odradekroom-news

Odradek Room Live Performances Videos [Doom Over Kiev; October 15, 2017]

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 10:09:43 +0100

Kirai gigs: concert videos & photos filmed Odradek Room performing their new tracks "Selfness" and "Texture of Reality" from the recently released "A Man of Silt" album using multiple camera angles at this year's monumental 10th anniversary Doom Over Kiev festival on October 15, 2017!

Selfness

Texture of Reality

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Digital

Kirai Gigs links:

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https://t.me/kiraigigs

Odradek Room Interview with Doom-Metal.com [November 20, 2017]

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 02:07:13 +0100

Odradek Room Interview

Published: Novemebr 20, 2017

Interview by: Comrade Aleks Evdokimov

Answering: Artyom Krikhtenko (vocals, guitar, keyboards)

Original Link

Ukrainian band Odradek Room's sophomore release moved even further into prog realms than the debut. Comrade Aleks wanted to catch up with the band and find out more.

" For four years Odradek Room - from Mariupol, Ukraine - kept themselves sealed in the inner halls of their minds creating compositions around the fragile states of the human psyche. And if their first full-length record 'Bardo. Relative Reality' was a rather balanced collection of emotional imprints built on both atmospheric, sometimes avant-garde, Metal and heavier Doom Death components, the new effort 'A Man Of Silt' will take you to extreme embodiments of both aspects. The album isn't just different music-wise, it also contains lyrics originally written in English this time, so that may help to better understand the dark depths of their plots. Artyom Krikhtenko (vocals, guitars, keyboards) opens the Room for you."

Odradek Room: Artyom Krikhtenko (Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards), Andrew Shimanskiy (Drums), Ilya Zernitsky (Guitars), Sergey Kuznetsov (Bass).

Hi Artyom! How are you? What's going on in Odradek Room?

Hello! We're taking a break after Doom Over Kiev. Soon we will start preparing new material. For Odradek Room and a project under 'code name' Odradek Ladder as well. We haven't abandoned an idea of making a non-metal record. We are going to work on our usual material and newer, softer stuff at the same time.

What's your experience of playing at Doom Over Kiev? And did you ever try to get your music abroad?

Incredible festival. It was our second performance there. This time the line-up was particularly good. Saturnus, Eye of Solitude, Clouds, Swallow the Sun and all the other bands were amazing. There were people from other countries in the audience. In general, it was very good. Unfortunately our performance turned out to be worse than usual. We thought we have to cancel the show 20 minutes before going on stage, because I got ill, lost my voice and had fever. Also a few days earlier our drummer had blood pressure problems and he was taken to the hospital. While playing he had a minor stroke and he hardly made it through the gig on medication. So did I.

So there's a four year long break between your first album 'Bardo. Relative Reality' and the new record 'A Man Of Silt'. What slowed you down? How long did you actually spend composing and recording new songs?

Perhaps it will always take us a long time to release new records. We didn't want our new album to be similar to the previous one. We've spent a lot of time figuring out our new sound and some tricks for a new album. Correcting and finishing our material. We do not intend to make music fast, we intend to make great music. The album was recorded this year in February.

'Bardo. Relative Reality' was a pretty complex mix of melodic Doom Death and some Progressive Metal or maybe Avant-garde elements: how natural it was to transfer most of them into 'A Man Of Silt'?

We didn't want to make the second 'Bardo'. I was looking for elements that would allow our music to be generally unique, without stylistic clichés. 'Bardo' was based on classical elements of different styles. We maneuvered between them and it was clear, that there is post-rock, doom metal or whatever. In 'A Man of Silt' we tried to create synergy of tropes distinctive for different music styles in order to make it sound unique and complex, deliberate. It's often the case when you listen to doom metal bands, let's say, you cannot really feel any difference between them. They are faceless. However, when you listen to Devin Townsend you feel this originality despite huge variety of his albums. Whether it's rock'n'roll, doom or death metal you always feel this is Devin. You will not point at Terria as a regular doom metal band with a touch of prog. It's even hard to define them stylistically.

