19. un 20. jūnijā, kādu strēķīti kilometru no Latvijas robežām, Polijas dienviddaļā, Opoles vojevodistē, Bičinas pilsētas lauku teritorijā notiks smagās mūzikas festivāls Dark Fest Open Air.
Sīkāk par to kas, kur, kāpēc var
palasīt teitan:
Aicinošais video vilinātājs:
Vieni no
festivāla viesiem būs Apvienotās Karalistes modern
extreme black metal grupa Ethereal. Grupas sākotne rodama šī gadsimta
sākumā un šo gadu gaitā, izejot dabisku attīstības un pilnveidošanās procesu,
Ethereal šobrīd var dēvēt par vienu no saistošākajām britu black metāla vienībām. Viņu kontā ir divi EP: "Hells Divine Existence" un
"Revelation Beast". Šogad ierakstu kompānijas „Candlelight”
paspārnē dienasgaismu ieraudzīja pirmais pilnformāta albums „Opus Aethereum”.
Taču, atsaucoties uz viņu teikto un arī pašas pieredzēto, varu apliecināt, ka
grupas īstā esence ir baudāma tieši eksplozīvajās uzstāšanās reizēs. Savas
muzikālās karjeras laikā Ethereal spēlējuši kopā ar tādām ievērības cienīgām
vienībām kā Belphegor, Gorgoroth, 1349 un Marduk. Kā viņi plosījās
festivālā Velsā, var palasīt pasākuma apskatā:
Šajā
virtuālajā sarunā grupas vokālists Naut vēsta par grupas aktualitātēm,
Apvienotās Karalistes black metal
skatuvi un pauž savu viedokli par dažiem filozofiskiem, ar mūziku, tās radīšanu
un patērēšanu saistītiem jautājumiem.
Intervija
lasāma tās tapšanas valodā, jo ir daļa no mazas Dark Fest Open Air reklāmas
kampaņas.
What's your view on the value of music today? In
what way does the abundance of music change our perception of it?
It’s a staggering thought actually, when you consider the sheer volume of music
being made today, I can’t begin to fathom the number of musicians out there who
are recording and releasing music. I think that it demonstrates that music is
very highly valued, by different people the world over, if it wasn’t valued
there wouldn’t be so much created. Yet at the same time we’ve ended up with
such an abundance of music that it can be hard to find something of real value to
yourself as a listener, and for every innovation there is endless immitation.
However when you do find music that resonates with you, that experience is just
as rewarding as it ever was. The abundance of music nowadays is simply a
consequence of this changing world, we are overwhelmed by choice, and so the
music that stands out amongst the endless plethora of mundanity has proved its
worth by making an impact when so much has been done before. In a crowd twice
the size you must scream twice as loud to be heard, and maybe that’s not such a
bad thing.
How do you
consider the whole black metal scene in UK? Can you see something what ties all
those bands together?
The UKs black metal scene is strong right now, I think there are more
people into the music and attending shows now than there ever used to be, and
of course consequently there are more bands over here working with the style. Honestly
I think there is no universal ‘british sound’ to the music. There is a lot of
diversity in the ways in which people over here are approaching black metal.
There are a number of bands over here that are focusing on giving the black
metal sound a British identity, with lyrics about British history or heritage
or whatever, and I think for some people that style represents British Black
Metal.However, I don’t consider Ethereal to be a part of that, and there are a
lot of other bands over here that don’t fall under that banner. For me, black
metal should represent opposition, it should be anti, provocative and against
the grain, and so what we do doesn’t explicitly have anything to do with our
nationality or history. It doesn’t matter to me if we’re considered to be part
of the ‘UK sound’ or not, our philosophy is one of individualism, so it’s a
positive thing that there is little to tie the UK bands together.
How does your new album sound? Did the
record turn out the way you wanted it to?And a bit about the design of your new album that’s
also an important part of the message you give to your listeners.
We’re all very
pleased with „Opus Aethereum”, it’s a very in your face kind of record, we
wanted to make a statement with our first album. You can never really plan the
end result, and throughout the writing and recording the album began to take on
a life of its own, but I think it came across the way that we wanted. I agree
that the artwork is an important part of the message, and, fortunately for us,
choosing it was actually quite simple, as soon as we saw the design from our
friends at Triple Sies Design, we knew it was the right artwork for „Opus”, its
imagery aligned perfectly with the overall lyrical concepts of the record.
How are the reactions in general
towards the album? Can
you mention review or opinion about your music that impressed you most and get
stuck in your mind?
Overall, I think, the reactions to the record have been great. I think,
people either love it or hate it, and I’d rather have people hate it than feel
indifferent, invoking a strong reaction is the primary purpose of what we’re
doing. As far as reviews, I think, they have largely been positive but I don’t
pay a great deal of attention to them, that’s not to say the recognition isn’t
appreciated. I just feel that to focus too much on the opinions of others would
be damaging to our creative process.
How do you see the role of the listener in the
musical communication process?
I don’t think you should simply aim to please your fans when writing music,
because, I think, if you try and steer yourself to what you imagine
people would like, you’re very likely to miss the mark, or repeat yourself.
It’s of paramount importance to us that we do what feels right, not necessarily
what is expected of us. Ultimately, what we create, must come from within ourselves, and, consequently, the listener is more likely to feel connected to a
piece of work that is sincere.
Are you working
on new music right now? What are your future plans?
We are
writing the second album, it’s too early to say anything about it really, but
things are shaping up very well. It’s a very creative time and we all have a
lot of very strong ideas, I’m very excited and curious to see what is going to
come out of it. We are aiming to write the best record we possibly can, to show
progression far beyond anything we have done before... and so I am sure this
next record is going to be a monumental piece of work for us all. Aside from
this, we will be aiming to perform on stages further afield, to spread our
music and our message as far as possible, to expand every dimension of
Ethereal.
What is the main conclusion you have learned during
these years about life and music being two inseparable things?
Music has always been the primary part of my life, and it
always will be. Though, in recent years, since joining Ethereal creating and
performing music has been my sole focus, everything I do in my life outside of
it in someway contributes towards it, and in turn everything I do in music
makes it’s impact upon my life. Indeed the two are inseperable, though, I try
not to analyse too much, because after all there is still work to be done.
Thanks a lot!
You’re
welcome.
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