Saturday, April 23, 2016

Zorormr Interview


1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the musical project these days?

Right now I’m focusing on releasing “The Aftermath” EP in June. I will spend most of the time on promoting it preparing to record the next full length. I already recorded the demo version of it so by the end of the year I will be recording it, I guess…

2.You have a new ep coming out in June how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The EP has 4 tracks recorded in the same time and in the same studios that I “Corpus Hermeticum” in. So there will be no difference. The other two tracks are taken from both “IHS” and “Kval” recording sessions so they will feel pretty different. But that’s the whole point. To deliver an EP summarizing the first period of ZORORMR activity and giving me a sense of closure.

3.Your lyrics go very deep into the occult, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts and some of the philosophies and practices that mean the most to you?

I have studied the occult writings for years. I even got a PhD degree on occult German philosophy of Agrippa. With “Corpus Hermeticum” I incorporated my knowledge on the subject and combined it with some teachings of Saint Irenaeus who studied ancient occult sects of Setians and Ophites. Long story short my previous album was all about hermetic philosophy and was the most intellectual record I’ve done so far. But I can promise you that, the next one will be raw and physical as much as it gets (laugh).

4.Some of your lyrics also cover some of Lovecraft's writing's, do you feel that he opened a lot of gates with his writings and also kept secret what he knew about the occult?

After I read the “Call of Cthulhu” I was astonished by his writing. You could almost feel the New England’s fog on those pages (laugh). I’ve read a lot sci-fi and fantasy novels when I was a kid but the impact of Lovecraft was the most profound. And with the huge respect I do have for his work I decided to pay the homage to him when I have the chance. I consider ZORORMR to be one of the creatures that Lovecraft could come up with. The name is strange and the music is odd, so I hope he would be fond of that (laugh). 

5.This project was formed out of the ashes of a couple of dark ambient projects, what was the decision to put ambient behind and go for more of a black metal style?

It felt quite natural, actually. I always wanted to play extreme metal. Due to many factors I started writing my own music in the dark ambient genre. The transition to black metal was natural. With two full lengths and an EP I was tired of electronic music and wanted to do something different. And that’s how ZORORMR was born.

6.I have read that the band name means' southern snake, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the snake myths of different cultures?

My dark ambient project I.A. SERPENTOR was based on the concept of the “golden serpent”. And for ZORORMR, being the next step in my musical journey, I decided to continue that concept but on a different level.  For me the serpent is not only a mythological creature but also a metaphor for good and evil and the occult wisdom. It’s an universal symbol present in almost every culture of the world. Sometimes revolving around fertility sometimes underground in all those chthonic depictions. But I don’t want to sound boring and lecturing you about the naga Mucalinda. Let the fans figure it out for themselves.

7.So far a great amount of your music has been recorded solo, do you fell this gives you a little bit more room to be creative with your music?

At first I thought that I will have all the room that I need. Nobody whining about the rehearsals and so on… But after you release a few albums it doesn’t get any easier. The creative process is hard. There is nobody to back you up or say: “cut the crap, this sounds like shit” and so on. So with every new album it’s all about struggling with yourself.

8.I have read that you are looking for a a live line-up, what is going on with that these days?

Nothing. I tried a bunch of people but they didn’t take commitment to a live band very seriously, so I still don’t have the live line-up. I am open to it but now I just don’t have the time to think about it and do another round of “castings”. With the EP in production and new album in the works I try not to focus on playing live. But it’s not like I’m giving up. It needs more time, I guess…

9.On the 2015 you had a couple of quests on the recording, can you tell us a little bit more about who they where and their contributions?

I had the pleasure of working with the legendary Mike Wead from KING DIAMOND & MERCYFUL FATE & Hal from VADER. Mike pulled off one stunning lead in the title track and Hal did some weird vocals in “In the Mouth of Madness”. Icanraz from DEVILISH IMPRESSIONS recorded the drums for me and his bandmate Quazarre also recorded some fine leads. All of them contributed greatly and “Corpus Hermeticum” is what it is also thanks to them.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

The reception was great. I got mostly positive reviews. Some people bitched about the fact that I had some leads, that I had some melody going on and I shouldn’t do that because it’s not the black metal way. But most of the reviewers heard what I intended to record: intense black metal. The fans of ZORORMR loved the record so in like six or seven months the 500 copies I had released were completely sold out.

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

Really? I try not to think much about the future. I live here and now. The older I get the more I realize how little time is left to write & record. I would like to do an album or two with ZORORMR and release some dark ambient stuff as well. But will it all happen? Only time will tell.

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?

Hard to name just few but I always considered myself to be a fan of classical metal of KING DIAMOND, JUDAS PRIEST and so on. I got hooked into black metal by LIMBONIC ART so I guess that band also inspired me in a way. Nowadays I’m listening to Polish bands like BATUSHKA, MGŁA, OUTRE. I loved the last AKHLYS album and TSJUDER of course!

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

Thank you for the interview and stay heavy my friends \m/

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