I hope we have not just a mix of progressive, avant-garde and traditional doom metal. I hope we managed to get unique dramatic music with personality.

My first impression was that the heavy parts of Odradek Room's music have become more bloody and extreme, the progressive parts of it are now more complex and elegant, and the atmosphere is richer as well. Would you agree with that? Do you feel that you reach extreme borders with 'A Man Of Silt'?

We will always try to balance aggressive and atmospheric bits in a certain way, but generally our music will be atmospheric. Aggressive parts better contrast and enrich atmospheric pieces. Heavy parts got heavier, because we aimed for more emotional saturation in general. I realize that big stylistic range may shrink our audience, though.

You use also harsh vocals - in the vein of early Katatonia, if we take a comparison to some doom bands, or even Black Metal-style… Do you really see the necessity to use those instead of the growls which are more common for the genre?

I believe such vocals are more emotionally charged. Although I understand, that in many ways such decisions distant us from what people expect to hear when they put on a record, which includes 'doom metal' among the others. We do not try to make doom metal though. We try to make Odradek Room.

How do you balance all these parts of Odradek Room's music together? Did you have an idea how to mix it all in 'A Man Of Silt' from the start, or did you allow yourselves freedom of improvisation in the studio? I'm wondering how your recording sessions are strictly structured?

It is a long and painstaking work. I bring in ideas for our track, arrangements. We play them. When we play the tunes on rehearsals, they themselves seem to ask for certain development. Some things happen spontaneously and they become a part of our sound. For instance, I realized that the sound of Fender Rhodes really suits the track 'Silt Flower' and it will bring some trip-hop vibe. I listened to the whole thing and it was clear, that this is exactly what should be the main keyboard sound. Take, for example, the brass. I wanted to have some kind of cinematic feeling, a feeling of a story, and so I decided to use many brass parts in order to make our music sound like a soundtrack. At first, there is an idea, and then it comes to life and makes us find the right decision. Yes, it takes us a long time to write music, because all the elements have to live alongside one another and find their ideal setting. Synergy must happen. We write most of our material in our 'studio', because tracks usually feel differently recorded rather than live. That is why I think it's impossible to write an Odradek Room album in a rented studio for a week. We tend to correct our arrangements or even harmony during recording sessions in order to tell the whole story better and reflect emotions and the inner world of our protagonist.

Your first work is remarkable, with a well thought-out concept put into it: what kind of lyrics did you write for the new songs?

In a way, the concept of our new album is similar to the one of 'Bardo'. However, 'Bardo' described only the projections of the consciousness in its borderline state, death or a dream. It was directed towards understanding the outer world and that the world is the reflection of consciousness. Structurally the first album was based on 'Tibetan Book of the Dead'.

'A Man of Silt' tells a story of personality, its study and search for its own self during its life. You may find something similar story-wise in fragments of 'Steppenwolf' and 'The Glass Bead Game' by Hermann Hesse. But the whole story is presented not as a series of events, but through what happens in the mind of the protagonist as a reaction.

The way of realizing your own self and either accepting its emptiness and illusion, following love, wisdom and calm, or trying to hold onto your ego and understand that 'self' is separated from the outer world, their objective existence and following pain and suffering, caused by ignorance and egocentrism. So the protagonist faces different aspects of his personality, it is divided into different components, different 'self', which pop in and out of existence. The man dives in his frightening and painful illusions, projections of consciousness, then sees bright light and pure nature of reality.

By the way, 'Bardo' originally had lyrics written in Russian, but with 'A Man Of Silt' you switched totally to English lyrics. What made you take this step?

The truth is that we recorded the album in two languages. All the vocals were recorded in both Russian and English, but only the English version was released officially. Later we will publish the Russian version separately.

I thought that if books and movies are translated, then why not record an album in two languages – 'international English' and 'native Russian'.

That's interesting… Will you publish it as a digital release, or will it be a limited edition?

We have not discussed it yet. Perhaps there will be no official release and we'll just put it online.

Odradek Room is usually considered as a part of the Death Doom scene: what do you think about it? Are you part of it?

