us, but I have to mention Devin Townsend, Ulver, and Arcturus specifically, as they have helped us to expand our horizons just a bit further (though we already had a wide scope to begin with).

Thank you for your answers! Is there anything you want to say to the readers of Beat the Blizzard?

Thanks to everyone who has supported us throughout the years and waited so patiently for "Vast Oceans Lachrymose" - we really hope you will feel it was worth waiting for. Those of you who are new to WHW, please don't be distracted by the various genres and styles people often associate us with...give it a chance for yourselves...it is certainly beyond the scope of any one style, and there is a little something for everyone within our music (if you listen to Metal). We hope to see you all very soon on tour! Cheers!