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1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Aquib Rahman: We express the oblivious darkness of the psyche as an internal monologue that contradicts words and actions. We see the lies collectively believed without really understanding why they justify the greater good blindly. There is an ingrained assimilation of collective narcissism that tolerates no individuality. DISSENTOR is the mirror to this absurdity and the chaos within. It's the medium that lets us push our own boundaries within ourselves as to how we approach what we enjoy expressing most. As we started to collaborate as a two-piece, it became clearer that we are shedding our functioning within society. The ongoing hypocrisy will always fuel us to create our own meaning to condemn those who are weakened by self-inflicted deceit.
2. In April you had released your first ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
Aquib Rahman: The approach in Flagella was to be relentless and suffocating to blend darker elements of music, whether it’s black or death metal, or classical. Our focus was to strip down our influences while still paying homage to the inspirations we grew up listening to, and finally creating something we can say our own. I also focused more on developing a cohesive structure of how one song flows into another naturally, both through lyrics and composition.
3. The band has been around since 2020 but waited until 2025 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the song wait?
Aquib Rahman: As we began our remote collaboration in 2020, we immediately started looking out for drummers too. But all was in vain. I was also revising my approach to composing songs in standard A to standard E, to fit how Vedanta approaches his vocals. We would incessantly discuss our ideas, while I’d share countless drafts of riffs and arrangements. I had completed writing and arranging the songs I was finally satisfied with, back in 2022, along with Vedanta finishing up his vocals around the same time. I personally was in no hurry to release or even begin mixing without a drummer. As soon as Arun, our session bassist joined, he introduced us to many capable drummers who work remotely, of which, Krzysztof fit the best as he plays black and death metal so well. And since I mixed it, that also took some considerable time in terms of learning professionally and fitting into an extremely hectic schedule.
4. Most of the band members play in other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Dissentor' that you have not been able to do with your other groups?
Aquib Rahman: Well, we are primarily a two-piece act with a session bassist and drummer. From the beginning, Vedanta wanted to explore his own voice here outside his other acts that are primarily death metal and sludge-like. Arun, too, comes from a tech-death background with a Carnatic influence. These two members do not play or have a background in black metal of this kind at all, so their approaches are fresh yet very extreme and atonal. Krzysztof is versatile and can handle black and death metal very well. As far as songwriting goes, I develop them by myself and I haven’t played with anyone ever since 2011, but create/jam on my own. It gets convenient for me to focus on writing tracks entirely because there is nothing else musically to seep in. I get to build a theme from scratch upon what I discuss with Vedanta or draw in from his vocal ideas to write the lyrics; and later in recording we both change some phrases as required. Once I complete the riffs and drums in midi, I send them. This helps us create songs in a particular mindset, flowing from one source, that can be changed anytime when the other members are adding something unique beyond mere improvisation but reworking as needed. I tend to revise parts of songs in the process, but the core remains the same without much change, and ultimately, Vedanta and I decide whether we like it enough or not to be in the record. So being too selective without that plurality of decision-making works for us.
5. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
Aquib Rahman: The EP’s arc is on reversing St. Augustine’s thought on the justified wrath of God, perverting the duality into a singularity of accepting evil. Underneath it, is how one starts believing in the metaphysical, scripting their imprints on their descendants to live life in pessimism and resentment. Even prayers begin to manifest evil which they can’t fathom, as they only wish death and an afterlife or reincarnation, the final reward of a purgatory that guides them to more sin, while the judgment of the Defiler awaits. They still justify this wrath, in eternal submission.
6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dissentor'?
Aquib Rahman: DISSENTOR is the heretic’s condemnation of any deceitful belief harbored against individualism. It’s against all kinds of theism that institutionalizes meaningful expression because of a subconscious hive-mind that is unknowingly determined to go to Puritanical lengths to subdue that is not understood on the surface.
7. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
Aquib Rahman: Flagella’s artwork is meant to be more direct than the lyrics. It magnifies the suffering as a gluttony of belief that neither martyrdom nor enlightenment cannot even solve. Reaching for the heavens while suffocating others through their own sacrifices of the eternal hunger to worship and fill their cups of salvation is the deception they all will carry forever, even after death. They give meaning to what they want to witness, and force others in the process.
8. The band members live in both India and Poland, what impact does this long distance from the band members have on the musical style that you play?
Aquib Rahman: Great question. Three of us are from different parts of India, and we are pretty far apart. While Vedanta keeps coming to Delhi once or twice a year, I haven’t met Arun in real life. But we all share a common thread to play agonizingly heavy music. Krzysztof, being in Poland, fits through his capabilities through his years of playing like us all. Since, I solely write, it’s up to all the prolific members to merge their own styles in unexpected ways, and so far, this approach is what we intend to keep.
9. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Aquib Rahman: For the moment, we haven’t reached out to any label, as we wanted to do it all alone by ourselves. I, particularly, did not want to get to any, even though there are many good ones I follow and support. The EP run time is short, it may not be feasible with some, and we certainly did not want to get into a split release, as was suggested by one from Mexico. We chose to self-release and just promote it through Peter from SolidRockPR without asking for any label lookout as well. But for the future, we may be open to a good one whose vision matches our ethos.
10. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Aquib Rahman: It has been quite interesting and honest so far. Many do consider us mostly black metal, and we have found fans and listeners in France, Spain, Netherlands, parts of South America, Sweden, and Finland.
11. What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Aquib Rahman: Oh, they are quite active with their releases. I believe Arun is in multiple projects besides heading his main tech-death project, Moral Collapse, while regularly playing live and recordings. Vedanta too has finished his vocal duties with his death metal band, Third Sovereign, for some new future material. Krzysztof, on the other hand, is busy with his other extreme metal collaborations across the world and lessons as far as I’m aware of.
12. When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Aquib Rahman: I have begun writing new songs for our full-length. At the moment, we are setting up an approximate timeline of two to three years for the next one. This probably should take us less time, as the same line-up will continue, and we won’t have to go to headhunting another member. Our future sound will be more extreme and more focused, as we are now more grounded to the sound and the member dynamics we were looking for and are comfortable with.
13. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Aquib Rahman: Slayer is my all-time favourite, but I personally have influences of Master, Profanatica, Desecresy, Adramelech, Absu, Disma, and earlier Deicide, Dissection, and Morbid Angel. Besides metal, I can always enjoy western classical music, especially Mozart and Wagner. These last few weeks, I’ve been re-listening to the Demoncy’s last work, Beherit’s live album, and Imprecation. Other than me, Vedanta has influences of Iron Maiden and heavy metal while Arun is more into technical death metal bands, such as Cryptopsy and Cynic.
14. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Aquib Rahman: Thank you for having us here, and for your review. I would encourage anyone bogged down by life’s struggles to be resilient and face challenges head on without desperately trying to escape the absurdity. Destroy others’ self-serving lies!
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