This question is very hard to answer. I always wanted to play emotionally rich and intellectual music in the first place and not being tied to a particular style. With elements of doom metal and, let's say, 'doomy vibe'. All my favorite bands are hard to describe stylistically, because often they combine completely different styles of music. Probably we are a part of doom metal scene, but I realize, that orthodox doom metal fans won't find what they are looking for in our music. Nowadays progressive scene is often associated with djent or something like that and not with a variety of means of artistic expression. Maybe we would better fit into progressive context. It's complicated. 'Scene' is a pretty relative notion. I think classification is an activity better suited for listeners rather than musicians.

How do you see the state of the worldwide Death Doom scene, and its situation within Ukraine?

To tell the truth I almost have not listened to doom metal for the last few years, at least the new stuff. Although metal in general takes a third of what I listen to at best. That is why it's very hard for me to analyze it objectively. However, on Doom Over Kiev fest I noticed that Ukrainian and Belarussian bands started to make surprisingly interesting and crafty music. It seems to me, that the genre started to enrich itself a lot by looking in different directions.

Thanks for your time Artyom, I would like to finish the interview with one last question about Odradek Room's message. How would you sum it up?

Stay conscious and all the best :)

ALBUM RELEASE: Odradek Room - A Man of Silt

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 18:15:45 +0100

The second album from the progressive doom metal band Odradek Room from Mariupol, Ukraine, entitled "A Man of Silt" is officially released today as a joint release between Hypnotic Dirge and Solitude Productions!!

The limited 6 Panel digipack is still available to order, and as of today, the regular jewel case edition is also available.

Limited 6 Panel Digipack

Jewel Case Version

Odradek Room Discography (both albums for $C18 + shipping)

Digital

Order from Solitude Prod

Russians and Europeans - it might be worth your while to order directly from Solitude Prod

Odradek Room is currently preparing for their performance at Doom Over Kiev on Sunday October 15, which will serve as their album release show at the monumental ten year anniversary of this great Doom Festival.

The "Man of Silt" album explores the nature of personality, and is based on approaches and conceptual understanding of buddhism, but utilizes a system of european symbolism This is a story about an abstract travel of a human from nothingness to nonexistence, during which he tries to see and understand himself. He sees his personality melting and rising, splitting and merging. He sees that his personality is nothing more than a combination of figures like on a chessboard in Herman Hesse's magic theatre. His personality is conditioned as everything else is in the world of forms. The human sinks in his own scaring, sick illusions and consciousness projections, and sees clear light and clear nature of reality. This story has neither a beginning nor an end, everyone who is born, who considers himself an individual, walks through this cycle...but in a new way each time. Everything is constantly changing...But in some way stays the same. Until one realizes this cycle.

The album should appeal to fans of doom metal in general, but also listeners of prog metal bands such as late- Katatonia, mid- Opeth, Ihsahn -Official-, and Devin Townsend

Links:
Odradek Room Page
Odradek Room Facebook
Odradek Room vK

Bandcamp Player:
<a href="http://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-man-of-silt">A Man of Silt by Odradek Room</a>

Teaser Video:

"A Man of Silt" Album Premieres

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 19:34:43 +0100

The new album from Ukrainian progressive doom band Odradek Room, entitled "A Man of Silt" is now premiering in full on various publications.

Album Premiere at Legacy Magazine
Album Premiere at Friedhof Magazine
Album Premiere at Kvlt.pl
Album Premiere at Moshville
Album Premiere at Rockhard
Album Premiere at Pure Grain Audio

Odradek Room's "A Man of Silt" is set for release this coming Thursday October 12.
You can pre-order the limited 6 panel digipack edition of the album now.

