Sviatibor Interview

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

Sviatibor is a solo Pagan Black Metal project I created in November 2013. The main musical purpose of this project is to promote the pagan European heritage and to express my feelings for this land through very personal atmospheres.

2.Since 2013 you have released a good amount of singles, ep's and full lengths, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Well, through the 3 albums released during this first year of activity, my sound changed a lot. From Yav To Nav is very cold and dark, desperate, the sound quality is not very good, and there are a lot of effects on my voice. L’Oeuvre De Rod is way less dark than its predecessor, it sounds more positive, with a true atmosphere of passion and contemplation, my voice is still full of effects but there are a lot of spoken vocals. La Foi Des Ancêtres definitely has a better sound quality, it’s way more powerful, there are choirs and strings, and my voice is totally natural.

3.You have released a good amount of material, do you put a great amount of time and effort into writing new music?

Well, to be honest I think I could have spent more time on From Yav To Nav and L’Oeuvre De Rod, but actually I never thought people would be interested in my music, I was just doing this for myself, so I was not very exacting with my work. But I spent a lot of time on La Foi Des Ancêtres and I will spend more on the next album ! Now Sviatibor is a very serious project.

4.Your lyrics cover some Pagan and Nature topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those subjects and how they are also a part of youe everyday life?

Paganism is definitely something really important in my life. I’m connected with my land, my gods and my ancestors, I can feel this union through my soul, and that’s what inspires me for my music and my lyrics. I want to honor our heritage through my art. And about Nature, well, I’ve always been a great lover of Nature. Nothing’s more beautiful than our motherland in its radiance. And I think nature is a great way to express feelings in a very metaphorical way.

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

The name “Sviatibor” comes from the Slavic god of the forest. I thought it would be a perfect name for my project and its ideology. Paganism, heritage, and nature’s sanctuary.

6.With this project you do all the instruments and vocals, do you fell it is much easier to write the music you want to play working by yourself then it would be with a full band?

Well, I would not say it’s easier. It’s different. You are definitely more free to do what you want to do when you work alone, and you can dedicate your time to do it and not the time of the people you work with. A solo project is way more personal, but for someone who also work in a band project, I can tell it’s also pleasant to work with people, because when you’re feeling bad about your art, you’re not alone and you can carry on with people.

7.Your last full length was released by Primal Relics Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Primal Relics Records is a young American label created by Nick Stanger and Skyler Gabel. Nick just contacted me when he discovered Sviatibor in order to release From Yav To Nav as the first Primal Relics Records release, but I told him that I was working on a new album so we decided to release La Foi Des Ancêtres. I’m really satisfied of their work and I’m glad to had the chance to “meet” these guys, Nick became a very good friend of mine now.

8.Recently Into The Night released your first full length album on cassette, are there any plans in the future to also release some of your other material on cassette?

Not for the moment, but there will certainly be some other tape release in the future !

9.Last year you released a single that was a Burzum cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?

Well, Illa Tiðandi is one of my favorite Burzum song. Everybody know that Burzum is my all time favourite artist and I wanted to honor this amazing project by learning, playing and recording this song on piano.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of ambient, pagan and black metal?

Pretty good actually ! I had a lot of support from Syria, Poland, USA, Russia, France, Italia, Germany … It’s a great feeling when you know people enjoyed your work.

10.What musical direction do you see the future releases going into?

The next album will follow the path drawn by La Foi Des Ancêtres. However it will be way more atmospheric, with a lot of keyboards, and a more original and elaborate music.You will know more within the next months ;-)

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?

As I said on a previous question, I was mainly influenced by the music of Varg Vikernes, Burzum. All his albums. I’ve also been influenced by movie OST (Star Wars, The Lord Of The Rings, Gladiator …), and by traditional European music. I also listened to a lot of band since I discovered Metal but I don’t think a lot of them really influenced my music.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Lonely wanderings in isolated Nature, Paganism, Role Playing Games, writing and family.

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

First of all thank you very much for this interview and your interest, thanks to everyone who’s reading, sharing it, everyone who listen and support Sviatibor … And sorry for my bad English. I wish you a good luck for the next !

Bandcamp

Facebook

Sviatibor/From Yav To Nav/Into The Night Records/2014 Cassette Review

  Sviatibor  are  a  1  man  band  from  France  that  plays  an  ambient  form  of  pagan/black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2014  album  "From  Yav  To  Nav"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Into  The  Night  Records.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added into  the  music  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  an  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  the  songs  also  mix  the  ambient  elements  with  the  black  metal  influences  to  create  a  very  epic  style  of  sound  which  also  bring s in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  You  can  hear  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  in  the  synths  being  utilized  and  when  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  it  bring s in  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  style  along  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  being  utilized  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  a  good  amount  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  bring  in  a  ritualistic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  slower  sections  start  bringing  in  more  of  a  depressive  atmosphere  and  there  is  also  an  instrumental  on  the  recording  that  brings  even  more  of  a  pagan  atmosphere  to  the  album  while  the  following  tracks  return  back  to  vocals  and  on  the bonus  track  clean  playing  is  added  into  the  song  and  it  also  brings  in  more  of  a  medieval  feeling.

  Sviathor  plays  a  style  of  pagan/black  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric  and  ambient  orientated  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  raw,  melodic  and  depressive  elements  being  mixed  into  the  sound  to  create  a  very  heavy  and  epic  sounding  album,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sviathor  are  a  very  great  sounding  ambient  pagan/black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lost  And  Dying  In  The  Forest"  "Darkness  Phenomenon"  "Battle  For  The  Gods"  and  "The  Darkest  Winter".  8  out  of  10.  

Bandcamp

Facebook