I'd like to know when we'll wait to see a new album. Try to describe how it will be look like...
It will probably be released later this year or early next year. It's going to be more organic sounding. Dirtier and heavier and with mainly clean vocals.
Also his lyrical side may be interesting...
Yeah. Cosmic horror should be present, but we'll see. Some influences from Hodgson's novel 'The House on the Borderland'.
Disclose where did you get to name UMBRA NIHIL...what does it mean and why did you chose just this moniker?
From an obscure and paradoxical paraphrase in Latin. Umbra Nihil is just the beginning words of the paraphrase. Look the words up and see if you can come up with a meaning. It somehow stuck with me and it sounds weird, so those were good enough reasons to use it. It also reminds me of Zeuhl-prog. band names such as Univers Zero, Magma, Shub Niggurath, Dün, etc.
Can we look forward also some line-up changes?
The latest line-up change is that we have a new vocalist. No further line-up changes. There have been some talks about some guest appearances, but we'll see.
Your debut "Gnoia" contains splendid track Dreams In The Witch-House... Are you influenced by Lovecraft very much?
Lovecraft is the author whose works have influenced my way of thinking and me as a person the most. So yes!
How are you keeping on live shows? Where have you already played all over?
We haven't played any live shows and it does not seem likely that we will in the near future. We mainly jam and record nowadays. All the members of the band live too far away from each other in order to rehearse more often. So instead we come up with riffs and ideas and jam every now and then to bring the ideas together into songs.
I know you like also prog rock what is curiously enough. What has this style common with Doom metal?
It does not have much in common necessarily, but I think both styles (prog as in the 70's and doom as in Black Sabbath, Trouble, Candlemass, etc.) are somehow very honest in their expression of ideas that differ from each other greatly. Zeuhl prog. such as Magma, Univers Zero and Shub Niggurath can be very brooding and dark. Doom is often brooding and dark as well.
What do you take a liking to Doom metal? Why don't you play e.g. Death metal and what is your attitude to Death metal?
Liking doom isn't a choice for me, it seems more like natural development. I've liked Black Sabbath since I was a kid, so I found out more bands in the same vein and my taste started to develope little by little. Hearing Candlemass was my first true doom experience, it blew me away.
I wouldn't say that we play doom metal. We play obscure slow metal with some doom influneces. Doom metal is something different. But anyways, we definitely don't play death metal either although I like some death metal. I like Demilich, Death, Necrophagist, Cryptopsy, Amorphis, Incantation, Obituary, Portal and many other death metal bands, although I seem to be quite picky when it comes to this genre.
What are the standards for Doom metal in your opinion? Is it enough to be slow only?
8 years ago when I had just discovered slower metal I thought yes. Now I think that slowness is definitely not enough to make something doom. I think the standards of pure doom metal are Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Candlemass, Trouble and that bunch. I listen to a lot of stuff, not only true doom, but I think the origins should be appreciated.
Do you take the lyrics only as necessary music art, or there is something more behind? Me personally don't like instrumental music very much, of course besides classic...
Lyrics are far from necessary. There are so many good instrumental bands such as Shylock, Goblin, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Magyar Posse, Pelican and others that prove that lyrics are not necessary at all if the songs sound good without them.
Could you explain concept of UMBRA NIHIL? Your cover artworks are outlandish, bizarre till abstract...
The concept is to musically do whatever we want and as we see fit. We explore some themes, including cosmic horror and trying to express our take on the themes. I think we are going towards some destination. Hopefully our way of expression gets all the more clearer when we get closer. There's a pull to the stars. We don't want to have our music or concepts clearly defined for the listener so as to leave more room for interpretation. The music and lyrics are the way they are and we don't want to explain them in too much depth in order to not ruin the aura the listener experiences. I myself have never been too interested in artists' own explanations of their works because it takes away from the mystery and atmosphere that I associate with the music of many bands. I don't need to know all the details in order to appreciate music. This goes for literature as well.