Tracklist:

1 Arising in the void

2 Selfness

3 Texture of reality

4 Mirror labyrinth

5 Rain trip

6 Silt flower

7 divide

8 Conditional eternity

Odradek Room - A Man of Silt [Teaser Video]

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 03:31:47 +0100

Teaser for the second album from the Mariupol, Ukraine-based prog doom band Odradek Room. The new album "A Man of Silt" is being released on October 12 through Hypnotic Dirge Records and BadMoodMan Music (Solitude Productions)

Video Created by: Wikked Twist Films

Order Limited Edition Digipack

Digital (Name-your-price)

Odradek Room, a progressive metal band with doom elements returns this autumn with their follow-up to their mature and intelligent debut album “Bardo. Relative Reality.” released in 2013. A four piece located in Mariupol, Ukraine, Odradek Room (named after Franz Kafka's short story The Cares of a Family Man [1919]) uses doom metal as a base, but explores other musical genres to paint a rich palette of texture and atmosphere. Lyrically rooted in spiritual and philosophical themes, this is music that should appeal to introspective souls and deep thinkers.

“A Man of Silt” will be co-released between Hypnotic Dirge Records and BadMoodMan Music in an edition of 500 copies. A limited edition 6 panel digipack will also be available from each label in a limitation of 100 copies each. The album should appeal to fans of doom metal in general, but also listeners of prog metal bands such as late-Katatonia, mid-Opeth, Ihsahn, and Devin Townsend.

***

Le groupe Odradek Room est de retour cet automne avec leur metal progressif aux influences doom, pour nous présenter la suite à “Bardo. Relative Reality.”, un album paru en 2013 et qui faisait preuve à la fois de maturité et d'intelligence. Nommé d'après la nouvelle « The Cares of a Family Man » (1919) de Franz Kafka, le quatuor de Mariupol, Ukraine, superpose différentes influences à leur sauce doom afin de construire une palette originale, riche en textures et en ambiances. Avec des paroles aux thèmes empreints de spiritualité et la philosophie, la musique d'Odradek Room a la force de rejoindre les âmes introspectives et les penseurs de fond.

Le nouvel album "Man of Silt" se penche sur la nature de la personnalité et puise ses sources dans les concepts de conscience du Bouddhisme, tout en utilisant un système de symbolisme européen. Il présente le voyage abstrait d'un humain, du néant jusqu'à la non-existence, au cours duquel il cherche à se voir et se comprendre. Il perçoit sa personnalité, qui se fond et prend forme, se séparant et se combinant. Il voit alors que sa personnalité n'est rien de plus que la somme de différentes figures, comme sur un échiquier du théâtre magique de Herman Hesse. Sa personnalité est conditionnée comme tout le reste dans ce monde de formes. L'humain sombre dans des illusions malsaines et des projections de sa propre conscience, et voit pourtant clair dans la nature de la réalité. Cette histoire n'a ni début ni fin, puisque tous ceux qui naissent et se définissent comme individus traversent ce cycle… mais d'une manière différente à chaque fois. Tout est en constant changement, mais demeure pourtant le même—jusqu'à ce que l'individu prenne conscience de ce cycle.

"A Man of Silt" sortira conjointement chez Hypnotic Dirge Records et BadMoodMan Music dans un format CD limité à 500 copies. Un digipack édition limitée de 6 panneaux sera également disponible en 100 exemplaires chez chacun des deux labels. L'album devrait intéresser les fans de doom metal en général, ainsi que les amateurs de groupes prog metal tel que Katatonia (tardif), Opeth (mi-carrière), Ihsahn, et Devin Townsend.

PRE-ORDER : Odradek Room - A Man of Silt

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 18:37:00 +0100

The new album from the progressive doom metal band Odradek Room is now available to pre-order. A special edition of the "A Man of Silt" album, released as a 6 panel digipack with an album booklet has been made available during pre-orders and is limited to a total of 200 copies - 100 copies through Hypnotic Dirge, 100 through BadMoodMan Music.

An Odradek Room discography pack, where you can pick up both Odradek Room CD's for a discounted price is also available. For an extra $C6, you can also order Odradek Room's debut album "Bardo. Relative Reality." released in 2013.

Pre-order Limited Edition Digipack
Pre-order Discography Pack
Stream Digital

Briefly stated, Odradek Room (named after Franz Kafka's short story The Cares of a Family Man [1919]) is a band which uses doom metal as a base, but explores other musical genres to paint a rich palette of texture and atmosphere. Lyrically rooted in spiritual and philosophical themes, this is music that should appeal to introspective souls and deep thinkers.

