Illyria, a Perth-based band, features Ilija Stajic on vocals/guitar, Andre Avila, Harry Prosser, and Jeffrey Anderson on guitars and bass, and Cam Stone-Griffin on drums. Each member contributes to their genre-blending sound in "Wanderlust," integrating death metal, black metal, metalcore, and post-rock with orchestral and synth layers.
1. Could
you introduce the current lineup of Illyria and share what each member
contributes to the band?
Ilija Stajic -
Vocals/Guitar
Andre Avila - Guitar
Harry Prosser - Guitar
Jeffrey Anderson - Bass
Cam Stone-Griffin - Drums
2.
"Wanderlust" is described as a journey across various extreme metal
genres. How did you approach blending these styles while maintaining a cohesive
sound throughout the album?
Wanderlust is a blend of death metal, black metal, metalcore and
progressive/post-rock elements. We enjoy incorporating orchestral and synth
layers additionally to keep our listeners in a state of suspense of what is
going to happen next.
3. What
themes or concepts inspired the creation of "Wanderlust"? How does
this album differ from your previous works in terms of lyrical content and
overall atmosphere?
I have personally been travelling and working around Australia for the past few years and each place that I have resided has provided myself with vast experiences and emotions that I like to capture in my compositions. Some of the songs have passages written by other band members which have also incorporated their journeys travelling to places like North America and Scandinavia. Wanderlust is a collection of experiences from our travels around the globe with an assortment of lyrics that is an amalgamation of religious scripture, archaeology and mythology.
4. Your
music has been influenced by bands like Alcest, Deafheaven, and Lantl么s. How
have these influences evolved over the years, and how do they manifest in your
latest album?
We have been a band for a decade with multiple line-up changes, but I
have always stayed integral to the core foundations of this band. Our earlier
material was definitely more influenced by the bands mentioned but I have
expanded my horizons and this album definitely brought out more of my death
metal influences than the post-black metal/shoegaze textures. It is still
present, but ever so slightly. I don’t think it will go away forever, it is in
the band’s DNA but we like to explore and push the limits and be an outlier in
the respective genres.
5. Could
you take us through the songwriting process for "Wanderlust"? Are
there any tracks that underwent significant changes from their initial
conception to the final recording?
Wanderlust was meant to be released in 2020 but due to multiple factors,
particularly the pandemic and myself moving to the other side of Australia, the
entire album changed significantly. The only song that wasn’t changed was
Frostbite as we had already released it as a single, besides new production and
a couple of changes, everything else was turned upside down, pretty much.
6. The
album features tracks like "Frostbite" and "Pragma." Can
you delve into the themes explored in these songs and what they mean to you
personally?
Frostbite is definitely a more tender and emotional song about a failed
romance. It is different to the other tracks but we still believe it is a good
fit to take a deep breath before you get into the other intense tracks. Pragma
was a song written by Andre initially where it delves into the spiritual
manifestations of the human psyche. I watched a lot of Legend of Korra at the
time when writing the lyrics and took inspiration from the intense battle of
the harmonic convergence. It is a blend of neuro-science, the modern blight of
social media Tik-tok brain and a fantasy kids TV show about fighting with fire
and water from your hands.
7. After
releasing "Take Me Somewhere Beautiful" in 2022, how did you approach
the creative direction for "Wanderlust"? What were your main goals or
aspirations for this album?
I am so proud of Take Me Somewhere Beautiful, personally. I understand
that some people think it was an absolute curve ball of what was to come but I
consider it my ‘Alcest - Shelter’ album. I just had to get it out of my system.
It is different to what we had done in the past and I am grateful to have
collaborated with my close friend, James Tolich to just bring out a different
sound. I had experimented in the past with a post-hardcore/metalcore sound in
my previous albums and it was great to push it to our limits. I may go back to
in the long, long future but for now, I am really enjoying this high-intensity
chaos that I am composing with Wanderlust. The rest of the band is enjoying it
too and the songs are an absolute blast to perform live.
8.
You've toured with notable bands like Cattle Decapitation and Wolves In The
Throne Room. How have these experiences influenced your growth as musicians and
as a band?
Not really, to be brutally honest, it is very hard to make the next step
as a band based in Perth, Australia as we are thousands of kilometres from the
rest of the continent’s major cities. We haven’t played outside of our state.
At this time, we are comfortable being a band that will honour a support slot
for a touring act that travels to Perth and it is great to witness some great
bands play on these nights. We would love to tour more cities and grow but it
is quite hard logistically and financially.
9.
"Wanderlust" marks a return to a full-band lineup after operating as
a solo project for a period. How did this impact the recording process and the
overall dynamic within the band?
It hasn’t changed much in the songwriting department but it is nice to
have an extra set of ears to critique and be proud of the compositions. I begin
the process and they provide their extra flair along the way. The boys want to
be part of this, perform the songs and enjoy the process. It is a pleasure
playing live still and I am grateful they insisted to be part of the lineup
during a time when I felt like packing it all up and just releasing music
online solo.
10.
Could you share any memorable anecdotes or challenges faced during the
production of "Wanderlust"?
The fact that we had been sitting on the final masters for a year and
eagerly trying to sort out the business, marketing & finances for the build
up. It is so relieving to finally showcase Wanderlust globally and seeing all
the feedback, positive & negative, it drives us to keep improving and make
more tunes.
11. Your
album covers themes of exile, isolation, and rebirth. How do these themes
reflect your personal experiences or observations of the world around you?
Living in rural Australia will do that to you, everything you see about
the Australian outback in a stereotypical sense is fairly accurate. It makes
you change your perspective of life after being an urbanite your entire
childhood and young adulthood.
12.
Looking ahead, what are Illyria's plans for the future? Are there any upcoming
tours, collaborations, or new musical directions that fans can look forward to?
As we do every album, we will release an instrumental edition of
Wanderlust in the coming months. We have a vast array of music that we will
decide how to compile over the next couple of years. Maybe even release an EP
or two for a change instead of waiting every few years for a full-length. The
content creation world is changing around us and we need to improve on that
front.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire