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1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
_Vintras is a musical conduit for my misery and depression. An outlet where I can process it, focus it into music and put it to one side for a short while. The devil makes work for idle hands so I make work for myself. _
2.You have your first full length coming out in March, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
_It is best described as Black Metal but my intention was to also cultivate the atmosphere of dark 80s New Wave bands - hence the Ultravox cover - which I find have a uniquely cold and bleak atmosphere without being overtly 'heavy' musically. I happened to be listening to a lot of it as I worked on this project. Much of the melody and chord progressions found within that genre lend themselves to Black Metal so it seemed to cross-pollinate. It was never the goal with Vintras to create traditional raw or primal BM but to use the palette that Black Metal affords in terms of tempos, drum beats and vocals as a language and foundation to build upon. We both have considerable experience in creating music through other projects so we wanted the album to sound huge and create a sense of atmosphere and cold distance without losing clarity. _
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
_The lyrics on 'Timescarred' are an exploration of passing time, physical decay, and spiritual decline in the shadow of wavered belief and broken hope. A yearning for elemental truth and the rhythm of a natural tradition and a mourning for the passing of lost power; ancient and profound. Each song is a contemplation of fate and future and a lament of failure and weakness, seen through various masks and reflected upon various selves. Time may heal but it leaves its scars._
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Vintras'?
It is taken from Eugène Vintras; a 19th Century petty criminal turned 'messiah' who said he was visited by angels and claimed to be the reincarnation of Prophet Elijah. He was a con man who founded two cults and adopted the inverted cross as his symbol, dabbling in the occult before being jailed for fraud. To be named for such a man seemed fitting given our worldview and serves as a reminder of the futility of our achievements in life. Supposedly great men are often nothing more than an illusion in the eye of the beholder while the lowest and most base amongst us can be hailed as prophets by the gullible and delusional if the circumstances are right. Ultimately, the search for meaning, power and riches ends in the same grave whether you are a beggar or a messiah.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
_It is a piece called 'The Study of the Pain' by Devinez. It was A.A.L that drew my attention to her work and as soon as I saw it I knew it was an ideal companion piece to the music._
6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
Timescarred, and by extension Vintras, was just the music I wrote over the course of two years that happened to be the darkest of my life. As I decided to take it forward and record it properly I asked A.A.L to be a part of it as he is an exceptional vocalist and lyricist that I trusted could bring something to the music and vision that I simply couldn't do alone. The same goes for the drums; I used a renonwned session musician as I wanted the performance to be at a higher level than I was ever going to be capable of. I'm also not a fan of using programmed drums!_I don't intend for Vintras to be a 'band' per se as the music is a reflection of my own mindset and therefore cannot be written by committee. If we ever perform live I will look into assembling a full lineup but there are no plans for that at the moment._
7.So far very little is known about the band, do you prefer to keep a lower profile?
_Yes. Despite the music being deeply personal, I don't feel there is anything to be gained from having our 'personality' attached to it. You can only ever be disappointed when you learn more about the artist themselves._
8.The new album is going to be released through both 'War and Void Wanderer Productions', how did you get on contact with these labels?
_I was looking for a specialist BM label to handle the release as it is hard to get a foothold self-releasing with an anonymous project that doesn't play live! Thankfully Void Wanderer liked the music and were happy to work with us, and invited War Productions to be a part of it._
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
_So far not too many have heard of us! But I have been very happy with the positive response to the first preview track 'In Death's Dream' that we released in January._
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
_I am in the process of writing a second Vintras album and it is a refinement of, and hopefully improvement on, what can be heard on 'Timescarred'. I only write for Vintras when I am in the right (wrong?) mindset and this seems to be the sound that comes out. If it doesn't sound like Vintras then it simply won't be considered for this project._
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?
_As mentioned previously, the 80s new wave bands are a massive influence (I once jokingly described Vintras as Big Country with blast beats), as well as gothic/doom metal such as early Katatonia/Anathema/My Dying Bride and a range of Black Metal bands. I listen to all of this stuff regularly, plus a tonne of Heavy/Death/Thrash metal and all sorts of old rock & pop from day to day. _
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts
I hope you enjoy the album. If so then please spread the misery!
vintras1.bandcamp.com/album/timescarred-2
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