Elitist Records keep churning out quality releases. Among those is a particular band that goes by the name of Forest Stream. Hailing from Russia, these guys create some of the finest black/doom metal I've heard in quite some time. I contacted band member Sonm to talk about some issues surrounding the somewhat mysterious Forest Stream and their debut album "Tears of Mortal Solitude." As you'll see, Sonm provided me with more than adequate answers and many, many surprises along the way that make this quite an interesting interview!

Allan 'Enigma'


To start, I'd just like to say that I was more than pleased with "Tears Of Mortal Solitude." A great listen, if I may say so. If you could just start by giving us a brief overview of Forest Stream and their history?

To start, we'd like to thank you very much for what you have said about our band. You feel much better every time you hear people say good things about what you do, no matter how shitty your day is! So, thanks a lot. As for our history, well, there is not much we could tell you and we could tell you really a lot at the same time. Some moments we've been through could seem to be really funny, but most of them hardly can summon anybody's smile. I (Sonm) met Omin in 1995 and we decided to start a band due to a lack of good music. Without any doubt the nineties were a great time with some of the greatest bands ever. Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir and others were inspiring us but we needed something different. Katatonia wasn't heavy enough, My Dying Bride was too slow, Emperor was almost about what we wanted but a bit over-complicated, and Dimmu Borgir was, on the other hand, too simple! So, the golden middle was finally found and we called it Forest Stream. I am not saying we are something in between these bands; it is just sort of a feeling we get from our music.

So during the summers of 1996-1998, Omin and I were building houses and making money to buy some equipment for the band. Being not very welcome by the local authorities we had to build our own place for rehearsals, a garage that reminds me of some kind of a catacomb. Anyway, we were playing facing hills of rubbish and rotten vegetables, because we weren't really lucky with the place, and soon after the garage was built some assholes made a scrap yard right in front of our gates. That was kind of inspiring too! I don't think any Western band can say they have experienced something like that. Yeah, some black metal guys could burn local churches or kill someone, or had just problems with cops or something. I bet rotten potatoes, rats, rain, and human indifference annoyed nobody, but us. I'll never forget the day when we finished our garage. We were sitting and playing Omin's ancient acoustic guitar cause that time we had no electricity, just concrete and rime, as well as those morons, who have stolen almost everything in 5 months after we completed the studio. That was pretty tough time though. After we got robbed we stuck a dog's skull against the wall right above the garage gate and swore to fight until the end. Fortunately, Omin kept his guitar at home so we sat down to record our first demo called "Snowfall."

That demo was meant to be our visiting card for local clubs, but we then decided to send it to webzines and labels just for fun. The message we got from the music and especially the production was pretty clear to us: "Maybe you are good people, but your stuff sucks!" To our surprise we got a lot of good responses including a short message from Italian label Code666: "We could have a deal if you would re-record your stuff guys!" But instead of doing that we rushed to record our second demo called "The Last Season Purity" and somehow something went wrong, so Code666 said they were disappointed with that. Personally I couldn't believe that. The new songs were the way better that the ones from "Snowfall." In fact they still are!

Being damn depressed we had no choice but to upload everything on mp3.com and then to hang ourselves on the huge tree in front of our house. While making a good rope, we were also playing live in Moscow and its region and then got a very strange message from somebody called Lee Barrett... (damn that's already a lot)... so to keep it short, he offered us a deal and we got signed to the brand new division of Earache he started, Elitist Records. After being unconscious for about one month (we were damn happy!) we finally got to work on our first album, "Tears of Mortal Solitude." And here we are!

What where you trying to achieve with "Tears Of Mortal Solitude"?

Well, one could think about some messages to the mankind, some black magic interference with the parallel universe, but I'd say that we weren't trying to achieve anything special. It is just like you wake up and say "what a nice day!" Our album just says, "Look, life is more complicated than you think it is." It depends on the listener. Some would hear just music, some more than just a couple of not very bad tunes, and others simply wouldn't like it at all. Music is a creature. I don't think nature achieves anything particular with every bird, butterfly, spider, etc. They live for some supreme idea none of us are aware of.

What's the most important thing to Forest Stream? Emotion, atmosphere, musicianship, originality, or is it something else?

