Interview to CONTEMPTUOUS VOID (UK)

1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.

Hello! Thanks for having me. I’m doing well, recovering from a cold but otherwise I can’t complain. I’m currently at home in my living room in Edinburgh, sitting at my computer/very makeshift recording setup.

2. For how many years has you been active as a musician? And how has your skills evolved over the years, and what has kept you inspired to creating Contemptuous Void?

I’ve honestly not been an active musician for very long. I’ve dabbled with guitar and drums over the years but I hadn’t touched anything instrument-wise for about 10 years prior to working on stuff for Contemptuous Void. So just under a year now for actually being active.

3. Can you name some of the bands who you first really admired and helped shape your future in music?

Midnight Odyssey, The Ruins of Beverast, Urfaust, Almyrkvi, Enscelados, Olhava, Darkspace, Labyrinthus Stellarum, Lazer Throne, and Coldworld, are the kind of bands I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from. Typically, anything within the black metal space that features a lot of atmosphere or interesting soundscapes while retaining the darker tones of the genre.

4. Your debut album, “Entropic Divinations” delivered a raw, epic, and atmospheric sound. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the album and how it felt to release your music to the world?

A lot of the inspiration for the album is rooted in themes like cosmic horror, the vastness and unknowns of outer space, occultism and sci-f to a lesser extent, with a lot of that being centered around humankind meddling with things beyond their comprehension and paying the price for doing so.

I’ve never set out to produce anything musical before, so it was a personal achievement to get the album out there, as it’s been something I’ve been wanting to do for years. I’d been made redundant back in March, which was roughly when I started writing, so it was nice to have that time to start working on the album.

5. As the sole member behind Contemptuous Void, how do you manage the creative process of writing and composing music, lyrics, and playing multiple instruments?

So far it’s been piece by piece. I usually start off just messing around with riff ideas until I have enough to build around. I then layer in programmed drums, followed by bass and then some MIDI effects for atmosphere where it feels right. The vocals and lyrics come in last and mostly work around what’s already there but it’s a fairly fluid process, so things can move around to accommodate new ideas or changes.

It’s nice to have that ultimate creative freedom when not having to align with or rely on other people’s input, but I can see how that’s a double-edged sword in many ways. Having to do everything yourself can be frustrating when there’s a creative block or a knowledge gap, so I’m sure there are pros and cons to both approaches. I’ve been enjoying working alone so far, though.

6. What are the most challenging aspects when writing a song and how do you go about the approach?

Having to learn how best to use a DAW for the first time, as well as encountering all the pitfalls that come with setting up instrument rigs and getting things sounding how you want. Having no music theory experience is another hurdle, and while I appreciate that you don’t need to know theory, it certainly helps with problem-solving and executing ideas.

7. When you write songs that are longer than 05/06 minutes how do you keep it interesting to listen to?

I try not to reuse material too much within a song, which can make it feel like more work but when there’s less repetition, it can stop things from becoming stale. That said, if something has a very poignant, atmospheric sound, you can get a lot more mileage out of repetition, which pushes that song length out quicker than you realise.

8. What were the main challenges you faced in learning to mix music and how did you overcome them?

Balancing everything was the trickiest thing to take stabs at. It didn’t help that there were a bunch of Windows settings I had on without realising until after the album was released that altered how I was hearing things (another newcomer pitfall).

I ended up watching a lot of tutorials and insights from people with way more experience and knowledge, as well as just trying things out and seeing how it sounded. There were certainly a good few times I’d think something sounded good, only to hear it again the next day and immediately hate it, so plenty of trial and error thrown in there.

9. What are some techniques you haven’t used on your current album that you would love to experiment with in future releases?

I’m currently experimenting with ways to inject more atmosphere into songs while also pushing the needle further into black metal. I feel Entropic Divinations ended up striking a “blackened death” tone in places, which I’m content with, but I’m interested in retaining a more consistently dark tone throughout a release.

10. How do you define “underground” and where do you see yourself and your band in it?

Underground to me is typically music that perhaps most people interested in a given genre aren’t aware of. I guess Contemptuous Void is underground by that definition, purely because the band’s not on the radars of very many BM fans.

11. Away from the metal scene, musicians are very often associated with satanism. You are a black metal band - how close are you to religious themes?

Personally, I’m against any form of organised religion. However, I do respect any ideologies that emphasise freedom of expression and oppose oppression, which I feel Satanism does a good job of promoting. Despite this, each religion has some form of interesting stories, cautionary tales, or ideals that inspiration can be drawn from without having to dedicate yourself to their beliefs.

12. Live performances are an integral part of the black metal experience. Does Contemptuous Void have any plans for live shows or touring in the future? How do you envision translating your atmospheric music into a live setting?

No, there aren’t any plans for any live shows for the foreseeable future. Maybe one day, but I’ll worry about the logistics of that if it were to ever happen.

13. Have you had the chance to travel much over the years? Any places you would insist people must visit at least once in their lives?

I was out in Germany last month, which was nice. I’d not been to Frankfurt before, so it was good getting to check out the city, especially the city skylines at night. I really liked Iceland when I went over a few years back too. They’ve got some cool bars and amazing landscapes to go wander around in, so that’s somewhere I’d recommend to anyone interested.

14. How do you feel the metal scene has evolved in Scotland over recent years, particularly in black metal?

I’ve only been living up here for the last 7 or so years, so it’s hard for me to tell. I feel like I’m seeing more shows popping up around Edinburgh over the past couple of years, though, so I’d like to think there’s a bit more interest in the live scene emerging. That said, there are some great bands from around here. I’m particularly liking Fuath’s latest release from last week at the moment.

15. On an international level, how has your music been received? Do you try to promote your music on a large scale?

It’s still pretty early days, I feel, but it’s generally gone down alright. I don’t do a whole lot of promoting outside of the odd post here and there on some of the socials when there’s something to post about, but that’s it, really.

16. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us. Do you have any final words, or anything you would like to add?

Cheers! I’d just add a thank you to anyone checking out Contemptuous Void and that there should hopefully be an EP out at some point over the next few months.

https://www.facebook.com/ContemptueousVoid