The year is coming to an end and our team has done a lot of work, opening and launching production in Serbia, expanding the range, working with new bands. But we still have an unclosed gestalt in the form of working with interviews. For the history of Shadow KVLT this is the first such experience.
Let's go!
Let's go!
“First vocalist: Morok
was a man of intractable psychological peculiarities and a romantic taste so eccentric that he might be called “Tinder's Victim”
was a man of intractable psychological peculiarities and a romantic taste so eccentric that he might be called “Tinder's Victim”
History of Behrosth's creation
“I will leave only the main (and interesting, hilarious and just wild we then arranged just almost every day). It all started in December 2015, when in the dying body of the once industrial giant - Rubtsovsk - two backyard friends, tired of the silence of a stagnant monocity, decided to spend their youth on Raw Black. Maybe it was a tribute to the spirit of decadence, but anyway, this was the only kind of music that could be played there seriously. The highlight of the early period was the first vocalist: Morok. He lived in the village of Malaya Silkovka. To drive (and sometimes to walk 8 hours) to rehearsals from his native village, and where to? To Rubtsovsk! It was not just diligence, it was almost heroism. He was ideological, he lived black metal and listened to it exclusively. He was a creative guy, and he was a great vocalist. But he was a man with irreversible psychological peculiarities and a romantic taste so eccentric that he could be called “Tinder's Victim”. The drummer died quickly, and the bass guitarist's place was cursed, so that anyone who occupied it at that moment was doomed to a perpetual search for a way out of the maze of domestic and professional problems. They didn't stay long. One of the bassists, Morok (the very first vocalist) found in his village. That one eventually became so filled with black metal that he started to fuck up terribly, at one such beautiful moment, at night he climbed the bell tower in his native village and threw the bell on the asphalt. After that he went to rest in the state house - to eat pills and take injections. We never saw him again. At that time there was a demo, there was an album, there was another album. There was a misunderstood performance in 2016, in his hometown, and since no one there had any idea about black metal, the reaction was like the climax of the scene with johnny b goode played by Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
But in the end, fate was harsh: Morok's unique psychological peculiarities, his strange, inexplicable magnetism for eccentric women led to his absence from the band. Who knew that the soundtrack of his life would change from Freesing Moon Mayhem to Vihorkov's “Now I'm Gone Forever”?
Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Behrosth broke up in 2017. Rubtsovsk was too small for those who aspired to something more than working at closing enterprises and the freezing steppe wind, I moved to Barnaul, and the remnants of the band scattered in different directions like ashes from a burnt paper.
My student years in Barnaul gave me an acquaintance with Skars, and we decided to resurrect the project. We thought for a long time and it became clear that Behrosth deserved a second breath, but not in Raw Black format. We recorded the album BEHROSTHBEHROSTH - a symbiosis of funeral doom and black metal, so heavy that you can stop listening to the music after the first listen. Skars got his hands on the drums, and also became the permanent designer of all the covers and merchandise, adding an aesthetic to the project that even ancient demons would be embarrassed by. In parallel, the album “Witching Hour” was being recorded, around which musicians began to gather. Some came, others left, but by the middle of 2023 we had a six-piece band, ready not only for recording, but also for concerts.
That's our story, in brief. ”
But in the end, fate was harsh: Morok's unique psychological peculiarities, his strange, inexplicable magnetism for eccentric women led to his absence from the band. Who knew that the soundtrack of his life would change from Freesing Moon Mayhem to Vihorkov's “Now I'm Gone Forever”?
Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Behrosth broke up in 2017. Rubtsovsk was too small for those who aspired to something more than working at closing enterprises and the freezing steppe wind, I moved to Barnaul, and the remnants of the band scattered in different directions like ashes from a burnt paper.
