Barag-Ur Interview

 

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

The band is a spiritual invocation, a calling to the spirits of sorts. An attempt to access the energy that extends like roots into 10,000 years of soil below our feet, and reach skyward into the 10,000 years of future hanging over our heads like leaf blades and mist.

2.You have a new album coming out towards the end of February, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

I would say at its core, the principle that we held before ourselves throughout the recording was not so much a particular style as much as a principle. And the principle that we sought to honor was one of authenticity, a sensation of liveliness and dynamicism, perhaps even poetic meditation. Our musical style could even be best described as attempting to create a eulogy for the living, created and delivered not from a pulpit, but from inside the warm casket.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

So far, we've covered a lot of ground about the ebb and flow of time and self, the life and struggles to be found when worlds collide, as well as in the gaps left when they recede from one another. In particular, 'Caravan on the Steppes' attempts to capture the essence of strength, challenge and honor in the tribal setting that is often obscured by the shallow fantasies of geneology or the collective delusions of modern nations. A favorite passage of mine is

"ancestral trails shifting and winding through hillsides

our footfalls trace ourselves tripping over tribal roots

honored vegetation precipitation lush trunks and leaves

the homeland nestled between the marsh and wastes"

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Barag-Ur'?

It is an unexpected name to be sure, and one that manifested itself to us during a reading of Sophus Helle's recent translation of "Gilgamesh" and simply rang true, like a scabbard for a sword or quiver for arrows, it is just the right sturdiness and heft with which to carry our aspirations in a reliable and expedient manner.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

Much like the poem listed above, the art is meant to visually convey the liminal collision between two worlds, a kind of dawn between pre and post-civilization, as well as the collective dusk that we've been born blindly into.

6.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

This particular band has not done any live shows so far and there are currently no plans for it, though we may be open to the idea in the future.

7.Currently very little is known about the band, do you prefer to keep a lower profile?

Indeed, we are not particularly interested in most aspects of the modern information landscape, which is frequently a den of deceit and compulsive desperation. The music itself is presence enough, equally open to all who find it and all who don't.

8.Currently the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We are not seeking a label currently and have not received any interest thus far, though I doubt it will remain that way for long.

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

From what little I've seen, we seem to be well-received though I cannot overturn and see beneath every stone.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Musically it is difficult to say what it will look like exactly, but I do feel that we succeeded in finding and elevating our core identity with this album, and so I know that we will take that knowledge and zealously expand on it. That is the seed that we sought, and now it is up to us to sow that with wisdom for it to sprout and branch out even stronger and more resilient than before, with roots that are ever more only of Actual Self.

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?

I think our past stylistic influences wherever relevant are obvious enough, though surprisingly we listen to very little these days. Often making music keeps us sufficiently occupied and so rarely have time to listen to more than that, but groups like Imperial Triumphant or Neko Case are always welcome to our ears.

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

We have already begun working on a single for release later this year, for there is no greatness in the past, only lessons. Heavy though they may be, find and carry them for a while. Place them then on the ground, as the path forward.

 https://barag-ur.bandcamp.com/album/thrice-sown-grain