Please introduce yourself.
– Hello. I am Escaping Aghartha, a one-man band from North Carolina, United States.
When was your band created?
– I started Escaping Aghartha in early 2016, but at the time it was just a dark ambient project, as I had poor equipment and no real way to record guitars. Late 2018 I began writing my first metal album, transitioning as I became more knowledgeable about composing and recording guitar.
What genre music do you play?
– A bit of this, a bit of that…if I had to nail it down to just three metal subgenres, I’d categorize myself as atmospheric doom/black/post-metal. But in reality, I touch on drone, post-rock, death, and sludge metal.
How could you describe your music in several words?
– Escaping Aghartha is a dynamic, highly contrasting, evocative experience that defies narrow and limiting metal standards. Escaping Aghartha both soothes and abuses the listener, ranging from wistful melody to panic-inducing dissonance.
What is the main theme of your lyrics?
– Introspection. The introspection takes form in depression, nostalgia, anger at how we are treating the planet, anxiety, and wistful thinking.
What would you like to achieve with the band activity?
– To spread my music and make people intensely feel emotions. Music can be very powerful, but I find it’s rare I listen to metal these days that truly makes me feel anything.
How many gigs have you played so far and maybe you visit other countries with concerts?
– I’ve played exactly one show as Escaping Aghartha, a dark ambient set. I would like to play more shows now that I have the amplifier power to do so with my guitar. Other countries would be cool, but that seems unlikely given costs.
Is there anything very important about your band what must know fans and labels?
– There are no musical boundaries for me when it comes to utilizing contrast and crafting my sound. That means that you’ll never know what to expect from me, though it will be emotional always.
What the formats you would like to see your releases, CD, Vinyl, Tape…? And how do you see the future of physical releases?
– I’ve created some CDs myself, and while they’re good, they’re not perfect. I would love to get some tapes and vinyl going at some point if I got signed, too. As far as the future of physical releases, I think there will always be demand for it. The fact that new albums on cassettes are still a thing, after being unwanted by the majority for so long, shows that physical media is a novelty, a collector item.
When you will get label deal, would you like to help to the label with promotion from your side, or you want label do all without your help?
– I want as many people to experience Escaping Aghartha and feel the emotions I’ve put into the songs. That means I will do as much as I can personally to promote my band and through the combined effort with a label, will achieve greater results.
What’s your reaction towards negative opinions about your music?
– Most of the time the negative opinions come from people who aren’t familiar with the metal subgenres well, and can’t appreciate it because of that barrier. However, negative opinions are useful, as they can sometimes inform you about things to do better in the future. But you’ll never please everybody, so I don’t let negative opinions bother me.
And the last question, how do you like our webzine, do you have some remarks towards its look or functionality?
– The webzine looks really professional overall, I like how sleek the layout is. The subjects are also well organized right at the top, which I like.
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