Again, that depends on the listener. What drives you when you make friends? Some kind of sympathy, I think. I prefer to consider my band as a living thing. It is interactive. The more you give the more you get out of it. But after all, I think that we have a special feature. We play an intelligent music. That's the most important thing. At least that's what we are trying to do. I don't know whether it is successful or not but that's what I would call our main goal.

When listening to Forest Stream, you can pick up on some influences. Who or what do you think has had the biggest influence on shaping the sound of Forest Stream?

Our parents, our friends, our country, our climate, Emperor, Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Septic Flesh, Dimmu Borgir, Endura, Lustmord, Diabolical Masquerade and classical music. So if you would mix everything adding some pepper, patakis, garlic, onion and beer and fry it for about half an hour, the output will be worth to be called Forest Stream! I don't know. We have a lot of influences, but which one is the most striking... that's damn difficult to say. Probably the situation when we were stuck with the band without money and others were provided with everything to play their nazi shit. That was really like a cloud burst.

How have those influences changed over the years? How have things changed for you guys since you started out in 1995? Or at least from your first demo which didn't appear until quite some time after.

I can't say that they've changed quite much. Probably the changes are more up to us: our self-development, feeling and understanding of music in particular and in common. Personally, now I'm more into classical music and monk choirs. Somehow that just blows me away, and I'd like to try something like that in future. I mean combining several things together. First, of course, we have to find monks who will agree to sing blasphemous songs. Don't be surprised if we end up like a gang of mad heretics! By the way, any idea about how a sinful flesh goes with a fire? Hope they are not that friendly to each other! As for the second part of the question, well, many years have passed. Now we are old and fat. We all have families and at least ten kids. Sometimes we meet each other to watch some stupid movies or have to go to a barbeque picnic. Wait, what am I talking about? Well, that's not about us, really! I should switch my TV off! Actually we are still young and very often hungry. What is being 23-24 years old? It is just about to deal with your acceleration-pedal only. We still don't think about the brakes. Many things have changed of course, but they are not about the music.

As I understand, your debut album "Tears Of Mortal Solitude" is actually the first part of a trilogy. Please explain what this trilogy is and what it means, as well as what it represents.

Okay. It's all rather weird and complicated. There is some mystery in it. Omin and I were behind everything, which is now called Forest Stream. And you know, it wasn't just about the music we liked or we were going to play. There was some kind of an idea about what the whole story was about. We needed to play because we were lacking ordinary words for saying what we wanted. So our music became an additional tool for our self-expression. And at the same time my mother and sister got into religion. I was totally screwed by that and kind of created this opposition. Of course you know what would be the best opposition for the Christianity. But then when I got older I understood that both ways are way much too stupid. The Devil and Christ are just one stupid fairy-tale, but we say that a fairy-tale has a link to the truth. And then I simply decided to listen to my heart and also to the surrounding world. You know, maybe I am sick but what I was totally blown away by what I have managed to hear. A soft melody, which I have never ever heard before was streaming down from everywhere: the trees around me, the skies, the sun. That made me think of the third truth. It was like somebody invisible said to me, "Yes, one can think about the God and Devil, one can believe to what the Bible says, but wouldn't be that ridiculous to live according the words of a guy who used to live 2000 years ago?" The world is changing every day and it has nothing to do with what people used to think about God or Devil. Moreover, what they think of them doesn't make them that. Just open your heart for your eyes to see. Then with nightfall that soft melody turned into a majestic choir. I don't know. That time has changed me completely, and since that the darkness attracts me more. That's just the way I feel. And I have more sympathy for the dark religions than for Christian stuff. I mean I am not religious, but my way of living and understanding things is more close to what would be the opposite to the cross.
And that's what the trilogy for. Three constituents of the darkness, beckoning, enigmatic, and calling: the darkness, which never fails to excite. It is full of emotions, feelings and music telling you about the universe. Pure Sorrow, Majesty and ultimate Fury or Hate, Demons bringing the thirst to develop further on, to fight over and over for the knowledge. The physical evolution is over, yet the mental one has yet to begin. One can get it as he wishes, enough said.

Elitist Records is kind of made a name for itself as being a label that signs bands that are a little bit more original, or bands that bring something new to the scene. How do you think you fit into that equation?