My student years in Barnaul gave me an acquaintance with Skars, and we decided to resurrect the project. We thought for a long time and it became clear that Behrosth deserved a second breath, but not in Raw Black format. We recorded the album BEHROSTHBEHROSTH - a symbiosis of funeral doom and black metal, so heavy that you can stop listening to the music after the first listen. Skars got his hands on the drums, and also became the permanent designer of all the covers and merchandise, adding an aesthetic to the project that even ancient demons would be embarrassed by. In parallel, the album “Witching Hour” was being recorded, around which musicians began to gather. Some came, others left, but by the middle of 2023 we had a six-piece band, ready not only for recording, but also for concerts.
That's our story, in brief. ”
Shadow kvlt:
Let's start with probably the most pressing question. What BehrostH stands for. We do not accept a one-word answer in the form of a cipher.
Try to give a more detailed answer, as every cipher has a key. We're waiting for a clue.
Try to give a more detailed answer, as every cipher has a key. We're waiting for a clue.
behrostH:
Behrosth is not just a word, it is a portal. A kind of cipher, but a cipher not to be solved, but to be felt. Rumor has it that if you say it five times in a row in front of a candlelit mirror, you will see the profound meaninglessness of these attempts.
Shadow kvlt:
With the beginning of the war, has the attitude towards you as Russian performers changed? Have relations with European distributors and fans changed? What difficulties arose because of everything that was going on?
behrosth:
The question is somewhat slippery, but it would be strange to ignore it. Yes, with the beginning of all these events, the attitude towards Russian artists, including us, has changed noticeably. This is felt most of all on the part of streaming platforms, payment systems and other Internet infrastructure. We have found ourselves in the category where it's not the face, but the passport. From fans or distros, we didn't feel much change in attitude. At least no one has ever said anything to our faces. There are a lot of difficulties. For example, with logistics - delivering merch or physical media abroad (or bringing them to us) has become a real quest. Festivals and tours? Organizing concerts outside of Russia now resembles geopolitics more than tourism. Even the trivial obtaining of visas has become an ordeal.
shadow kvlt:
Do you consider the option of live performance outside Russia?
Behrosth:
Of course, we are considering this option, and even more than that - we are striving for it. Live performances outside Russia are not only an opportunity to present our music in a new context, but also a chance to break the stereotypes that have been formed around us. Music, especially music like ours, should be heard anywhere. Moreover, we periodically receive invitations from American and European bookings, but the realities are such that it's a difficult path now. Few people have experience in bringing bands from the RF (in today's realities, again). Bureaucratic barriers from all sides, visa restrictions, military and political situation make the process of organizing international concerts really similar to a chess game with closed eyes.
Nevertheless, we do not lose hope. We have the desire and willingness to work for the atmosphere of music, not the geography of its creation. We realize that this will take time, effort and perhaps a bit of luck, but if a chance to perform somewhere comes along, we will not miss it.
Nevertheless, we do not lose hope. We have the desire and willingness to work for the atmosphere of music, not the geography of its creation. We realize that this will take time, effort and perhaps a bit of luck, but if a chance to perform somewhere comes along, we will not miss it.
shadow kvlt:
We don't want to guess, but we hope that it may be possible to organize an event in Belgrade. There is a Western European audience nearby, and there will be no problems with visas for you.
We have already thought about it, there are no problems even with the venue. But in any case, we will see how the situation will change in 2025 and such an event would be cool !
But we don't make any predictions yet :))))))
We have already thought about it, there are no problems even with the venue. But in any case, we will see how the situation will change in 2025 and such an event would be cool !
But we don't make any predictions yet :))))))
BehrostH
So we have to do it :)
Shadow kvlt:
I still find the graffiti design for our first merch odd, which would have been more appropriate for a rap artist. Was there a message in it? Or was it a joke on us 😆
BehrostH
The short answer is in the photo below:
P.S.: It was very strange for our team to see a design with graffiti, since most often we made merch of the Black/Psychedelic/Occult type, but we relied entirely on the band and their preferences.
