Today we’d like to introduce you to Verge Bliss.
Verge, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2010 I began the process of separating from my husband and the father of my child. We had played music together in a hard rock band reminiscent of Steppenwolf or Led Zeppelin. During the separation, I went back to composing experimental music and used autoharp to flesh out the script of Oscar Wilde’s play Salome. The themes were very relevant to me at that time — this young debauched woman using sexuality to scorch and devour the world around her. My work is not overtly sexual but does incorporate sex toys, adult themes, and magick. Part of what I do is physical chaos ritual. Devotion to some beautiful, amazing, yet dark entities also informs my work up through PRAXIS.
It was around this time I ended up having a very disturbing revelation around the past twenty years of my life that I even now am not ready to discuss. My new work, which I have not been able to record quite yet, is about this situation. After completely losing my touch with reality through that situation, plus moving from Atlanta and taking a very demanding job that lasted for two years, I had so much to re-evaluate and have now rummaged through and organized all the deep recesses of my psyche and am ready to reassemble everything here into my next album.
Since early childhood, I have also done meticulous and repetitive work with my hands. When I was small, that was tatting and embroidery. Those skills have translated into my professional life. I have for a few years working as a histologist — embedding tissue in wax blocks, cutting thin slices on a microtome, and putting it onto glass microscope slides. In addition to laboratory work, I also build my own electronics and some instruments to use for my musical project.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My journey has been exceedingly privileged compared to some of my friends. Experimental music is a place where outsiders congregate and find others who can relate to their struggles. Many of my friends contemplate or have attempted suicide.
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
Clandestine Ritual started as a way for me to help my friends release their music. This initial purpose evolved as I found other ways to promote their work like putting together shows and festivals. Additionally, I wanted an umbrella under which all my interests could be grouped and pulled together into a cohesive unit that could be marketed effectively. Honestly, there are many others doing what I do. What sets me apart is the art I create. I don’t do just harsh noise or just industrial. I do write songs. I make things. I want my aesthetic to be immediately clear.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
At this point, I would not join a magickal order because I have been a solitary practitioner for so long and have finally gotten really good at what I do but if I had joined OTO or Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn at a younger age, I would have had better tools at my disposal to deal with involuntary astral projection and spiritual protection.
Contact Info:
- Website: clandestineritual.com, denderabloodbath.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @denderabloodbath
- Facebook: /denderabloodbath
- Twitter: @vrgbls
Image Credit:
Denise Chelini, Alec Livaditis, Sydney Lira
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