BOILING LIMIT
The Saratov band DRUKNROLL are the best example of how persistence and the will to win can take a band to a new level. The enviable interest of Western me
dia in the band is quite understandable because the guys do not look back at others, but create original, sometimes unpredictable material, which is a mix of different styles. ROCKCOR talked to the musicians about the new full-length album “Boiling Point”, which is the third in the band’s discography, and asked several tricky questions.
Interview prepared by Dmitry Veselov rockcor 05 2014
Answered by: Drunknroll (guitars, bass, keyboards), Horror (vocals), Alex Knip (guitars, special effects)
– Can we say that “Boiling Point” surpasses previous albums and is a tangible step forward for you?
Horror (vocals): Of course, the new album is a big step forward for us. We try to take a step forward with each new song.
Alex Knip (guitars, special effects): The Druknroll project is a kind of testing ground for me, where I conduct sound experiments. This album has definitely become a step forward. In terms of sound, the material sounds exactly as it was intended, which could not be achieved in previous works, since only in the process of creating “Boiling Point” did I feel that I had reached the necessary level. But learning never stops, and I think the next album will be even better.
– Will the Western version of the new record be any different from the Russian one?
Druknroll (guitars, bass, keys): The Western version is absolutely no different from the Russian one, almost all the songs are in Russian. As an experiment, we made one thing in English.
– How did the process of writing the musical material go, and who participated in it?
K.: Andrey (Druknroll – editor’s note) is the main generator of ideas in the project. 90% of the musical ideas are his. Bass, guitars, keys — he also does them. My role is to cut off all the unnecessary and transform ideas into the form that is most pleasant for the potential listener. This is exactly what producers do in commercial projects. Drums usually appear intuitively during the recording process — almost everything is to the drummer’s taste. The last song on the album was an exception. It was mostly invented and made by me (there is a small tradition of making one song together with someone on the album), and Roman played drums instead of Petr.
– What thoughts or emotions would you like to convey with your album?
U.: We try to touch upon issues that are important to everyone and, individually, touch the soul of each listener!
– What does the cover symbolize?
U.: A man with red smoke coming out of his head (laughs).
D.: Yes, as Jester (our drummer until 2014) said, “When problems heat you up like a kettle, you start to boil and scream: “I’m fed up with all this shit!” And then, accordingly, your brain explodes.”
– Please tell us about the song “Defense of Sevastopol”. Did it acquire a certain subtext in connection with the recent events in Ukraine?
D.: Absolutely no subtext. The song and the video were made in the spring-summer of 2013, they reflect only historical events that took place more than 70 years ago. They are confirmed by a lot of documentary footage that we used in the video.
– You raise quite a variety of topics in your lyrics. In your opinion, is an artist capable of conveying something that he has not experienced himself?
D.: Probably yes. Here, rather, fantasy works more than anything else.
– Sometimes it seems that DRUKNROLL is not only the name of the band, but also a unique style?
K.: At first it seemed to me that there were cliches and elements of self-plagiarism in Druknroll’s work, but then I began to see positive aspects in this – by turning on any random track, you can confidently say – this is Druknroll. After all, not all bands are recognizable from the first notes. Whether someone will like it or not is another question, but the project has definitely acquired its own style.
– It seemed to me that some of your videos are imbued with self-irony?
D.: Perhaps, but we do everything from the heart. Maybe we lack experience in video creativity. The situation is that the videos were filmed independently (we wrote the scripts, filmed, edited, etc.). Of course, in this regard, we want to reach a new level.
– You have repeatedly appeared in foreign media. How did you manage to interest Western listeners?
U.: With our Ryazan mugs.
D.: Seriously, in my opinion, the lyrics are not important for a foreign listener. The main thing is the music itself and its presentation.
– How are things going with your concert activity?
D.: We are not currently involved in concert activity, we only work in the studio and shoot video clips. In the summer, we are planning to shoot a video for the new song “Beyond the Line”, and present it in the fall.
– There is something theatrical in your music. Have you ever wanted to create some kind of avant-garde project that has no analogues?
D.: If we give concerts, it will be more like a full-fledged show. It seems to me that just playing the material and that’s it is not very interesting. People want not only to listen, but also to watch. I like how the Svartstorm group is moving forward in terms of shows. They use a fire show at concerts, and the events are held at a higher, more interesting level.
– What would you like to wish to the readers of Rockcor?
K.: Search for and listen to a wide variety of music, without getting hung up on its style and origin, be it ambient or the music of Indian wedding orchestras. In distant and strange music you can hear much more interesting things than in the already familiar and hackneyed genres.
D.: Long live the Light Mitoool!!!