Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

How is it that you started playing music? I first picked up a guitar when I was 12 years old after having seen Metallica live for the first time that previous summer. I knew that's what I wanted to do! Prior to that, I did play the flute as well in middle school but I completely lost interest once I started playing guitar. I probably would have kept up with it if I was aware of folk metal at the time.

What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you?

Eligio (Age 23): Vocals/Guitar 

Cameron Stucky (Age 24): Guitar

Aaron Robitsch (Age 23): Keyboards/Backing Vocals

Gavin (Age 25): Bass

Jb (Age 22): Drums

Have you had other previous members? We existed as a previous entity prior to Crepuscle which did have a completely different lineup. I started this band as Draconian Winter in 2006. As the years went on, the lineup changed until I was the only original member left which is when I decided that a name change was appropriate. 

Did you make music even when you were young? Yes. From the moment I started playing guitar I was always trying to write riffs. Everything I wrote sounded really bad but I've always had that drive to create my own music. 

Where are you from? We are from Redwood City, California which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

What year did the band form? The band's previous incarnation was founded in the summer of 2006 but I changed the name to Crepuscle in 2011.

What's your style of genre? The simple answer is Melodic Death Metal but we do have a strong Symphonic element as well as some hints of Black and Folk Metal. 

What inspires you? Musically, I'm inspired by so many great European bands, most of which are from Northern Europe. I'm also inspired by life. Life events, nature, sunsets, etc. are all very inspiring when it comes to what imagery I want our music and lyrics to evoke. 

How often and where do you reherse? We have a really difficult time getting together for rehearsals due to our highly incompatible schedules. We all work at different times and different days, some of us are still in school, and, as I mentioned earlier, some of us are involved in other bands so it gets really tricky when it comes to scheduling a rehearsal. We typically rehearse the most a few weeks leading up to a gig. 

How have you developed since you started with the music? I think my writing style has mature greatly since I started this band. Some of the music on our debut album was rewritten or given a major update before recording it to match the more mature sound I had already developed. This progression will be much more evident in our future albums. 

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? We are not actively looking for a booking agency but we are certainly open to working with one in the future. I think they are great because they already have the connections bands need and know how to plan effective touring routes. Since we all have day jobs/school/life/etc. and can't devote a whole lot of time to touring at this point, we haven't really looked into working with one yet but when the time is right I can see that changing. 

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Despite the fact that bands can do everything on their own these days, I think labels still have their place in the equation. We would like to work with a label for our next few releases if there is any interest from them and if we can negotiate a deal that is favorable to both parties. Having released our debut on our own, we know we can do it ourselves but with the backing from a label, we can perhaps accomplish much more!

What made you decide to make this music? When I started getting into more "extreme" forms of metal, it was clear that I was more drawn to melodic bands. I wanted to write music that I wanted to listen to so that is what I set out to do. 

What are your songs about? The topics are all over the place. I like to have lyrical freedom which is why I don't think I will ever stick to any single topic. On our debut, I scream about revolution, night terrors, grief, and some historical events. 

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? I compose all of the lyrics and a majority of the music. Our old guitarist Chris Zinnanti wrote some stuff on our debut and our current guitarist Cameron contributed more to our next album but overall I'm still the main contributor. 

Do you start with the music or the lyrics? I always begin with the music first. After the music is written, I start to think of what imagery would be appropriate for the music or what message I'd like to convey. 

Do you compose in a certain inviroment? Yes. In my room alone in front of my computer. 

Have you done any covers live? We have done quite a few. We have played "The Groan of Wind" and "Hades" by Kalmah, "Eraser" by Hypocrisy, and "Hero in a Dream" by Ensiferum. 

What language do you sing in? English. 

What ages are most of your concert attendants? Typically around our age. 19-30 is probably a good estimate. 

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We try to vary our set list as much as we can. Since we only have one album out, there's only so much we can do but we do try to shuffle the order in which we play songs and add a cover when we can. 

What was your first gig like? Our first gig as Crepuscle was at a house party. There were about 60 or 70 people there but most of them were only interested in thrash metal so we didn't get much of a reaction. 

What was your latest gig? It was awesome! We were direct support for our friends in Valensorow, a local folk metal band. The turnout was great and the sound guy had a great light rig setup as well. I had some technical difficulties with my wireless system and it was difficult to hear ourselves onstage but those are just small things. It was a great time! 

Have you had to cancel a gig? Not yet! 

Where do you plan to gig the comming year? Hopefully in other parts of California and the West Coast. 

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? We started selling merch in 2013. We have shirts with our logo on it, shirts with our album art on it that also have lyrics on the back, and physical copies of our album. We're hoping to expand our merch soon. 

Where can people buy your merchandise? At a gig or at crepuscle.bandcamp.com

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? As a new band, I think it's great. Our album leaked and somehow made its way to Russia a few days before it was out. It was on torrent sites everywhere within 48 hours and it got us a lot of attention from people we probably would have never been able to reach. Since we don't make a living off of music, we're not too worried about people downloading our music. Of course, it would be nice if people later paid for it since we invest our own money into this band but we love what we do too much so it's not the end of the world.

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? It seems like the music industry is giving the consumer more options and adding more special content to albums to entice them. I think it's great and hopefully it will reach a level where it becomes sustainable for everyone again. 

What do you think of my work? It's great that you've reached out to so many young, new, and unsigned bands and are willing to give them some attention! 

How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? Any exposure is good exposure, right?  Maybe someone that wants to know more about us will come across this interview and all of their questions will be answered!

Do you have any role models or idols? As a guitarist, I'm really influenced the Pekka and Antti from Kalmah, Chris Amott from Armageddon (ex-Arch Enemy), Per Nilsson from Scar Symmetry, and Teemu and Jari from Wintersun. I also really admire Peter Tägtgren from Hypocrisy and René Berthiaume from Equilibrium for their production abilities. Their mixes always sound amazing! 

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? A lot of the bands that inspired me to write this style of music are still actively releasing great music which continues to inspire me. 

What have been your biggest obstacles? Our album took four years to record due to numerous hurdles. That was probably the most difficult. These days, getting all of us in one room to practice tends to be the biggest obstacle! 

What advice would you give other bands or artists? Write music that you want to listen to and make sure you are doing this because you love it. It's not going to be easy but if you work hard and have a great group of hard working musicians with you, you will achieve your goals. Leave your ego at the door and don't be an asshole (not something we have dealt with but it's still pretty good advice)! 

How do you get psyched for a gig? All I need to do is show up. Once more people start to arrive, the excitement and anxiety start to build!

Do you have any new material? We do! Our second album is in the works. We have no estimated release date but we are hard at work on it. 

What are your web sites?

https://www.facebook.com/Crepuscleofficial

https://www.youtube.com/user/Crepuscleofficial

crepuscle.bandcamp.com

Instagram: crepuscle_official

How can people reach you? Any of the websites mentioned above or at [email protected]

What are your plans for the future? Make our mark in the international metal scene! 

Do you have something to add? Our album can be streamed for free in its entirety at our bandcamp page, on Spotify, Google Play, and on our Youtube page. Please help spread the word! Cheers!