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1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Not much time has passed yet - so far we're excited and in disbelief that it's finally happened, actively promoting it on the web, monitoring the reactions of listeners and gathering feedback.
2.In August you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
On the one hand, in some sense we continue the course we took about ten years ago. On the other hand, the album is different from our previous records - we can say that it turned out to be heavier and more diverse in sound. On it you can hear both classic folk moves and alternative metal, which is not quite typical for us. Sympho, doom, leisurely rhythms and some fast ones - in general, it's a fiery cocktail.
3.The lyrics on the new album cover the various aspects of fire, can you tell us a little bit about about the songwriting that is presented on the new recording?
‘’Fire‘’ concept was the starting point, it was invented and proposed by our lyricist Mare Mirkie. First of all, each song's theme was worked out, what it is about, what it should have emotional colouring, sound, etc. After that we started to work: our guitarist Andrey Losev brought the arranged music, and then each member finalised his parts and added the final touches to the canvas. Some songs were composed by third-party composers. The lyrics were traditionally written to the arranged music.
4.A lot of your lyrics and the bands name comes from Slavic Paganism and Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
As far as paganism is concerned, we can say that we are not adherents of it, if you can catch motives consonant with it, it is only in our early songs. The themes of our songs are fantasy, fairy tales and a little bit of folklore, so mythology is closer, because all this is closely intertwined with each other. In general, we don't rely on something specific, but create our own universe with our own characters and stories.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The author of the cover art is artist Marina Potovichenko, whose works can also be seen on the releases of other famous russian artists. We can't say that there is any special story behind the cover art - we just thought over the variants and decided to choose this one, bright and minimalistic. By the way, the most attentive will notice that this lizard doesn't quite look like a real salamander, but that was the idea - it's primarily about a deity, a spirit of fire.
6.The band has been around since 1996, what is it that motivates you to keep going after almost 3 decades?
During this time we have changed our approach to music and band work several times to refresh our sound, and each time the result has given us confidence in our chosen path. We went through some serious crises when it seemed to be over, but we always found new incentives to continue. Also some new members gave the band a new breath. And in general, the more diverse things happen around us, the more incentive for growth and creativity.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
For a long time we only played at festivals, and they all seemed cool. The ones that have forever remained history are, for example, the legendary russian ‘Folk Summer Fest’. Of the modern ones - ‘Bylinnyi Bereg’, ‘Uletai’, ‘Imandra Viking Fest’. From the touring life we can remember a joint European tour with Arkona band in 2007, and also a big tour 2018-19 with the presentation of the album ‘Octagram’, when we travelled through the whole Russia from Lake Baikal, finishing in Central Europe.
As for our performances, we always try to make the show bright, dynamic and catchy - in this case we are helped by smoke, light, aggressive feeding and, of course, synchronised headbanging!
8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We are not planning any big tours. Next year, perhaps, we will play a few presentation concerts in major cities of our country - Moscow, St. Petersburg and some others.
9.The new album was self released while the band has worked with plenty of labels in the past, are you open to working with another label again in the future?
The music industry has changed quite a lot since we were working with labels. And today, as an independent underground band, we do not see any reason to ask for support from labels again. Although, of course, everything depends on the terms and details of co-operation - we are open to suggestions.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of folk metal?
We have quite a lot of fans all over the world, and if you believe the statistics of the streaming platforms, their number is constantly growing. For example, Spotify says that last year we were listened to in 137 countries. Foreign fans often write to us with words of gratitude and support, and some of them we know personally and communicate with. All in all, we like what we see.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
It's hard to say now, because we discuss such moments at the beginning of each album's production. The sound is also strongly influenced by the general theme of the songs and the chosen concept. So we never know where our experiments will take us next, but the signature features will certainly always be in our music!
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are listening to nowadays?
Our tastes are very diverse. We listen to music ranging from electronica and 70s heavy rock to hip-hop, post-punk and extreme metal. In our headphones, ABBA can be next to Gojira, and J-M Jarre and Metallica to Death and Billie Eilish. Of course, we try to follow the trends, not only in metal, but in general.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Take care of yourself and your family, listen to more good music and, of course, the new Alkonost album! \m/
http://www.youtube.com/antalkonost
https://www.facebook.com/alkonostband/https://www.instagram.com/alkonost_official/
https://t.me/alkonost
https://www.alkonost.ru/
https://alkonostrussia.bandcamp.com/album/--17
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