I am going to talk to you about what in my opinion, and I think for so many of you, it is and has been the diamond tip of the whole goth and death rock movement on the global scene.
I'm talking about William Faith, in fact. Its presence is fundamental into milestones as they were Christian Death and Shadow Project, as well as his militancy in masterpieces of Mephisto Waltz. His presence is equally significant in Sex Gang Children, real sacred monsters, his role as guest is equally important in the albums of the iconic the Eternal Afflict and Catastrophe Ballet. The discography with the majestic Faith and the Muse was rich but let's not forget the splendors of the beginning with Wreckage. Until today he reaches the ranks of the glorious March Violets anb to delight our palates with his "new" project the Bellwether Syndicate, assisted by the beautiful and talented one as well as a very kind wife Sarah Rose, with whom they landed in Italy for a date at Ziggy club in Turin, followed lastly, by surprise by another italian date at Ekidna in Carpi.
For space reasons, I purposely omitted to include other no less important projects of our very busy William, it would take a special to mention them all, not last the mixing of the brand new Corpus Delicti single "Chaos!
Below you will find the entire interview I did to William Faith and to his wife Sarah Rose focused on the Bellwether Syndicate latest album “Vestige and Vigil".
Happy reading and see you soon.

 There's no need of presentations for an artist like you and for your projects and apperances like an honour member in other renowned bands, can you explain to us the production under "Vestige and Vigil" album and the meaning behind the album title itself?
William: When we were working on the album, the songs evolved of the course of the pandemic, and seemed to fall into one of two categories: Vestige — a celebration of what remains, and Vigil — holding space and looking at what’s been lost. The fact that we released this on vinyl also added to this, as we were having to think in album sides for the first time in several decades, so that also informed the process.

And what is the meaning behind "the Bellwether Syndicate” monicker ?
William: The name is meant to suggest a sort of “rock and roll mafia” concept. Bellwether, meaning someone who can forecast trends and changes that are coming, and Syndicate, as in a collective group  or organization. When put together, that describes us pretty well, I feel.

In "Vestige” intro, is the master, your guitar and our memories go to your past presences in Mephisto waltz and your works with Faith and the Muse...
William: “Vestige” very much calls back to some of my earlier work, and I felt good about expressing that here. It felt right, and I think it was the right idea to open the album.

Enthralling the song "Beacons" but what's the real message behind it, something or someone adrift, missing... lose yourself ?
William: “Beacons” is simply a love song to our fans — our family. Every show is like a dark sea, and it’s was to lose yourself, but they are the beacons who guide us, and bring us safely home, every night.

Punk riffs and a goth guitar presents “Noir thing", talks about a lifestyle rooted over the years ? A your particular lifestyle?
William: “Noir Thing” is playing on the syndicate idea, and inviting people to join our way of life; our family.

Another act and proclamation of revolt is "We all Rise" speaking to us something about it and the video.
William: “We All Rise” is about finding the courage to stand up and fight back, but not losing yourself in the process — always staying connected to who you are, and keeping the divine spark burning. The video was an opportunity to pull our friends and fans into the narrative, and demonstrate strength in numbers.

Also in "Republik" it seems to heard other proclamation for a maladjusted world for each individual, or am I wrong?
William: “Republik” is a commentary on social media and the isolated and binary world we’ve made for ourselves. Everything is black or white — we’ve lost all shades of grey, and we’ve lost the ability to talk to one another. It’s a tragedy that we’re living in real time.

"Clarion" sung by Sarah, it seems to be like a chant of liberty, interpretable, after two long pandemic years and all the resulting consequences, tell us something about it...
Sarah Rose: The song is about a few personal experiences but yes, also means to speak to the larger collective trauma of our world experiencing the isolation & other effects of the pandemic- but it is a call out to learn from and move past the negative experiences of then (and life in general) and an encouragement to lift each other up, celebrate growth and acknowledge the triumph of ourselves and our community.

In "Vigil" you say "the year take all, I remember the fragrance that pulls me like the tide to what's been lost" but what's been lost, for you, in these years? What do those ticking hands that tick non-stop mean to you?
William: “Vigil” is about losing someone while they’re still alive ; the horrible feeling when someone is in the grips of addiction, and it’s so bad that you’ve already buried them in your mind. You continue to hope for the best, but you expect the worst.  

A denunciation against youth violence and disdain for any type of war can both be interpreted into "Wetworks"...
William: “Wetworks” is a reaction to gun culture and gun violence here in the U.S. — it’s a commentary on how guns are seen as manly and macho, and the fetishization of guns, with little to no regard to the violence, death and loss that results from their proliferation and use.

"Golden Age" it seems a sort of dedication, what do you mean with the phrase, "save your tomorrows from yesterday, steal every second and all it brings my friend"? Very beautiful song for two voices.
William: “Golden Age” is about the dangers of getting lost in nostalgia; about sacrificing tomorrow for yesterday. It’s a trap that people fall into as they get older; they stop listening to new music, they stop going out, they stop engaging in anything unfamiliar, stop talking to younger people and instead, they look for what they know and remember from their youth. This is so sad to see, and it’s increasingly common — so this is a warning that people need to hear. Sarah and | talk about this a lot, as we see it often, so it made sense to do it as a duet.

Resentment, regret, what it feeds the lyrics of the song "And if We Miss The Night"?
Do you have any regrets in your life? If you can tell us about it...
I also congratulate you on all the lyrics and many compliments for your voice a happy revelation already heard in the past on old works with Faith and the Muse.
William: “And If We Miss the Night” is about a person trapped in a moment that they can’t move past, in this case, it's someone who feels they had an unmet moment with destiny, and they can't get over it. It's tragic and, in this instance about someone I knew.

"Voltairine" who is it dedicated to? I have doubts about it and I won't comment.
William:"Voltairine" is about Voltairine De Cleyre, an american anarchist from the late 19th/early 20th century who I have great admiration for.
The melody conjured an image of her in my mind, and it seemed fitting to make to connection.

10...12 dates in Europe, I honestly lost track of it. Summing up, what are your impressions about it? Your next projects? If can reveal...
William: The European tour was an absolute joy, and long overdue in my opinion. It was great to get back to so many of these great cities and finally get to connect with Bellwether family all over the continent. It was amazing. The next thing is more touring, but  I can’t talk about that yet...

A memory of Rozz?
William: A memory of Rozz... I guess one would be when we were recording Christian Death material, and I was playing what would become the Faith and the Muse song “Annabell” on acoustic guitar outside during a break... he heard it and came over to me and said “can you do something like that on “The Angels”? I think that would go perfect on that song". It didn’t quite fit in the end, but I created a simpler part that worked with the song, and that was that.

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