Frust was founded just a few months ago as a solo project. I ve been making music for over 20 years now, started as guitar player and co-founder in a punk/grunge band in the mid 90s, we´ve played some gigs and released a demo, till i wasnt able to go along with the band because of some health problems. I ve kept playing music over the years, for me and friends, and started to learn more about playstyles, instruments, programming, mixing and so on. I ve quitted making music from time to time, because i was frustrated by slow progress to be honest sometimes, i had higher expectations and a lot of doubt in myself. In winter 2018, early spring, i ve wrote two song-parts just for fun, and i started to like them more and more, in the past years i ve stopped on most of songs if there were any parts i wasnt satisfied with, but this time i continued working on them, the songs arisen from that sessions are „Air“ and „Earth“. So i decided to make an EP.
2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
I am not sure, it was and is really hard for me to label the music, i don´t like put the burden of a genre on my work,because it just would limit me in many ways. For several reasons, i sure had to put a label on it, and the one with i personally go best is „Post Black Metal“. But to answer the question when it comes to sound, i would say, it´s a mix bewtween Black Metal, Post Black Metal, Black Gaze, some Ambient, specially the new Album, coming in January 2019 will also have some more „Doom Metal“ passages, and some, well, almost „Trip Hop“-like passages…so it´s mabye also „experimental“ in some ways, like it was with the female virtual Instrument vocals from syria and bulgaria i ve used on „Elements“. I am a big fan of The Cure as well, Maybe it has even some of them in it in the slower, more quiet parts, like on „Water“.
3.Both the song themes and ep cover deal with the 4 elements, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?
Well, i am a spirtual person when it comes to nature, i ve lived my first 24 years in the middle of a national park in the austrian alps, so the connection to mother earth was always strong in my beeing. I´ve worked a lot using the four elements in meditations and not at least at some kind of guides, like Earth is very grounding, Water reflects your feelings, Fire your anger or passion. I don´t want to overexpand that topic, but it felt very right for me to give the first record that nature-related background, as i wrote „Air“ it wasnt planned to go on with all the four Elements, but it was clear that that track, can only have this Name.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Frust'?
Thats a small, and funny story. It isn´t a lie, when i tell you, finding a band name took my more nerves and thinking than anything else working with Frust.So i was really thinking much and a long time About a name, but all that came up was very chliché, i would have been ashamed sooner or less, using that names. Some day, i was playing online with some friends, and one of them was really angry that day, and i ve said: „Micha, you´re really in a good mood to tell me a bandname for my project, what are you feeling right now, just shoot“ And he answered: „Frust! Only Frust!“ I ve said:“Thanks a lot, that fits well“ haha, and it was done. Frust is the shortform of „Frustration“ in, at least, german language.
5.With the exception of some female vocals from Bulgaria and Syria you recorded most of the music by yourself, are you open to working with a full band?
The female Voices are Instruments too, at least virtual Instrument, a lot of smaller film-, gaming- and so on projects are using them too, it´s really great, you would be astound how many voice-instruments you can buy today. They´re able to modulate in so many ways, it´s a really great opportunity to get some vocals, if you re living in a small town, not knowing any singer. For the Growls/screams, thats me. I don´t have plans for adding more members in the future to be honest.
6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I´ve received a few offers, but i am a sceptical person when it comes to business, specially music business. I ve expirenced so many great opportunities, specially for new bands, and i really prefer to grow organic, with the awareness that that´s gonna be a long way, specially without live concerts. That shouldn´t mean i dont´t want to work with a record label at any cause.
7.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of post black metal?
I wasn´t really sure how/if people would like it, specially with the label „Post Black Metal“ on it, like i ve said earlier. I haven´t had any negative review by now, or any negative comment on shared postings in like in Facebook-groups or on YouTube, so the toxic-community may just haven´t found me by now. Promoting the EP has just begun, and i ve got a lot of responses in form of reviews, radio-airplay, and so on, which i honest appreciate every single one of it. You are granting me the first interview of my life by the way, thank you for that.
8.Are you or have you been involved with any other bands or musical projects?
Like i said earlier, i was member of a punk/grunge band, it was called „Orgasmic Control“, and i am very glad, you don´t ask about former bands names haha. I ve also made some ambient/meditation music in the past, but not for the public, it was for learning and also relaxing while composing.
9.You have your first full length coming out at the beginning of 2019, what can we expect musically once it is released?
As the recording process is still going, i can´t speak for the whole album, because i am recording very intuative sometimes, and the same goes for deleting a whole track, i just can speak about what i have recorded, which is like 30% of the album. I think some parts will be a surprise to the listener, specially the ones who already knowing my EP, like the „Trip Hop“-like parts, if they ll stay on the album, and i ve just finished recording a more doomy track, another one has some tribal-like passages a bit like Sepulturas „Roots“, and it will have the ambient, quiet, dreamy parts again as well, for all i ve heared my audience really likes them, on the other hand some tracks will go in a more „Fire“-like direction, more heavy and brutal.
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 would call Heretoir as an influence when it comes to have no fear of putting a lot of melodies in dark and heavy songs, i love their Album „Substanz“, also The Cure, i ve always admired they´re way to create different atmospheres, and for me „Bloodflowers“ is close to an perfect Album, i love many bands even from different genres, and for sure a lot more may have influnced me, like the first Rock/Metal bands i ve started listen to, in the late 80s like Guns n Roses, Black Sabbath or Exploited, later on Abigor from my homecountry Austria, i think they´re still very unique, or Siebenbuergen i really loved them like 15 years ago because of their melodic and the use of female voices and that great Cello they had on some tracks.
Nowadays i am trying to NOT listen to Metal in any form, while i am recording, and since about April i am recording like non stop, The only metal-related bands i ve listen a lot this year were Heretoir and Unreqvited to be honest, because i love them. After long recording-sessions, listening to my own songs over and over till they´re where i want to have them, i´ll really enjoy silence, or some very different Singer/Songwriter like Angus & Julia Stone, Peter Conway or Joseph Arthur.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I ve painted a lot in the past years, i am doin it with passion, but the results aren´t that well, so you probably will not see any of my paintings in the near feature. I am a fucking gaming-nerd as well, not very proud of it, but i am and i do Mountainbiking. Oh and i love my girlfriend and cats 😊
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Yeah, thank you for giving new bands a place to grow, and thanks for the support to all that giving me a great time with Frust, for all that don´t know me, have a listen, stay tuned for the Album aswell, or just drop a line, i am happy about your Feedback.
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