Interview: Podvizhnik

Have you ever listened to a black metal band and thought, “This would be so much better without the vocals?” Well, Podvizhnik has provided such a beautiful outlet for metalheads who sometimes want music sans vox. It’s black metal, no doubt, but the atmosphere provides the listener the opportunity to sink into their own imagination without screams and shrieking.

Now, before you go off on me, I love black metal with vocals (at least the good ones). But sometimes it’s nice to just have, well, the music speaking for itself.

I hope you enjoy the following discussion with the man behind Podvizhnik, one who will remain unnamed (because black metal mystique and such). Enjoy.

Thanks so much for joining Blacforje for an interview! I’ve enjoyed your music for a short while now, so it’s great to finally connect.

To start off, where are you from?

Thank you for inviting me to do this! I like to maintain some sense of privacy and secrecy, but I will say I'm from New England in the United States.

How is the black metal scene there?

I’ve never been one to get very involved in the local music scene. I don’t go to live shows much, and I'm not interested in playing live myself, either. So, to be honest, I don’t know. However, one great New England band who I have been a fan of for a while is Maine’s Falls of Rauros. Their music is definitely an inspiration for me.

You recently released an EP titled Memory Eternal. What inspired you to write these two songs after releasing a full-length album earlier in 2023 titled Voskresenie?

Well, to start out, Voskresenie was not a fresh full-length but rather a re-release of songs I had previously recorded under a different band name, and the two songs on Memory Eternal are covers, so I didn’t really write anything. One of them is a Russian folk song and the other is a chant used in Orthodox funeral services. Both of these releases were born essentially out of a desire to work on music and be creative when I lacked the time to craft fully original music. I wanted to put out whatever I could with the little time I had and do something with my creative energy. The two covers are songs I had long thought would translate well into metal, and they share a common theme of remembrance of death, which is an important idea in Christian spirituality. On a related note, I am slowly working on new original material, but it might take a while.

From the thematic elements in the artwork you use, it appears you are Eastern Orthodox. Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct. I’m a convert to the Orthodox Christian faith.

How does faith and philosophy play into your work as a musician and artist?

Most importantly, I try to put my faith first as much as possible. As I mentioned, I had a previous musical project before Podvizhnik. When I converted, I wanted to integrate the faith that had become so central to my life into my music, so in a sense that project was reborn as Podvizhnik. I had no interest in creating music that did not convey meaning and reflect what is important to me. I also did not want to come across as an overly preachy Christian band. I never liked those bands before I was a Christian, and frankly it is still off-putting to me, but simply to present the beauty of the Orthodox Church in an artistic manner.

What inspired you to start the Podvizhnik project? Have you been a black metal fan for a while now, or is this a new genre for you?

I have been a black metal fan for what seems like a long time to me, but given my age is probably not very long relative to others. I first discovered the Norwegian scene when I was around 16 or so, having already been a metalhead since I was 12. Though I feel like black metal has long been my “home”, so to speak, that adds up to only about 7 years of being a black metal fan [laughs]. Anyways, I'm very much an amateur musician. I picked up bass around age 14 and guitar a few years later, and I always wanted to just try to make some music for fun. The simplicity and rawness of black metal inspired me, especially the more atmospheric bands in the vein of Burzum and Drudkh. It showed me that you don’t need to be a trained virtuoso or play a million notes a minute to make good metal. The atmosphere and mood in a good black metal track are far more powerful to me than the most complex death metal riffs. And so, a few years ago I first started recording my own black metal, which evolved into Podvizhnik when I became a Christian.

Who are you outside of music? What are some of your hobbies and interests?

Well, I’m pretty much a very normal guy. I like reading, especially about history and religious stuff, and I'm a huge Tolkien fan, doing outdoors stuff like hiking and camping, and I love being involved in Church – singing in the choir, altar serving, volunteering, etc. Right now, I work as a teacher, and I'm discerning the possibility of going to seminary someday.

Last question: How can it be black metal if it’s sonic and not visual? Can we really call it black metal when that’s a color and not a sound? I’d like your thoughts. (This is a sarcastic question that I like to mess with people on at the end. No need to take this too seriously. Haha!)

Well, I’ve been told that black is technically a shade, and considering the number of shady characters in black metal, I think it fits.

You can follow Podvizhnik on Bandcamp, Facebook, and Instagram.