1.
Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Y. Werther - Well, Polyptych is a culmination of a variety of different influences, emotions and ideas. We see it as a medium to express ourselves in a way that is on a deeper intellectual level than what we are able to do in everyday life.
2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Y. Werther – It’s hard to just pin us to one subgenre of metal. For those who enjoy categories, we’ve been called death metal, black metal, or a hybrid of the two—blackened death. We’ve also had people say we sound like Behemoth, Emperor, older Morbid Angel etc., however, I think our sound is defined not by who we sound like but how we take our influences and implement them into our sound as opposed to “copying” a particular sound. Our musical sound is also highly defined by the emotive process that goes into our songwriting and also by the particular atmosphere (s) that we try to capture with our music.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Y. Werther – Well the lyrics on our first release “Panels Engraved” are sort of a metaphoric culmination of the emotions of what was going through my mind at the time. During this point I was going through a shitty patch in my life and my faith in humanity was weary. The topics range from questioning our existence to exploring the contrasts between existentialist thought and nihilistic thought. Imagine a paradise that is more dystopic than blissful—that is the core of “Panels Engraved”.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
Y. Werther – The name Polyptych (pronounced Puh – lip – tick) comes from types of paintings that are made up of smaller panels that on their own are beautiful art but together paint not only a picture but also a narrative of the content on the canvas. We picked this name because we feel that our music has the exact same effect of creating a full narrative. The original name of the band when I joined was “Warpiss” I thought it was hilarious but we knew we wanted to be more serious with this band after found what type of project this was shaping up to be.
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Y. Werther – Oddly enough we haven’t played any shows yet even though we’ve been a band since 2009. Shortly after I joined the band we decided to part ways with our original drummer. So for a long time it was just I and our other guitarist (S. Skopec). We focused on writing instead of finding a line up for shows. We still to this day don’t have drummer for live shows. We currently consist of S. Skopec, our bassist (F. Lato) who joined following “Panels Engraved,” and me. My other band, Austaras, was privileged to open for Dragged into Sunlight when they stopped here in Chicago. For me personally that was the best show I’ve played so far.
6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Y. Werther – Perhaps. Like I said we don’t have live drummer, only a studio drummer who lives on the east coast. Right now we are focusing on our sophomore album, which is shaping up to be different than “Panels Engraved” but in a great way. However, based on the success of this next album and if we can find a full time drummer that is agreeable enough to participate, we would love to begin playing shows.
7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or received any interest?
Y. Werther – We’ve had one small label show interest in us but we decided to pass it up because it didn’t suit our needs. We’d love to find a label that would help us get our music in to listener’s hands but our main priority right now is working on this next album. It would be great if a relatively bigger label showed interest in picking up this next album once it is released.
8, On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of blackened death metal?
Y. Werther – Overall I’d say it has been pretty well received for those who have heard it. I know I’ve had friends say that we could be big but we write music for our own enjoyment. However, we do still want to promote our music and get it out there because we firmly we believe that what we are doing is great, and if other people hear it, I am sure that many people would be able to relate to the themes we explore in our music.
9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Y. Werther – The direction of next release will definitely be slightly different but it will still be Polyptych. The first album was sort of a trial and error process as it was the first I ever wrote with another contributor, but along the way we’ve sort of found our niche and we expect a quicker turnaround time this time as well as some new exciting things. I don’t want to give away too much, but you can expect a larger fusion of different styles of metal, and also some more simplified (but still brutal, of course) sections that we felt the first album was lacking. This time around, it’s not only about the speed and technicality, but more about the raw emotion that comes from equilibrium between technicality and simplicity. So far, the writing process this time around has felt much more natural, and even more than the previous effort, is shaping up to be a total group effort—and I believe this will make all the difference for this release.
10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Y. Werther – For me personally I attribute my biggest influences on my writing style to people/bands like Ihsahn/Emperor, Rush, Burzum, Dragged into Sunlight, Bloodbath, Death, Tsjuder, etc. In terms of things I listen to it really depends on the mood. My heart lies with black metal bands particularly Emperor, Burzum, Darkthrone but I can be all over the place. I have really been spinning the Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, EBM bands like VNV Nation, Psyclon Nine, weird stuff like Chelsea Wolfe who melts my heart and others lately. There are also plenty of doom bands that influence us such as Bongripper, Ahab, and Evoken, to name a few. I know our bass player (Frank Lato) listens to a variety of music as well ranging from the aforementioned metal bands to post rock/metal bands like Isis, Explosions in the Sky, etc. to experimental artists like Bjork and Devin Townsend. So really, it’s great to see all these different influences come together as of late. Really, I’ll give anything a shot at least once. A band worth checking out that is going be big in a year or two is Autolarty. That band features our studio drummer who is exceptional along with some personal friends. If you’re looking for a solid black metal band they will do more than impress. Also, Encrust is a great band out of Chicago, with whom we are close friends. There is so much out there it is hard to know when to shut up about what I listen to.
11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Y. Werther – Well outside of music, I’d say art/architecture as it is my profession. I am huge hockey fan, specifically the Chicago Blackhawks. This time of year is my Christmas with playoff hockey happening. I can watch it all day.
12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Y. Werther – Yeah thanks for this opportunity to talk about ourselves, as well as helping us get the Polyptych name out there. Godspeed!
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