Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

What´s the name of your band? Silent Carrion

What made you call the band "Silent Carrion"? It’s a bit complicated, but basically I really liked the way the English word ‘carrion’ sounded in my first language (Italian). To us it sounds very similar to the French word “carillon”, but the meaning is of course very different. The contrast between the two similar sounds and the two different images of what these words represent really fascinated me. As for the adjective “silent” I chose it because it was the perfect oxymoron to what the project is about: sound.

How was the band formed? Actually “Silent Carrion” is a solo project. The project was founded in 2010.

What were the ambitions of the band when you started? The only ambition I had was to pass the time and have fun. Not much beyond that. I just wanted to learn more about making music and I’ve been experimenting and (hopefully) improving ever since.

Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Well, I believe it is not easy to describe it with words, but it could be considered as a sort of a blending of different musical styles, among which Noise, Dark Ambient, Industrial, Electronic, Metal, Drone and Avant-garde.

Where was your first gig? Where was the latest gig? I don’t play live sets. I just put a fake “live” track on one of my EPs, but it was only to make fun of the super-post-studio-production “live” albums that many famous bands very often release pretending they’re pure takes from the concert.

Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics? I’m the only official member (songwriter, instrumentalist, lyricist, voice, graphic designer, producer) and I take care of every single aspect of the project.

Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? My style comes mainly from the thousands of  musical influences I’ve had in all these years. My songs are about different themes, among which death, occultism, violence, the unconscious and many others.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? Only my own material.

Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they?

I’ve published two albums and one EP so far.

The first full album “Ruins” was released in 2010 and the second one “Andras” in 2012.

I’ve been working on a EP trilogy lately and the first EP “Suprematism EP I (Iupiter)” was released in 2013. In a few weeks the second EP “Suprematism EP II (Mars)” will see the light.

You can download all the albums for free at http://silentcarrion.bandcamp.com  

Do you have any clips on YouTube?

The first clip was shot in 2010 and it is a collaboration with a fellow musician, Francesco Armani, from the Italian band “Eco del Baratro”. It is from my first album Ruins and you can watch it here: http://youtu.be/i90EocJyE2g

I’ve recently published a new clip taken from my upcoming EP. This is a collaboration with another Eco del Baratro member, Stefano Nicolini. I’m very proud of the results. The song is entitled “Red Box” and you can watch it here: http://youtu.be/xYYOp7e6ZoQ

How old are you?/What got you started in music? At what age did you start playing? I’m 32. I’ve always loved listening to music but I’ve waited until I was 28 before starting to actually produce it.

What are your goals with your music? As I said before I produce music just for fun. Sure, if I could have a regular income from my music I would dedicate all my time to producing more of it. At the moment I can focus on music only in my spare time.

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Both. There are so many great artists from the past, but I can find much inspiration even in today’s musical scene.

What are your sources of inspiration? A lot. From classical music to various subgenres of metal, from alternative rock to Japanoise, electronic and ambient music. My work is also heavily inspired by literature, philosophy, science, visual art, cinema and other art forms.

What's the first step when making a new song?

Every song starts in a different way. Sometimes I try to begin by forging a particular sound with the synthesizer, other times I start with percussions or with a bass/guitar riff.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? I’ve actually spent a lot of money buying music. I think I have a collection of more than 300 original CDs.

What would be your dreams for the band? As I said before I’d like to have more people listening to my music and appreciating it. The best thing would be to regularly produce music as a full time job.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to?

I like many genres and bands. If you want some names the firsts that come to mind are: Death, Sunn O))), Earth, Napalm Death, Carcass, Suffocation, Isis, Neurosis, Tribes of Neurot, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Slayer, Burzum, Bathory, Emperor, Darkthrone, Wolves in the Throne Room, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Lustmord, Autechre, Merzbow, Steve Roach, William Basinski, Nine Inch Nails, Faust, Pink Floyd, Jesus Lizard, Swans, Big Black, Blind Idiot God, My Bloody Valentine, Cop Shoot Cop, Unsane, Slint, Don Caballero, Sonic Youth, Primus, The Cure, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Suicide, Pere Ubu, Public Image Ltd, Discharge, Germs, Husker Du, Jimi Hendrix, Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin. I also like great composers from the past like Wagner, Beethoven, Stockhausen, Bach, Schonberg, Berg and Webern.

What would be your greatest fears for the future? To become a vegetable in a hospital.

Have you been part of any other projects? I just started a new electronic solo project called “Ropp vs Berrick”. I’m also about to start a music collaboration with the two Eco del Baratro members cited earlier.

What would you do if there was no music? I’d probably try to become an unsuccessful film director.

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? “Red Box” and “I’m calm now”.

What do you feel is the best live band you've seen?

Slayer. I went to a concert in Milan not many years ago.

Unfortunately I’ve never had the chance to see Chuck Shuldiner’s Death live, I guess it would have been really great.

What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? Well, some people pass their time dancing in clubs or going to church. I think it’s better to pass your time in a creative way even if you don’t get any money out of that. 

Do you have any webpages?

Sure:

an official website http://silentcarrion.com

a Bandcamp page http://silentcarrion.bandcamp.com

a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/silentcarrion

a Twitter account  https://twitter.com/SilentCarrion

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Not really. I still have to learn from other bands before starting to teach.

Would you like to add anything else? I just want to give my support to all the webzines around the web that give space to almost unknown genres and bands, mine included.