Xvarhnah Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Æterna: We decided to establish this project around September 2014, and we immediately started gathering riffs and ideas for our first work.
Veirg: As said by Æterna we decided to start a new band, for me it was and is a great challenge in terms of composition, for the first time I can experiment without  any limits.

2. In February you had released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Æterna: Although we don’t have any particular interest in labelling what we do, I think there’s a bit of every musical influence of ours to be heard, most prominently Black Metal and Doom, but these are very general coordinates. There are obviously distorted guitars, generally slow tempos, atmospheric synths and a mix of harsh and clean female vocals.
Veirg: Personally  I believe Xvarhnah doesn't has a genre , I'm glad  about the result and I would love to continue this project, I am very curious about the evolution of music and the endless possibilities of experimentation. I think that there’s a curious mix of different influences between me and Æterna, I think it sounds really good. I'm personally  very attached to DSBM, I have never experienced so much and I have never felt so free musically.

3.You have some lyrics that deal with Spirituality and mysticism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
Æterna: The relationship with my spiritual side is essential to me, and I’ve always been interested in exploring it through Music. Specifically to Xvarhnah, the lyrics on the Ep describe a process of spiritual elevation and personal evolution from a human, subjective, emotional perspective, using the concepts of nobility and battle as metaphors.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Xvarhnah'?
Æterna: A former band mate of mine once asked me to come up with a suitable name for him to use, and I picked Khvarenah. It’s a word I was always fond of and it comes from the Avestan language and from Zoroastrism. It means divine glory, understood as a transcendental, mystical force, and it’s an attribute of the most noble kings. Back when it was time to choose a moniker for this project, I thought this could be a perfect band
name, but since I didn’t want to use the very same word I opted for an alternate spelling, which means the same thing.

5. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
Æterna: The whole thing will pretty much always be me and Veirg, with possible session people for the instruments we’re not able to play ourselves, such as drums.

6.The cd is only released with 66 copies, are there any plans for repressing in the future or are you going to stick with the digital format?
Æterna: I personally don’t think there will be a second print, but it all comes down to possible interest of labels.
Veirg: Anything is possible, but as mentioned by Æterna all depends on the labels.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?
Æterna: It’s too soon to say, but people seem to like it so far.
Veirg: I think that the first listen sounds very strange to people, but I have had positive feedback about it.

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that the band members are a part off?
Æterna: Beside Xvarhnah, I am involved in another band called Nahabat, and we’re currently recording new music. In the meantime, I’m having the pleasure to perform some guest appearances on a couple of good bands’ works.
Veirg:  I have other bands active, Suicide Emotions and Astray, the new work of S.E. is in the mixing stage and I'm very satisfied with the result. While the album of Astray was released  by Self Mutilation Services on February 25.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Æterna: The future of Xvarhnah is nearly unpredictable at this point, we might start working on a full-length tomorrow and having it recorded in a week, or never. Same thing style-wise; I’m an advocate for creative freedom and I could never see myself sticking to any specific genre with any of my projects.
Veirg: I think yes, but for the genre I don’t know, it’s a  very experimental project.

10.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?
Æterna: I will virtually listen to just about anything as long as it’s something I find emotionally relatable. I’m totally a musical omnivore. Extreme metal is but a small percentage of my taste in Music, which also includes electronic stuff, grunge, punk, classical, opera, ambient, progressive rock, pop, you name it. All of this influences me when it comes to writing a song. Lately I’ve been listening to Blut aus Nord, Chelsea Wolfe, Comando Praetorio, Franco Califano and Italian Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi, and this pretty much says it all.
Veirg: I listen generally Black Metal with its sub genres, especially DSBM, as mentioned before I’m very attached to it, I think there are also a lot of influences by Blut aus Nord.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Æterna: Photography, animal rights, anthropology. I’m also an astrologer.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Æterna: Thank you for this interview. : )
Veirg: Thanks for this interview.

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