Leiru Interview

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

There is not much to tell, the band was founded ten years ago, I performed almost everything until Sadaist (drums) joined in 2010. Leiru was a typical bedroom project and in many aspects (it) is still one, mostly because of my working method. Albeit this is a lo-fi project, the songs always evolve in time, I modify them several times, and they get a lot of care. We have far-flung influences, from black metal to classic rock, and when I create songs, I usually throw away the themes which are orthodox but boring. My intention is to create something that affects emotions. Not something big, strange, evil or monumental, but something about sorrow, loneliness, love, desires, fears, ego and relationships. In the end, all that matters is the song. Not any kind of ideologies or expectations from the outside.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Amateur, lo-fi, accidental, experimental. I have no real talent nor real interest in the technical background of the music, but I compensate this a bit with my perseverance. This is a patchwork which contains a lot of energy and sweat, high blood pressure and stomach ache.
   

3.Since 2009 there has only been an ep and a split, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

I live in a small town in countryside, Sadaist lives in the capital city, Budapest. We got jobs, we rarely meet, we got only 1-2 rehearsals a year. But this is just one side of the coin. I have long empty phases in my life, when I cannot create, there is no inspiration, or I simply play too much with Dark Souls. Despite, I already have several songs written, enough to record a full-length album, but the new songs are more complex than before, so we need to practice more, pay more attention. I try to manage this.
   

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

They are mostly based on my average life experiences squeezed through my twisted mind. I mix my experiences and my visions. I often write about dreams and nightmares, my relationships also appear for a few sentences. It’s a self-centered music, so that’s all.  

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Leiru'?

Archangel Uriel is the guardian of Hell’s gates, a mighty divine creature with goals, a mission and no free will at all. My creature Leiru is similar to him in some ways, but mainly the inversion of him: a powerful, immortal creature without any meaning or purpose for its existence. He could be called anti-cosmic as well, with the desire to abolish mankind and the creation, because for him these things like life, humanity, existence are foul, because they were created by the powers of the Demiurge. People have a tendency to romanticize nature, although it has always been our biggest enemy, civilization is based on the ability to rule the powers of nature. But in the meanwhile, we still can’t control our own human nature.
I hate people since my childhood, but on the other hand, I have always understood them, I can even sympathize with them. I have sleepless nights because of the concerns and worries because of the sins we commit and I hope that there is no other form of intelligence in the universe, because humanity’s crimes are unparalelled, but then again: the only thing that can solve or cure this is intelligence. But intelligence and culture are always crushed down by our own nature, the will to power and dumbness. These things are normal parts of the human nature and existence as well. Absorb, devour - that is a law. Leiru is against that law, against the law of nature.

6.With the exception of the drummer the main member records everything by himself, would you consider this more of a solo project?

Yes, but I hope one day Sadaist will bring his own ideas. He does not classify himself as a creative person, but I think he’s not exactly right. Drumming satisfies him, but he bought an analog synth not long ago, and I hope he will learn how to compose, try different things, dare to experiment, and it will help him to develop, and this is Leiru’s interest too.

7.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Kolp', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?

Kolp was the only Hungarian band I could imagine Leiru being on the same recording with. Still, we are far away from each other both musically and lyrically, but I felt something common. I’m not sure what is it exactly. I heard the Valley of Plague EP and I thought: that is it. Miserable and painful, but still human, no fake image. Sadaist was the drummer at the few gigs of Kolp, and he is also a friend of Knot, so I came up with the idea of the split through him. Knot had a lot of work with this, I owe him much. And I am very satisfied with the outcome I feel like this release brought Leiru to a new level.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

I don’t know. Who are the fans of black metal? I can hardly imagine that a fanatic Marduk fan hears this stuff, and says: “Oh, what a masterpiece!” Or some progressive shit and sound fetishist, who is not laughing because of the lack of sound and instrument quality. I’m afraid, some post-BM guys like it, but I can live with that. I don’t care. I think our music isn’t post black metal, I write riffs for the love of god, but I admit: this music can be confusing. Not pure stuff, but our roots definitely are. The reviews are mostly positive so far, and we already got 104 likes on Facebook \m/. 


9.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that the drummer is a part of?

Sadaist: In the last few years I took on too much work, So I had an urgent need to make a selection because the constant rehearsals had a bad effect on my enthusiasm. From now on, my main project is Purulent Rites. We have a full length record finished, it is online for streaming until we find a label. This band is a live band, we would like to play as much as possible.

Limb for a Limb is currently on hold, we had no gigs or releases since 2 years, and I am not sure if we will ever come back. I also quit Niedergang after the recording of the second album, which will be out soon btw.

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


Soon, I hope so at least, but the thing is as said above: we work slowly. Even though the songs for the new full-length album are written, a lot of work is still to be done. It is possible that it will take even years until we come up with the new album, and I have no idea what will happen after that. Maybe we're just gonna go down the drain. But there is something I can say about the musical direction for the forthcoming album. The new songs are somewhat METAL oriented pieces, influenced mostly by heavy and thrash metal. The split was the goodbye to our middle age, the times of our 90 bpm fast black metal ballads are over. Why? I got bored of that. I feel like I’m about to lose my creativity, so maybe that is the reason I prefer the fast, complex guitar rhythms now. But we’ll see how things evolve.

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?

At the age of 15 I listened to the first 3 Metallica albums and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son by Iron Maiden again and again. (Kill em’ All is nowadays’ an inspiration to me again.) Then Impaled Nazarene came, and everything changed. When I made the first demo, my main influences were the early Ulver, Enslaved and Burzum albums, the Norwegian classics. I transform my inspirations, I work like a filter and recreate something similar but different. The songs of the last split MC are plagiarisms, I copied myself. I know that I have my own style, but my style is to steal from different artists, even from myself. This is not on purpose, but that’s how it goes. Some new songs are inspired by Plaga, In Solitude, Spite Extreme Wing, Ash Pool, these bands are all time favorites, they always touch me. This year I listened mostly Funereal Presence, Emptiness, Misþyrming, Pallbearer, Alraune, Selim Lemouchi & His Enemies, Elder, The Soft Moon, the first Deutsch Nepal album and Necros Christos.


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

Go and hope!

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