Kasm Interview

 

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

Absolutely. We are a three-person cosmic black metal project from Calgary, Canada. I (J.T.) record guitars, synths, and drums for Kasm. S.R. records bass but is a very talented ambient and electronic music mad scientist. Likewise - our vocalist K.B. currently plays and has played in a number of amazing projects - both as a vocalist and one-man band.

So far, you have released an EP. Can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Even though we all share a very different style of music, we all gravitate towards a sound that makes you feel small, insignificant, worthless, whether that be crushing doom riffs, melodic strings, and synths, or whipping guitars. Kasm is the product of all these sounds composed to deliver you the feeling of existential dread through an audible medium.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

I would echo the previous answer as well - we want to take you through an experience of cosmic despair and existentialism. We discussed whether to release the lyrics or not and decided that being left wondering is part of the experience.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kasm'?

Kasm came from a play on the word ‘macrocosm.’ We ended up at Kasm from the shortened word ‘cosm’ to which we gave our our creative twist on. Given that a chasm - being dark and eerie - is in line with our sound, it seemed like a good fit.

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

The artwork on the cover is a piece by a very talented Canadian artist, Barthélemy Aupetit, titled ‘Celestial Being IV,’ who will also be supplying the artwork for our next release. I stumbled upon his work one day and found this piece and thought it was perfect to represent the tone of the music - specifically for the closing track, Exordium Illumination.

Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

We have not done any live shows and currently have no plans; however, I think we would be open to the idea of starting here in Calgary if we were able to gather the right fit to put on a live performance.

So far, very little is known about the band. Do you prefer to keep a lower profile?

Yes - I like to think that is part of the mystery. Personally - I listen to a large number of one or two-man black metal projects, and I think, for me, part of the appeal is uncovering more about the music and artist as time goes on and more music is released.

The EP is going to be released on physical format by 'Northern Shadow.' Can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Yes, a funny thing about that - I have been a long-time supporter of Northern Shadow. They showed up in my Instagram recommended feed a couple of years ago as a Canadian online atmospheric black metal record shop. I was looking through their catalog and seeing records I spent over $100 for on Discogs for like $40 or something. I started to wait for their releases because I knew they would always get something good. Shortly after we released the record, I just saw that they were accepting demo tapes and decided it was worth a shot - and it worked out. Super happy to be represented by a label that I have actively supported for years.

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

We did our worldwide release on the Atmospheric Black Metal YouTube Channel, and I think we were all very happy with the feedback. The initial release garnered over 4k views in a couple of months. I think there is a very small niche of people (myself being one) that love this type of melodic depressive black metal, and those are the people I hope enjoyed the record the most.

When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We have already written a follow-up EP that we will be releasing hopefully in 2024 with an evolved musical direction, but still very well Kasm. Experimenting with long-form tracks, as this EP is 2 tracks and projecting to be ~28 minutes or so in length. Then after that, who knows? I am always drawn to artists with very diverse discography, and I believe Kasm will be one of them.

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?

Ironically - all three of us have very different tastes in music - but come together in harmony here. As the songwriter - I think I wear my influences on my sleeve and take lots of musical inspiration from bands like Mare Cognitum, Spectral Lore, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Ethereal Shroud.

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

We would just like to thank Northern Shadow for backing us, and we are very excited to release our next project this year - and thank you for the interview. Cheers.

https://kasmblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/lux-obscurata