For years, the name Nick Bonsanto has been linked to different projects within the subterranean metal scene, always in the background, always serving a collective vision. With Orchid Throne, that quiet journey finally finds its own voice. Buried in Black is not only a solo debut, but the materialization of ideas, emotions, and obsessions accumulated over more than a decade, now exposed without filters or concessions. Built entirely by Bonsanto (from composition to final production), the album moves between the heaviness of melodic doom metal and a deep emotional weight marked by anxiety, depression, and the search for meaning in a hostile world. There is no artifice or posturing: every note seems to emerge from an intimate, almost therapeutic process. Orchid Throne does not aim to reinvent the genre, but rather to inhabit it with honesty, allowing what was buried in darkness to finally see the light.
After nearly 17 years playing in different bands, Orchid Throne marks your first step as a solo artist. What finally pushed you to say, “now is the time to do my own thing”?
Thanks for taking the time to interview me, I really appreciate it! As for what pushed me to finally make my solo project, I suppose it's something I’ve wanted to do all along since I began my musical journey but the biggest thing holding me back was money, knowledge, and the ability to do so. This particular idea for a doom metal band started nearly a decade ago, and took shape as Orchid Throne a few years later. I always played guitar and other instruments at home and recorded ideas I liked but had no use for in my bands. I had an outline for the ideas that would be the basis of Orchid Throne and I held onto that dream for many years. I really wanted to see if I could even do it at all, so I jumped in a little over a year ago, amassing whatever tools I needed to make it happen and learning as I went. With no one to stop me, I worked pretty quickly and had a ton of fun doing so, even if it was pretty scary too. I love playing in bands, but it always feels like it's someone else’s vision, mainly because I played bass or drums. I just really wanted to express myself and knew I couldn’t wait forever. It was very rewarding and I am excited to create more and I couldn’t be more proud of myself for not only seeing it through but making it as good as it is on my own. I’m honestly pretty surprised, hahaha.”
Buried in Black is entirely your work: songwriting, performances, production, mixing, and mastering. What was the biggest challenge of handling every aspect yourself, and what did the process teach you about your own limits and strengths?
I think the hardest aspects were the musical production parts. Feeling happy with a mix is difficult, the constant checking and comparing, the endless tweaks and hours spent just to completely rethink and rework it. It took forever and I just kept learning new tips and tricks as I went. I have tremendous respect for producers who make all these great sounding records we love. I have always been passionate about making music myself but I wasn’t sure I could ever do it, I just knew I had to try. Besides the producing, I would say the vocals were another great challenge. I sing in my car but never recorded my vocals. It was very hard to be satisfied with my own voice and I thought many people wouldn’t like it., but I knew I had to express my honest self and I had to do it. I didn’t even know I could do the harsh vocals until I started laying this stuff down. I just gave it my all and tried over and over until I was happy with the result. I hope as I make more I continue to improve on vocals, producing, everything. The fact people are liking my voice is the most surprising factor to me and I am very relieved!
The title Buried in Black suggests emotions kept hidden for years. Do you feel this album closes a chapter in your life, or does it open a completely new creative path?
I haven’t really considered that, but you are spot on about the meaning of the title. I would say it's both. It does feel like I finally “got something off my chest” so to speak and proved I could present myself with a dream, a challenge, and achieve it. That door is closed now, I am happy to be on this ride now and it was difficult to say what I said on the album. However, I do see the open door before me, with Orchid Throne now established, I cannot wait to present more of my ideas, which there are numerous, and release more albums. It feels like the first step on a great, long, adventure. I already know there are more styles I want to explore and there’s more I wanna say.
Listen to the whole damn album.... Doom on!!!!
Bands like Swallow the Sun, Anathema, Woods of Ypres, and Draconian are often mentioned as reference points. What elements do you draw from these influences, and what do you feel sets Orchid Throne apart?
I’m glad that several reviews I got seemed to sum these up fairly well and captured what I was going for. I would say I was after the weight and power of a band like Swallow the Sun, the raw, open, honesty of Woods of Ypres, the emotional, tearjerking power of Anathema and the melodic metal sound of a band like Draconian. There are obviously tons of influences for me but those begin to paint a picture of my mindset for the project. Doom is not just a sound, it's a feeling, I was aiming to capture sadness, honesty, bleakness, and this is my vehicle for driving home an emotional record like this. What sets Orchid Throne apart, however, is that I don’t think it sounds like any one of those bands. When it's all put together I think it just sounds like me and that was another big goal of mine, not to make the same records we have already heard, but a new voice within a beloved scene of mine that people can hopefully resonate with.