Album release is set for October 12, and your order will be shipped on or near this date!

Tracklist:

1 Arising in the void

2 Selfness

3 Texture of reality

4 Mirror labyrinth

5 Rain trip

6 Silt flower

7 divide

8 Conditional eternity

Links:
Odradek Room Page
Odradek Room Facebook

Bandcamp Player:
&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-man-of-silt"&amp;amp;gt;A Man of Silt by Odradek Room&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Song Premiere: Odradek Room - Mirror Labyrinth

Wed, 30 Aug 2017 03:41:01 +0100

No Clean Singing is premiering the track "Mirror Labyrinth" from Odradek Room's upcoming album - "A Man of Silt", out in early October from Hypnotic Dirge Records and BadMoodMan Music!

Stream on NCS
Bandcamp Page

"The song we’re bringing you today is as mysterious and haunting as the Kafka story that provided the inspiration for the band’s name. Its intensity ebbs and flows. Slow and somber at first, with a spectral guitar melody as the centerpiece of the intro, it becomes more urgent, in part through an accelerating rhythmic drive and the appearance of tormented harsh vocals. Jagged, jabbing riffs push the intensity further as the melody soars and glides. And just as the guitar work begins to swarm and rip… the intensity diminishes, the song becoming heavier and more harrowing.

And here, a soulful but sorrowing dual-guitar melody emerges, and impressive clean vocals tease out the melancholy melodic threads of the song even further, the experience then capped by a bluesy extended solo over a heavy, head-nodding bass line. It’s an entrancing song, introspective and thought-provoking."

Odradek Room - A Man of Silt - New album coming soon!

Fri, 18 Aug 2017 21:44:05 +0100

Tracklist:

1 Arising in the void

2 Selfness

3 Texture of reality

4 Mirror labyrinth

5 Rain trip

6 Silt flower

7 divide

8 Conditional eternity

This album will be co-released by Hypnotic Dirge and BadMoodMan Music (side label of Solitude Productions). Album release date, format, and other news soon.

Watch for a song premiere next week!

Odradek Room interview with Mortem 'Zine

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:14:26 +0100

Odradek Room interview with Mortem 'Zine

Published: June 3, 2013

Original Link

*Google translation of Czech interview

Greetings in Mariupol, if you are at home, and anywhere else if you are on tour. Outside you have a debut album "Bardo. Relative Reality "that can withstand rigorous standards. How is a short distance on his debut look?

Thanks for the compliment! Generally speaking, I'm quite happy with it. Of course, with hindsight, I feel that something, whether sound or anything else that could be done differently, but that's not important.

How many weeks or months you work on the new album come from? Where did the album made? Were you in the studio just a necessary evil, or vice versa are a band that likes experimenting, changing things ...?

We have a whole album recorded in our impromptu mini-studio. The actual recording us due to various technical difficulties it took about a year and a half and in that time some things changed constantly. If recorded in a professional studio, we could not change anything, so we in our small studio like. I'm more comfortable when you can do everything yourself.

I reckon that you Odradek Room proficient readers. Try ajar topic Franz Kafka and the name of your band, as well as complete news that should go in the footsteps of the book The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

The name was inspired by Franz Kafka's short story "The concern of the head of the family". Odradek is a small creature like ghost, something as amended figment of perception. Have this figure itself embodies certain metaphysical categories, which are outside the normal perception of reality, as is the case in other parts of Kafka. Bardo is the pinnacle of consciousness can be a dream or a posthumous state. The Tibetan Book of the Dead's deep, peak states of consciousness described.

If you take the news from a purely ideological concept is the following of that book, or this book is only one of the influences and main direction is in your own interpretation?

Yes, the idea and concept of the album refers to the Bardo Thodol, but images transmitted by the protagonist of the book come. They are the result of literary works, personal experiences, meditation, etc.

Musically I see and especially hear Odradek Room very creative composition capable band. You have a very strong atmosphere, intrigued me the first time. What are your priorities in terms of rendering the music itself? How would you introduce your band a man who does not know what to expect? Personally, I hear there conjunction progress of metal music with some hope, darkness and perhaps even perversion.

