Atra Mors interview

Hello guys! Since Atra Mors is really new band, please tell – when, where and by who the band was created.
L. Hello. Atra Mors is gathered by me (Lycane) and guitarist (Eeire Cold), in the autumn of 2014. So it happened that I had to move from the Crimea to Lviv and leave my old bands, but I did not want to stand still, and immediately began to search for new musicians. There was idea to create a band with significant influence of old school black metal.
E.C. The band was created in late summer-early autumn of 2014 by Lycane and me (Eerie Cold) in Lviv city. In May 2015 Jotunhammer joined the band as vocalist and bass player.

Your music is a pure kind of Black metal, you know, I was really impressed by your stuff when I listened to it several months ago on West Ukrainian Division gig. What the message do you have for the listeners? What is the main theme of Atra Mors?
L. The main theme of Atra Mors is a total war with any traditional religious values of modern mass (either Christianity or Islam), it is the desire of people to self-destruction, the path to the original human condition – I’ts nothing.

What the updates regarding recording of the first stuff? How going recording process and when we can wait for ready piece of hell?
E.C. The first demo will be recorded in January 2016 and released as split with some blasphemous band or as a separate product. At the same time we start the recording of long play album.
L. I hope that demo will be ready soon. It will be released as a single or Internet release, or as part of Split with other blasphemous formations. At the beginning of 2016 we are going to record a full album. We already have enough material for its implementation. Regarding the release date still unknown.

And, is there too big difference in music between recording stuff and the stuff you played on the stage? I hope it’ll be the same killer and blasphemous stuff?
E.C. There is no difference. More over we have somethings that were not presented at West Ukrainian Division gig.
L. The album includes the material that has been presented at the gig. There will be no significant changes in the arrangement.

I remember “West Ukrainian Division” gig very well, and you played in three bands back then, wasn’t it so hard for you to play drums band by band within one gig?
L. It was a good experience for me. I play rehearsals almost the same – 2-3 bands per day, but the concert was more difficult because of more responsibility. I think something like that will be repeated.

You also playing in Paganland band, do you have enough of time to play in Paganland and keep your own band alive, by rehearsals etc?
L. Yes, at the moment we (me and guitarist) are playing in Paganland, however, there is a lot of time for our project. We play at the same rehearsal base with Paganland, so there are no problems in organization of time.
E.C. There are no problems in employment with other projects. More over it is a good experience for me.

Nowadays black metal scene have tons of shitty and pseudo black metal bands, who just using word black metal, but still playing some kind of poser shit, you know, it’s everywhere, in the whole world, including Ukraine. Do you think this is some kind of “scene evolution” or just next poser shit, who trying to be like “up-to-date-modern-famous-shit” etc?
L. There is no evolution in the black metal scene. This process applies to some audio technologies, but it is not for the idea. Black Metal is primarily ideological direction of the music. There are many examples of musicians singing on stage something like black metal, and visit on holidays church (not to burn it) – it certainly peacockery. If you follow certain principles – you shall follow them till the end. Now when the reare many unclearnear – black bands finding something really interesting is becoming more difficult.
E.C. In my opinion, the main principles of black metal have not experienced significant changes. Of course, everyone brings some of his ideas, however, it remains the foundation of the 90s.
Talking about this shitty, mild and newfangled music, called “the new word in black metal” I can only say that it is temporarily. This kind of musicians will realize their devotion not to this dark art.

From your point of view – is there real Black metal scene in Ukraine?
L. There are not many bands that play pure black metal in Ukraine, and I will not list them, most of them are our friends and acquaintances.
E.C. There are a lot of black metal studio projects, but you can count on the fingers all really active/performing ukrainian formations.

Black metal always was and will be not just a music, but more than inner state of mind and life visions. What about Atra Mors musicians? And, what does Black Metal means for you personally?
L. Black metal for me is more than genre of music. It is the art of my worldview. All that is unclear, disgusting, not typical of most mass human herd that is black metal for me.

Lvov have no any blasphemous black metal acts right now, but when you created Atra Mors here – you did great thing – the city got real black metal act, without folklore, female voices etcetc, so what the kind of feedbacks have you got from the local metalheads concerning Atra Mors so far?
L. Feedbacks among local metalheads are very good, they are a bit surprised. Besides Lviv, as far as I know, haven’t seen anything like this. Here indeed more ubiquitous influence of folklore elements even in such as black metal genre.

How many gigs you played after West Ukrainian Division fest? And do you planning to play as many gigs as possible? Do you have an aim to foreign countries to play live there?
L. After West Ukrainian Division we didn’t have more concerts, because there were no real thematic events, moreover we were preparing material for recording. Performances are scheduled to close next spring, it is possible that there will be live performances in- and out- side Ukraine.

Well, I think that’s all for now, can’t wait to listen to your recorded stuff and then we may continue this conversation!
Thank you for attention to Atra Mors. We hope you’ll enjoy or new material.
Be KVLT!

(c) Aleksandr Maksymov