Kirril Interview

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your musical project?

It's a mix of different influences, most of it would probably be best described as industrial. I gravitate a lot towards industrial, distorted, psychedelic and weird music. It is a large part of what I do.

I don't tend to stick to one genre though, I switch from project to project: I need to keep on doing things that are new for me.

2.In the last few years you have also released a great amount of material, how would you describe your musical progress over the years?

Things are a bit less lo-fi then they used to be, and I am also constantly pushing to keep making things darker, weirder. In the beginning things were very focussed on the dance floor on mostly illegal parties, after that I started studying music for 5 years and things got a bit more complex and more and more my own thing over the years.

The influences of the parties of the early days have begun to creep in again lately, combining it with the sound / body of work I have developed so far.

3.You also have a background with illegal parties and living in squats, what impact does this have on the musical style that you play?

The atmosphere of those surroundings and the way of life that comes with it influenced the sound of my music a lot and still often does.

In the very early years, uncertainty of how long we had electricity and could stay somewhere also made me learn how to make things fast and be perfectionistic about the right things and make sure it worked because it would be hard to change later.

I made a lot of quite minimalist tracks and loops, but making sure every sound worked and was the best I could make it. Then making larger collage type things out of those tracks in livesets.

Us throwing regular parties meant I could check well if something worked in large halls and such,/ got a reaction out of a crowd very early and consistently. That time learned me a lot overall

4.A lot of your song themes are inspired by dystopian topics and turbulent nightlife, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

It's what I see around me, it connects to how we live.

5.In the last few years you also have released a great amount of material, do you spend a great amount of your time writing and creating music?

Yes, I have worked at it almost every day for the past 17 years. That could be for just an hour or entire days.

6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

I work a lot on my own, but also have put out different collaborations over the years. From one on one collaborations to me leading small teams of different diverse artists.

The last three years were more solo work, but I would like to collaborate more in the future again and have been taking some steps towards that lately. trying some things with different people.

7.What are some of the best shows that you have played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

I have done different kinds of performances over the years. From illegal party´s in dark hallways and basements, to commercial clubs to brightly lit art gallery type environments. Sometimes with a laptop and some midi gear,everything tightly controlled and prepared. Sometimes also with just hardware, modular synths, drumcomputers and cheap guitar pedals and such, more freeform. Lately I have been moving more into combining those two different approaches.

I stil feel more comfortable in dark rooms/ larger halls where I can project large visuals, so that the focus is more on the music and the visual art than on me.

8.What are some of the record labels have you worked with on the releases so far?

In October I put out a self-titled cassette album on Tartarus Records, A Dutch metal label that has been getting more and more into releasing industrial stuff lately. On the 7th of January my Album Nocturnal was released on Revok Records, an industrial techno label based in London and Tokyo.

Most of my work before that was self released and promoted, in 2012 the American darkpsy label Anomalistic Records spread my EP Hardwired quite a bit, which was cool.

9.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of industrial, noise and other underground forms of music?

It's hard to tell sometimes this year because so much is just online, and so many events having stopped with the pandemic and all.

I´ve read some great reactions online though.

There's been some good responses in the industrial techno scene.

I was quite surprised to find my release on several release of the week lists of some notable metal blogs/ podcasts. That felt great. My music is far from metal but I do feel a connection to it/ attracted to it, especially to the really dark stuff. It´s a great scene.

It would be great to do some crossover stuff with some metal artists some day.

10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

Things are going to get darker. And a lot of it more danceable, I am tired of that not being possible (at events), I miss it, it's been enough.

I also have some more slow noise/ industrial projects coming up though that are going to get very dark and weird.

I have a lot of new releases coming up, experimenting in how I can expand my body of work.

I am also working on developing more of a visual world around my music, making that a part of my live performances.

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?

I am listening an awful lot to The Weeknd to be honest, which a lot of people probably wouldn't expect. I like the world he created around his music. Also a lot of Lil Durk lately (not kiddin here)

On the other side of the spectrum I have been into more extreme noise/ experimental music like Prurient, Nurse With Wound and I´ve been listening to some stuff from the Deathbed Tapes label lately. There's some really great noise on there.

I listen to and am inspired by a quite wide spectrum of music. I like different ways of creating worlds with audio, either with or without vocalists.

I like it when underground and mainstream influences overlap and something special comes out of that. Artists that really develop their own thing.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Not really at the moment, I think I said most of what I could think of now.

Kirril Bandcamp
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Sarram/Albero/Subsound Records/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Sarram  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  drone  with  some  elements  of  post  rock,  electronica  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Albero"  which  was  released  by  Subsound  Records.

  Distorted  soundscapes  and  drones  start  off  the  album  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  along  with  the  guitar  riffs  also  mixing  in  influences  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  post  rock  style  melodies.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  one  of  the  tracks  while  each  song  also  sounds  very  different  from  each  other.  All  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  an  instrumental  direction  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  atmospheric  style  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  touches  of  electronica.

