Holdlajtorja Interview

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

Greetings to all, Inmar here from Hungary. Some of your readers may know me from Vorkuta. After several years of ‘silence’, I started to write music in late 2018 again. One day I decided to grab my guitar, and astonishingly, themes just started to flow out…

2.So far you have released one demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

Concerning our musical style, the feedback we have received so far were rather diverse, with very different opinions and multifarious associations. This might be traced back to my approach of writing music; instead of conforming to the criteria of certain predefined genres, I simply let music come out of me. This is my sound, without any compromises. And then it’s up to the critics to ponder on what sort of music it is. Quite obviously, various genres of broadly understood metal music can be identified in our songs, since I clearly have these influences, too – even if these are not necessarily coming from the sources the audience might have assumed after listening to our demo. To put it bluntly, I only had one clear aim from the very beginning; to create magical metal music. Apart from that, we really don’t care about genres and their boundaries. We play what we feel like, and simply don’t deal with the (supposed) ‘rules’ of this or that style. Just imagine what if Pink Floyd cared about genres…

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores on the demo?

The first song is an eschatology based on Spengler, with Borghes-inspired literary insights. The most profound things are inexpressible. The lyrics of the short interlude, a curse, came from Kryptagonist. This is the only one in Hungarian, whereas all the other lyrics are in English. ‘Vox In Rama’ is a papal decree issued in 1233, dealing with the heresy of Luciferianism. The lyrics are about bloodshed that floods the globe from time to time.

4.The name translates to Moon Ladder in Hungarian after a Lovecraft story, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his works?

Yes, this term appears at the end of Lovecraft’s short story entitled ‘At the Mountains of Madness’. Moreover, the really apt and ingenious Hungarian translation uses an archaic form of the word ‘ladder’ (‘lajtorja’), which makes the entire expression even quainter. I do highly appreciate the oeuvre of H. P. Lovecraft, but I am also fully aware of his contested role in international literature; nonetheless, there aren’t any explicit relations between his works and our music. We simply needed a short and catchy name, which I think is harder and harder to come up with nowadays. In my youth I used to read him quite often, although recently I rarely have the time to do so, unfortunately.

5,Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the demo cover?

It’s my work, I was trying to adapt the cover to the theme and the mood of our songs. Concerning the logo, I did not only want the composition of the letters to stand on its own visually, but also aimed at combining Western (medieval) typography and Eastern calligraphy. The aim was to create a particular kind of mystical, oriental atmosphere. It is a sort of Orientalism (without any social sciences connotations) that permeated the public sphere of the Romantic era. A naïve wondering at the unknown East and indulging into the charming influence of the Exotic.

6.Are any of the band members open to doing live shows once the pandemic ends?

It’s not completely impossible, albeit we haven’t really thought about it yet. Either way, this seems to be a long way off, since the most important thing for now is to finish the album. Nevertheless, even if circumstances turn out to be more fortunate, I’m still not sure whether we’d play live. As opposed to Richter’s view, I’m on Gould’s side on this one, and not because I’m disgusted by the audience. Quite simply, our music isn’t for skull-crushing headbanging, but more for listening to it at home, in a properly darkened room.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Yes, we aren’t signed to any labels yet, but we are actively working on finding an appropriate one. In a world of digital downloads, those who still insist on releasing physical formats deserve the utmost respect. Of course, we are also aware that everything is uncertain these days. What is more, there are myriads of bands, there’s a massive competition, and everyone is striving for attention. Hence, we have no other goal than to make sure that our music will find its audience.

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of progressive black metal?

Well, since the demo is relatively new, we haven’t received too much feedback or bumped into heaps of reviews yet. In fact, this is our very first interview – therefore, currently we’re keen to see how people will react to our music.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Vorkuta recently released a 7” EP entitled ‘Wandering Alone in the Forest of Transcendence’, which will be followed by a split material.

Vorgrov: Following the latest Marblebog album ‘Aeon’, which is a dark ambient record, I am planning to finish the sixth Marblebog full-length in 2021. It’s going to be a black metal album again this time, but much more aggressive and faster than my last black metal album ‘Kietlen’. Several Marblebog 12" vinyl reissues are planned for 2021 as well, but I cannot reveal more details just now. My ambient/drone project Asattarn will do a split release in 2021 with Odvas, a Hungarian black ambient artist, the format is not decided yet.

Kryptagonist: An EP will be the next step in 2021 with both SIR and Leiru.

10.When can we expect the full length and also what can we expect musically once it is released?

We’d like to finish the recordings of the full-length album in 2021. Its title will be the same as that of the demo (‘Ab Orinte Ad Occidente’), with similar music, too.

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?

All of us are shaped by different musical influences. There might be several shared ones for sure, however, these aren’t fully explored to date either. Lots of great music was made from the ‘60s to the ‘90s that I regularly listen to. My influences are also among these, pretty much irrespective of genre. There must be valuable pieces released after the 2000s as well, but to be honest, I don’t have a comprehensive overview of any scenes following the turn of the millennia. In this regard, the others are perhaps more up to date than me. As for me, there are not too many acts that I listen to on a daily basis.

12.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

Occultism does not play any role in our music at all. Thus, there is no consciously concealed symbolism or numerology in our song structures, nor is there an intentionally controlled blend of musical notes that could give rise to such assumptions.

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

Thank you very much for your support, it is truly highly appreciated.

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