1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Kassad is the sound of black metal broadcasting from a concrete metropolis wasteland. I wanted to take black metal from the empty forests and mountains to the crumbling, dirty monoliths of the city.
The first EP I released, Humans, was about the utter destruction and human cost of the Israel-Palestine conflict. For this album, Faces Turn Away, I wanted to concentrate more on the story of an individual. The album is a narrative that describes shame, ostracisation from society and the slow descent into madness and exile.
2.So far you have released an ep and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
To me it sounds like modern black metal with post-rock and post-metal influences. It’s fast and powerful but I always look for the wave to break during a song and to build on slower, ambient passages before unleashing the full force of the track. Im strongly influenced by bands like Darkspace, Isis, Anaal Nathrakh and Burzum.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
Covered above.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kassad'?
Skipped is it’s not particularly interesting I’m afraid!
5.With this album you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
I've played in quite a few bands over the years but I'm happy with Kassad being a one man project. This music is very personal so it's best for me to have complete creative control. It does mean wearing a lot of different hats though as I do everything myself, including the recording, mixing, mastering and even the artwork. Having said that, it would be really interesting to do a split EP in the future with some likeminded musicians.
6.Recently you have signed with 'Hypnotic Dirge Records', are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
Nick at HDR has been great. They've been very happy for me to create the artwork for the digipacks and tshirts myself. They've also been fantastic at getting the album previewed on blogs covering some great bands.
7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of atmospheric black metal?
The reaction has been really great. People have made some very flattering comparisons to bands like Dark Funeral, Marduk and Waning.
8.Are you also involve with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Nothing worth mentioning here.
9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
I'm actually working on the next album at the moment. I've made a lot more use of ambient drone guitars and the music has a more atmospheric feel to it. A release is still quite a way off but the new album will be about a city as a living, malevolent entity. I really want listeners to be able to feel the dirty gravel and grit between their fingers.
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?
I'm listening to the new netra who are also on Hypnotic Dirge. He's doing something really interesting with the black metal genre I think by combining elements of electronica and jazz. I'm also enjoying revisiting some old genre classics like ColdWorld's Melancholie and the Thorns album. In terms of new(ish) stuff I've particularly been digging Bloodlands by Ash Borer and The Force of the Ancient Land by Eldamar.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Didn’t have anything for these two if that’s ok.
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