Interview mit Faidra

You’ve been in some bands before and have founded a new solo project with FAIDRA. However, you keep your identity secret to let the music speak for itself. Why is that so important to you in this project in particular?
It isn’t. I just dont see any reason for having my name attached to the music. However, it is not that big of a deal.

To what extent do you think people would perceive your music differently if they knew about your identity?
It creates a distraction for some, I guess. We see that with other artists sometimes, where a person and his/her worldviews, for example, become more important than the music. In some cases it even steers people away from music they otherwise would have liked.

Has anyone recognized you up until now – be it by your vocals or even your songwriting?
A few people know of who I am. Nothing has been revealed through my way of composing or anything though.

Are you considering the possibility to reveal yourself one day?
I see no point in that, but I would not care too much either if suddenly everyone knew who I was. I just like to seperate myself as a person from the music I create. Just a simple thing like not having my personal inboxes and social media flooded with requests and messages makes it easier to acctually interact with fans if everything goes through the proper channels. Though FAIDRA isn’t a known band at all, there are actually quite a lot of people interacting with me on a daily basis, through the official channels, and I enjoy that.

On your debut „Six Voices Inside“ you play classic black metal in the style of the second wave. What would you think about it if someone criticized your music as not innovative or unique enough?
Why does everything have to be unique and innovative? If a band has good songs and I enjoy listening to the music, I really dont care if it is innovative or not. You could always find something unique in every band though, as there are unique persons behind the expressions, playing, composing etc. I also get why people don’t want the same thing over and over, but at the same time there are people who want their black metal in a certain way. Personally I’m very picky with my black metal; Not wanting too much blastbeats, the vocals have to be a certain way, not too orchestral etc. If innovation is what you want, that’s fine. If you want something familiar and similar to what you always listened to, that’s fine too. It comes down to personal preference.

As far as I know, you originally wanted to create Nordic folk music with FAIDRA, but then you switched to black metal. How did it come about that the compositions felt more like black metal to you?
I’ve always liked folk music. When I was making Nordic/Viking folk it turned out pretty dark and atmospheric. I’ve always liked metal too, so I played around with distorted guitars layered over old folk instruments. During this period I found the „Forest Sky“ album by Hermodr. I liked the droning, repeating structure and the atmosphere of that album and just decided to try making something like that for myself.

Have you already created music of this style before or is FAIDRA your first attempt at creating black metal?
This is my first attempt. I’ve played and toured with a folk band for over ten years and that’s about it. I was in a few metal bands early on that never got any further than a few demos.

„Six Voices Inside“ also has a quite rough production, which is fitting to the music. In your opinion, is it difficult to make such a lo-fi sound sound authentic nowadays?
There’s no magic behind it in regards to FAIDRA. I think the sound is actually a result of my bad producing skills. I have no idea what I’m doing really when it comes to producing. I recorded the whole album in my studio at home, which really only consists of a computer and a few instruments. I spent some time though, making the songs sound rough, but not too rough. I’m not capable of making something sound really high end and very well produced, so I’d have to say it just came out that way and I liked it.

Your music is also associated with the subgenre orthodox black metal. Would you agree with that and if so, for what reason?
I have no idea what that really means. I just tried to make atmospheric black metal, taking inspiration from Hermodr and a few tracks from Burzum. It could be concidered orthodox as it is old school in sound, I guess.

The title „Six Voices Inside“ refers to the horrifying case of Anneliese Michel. How did you first become aware of her story?
Years ago. Cannot quite remember, but I’ve been looking for documentaries about the case now and then, and reading about it from time to time over the years.

What inspired you to refer to her case on „Six Voices Inside“?
It just happened to be at a time where I was researching a lot in regards to exorcisms. That was the first song I recorded for the album, and also the first black metal song I’ve ever written.

However, the album also deals with other topics in general, doesn’t it? What else are the songs about?
There are a couple of tracks inspired by the Dark Souls game series, like „Tomb Of Giants“ and „The Depths“. I really like the atmosphere in that series and found that fitting with the music.

In a time when religion is losing more and more of its importance for people, one might think that lyrics about death and the devil become just as redundant. Why are these topics nevertheless relevant for you?
Well, it would be pretty weird to have themes of sunshine and rainbows going along with a dark atmosphere and eery guitar sounds. When it comes to the themes on the album, they are simply themes that interest me. Nothing really deeper than that. Exorcisms for example is a topic I find very interesting, but I have no interest in going for the standard satanic themes that are so often attached to black metal.

It seems to me that „Six Voices Inside“ got remarkably much attention and positive feedback for an underground black metal debut. Did that surprise you?
Yes it did. When I started recording, I did it for my own amusement. I had no plans for an album or even sharing the music with anyone. A few friends liked the result, so I though I should put 2-3 songs up on Spotify for easy access. If you want to be on Spotify, you’d have to go through a label or through other different online services. I thought I’d try going through a label and see what happens. I contacted 2-3 different labels and Northern Silence responded very quickly. When Black Metal Promotion uploaded the first track I was really surprised.

For the artwork you used a picture by the Spanish painter José De Ribera. How did you come across it and why did you choose this particular picture for the cover?
Credit goes to Northern Silence Productions, my label. We had a couple of ideas and I designed an album cover myself at first. My cover design skills are as bad as my producing skills, so there was no doubt going for the cover that Northern Silence came up with instead.

Are you considering playing concerts with FAIDRA – maybe masked in order to stay anonymous?
That depends on many things. I am not that interested in playing live anymore, since I did that frequently for ten years with my folk band and got tired of it. I am also a one-man band and would need session musicians. That said, it would depend on the number and type of shows and how much effort and time it would require. The idea is interesting though.

How will things continue with FAIDRA? Is another album already on the way?
I write and record frequently. I am currently recording ideas for the next album. I might release a few songs online to hold everyone over until the next album. The next release might have an overarching theme and might have a few layers of folk imbedded, I’m not sure yet. I want to keep the feel and core of the debut album on the next release, and that’s pretty much all I can say at the moment.

Finally, let’s get to our traditional Metal1.info brainstorming. What do you think of while reading the following terms?
Batushka: Krzysztof
Mental illness: Institution
Modern black metal: Mixed bag
Authenticity: Honest
Ambient: Atmosphere
Streaming music: Double-edged sword

Well, thanks again for your answers. The last words I would like to leave to you:
Just a big thank you to everyone buying the album, spreading the music and supporting FAIDRA. Looking forward to bringing more music to you.

Publiziert am 13. April 2020 von Stephan Rajchl