Keres Interview

 

1.For those who have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little about the band?

 Yes, gladly, Keres were born in 2015 from the ashes of another band, The Crying of Angels from the glacial meanders of the Val di Fassa. Having had a change in lineup, Hrymr,Ares and Astaroth decide to change the name of the band and propose with the musical project KERES some of their personal passions, mythology, Greek philosophy and the observation of the human condition. Keres' first album, Heresy is in fact a conceptual EP based on some themes of the ancient Greek world. Starting from the name KERES (demons that feed on the last breaths of warriors fallen on the battlefield) passing through the artwork with subjects such as the 3 Moira that weave the name of the band like a gordian knot, passing through the lyrics that transpose the main theme of the Greek myths with their peculiarities in the decadent modern world. I would say an interesting trip based on the fact that humans have not changed much over the millennia but tend to be victims, prisoners and executioners of themselves, prey to their own egocentricity; rarely judges except in tragic and inevitable moments such as the proximity of death . Themes that are then explored in depth, but without the Greek meaning also in the new full length Homo Homini Lupus. 

2.Your first full length will be released in February, how does it differ musically from your previous demos and EPs? 

Homo Homini Lupus differs from Heresy and the productions of The Crying of Angels mainly due to a different approach and musical 'maturity'. Let me explain: as you gradually listen to music and delve deeper into the subject of the emotional language that music does so well to transmit you make your personal emotions more accessible to the listener, the more listening experience you have, and the more varied the listening range, the greater your chances will be of producing songs that will be able to transport the listener into your inner world. It almost creates a sort of bond, it's a feeling of greater affinity between band and listener. In the band we all started listening to metal as kids, as we grew up everyone deepened their passion (not to say addiction) for music in their own limitless way, regardless of genre. This has led us more and more over the years to mix our individual roots and listening in the music that KERES produce. The previous productions were decidedly blacker... now the matrix remains, the violence and fury too, but the edges of the work are more jagged, the proposal is more transversal than in the past. So it's a more fun way than staying stuck in clichés. 

3.This is also your first release since 2016, can you tell us more about what happened in that time?

 I would say damn everything!!! Between lineup changes, real or presumed pandemic apocalypses, difficulties in having rehearsals, internal and external tensions within the band. For example: Exist for War risked being shelved because at a certain point we ran out of ideas, energy and patience with each other, we couldn't get out of it, it took us months to finish it. On some evenings the tension felt like an anvil on the head, but in the end given the hard head and the friendship that has bound us for a long time we brought home the song without deaths or injuries, hahaha. We are really proud of this song. We also brought home a great musician, Azrael the second axe. Heresy was played by a single guitarist (Astahrot), Lupus differently was conceived from the beginning with 2 guitars, and in Azrael's studio we spent fantastic evenings/nights of production associated with alcoholic waste and dementia. The classic evenings with friends where you enter the studio before dinner and leave at 3 in the morning... sometimes crawling. Then, the icing on the cake: Notrhakr on the drums with his Varus (he is sponsored by Varus Drums) who found the drum parts written, but we mutually decided that he would have the freedom of action needed to make the songs more violently tasty... well... just listen to the album to realize that the decision was right!! A real war machine!!! So I think, like everyone else, we have had great moments and down moments, but we are all still on board the KERES ensemble and we are fierce and excited like never before. 

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored with music so far?

 Death, life and pussy I would say! No..thinking only about pussy... Jokes aside, I have already mentioned something previously. Basically they are reflections on the human condition of constant conflict, without solutions that do not involve collateral bloodshed, hatred, pain that often lasts for generations, see the situations in Palestine, Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria exploded recently but were born and gangrenous in the previous decades; but without going particularly far given that we live in the border area we can mention the South Tyrolean situation which harks back to the 2nd world war and the twenty black years, we do not live in a situation of armed conflict but it has not always been like this, and the ethnic tension in some situations is clearly perceived. I could say that the lyrics basically talk about current events; of course, everything is filtered through the mind of our singer, Ares and his own vision, who once he has heard the arias of the songs decides what emotion listening triggers him and decides where to direct the story that will tell. Void and Silence clarifies Ares' worldview well. 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name "Keres"?

