It’s cool when bands make the first step if you know that I’m meaning. When some band somehow finds me and asks about promos then I’ll really try to do it… yeah, really - if it’s a doom band of course. I’ve found message from Nonsun in my mailbox a month or two ago so let me introduce you this drone / sludge band from Ukraine. Bogdan Goatooth plays guitars, bass and sings in Nonsun, today he also answers my questions. I would like to thank him for his patience – much appreciated. And wait a moment, go and check their bandcamp, “Rain Have Mercy” is bloody great song.
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Hi Bogdan! How are you? Wouldn't mind if we start with a question about the forming of Nonsun?
Hi Alex, thank you for the interest in Nonsun!
It all started in the summer of 2011 with the jam-sessions in a pretty spacious basement rehearsal hall. We loved the acoustics of the hall. The sound seemed to tell us what and how to play. We with Alpha (drummer) got eager to try to create something in these inspiringly damp gloomy conditions and then record a few tracks for the demo. We immediately agreed to that in the first place the creative process should be interesting and "heady" for both of us. Today I can say that we really enjoyed it.
How you came to understanding of what musical form Nonsun will function in?
From the beginning we were planning to do something experimental, limited only by boundaries "heavy" and "slow." We tried to feel what a certain song was requiring, and to develop its own atmosphere, "story." At first we didn’t clearly imagine the form which our music will finally take, and came to it kinda naturally, empirically, I’d say.
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Your music borders spread between the pretty confident sludge and noisy-distorted drone, and while the first rocks well, the latter due to the prevalence of dissonance is a tough listen. Don’t you have a desire to do one thing?
It’s interesting that many point out sludge or drone, while I, for example, see our music primarily as doom. This is doom, which has come a long way from Sabbath through the development of traditional doom and to death-doom, funeral, sludge, stoner, drone, touching a bit of post-metal, collecting along the way and taking in all these influences. I think, on our album one can find the traces of all these branches. But that’s another question – to make this extract more digestible, or, shall we say, to give more individual features to the form... We have to work on that. Honestly, there is no desire to play “pure” sludge or stoner etc.
Let's take the first song on your release – "Jesus' Age", it belongs to that category of songs about which they speak "for a genre-freak"; the track is long, heavy, ugly, again, thanks to noise-effects. At the same time, the second song "Rain Have Mercy" sounds cleaner (though it isn't less heavy), is melodic, catchy, and it really has an accurate structure. In my opinion, this breaks the integrity of the album. What do you think?
First, let’s not forget that it’s only a demo. Secondly, the integrity of an album is a bit relative thing. I, for example, love Melvins, Boris with their experimental and eclectic works. But I agree that, after all, as for being EP, the album turned out too "motley", or so. Although, I’d like to note, that spiritually it is one whole. With all those mood changes, but it has that “unifying” atmosphere. In one of the reviews it’s been well described as an "emotional journey".
Besides Melvins and Boris, what else has influenced Nonsun? And how difficult is to record a noise stuff? You mentioned about the "jam in the basement", and I’d like to find out from you, as directly from the author, how much consciously are being written noise elements and how realistic is it then to reproduce them live?
This is an interesting question, because if there was something "difficult", it related with doing those more traditional pieces. All the experimental parts went kinda naturally, without a pressure, they were recorded almost without preliminary "trainings", it was quite simple to enter into the necessary state of "a conscious trance". This is in view of the fact that we made this kind of music for the first time. This experience has brought a lot of fun and a real creative high. How realistic is to reproduce this kind of improvisation live? I think they shouldn’t be performed exactly "as is" on the record, the main thing is to convey the same mood, the spirit, the atmosphere. You need to enter in the same mental state, “feel” the song when you’re playing it. Of course, this is applicable and desirable for all kinds of music, but in this case, a "deeper dive" is required. It’s always a creative challenge, and it's exciting. But again, this was only our first practice of this kind, and we don’t overestimate the result of these our experiments and improvisations. As for musical influences, I won’t stand out if I say that they’re plenty and they go beyond a particular style or genre, blah-blah. But if we talk about the time before and during the writing and recording of the album, we were listening mostly to drone doom, post-metal, stoner, sludge and similar stuff. To name a few: Earth, Isis, Kodiak, Black Shape Of Nexus, Omega Massif, Pelican, Horseback, Eyehategod, Grief, Triptykon, Electric Wizard, Ufomammut, Sons Of Otis, Nadja...
The third track "Message Of Nihil Carried By The Waves Of The Big Bang". It's not as much ‘drone’, as it is ‘noise’. I know drone bands that really know how to experiment and do their experiments interesting for the listener, but, okay, let's say – do you often listen to this song? Are you proud of this track?
