1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Orbseven is a solo project out of South Texas. It’s a very experimental project that grounds itself in extreme metal. There are different approaches that make up the sounds of Orbseven such asambient and trance-like segments but the foundation will always be metal.
2. Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Each album is quite different from the other and they each have their own character. With the new album ".ismos." I went further into the ambient side of Orbseven than the metal side to the point where it could actually be a precise split of a 50/50 metal/ambient album. With the first album "The Linear Divide", it was really my first attempt at doing something alone and not in a competitive band setting. And 90% of the material was already written by the time I started recording.
So it has this very primitive and dirty sound to it. The music itself is a sound combination of death and black metal in that it’s pretty raw and gritty but it has its progressive elements here and there.
There's also a sort of mechanical feel to it I think with the integration of subtle electronics. With "Fall Below the Earth" I basically made everything "The Linear Divide" is times 10. It’s faster, and slower. It's more avant-garde but more "extreme" at the same time. I experimented a bit more with ambient soundscapes and a spacier vibe. It’s quite an exhausting album I think, for better or worse. Lots of listeners didn’t get it. At times I'm not sure if I even got it. Feedback on the first album was more positive than the second album by a long shot. It's just a lot to take in. But I’m really proud of that album and surprisingly I listen to that one more
than the others. After the grit of "The Linear Divide" and the chaos that is "Fall Below the Earth" I started feeling like I wanted to create material that breathed a little more. And when I listen to those albums, I always look forward to those open and ambient segments. So the idea to possibly do an album that was reflective of those areas of exploration for Orbseven started coming to mind. And luckily for me, it flowed out of me naturally. ".ismos." was the easiest to record. It's the easiest to take in and listen to.
3.The project has been around for almost 10 years but so far has only put out 3 albums, can you tell us a little bit more about the delays between releases?
Well Orbseven is my main creative outlet in life so I have to be in the mood to do it. My profession takes up most of my time so doing anything creative like Orbseven has to be done with care and the right timing. The first two albums each took 3-4 years to complete for various reasons. And I tend to take breaks throughout production which then becomes problematic because I tend to second guess myself when it comes to how something should sound. The actual songwriting is the easiest part while the lyrics are my biggest hurdle which then takes up quite a good amount of time…weeks and months actually. ".ismos."
was released almost exactly 2 years after "Fall Below the Earth" and that’s because I took about a year and a half away from Orbseven, and literally started writing new material one day and 6 months later the album was done. It happened very quickly by Orbseven standards.
Hopefully that trend will continue.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?
That all depends on the album. "The Linear Divide" was focused on my internal struggles...an album about me basically. "Fall Below the Earth" had a core idea and that was our inability to see outside of our own existence. And I mean that in a general sense. Lifestyles, beliefs, attitudes...all things absolute and mundane. With ".ismos." it’s a bit of that but with more about clarity, awakening, and the awareness of being connected to each other.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Orbseven'?
7 has always been my favorite number. In my opinion, it’s an irregularnumber. There's something that’s very kinetic about it. It encompasses a sort of strange and unexplainable energy to it. I wanted it incorporated into the name.
6.With this project you record everything solo, do you feel this givesyou more room to be creative with your musical style?
Absolutely. I've been in bands before and there is that sense of having to be compatible with your fellow band mates. Lots of compromising and lots of reliance. I was done with that and I had the interest of seeing exactly what my mind could come up with. I'm a highly imaginative person, and so I needed to have my own musical outlet and creative release.
7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
It’s not a huge importance of mine, but it would be nice. I'm horrible at self-promotion. Orbseven has been around 10 years and yet I still have yet to do much promotion. Most people who know me don’t even know
Orbseven exists because it’s sort of my best kept secret. I like it that way. So to really have Orbseven reach out to more people someone else would have to do that because I’m certainly not in the mindset to
broadcast Orbseven very well.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of ambient, black and death metal?
Inconsistent. Some people really dig it, and then some don’t get it.
I'll admit, Orbseven isn’t exactly a consistent project. Every song sounds different from the previous, and every album is different than its predecessor. Quite honestly, each album could have been released with a different band name...so you're never going to know what you're going to get with Orbseven. Again, "The Linear Divide" was received with mostly favorable reviews, "Fall Below the Earth" people either
loved it or disliked it. It’s too early to tell with ".ismos." but so far I've had nothing but positive things said about it, both by word of mouth and by reviews.
9.Are you also involved with any other musical projects?
A couple on the horizon, but nothing has begun just yet.
10.Where do you see your self heading into musically during the future?
I wish I could answer that. In all honesty, I do think Orbseven will head back to the aggressive style for the next album because to do two albums of the same style back-to-back doesn’t seem very Orbseven-ish.
But who knows?
11.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?
Morbid Angel and Immolation are my biggest extreme metal influences.
There is something just very organic about their songwriting. Then of course I draw inspiration from other types of music and artists from ambient, darkwave, world music etc…
Lately I've been listening to Elder, Bolzer, Dodsengel, Rainbow, and the latest releases from Anathema "Distant Satellites" which is phenomenal, and Judas Priest "Redeemer of Souls" which is better than
I anticipated. And I'm the biggest Priest fan so...
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
lots of art
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Look for a video in the coming weeks. Possibly 2 videos.
And of course thank you for the interview and support. Orbseven can be found on Facebook, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp.
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