1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Malvost is a project for me to experiment with abstract manipulated guitar sounds, trying to make drone pieces that intrigue me and coupling them with my poetry and lyrics. The project has been around for a few years before I put anything out to the public, it was during the pandemic and lockdown that I was really inspired to do more with these ideas and actually create some records with these sounds and words.
2.So far this year you have released 3 releases, musically how do they differ from each other?
The first release Invigningen was a simple raw demo, I had no idea if anyone would be interested at all in what I was doing, but a few people were and so I decided to self-release a short run tape release. I realised that the two tracks could sound better so I remastered them and put them together with a new track and an alternative version of one of the tracks, and this became the redux demo Återutgivningen. Alongside this I completed the EP Oljud, which is coming out on Trepanation Records in July. Oljud is definitely an expansion on the ideas on the demos, and it covers both the heavy drone-doom guitar and black metal vocals style as well as some more electronic ambient sounds too. The music on a couple of the tracks on Oljud had actually been around in an incomplete form since before I made the demos. Oljud is essentially the best four tracks I have made so far, both musically and lyrically, and in terms of sound are, I feel, a big step up from the demos.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have also explored so far with the music?
My lyrics in Malvost will always cover existentialist themes in some form, and the pandemic and lockdown has certainly inspired some words on depression and solitude, but I feel existentialism goes beyond that and doesn't have to be restricted to insular and introverted themes, so I have also delved into topics of environmentalism and culture. I also like exploring the nature of memory through particularly vivid imagery, reimagining certain places and time periods in poetry.
4.On both the bandcamp and facebook page there is a reference to 'Albert Camus', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in philosophy and existentialism?
I studied philosophy at university some years ago, and I have always been a big reader of existentialist writings in the broad sense, including the likes of Sartre, Nietzshce, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas and others. Camus has always been my favourite in many ways, his ideas being as close to nihilism as possible. The particular quote I paired with the EP is one that I read again recently, and it just struck a chord with me when thinking about the nature of my music.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Malvost'?
It was taken from an artist called Henry de Malvost who made sketchings of satanic rituals and black masses back in the 19th century. There isn't much information about them, but I just quite liked the word and I couldn't find it in use anywhere else, so I thought it would be a nice name for the project.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new release?
The cover image is of the Kaiser Willhelm church in Berlin. It's a landmark I have visited many times and has a certain personal meaning to me. There are some other images in the cassette too, some were taken in Berlin and some in Helsinki, both places that inspired the EP.
7.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
As it happens I am currently collaborating with another musician on a new record that will combine drones with electronic synth work and eclectic vocals. We hope to have it out before the end of the year, and I hope to collaborate with others in the future. With this kind of music I think solo artists can often have a very definitive sound, and sometimes when you combine these then some very interesting music can come into being.
8.You have put out 3 releases this year so far, do you spend a great amount of your time writing and creating music?
A fair amount, yes. I have had much more time during lockdown to make music than ever before. I play in a couple of metal bands too, so much of my free time is spent on being creative, whether it is music or words.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of ambient, noise, drone and doom metal?
Everything I have seen so far has been positive, but I hope once Oljud is released there will be more people who discover it. This music is certainly niche and there are a fair amount of artists out there doing similar things, many of whom make up the fan base anyway, so it tends to be quite a positive scene from a critical standpoint. Ultimately we're trying to make unsettling, disturbing and abstract sounds, so for fans I think it comes down more to how much the music engages you rather than 'enjoyment' in the traditional sense.
10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
I am in the process of completing a full length album, though when it will be released I am not quite sure - within the next year, but possibly sooner I hope. I am putting a lot into the themes and concepts for it, and I really want to make this something quite unique.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
When I started it was definitely the guitar drone stuff like Sunn O))), Earth, Boris and Nadja as well as the likes of Tim Hecker and Ben Frost and older drone stuff like Éliane Radigue and LaMonte Young. Merzbow is definitely a huge influence too, even if I don't create harsh noise so to speak. I write album reviews for several blogs too, so through that I am always listening to lots of new music, but in terms of drone, ambient and noise I have been particularly enjoying some newer artists like Gnarl, Catafalque, Clawing and The Owl.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview and for your interest in my music, it's really appreciated, and I hope people check out Oljud when it comes out.
Bandcamp: malvost.bandcamp.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/malvost
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