Aren't you going to use some uncommon instrument to emphasize atmosphere of your music? That is big advancement for non-live bands.
Well, so far we have used a flute, a jewish harp, a shitty keyboard driven through a distortion pedal and a 100-year-old organ to spice things up a bit. But there's no need to add unnecessary spices to a soup that tastes good. I think we'll be using an old electric organ from the seventies on the upcoming album, to bring in some psychedelia.
What are your near plans?
I have scheduled 9 days for recording guitar tracks and some other things for the album. We should also record a Thergothon tribute song, 'The Twilight Fade', for a compilation album that shall be released by Solitude Productions. An HPL-song about Shub Niggurath was recorded earlier and is to be released on a compilation album that is a tribute to the Master of Horror.
One of the biggest world mysteries is universe and >his essence. Do you believe it has Alpha and Omega (start and end), or it is eternal?
I'd like to think that it is eternal, ouroboric, but how could I know? The concepts of Alpha and Omega are sometimes useful though.
Is it possible that some invisible beings and entities exist?
Why not. After drinking too much I wear a hat made out of tinfoil to prevent the invisible lizards from draining my psychic and sexual power.
Have you seen movie Dreams In The Witch-House from director Stuart Gordon? What is your view?
I've seen it. It's quite ok for a Lovecraft adaptation, but nothing special as such. It's a bit clumsy at times, but entertaining. Lovecraft is hard to adapt to screen.
'The Call of Cthulhu' by the HPL Historical Society is awesome and definitely the best HPL adaptation that I've seen. Check it out! You can order the dvd for quite cheap from their homesite.
I like uncommon structure of your composition very much. Sometimes it evently doesn’t sounds as true Doom metal... Looks like to me you are delighted to run over limits of styles...
Indeed. Our music isn't doom metal. I call it slow obscure metal. You can call it whatever you like, but doom metal it is not, I guess. And yes, I do like to cross the genre borders. Or actually it would be more accurate to say that I don't think about them much at all when I'm coming up with new ideas and riffs.
Storm
It will probably be released later this year or early next year. It's going to be more organic sounding. Dirtier and heavier and with mainly clean vocals.
Also his lyrical side may be interesting...
Yeah. Cosmic horror should be present, but we'll see. Some influences from Hodgson's novel 'The House on the Borderland'.
Disclose where did you get to name UMBRA NIHIL...what does it mean and why did you chose just this moniker?
From an obscure and paradoxical paraphrase in Latin. Umbra Nihil is just the beginning words of the paraphrase. Look the words up and see if you can come up with a meaning. It somehow stuck with me and it sounds weird, so those were good enough reasons to use it. It also reminds me of Zeuhl-prog. band names such as Univers Zero, Magma, Shub Niggurath, Dün, etc.
Can we look forward also some line-up changes?
The latest line-up change is that we have a new vocalist. No further line-up changes. There have been some talks about some guest appearances, but we'll see.
Your debut "Gnoia" contains splendid track Dreams In The Witch-House... Are you influenced by Lovecraft very much?
Lovecraft is the author whose works have influenced my way of thinking and me as a person the most. So yes!
How are you keeping on live shows? Where have you already played all over?
We haven't played any live shows and it does not seem likely that we will in the near future. We mainly jam and record nowadays. All the members of the band live too far away from each other in order to rehearse more often. So instead we come up with riffs and ideas and jam every now and then to bring the ideas together into songs.
I know you like also prog rock what is curiously enough. What has this style common with Doom metal?
It does not have much in common necessarily, but I think both styles (prog as in the 70's and doom as in Black Sabbath, Trouble, Candlemass, etc.) are somehow very honest in their expression of ideas that differ from each other greatly. Zeuhl prog. such as Magma, Univers Zero and Shub Niggurath can be very brooding and dark. Doom is often brooding and dark as well.
What do you take a liking to Doom metal? Why don't you play e.g. Death metal and what is your attitude to Death metal?
