EP377 IATT's Black Metal Rock Opera Alec Talks Etheric Realms of the Night, Insomnia & Thunderflix

Alec of IATT joins Tom on And Now The Band to discuss IATT's ambitious concept album Etheric Realms of the Night, the psychology of sleep and insomnia, and the band's incredible feature-length black metal rock opera film now available through Thunderflix.Etheric Realms of the Night explores the different stages of sleep and the psychological experiences surrounding them, including insomnia, sleep deprivation, somniphobia, and the human mind. Alec explains how IATT approaches songwriting through extensive research and discussion of psychology, allowing the album's themes to influence both the music and the band's larger visual presentation.The conversation goes much deeper when Alec discusses the 18-month process of creating IATT's feature-length black metal rock opera film. Created independently and largely self-financed by Alec and his team, the film was produced on a shoestring budget and combines IATT's music with cinematic storytelling without traditional dialogue.Alec draws on his background in film school and music-video production to explain how the project came together, the enormous amount of time invested in it, and the self-doubt that comes with spending more than 500 hours on an ambitious creative project.The film premiered in Philadelphia before being released on Thunderflix, and Alec discusses plans for film-festival submissions, a potential special-edition DVD/CD release, behind-the-scenes material, and the possibility of eventually presenting the film with a live pit-orchestra-style performance.Tom and Alec also discuss:IATT's Etheric Realms of the NightBlack metal and concept albumsSleep, insomnia and somniphobiaThe psychology behind IATT's musicIATT's feature-length black metal filmBlack metal rock operasThunderflixIndependent filmmakingFilm school and music-video productionSpending 500+ hours on a creative projectOvercoming self-doubtAlbum artwork and visual storytellingVinyl, CDs and physical musicBlack Lion RecordsEnvima RecordsThe importance of the complete album experienceStreaming vs. physical musicIATT's upcoming West Coast tourNarcotic WastelandFuture live screenings and performancesThe future of IATTAlec also talks about "Walk Amongst," one of his favorite IATT songs to perform, including the possibility of incorporating live saxophone into future performances.The episode closes with discussion of IATT's upcoming touring plans, including their September West Coast tour, a show with Narcotic Wasteland, and the possibility of bringing their film to Louisville for a special screening and live event.If you're a fan of black metal, extreme metal, concept albums, experimental music, independent filmmaking, psychological horror, or ambitious DIY music projects, this is an episode you won't want to miss.