Shadow kvlt:
What is the average age of the band members?
behrostH:
The average age of Behrosth's members is now about 27. This is the period when youthful maximalism has already transformed into conscious cynicism, and the accumulated experience allows us to compose music not only from the heart, but also from the mind. We are old enough to understand what the world is like in its dark irony, but still young enough to throw ourselves enthusiastically into creativity, touring and experimentation. The age when you know exactly how to write a song about hopelessness, but can still hope that your fate won't be like it.
Shadow kvlt:
There are quite a lot of references to paganism in your work. Is it just a part of the band's style or something more?
behrosth:
In a way, we are shackled by the chains of a self-contained phase from black metal roots, and so-called “Magic Metal”. In these genres - paganism is a kind of key to discover themes that transcend the everyday and allow us to address deeper issues: death, nature, spiritual transformation and the struggle with inner demons.
shadow kvlt:
What bands from Russian and CIS scene do you like/listen to/experience positive emotions?
Behrosth:
Forest (permanent classic), Walknut, Leshy, Srub, Korpus Koldun, Drygva, Torture (we played with them on Wolf Pit, cool guys). In general, I like a lot of domestic stuff, but there is a lot of it, as they say, “past the cash register.
We appreciate projects that go their own way, not adjusting to trends, but at the same time create a sincere and atmospheric product. When you see that music is created with a soul, even in the darkest aesthetics, it energizes you.
We appreciate projects that go their own way, not adjusting to trends, but at the same time create a sincere and atmospheric product. When you see that music is created with a soul, even in the darkest aesthetics, it energizes you.
shadow kvlt:
What do you do in your free time? Sports, reading books (if you read, what you've read lately, or name a couple of books from your top list), or destructive entertainment in the form of alcohol and illegal substances?
BehrostH:
Free time is a rare and mythical beast for us, but when it comes along, we each spend it in our own way. Sports? More of a functional minimum - if you can call it sport. A couple of kilometers of running so you don't feel like a mummy on stage, and maybe some exercise so you don't complain about back pain later. Reading? Absolutely. Of the latest that popped in: Dan Simmons' Hyperion is sci-fi with elements of philosophy, almost like black metal in literature. I like Robert Merle, and of course Elizarov, Sorokin and Dostoevsky - because the gloomy Russian soul is not a metaphor, but a way of life.
Destructive entertainment? Of course, we are not sinless, but rather within the framework of the classical and generally accepted. After the concert, we go straight to the liquor store.
Destructive entertainment? Of course, we are not sinless, but rather within the framework of the classical and generally accepted. After the concert, we go straight to the liquor store.
Shadow kvlt:
Do you think creativity ends where propaganda begins? Or any creativity is essentially some propaganda, as each person consciously or unconsciously absorbs some propaganda and takes some side, and further generates his/her creativity with this propaganda in mind ? If yes, what propaganda are you propagandizing ?
BehrostH:
Ah, the question of creativity and propaganda! Let's start with the fact that creativity is, in fact, the ultimate illusion of freedom. We all (and even I), as immortal creators and philosophers, are sure that our works are pure from the influences of the outside world. And then, a surprising revelation: creativity is nothing but carefully disguised propaganda. The devil, at the dawn of mankind's existence, endowed it with one fucked-up option: the whole point of art is precisely to disguise and ruthlessly spew out of consciousness the very propaganda that we don't even realize.
Every musician, writer, poet and artist, even if he claims that his work is a sincere search for truth, in fact only reproduces and adapts the actual myths and behavioral patterns of his era. Even paganism in black metal is essentially a reflection of the socio-cultural background and existential search, within the framework of post-Christian Europe. Propaganda is just a form of conveying meanings, and those meanings permeate everything we do, even if we try to play the “I'm not a propagandist” game. Inspiration does its own thing. Isn't every chord, every word, and every stroke in any art a cry of the soul that at some point began to replicate something far more powerful than a genre or lyrical hero?