 As already mentioned, the choice comes from the need to change the name of the band and the desire to start a new era for us. A double separation had recently occurred with two musicians as well as dear friends who played in the band, it had been peaceful but had created a situation of suffering for us, so we drew on the world of Greek mythology for the new name. We decided to ' 'cannibalize ourselves' by deciding for KERES. As I was saying, they are demons who feed on the last gasps of warriors fallen on the battlefield, imaginatively we recognized ourselves in these entities given that we had emerged very exhausted from the situation just described and the project had risked to die. 

6.Can you tell us something more about the artwork presented on the cover of the new album? 

It refers to the concept of Homo Homini Lupus explored in depth by Hobbes regarding the dominant characteristic in the human being according to his (and our) vision. In some ways it can be linked to the secular bases of a certain Satanism, the concept of Me, Myself and I but to dissect the connections between the various lines of thought would take too long and this is not the right place. Like the previous artwork, it was created by Astahrot, who in addition to being a musician is a graphic artist and tattoo artist. He had the concept very clear in his head after we had all done a full immersion on the theme together, after discussing it he started with the graphics, he made some paintings at his home and then submitted his visions to us in oil on canvas. Astahrot always says that the artwork of Homo Homini Lupus is the representation of the Eternal Conflict and duality between human and beast. 

7.What are some of the best shows the band has played so far and how would you describe your performance on stage?

 Gladly, one of the best shows was playing with Aborted in Milan in 2019 loaded like missiles, or as an opener at Rotting Christ show in Verona the following year, or with friends Subhuman, Italian band that breaks down walls for sound and energy murderer!! The performances on stage have an anarchic quality, in the sense that we don't mess around with positions or movements previously chosen to impress. We let the energy flow freely, each in their own way, each member goes on their own personal journey while playing. What is very clear to us, when we are on stage we embody Ker's children, we channel anger and exorcise our personal demons by reliving music and lyrics in that exact moment, it has something cathartic if the evening is good. It goes without saying that we have fun like monkeys. 8. Do you have any tours or shows planned once the new album is released? There is clearly a release that we are working on but which I cannot talk about yet because we are evaluating a location that will be unforgettable for those who participate in the show. For now it is top secret stuff. The management is subsequently organizing dates in our neighboring Europe, and We're in the process of organizing a tour dedicated to the launch of Homo Homini Lupus. There's a lot of work at stake and we're pretty busy.

 9. Globally, how has the reaction to your music been from blackened death metal fans?

 The video for Eradicate the Infected Seed was very well received, as a single it gives a rather clear idea of the album but the best of the album is inside, we pushed ourselves to the best of our ability and in the songs in addition to the devastating impact there are quite a few gems hidden here and there for those with an attentive ear. We'll see the reaction once the album is released, February 23rd will be the day!! 

10.Where do you see the band going musically in the future? 

We're already playing around with riffs and new ideas, we don't like standing still, who knows about the future, it depends a lot on the mood in the group, the idea is to continue making violent stuff and playing live as much as possible compatible with parallel projects of the various members. Let me mention them to you as a spammer for a moment: Astahrot and I play in AnarcA, and Azrael plays in Aasar. You can find those band on the net. The mission is to carry the black word KERES as far and wide as possible and have fun playing our music.

 11.What are some of the bands or styles of music that band members currently listen to nowadays?

 Good question! Lately I've been listening a lot to Rivers of Nihil, Thy Art is Murder, Humanity Last Breath, Black Crown Initiate, Philip Glass, Haken, but my roots are between Pantera and Zeppelin, passing through King Crimson and arriving at Behemoth, Ares has always listened to more black than me, he started with Cradle of Filth in middle school and black is his path: Vader, Hate, Dark Funeral often appear in his playlists, but also the various projects of Devin Townsend and Rob Zombie . Astahrot is capable of moving from Pink Floyd to Lost Soul, from Aborted to Tool. Azrael has very different listens too, from death/death-core to black,to the Spongebob theme song. 

12.Before we end this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

 Of course! Give underground bands and independent labels a chance, never get tired of looking for good music. Ultimately it's about subtle, constant work of craftsmanship and tireless passion that leads musicians to do what they do. We KERES are sure to have a good album born with sweat, passion and blasphemies. It's not perfect perhaps but it lived up to the last note, it's engaging, brutal and violent, it's rude and doesn't respect clichés... then... all the proceeds will go to charity as for the pink panettone, the Tru*i dolls and the DP Easter eggs (any reference to subjects who actually existed and were registered in the register of suspects in Milan is coincidental).

 Skal!!

https://www.facebook.com/keresband/