The curse upon Millhaven was a dark and mysterious legend that haunted the small town for centuries. It was said that a witch had placed a curse upon the town, bringing misfortune and despair to its inhabitants. This curse was believed to have been born out of a deep-seated grudge held by the witch, whose name has long been forgotten. According to the legend, the curse upon Millhaven came to be as a result of the townspeople's mistreatment of the witch. They accused her of practicing dark magic and blamed her for their misfortunes. In retaliation, the witch vowed to bring doom upon the town and its people.
“The Curse of Millhaven” presents Lottie as a complex and disturbed character. Through her narration, it becomes evident that she has a twisted sense of right and wrong, justifying her violent actions with a skewed moral compass. The song doesn’t explicitly reveal Lottie’s background or psychological makeup, leaving room for interpretation and speculation.
Some view it as an exploration of the capacity for evil within individuals, while others see it as a commentary on the human condition and society s fascination with crime. Through her narration, it becomes evident that she has a twisted sense of right and wrong, justifying her violent actions with a skewed moral compass.
In retaliation, the witch vowed to bring doom upon the town and its people. Over time, the curse manifested itself in various ways. Crops failed, livestock perished, and illnesses spread throughout the community.
Exclusive Interview: The Curse Of Millhaven talk “Thresholds”!
Belgian Metallers The Curse of Millhaven dropped an impressive new album in “Thresholds” a few months back and we were lucky enough to be granted an audience with them to talk about the album and being you an exclusive interview! If you’ve not checked out the album as yet… Shame on you!
The band name “The Curse of Millhaven” – is that taken from the 1996 song from “Murder Ballads” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or is there another story behind that one?
As musicians, besides metal, we love other genres as well. Of course Nick Cave is one of them. The story behind the song ‘The Curse of Millhaven’ thrilled ourselves to find out more. It’s about a fictive little town called Millhaven, were a psycho little girl Lottie, with a murder instinct dwells around. The happy tunes in the song are in contrast with the murderous lyrics, which fit our band perfectly.
When we reviewed “Thresholds” we picked out some Death Metal, some Black Metal and even some Metalcore elements in your sound. Who would you say are your biggest influences and why?
You’ve noticed that well. We must admit that we have some bands which we are influenced by. But nevertheless we try to create our own sound by blending our favourite bands into one piece. I think bands like The Black Dahlia Murder and God Dethroned are major influences, but because we like so many metal subgenres we are able to create a new style of Death Metal.
It’s mentioned that you recorded 10 songs in the sessions for “Thresholds” yet the album holds 9. Can you tell us about the track that was cut and if you plan to release it at a later date?
We haven’t recorded one extra song, but inside Millhaven we strive for the best. At rehearsals we end up picking the best riffs to create new songs, but in the end the riff changed another 5 times until it sounds perfect to all of us. Of course this leads to lot’s of discussion between us band members, but it only means we all want the best for Millhaven. A few beers afterwards in our soundcave and all is peace, love and joy!
The accenting on the vocals, particularly on the album title track adds a touch of Evil. How much was the vocal delivery part of the more aggressive edge that you wanted to achieve with the album? With the likes of Phil Bozeman incorporating clean vocals, was it easy to say “no clean singing”?
The vocal part has changed a bit over the years. It’s how we have changed as a band. We are holding on to Death Metal, but yet we try out new things. There are a lot more backing vocal parts and even whispering appears on Thresholds. It’s part of the process. The sound is more aggressive, but that includes the riffing, vocals, drums, everything. To add clean vocals to the music is an experiment we are open minded about. If you listen to bands like Serpentine Dominion, clean vocals and death metal can go along very well. It’s a challenge for our vocalist Jasper to make it sound powerful enough in the future, if we would introduce it.
As an album “Thresholds” has arguably one of the best all round kit performances with some seriously relentless work, “Shelter” being a fine example. Who are you drumming inspirations?
Oh, thanks a lot for those nice words! Our drummer, Bart is very open minded in his music and that’s something you can hear in the style of drumming too. Going from straight ahead blast beats to groove and even percussion parts, it’s all on Thresholds. It’s hard to name specific influences, but a lot of albums that he was listening to in the past two years when writing the album have given him a lot of ideas and inspiration for this record.
