Category Archives: Interviews

Interviews

(interview)Gothic fantasy art of Shaima Islam

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Shaima Islam is a Canadian artist whose works enchanted me when I ran into her site while browsing through the internet wastelands. I decided that I must talk with her for this webzine.

Welcome to my webzine. For start, how would you describe you and your art in five sentences?

Thank you for having me! As for my art style, I would best describe it as gothic fantasy with a bit of surrealist quirkiness thrown in. Since my art can appear dark, with colours I use or the general atmosphere of the work, I find adding a bit of humour or unusual elements to a piece more appealing. I work traditionally, with watercolours, colour-pencils & pens/markers being my tools of the trade. Compositionally speaking, I like to have a balance of detail with more simpler shapes and forms; alternating from detailed anatomy and hair to more minimal garments, objects, negative space & vice-versa.

When did you first realize that you have the wonderful gift and that you can draw?

Having siblings who were great at both drawing and painting, I became interested in art at quite a young age. Also, growing up in the 90s/2000s there was a boom of the Anime and Manga scene in Canada; from there I would try to imitate the art from some of my favourite titles. Since I was creating ‘fanart’, I didn’t really consider it an artistic skill at that age.  I had some great teachers in middle school however, who encouraged me to pursue art.

What were your first works? How was the feedback to your work at first?

I had a bit of ride trying to get to the artistic style that I’ve established, and in the beginning most of my works were Abstract & Contemporary acrylic paintings. In general, the following of these pieces online, and the reviews in local art shows were quite positive. People seemed to really enjoy them; figuring out the symbolism or story behind them and such.

Oracle_2017_ShaimaIslam

Did you have many exhibitions? Did you go outside of Canada presenting your works?

I didn’t do many exhibitions independently, most of the work I presented for shows were through local galleries in Scarborough and/or exhibitions held by schools or university in Toronto annually.

What is your personally favourite tehnique? What is the hardest from your perspective?

I think creating soft, pastelly features with watercolours, and contrasting that with really dark shapes and lines with black ink is my favorite. However, I find that this also happens to be the hardest to do. Trying to achieve a realistic face for example, while working with a light and subtle colour palette is quite the challenge. There’s always the chance of overdoing the saturation of colours, or sometimes not putting down enough.

You do a lot of fantasy illustrations. Some of them seem to me very dark. Which part of the fantasy genre do you prefer? Who are your favourite book authors? Do you read comics and graphic novels? Any movie and tv series favourites? Musical preferences?

If you’re asking between the fantasy genre as a whole versus more darker imagery, I would say I prefer creating more darker pieces. For the most part, my art isn’t purely fantasy based so I find I can create outside the genre as well. That being said, I’m not into creating art that is dark in the sense of it being grotesque; I rather enjoy looking at works from artists like Gerald Brom & Riccardo Federici.

As for book authors….oh boy that would be a very long list I’m afraid, as I read A LOT. Some of my favourite authors include the Brontë sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell, Robert Louis Stevenson & Daphne Du Maurier; as well as fantasy authors like Michelle Sagara. In terms of comics, I believe the first manga series I ever read in grade school was Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro, it’s still a personal favourite actually. Nowadays I’ve been more interested in western graphic novels from Marvel & DC; I’m enjoying the New 52 Harley Quinn and Ghost Rider & The Punisher comics. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson and the new Mad Max movie are some I watch frequently as well. Cormoron Strike, New Blood and The Doctor Blake Mysteries are some of the many BBC dramas & shows I’m obsessed with. I listen to quite a variety of music genres in different languages; folk bands like Faun & Wardruna all the way to bands like Slipknot, Combichrist, & Kamelot.

Rowena_2017_ShaimaIslam

What do you do for living? Can you live off your art? How is the living in Canada in general?

Working as a freelance illustrator is my current occupation. I believe life as an artist is going to be challenging no matter how established you get; even more so as a freelancer, as you’re technically running your own business.  I believe that you can definitely live off of your art, but you need the determination, persistance, & discipline to land enough projects per month if it’s going to be your primary income. This also means running projects outside of creating artwork like I do with my Etsy shop, or working part-time too when necessary. Living in Canada has its benefits of course, like that of healthcare and such, but with higher living costs it has definitely gotten harder for everyone.

For many Autumn is their favourite part of the year, so many colours, some of the nature is dying to give birth to the new one. What is your favourite part of the year?

I’m that person who starts decorating for Autumn in the beginning of August, so I would definitely say it’s my favourite time of the year. The colours alone make me feel happy and inspired. I’m not really a fan of hot weather either and tend to stay indoors for the most part during the Summer, but I’ll happily be out all day during the Fall and Winter months!

