Answered by Olga Kann (songwriter/arranger, bass, keys, lyrics)
1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hi! I am the mastermind of the project, Olga Kann, and now I'll try to describe to you the history of the birth of the project. The idea for the project and some of the material had been ripening for a very long time. For a number of reasons, I did not have the resources for a long time to put everything together and decide to do what I wanted for a long time. I was passionate about my other projects in other genres. And this is a big plus. Over the years, experience, skills and inspiration have grown. The project was born when the optimal time came for it. From me on the debut album composing of all songs, arrangements of all parts, lyrics, bass recording are presented. After I put together the material, it was great to invite my friend Alex Rabets, with whom we have already worked on other projects, to record the vocals. And for the recording of guitars, as well as sound engineering, I invited another friend Koliopanos Filippos from the Greek projects Ocean of Grief and On Thorns I Lay. In terms of the style of music, the project can be described as Epic Atmospheric Black Metal / Dungeon Synth. At the same time, the debut album contains various influences, be it viking, folk, pagan elements and more.
2. In September you have an album coming out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
If we talked about music part, it combines classic metal riffs, black metal tremolos with orchestral symphonic music. It has room for furious blastbeats and lyric fragments. Almost meditative percussion sounds and traditional folk instruments, acoustic guitars and strings section. And of course the leading place is given to the massive textures of the keys. And lately I really like to arrange compositions with brass parts. This is my passion and obsession. This genre is the one of the best way to realize things of a cinematic scale in composing. Quite a lot of work was done by the sound engineer to give the necessary sound to every pipe, flute, oboe, and everything that was possible. And he did a great job not only in sound production, but also in recording guitars. Also, I really appreciate it when people can play exactly what I write on the music sheets, and not invent reasons to replay it in their own way. Filippos is a great master of this craft, and I will gladly cooperate with him on this and some other projects. I can say the same about vocals. Alex understood the idea well and quickly implemented it. In general the shrill scream and the wedge of the replica-narration of the hero prevail. But also an growling, unusual for the genre, was added a little. In the studio we had a great technician and the recording process was productive and quite fun.
3. The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story that you covered on this release?
This is a story about a warrior. On the debut album, all 5 songs are 5 separate stages of the protagonist's military journey. His mood and fighting spirit change from the beginning to the end of the album, his will to live is tested throughout the journey. And in each of the songs there is a certain unexpected twist. Despite all the difficulties that he has to endure, he has those who are waiting for his return to his native shores. Going on a dangerous journey, he does not realize what his lust for blood and conquest will eventually lead to. To some extent, this is a story about karma. When someone reaping death, immersing the hands in more and more blood, he shouldn't expect nothing but blood in return. I really fell in love with this character, this lonely, noble, but suffering horseman. He is as brave as he is reckless. He rushes into battle and sheds blood without regret, but at the same time, he has his own family, for which he does not want a similar fate. As a result, the blood path brings him nothing but blood. This warrior is a kind of collective image. And at the same time, he became someone personal for me. I am in some way responsible for the misadventures that happened to him. For me it was difficult to make such a final that turned out to be. But, running a little ahead, I will say that his story will not end there. I am developing a sequel concept album. But I don't know yet if it will be the next album or if I will release something else during the break. But I definitely want to give the deserved peace to my hero, he deserves a path to the cherished Valhalla.
In all, I am very impressed by the story of the heroes who lost, but fought bravely, who did not retreat, even knowing that they were doomed to failure in advance. In the future, I would really like to finish a concept album about Hannibal Barka, I was very inspired by the works of Titus Livy and some other historical literature.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Withered Land'?
The name was not born at once, it was a rather active reflection, I had many ideas. But then, after some time, the answer came as if immediately. From the lines of the beloved Tolkien:
"...In the black wind the stars shall die,
and still on gold here let them lie,
till the dark lord lifts his hand
over dead sea and withered land...".
It seemed to me that the devastated land is what just surrounds me. A metaphorically scorched earth, ready at the same time to be reborn in order to then wither again.
At the same time, the lyrics are not closely tied to Tolkien's topic, but a little contain some references/inspiration from heroes and places from his books. In my lyrics, I try to convey the dualistic nature of a character or location. Try to show both the beautiful side and the unpleasant side. In general, I read a lot of different historical literature, war novels and the collective images of warriors come from there. The withered land is all that wars leave behind, at first it is watered with blood, then it dries up. And it will take many years for everything to return to normal (maybe).
5. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
I did the cover myself, as did the design of the booklet as a whole. It was very important to connect the images of the songs with the images in the head. Important to try to portray the monumental of nature and that loneliness inside the main character. Initially, I saw the main hero as someone from Hannibal's army. I am a big fan of the history of the Punic wars and in particular the personality of this great commander. Our tempers have a lot in common haha. But then it was decided to focus on a more abstract image of a lonely dark figure of a horseman in a cloak. More important was not the historical moment, but the very feelings of the hero, his difficult endless journey. The booklet contains images made on the basis of my photoset, which is about 6 years old, it was waiting in the wings to be embodied in something epic. Even then, I was fascinated by the medieval culture; we communicated a lot with the reenactors.
6. Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
So far, this is pretty tricky. Firstly, a pandemic, and secondly, a rather difficult situation in our country. Plus, maybe not every musician is ready to come to terms with my temper. I'm an unhealthy workaholic. I try to do something 105% and I demand the same from others. It's not easy to find like-minded people, it is easier for me to work with foreign colleagues at a distance. But as soon as the opportunity presents itself to organize a tour without the risk of disruption due to a pandemic, it would be great to put together a project, even with session participants, and go to see the world.
7. The new album is going to be released on 'Naturmacht productions', how did you get in contact with this label?
I was very pleased that Robert liked the album and agreed to collaborate with the project. I purposefully wrote to this particular label. I like the bands that the label releases, we communicate with each other, for some of them I do the design of the covers / booklets latest time. It is an honor to be part of such a close-knit family.
8. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Both me and the label have received a lot of positive reactions from different parts of the world. It is very pleasant that already from the debut album, people are passionate about music to such an extent that they are ready to support the musician by buying merch and pre-ordering cds etc. It is truly invaluable that the history of the album resonates in the hearts of those who are close to it.
9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I am already working on many songs, some of them will go to the second album, and some of them will go to the third. It would be interesting for me to release albums that differ in mood, concept and stylistic techniques. Doing the same thing, as sometimes happens with a number of collectives, is absolutely uninteresting. Sticking to your own path, but at the same time innovating and developing, experimenting, in my opinion, is quite important.
10. 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 an absolute music lover. In each genre, I try to find something interesting for myself. I am with special trepidation about underground projects, one-man projects, in which the power of a mastermind composer is manifested in a holistic concept, in its purest form, without imposed feints from the outside (how it happens with the producer-dependent artists). Something dark and avant-garde, sad... But in the one playlist I can have atmospheic black, dark americana, soul singer, oldschool death metal, cinematic soundtracks, post-punk, pink floyd, jazz and symphonic doom. Literally. But I haven't listened to much music lately. I compose it more, hehe.
11. Does Paganism play any role in your music?
This album certainly has such a theme. I am inspired by times and military battles of the past, as I noted earlier. Times when man and nature were one. Our hero is definitely from the days when the sun was a god.
12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Many thanks to webzine, to everyone for their interest, who support the project and are interested in its fate. There will be many new songs ahead, new invited members, and some relic instruments. In the meantime, I invite you to join the endless journey that has already begun.
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