NINTHSHAFT Interview – english version

NINTHSHAFT from Russia have recently revealed their debut album „The THING“ to the world. I was enthusiastic about the album. You can read the review here. Reason enough for me to ask the group some questions. Guitarist Pavel Krylov was so nice and took the time for the interview.

The Russian Metal-Scene

MH: You have now released your debut album „The Thing“. Personally, I was totally convinced and I can only congratulate you on your work. A very interesting album with even more interesting lyrics. Let’s immerse ourselves in your world a little more.

MH: But before we take a closer look at your album „The Thing“, I would like to know, in general, how the Russian metal scene is. Is the scene in good shape? Is there a good network? Is there support, or are you completely on your own?

NS: First of all, I will say that the rock music industry in Russia is limping. There are very few efficient businessmen who like rock and metal music to such an extent as they would get into it and contribute to its development. Unfortunately, all the attention is attracted to more mainstream types of creativity, therefore, all the main forces are concentrated there. As for support, we are not getting any, most musicians put their own effort into the development of rock and roll.

Single „Ghost City“

MH: Worldwide, the pandemic crisis has hit the artistic scene particularly hard, pushing it to the limits of its resilience and beyond. How did you experience the whole thing? Other bands postponed their outputs for months. Why did you decide to release the single „Ghost City“ in the middle of this crisis?

NS: The pandemic hasn’t affected us in a negative way in this regard. Except that there have been no concerts. The whole world lives the Internet nowadays, so there is an opportunity to be in touch with our audience in any circumstances, no matter what. The video was shot in the autumn of 2019, and we eventually released it as soon as it was ready. No one timed anything on purpose, we just let things take their course.

MH: In my opinion, „Ghost City“ combines all the strengths of NINTHSHAFT. Was that also your opinion, or why did you decide to release this song? When I heard it for the first time, I was totally excited. It blew me away. For me, „Ghost City“ is one of the strongest songs ever in 2020.

MH: The video for the song turned out to be very impressive. Who had the idea for the video? Did you hire a film director?

NS: Yes, indeed, we decided that „Ghost City“ was the strongest thing in NINTHSHAFT’s repertory and it was worthy of a music video being shot for it. The author of the idea and video director is the guitarist and songwriter of the band – Pavel Krylov.

The dark experience

MH: All in all, „The Thing“ has become a very dark piece. Where do you take your inspiration from and what is the intention of this album?

NS: Inspiration usually comes from listening to other music, watching movies, reading books and so on. The album “The Thing” is one more sharp edge of NINTHSHAFT’s creativity, it’s a piece of a whole, the fifth element. It takes the listeners some time to get such things, as this music is far from entertaining. It needs time to reach the right audience. More work is yet to be done to support this album, this autumn something interesting will come out, so wait for the news!

The outstanding lyrics

MH: In this context, Ria April Avalon should not remain unmentioned because she is responsible for the lyrics. They are really very poetic and high-quality. The lyrics are ones of the best I’ve been able to read in a long time.

How did your cooperation come about? Did you know Ria April and her lyrics before? Did you think that they would fit your music well? Or how did that work out? Did she completely rework the lyrics, or had they already existed before?

NS: Ria April Avalon and Pavel Krylov are the co-authors of all Ninthshaft’s lyrics, except for one song – „Infernal Wings“. April translated the already existing lyrics for all the songs into English, polished and completed them. In 2018 the band needed a person who was fluent in the English language as lyrics are a very important part of every song, and they need to be paid proper attention. After finishing working on the EP „Keeper of Secrets“ it became clear that April’s poetic style perfectly fits the music by NINTHSHAFT, and we decided to keep on working together.

MH: The lyrics, of course, leave room for interpretation, but they all have one thing in common: they are dark and dystopian! What is behind the lyrics?

NS: Behind the lyrics is exactly what you read. There are no subtexts or hidden meanings, but in certain places, one is likely to imagine something different from what was originally conceived. Nevertheless, every song is a separate and finished story, it has the whole world, in which you can immerse and contemplate. The world is woven from strings, it is the energy, penetrating everything around, and our lyrics are part of this energy, its darkest part!

Why two singers?

MH: Oleg has incredible power in his voice and radiates an confident presence. With his range, he can create a wide variety of moods. Nevertheless, you have still decided on the guest singer ARDENTIS. Why?

NS: Ardentis was invited to add flavor to the album „The Thing“, to make its songs different from everything else we have and even from the upcoming stuff. Also, some kinds of music may be temperamentally unsuitable for some singers and perfecty suitable for others. It’s the whole point of Ninthshaft’s creativity – to create a puzzle from thoroughly chosen pieces in order to reach the ideal balance and harmony.

The RAMMSTEIN-Effect

MH: On your Facebook page the German band RAMMSTEIN is on top of your favorite artists list. Is the order of the bands random? When did you first hear about RAMMSTEIN and how did the band influence you? Would it be a good idea to write a song in German?

NS: RAMMSTEIN is the band that inculcated in me the love to aesthetics of dark music, to its sound and the mood it can reflect, to its gloom and lyricism. It’s the first metal band I heard at the age of 8, and I’ve been inspired by their creative works to this day. And the idea to write a song with lyrics in German is rather interesting, I think we will do it in the nearest future!