.Have you ever heard of Croatia? Do you know any Croatian artists maybe?

I actually grew up with a few Eastern European friends up to middle school; including a Croatian friend as well those from Serbia, Albania, and the Czech Republic. It’s sad to say however I don’t know much about the country, other than the beautiful landscape and beaches I’ve seen in terms of tourist attractions. As I’m often interested in seeing historic sites and architecture, I would love to see the Dubrovnik Walls (I believe? Please correct me if I’m wrong on the name) someday. Unfortunately I don’t know any Croatian artists, but I would love to check some of their work if you have any suggestions.

What are your plans for the near future? Thank you for the answers.

At the moment, I’m focused on my illustrating work for books and novels. Since I freelance, I’m excited to take on any number of different projects that might come up. I’ve also wanted to be part of the gaming and movie industry in terms of concept art, so we’ll see if that comes into fruition one day. It’s been a pleasure! Thank you once again for including me in this webzine.

https://www.facebook.com/shaimaislam.artist/

https://artofshaima.com/

Interviews

(interview)CROWD CONTROL:”I don’t believe that violent behavior will ever solve any problem.”

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There is no scene without your local scene. This zine has always supported the local scene, so it was about time to talk to CROWD CONTROL, great thrash metal band from Varazdin, Croatia.

Welcome to my webzine. For a start, typical fanzine question, how would you describe Crowd Control, how did you form the band, what is the driving force behind your music?

The idea of the band started in 2014. when I asked Borna if he wanted to play drums in a thrash band. In the beginning it was just the two of us jamming and writing songs for a long time until we found other members. We had a couple of people who were in the band for a short time, with some we played shows and with some we didn’t (in the original lineup there were 4 people in the band). In 2016. (around this time) we contacted Dominik Crnko if he wanted to join the band and since then he sings and plays bass in the band.

Did you guys record and release a demo, or e.p. How is the situation with the material? Do you have your own songs? Where can we hear/see/buy your music?

We have one of our songs on our Youtube channel but we are currently in the process of recording our first studio album. So far we have recorded 5 songs for the album but we constantly write new material and usually play one new song every show. The album recording doesn’t go very fast but we hope to finish it in the spring of 2018. Since we plan to record at least 5 more songs. But when we finish it, you’ll be able to download it for free, until then you can hear and download our only released song called War’s Blind Eyes.

Did you play many gigs? To rephrase the question, are you satisfied with the number of gigs played until now?

We all had a number of previous bands and have experience but we don’t play a lot of shows, well at least not as much as we wanted to haha. You know it is very rare hearing someone call you to play thrash metal in his pub/club. Usually we end up playing shows if some band who has a gig calls us but if it weren’t so i doubt we would have played any of the places we have played until now. But we are very happy with the shows so far because the crowd is always great and seems to like it.

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taken from Crowd Control FB page

What are your lyrics about? Are they all in English or do you also have lyrics in Croatian language?

All of our lyrics are in English and most of them are more psychologically orientated rather than typical thrash topics like gore, drinking etc.

 

 

How is the scene in your hometown/area? I think Varazdin now has some great bands, maybe not the quantity, but the quality is here. The only thing missing is some club, like similar to Prostor in Cakovec. Would you agree?

Varazdin has a fair number of underground bands, you can find punk, metal and even grind core bands. I think the scene is really rich with artists/bands, but i definitely agree that Varazdin lacks places where you could see these types of bands more often. Sadly most of those bands you wont be able to see in clubs and pubs, so I hope Varazdin will get a place like Prostor in Cakovec.

What do you do besides the band?

Me and Borna are students and Dominik is working. Borna is the only one at the moment that has more bands beside Crowd Control.

Are you violent? Do you think that the violence is embedded so deep in the human nature and our internal selves that we will never know real peace as humanity?

I don’t consider myself a violent person but i think that it is up to you on controlling your behavior when you have violent tendencies. Everybody gets aggressive at times but I don’t believe that violent behavior will ever solve any problem.

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photo courtesy of Crowd Control FB page

How did you get in the whole underground scene? Can you still remember your first gig, not as a musician but as a fan in the crowd?

The first time I came in touch with the underground scene was in 2014 shortly before I asked Borna to form a band. There was a place called Green Bay which is now currently known as Sloboda. Every weekend there were concerts and there I met Borna. At that time I was really getting into thrash metal but i don’t recall if this was the very first show I ever saw, but if not, it was definitely among first of them. Anyway, that night was a thrash metal themed event and I remember being blown away by the band Sedativ from Cakovec. They were amazing and since then I’m a big fan of their work, you should check them out if you haven’t already!

