Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

Have any of you played in other bands? Nothing serious. But surprisingly enough, me and both guitarists, Dmitry and Dan, decided to form Slay My Sanity at the party after… their debut gig with the previous band))))   I am also the singer of Vonnegut, a death metal band from Chelyabinsk.

How is it that you started playing music? I have always been a loud guy. When a kid, I would run around the neighborhood and scream and yell with a wooden sword or plastic gun in my hand. I definitely wanted other people to hear me.

What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? Alex (34) – vocals, Dan and Dmitry (should be around 30) – guitars, Andrey (26)– drums, and Max (25)- bass

Have you had other previous members? Nope. What I love our band for is that we’re very stable, tight-knit. I can hardly imagine anyone replaced.

Did you make music even when you were young? Nothing much.

Where are you from? We’re all from South Ural, Russia. People outside Russia oftentimes describe this place as ‘beginning of Siberia’. Slay My Sanity was formed, and has given most gigs, in Chelyabinsk, a big city, actually heavy industry capital of Russia.

What year did the band form? 2009

What's your style of genre? Melodic Death Metal

What inspires you? When I write lyrics, it’s mostly books, movies, or personal experiences. As for the guys, once Dmitry said that writing used to be a lot easier and way more productive when he would have a couple beers before getting started.

How often and where do you reherse? Once a week.

How have you developed since you started with the music? I think it’s technique, skillfulness. The guys are better at doing complex instrumental passages, and I have evolved as an extreme vocalist. It all comes with practice, naturally.

Do you have other interests of work outside the band? This band is, unfortunately, just a hobby that we don’t dedicate enough time or effort to. We all have regular jobs. Danil and I, for example, are technical writers, we create manuals for computer software.

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? Nope. We are not. In Russia, it’s a tricky question, too many scamsters.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Yeah, label would be nice. All false modesty aside, we strongly believe our fresh release is a decent work, and a good label would help us a great deal brining this music to a wider audience.

What made you decide to make this music? I had always wanted to have a band. But I knew my singing abilities were limited and I wouldn’t be able to sing like my idol Bruce Dickinson or Jorn Lande. So it had to be something to do with extreme vocals, yet melodic, cause melody is everything for me. Melodic Death Metal was the only way to go, I guess.

What are your songs about? I try to bring up subjects of ethical dilemmas. For instance, in Narayama, we tell a story about a young man who has to leave his mother for dead, which is a normal practice where they live. Many are inspired by books and movies. A Nobody’s Shadow is after This Is England; Orinco is based on Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, or Fractured is a look at Split (recent movie about split personality)

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? The guitarists, Dmitry and Danil, write all the music, 50/50, I’d say. The lyrics are all on me.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Always the music.

Do you compose in a certain inviroment? All in the comfort of our homes. We never jam to come up with a fresh idea collectively. Doesn’t work for us that way.

Have you done any covers live? Oh yeah. We love that kind of stuff. The song we have covered the most is Bleed by Sentenced. We have also played live songs by In Flames, Edge of Sanity, and a tribute to a Russian soft rock band, for a good laugh.

What language do you sing in? Solely in English.

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?

At our first gig, there were four.

When we were supporting Rise to Fall (Spain), there were 100-150 people actively responding to what was going on onstage.

What ages are most of your concert attendants? I’d say it’s between 25 and 30.

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We have 20-22 songs we can play, and we try to vary the list because we usually perform around 10.

Do you have a regular place you play live often? Yeah, it’s pretty much the only place in our huge city where bands of our caliber and style can play.

What was your first gig like? Oh, first gig was a disaster. We were the last to perform, it was 3 AM, and to above all, stylistically we were a total mismatch. So, basically, there were two friends of Danil’s, the club’s manager and the bartender.

What was your latest gig? Wow, good question. Because of that work on the album, we decided to take a break, and I think our latest gig was almost a year ago.

Have you had to cancel a gig? Couple times. Once it was because one of us ate a shitty burger from one of those lousy kiosks on the highway sideline.

Where have you played live this year? Nowhere. I have relocated to Prague, and we have taken quite a break ever since, unfortunately.

Where do you plan to gig the comming year? If everything is ok, when I return to Russia, we will play in Chelyabinsk. In an ideal world, I’d arrange a short tour around Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, or Germany.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? No merch yet. Alas.

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? I have downloaded so much in my life that it would make me a hypocrite to criticize those who do the same. Not that I am a musician I have slightly altered that opinion of course, but basically, I don’t mind if you download an album to give it a try and then buy it if you really like it.

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? I think bands are now more focused on concert activity, cause it’s what pays off. Recording an album is expensive and selling it is difficult.

What do you think of my work? Awesome. I think it’s more than people might think. So many decent bands can’t make ti Metal Hammer or Terrorizer, but folks definitely deserve to hear of them.

How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? I just think we need to be heard. I mean, in Russia, metal scene has some true gems and pearls, but communication, concert activity, market are so lousy that we are all deep underground, let alone the ability and opportunity to go out there and play gigs in Europe or US.

Do you have any role models or idols? In terms of onstage imagery and performance, it’s Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity. It’s about how he communicates with the audience and his overall positive attitude. In terms of vocals, it’s still Mikael and also Tompa Lindberg from At the Gates, and John Tardy from Obituary. I know that our guitarists are basically inspired by In Flames guys Bjorn Gelotte and Jesper Stromblad, and also Dark Tranquillity guys Niklas Sundin and Martin Henriksson.

Why do you think that they exist? Because people basically start doing something when somebody has inspired them. You both learn and get motivation from them. There’s always somebody who does it better than you. Once there is none then it is you who is a role model.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? Good question. I personally don’t find anything new in newer stuff. All my favorite bands and albums come from 90’s or very early 00’s, and of course Iron Maiden from 80’s.

What have been your biggest obstacles? Money. If we had had enough money, we would have recorded this album 5 years ago, would have shot a cold video clip and thing would be a lot better now for the band.

What advice would you give other bands or artists? Prioritizing things is very important. Decide for yourself what place music holds in your life, and act accordingly. Also, don’t wait to be motivated or commanded to do anything. If you’re in a band, you must be motivated automatically to rehearse, to play gigs, to record stuff. If you don’t want any of that, give up music. And find like-minded people.

How do you get psyched for a gig? The word gig is already an awesome reason to come out on the stage and give everything you have. I am an emotional guy, and expressing your emotions in a wrong time or place is  bad idea. Well, gig is a fantastic time and place to do it.

Do you have any new material? We have just released an album, Narayama, 11 tracks. Deeply influenced by Swedish melodic death metal, no synths, no clean vocals. Just mdm. We’re all very proud of this work.

What are your web sites?

https://slaymysanity1.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/slaymysanity/

How can people reach? I am always there for everybody at [email protected], you can always use the links of the band provided above.

What are your plans for the future? With my relocation to Prague it’s all dim and foggy. I would love to continue at least as a studio project.

Do you have something to add? I would just like to say thank you for reading this. We do value and treasure each and every single one who takes interest in us. I am also grateful to Sweden  for being such a great birthplace of all these beautiful bands, for inspiring all of us. If we have another interview in a year or so, I promise to give it in Swedish, cause I am already learning it)