1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a
little bit about the band?
We are a black metal trio from central Slovakia and we created Solipsism in circa October of 2018. Musically, we are trying to create something with its own face, not to repeat the same style of countless bands before us. Kind of to have our own signature sound.
2.You have an ep coming out in March, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
Well, it‘s our debut, so we are still on the look for the things that really suit us, what we like, what we can do, what we want to do and so on. Since it’s an EP, we sort of went for a demonstration of our direction, so the listener could get a picture of what to expect from us in the future. In this aspect, we tried to make every song on the EP different. You can hear more aggressive, pure one, more melodic and slow one, something in between... But I daresay that every song sends a message that we don’t play orthodox black metal.
3.You refer to your music as being 'Negative black metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
Black metal, nowadays, is a very vague term. We could put together dozens of bands, who identify themselves as black metal, but they don’t sound anything alike. One could say that adding so much qualifiers to your genre description is edgy or obnoxious, but it actually says more about the sound and direction in which the band flows. In our music, you can always hear this melancholic touch and the lyrics are dealing with all sorts of negative worldviews, so we thought it would be appropriate to put the moniker „negative“ to it. To say more about ourselves.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
It could be summed up to negative existentialism. We are inspired by our everyday lives, what we are dealing with in specific moments and the lyrics embody our feelings and thoughts of our own existence in those moments. On this EP, every song stands for itself and is a contemplation about a certain aspect of our lives, be it possible futility of existence, heartbreak or a will to negate and deconstruct general values and beliefs.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Solipsism'?
Solipsism is a philosophical idea which states, that you cannot be sure of existence of anything besides your own consciousness. Basically everything around you, even your physical vessel could be just a product of your own mind. Therefore, what’s the point of anything, if nothing is real? We don’t take it to the metaphysical levels, however, we understand it in a more „wordly“ context. You always need to doubt, whether the thing you see, understand or live is real or it’s just your own perception of those matters.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
It was done by Svjatogor from bands like Ceremony of Silence and Porenut, who is actually a quite known graphic designer in Slovakia. Artworkwise, it’s up to everyone to think for themselves, what the cover means to them. There are lots of images which go hand in hand with existential philosophy, contemplating, and in fact, with the idea-tic direction of the album.
7.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows yet?
Opportunities are not the issue. Black metal scene in Slovakia is quite small, the people at least briefly know each other, so it wouldn’t be that hard to find ourselves a gig to play if we could actually do it, but as of now we are lacking a second guitarist and a bass player. Without them, we don’t want to play live, since with just one guitar, drums and vocals our music can’t live up to its full potential.
8.The ep is coming out on 'Sun & Moon Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
Well, we knew this label and did a little research about it, looked into the bands they’ve been releasing and came to a conclusion, that we could musically fit under their banners. So we wrote them an email, introduced ourselves, sent our EP and asked if they would be interested in working with us. And they were.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
It’s a bit too early to talk about a worldwide level, since we disclosed only two songs and the EP still hasn’t been released. We got a bit of feedback mostly from Slovakia and Czech Republic and we gotta say it has been only positive so far. Actually, it’s been better than we initially expected.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Hard to say, we do it intuitively and as we think in that exact moment. Also, we don’t like limits and borders and want to mess around with the possibilities offered. What we can say is, that we want to improve our sound quality wise. For now (and probably years coming) we go into the direction of black metal with its own print and some sort of added value. To be memorable.
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/
We all three like a lot of different things and they, naturally, find their way to our music. Considering metal, all three of us are intertwined by black metal, but apart from that, we listen to various genres and things. I also like dark ambient and its atmosphere inspires me in writing keys and lyrics for our music. In general though, we listen to a great number of bands, but considering the recent time the drummer, for example, listens frequently to Zhrine, Misþirming and expects the new release of Anaal Nathrakh, the guitarist is digging Kres and Spawn of Possession and for me maybe Deluge, Bonjour Tristesse and Une Misère.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks a lot for the interview and stay tuned, we already started writing new songs. Check our social media for updates... and remember, it’s all in your head.
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