1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?
Pusta Noc is an atmospheric black metal solo project from Poland, started in 2024. The music is strongly rooted in storytelling — for me every release needs to have a concept, a history or a certain dark thread behind it. I am not interested only in writing separate songs; I want each recording to feel like entering a particular story or place.
The project began as something very personal. I needed a way to express myself and to work through certain things that were inside me, so it felt natural to do it alone. Because of that, Pusta Noc has always had an intimate character. The atmosphere is connected with Polish folklore, obscure history, mystery and darkness — but I try to approach these themes in my own way, not just repeat standard interpretations.
Musically I reach mostly toward the second half of the 90s black metal spirit: atmospheric, melancholic, raw in feeling, but focused on mood and narrative.
2. In March you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Compared to the earlier recordings, Funus Vampyri is much more coherent as a full album. This time I wanted the whole thing to feel like one closed ritual or story, not just a collection of tracks.
Musically I used different sounds, especially for guitars and bass, which helped me create a much denser atmosphere. The compositions also became longer. I wanted more space inside the songs — moments where the listener can drift away, reflect, or simply sink into the mood. There are also orchestral elements, like horns, which helped me build a stronger feeling of dread.
The influences are still the same. I am still very connected to the albums I grew up with, especially from the second half of the 90s. That kind of black metal language is closest to me and it feels the most natural as a form of expression.
Emotionally, the album moves through anger, grief and finally a kind of acceptance. It is built around four pillars of the Greek funeral lament: exordium, laudatio, comploratio and consolatio. So in a way the structure itself reflects the emotional path of the album.
3. The lyrics on the new recording have a concept with an anti-vampire burial, can you tell us a little bit more about the inspiration behind the story you cover with the new release?
The inspiration came from the anti-vampire burial discovered in Pień by Polish archaeologists. The woman found there was later called “Zosia the vampire” in modern media. She was buried with objects meant to prevent her from returning from the grave, and for me this is an incredible and disturbing story.
What interested me most was not a simple horror theme, but the idea of social ostracism. We do not really know what happened to her, who she was, or why the community treated her in this way. That silence gives a lot of space for imagination. It has this dark folklore element that immediately caught me.
So the album is not a historical reconstruction. It is my own interpretation, my imagined version of her story — something built on the frame of old Gothic literature, more in the spirit of Bram Stoker or Mary Shelley than modern vampire pop culture. I treat vampirism here as folklore. I consider myself a rational person, but I am deeply fascinated by old beliefs, death rituals and the way people tried to explain fear through myth.
4. Some of the lyrics on the earlier albums cover occult themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
My interest in the dark arts is mostly literary, symbolic, historical and anthropological. Of course the aesthetics are also very strong, but what attracts me most is the mystery — the feeling of standing close to something unknown.
There is also a certain rebellion against organized religion written into these themes. Many occult stories are stories of outsiders, people who do not simply follow the current like obedient lambs. That kind of figure is very interesting to me.
I see folklore and occult motifs as carriers of human fear and desire. In different times they reflected fear of death, the need to explain the unknown, or the dream of immortality. I am especially interested in how these themes appeared in Polish lands and Polish culture.
5. What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you have covered with the music so far?
So far every Pusta Noc release has been built around a specific story or concept, usually connected with Polish folklore, death, ritual or figures standing outside the normal social order.
The first EP, Ars Moriendi, was my own vision of the Pusta Noc ritual — a Kashubian death-watch tradition — but seen in a different, darker light. I imagined it as a secret society gathering to send one of their brothers to the other side.
The first album, Speculo Magicas, was based on the story of Master Twardowski, often called the Polish Faust. I tried to look at him differently: not only as someone trying to trick the devil, but as someone who wants to gain infernal power for himself. In the end, however, he still cannot escape his fate.
With Funus Vampyri, I moved toward the anti-vampire burial from Pień and the idea of social ostracism. So the topics change, but the core remains similar: death, mystery, old beliefs, outsiders and the dark side of Polish folklore.
6. I know that the project’s name means “empty night” in Polish, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
The literal translation would be “Empty Night”, but for me that does not fully carry the meaning. It is not empty as in simply “nothing is there”; it is more the emptiness left when someone has departed. In that sense, “Night of the Void” would probably be closer to the feeling behind the name.
Pusta Noc is also a Kashubian death-watch ritual — a night of vigil beside the dead, with prayers and songs before the burial. So from the beginning the name carried the atmosphere of death, absence, transition and waiting between worlds.
I think it fits the music very naturally. There is something nocturnal, mournful and ritualistic in black metal, especially in the kind of atmosphere I want to create. The name suggests silence, loss and darkness, but also a space where imagination can enter. It is not only emptiness in a negative sense; it is a place where old stories, ghosts and memories can appear.
For me the name became almost a foundation for the whole project. It connects Polish folklore, death rituals and a certain personal melancholy, which are all important parts of Pusta Noc.
7. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork was created by Nuno Zuki, a great artist from Portugal. For me it became a very fitting image for the woman behind the story.
The cover does not try to explain everything too literally. It shows her more as a figure of death — with a skeletal face, dressed in robes — and for me that captures the dread and mystery of the whole concept very well. It is connected to the atmosphere of the anti-vampire burial, but it still leaves space for imagination, which was important to me. I did not want the artwork to feel like a simple illustration of an archaeological discovery. I wanted it to feel more like a vision or an apparition.
8. With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
Pusta Noc started as a solo project because it was something very personal. I needed full freedom to express certain things and to work with themes that are close to me, so doing it alone felt natural. I also like the control and intimacy of working this way — I can follow the vision without explaining everything or making compromises too early.
At the same time, I do not want to close the door completely. I am open to working with other musicians if the right people appear and if it serves the music. I am not interested in collaboration just for the sake of collaboration. It would have to bring something real to the atmosphere and the concept.
At this moment I am not actively searching for a full line-up, but I also do not think of Pusta Noc as something that must remain isolated forever.
9. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I am not actively searching for a label at the moment, but I am also not closed to the idea. If the right label appeared — one that understood the atmosphere of Pusta Noc and respected the artistic direction — I would be open to talking.
For now I actually enjoy the whole process very much: from the first idea, through composing and recording, to releasing and promoting the music. Objectively it is a lot of work, especially when you do everything yourself, but I get a lot of satisfaction from it. It gives me full control over the project and also lets me learn every part of the process.
10. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Pusta Noc is still a small underground project, so I would not pretend that the reaction is massive. But what has reached me so far has been very encouraging, especially because the music has found listeners outside Poland as well.
What I appreciate most is that people seem to understand the atmosphere and the intention behind the project. They notice the storytelling, the old black metal feeling, the melancholic atmosphere and the fact that the album is built around a real concept, not only around a sound. For me that is more important than numbers.
Black metal was always an international underground language. Even if the lyrics and inspirations are strongly connected with Polish folklore and history, listeners from other countries can still connect with the feeling: death, mystery, grief, darkness, the fear of being cast out. These things are not limited to one place.
So I would say the reaction has been small, but very meaningful. I prefer that over empty hype.
11. Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
I definitely want to continue Pusta Noc as a conceptual project. That is the most natural form for me — to build a release around a story, a symbol or a certain piece of folklore, and then let the music grow from that.
I already have a few ideas for future stories, but I do not want to reveal them too early. At this moment I feel that what started on Funus Vampyri works very well for me: longer compositions, dense atmosphere, more space for reflection and a stronger connection between the concept and the music. So for now I think I will continue in that direction.
Playing live is not really in my plans. Pusta Noc is a very personal and intimate form of expression for me, something turned inward rather than outward. I do not say “never”, because life can be strange, but right now I see it more as a studio and storytelling project.
12. 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?
My influences come mostly from the music that shaped me when I was younger. Emperor is very important for me — especially that almost Shakespearean sense of epicness and drama. I also admire King Diamond for his unbelievable horror storytelling. He is not black metal, of course, but the way he builds a complete dark narrative around music is something I respect very much.
There is also some mourning and melancholy from bands like My Dying Bride or Paradise Lost. Immortal is another important reference, not only musically, but because of the legendary world they built around their albums. I would also mention early Cradle of Filth, especially The Principle of Evil Made Flesh and Dusk and Her Embrace. That theatrical, gothic and sinister atmosphere definitely left a mark on me.
But the influences are not only musical. Literature is also very important for me, especially horror and weird fiction. Stephen King, Peter Straub, Edgar Allan Poe, and from Polish literature Stefan Grabiński — these are authors who understand that horror is not only about monsters, but about atmosphere, obsession, the unknown and the darkness inside people.
Polish black metal is also important, but I do not want to limit myself only to one scene. From Poland I have great respect for bands such as Zmora, Arkona, Furia, Mgła, In Twilight’s Embrace and Behemoth. They are different from each other, but each of them shows that Polish extreme metal can have its own identity, darkness and strength.
Nowadays I still listen to a lot of black metal and doom, but lately I have been rekindling my love for Darkthrone. Some music just always returns at the right moment.
13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview and for the interest in Pusta Noc. I would also like to thank everyone who has listened to Funus Vampyri, bought the album, shared it or simply spent time with it.
This project is very personal for me, but once the music is released it no longer belongs only to me. If someone somewhere connects with the atmosphere, the story or the emotions behind it, then it means the ritual has worked.
For those who have not heard Pusta Noc yet: enter the night, follow the story, and let the dead speak.
Bandcamp:https://pustanoc.bandcamp.com/album/funus-vampyri
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/6fCLPXqlRmJRasyZ6yqUM1?si=LP1qXHbsSGKo_SxrmfQG9g
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