1. In January 2015 the new single "Ukleta" came out for "Dark Chants Productions". an excellent intro to the forthcoming album "U transu sa nepoznatim siluetama". Tell us something more about the single and the new album.
"Ukleta"
Single is something I wanted to share with the faithful Zloslut followers. The
album was recorded in the summer of 2014 and will see the light in the
following year. Which in my opinion is a big time between the recording
sessions and the release date, that's why I wanted to introduce people with the
new work. As every musician is, there is always that euphoric feeling between
the end of recording and the release date. That was the purpose of the single,
we also added a complete video show from our appearance at the "Srpski
Metal Festival" last year. So the physical release can be even heavier in
what it contains, although all of it is also available through the internet for
those who can't support financially. Now for the album... As the leader of the
cult and the only composer, an album for me is very sacred. A new pillar that
holds the name of my creation. So every new work has to stand up from the
previous ones. "U transu sa nepoznatim siluetama" is the Zloslut
crown, from every aspect, is it musically, lyricly, sound production or the
visual form. Soon that chapter will be unveiled, until then I don't want to
discover furthermore, I prefer to let the followers discover it, and give it
their own definition.
2.
Zloslut has recently completed their weekend tour in France. What are your
impressions at the end of it?
It
all went perfectly, Paris was a true ceremony dedicated to death. Not very
crowded though, I guess it's the fact that in big cities fans are drowned in
shows. Nice was the highlight, full club with souls showing their interest in
new darkness. I will also take the opportunity through this interview to send
my best regards to the promoter, Corpus Diavolis and all the people we met
during those two days.
3.
Speaking of France, the summer tour on Balkans with the French band Necrowretch
has been cancelled by Zloslut. What are the reasons for Zloslut's withdrawal
from that tour?
Sometime
you have to make decisions you don't like at all for the better... Financially
speaking, this tour has become too much expensive, and the budget couldn't
allow us that pleasure. Second fact, Inomatanas (Live bass) and Lord Gryma
(Live drums) can't make it in that period, due to private reasons. Finding
other session live members was an option, but since I'm not in Serbia currently
I would not have enough of time to prepare them. So after those two strong
reasons, it was clear as a day that Zloslut had to step out from the "With
Serpents" tour. We will give our best to reach the planned countries in
the near future. Anyway, other dates are planned appart of this tour.
4.
Let's go backwards a little bit, to the very beginnings of Zloslut. On the
cassette edition of your first demo "Abyss of Eternal Deception" your
nick was Hunter. What were the reasons for changing it into Utvara?
Hunter
was the pseudonym I used even before the inception of Zloslut. Reason is quite
simple it didn't suit my identity anymore, after a long period of thinking, I
sticked with Utvara (English translation: Wraith). It describes me the best for
what I am doing.
5.
On your first demo there is a clear and explicit message: "Only for true
black metal underground maniacs". What does the true black metal represent
for you?
We
have to take in count that when that demo was released I was seventeen,
eighteen years old, and I was in the most important phase of discovering the
genre from the perspective of a musician. It suited my ideology back then.
Today I find it very funny and ridiculous, and would never add a message like
that on a release! haha But this part of the question is driving us back to the
previous, It was me back then, we evolve every day, and write a new chapter
every moment.
Now
concerning what "the true black metal" (althought I don't like that
term) represent for me, is pure imagination and nothing else! Since I didn't
experienced it, and to be honest, I stopped following what is going on in that
scene anymore, underground or mainstream, small are the differences. There are
still honest and devoted souls out there of course. But I mostly see the
opposite, a big majority of bands have become untouchable rockstars, depending
on parties and narcotics with pretext that it represent chaos and nihilism, but
it only represents idiots with a lot of money. Most of the fans are all in that
"anti-trend" trend, facebook misanthropes... Virtual addicts. Now,
objectively speaking, black metal is freedom, a dark open mind interested to
new experiences. You can't hate something you don't know. Just a simple exemple
you can see often in black metal live shows, I can guarantee you that the bible
bashers didn't even read it once, they are not destroying it in the spiritual
way, they are destroying it in an ignorant way. There is so much to learn from
what we consider our enemy. So to come back to the main point, Black Metal is
not only music, but also a dark world you penetrate and explore slowly with
your emotions, it will for me always represent a spiritual relief. But as I
said I don't pay much attention on what is going on now in the scene. The wise
are silent...
6.
Zloslut is in fact a one man band. How hard is it to be the creator of
everything in the band and does it perhaps have some good sides to it?
In
my experience there are only two bad sides to be a one man band and it is the
lack of time and money, which affected me several time, especially this year,
as for exemple, cancelling our participation to the summer tour with
Necrowretch, and postponing our second album to winter this year, although it
had to be out in spring... But as I said before, sometime you have to make decisions
you don't like, so you can continue the road tomorrow. It's inevitable. But the
best side of a one man band is the total control.
7.
We've already mentioned your label "Dark Chants Records". As far as
we can see it is in fact specialized mostly for Zloslut. Tell us more about
"Dark Chants Productions".
It's
the Zloslut temple, archive... I run the label myself, until we sign for a
satisfying one. Waiting for someone to clock at your door is not a way of
working for me. It is very hard to find a label today, there are just too many
of them, too many fake people. For me a label is like a member of a cult. He
has to give 101% as we do. There are very good labels who still guard the old
flame, but it has become more an industry then a passion, profitability comes
first, then everything else, same goes for promoters. I understand it in a way,
losing money that is hardly earn is just absurd. So I choose to hold that
burden myself.
8.
We can see some brutally good artwork on your first album " Zloslutni
Horizont - donosilac prokletstva, ocaja i smrti". Also, the new Zloslut's
emblem as well as some other motives came out of hands of the same master. What
artist is it about?
He
is a great artist and musician who runs "Opposition Artworks", he is
known under his pseudonym INIMICVS (before as Genocide), he was our live
session guitarist few years ago. Anyway, a great artist devoted to darkness and
death. Check out his other works he did for bands like Murder, The Stone or the
festival Under the Black Sun. He also founded Ophidian Coil, a band worth
checking.
9.
Thanks for this conversation. What kind of ominous visions can we expect in the
future?
Many
things are coming up, as the second album, more live rituals. Let the sand of
time be by our side... All in all, expect dark chants of death!