Music is a special language capable of reaching depths of consciousness, but what the listener hears, depending on his experience, lifestyle and emotional state. Everyone hears music differently and accordingly we tried to compose, exploring the nature of feelings, suffering, pain, but also hope and peace. We wanted to musically describe the components of human life and emotions, bit by bit, step by step.

Where can I find influences in your music? What music do you listen to yourself which way to intersect the path of your band? It is clear to me that you will not be one-sided focus.

It's hard for me to talk about influences, because I listen to different genres and read different kinds of books. I listen ECM jazz, art-rock, post genres, trip-hop, death, prog and doom metal. But honestly, do not listen to that much metal. You know, if I listed the all the bands, so we took over the whole page.

The lyrics I hear both English and your native language. What style of preparing a text? This is the snippets of books by other authors, or your own creation? Do you create poetry in English now?

The English lyrics are in the booklet to English-speaking fans understand what we want our music to say. The lyrics are very important to us, but nevertheless I sing only in Russian.

In the past, Odradek Room's name was Shards Of Silence. Imagine these little its beginnings. It worked then you are in the same group? Is there a recording issued under this name?

Set Shards of Silence has long been unstable, even if there were permanent members like me and my bass player and close friend Sergei. In Odradek Room compose music, write lyrics and arrangements, while Sergey has his excellent project A Walk to Eveningside, which is currently recording his songs.

By the way, when we're talking about literature, could you tell us something about the Ukraine? Are there any typical topics or authors, moods that make it unique? I'm sure you can think of something.

To be honest, I'm not a great admirer of Ukrainian literature, as its main themes are mostly "Oppression of Ukraine by Russia and Rzecipospolitej evil", the social and political issues as I do not agree. For me, Russia and Ukraine one nation that was artificially and politically divided. As for literature, so my favorites are Kafka, Sartre, Dostoevsky and Hesse.

Your hometown is more of an industrial site. How is the cultural Mariupol page as you work on organizing concerts UG, how you stand regarding club events in town? Do you feel that you industrial character of influences, just as was the case in Birmingham band Black Sabbath, Napalm Death, Godflesh and others?

Yes, Mariupol is an industrial city with all its implications. There is a high crime and the environment is polluted and destroyed. It's hard to say whether it has a big influence on our music ... Anyway Mariupol is a city punk music.

Ukrainian stage I feel more like the black metal that still evokes different responses induced by promoting Nazism. But bands like Nokturnal Mortum, Drudkh Kroda or take the music very strong. What is in your doom metal scene, eventually. existence of other bands, friends that would like to mention?

Vin de Mia Trix soon issued album. Cams are great and it will be interesting to hear, what is going to draw on the board. Kapel there is more.

Your debut came under the Canadian label Hypnotic Dirge Records. As you are satisfied with them, take care of good distribution, advertising?

Very happy with them. Nick Hypnotik Dirge Records is a pleasant one.

Thanks for the opportunity to say a few words for our webzine. It was an honor. Something in the end?

Thanks for the questions were quite interesting. Hello readers.

Odradek Room interview with Metal Music Archives [April 20, 2013]

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:40:04 +0100

Published: April 20, 2013
Original Link

Enter Odradek Room - a Ukrainian progressive band, whose style masterfully blends death-doom and melancholic post rock. They released their debut album Bardo. Relative Reality in March, which has been received extremely positively by fans and critics alike. We have had a chat with frontman, guitarist and creative powerhouse, Artyom Krikhtenko, who discusses the making of the album and gives his views on songwriting and composition. Fans of sophisticated doom metal, read on.

Firstly, congratulations on the released of Bardo. Relative Reality. Are you excited about having released your debut album as Odradek Room?

Thank you. Yes, it is quite delightful for us. We’ve been waiting for so long, we’ve worked on the release so hard, and here it is, finally.

How has it been received by critics and fans so far?

It’s been very well received so far. We’ve got very good reviews in press, and fans were satisfied as well. It seems like the album has found its listener.

What can metal fans expect from the album?