You’ve mentioned collecting musical ideas and recordings for over a decade. Are there any songs on the album that originated from those early sketches and now carry special significance?
Yes, definitely! Guilt is the oldest piece on the record that is almost completely untouched from its original state from over a decade ago. It was an improvisation while I was in the throes of those feelings. The song is about that, I added the vocals and embellishments during the recording process. Breath of Autumn is also about as old, something I’ve been playing for so long and I knew I wanted it to be a segue into a bigger song. Besides those, there are a few riffs scattered throughout the album that are made up from little phone recordings I’ve kept and during the recording I would find new things to get from one point to the next. They definitely hold huge significance to me especially now, I think it's really cool that Guilt is getting so much love because I have believed in that idea for a song for soooo long, it's hard to believe.
Musically, the album balances crushing doom heaviness with melodic and emotional passages. How do you approach that balance without losing the atmosphere or emotional weight?
I think it comes naturally from the influences I draw from. I know what I’m after from my music and I suppose I just don’t think much about it. My main concern is, okay I’m saying this right now, this is what’s happening lyrically so how do I express that? Or if the riff comes first I think about what the music is making me feel. My goal is to make it musically cohesive, to tell a story, to present a feeling and get the message across. I love all kinds of music and I don’t feel I need to limit myself too much to get my goals across. Atmosphere is important in the stuff I like and a lot of that comes from layering and keyboards, sometimes I’m just playing a synth part that you feel more than hear or add vocals that sound far away which I think is all part of that emotional vision I had for the record. I suppose the balance is hard but I don’t think of it much, people will love or hate it, some of my favorite bands I know someone else hates and vice versa. I don’t aim to please everyone, I aim to make what I wanna hear and I trust my tastes and vision to guide me.
Orchid Throne exists as a one-man project, a format increasingly common in extreme metal. Does working alone allow for a level of honesty or vulnerability that might be harder to achieve in a full band?
Oh absolutely, I think so! This stuff is very “me” and it can be a hard sell working with others especially when I don’t want to compromise on where the music needs to go for the message I am conveying. Also, with no one to edit me, you can hear all my ideas, all of my maybe weirder approaches can’t be tampered down with a “what about this instead?” there is no appeasing anyone but myself and it also means the workflow goes faster. But I do still second guess everything constantly, it's hard to wear all the hats and be honest with yourself at the same time haha.
The use of flute on tracks like “Breath of Autumn” and “With Promise” adds a unique emotional texture. How did the idea to include flute come about, and what does it contribute to the album’s atmosphere?
Flute is an instrument I have always loved. Both of my older sisters were great flautists but I could never play it myself despite trying. Autumn or Fall was a central theme to the record and to me the flute and acoustic represents that vibe to me. I wanted to take someone to a solemn fall day, I think it makes things feel folkier and thus more natural. The flute is great for taking a melody and I love the texture it added to the record. On Moonlight Revelry I actually play all of those instruments in the intro, but the actual concert flute was done by Mary Beck on the last two tracks, I knew I couldn’t get that expressive and consistent for those songs and I didn’t want it to sound silly. Mary is a really great flautist and I’m happy to have her on this record which was something I wanted from the onset.
Thanks for your time… One last question: Buried in Black is your introduction to the world as a solo artist. Looking ahead, do you see Orchid Throne remaining a studio-focused project, or do you envision bringing it to the live stage?
Orchid Throne will remain a solo studio project but I am not opposed to bringing others in, possibly for production or guest spots or collaborations in the future. I have been getting asked this a lot and I feel that I would absolutely love to assemble a live band to bring the show to life. I can see it in my mind and it would be yet another huge milestone and defining moment in my life, so I will say, while there are no current plans to do so, I will absolutely consider it and make an attempt if I see a path. It would be amazing! I have never been a lead singer for a band and I would really love to try it. I have many ideas for a live Orchid Throne show but we’ll just have to see if it manifests. Thank you so much for this interview, it has been lovely and I appreciate you taking this time with me to spread the word of Orchid Throne! Keep up the great work, thank you!
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