VICTORIENT (EN)
– Hello, thanks for taking the time. How is everything going right now with VICTORIENT?
Thank you for having us,VERY busy at the moment, “the old curiosity shop” is out march the 1st and is FREE so just really busy trying to promote it!
– First off, as you are about to unleash your debut album, would you mind to share some history of the band and tell us what prompted to you form a band into this style?
We felt we had some diverse influences, rather than have more people in the band, we were satisfied with just a duo.
– As I said, your debut abum, «The Old Curiosity Shop», will come out next month so, how are you feeling about it? Has it ended up as you expected?
We feel positive about the album in it’s infancy, it is a gift for people who have been supporting us during our very beginning. We have had ups and downs with a questionable record label but we have pulled through with experience, we hope this album grows our band.
– I think the title of the album manages to paint in the listener’s mind the same picture your music does. Was this what you were aiming for?
The songs were just a mix bag as we are still finding our feet, an old curiosity shop is a mixed place of odd things 
that have their own character.
– And does it have anything to do with the Dickens’ novel? How did you come up with its title?
It doesn’t come directly from the book, but the title is very much a good description of an odd shop of songs
– One of the first things that caught my attention off the album was the really raw and organic sound. How did you record and produce the album?
In our home studio we wanted the organic instruments to be our voices and the guitar, the drums and synth are all made with cubase
– On this release you mix Gothic Rock, 80’s Synth Pop, Death Rock, Post Punk, some Dark Wave… But what bands could you mention as some of the main influences for VICTORIENT?
The Cult, Cocteau Twins, Sisters of Mercy, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Dead can Dance, and some influences from 80’s pop and old 70’s rock
– All songs have their own unique touch, but all of them are somehow connected by the dark atmosphere. Is there anything you want to convey with the overall ambience?
Each song has it’s own unique vibe, there are many that have a darker tune to it or the lyrics are a little on the dark side! For example Boleyn is obviously about Anne Boleyn and it deals with what she wanted and how she was treated so it’s a sombre tune with doomy guitars, where as ‘Flower of Pain’ is up tune and dancy but the lyrics describe a hallucinogenic feeling
– Lyrics feel quite diverse. What do some of them deal with? Or what did inspire some of the lyric son the album?
They all have their own little tale to tell, some are about fantasy characters like ‘Siren’ while some are more about feeling like ‘Storm Within’. ‘Spirit Guide’ was about charlatan types who think they have psychic powers and can heal you in one go.
– Musically is also a really diverse album as I said earlier, with all songs having their own personality. How important is for you, both as songwriters and musicians, to keep things interesting and varied?
Well, everything and anything can influence a song! So if we see something that sparks our creative interest, then we write it down and try and work on it. Having ideas and writing it down is the best way of creating a project, so we think that this makes the subjects varied as well as the music.
– A song that caught my attention was the closing track, «An Ode to Halloween», being the most atmospheric song on the album, almost ethereal, also with whispered vocals. Feels like a good choice as closing track, like somehow closing a circle. Was this what you were looking for?
When Sam and I first met we composed some atmospheric music for a Halloween party, we felt that it was a good track to close out with. The idea was just an old haunted house with a ghost whisper that creates a creepy atmosphere
– Contrast also seems like an important part of the album, mixing darkness with beauty, thus giving place to a somehow intriguing, macabre atmosphere. To what extend is contrast necessary in your music? For instance «Flower of Pain» showcases this perfectly, being dark as always but with a quite uplifting tempo/melody.
Dynamics are important to music, and we have palliative of many colours to play with and we like to mix it up.
– All this about «The Old Curiosity Shop» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Varied, Eclectic, Unique
– And finally, what are now your near-future plans?
‘The old Curiosity Shop’ will be out for FRRE via our bandcamp, and we will be having a music video for ‘Storm Within’ coming up soon. We are doing a debut gig in April and look to stream it live on YouTube so check the channel for update vlogs.
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Thank you for your support, we are across all social media but for more info go to our website
www.victorientmusic.com
Tania Giménez
tania@queensofsteel.com