  Sarram  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dark  ambient,  drone,  doom  metal,  post  rock  and  electronica  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own  as  well  as  keeping  everything  instrumental  while  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Sarram  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  drone  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal,  post  rock  and  electronica  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heavy  Sleep"  "Diving  Deep"  and  "The  Far  Side  Of  The  Moon".  8  out  of  10.

ttps://www.facebook.com/sarramproject/
https://www.instagram.com/valosarram/

https://sarram.bandcamp.com/      

Picture Ann/(Missings And Captures)/Floodgate Moods Productions/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Norway's  solo  project  Picture  Ann  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  mixture  of  experimental,  lo-fi  ambient  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album  (Missings  And  Captures)"  which  was  released  by  Floodgate  Moods  Productions.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording.  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  ambient  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  lo-fi  sounding  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  all  of  the  drum  beats  also  being  programmed.  

  All  of  the  tracks  also  sound  different  from  each  other  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  whispered  vocals  which  also  adds  in  touches  of  black  metal  as  well  as  most  of  the  songs  also  being  instrumentals  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  while  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  lo-fi.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Picture  Ann  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental,  lo-fi  ambient  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "This  Man's  Rusty  Tomb"  and  "A  Lousy  Funeral  For  Iris".  8  out  of  10.

(Missings and Captures) Retold | PICTURE ANN | Floodgate Moods Productions (bandcamp.com)

(Missings and Captures) Retold - YouTube

Spotify – (Missings and Captures) Retold

Sataray/Blood Trine Moon/Scry Recordings/2022 EP Review

 

  Olympia,  Washington's  Sataray  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  ritualistic  form  of  dark  ambient  with  elements  of  harsh  industrial  and  dungeon  synth  and  this  is  a  review  of  her  2022  ep  "Blood  Trine  Moon"  which  was  released  by  Scry  Recordings.

  Ritualistic  soundscapes  start  off  the  ep  while  the  synths  also  bring  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth  as  well  as  using  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  along  with  a  couple  of  the  songs  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  whispered  vocals can  also b e  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks. 

  All  of  the  tracks  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other  while  one  song  also  introduces  melodic  vocals  onto  the  recording.  Touches  of  industrial  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  yet  ritualistic  direction.

  On  this  recording  Sataray  takes  dark  ambient,  dungeon  synth,  industrial  and  ritual  to  create  something  very  different  from  her  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  occult  explorations  of  the  natural  world.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sataray  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  ambient,  dungeon  synth,  harsh  industrial  and  ritual,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Astara"  and  "Hexennacht".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/sataray7

http://www.soundcloud.com/sataray     

Okeano/Ocean Highway/Submersion Records/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Okeano  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ambient,  soundtrack  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Ocean  Highway"  which  was  released  by  Submersion  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later.   Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  tragic  sounding  pianos  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as  well  as  clean  guitars  also  being  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  music  also  captures  the  atmosphere  of  a  film  soundtrack.

  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  ambient  while  all  of  the  tracks  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  along  with  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts,  the  drum  beats  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  tribal  feeling  when  they  are utilized  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  electric  guitars  can  also  be  heard.  

  Okeano  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  ambient,  soundtrack,  drone  and  experimental  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  ocean,  dreams  and  poetry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Okeano  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  ambient,  soundtrack,  drone  and  experimental  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Unicorn"  "Genesi"  and  "Mariana  Trench".  8  out  of  10.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6MkGsgibq0DXsq5Mfsg2PH?si=32b84dc476514494

 

https://www.facebook.com/okeanoband

https://www.instagram.com/okeano_band/  

Violenţă Domestică Interview

 

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about your solo project?

After some unsuccessful tries, which are not worth a mention, Violență Domestică started in 2004 after I came into possession of some cheap music software and started recording my ideas. It was only a hobby project with some EPs and singles released and only became more "serious" after I quit my regular job in 2018. By that time I had collected many sketches and also found a perfect way to realize the ideas, so I had to finally make a dream come true and release the first full length album. I've invested a lot of time and money in "Cephalaea" and I'm very happy about the outcome. It was even released on vinyl in two different colors.

So Violență Domestică was and always will be my project. There is no masterplan and I don't expect much. I only want to create sounds I like and hopefully some other people enjoy them too. And by the way, I don't call myself a musician.

2. In November you had released a new split. Musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The EP "Zerfall" (Decomposition), which is on the split album with Mossadeq's "Czech" EP, has more accessible structures and less experiments. I wanted to try a more straightforward path. The songs still can't be called "conventional" though... Also, "Cephalaea" contained all the ideas I've gathered over more than 10 years, whereas the new EP was completely fresh and made from scratch.

3. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on "Zerfall"?

Well, there's not much to explain, it's just pictures of some skeletons taken by me in Herculaneum/Italy. They are victims of the volcanic eruption in 79 AD. I just thought it fits the short story I'm telling in the songs. On the inside of the digisleeve there's a pic of me as a baby, so I think the message is pretty obvious.