You know, we have a good saying in Russia: every new thing is just a well-forgotten old one! That's how it works. We are not trying to fit any equations. We just play what we like, what is in our thoughts. Maybe that's new, considering that huge wave of commercialization. We don't care about money at all, cause we all have good jobs to live. Music is a real hobby for all of us and we are doing music just for music and just because of music. But "singing scientists" is funny and interesting as well. Maybe that works even better! So, honestly I just don't know how it is. They just pick us up, maybe because we are original having no originality among all the extremely original bands? Indeed if you have a lot of multi-colored chickens the white one would be the most visible! No I mean, that would be the case for sure! I just hope that we are not picked up for a soup!

What do you think of the other bands on Elitist?

We respect them all no matter whether we like what they play or not. We think they are excellent people and support them. Hope they get only better in time. Lee Barrett has created a good family atmosphere! But some of his kids are so crazy, because they spend too much time on quantum physics.

Because you're doing a trilogy of albums, should we expect each one to follow the same style, or does Forest Stream plan on reinventing themselves with each album?

Aha! And what if I refuse to answer? Hah! No, I really would like to keep that tiny secret. Let's put it that way. They will be different! The third CD will close the circle. But all of them are different parts of one substance. Do you remember the ancient Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato? They were proposing the four-five elements: Water, Air, Fire, Earth, (Ether), and we propose Sorrow, Majesty, Hate. That's our own philosophy we live according to, so none of these items to be raised twice.

How important is it for you guys to progress as a band and not write the same album over and over?

There is no sense to write the same album over and over again. You live and you see how everything is changing around, and you change too. There's no way to repeat what was written if it goes from your heart. And one more thing: we decided to make things separate. The whole concept was created long before the band was found. So many things are still to be said.

What lyrical concepts does Forest Stream like to cover?

The answer is humanity, individuality, which is about to vanish forever. People are losing their names, their faces. So many lives are just wasted. Every day you read about hundreds and thousands of people dying all over the world just to get substituted with others. That's my opinion though, and most of people think differently I think, but I feel that some magic is fading away from the world. Something is already missing. This fragile between good and evil is about to be upset, because somehow people started to judge what is good and what bad without thinking about that. Trust me, the response from the balancing force will come soon. I am dealing with the laws of the nature every day, and I am 100% sure that if something runs out of control, it is to be fixed. But somehow it always costs a lot of human lives. That's what we sing about. The humanity, which is about to be lost...

Lastly question: what's been the best thing about getting your band signed to a respectable record label and finally getting a debut album out?

That's simple! It is just great when you feel someone likes or needs what you do. That makes you feel so great that I'd risk calling it one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. Your life is not wasted! What can be better?

I thank you for your time, and I can't wait to hear what's next from you! Anything you'd like to add?

Well, thank you very much for your time. Sorry if my answers sound a bit sad or boring. I have a hard time nowadays, but nobody should care about that cause it is meant to be this way, and only music says, "Look, life is more complicated than you think it is." Cheers!

Dutch one-man project Schavot is in my opinion one of the biggest surprises in the black metal scene in the last few years. Though mastermind Floris is engaged in some other projects, too (e.g. Asgrauw or Sagenland), this release came straight out of nothing and hit like a bomb (at least in my living room). "Galgenbrok" (read review here) combines all the great features that the Scandinavian black metal scene used to play in the golden 90s when Norway and Sweden were the epitome of that style. I asked Floris some questions about his band and influences and out came a very interesting and detailed interview.

Michael

Hi Floris, how are you doing?

It's going great! Musically, there are some hectic months behind us. All the energy that has been put into different projects is now finally starting to pay off with an amazing response! Schavot gets ridiculously good reviews! That really surprised me, and I didn't expect it, because a lot of my music doesn't get so much attention. I'm enjoying it to the fullest.

You are going to release a new album with a new band Schavot in the beginning of October. Why did you think it was a good reason to start a new band and not to release the music under the banner of Sagenland or Asgrauw?

Every band or project in which I am involved has a different style and fulfills a different need. Sagenland is pure Ulver-worship ("Bergtatt" and "Kveldssanger" era) while Asgrauw goes more towards Emperor with a bit of punk attitude. That's why some make the comparison with Darkthrone. Meslamtaea, on the other hand, is experimental, jazzy and psychedelic through the use of unusual instruments such as saxophone, trumpet, vocoder and tongue drum. Schavot may be leaning towards Asgrauw in terms of sound. But I didn't want to release it under the Asgrauw banner, for the simple reason that Schavot is a solo thing, while Asgrauw is written and recorded by the whole band. I felt the need to work solo again, just like I used to with Meslamtaea in the early days. I find one-man black metal an interesting phenomenon: one person who is in charge of all aspects of the music. Including lyrics, production and artwork. Every now and then there are some one-man gems to be discovered, like Helleruin, Afvallige or Teitan.