Do you have some musical influences? Are you scared that someone will mark you as a copy of some band? Is there plenty clones of more famous bands in todays scene?

Yes, of course we all have our musical influences. I think that metal music in general is “overpopulated” with bands and subgenres. Today it is impossible to sound original as Black Sabbath did when there was no metal music at all. I’m sure if not every, then most of my/our riffs has at least been played by 1 band already, or has a very similar riff. I’ve heard people saying that we sound like this and that band, but I never heard about them until that moment haha. I think that if you are making music that you can understand that making music comes from stealing someone else’s stuff and making it your own, well playing it your way. But when i do compose stuff for the band, inspiration comes very rarely from thrash metal bands. I often get inspired by non metal or metal music that isn’t exactly thrash and then I transform the idea into something that would fit the style we play. So if you hear some of our riffs and you think we copied from some thrash band you can be sure you’re wrong haha.

That is it for the first time. Do you have something to add in the end that I didnt ask you? Maybe plans for near future?

Our only goal at the moment is to finish the album in a proper way rather than release a few mediocre songs in order to have an album in a very short time. We hope to have gigs more often and at some point to come to Cakovec to be part of the scene there. We thank you for getting in touch with us and having us interviewed!

 

Interviews

(interview)AMBASADOR ROUS-“Forest can also be very emotional, beautiful and brutal at the same time.”

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This mysterious band comes from nearby Prekmurje region in Slovenia and they play black metal with some not so ordinary touch, so it was about time for me to go look for them in the Prekmurje forests. I found them and did an interview with them for my zine.

Welcome to my webzine. First, this is a very unusual name for a black metal band. How did you come up with the name because many black metal bands have more generic and evil names?

„Pozdravleni Kraykulla webzine“, as we would greet you in prekmurian dialect. The name Ambasador Rous is interpreted as in someone being a connection or an „ambassador“ between a nature and a mortal man. Rous is a paronym of a word rose, which in our way can have a lot of meanings, and in a way, it can represent a „regnum plantae“.  The highlight of it all, is the fact, that the idea arose in a youth club  called Ambasada, where an organiser by the name of „Rous“ held an event.

How many of you are in the band and could you present the members to the readers of this zine?

There are currently 9 ambasadors, being and performing in the forest of Büdinci, Goričko. Lord Büdin – father of our hills with his chosen messengers, forest troubadours and night bards.

I suppose that you live somewhere near the woods. Why are the forests and woods such inspiration for you? What do you think about less and less nature and more and more concrete and steel taking over this planet?

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Yes, we live in the woods. We are the woods. For all of us, the forests can be a whole „universe“ and we can find everything there. Not just food,shelter,resources,etc.. but also danger,fear,death, and even somewhat of a deeper connection. Our philosophy is not based on a ecological problem of Goričko, but more on a demographic issues of the land. The majority is old and dying, their offsprings are leaving, leaving the beautiful hillsides and fertile soil behind.

Are you Satanists? What do you think about Laveyan Satanism? Is the antichristian theme present in your music and lyrics?

No, we are not abrahamic, nor pagan. We are monotheistic forest religion, that is devoted to Lord Büdin, father of our hills and protector of all woods.

You had some live shows. Is the look like corpsepaint, spikes, bulletbelts and other stuff important for adding drama to the black metal show? Do you use it? How does your gig look like?

Like we stated before, we are not an ordinary black metal band, therefore those addons are not included in our arsenal. We perform as a forest with our Lord Büdin, spreding the words from the woods, about the woods.

Norwegian black metal vs rest of the world black metal. Which is better?

Every forest has its own flora and fauna, beautiful and special in its own way.

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Do you have lyrics in English or are you singing in your own Slovenian language? I heard the song on Bandcamp, what is that song about? When is the full ep, demo or album coming out?

Our lyrics are in Slovenian language, to be more specific, in a prekmurian dialect. The first lyrics were in English, but as time passed, woods changed and with it the inner circle, it all steered to a new course. „On je iz Büdinec“ means „He is from Büdinci“ and it is about Lord Büdin.  To answer the last question phrase: we have released a full live show from Breka Fest X, where we play a full set of our limited EP „Lejs je nej več isti“. If the forest and soil will be fertile, our debut album will be released in the red solistice of 2018.

Why is black metal so emotional, brutal but beautiful? I heard once that black metal is an ugly thing, not for everyone. Do you agree?

Well, forest can also be very emotional, beautiful and brutal at the same time. And even for someone, a forest could be an ugly thing. Do you agree?

Thank you for this opportunity, we are grateful.

„Sakši san svoj krijž nosi“

https://ambasadorrous.bandcamp.com/releases