The artwork for the debut album "Cephalaea" is more complex, but I don't think I want to explain that one.

4. What are your thoughts of Mossadeq, the other project that participated on the split album?

Mossadeq also consists of one guy only. His name is Cle. Cle founded a label at the beginning of 2020 and has released some pretty cool stuff from bands of different genres. In his music he also mixes a lot of genres and I like that. And unlike me, he can play many instruments.

The reason for our split album was a spontaneous idea we had while picking up the vinyl pressings of Mossadeq's album "Hospital", to which I contributed the intro and outro and also the artwork. We both have a one man music project, a small label and very similar views on many things, so we thought joining forces on a release would be a nice idea.

5. From 2011 to 2018 there was no new music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?

After some EPs and singles I lost interest in making music, mainly because it was very time consuming to concentrate on the details, the hardware and the software. I wanted it to be more perfect and sophisticated and I didn't know how exactly, so I stopped after some frustration with a very good but complicated hardware/software system. I focused on other types of art, as well as album covers, layouts and music videos for various bands. At some point I realized that I don't need the most complex tools to create what I wanted to, so I've perfected what I already learned and just started working on the album again, without expectations or a plan. By time everything fell together and it worked and, most important, I had fun doing it.

6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Violență Domestică'?

Violență Domestică means domestic violence in Romanian. It was inspired by things I've seen in my surroundings but also by movies or other band's lyrics, though the main reason for the name was because it's "home made and violent". The Mr. Bungle song "Violenza Domestica" was also a reason for the naming, as far as I remember.

7. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years with your music?

Until last years EP it was mainly such subjects as conflict between men and women, with everything included: perversions, abuse, rape, murder, suicide... "Zerfall" is a story about getting older in a diseased world without accomplishing anything valuable and wishing to end it all. On the second full length album, which is pretty much developed, it will be about types of people I can't stand, again also including weak disgusting men who abuse women. Just to be clear: My music, images and lyrics are not meant to glorify this shit! I admit, it's not easy to get the message, but I hate people like wife beaters, child abusers and similar scum.

8. With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

I did everything by myself, except for the guitars. They were always recorded by friends of mine because I'm too stupid to play an instrument. But at least I "wrote" the riffs. Also the mastering on the last two releases was made by a professional, Greg Chandler from Priory Recording Studios, who also plays in Esoteric amongst other bands. I also did some remixes and small collaborations with other bands, but on their songs and albums, not on mine. I would like to work with others, but until now there was no opportunity. But working solo is very relaxing and I don't have to compromise on anything, so I'm happy about that.

9. Most of your music has been released through 'Teratogen', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Teratogen is my label. Actually it's not only a label but the brand for everything I do. In 2017 I released the first album by another artist, it was a blackened Death Metal band called Seduced. Since then I have released some other stuff too, mainly albums with my artwork on them. I don't plan to make the label side bigger, I only want to release some nice stuff I'm involved in from time to time.

By the way, a teratogen is any medicine, chemical, infectious disease or environmental agent that could interfere with the development of a fetus during pregnancy. Exposure to a teratogen may result in the loss of the pregnancy, a birth defect or pregnancy complications. Common teratogens are alcohol and cigarettes for example, and Violență Domestică's music was meant to be a new one.

10. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of noise, experimental and electronic music?

Well, "worldwide level" is a little exaggerated. I had some nice reviews from some parts of the world but my music made no significant impact whatsoever. I'm just happy that there were no shitty or hateful reviews, because I'm sure that many people would hate my stuff, even fans of electronic music. Maybe I should promote it more, but I think it's niche music, not electronic enough for electronic music fans, not Metal enough for Metal fans and so on...

11. Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

As I said above, I have no expectations and no concrete plans. I just want to have fun as long as possible. I would love to see my stuff released by a label like Metropolis for example, but I don't think it will ever happen. I actually don't want to make money, just someone who helps me spread the music around. Not losing money would be the first main goal, hehe... Until now I only got half of the money I paid for the last two releases back.

12. 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?

I'm sure it's not recognizable, but the project was inspired by inventive music like Ministry, Ulver, Laibach and Mike Patton's projects. I'm more of a (almost all kinds of) Metal fan but even if I had a "traditional" band it would sound more or less like it does now, only with more instruments added. I don't want to recreate what others have already perfected in the past over and over again.

I have many favorite bands and I'm still trying to discover new ones and stay up to date in all the genres, which is almost impossible. Besides the aforementioned bands, I love Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, Godflesh, Skinny Puppy, Velvet Acid Christ and many many more.

13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks a lot for this! This was the first Violență Domestică interview ever, so I hope it was a good read. If you got curious, check out www.teratogen.at and www.facebook.com/teratogen for much more of my stuff. Also all my digital releases are available for free at violentadomestica.bandcamp.com, so feel free to grab them.

Cheers!

Dr.Winter