Hi! Tell me about your band and what kind of previous experience do you have as musicians?

Hello! DIE ENTWEIHUNG is my solo project (so called “one man band”, hehe), found in may of 2007, my playing experience for that time was about 6 years of playing acoustic guitar and 2 years of playing electric guitar. If you mean if I was playing in any other bands/projects, the answer is “no”, I’ve never been playing in any bands, DIE ENTWEIHUNG is my first and only project.

Why did you pick your band name? How did you form? Why did you decide to play the genre or genres you do?

As I started composing the first riffs for my first own compositions, I was thinking about the title for the project. My early style was raw (true) Black Metal, and one of the most influential BM project for me at that time (actually it stays even today) was russian DER GERWELT (german title), great duo, that recorded in 97-98 two Black Metal cult demos. When I found the title for my project, “Desecration”, soon I found that there are more bands in different genres with this title, so it was decided to try some other language for that title. In school I was studying German, and again, because of DER GERWELT, I tried to find some fine translation in german. So I found “Entweihung” word, and added the article “Die” to it. The word “Desecration” itself is really suitable for Black Metal, as in many aspects it’s a meaning of Black Metal. Years after, my style transformed into more Melodic, Dark Metal form, but the title stays the same, and I guess, it still works fine!

What can you tell us about your latest record?

“The Worst Is Yet To Come” is the album, I was working on last two years. It’s, as usual, experimental record, with some things I didn’t used before, for example, some parts of such instrument as Bouzouki in 3 tracks. It brought some mid-eastern sound to the music. After using mostly growling in the previous “Neverending Terrorism” album, this time I returned to the more black metal screaming. In general, this album is continuation of the previous album, both musically and lyrically. Musically we have here the mixture of the different Metal styles, like Heavy, Thrash, Black, Folk Metal, that I personally call “Dark Melodic Metal”, as I really can’t put this music in some one concrete musical style. Lyrically, it’s about a modern cruel reality, with all the problems we have nowadays, the things that worry me personally and not only. Among the subjects that are presented in this album’s lyrics are internet and smartphone addiction, falling of “honest” Rock/Metal, islamization of Europe, greed, money, wars etc. The whole lyrics can be found inside the CD booklet, so if someone’s interested – welcome!

What the kind of album feedbacks are you waiting for?

Different… I understand, that it’s impossible that everyone will love the stuff as one, it’s always some people like, and some ones not really… I’m ok with a real critics, when the review or some comment is really “literate”, but when it’s just “Ah, that sucks, don’t listen to it, better go buy hamburger”, well, it’s bullshit, Unfortunately, many people think that they can to piss on the anyone or anything in internet and that’s ok… Well, no mercy for them, hahaha!

Are you gonna to make some world tour in the future? Do you think this is available for everybody option to tour around the globe? What do you think band have to do to get such opportunity?

No tours and no shows. As I said before, it’s a solo project, and I don’t plan any live shows. The only thing I want to do is to bring some guest musicians to take part in some of my new music (that is in the writing process, little by little). About the second part of your question – it’s just the question of money. If the band has some money to put into the tour around the different countries, it’s great, why not?! If the band hasn’t money to organize tour by themselves, or give money to some booking agency – well, the only option is to rob a bank, haha. Seriously, the times when you could play hard in some clubs and somelabel manager could sign your band just because you’re playing great music, they’ve gone. Now to get a deal with a big label, which could organize a tour for you, it’s very difficult, and in addition, the music market is too oversaturated.

Do you believe in heavy music scene without money?

It’s a straight continuation of the previous question and answer; if you want to promote your band and your music, there are some money must be for it. Even the simple advertisement in facebook isn’t for free – you have to pay! Honestly, many years I believed that the real underground can and has to be developing with no a really money involving, but nowadays, because of so much FREE information, music, video, bands, “offers to listen this or that song for free”, I think, some money must be involved in promotion to bring your band or project to get it little bit higher than many stuff that given for free.

What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

I think, the best way would be to forbid the downloading of many things, but give free streaming. I remember, it was cool in the beginning of 2000’s, you could to listen for free some stuff of “XYZ” band online in normal bitrate, but couldn’t download it for free. If you’d liked it, you had to buy it digitally or on CD/Tape/LP. However I understand that there is nothing to do with it, it’s the one or even two new generations came, and many of these people don’t understand actually why they need, for example, CD, or why they have to pay for the music or the movie if they can get it for free. So… I only hope that there will always be the real music lovers, who will support the music, no matter what’s another digital trend now in the world. As I remember, I uploaded for free only my very first demo in 2007, after it all my releases were uploaded for free by some other people, of course, without my permission, hehe. But that’s ok, I don’t try to make money with my music.

Who are your musical influences? Have you ever think your band could be so famous as your favorites?

Hm, my musical influences are changing every year, with the time I am becoming more and more open minded for the different music. When I was a kid, I was totally in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, bands like METALLICA (favourite band forever), IRON MAIDEN, DEEP PURPLE, OZZY, AC/DC, RAINBOW, ACCEPT etc., they all made me a big fan of heavy music and I’m still loving all these bands and directions. When I started my project, my favourite style was Black Metal, in its raw and depressive versions, from BURZUM and GORGOROTH to some NOCTURNAL DEPRESSION, WEDARD, ABYSSIC HATE and so on. There was the time when I passed through the hard times in my life after the moving from Belarus to Israel, and Black Metal, as well as another depressive and dark music were soundtrack of my life. Nowadays I left all the styles and borders in music, listening to the everything, from old pop and rock, through Punk, Alternative, Grunge, to the Black, Gothic, Doom, Melodic Death Metal and many more.

Of course, I was dreaming in my childhood, that I’d be the famous musician, I’m sure, this is what moving the whole people who decide to start to play their own music. But everyone can’t become famouse, alas!

Do you have a formal music education? Do you think it’s a Kind of important thing?

No, I don’t have, I took some lessons for playing acoustic guitar when I lived in Belarus and a couple of lessons for electric guitar in Israel, but that were just some base things, the most things I know I learnt alone, by the tab and song books. Music education can be important but can be not. I’m sure, sympho, classic music is impossible without music education. However modern music, especially Rock and Metal music… the most genius things in modern music were composed and performed by the people, who hadn’t music education. As I remember, nobody in QUEEN band hasn’t music education, but anyway Freddy Mercury composed by his piano such masterpieces like “Bohemian Rhapsody”. It’s just as an example… Basically, most rockers haven’t education. So, if the musician is really talented, his music will be born anyway.

How do you balance your music with other obligations – mate, children, job?

In general, that’s ok, not many this have changed since I have started DIE ENTWEIHUNG 11 years before. The only thing is the time, that I have less to dedicate it to my own music. I don’t have a children, but have a girlfriend, regular job, that, as we all know, takes many our time. Usually my evenings are going with listening to the music, I am collector and big lover of different music, have many CDs, tapes and vinyls. Beside of it, I am taking part in creating the two printed zines (one russian, another – ukrainian), I am writing reviews and making interviews with different bands. My personal music creativity usually is only in weekends. Anyway, I don’t even think to stop it. The show must go on (c), haha!

How do you handle mistakes during a performance? Or you can assure there are no any mistakes during your gigs? Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?

I don’t play live shows, as I said earlier, so…

What’s next? Thank you!

As this year is almost passed, the next year Im going to dedicate to more promotion of “The Worst Is Yet To Come”, writing the new album, by the way, there are the plans to release “The Worst…” on tape via some Latin American label. I hope, it will happened in february. Stay in touch, if you’d like to ask me something, you can do it via facebook or email: entweihung666@gmail.com

Thanks a lot for this interview, it was a real pleasure, during the answering I was thinking about some things, that I never really thought before, hahaha. All the best to all of you, as The Worst Is Yet To Come!