1. After you started Funeral Mourning in 2005, you together with Sorrow started new similar musical project. Or should I see it as you only joined Austere because Sorrow asked you to?

The beginning of Austere was before Funeral Mourning, I just didnt publically release anything from Austere until the debut full length "Withering Illusions and Desolation" as i didnt feel the material represented a correct movement of what i feel it does today, Back then, i was doing Austere alone. Funeral Mourning was an experiment for my own reasons.

2. As I said, Funeral Mourning are musically not so far from Austere. So I have to ask why you haven’t realized your visions in “FM”? Does Austere give you more room for even deeper submersion into your inner self and into the nihility of your souls?

Its as simple as Austere means more to me as it was created first and the main fact that i put 100% into Austere and will remain doing so.

3. Even if said so the both bands are not so closely similar at all. I think that even despite that heavy atmosphere of Austere´s songs you do not fear faster paced songs. Well it´s plain enough to ask what is the primary aim of the band?

The aim for Austere is pretty obvious, to delve deeper and deeper into misery, to conduct a choir of depression and despair...Its for the members of the band, to rid themselves of what they see fit.

4. Vocals are vital element of your music. Both of you are singing. Who does bigger part of vocals? As a listener I cannot clearly distinguish who is singing more... Great thing is that it perfectly fits with the overall production and sometimes it is even more atmospheric than the guitars.

The vocal duties are evenly shared, Both Sorrow and I write lyrics and do vocals on all songs, i have known Sorrow for many years and we are both on the same page.


5. I would say that you have enhanced melodics a lot. I don´t mean that Austere are somehow too accessible, but the melodies you made makes me feel various feelings and they aren’t quite typical for your musical manuscript…

The writing style is and will continue to be my own, i do not try to make it more melodic or make it like anything for that matter, what comes out on the record is what comes out of the mind.

6. You bet on not so foggy sounding. Yeah, I expected this, but sometimes I would welcome more blurred sound. But on the other side of the coin it is maybe better, because one can concentrate more on the music itself. I expect that we won’t expect absolutely clean or dirty production from you…?

The production for us, was not so good on the debut full length but we used what we had at the time, the new material is sounding alot better to my ears, i dont want Austere to suffer from bad production, i have nothing against raw music at all, but its just not what i want for Austere, i want to do the best with the tools at hand.

7. You are preparing new split with Lyrinx and Isolation. Why with those bands? Can you specifically say why you choose them? What do you found interesting about their music, stances etc…?

Indeed, The material for both splits are now completed, we feel it has progressed alot. To answer your question about what i find interesting in their music...I can hear/feel a great sence of emotion within their music, this is the most importaint point for me, there is nothing worse than listening to some empty, half attempt at making "music"

8. Split albums are usually rejected and songs released on splits are often experimental, different or simply crap which wouldn´t be normally released. What is the specific meaning of your cooperation with these bands?

The material on these split releases are not rejected songs, its all exclusive material that all bands involved have rehearsed to get just how they should sound. They are meaningful releases as i said. The meaning is a union of feelings that work together...I wouldnt agree to a split release with "leftovers" or "scraps".


9. Debut „Withering Illusions and Desolation“ was released as a CD and LP, so can we say that this record was successful and demanded? Maybe that you also don´t care about the opinions of others but were you somehow rejoiced with the positive responses?

I have no idea if it is a successful selling item, nor do i/we care. Its not about that at all, id feel somewhat good about the fact that someone who has heard the entire release and found something in it to satisfy themselves, there has been some people who have expressed their thoughts to us about it, and it is appreciated, but in the end, its a personal journey and how we finish it is how we want it to be.


10. Both of the already named split will be released through the different labels. It is hard to find the label which will satisfy your needs as a band? Or you are just searching for alternatives?

It is hard to simply find labels, they are to cluttered with music i do not wish to comment on, but these labels release what they wish, i would self release my own material if need be, its not about "getting on a label" Sure, you want your music out there, in the hope that it may reach someone in a far distaint corner of the world. I mean why else would you find a label to release it in the first place? but why would you suck up to someone just to get a release? as i said, id rather release it myself if i could not find a label with similar interests.

11. Now to the thing that concerns me most. New album should be released during this or upcoming year. Do you have some conception about number of the songs, differences from the debut and so on? Is the material somehow compositionally different, will you put more effort on atmosphere, length of the songs, …?

The new album is still in the writing process, i cannot tell how many songs or how long in length it will be, as i always leave the door open with writing music, im not going to stick to a strict guideline, i dont see a point in that. From the material that has been written, it is still slowly progressing from the debut which is good i think, as for putting effort into atmosphere, i dont put effort into it, as i said earlier, whatever comes out on the record is what comes out of my head...you cannot force "atmosphere" its either there or not at all...

12. My last question will be about Funeral Mourning. Austere are preparing a lot of thing for future. Haven´t been Funeral Mourning put into the background?

Funeral Mourning will remain on hold until i feel i should explore it further, and since im putting 100% into Austere, i just dont have time for FM, it is an experiment and will remain this way.

From me, that´s all. Thanks for the opportunity to interview you, and I look upon the upcoming minutes which will be someday painfully engraved in the forthcoming albums.