Stylistically you dive deep into the spirit of the Scandinavian black metal scene of the mid-90s. What was the reason for that?

In the mid-nineties I discovered black metal. I was specifically interested in a certain atmospheric style that only a small number of bands - that I knew about - performed at the time. Mostly Scandinavian bands, especially from Norway. It was probably Ulver's "Bergtatt" that really got me hooked on black metal. We didn't have internet at the time, so it was not easy to discover such bands via samplers, trading, the local CD shop or concerts. It was a special era and so I like to think back to it and not without melancholy. We now are a quarter of a century further. The world has totally changed. Just like my metal haircut, that turned into something short, gray and a bit bald, haha! But the music of that time still has a special place. So, I like to listen and play such music out of pure nostalgia. Moreover, it is the appropriate form of music for expression.

For me, it is a wonderful experience to be reminded of these days. Is it the intention that you had with it - to give the listener some nostalgic feelings?

Absolutely! In terms of black metal, I kind of stuck in that 90's era. Most post-millennium black metal interests me less than the old stuff. However? I really love the current experimental wave of black metal! Anyway... The albums from the 90's era had something special that's hard to reproduce. Many contemporary bands try to play the style, but it doesn't feel the same. Because I have listened to the 2nd wave classics for so long, Schavot captures the original sound quite a bit, I guess. If not? I don't care. I just make the music that I like myself. I'm a self-taught musician and music became a big part of my life. That music is positively received by listeners is of course a bonus. But a listener's opinion is never a consideration when writing music.

What do the lyrics deal with? It is quite hard to understand because they are on Dutch and there is no booklet in it.

As the cover art already reveals, the lyrics are about Dutch folk tales. These are stories that were passed on from word of mouth and from generation to generation. The stories tell a lot about the people of the past. There's often a moral in it. The stories also respond to fear and are often about the supernatural. I find this topic very interesting.

Why did you decide to go without a booklet? I always like to read the lyrics and some more information about the release…

Less is more. Graphically, I like a minimalist layout with good photography and art. I prefer to use paper space for pictures rather than text. I actually have never published my lyrics and prefer to leave the interpretation to the imagination of the listener.

What would you say were the major influences on this album?

As mentioned, back in the days I was looking for bands with a specific mystical and atmospheric sound. Music with a visual impact, so to say. I want a movie to play before my eyes when I hear music. Some music takes you to a dark forest or an ice cold white snowy mountain. Other bands leave me with a dark emotion, an unbearable heavy stone on the stomach. To name a few bands that inspired Schavot: Ulver, Emperor, Dodheimsgard, early Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved, Satyricon, Helheim, Dark Funeral, Setherial, Mactatus, Ancient... These are not very obscure bands, but simply the classics which have a cult status for a reason!

In 'Witte Juffer' there is a huge part in the track that reminds me of Zyklon B - the controversial all-star band (because of its name) from Norway which only released the "Blood Must Be Shed" EP. I am sure that I know these keyboards from one of the tracks, am I right?

You heard that right! The initial riff for 'Witte Juffer' didn't only sound like the Zyklon-B riff, it had become the exactly the same! Such things happen unconsciously. After listening back, the song I got this Deja-vu feeling: "where did I hear this bloody riff before?" I have read through the entire music collection to find out why, what and who. Then I ended up with "Blood Must Be Shed", which is a fantastic EP by the way. Because I have no intention of committing plagiarism, the riff was changed, turned upside down. But the intended atmosphere of the riff and the recognizable keyboard sound have remained. Are you familiar with Niden Div. 187 by the way?

The album cover was created by Johan Prenger - a cool Dutch painter who worked a lot in the music industry but, when I got it right, wanted to resume from that scene to focus more onto conventional painting. How did you have him to create the cover for you?