Initially, three tracks were to be included in the album. However, there was more stuff remained out of the recording sessions, particularly some drone-feedback improvisations. When the three main songs were mixed, the transition between “Rain Have Mercy” and “Forgotten Is What Never Was” seemed too sharp, abrupt. The third track “Message Of Nihil...” made this transition smoother and logical. But I have to emphasize that this track itself isn't “meaningless”. Yeah, it’s a "tough listen" and demands a certain attitude at perception. Of course, with no claims to being a drone-masterpiece, but it belongs here and is self-sufficient. By the way, I’ve only once or twice (and not fully) listened to the album after completion of work on it. Still can’t recover from all that mixing process))
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Haha, and do you like it? What do you find for yourself in this music?
Well, I always have a problem with listening to my own music, you know… At first I was satisfied with the demo for about 50%, now about 70%. That's a lot)) Perhaps, the positive feedback from other people somehow raised my rating. I think, I can be more or less objective later, when the "dust settles". However, I dare to agree with those who say that we’ve managed to create a truly «heavy as fuck» sound, and that our approach to the "heavy" is, at least, interesting.
"Forgotten Is What Never Was", the last song, is performed in the key close to the funeral doom, and like the previous tracks creates an atmosphere of hopelessness and gloom, the end. What's it about? What are your songs about? Lyrics have value for you or are they just... so that there was something to roar?
Lyrics definitely have a great value for me; I always put very important subjects in them. On “Good Old Evil” there aren’t a lot of lyrics, they’re quite simple, but deep.
“Forgotten Is What Never Was” tells that the memories (as well as expectations) often have the illusive nature, they cheat, embellish past events, filling them with a meaning which they didn’t have in fact. If you realize this, you lose the past. But also the present won't get added. Deception serves as a support. "Sun, blind me and lead me". Before I go all too melodramatic, I’ll tell that the working title of the song was “The Ritual Post-Apocalyptic March of the Living Dead”.
I recently asked one newcomer band this question, but in your case it is just as relevant. What distinguishes Nonsun from other bands? What do you have to attract the listener’s attention?
Too early to say, so far we’re just trying to build our own sound. But I’d like to say, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the attention which the demo already drew. Probably, here there's some merit of that "diversity", "integrity" of the album, haha. People praise and criticize, some like one side of the material, others love other side, and so on. But the demo attracts attention, and it is important for the beginning project, which Nonsun is.
What are your plans for the near future?
We gradually compose a new stuff. There are many ideas, what we need to do now is to select those that are "facing the same direction". We have a desire to make the next release more monolithic, but at the same time without sacrificing an experimental approach.
Well, the answer is accepted! Good luck in Nonsun’s future work – make the right choice!
Thanks, Alex, for your kind words and for the interesting questions. We thank everyone who took some time and read this interview, and perhaps even listened to our music. Hope that we could have something to intrigue you, and we’ll try to keep doing so in the future. Good luck to everyone!
Interview By Aleks
Bandcamp
Facebook
Hi Bogdan! How are you? Wouldn't mind if we start with a question about the forming of Nonsun?
Hi Alex, thank you for the interest in Nonsun!
It all started in the summer of 2011 with the jam-sessions in a pretty spacious basement rehearsal hall. We loved the acoustics of the hall. The sound seemed to tell us what and how to play. We with Alpha (drummer) got eager to try to create something in these inspiringly damp gloomy conditions and then record a few tracks for the demo. We immediately agreed to that in the first place the creative process should be interesting and "heady" for both of us. Today I can say that we really enjoyed it.
How you came to understanding of what musical form Nonsun will function in?
From the beginning we were planning to do something experimental, limited only by boundaries "heavy" and "slow." We tried to feel what a certain song was requiring, and to develop its own atmosphere, "story." At first we didn’t clearly imagine the form which our music will finally take, and came to it kinda naturally, empirically, I’d say.
It’s interesting that many point out sludge or drone, while I, for example, see our music primarily as doom. This is doom, which has come a long way from Sabbath through the development of traditional doom and to death-doom, funeral, sludge, stoner, drone, touching a bit of post-metal, collecting along the way and taking in all these influences. I think, on our album one can find the traces of all these branches. But that’s another question – to make this extract more digestible, or, shall we say, to give more individual features to the form... We have to work on that. Honestly, there is no desire to play “pure” sludge or stoner etc.
Let's take the first song on your release – "Jesus' Age", it belongs to that category of songs about which they speak "for a genre-freak"; the track is long, heavy, ugly, again, thanks to noise-effects. At the same time, the second song "Rain Have Mercy" sounds cleaner (though it isn't less heavy), is melodic, catchy, and it really has an accurate structure. In my opinion, this breaks the integrity of the album. What do you think?
First, let’s not forget that it’s only a demo. Secondly, the integrity of an album is a bit relative thing. I, for example, love Melvins, Boris with their experimental and eclectic works. But I agree that, after all, as for being EP, the album turned out too "motley", or so. Although, I’d like to note, that spiritually it is one whole. With all those mood changes, but it has that “unifying” atmosphere. In one of the reviews it’s been well described as an "emotional journey".
