VUKARI - ENTREVISTA

1. Vukari is a band created this year, how and why you decided to make Vukari? What Vukari Unlike other formations in which you are involved?

Vukari has actually been a work in progress since late 2011, early 2012. It was formed because I had a lot of music stored away that I was going to use for a previous band but it fell apart, so I took it upon myself to continue with my music in Vukari, which was originally was a one man project with the help of the engineer/bass player in the band Spenser, now we have a full band.

2. Debuts with a full-length "Matriarch" How were the process of writing and recording this album? How would you define the sound of "Matriach"?

Matriarch was a long process for it was recorded over the span of a year rather than all at once. We recorded the guitars first to get down the structure of the songs, Then everything else was added. a very unorthodox way of recording I know, but I did not have a full band nor a drummer at the time to play on the recordings.

The sound of Matriarch would be best described as raw and melodic, I did not want to sacrifice any raw intensity for the sake of something sounding more melodic, which I think gives it a unique sound.

3. How is your way of working in the studio, Topics you compose together or there is a leader who imposes his judgment?

With Matriarch everything was for the most part composed by me, and that's pretty much how the writing process will go for this project. Spenser engineered and added the necessary atmosphere to the album along with playing the bass and writing his parts.

4. Today many groups are emerging that combine post-rock sounds or post-metal or other more typical of black, do you know other bands with a similar sound to yours? How black is the scene in Chicago?

There is quite the influx of bands in black metal incorporating different genres which is refreshing and it keeps the genre interesting and not so stagnant. For myself however, when writing I do not have a set style or genre, I just play what I'd want to hear and write the way I feel. With Matriarch I wrote most of it along to a short story I wrote, which is why a lot of the dynamics are emotional, why it could be quiet to heavy so dramatically in one song. The scene in Chicago is large and booming but we are a fairly new band so we are not very familiar with it, we hope to be though.

5. What are your main influences when composing, which bands have influenced your sound?

Vukari is sort of an escape for me, from society and just daily life, but lyrically and conceptually it is influenced heavily by society and daily life in a sort of fantastical way, using fictional stories and a metaphorical imagery. Sonically, it is influenced by music with a lot of atmosphere, metal bands like Drudkh, Neurosis, Darkthrone all the way to ambient music like Tim Hecker and Stars of the Lid.

6. On trying the lyrics to "Matriach", there is some history behind this conceptual album?

The historical elements on matriarch are pretty much just used metaphorically. I chose a protagonist in a weak and vulnerable state to be oppressed by someone with power and respect who promised her help, but quickly deceived her for his own personal needs. Showcasing a sort of unbalance in society, and her overcoming this oppression to reach a new understanding.

7. How were your beginnings in music, you first records you bought, the first concerts you attended? Why did you decide to make you a musician?

I played Violin in grade school and then took classical guitar, switched to electric guitar in my teens as I started getting into louder and more aggressive music, which the violin and classical could not convey the sound I wanted at the time. What made me want to become a musician was that I was constantly thinking of music in my head and needed a medium to express it, using the guitar as a vessel.

8. The album design has been carried out by Elizabeth Puetz, How does the ported with the content of "Matriach"?

Elizabeth did a great job on what I had envisioned the cover art to be. It is a wolf's skull (oppressor) in a garden of blooming flowers (a new start). Meaning that with the death of an oppressor, life can flourish and begin anew. 

9. Are you satisfied with the public and media response to "Matriach"?

Yes, we are still a very young band and most of the response has been positive so it is inspiring.

10. What can your fans expect in the upcoming Vukari terms of release dates, concerts?

We are currently working on our live show and will be hopefully playing locally in Chicago soon and around the Midwest. As for releases, I am constantly writing so hopefully we will be in the studio before the end of the year with an EP coming out then.

11. Thank you very much for taking the time to Balck Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the followers of Vukari, this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.

Thank you for your interest and questions, we appreciate it!