The band started around 2016, what pushed you to want to create the band? Why did you choose the name Obšar and what does it refer to?
I reached out to P (bass guitar), we exchanged musical ideas remotely. Č (vocals and lyrics) and B (drums) joined in, and Obšar was formed. Obšar is the name of a hill, and thanks to its history, it holds symbolic significance for us.
Your third album will be released soon, a work that continues to explore those explosive sections of pure black metal, with others of atmospheric black and successful folk elements that sprinkle the compositions, how was the process of composing and recording this new album? How do you think the sound has evolved compared to your previous album? What brands of instruments did you use for the process?
All of our albums are created in the same way. I come up with the tracks and send them for "approval" to my bandmates. Then the remaining instruments are rehearsed, and the lyrics are written. The whole process ends with home recording – I handle all the guitar sections, backing clean vocals, samples, and arrangements, P takes care of the bass, and B handles the drums. In the end, the vocals are recorded and sent to the sound engineer for final mixing and mastering. The sound, compared to the past, is much more professional and varies. We use trusty commercial brands of gear such as Ibanez, PDP, PAISTe, Fender with some mods on them (pickups, circuts and so on). Stuff that you "can't go wrong" with.
For the listener who is not yet familiar with your sound, how would you describe the new album and what can old fans expect from it? What bands and styles have been an influence when composing the new album?
We aim for a modern-sounding melodic black metal, emphasizing the overall atmosphere and guitar compositions. We enjoy experimenting with music and sound, so you can hear influences from other genres in our work. There are hints of progressive, thrash, heavy metal, or folk elements. Whether we succeed or not is for the listener to judge. Our musical range is broad, so it's impossible to say if and how any particular band has influenced us.
You come from Slovakia, from the city of Svidník to be more precise, and your music and lyrics deal with themes related to Ruthenian culture. Why did you decide to write your lyrics in Ruthenian? What important historical and mythological facts of your culture are reflected in your lyrics?
Rusyn is our native language. It’s natural for us to write lyrics and sing in it. We also try to promote Rusyns as a nation living in Europe (mainly Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Poland), a people that few know about. In our lyrics, we write about Rusyn nature, culture, mythology, and demonology. We write about unknown places in our nature (forests and hills) or mysterious beings from stories and legends.
Another remarkable aspect of the album is the atmosphere achieved, perfectly framed in the depths of the forest, in the coldness of winter and with a touch of both folk and mythology. Where did you look for inspiration to create this atmosphere? To what period does Ruthenian culture date back and how has it survived to this day? Isn't it risky to adopt Ruthenian when creating lyrics as opposed to the greater visibility of English?
Yes, you are right. Our music is meant to have an epic, cold nature and be full of emotions. It's like a journey through a dense forest filled with danger. Bad weather, relentless nature, and dark creatures stand in your way. After overcoming all the obstacles, you emerge as a better and more resilient person. Rusyns have been living here for 14 centuries. For reference, I. Pop, R. P. Magocsi, Ľ. Haraksim, and S. Konečný have written more extensively about this topic in their books.
You worked with Roman Vrecník for the mixing and mastering of the album. Why did you decide to work with him? Who was in charge of recording the album?
I described the recording process in the previous questions. We chose Roman after receiving recommendations from other bands. We were very satisfied with his work, approach, and communication. It’s mainly thanks to him that the album sounds so modern and good, and we’d like to thank him again here.
For the release of the album you worked with two record labels, Void Wanderer Productions and War Productions, how did you decide to release the album through two labels?
With the previous album "Počornily horŷ, počornily lisŷ," we had very good experience with both labels. We decided to approach them again and are very glad that they agreed to release it.
The album cover was designed by Tomáš Olijár, why did you decide to work with him to design the cover? What does this cover represent and how does it relate to the content of the album?
Tomáš is a Rusyn painter and teacher, and we have liked his work for a long time. Tomáš also created the cover for the previous album. On the cover is "Propastnyk," a demonic mythological being. It symbolizes all the bad and unfortunate things that happen in a person's life. It lives solely off human superstition and belief, and since it’s the main character of the album, it deserves a place on the cover.
Will you take the sound of the new album to the stage or are concerts not a priority for the band right now?
At the moment, we are unable to play any concerts due to family, work, and the long distances between us.
Slovakia and the Czech Republic have produced very interesting black metal bands, specifically those focused on more pagan and folk content related to black metal. They have always kept that pure character of roots in their place of origin and capturing in their lyrics and sound all the mythology of the area of origin. What do you think is the reason for this facet of the bands from your country? What bands related to your sound would you recommend? How is the state of extreme metal in your country?
I don't know who sounds similar to us, as I don't really follow the scene. In Slovakia, we have a few quality and successful black metal bands like Malokarpaťan, Krolok, and Aeon Winds.
How did you get started in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What event in your life pushed you to want to be musicians?
From an early age, my family guided me toward heavy music, so for me, it was a natural process. One of the first concerts, that I remember to this day, was Ancestral Volkhves in Svidník, and they also led me to black metal. I don't remember the very first releases, but they included King Diamond, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Children of Bodom etc..
What album represents the essence of black metal for you? What latest albums have you bought?
As I mentioned above, I don’t follow the black metal scene closely, but I do have favorite bands like Schammasch, Saor, and Moonsorrow. The last album I bought was Wintersun – Time II.
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Obsar fans this is the place. I hope you like the questions.
Thank you very much for the interview and the space on Black Metal Spirit. We send our greetings to you and your readers and wish you all the best.
J (Obšar).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mesarthim – Pillars 23,99 €
Vinyl, LP, EP, Reissue, Violet Marbled.
Marble dark violet vinyl (Limited to 50 copies)
Tracks are numbered sequentially over both sides.