There are no guest vocalists “Thresholds” or any of your previous works – but if you could get a guest with no expenses spared, who would you get any why?
Well, we do have guests on Thresholds. But not in a normal way. The last song ‘Cruciato Mentis’ contains guest appearances of Mendel Bij De Leij (former-Aborted), Josh Fury (Congress, King Hiss) Bart Govers (Fleddy Melculy) and Dieter Willem (Crowsview). Each of them getting the very best out of their guitar. It’s an instrumental Guitar solo song which sounds Epic! To have guest appearances in the vocal part, I think Jasper can create enough styles of growling and screaming so it wouldn’t get to boring. So it would have to be a vocalist which create a whole different voice. Phil Bozeman is always welcome to give it a shot !
What does 2020 hold for Curse of the Millhaven?
We have some big announcements coming up soon. Unfortunately we can’t tell anything about that yet. A tour, huge festivals and very cool clubshows are keywords. Stay tuned!
Kinga Preis is a very successful Polish actress. Check out her filmography.
The once-prosperous town was now stricken with poverty and suffering. Fear and despair became a constant presence in the lives of the townspeople. Efforts to break the curse were made over the years, but all proved futile. The curse seemed to be unbreakable, casting a shadow of gloom over Millhaven. Generations tried to uncover the secret to undoing the witch's curse, seeking guidance from ancient texts and wise men. However, their efforts only seemed to anger the witch further, intensifying the curse's grip on the town. As the years went by, the legend of the curse became deeply ingrained in the town's folklore. It was passed down from generation to generation, whispered in hushed voices, as a cautionary tale of the consequences of mistreating others. The curse became a part of the town's identity, a dark mark that could never be erased. Yet, even in the face of despair, the people of Millhaven never lost hope. They continued to persevere, finding strength in their unity. They supported one another, refusing to let the curse break their spirit. Despite the hardships they faced, the people of Millhaven remained resilient, determined to break free from the witch's grasp. As time went on, the curse upon Millhaven seemed to lose its power. The misfortunes that had plagued the town began to wane, and a sense of hope started to flicker in the hearts of the townspeople. Whether it was due to the curse losing its potency or the gradual healing of generations of wounds, no one could say for certain. Today, the story of the curse upon Millhaven is still told, a reminder of the town's past and the strength of its people. It serves as a cautionary tale of how mistreatment and prejudice can have lasting consequences. The curse upon Millhaven may no longer hold its grip on the town, but its legacy will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of its inhabitants..
Reviews for "The curse upon Millhaven: The role of belief in its enduring power"
1. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I found "The curse upon Millhaven" to be quite underwhelming. The story felt predictable and I couldn't connect with the characters. The dialogue felt forced and unrealistic, which made it difficult for me to become emotionally invested in the narrative. Additionally, the pacing was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on while others felt rushed. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it.
2. Jack - 2/5 stars - "The curse upon Millhaven" was a letdown for me. The plot lacked originality and seemed like a recycled version of other supernatural thrillers. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard for me to care about their fates. I also found the writing style to be flat and uninspiring. There were moments where it felt like the story was building towards something, but ultimately, it fell short. I would suggest skipping this book in favor of more engaging reads.
3. Emily - 3/5 stars - While "The curse upon Millhaven" had some interesting concepts, I felt that the execution was lacking. The pacing was slow and dragged on for too long, making it difficult to stay engaged with the story. The characters were not well-developed, and their actions often felt inconsistent with their personalities. However, the suspenseful moments were well done, and there were a few surprising twists that managed to hold my attention. Overall, while I didn't love this book, I also didn't hate it. It could have been better, but it wasn't the worst read either.
4. James - 2/5 stars - "The curse upon Millhaven" had potential, but it failed to deliver. The writing style was mediocre, and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The plot progression was slow, and I found myself losing interest in the story. Additionally, the characters were unlikable and lacked depth, making it hard to care about their fates. Overall, I was left unimpressed by this book and wouldn't recommend it to others. There are better options out there for those interested in supernatural mysteries.