Liking doom isn't a choice for me, it seems more like natural development. I've liked Black Sabbath since I was a kid, so I found out more bands in the same vein and my taste started to develope little by little. Hearing Candlemass was my first true doom experience, it blew me away.
I wouldn't say that we play doom metal. We play obscure slow metal with some doom influneces. Doom metal is something different. But anyways, we definitely don't play death metal either although I like some death metal. I like Demilich, Death, Necrophagist, Cryptopsy, Amorphis, Incantation, Obituary, Portal and many other death metal bands, although I seem to be quite picky when it comes to this genre.
What are the standards for Doom metal in your opinion? Is it enough to be slow only?
8 years ago when I had just discovered slower metal I thought yes. Now I think that slowness is definitely not enough to make something doom. I think the standards of pure doom metal are Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Candlemass, Trouble and that bunch. I listen to a lot of stuff, not only true doom, but I think the origins should be appreciated.
Do you take the lyrics only as necessary music art, or there is something more behind? Me personally don't like instrumental music very much, of course besides classic...
Lyrics are far from necessary. There are so many good instrumental bands such as Shylock, Goblin, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Magyar Posse, Pelican and others that prove that lyrics are not necessary at all if the songs sound good without them.
Could you explain concept of UMBRA NIHIL? Your cover artworks are outlandish, bizarre till abstract...
The concept is to musically do whatever we want and as we see fit. We explore some themes, including cosmic horror and trying to express our take on the themes. I think we are going towards some destination. Hopefully our way of expression gets all the more clearer when we get closer. There's a pull to the stars. We don't want to have our music or concepts clearly defined for the listener so as to leave more room for interpretation. The music and lyrics are the way they are and we don't want to explain them in too much depth in order to not ruin the aura the listener experiences. I myself have never been too interested in artists' own explanations of their works because it takes away from the mystery and atmosphere that I associate with the music of many bands. I don't need to know all the details in order to appreciate music. This goes for literature as well.
Aren't you going to use some uncommon instrument to emphasize atmosphere of your music? That is big advancement for non-live bands.
Well, so far we have used a flute, a jewish harp, a shitty keyboard driven through a distortion pedal and a 100-year-old organ to spice things up a bit. But there's no need to add unnecessary spices to a soup that tastes good. I think we'll be using an old electric organ from the seventies on the upcoming album, to bring in some psychedelia.
What are your near plans?
I have scheduled 9 days for recording guitar tracks and some other things for the album. We should also record a Thergothon tribute song, 'The Twilight Fade', for a compilation album that shall be released by Solitude Productions. An HPL-song about Shub Niggurath was recorded earlier and is to be released on a compilation album that is a tribute to the Master of Horror.
One of the biggest world mysteries is universe and >his essence. Do you believe it has Alpha and Omega (start and end), or it is eternal?
I'd like to think that it is eternal, ouroboric, but how could I know? The concepts of Alpha and Omega are sometimes useful though.
Is it possible that some invisible beings and entities exist?
Why not. After drinking too much I wear a hat made out of tinfoil to prevent the invisible lizards from draining my psychic and sexual power.
Have you seen movie Dreams In The Witch-House from director Stuart Gordon? What is your view?
I've seen it. It's quite ok for a Lovecraft adaptation, but nothing special as such. It's a bit clumsy at times, but entertaining. Lovecraft is hard to adapt to screen.
'The Call of Cthulhu' by the HPL Historical Society is awesome and definitely the best HPL adaptation that I've seen. Check it out! You can order the dvd for quite cheap from their homesite.
I like uncommon structure of your composition very much. Sometimes it evently doesn’t sounds as true Doom metal... Looks like to me you are delighted to run over limits of styles...
Indeed. Our music isn't doom metal. I call it slow obscure metal. You can call it whatever you like, but doom metal it is not, I guess. And yes, I do like to cross the genre borders. Or actually it would be more accurate to say that I don't think about them much at all when I'm coming up with new ideas and riffs.
Storm
Somewhere in borderland
