1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?
Svar is a black metal project I started in 2020. In 2021, I released my first EP "Behind the Veil".
Musically it is melodic black metal with lyrics focused mostly on Slavic paganism. Most people compare the sound to early Mgła.
So far, on both releases, I was responsible not only for arranging the tracks but also for mixing and mastering.
2.You have a new ep coming out in July, musically how does it differ from your previous release?
I would say that "Under a Sky Full of Thunder" develops ideas from "Behind the Veil". It is still very melodic black metal but this time I pushed it one step further in every aspect.
I think that the main difference is that this time I decided to incorporate solos and focus a little more on the song structure.
For this release I also composed the instrumental title track.
3.The lyrics on the new ep cover Slavic Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
I became interested in the topic while listening to Polish pagan black metal bands such as early Behemoth and Thy Worhiper. Then I started reading a lot of literature about it, getting more and more into the topic.
Combining this interest with music was a fairly natural process.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Svar'?
Svar is a prefix of the name of the Slavic god Svarog. Svar itself can mean "heat", "light", "fire" or even "disagreement". It depends on the given etymology.
I came up with this name while reading Aleksander Brückner's "Slavic and Polish mythology".
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new ep cover?
A friend of mine once showed me this tree that you can see on the cover. It is located on an island in the middle of a certain lake.
Years ago it was struck by lightning and died. I thought it would make a great cover for the album, so I took a picture of it.
Having that, the idea of a concept album about Perun – Slavic god of thunder came to me quite easily.
6.With this project you record everything by yourself but also have experience working with a full line up, which one do you prefer?
Actually, I like both. The one-man project has the advantage that musically I can do 100% what I want.
There's no room for negotiation with anyone and it's completely my own vision.
On the other hand working with other people gives you the opportunity to see other perspectives on music and test different ideas that may be better than yours.
It's also a great chance to play gigs and definitely less work than one person doing for 4-5.
To sum up, different approaches work well for different bands/projects.
7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I decided not to seek for any label for "Under a Sky Full of Thunder". For a full-length album, though, I think it would be good to have someone else's help.
The time will tell.
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
For “Behind the Veil” being my first release I think the reactions were was pretty good. The CD was bought by a few people from the States, Germany and the UK with practically no promotion. And, not surprisingly, the most purchases were from Poles. Overall, I was very happy with the feedback.
I'm very curious what it’s going to look like with "Under a Sky Full of Thunder".
9.What is going on with 'Void of Sympathy' these days?
Glad you asked. We've had a bit of a change in the lineup recently, which has slowed some things down. I mean we had to start some things from scratch and as you know, beginnings can be difficult.
We're working on some new songs now which gives me the opportunity to write some music for the band.
We are slowly moving forward. And that's probably all I can say about Void of Sympathy at the moment.
10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
I think that release of the full album is a matter of 2 years at most. At this point I’ve almost finished 2 songs that will almost certainly be on the album. I'm not a fan of re-releasing the same songs so the full album will be 100% new music.
I also want it to be superior to "Under a Sky Full of Thunder" in every way so 2 years is a pretty reasonable time.
As a musician I would like to continue to develop the Svar project, release new albums, as well as play live with Void of Sympathy or other bands if the opportunity arises.
And of course keep on growing. As a guitarist and a composer I have reached a certain level. But at the same time I know that this is still not enough, and that I can do more.
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?
Certainly, as I mentioned early Behemoth stuff (Sventevith, Grom), Thy Worshiper (Popiół) but also newer bands like Mgła, Odraza, Furia.
I also really appreciate the classics of the Norwegian scene.
As for other genres, I also listen to a lot to thrash metal, melodic death metal, classic heavy metal, synthwave and folk. While working on the material for "Under a Sky Full of Thunder" I listened to a lot to early Ozzy Osbourne and Yngwie Malmseen.
Recently I've been listening to Swedish band Enforcer on repeat. I'm impressed how well they captured the 80's vibe in their sound.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you to everyone who support Svar. I hope you will enjoy the new EP no less than the previous one.
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