Interview with KAZERIA: Hunters of Sound

Tell us about KAZERIA. It plays wonderful music, but i am ashamed, i found its music only several days ago.

At first, I thank you this interview to talk about Kazeria and my opus. It is a pleasure for me to do so.

Kazeria begun on 2008 as a solo project and still keeps that format. But I started playing and composing music 20 years ago in Buenos Aires; I formed and played in different projects, from electronics to darkwave. At that time I took active part of an interesting underground scene, now mostly and sadly gone.

During years I worked with Diego Arandojo, a remarkable Argentine's writer and videoartist who turned my music into conceptual videos. I specially appreciate two split-albums of past years: “Summoning The Elder Ones”; a great musical tribute to H. P. Lovecraft designed with Igniis, a neofolk argentine project, and “72 Candles In Cairo” as a tribute to Aleister Crowley, that it was built up with Barbarossa Umtrunk from a dark ambient / ritual approach.       

What does inspire You?

a) Ancient world and its cultures; mostly the western traditions from antiquity to Middle Ages; the occult; magical and wrong-called “primitive” thinking, and the heroic values. All that involves trascendantal human experiences: birth, death, war, hunting, celebration and grief. Life in itself.

I´m also interested about aspects of organized religions and philosophy, from ancient to contemporary.

b) I´m deeply satisfied with all the material I edited so far. I´m very much exigent with myself, and almost obsessive when it comes to look for a good composition everytime and in every case. I feel particulary  attached to albums “Discipline of The Shadows” and “Credo Nostrvm”. Those were cornerstones for Kazeria.

c) New album´s idea and concept grew up from the great experience I recently had when I travelled across northern Spain; on the region of Huesca –the ancient Bolskan, from where the album title took its name- on northern Aragón. The landscape, traditions, monuments and symbols I found there were amazing. The people were very kind and they really promote and defend their heritage and culture. I respect that. That is what we are, at last. We all come from something older and bigger than our own individualities. I´m also proud to edit the album thru a great Spanish/European label like "GH Records."

What is Art for You?

For me art means the path to express the trascendental elements in life. And music is the perfect way to do that. But you need silence to create sound. Silence is like the Orphic Egg; the World Egg from which everything comes out. Silence means reflection; a way to improve self-knowledge and the place where I find much of what will become my art. 

What about Sound Art, other styles which now are quite popular: neofolk/dark folk, martial industrial etc.?

I appreciate your words about my work. You see, “Sound Art” as you name it, could be a lot of things. There´s no limit for creative power. It has not to do with the gear and methods I use (computer/digital or acoustic/organic instruments) but with ideas. Use whatever you want; any method you feel comfortable with and everything useful to transmit your concepts.  

I found the styles I perform –martial, neoclassical, industrial, darkfolk, dark ambient...- fitted to my ideals. I don´t judge what´s art or what´s not and which methods could be more useful for expression. In music, you have to enjoy what you listen to and what you create. The only border I trace between “art” and “not-art” is the honesty and the deepness of the message within it. That´s why the “underground scene” is still so important in order to reject (and resist) mainstream culture.

What do You know about Lithuania and its music?

I don't know much about Lithuanian music nowadays, but I know your country has a profound and strong cultural heritage. I know two projects from Lithuania that I like much: Oorchach (dark ambient / industrial) and Romowe Rikoito (neofolk).

Actually, Romowe Rikoito are from Kaliningrad, Russia, but they sing in renewed Old Prussian, so we could call them if not Lithuanian, but maybe Baltic band. What about the worldwide level?

At a worldwide level, there are a lot of bands and projects I enjoy. And they are much influential to me because they´re linked to the styles I perform. I´m also a strong "fan" of Black and Doom metal, from the early norwegian waves to present days. And I´m also fan of post-punk, darkwave, coldwave and early electronic groups since I was a teen. All they´re too many to name. Respect and honour.

We don't know much about South America's music of this kind. Tell us about its scenes.

Yes, we have great metal bands in South America, specifically in Argentina, Chile and Brazil. Also there is an interesting underground scene in my country (check BM bands like Wolf and Winter, Alghul, Downfall of Nur, A Cloud in Circle, for example)

But same does not occur with a martial, dark ambient and industrial scene. There are just a few bands: Kazeria, Hiperborei, Igniis, FF.AA and a few more moving something out there. Unfortunately, the massive, mainstream and idiotic culture takes its toll like in other countries.   

Gracias. Thank You.

Links and information:

KAZERIA began its activities on 2008. Its name is a distorted way to write the word "hunting" in Spanish, and it's used as a sign of counter-culture. Hunting is one of the most dramatic and intense experiences in life: an act of survival, and also a spiritual quest.
In ancient cultures, hunters are involved with arts and they celebrate rites about hunting. On the same sense KAZERIA incarnates intense and complex aesthetic full of epic visions, esoteric subjects and the occult, through sounds of rise, glory and decadence of past and brighter ages.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/3016236-Kazeria

The new album (https://gradualhaterecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-bolskan-a-conceptual-work-by-kazeria-aphlar) "In Bolskan a conceptual work" (Gradual Hate Records) will be released on 2016 10 16.

Tracklist
1     In Bolskan     04:22
2     Walls of Luar     04:21
3     One with These Stones     04:28
4     Winds and Ruins (Montearagón)     07:35
5     In Bolskan (reprisal)     01:37

http://gradualhaterecords.bandcamp.com