And yes, it's likely that any person who writes something is unconsciously promoting something. We are like a bowl filled with myths, ideas, stereotypes that are heaped upon us from every corner of the modern world. Creativity, in its deepest essence, becomes the mirror that either reflects or distorts this world by taking on ideological patterns that are alien to us.
So what does everyone propagandize? Yes, but not what we usually expect from propaganda. Creativity is like the philosopher's stone, which in the hands of an alchemist turns every ideological grain into ashes. Any contemporary art of course propagandizes destruction, but not through active action, but through the inevitability of oblivion. All musicians are not saying “follow us” but rather “watch everything inevitably disappear, and there is something liberating in that disappearance.”
Every musician, writer, poet and artist, even if he claims that his work is a sincere search for truth, in fact only reproduces and adapts the actual myths and behavioral patterns of his era. Even paganism in black metal is essentially a reflection of the socio-cultural background and existential search, within the framework of post-Christian Europe. Propaganda is just a form of conveying meanings, and those meanings permeate everything we do, even if we try to play the “I'm not a propagandist” game. Inspiration does its own thing. Isn't every chord, every word, and every stroke in any art a cry of the soul that at some point began to replicate something far more powerful than a genre or lyrical hero?
And yes, it's likely that any person who writes something is unconsciously promoting something. We are like a bowl filled with myths, ideas, stereotypes that are heaped upon us from every corner of the modern world. Creativity, in its deepest essence, becomes the mirror that either reflects or distorts this world by taking on ideological patterns that are alien to us.
So what does everyone propagandize? Yes, but not what we usually expect from propaganda. Creativity is like the philosopher's stone, which in the hands of an alchemist turns every ideological grain into ashes. Any contemporary art of course propagandizes destruction, but not through active action, but through the inevitability of oblivion. All musicians are not saying “follow us” but rather “watch everything inevitably disappear, and there is something liberating in that disappearance.”
BEHROSTH | ACTION | ST. PETERSBURG (27.10.2024)
Shadow kvlt: In closing, what are you looking forward to in 2025? What are the plans for the group? What personal emotions and experiences about the 25th year. And wishes for our audience, of course!
BehrostH: What do we expect from 2025? Well, to be honest, we don't expect anything new from the world. As far as personal emotions are concerned, it's quite simple: it always seems that some grandiose event is about to appear on the horizon that will change everything, but in reality it's just another year that pierces us with its banality on the one hand and absurdity on the other. But we, like all musicians, live with expectation - though not always certain, but still with hope for something more. Strict plans? Huh, of course we've set some big goals - more tours, more new ideas, more crazy chips. But, as always, it will all depend on how much happens between those points.
And what do we wish for your audience? Well, nothing new here either: we hope, as always, that you will continue to follow us on this path that leads to nowhere - but at least with good music in your ears. So guys, stop looking at the calendar and wondering. Promote your inner chaos, keep the spirit of freedom, stay true to yourselves, stay healthy, and of course, eat honey!
BehrostH: What do we expect from 2025? Well, to be honest, we don't expect anything new from the world. As far as personal emotions are concerned, it's quite simple: it always seems that some grandiose event is about to appear on the horizon that will change everything, but in reality it's just another year that pierces us with its banality on the one hand and absurdity on the other. But we, like all musicians, live with expectation - though not always certain, but still with hope for something more. Strict plans? Huh, of course we've set some big goals - more tours, more new ideas, more crazy chips. But, as always, it will all depend on how much happens between those points.
And what do we wish for your audience? Well, nothing new here either: we hope, as always, that you will continue to follow us on this path that leads to nowhere - but at least with good music in your ears. So guys, stop looking at the calendar and wondering. Promote your inner chaos, keep the spirit of freedom, stay true to yourselves, stay healthy, and of course, eat honey!
Thanks to Behrosth gang for the interview.
Thanks also to all readers!
Happy upcoming 2025 and Merry Christmas!
Thanks also to all readers!
Happy upcoming 2025 and Merry Christmas!