I guess, it’s always wrong to expect something in any situation. The expectation of something prevents us from seeing things the way they really are. That’s why I’ll just recommend listening to the music and then you’ll see for yourself.

The music on the album is pretty eclectic yet quite focused. How would you describe your music in your own words?

It’s very hard to describe your own music, frankly speaking. The thing is that everyone takes it his own way, through the prism of his personal emotions, perception and life-experience.

Your music has been described as progressive. Do you agree with this description, and, if yes, in how would you say that your music is progressive?

I think it can be called progressive, yes. In my opinion, this can be seen in the affluence of artistic means, interweaving of styles and diversity of hidden motives in our lyrics.

There is a considerable doom metal element on the album. What is it about doom metal that attracts you as musicians?

Doom attracts us with its ability to create the atmosphere and the dramatic effect. It is also a good base for various experiments, both with sound and with other musical aspects.

Although complex, your music is also very emotional. How did you achieve this balance between the cerebral and the emotional?

Lyrics and music should complement each other in order to enhance the general effect. Music influences us emotionally, and lyrics make us dive into the process intellectually. It seems to me that the semantic load and the emotional part let one feel and understand some particular aspects more thoroughly. These aspects can thus be understood better because of the correlation and empathy which are achieved by music.

The primary emotional vehicle seems to be melancholia and sadness. What is it about those types of emotions that make them attractive as modes of expression?

A conflict or a problem is the basis of these emotions. That is the reason why they are interesting to explore. I don’t want my music to make people depressed, but I offer them a journey through my conscience. You can even call it an examination of some inner demons, if you like. In this album, the emotional involvement of the protagonist is revealed, and also his perception of reality as a projection of himself and his own emotions and feelings is shown.

What was the recording process like? Were there any particular challenges?

The process of recording was a very long a hard undertaking for us. We recorded the album in our little studio on our own.

As far as I understand, the album is partially inspired by The Book of the Dead. Can you tell us more about the underlying lyrical concept of Bardo. Relative Reality?

As I have already mentioned, protagonist’s conscious and inner world, his attempts to understand the nature of things are described in the album. The protagonist meets his own materialized fears, sorrows and solitude, but fails to understand that all he sees is just a theatrical performance which he’s showing to himself. The idea and the concept originates from the Tibetan Book of The Dead (which actual title is “The Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Intermediate State”), but the images and the specifics are not the quotes from there.

The artwork is pretty surreal. Does it link up with the lyrics in any way?

In some way it does, yes. There was an image in the lyrics to “A Painting (Digging into the Canvas with Oil)”. The character perceived the reality as a lifeless world picture, but then it fell to pieces and he saw that the picture had been “painted” with his own coagulated blood and bandages (his own wounds), and there was a mirror behind them, so it means that he himself was the reality. So the artwork admonishes this “twisted” picture is some way.

Who made the artwork?

The artwork is based on a picture of a painter from St. Petersburg, Alyona Svetlitska. And the booklet I created by myself.

‘Faded Reality’ features some pretty crushing riffage in the beginning. How did you come up with that riffage?

Oh, unfortunately, I do not keep in mind the background history of every riff that I write.

Are there any particular bands that you found especially inspiring when you wrote the music for Bardo. Relative Reality?

I can’t say that there were some bands that inspired us in a particular way. I’d say that a big cultural background, both musical and literary, served as an inspiration for us.

Turning to Odradek Room the band, can you outline your band’s history for those of our readers who are not familiar with you?

I wanted to create a band which combined “extreme” music styles with mild and atmospheric ones. Only gradually my desire took a form of a band. First, we called ourselves “The Splinters of Silence”, but then we decided to change the band-name, because the old one seemed to be somewhat crude and immature. Moreover, it seemed very typical for a doom-metal band.

How did you come up with the name Odradek Room?

I’m a big admirer of Franz Kafka’s creation. I believe that this image of a spirited bobbin and the story itself touch upon the aspects that I needed.

Where can people go for more information on the band, and where can your album be purchased?

You can find the latest information on the Hypnotic Dirge Records website. We will also provide you with the further information on our Facebook page.

Thanks for doing this interview, and best of luck with the album.

Thank you and good luck!