Besides Melvins and Boris, what else has influenced Nonsun? And how difficult is to record a noise stuff? You mentioned about the "jam in the basement", and I’d like to find out from you, as directly from the author, how much consciously are being written noise elements and how realistic is it then to reproduce them live?
This is an interesting question, because if there was something "difficult", it related with doing those more traditional pieces. All the experimental parts went kinda naturally, without a pressure, they were recorded almost without preliminary "trainings", it was quite simple to enter into the necessary state of "a conscious trance". This is in view of the fact that we made this kind of music for the first time. This experience has brought a lot of fun and a real creative high. How realistic is to reproduce this kind of improvisation live? I think they shouldn’t be performed exactly "as is" on the record, the main thing is to convey the same mood, the spirit, the atmosphere. You need to enter in the same mental state, “feel” the song when you’re playing it. Of course, this is applicable and desirable for all kinds of music, but in this case, a "deeper dive" is required. It’s always a creative challenge, and it's exciting. But again, this was only our first practice of this kind, and we don’t overestimate the result of these our experiments and improvisations. As for musical influences, I won’t stand out if I say that they’re plenty and they go beyond a particular style or genre, blah-blah. But if we talk about the time before and during the writing and recording of the album, we were listening mostly to drone doom, post-metal, stoner, sludge and similar stuff. To name a few: Earth, Isis, Kodiak, Black Shape Of Nexus, Omega Massif, Pelican, Horseback, Eyehategod, Grief, Triptykon, Electric Wizard, Ufomammut, Sons Of Otis, Nadja...
The third track "Message Of Nihil Carried By The Waves Of The Big Bang". It's not as much ‘drone’, as it is ‘noise’. I know drone bands that really know how to experiment and do their experiments interesting for the listener, but, okay, let's say – do you often listen to this song? Are you proud of this track?
Initially, three tracks were to be included in the album. However, there was more stuff remained out of the recording sessions, particularly some drone-feedback improvisations. When the three main songs were mixed, the transition between “Rain Have Mercy” and “Forgotten Is What Never Was” seemed too sharp, abrupt. The third track “Message Of Nihil...” made this transition smoother and logical. But I have to emphasize that this track itself isn't “meaningless”. Yeah, it’s a "tough listen" and demands a certain attitude at perception. Of course, with no claims to being a drone-masterpiece, but it belongs here and is self-sufficient. By the way, I’ve only once or twice (and not fully) listened to the album after completion of work on it. Still can’t recover from all that mixing process))
Well, I always have a problem with listening to my own music, you know… At first I was satisfied with the demo for about 50%, now about 70%. That's a lot)) Perhaps, the positive feedback from other people somehow raised my rating. I think, I can be more or less objective later, when the "dust settles". However, I dare to agree with those who say that we’ve managed to create a truly «heavy as fuck» sound, and that our approach to the "heavy" is, at least, interesting.
"Forgotten Is What Never Was", the last song, is performed in the key close to the funeral doom, and like the previous tracks creates an atmosphere of hopelessness and gloom, the end. What's it about? What are your songs about? Lyrics have value for you or are they just... so that there was something to roar?
Lyrics definitely have a great value for me; I always put very important subjects in them. On “Good Old Evil” there aren’t a lot of lyrics, they’re quite simple, but deep.
“Forgotten Is What Never Was” tells that the memories (as well as expectations) often have the illusive nature, they cheat, embellish past events, filling them with a meaning which they didn’t have in fact. If you realize this, you lose the past. But also the present won't get added. Deception serves as a support. "Sun, blind me and lead me". Before I go all too melodramatic, I’ll tell that the working title of the song was “The Ritual Post-Apocalyptic March of the Living Dead”.
I recently asked one newcomer band this question, but in your case it is just as relevant. What distinguishes Nonsun from other bands? What do you have to attract the listener’s attention?
Too early to say, so far we’re just trying to build our own sound. But I’d like to say, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the attention which the demo already drew. Probably, here there's some merit of that "diversity", "integrity" of the album, haha. People praise and criticize, some like one side of the material, others love other side, and so on. But the demo attracts attention, and it is important for the beginning project, which Nonsun is.
What are your plans for the near future?
We gradually compose a new stuff. There are many ideas, what we need to do now is to select those that are "facing the same direction". We have a desire to make the next release more monolithic, but at the same time without sacrificing an experimental approach.
Well, the answer is accepted! Good luck in Nonsun’s future work – make the right choice!
Thanks, Alex, for your kind words and for the interesting questions. We thank everyone who took some time and read this interview, and perhaps even listened to our music. Hope that we could have something to intrigue you, and we’ll try to keep doing so in the future. Good luck to everyone!
Interview By Aleks
Bandcamp