Originally released in 2010, The Crystal World marked an important shift for Locrian. Then a duo made up of André Foisy and Terence Hannum, the group brought in drummer Steven Hess during the recording process. That collaboration quickly led to him joining the band full-time. His contributions helped guide Locrian from a primarily improvised project into a more compositionally focused trio. But the album also signaled a broader evolution in the band’s sound and approach. The songs carried more structure, the production felt more deliberate, and the conceptual framing, shaped in part by J.G. Ballard’s novel of the same name, brought a stronger sense of narrative focus than in some of their earlier work.
Locrian, known for merging elements of drone, noise, ambient, and metal, had built their early releases on raw experimentation and live energy. The Crystal World blended that foundation with more intention and form. The process pushed the band to challenge themselves creatively, balancing the loose qualities of their past with a more refined vision that would continue to shape their later albums.
In the email interview that follows, Terence Hannum reflects on the making of the album, how it came together, how it has held up over time, and why now felt like the right moment to revisit it.
What was the inspiration behind doing a 15-year anniversary reissue of The Crystal World?
Terence: It was something some fans had been asking for, and the timing was right.
The album has been remastered, correct? If so, what do you think that’s brought to the music?
Terence: Yes, Brad Boatright remastered it. I feel like our ears now versus 15 years ago with what we were doing are more sophisticated, or have a higher expectation of audio fidelity. Anyway, the new masters have so much more detail in them. There’s sounds that I forgot were there, especially on “Pathogens” and the digital only “Extinction”.
The Crystal World marked the transition from Locrian being a duo to a trio. How did that shift come about? Had you been looking to expand the lineup?
Terence: Yes, initially André and I were doing LOCRIAN as a duo, we had collaborated with a few people but we were fans of Steven’s work and he was into what we were doing. It all kind of worked, André and I had started recording The Crystal World and invited Steven in. It was kind of loose, but worked out really well. We hadn’t necessarily been looking to be a trio or a band, we were really inspired by Lightning Bolt or Yellow Swans being a loud duo at that time. It just worked out.
Revisiting The Crystal World after 15 years, is there anything that surprises you?
Terence: It doesn’t make me wince, the recording process was very strange, yet everything worked out. Artwork, guests who recorded with us. It worked.
Since it was the first album you recorded as a trio, are there specific ways the new dynamic shaped the music?
Terence: Structure, we had semi-songs on there. Like Steven really helped us shape things more than maybe how André and I were feeling it out live. So the big one’s like “At Night’s End” and “Elevations and Depths” were more ordered and went places.
Beyond the expanded lineup, were there aspects of the creative process behind The Crystal World that felt different from your earlier work? And how does it compare to your more recent material?
Terence: I remember we put on a lot of pressure on ourselves, Utech Records meant a lot to us, still does, so we really pressured ourselves into making something different and pushing what we were doing. The earlier work was very loose, most work before the “Plague Journal” 7″ was improvised and recorded live. So The Crystal World had some of that but also more order to challenge ourselves. I think it laid the template a bit for our new work, even on End Terrain we would have moments of improvisation, just tighter and then we’d shape it a bit, or even a reference to a riff from The Crystal World.
Could you comment on Justin Bartlett’s artwork?
Terence: I honestly couldn’t believe that Keith got him to agree to it when he did. I admired Justin’s work with Sunn O))) and others, and just really was curious about what he could bring to it. He actually started corresponding with me about the Ballard novel and ideas, sending sketches. It was the beginning of a good friendship. I’m a visual artist so Justin and I would often talk shop, or business. He was a super smart and funny guy, we finally got to hang out in person at Maryland Death Fest in 2016 and got to see Samael perform “Ceremony of Opposites”, anyway it was a good time. He was a great artist, and it is sad he is no longer with us.
The album title comes from the J.G. Ballard novel. What drew you to that book, and did it influence the music conceptually? Do you think it resonates differently now than it did when you first made the album?
Terence: I think the themes were already being developed and it was a potential song title I saved for the song on the record. Then it kind of fit with everything else. It wasn’t like a one-to-one thing. So we titled the track, and then it all kind of fell into place when we were titling the album. Ballard was always an influence, especially those early environmental works like “The Drowned World” or “The Drought”, I think they make a picture that is complicated, that people are still messed up weirdos with emotional baggage and marriage issues amidst the environmental apocalypse.
With the reissue out, are there plans to perform these songs live?
Terence: Nope. We played some of them in our set on the last tour we did a year ago. It’s fun to play. However, no plans at the moment.
The members of Locrian now live in different places. What does your collaborative process look like today?
Terence: Zoom, Teams, e-mails, mp3s. Just a lot of files and folders and ideas. Then we start getting together, we have a good chemistry.
What’s next for the band?
Terence: We’re working on a new record, just demoing ideas now. So it will probably be a few years but eventually we’ll release something new. We’re also working on a lot of archival material from when we formed in 2005 and trying to get a release we can get out there for the fans who missed out on that CDR in an edition of 20.
Get The Crystal World and other music by Locrian at locrian.bandcamp.com.
