Vurdala’ka is the child of my love for two very formative genres in my musical trajectory, each coming at a different point in my life. Essentially I wanted to fuse neoclassical darkwave, which I got into around 10 years ago when I was just starting to create consistently, with the whole vampyric/raw black metal thing that came to me later, when I was much more well-versed in dark and extreme music. It’s one of my more well-thought out projects, but I love to revel in the drama and over the top nature of it.
2.So far with this project you have released 3 ep's, musically how do they differ from each other?
I’d say they build off each other, in a way. The first one was very minimal, with a few neoclassical segments and a more primitive, but still goth-y sound, while the second one adds more melody, keyboards and proper orchestrations. The third one, to me, is the logical endpoint for that evolution, as it’s essentially all symphonic and even features a song (Angels of the Night) that’s gothic metal with raw black metal being just the presentation format. Unintentionally, the themes have also become a bit more personal with each release, since the second EP saw me embracing femininity a lot more and the third one included a literal LGGBTQ+ allegory and features clean, female vocals, which is significant to me.
3.Some of your lyrics cover Satanism, Vampirism and Occultism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
Ever since I was a child I’ve been interested in demonology, the occult and darkness in general, partly because of my father, who’s a pretty sacrilegious and eclectic christian, but also because in Catalan speaking areas, subjects like the Devil, Death, sex and shit are traditionally a bit less taboo than other places of the christian world, and a certain degree of blasphemy is and was pretty rampant in some places. With that predisposition, I sort of fell into a pipeline that was only made deeper by my interest in gothic related art, subcultures and themes. I’d still call myself a satanist, in a way, but honestly I mostly just care about vibes, aesthetics and ideas in my day to day. I don't really believe in anything.
4.With the new ep you also mentioned an interest in the writings of Goethe, Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in their writings?
Again, it’s all my love for darkness. The Romantic era of art has always been a great inspiration for me, whether it’s musically, aesthetically or thematically. As a teenager I was reading Poe, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Charles Maturin, to name a few, so when I got a copy of Dracula in Catalan, I had to buy it, same with an edition of Faust with illustrations by Harry Clarke. I need the aesthetic in my life. Honestly, my dream is to look like the kind of woman that would simultaneously allure and terrify a closet bisexual Victorian occultist (regardless of their gender). I’m 100% serious.
5.You also cover ant nazi and nsbm themes, how would you describe your left wing views?
I would describe myself as an anarchist, more specifically ancom I guess, but I’m generally open to other leftist schools of thought, as I think their ideas hold value. My ideal world is self-governed, interconnected small communities that use an assembly model and make use of modern technology and science for the betterment of humanity as a whole, without fully dismissing culture (which is a trap some leftists fall into). I’m also pretty invested in the deconstruction and re-analysis of gender and sexuality, since I have quite a bit of experience with the subject. A lot has changed since the days of Marx and Kropotkin, so we must adapt and grow ideologically to properly keep up.
6.You also do a good amount of solo projects, what is it that you bring into the music of Vurdala'ka that would not fit in with your other projects?
Whenever I start a project is because I want to play a certain genre, or within a common aesthetic. Whatever I enjoy listening to, I want to make. If you look around my projects, while some similarities are bound to occur, especially since many are black metal related, I cover different music styles and subgenres, as well as different aesthetic and artistic choices. To summarize, Vurdala’ka is simply an outlet for my love of raw black metal, neoclassical darkwave and vampiric/dark romantic aesthetics. It’s that simple.
7.I know that the band's name means 'vampire' in Slavic, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
The gothic element of my music, even from its most primitive start, is inescapable to me. Gothic music means gothic aesthetics, which means gothic literature, which often means vampires and there’s no easier target than slavic regions for the stereotypical vampire aesthetic, since Eastern Europe is a bit of a treasure trove of lore and legends. I could not imagine making a project that mixes my love for all the things I mentioned previously without at least referencing it. If you look at the pseudonym I use on the project, Vrolok Strigoi Drakul von Pokol, it’s just a jumble of random Slavic words I found at the beginning of Dracula. Same with the project itself, with Vurdala’ka coming from Tolstoy’s La Famille du Vourdalak. It’s all references.
8.With all of your projects you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musician's or do you prefer to work solo?
I do prefer to work on my own, since it provides a great deal of creative freedom and the ability to spend as much or as little time as I feel like on each project. However, I do work with other people on occasion since, besides collabs, I play in a post-black band called The Darkness of Mankind and in the symphonic power/melodeath/whatever band Keepers of the Rainbow, as well as having been part of bands before (all ending pretty badly ngl).
9.In the last few years you have released a great amount of material with your projects, do you spend a great amount of time writing and creating music?
I used to work in sudden spurts of a couple days to a week on a release, so I made a decent amount of albums and EPs in a short amount of time, but in the latter half of 2022 I hit a stump due to various personal issues and some projects taking a bit more time than I’m used to, so I haven’t worked on much lately. I am trying to get back into the groove of it though.
10.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
I’m not entirely sure, since there aren’t many reviews around and I don’t have many interactions with fans or other artists (shout out to Lust Hag), but so far I‘ve been pleasantly surprised with how quickly some people came to the project. To be fair, I’m still a really minor artist (all my projects are pretty small), so I think it’s normal to not be talked about much.
11.What is going on with your other musical projects these days?
Currently I’m waiting on the mix of an album from my Elder Scrolls themed war metal project Lord Sithis, on the 27th I’m releasing a 15 min black ambient track with Ísfjall, I’m currently working on a noise album for Phenka and we’re recording the last clean vocals for Keepers of the Rainbow. I also plan to start playing live with Keepers and Lord Sithis, as well as noise shows under my real name, which is Samael Boix. I do plan on working on more things again, but I don’t really know what’s coming yet.
12.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
Honestly, no idea. I’m working on a split at the moment and I have plans for a slightly bigger endeavor, but a full length proper is something that only happens naturally for me. Basically, I stop working on a release when I feel it’s done regardless of length.
13.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?
There’s too many to count, since I like way too many things and even more if I get to mix them. For Vurdala’ka I’ll say Adrian Von Ziegler, Nox Arcana, Mutiilation, Striborg, Bauhaus, My Dying Bride, Cradle of Filth, Vampirska, Amargor, early Ulver, Christian Death, HIM and many, many more have been extremely formative when creating and evolving my sound. As for listening, I’ve been really into the more melodic and/or fun side of raw black, especially the whole Grime Stone Records scene, but I’ve also been on and off with war metal, noise, various electronic genres, power metal, extreme metal styles with ‘core influences and Japanese versions of many metal genres.
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I’d like to shout out my partner, Eleanor (aka. Lust Hag), Bariann from Fiadh Productions, all the handsome boys from the Barcelona black metal underground that I’ve talked to, anyone who has ever worked (and not gone to shit) with me and anyone who has ever supported me, whether it’s economically, by listening, sharing, interacting with me or just sent encouraging words my way. I wouldn’t be here without them. This scene needs more good people at its forefront
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