Desdonova Interview

 

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

Definitely- Desdenova is a recording project I do all the music and production for. I’m originally from San Francisco but am currently working out of Washington D.C. I’ve explored quite a few genres since the inception of the project but as a lifelong black metal fan I knew that’s where I eventually wanted to end up once my compositional skills caught up with my vision for the project.

2. In January you released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Requiem for the Spring to me represents a few things- musically it’s an amalgamation of all my other releases and musical interests ranging from freezing cold and raw black metal to twisted ambient interludes. I also wanted to pay respect to the forests of Lake Tahoe and express my thoughts about the relationship between organized religion and the natural world. If I could describe it in one word it would be "cold". Hard to say now but it's definitely one of the most frigid-sounding projects I'll do.

3. A lot of your lyrics cover Occultism and Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

My first philosophical love was always theology as my family is Iranian but converted to Christianity when I was quite young. Once I renounced my faith I became interested in hermeticism and Gnosticism (not in a religious way) which inspired my ambient series. While I do not consider myself spiritual I am a property dualist which continues to drive my curiosity about what non-physical things and experiences we are able to gain knowledge about. I have songs about the demiurge, jormungandr, trismegistus, gnosis, etc.

4. You also have lyrics covering the 'Warhammer 40K' game, can you tell us a little bit more about how you got interested in this game?

The very first demo I ever made for the project was a thrash EP titled “Alchemic Sorcery” and was sort of a concept album about an exiled Inquisitor from the Warhammer universe. It was really just for fun, I started playing 40k during the pandemic with my siblings and for a while wanted to make a Mechanicus project in the style of Bolt Thrower or World Eaters.

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

I’ve always been a Blue Öyster Cult fan and Desdinova is the main character from their concept album “Imaginos”. Even when I was making horror beats with my first EP Parasomnias I always imagined the project being quite conceptual so I wanted to include a nod to one of my favorite concept albums.

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

The photo is from the forests around Lake Tahoe where I write a lot of my music. Requiem and the ’22 Demo were written while I was working in the area and I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from my time in the sierras.

7. With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

I definitely prefer to work by myself- especially when composing I find sometimes I have an idea of what a certain part should sound like and can get a bit frustrated when it doesn’t sound exactly like what I imagine. I did have one of my good friends do the clean vocals on the album which was a lot of fun to record! That being said, I would love to do a split of some sort with another band in the future. That’s more of my thing than a true collaboration but who knows what the future holds.

8. Since 2021 you have released a great amount of material, do you spend a lot of time writing and creating music?

Absolutely. I love writing music and dislike anything that gets in the way of writing music. If I could, I would write and create every hour of every day but for now, I am more than satisfied with where my music is at. I’ve also started a little side project titled “Gates of Lupercal” where I can put all my dungeon synth/electronic music since synth tunes have been a big part of my music from the beginning. The first album is on Bandcamp now.

9. On the new album you've also done a 'Darkthrone' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

I’ve always been a fan of Darkthrone since I got into extreme metal in high school. Once their last album Astral Fortress was released, I had the idea to combine Caravan with the break in Quintessence. I had a lot of fun recording it and I think it turned out great! I love Bandcamp albums with bonus tracks so I thought a cover of one of my favorite bands would be perfect.

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

I’ve loved the reaction to the album. I’m a lifelong metal fan who makes metal primarily for other metalheads and I think people have been able to pick up on that. One of my favorite comments was someone writing “this is actually pretty good” because I know that’s a much more heartfelt comment than some over-the-top praise of my work, though those comments are certainly nice as well.

11. Where do you see yourself heading musically in the future?

The next album I’m working on is hopefully more punishing, much faster, and remains just as raw as I like my black metal to be. It's coming along nicely but still has a long way to go. In the meantime, I have a song coming out on Food Desert Recordings as a part of a charity compilation they're putting out. I have a few unreleased albums ready too which are probably going to be more Gates of Lupercal style rather than Desdenova.

12. 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 listen to all kinds of metal and like to think of my music as somewhat of an amalgamation of many different styles from black to doom to death. At the moment/when the album was made I'm listening to lots of Zatrebil, Iohanness, Bathory, Twilight Stronghold, Darkthrone, Departure Chandelier, and Hulder. I listen to lots of non-metal music too but my recommendation for any black metal fan would be Gwenifer Raymond's music. So good.

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

If anyone is interested in my politics/philosophy that inspired the album, I would recommend learning about Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic. Leopold sees protecting the environment as an intrinsic good which I find quite interesting and compelling. Thanks again for the interview!

Bandcamp

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