I come from pre-Internet era, when vinyl records or CDs were bought based only on cool cover art. With art by Necrolord, an album can hardly be shit, right? I also liked the art by Kris Verwimp. which has a slightly rougher hand-painted style. Johan Prenger's work reminds me most of Verwimp's. While Schavot began to take on more and more serious forms, I decided that the artwork could not be some random Google image. For all my bands we have commissioned artwork and Schavot should be no exception. Johan Prenger's art started to attract me more and more and so it happened that I contacted him for commissioned work. I think an artist should have artistic freedom and personal input in their art. So, I only gave Johan some themes and said he could do whatever he wanted. He chose the 'Witte Juffer', that one of the tracks is about. It's a folk tale about a female tree spirit that one could hear spinning on the spinning wheel at night. You can say that I was totally over the moon with the end result. It has that 90's vibe all over!

Do you have further plans with Schavot or will there only be one album?

I'm far from done! As long as there is inspiration, music will be made. Making Galgenbrok was a cool experience. The process happened naturally. I had to pull less on it than with some other projects. And that felt good. The debut will certainly not be the last record. However, the limited time has to be divided between different bands and projects. The coming cold winter months will produce new material from one or another project for sure. I'm excited about everything I do and I'm not going to prioritize. I don't plan anything, and we'll see how things go.

Besides, do you know the German black metal band "Schafott"? Do you have any doubts that there will be some problems concerning the name?

I'm not familiar with the German band and I'll check them out. But there will undoubtedly be about a hundred bands called 'Scaffold', whether or not translated into the bands mother-tongue. It's just an obvious name for a traditional black metal band, right? With the band name I will not win an originality prize... But there is no language in which 'Schavot' sounds as nasty as in my 'Twents’ dialect! The consonants 'S', 'G' and 'T' are really spit out when we say it and that's why I choose this name. When we talk, you have to put a mop on the floor, haha! That is why the Dutch language is also extremely suitable for black metal. It sounds dirty and aggressive.

What about some concerts if the situation will allow this?

Schavot remains a solo project and that makes it impossible to perform live. It takes too much time and energy to form a full live band. My priority and passion is also more in the studio. With Asgrauw, however, we are ready to be on stage. We haven't played for far too long so I'm afraid stages are really going to be demolished by us this winter. If you value your roof? Don't book us!

You've released albums with all of your other bands this or last year - do you have any news about them, too?

Absolutely! As mentioned, music wise, the lockdown was almost a blessing! Time has been used effectively to make new music. Halfway through the recording of our new Meslamtaea album, the band was expanded with a third member - Izzy from Belgium - who plays Flugelhorn. So, the new record sounds more experimental than ever before, with many prog and fusion jazz influences. It is also the darkest and heaviest album so far in terms of atmosphere. I can't wait until this album is out! We hope to have it released around February next year. The moment I do this interview, the finishing touches are being put on a new Asgrauw album. There's a lot of intensity and frustration expressed on this album. It's our best so far! There will also be a new project with a virtuoso guitarist named Gerhans. I can't tell you much about that at the moment, except that it's going to be atmospheric black-ish metal with a very creative, experimental twist. I'm really looking forward to this too!

Which five albums were the last you purchased and why?

1. Teitan - "Vákuum"! Teitan is one of the best Dutch experimental projects at the moment, it's so good that it's hard to believe it's a solo project. Teitan is on Void Wanderer Records, which also releases Schavot. Everyone should give this EP a chance. This EP is a nice bridge to the next album that I've bought, because Teitan is extremely inspired by that!

2. Dodheimsgard - "A Umbra Omega". The crème de la crème of the experimental Avant Garde black metal. To my great shame, I didn't have the album on the shelves yet.

3. Dodheimsgard - "Kronet Til Konge". A timeless classic that inspired me for my bass sound in Sagenland. This album also lacked in my collection, and it was purchased together with "A Umbra Omega".

4. Iron Maiden - "No Prayer For The Dying". This album got me hooked on metal. According to the purists, it's their worst album, but to me it's a special and dark masterpiece. Pure nostalgia! I used to have a cassette of it that I've lost sight of. To complement the collection, this classic was recently purchased.

5. Sammath - "Across The Rhine Is Only Death". When it comes to extreme black metal, this is the ultimate Dutch band. It sounds like a sonic assault, and it will leave you half-dead. Tracks of Conqueror and Revenge are lullabies compared to this, haha! Proost Jan!

Finally, the last words are up to you!

Thanks for your time and the interview, it's really appreciated! Shoutout to the labels Void Wanderer Productions, War Productions and Rabauw for making this album possible and huge thanks to Wouter of Dead Mill Media. Support the scene!