Quick Q and A with Belarusian one-man band Lynch Victim about the origins, his ideas and how he became a musician, originally for the Cemetery Sound magazine "Voice from the Grave".

Samaroth

Hello, I would like to ask how the idea of ​​creating the project came to your mind? Why did you choose this name and what does it mean? By what genre would you classify your project?

Hello. The project itself was created by me in July 2023. There was no idea as something integral, because I started writing music at the age of 12 and produced a huge amount of material in my time, mostly, of course, terrible in every sense, but sometimes something interesting slipped through. At the moment, some of the archive songs are still gathering dust on disks, but I would like to quickly erase from my memory the time when this was created. Before Lynch Victim, I had about 6 projects with completely different musical components and more than 300 songs, which now do not carry any special value for me. However, it wasn't some kind of dumb and badly made shit, I put a piece of my, already at that time, dirty little soul into each song. Now all this seems terribly naive and stupid to me.

The Lynch Victim project was created at the very moment of changing the emphasis in my work. Over the years, my thoughts became darker, the darkness was increasingly enveloping, as it seemed to me, the world around me. There were many tragic episodes in my life. It was at this time that the first melodies of this project were born. In the title I showed a story that has long been imprinted in my memory. This is the story of a pregnant slave, Mary Turner, who was lynched in 1918. It only further ingrained in me the idea that humanity as a species is not worthy of existence. And in itself, lynching is quite an interesting phenomeno for me.

I wouldn't like to associate my music with any particular genre, but if you remove the pathos that is typical of almost all musicians, I would define it as Misanthropic Post Black Metal with touches of other genres.

Who is your music inspirator?

From a very early age I began to absorb a huge amount of music. I am still forming my musical taste. I listen only to music that resonates in me with an echo of hopelessness, because I simply hate the musical product that I often hear in different places. At that time I was strongly influenced by Swedish and French black metal and rock, led by Shining, Bathory, Apati, Ofdrykkja, Peste Noire, Amesoeurs, Les Discrets, Katatonia, Le Prochain Hiver, Abduction, etc. USA, I listen to a lot of music from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia.

I try to maintain contacts with people, I am interested in creativity. I hope that with my music I can push someone to take the first steps in creating creativity, especially in Belarus, because it is one of the best places for singing such things. Alexander Nepomnyashchy, Ian Curtis, Roman Sidorov, Nick Drake, Alexander Litvin, Bashlachev, Anna Varney, Lomovsky, Starkov - these are people whose lyrics and music are dear to me to the point of goosebumps. Of classical music, I was surprisingly greatly influenced by Chopin (although the ideas of romanticism are not close to me), Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Schumann, Vivaldi, Dvorak, Verdi, Shostakovich, Beethoven.

What you want to say by your songs?

Rather, a worldview. Over the years, an idea has become something that tries to impose itself on me by any means necessary. A worldview is what can truly inspire people to the darkest thoughts and actions. However, ideas are also present in my work, and it is extremely difficult to refuse them. To tell the truth, I myself sometimes cannot understand the line between these two paradigms. Misanthropy, decay, fading, total decadence - the quintessence of Lynch Victim, no matter how it sounds.

Do you like any other types of art, except of music?

I love everything connected with art. Art is the only selfless and honest thing that humanity has ever been able to create. I adore painting and tried to learn this ancient craft, but, again, I have no strength for it. I was immersed in literature. I also can't call myself erudite enough in this, although there is simply no room left in my room for new books, whatever that means. From the age of three to seven, my favorite activity was modeling with plasticine. I could spend hours on end doing this, so I also have a craving for learning about sculpture as an art form.

Well, and, of course, I really love everything that is connected with acting and theater. I hope that soon, when I move to another city, I will have the opportunity to visit the theater at least once a month and watch my favorite operas and plays on stage. Films are also interesting to me when a film can evoke an internal response. This applies to all types of art.

How do you think, the sound of your project is finalised or it would develop after time?

The sound will definitely change. Changes are evident in each new album, and I'm not going to constantly plough that part of the land that can no longer give me a harvest that satisfies me, or not give me one at all. Perhaps the changes will not be so radical, but there will still be a lot of them. But those distinctive features of my music by which my project probably stands out among hundreds of similar ones will remain. I can't say for sure wouldn't change.

How do you write your song, is it a spontaneous action or the thoughtful process?

I have tried different approaches to creating music. And since all the instruments and vocals are recorded directly by me, I have a complete monopoly on the vision and creation of my work. In most cases, the instrumental part is the process of finding a harmony that is suitable for the moment the song is being created. Most often, this happens quite quickly, within a couple of hours. Then I try to add harmonic moves that are interesting to me, and the instruments are recorded over the base. This all happens, as a rule, in a sober state, but the recording of vocals is the opposite

There are no current system. Just inner pain, dissatisfaction and doubt give me the strength to try to pour it all out. But moments of burnout are some of the hardest moments in my life. Thoughts can't give me peace, but there is no use in them, and therefore everything around me ceases to be the darkness in which I feel so comfortable. Everything becomes transparent and hurts the eyes. It is a depressing feeling.

Who do you consider to be representatives of good music on the local scene?

In my country, this kind of music is just starting to gain momentum. I can single out bands like Pagan, Ciemra, Dymna Lotvа and Travvma. And how can I not mention here, as a sign of respect, my friends from the bands Förstörelse and Desire to forget. There is always room for improvement, so I can only wish them to direct their creative abilities in the direction they themselves want. All for the sake of glorifying darkness in all its manifestations.

Any final words?

Take everything said above as you wish. This life of senseless searches and eternal torments is not worth it. The meaning is always much closer than you think. It has always been flying nearby, but most people never realize it. There is no hope or faith in my words. Darkness and decay are our brothers and comrades.