今天采访到的是来自乌克兰的Melodic Black Metal乐队Dark Stronghold，2021年的Dark Stronghold由Lord of Discordia和Desert Demon组建，Lord of Discordia负责演唱，Desert Demon负责编曲，2023年乐队发行了第一正式专辑“The Feast of Black Crows”，冰冷，冷酷，优美的旋律给所有歌迷留下了深刻印象，歌手的演唱如同恶魔降临，邪恶，麻木，今年乐队刚刚发布了最新的EP专辑“Citadel”，在新专辑发行之际乐队和杂志取得联系进行了一次专访！
（V: 代表笔者 S: 代表Serhii）
Today's interview is with Ukrainian Melodic Black Metal band Dark Stronghold, formed in 2021 by Lord of Discordia and Desert Demon, with vocals by Lord of Discordia and arrangements by Desert Demon. In 2023 the band released their first official album ‘The Feast of Black Crows’, which impressed all fans with its cold, chilling and beautiful melodies, and the singer's vocals were as evil and numbing as a demonic descent. This year the band has just released their latest EP album ‘Citadel’, on the occasion of the release of the new album the band got in touch with the magazine for an interview!
(V: for the author S: for Serhii)
采访对象：Serhii（Dark Stronghold乐队歌手）
采访时间：2024.12.02
V: 你好Serhii很高兴见到你，非常感谢你能接受我们的采访，我想这是你们乐队第一次接受中国杂志的采访，首先向所有的中国歌迷问个好，Dark Stronghold是一支非常年轻的乐队，成立于2021年，是谁发起组建这支乐队的？
Hello Serhii nice to meet you and thank you very much for participating in this interview, I think this is the first time your band has been interviewed by a Chinese magazine, first of all say hello to all the Chinese fans, Dark Stronghold is a very young band formed in 2021, who initiated the formation of this band?
S: 大家好！我很高兴中国的重型音乐爱好者知道我们。我非常高兴！是的，我们乐队第一次接受了中国杂志的采访，我希望以后还会有更多。创建乐队的想法来自我的同事Nihil。他有一份以Summoning乐队风格录制的Demo并提议我加入他的项目，担任主唱。我同意了并开始创作歌词。但到了2023年，Nihil 决定把这首类似Summoning乐队的Demo放在一边，写出完全不同的音乐。
Hello everyone! I am very pleased that Chinese fans of heavy music know about us. I am very happy! Yes, our band gives an interview to a Chinese magazine for the first time, and I hope there will be many more in the future. The idea of creating the band belongs to my colleague Nihil. He had demo that was recorded in the style of Summoning band and proposed me to join his project on the vocal. I agreed and began to work on lyrics. But in 2023, Nihil decided to put the Summoning-ish demo aside and write completely different music you hear now.
V: 你们乐队只有两个人，Nihil负责编曲，你负责主唱，我觉得这很方便，因为你们可以按照自己的想法写歌，能跟我们说说你们写歌的过程吗？
There are only two members in your band, Nihil does the arrangements and you do the vocals, I think it’s very convenient because you can write the songs the way you want them to be, can you tell us a little bit about your songwriting process?
S: 是的，的确，我们的合作很方便。Nihil是一位多乐器演奏家；他创作了所有的音乐，包括鼓的部分。这是一项艰巨但愉快的工作。当然我们会讨论各种细微差别，以便让作品听起来合乎心意。有时我们不得不改变一些东西。我努力使歌曲在概念上完整。我努力使人声与黑暗的氛围相匹配。
Yes. Indeed, it is convenient for us to work in tandem. Nihil is a multi-instrumentalist; he writes all the music, including the drum parts. It is a considerable but enjoyable work. Of course, we discuss various nuances so that the composition sounds the way it should. Sometimes we have to change things. I try to give the songs conceptual completeness. I strive to make the vocals match the dark atmosphere.
V: 你们乐队的录音非常棒，这张专辑是在哪个录音棚录制的？哪位制作人制作了你们的专辑？
Your band’s recordings are fantastic, what studio did you record the album in? Which producer produced your album?
S: 非常感谢。我们于2023年夏天在Gnatyuk 工作室（切尔诺夫策）录制了第一张专辑，尽管我们最初计划在基辅录制，录音室的工作分几个阶段进行。工作非常困难，因为天气非常热，温度高达40摄氏度。第一张专辑的录制得到了推广乌克兰Black Metal的FFF制作公司的大力支持，为此非常感谢他们。
Thank you very much. We recorded the first album in the summer of 2023 in the Gnatyuk Studio (Chernivtsi), although we initially planned to do it in Kyiv. The work in the studio took place in several stages. It was very difficult to work, as it was very hot and the temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius. I had to drink a lot of water and after each composition go to the next room with the air conditioners.The recording of the first album was made possible with the support of FFF Productions, which promotes Ukrainian black metal. Many thanks to them for this.
V: The Dark Tower是你音乐的主题，你为什么选择它，想通过它表达什么？歌词部分也是你们自己创作的，是什么激发了你们创作歌词？
The Dark Tower is the theme of your music, why did you choose it and what do you want to express through it? You also created the lyrics section, which you wrote yourself, what inspired you to write the lyrics?
S: 我和Nihil都是斯蒂芬-金的"黑暗塔"系列小说的忠实粉丝，我们对这些世界的神话非常了解。在2021年，我们想创作一些概念性的东西。我们必须摒弃“指环王”（托尔金）的世界、“巫师”（萨普科夫斯基）的世界和“沙丘”（赫伯特）的世界。我们最终选择了自己最喜爱的世界。此外与托尔金的主题不同，Black Metal乐队经常使用托尔金的主题，而斯蒂芬-金的想法还没有被大规模使用，我们占据了这一文化利基，我们希望在这方面取得成功。
Nihil and I are long-time fans of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series of novels. We are quite versed in the mythology of these worlds. In 2021, we wanted to create something conceptual. We had to reject the ideas of the world of The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), the world of The Witcher (Sapkowski) and the world of The Dune (Herbert). We settled on what we love the most. Also, unlike Tolkien’s themes, which are often used by black metal bands, Stephen King’s ideas have not found large-scale involvement. We have occupied this cultural niche. We hope to succeed in this.
V: 你们乐队的Logo是我见过的最漂亮的设计之一，穿插的玫瑰花是一个非常独特的设计，是谁为你们设计了这个Logo？你们的专辑封面也是仿照真实照片设计的，颜色很深，谁为你们设计了这个专辑封面？
Your band’s logo is one of the most beautiful designs I’ve ever seen, the interspersed roses are a very unique design, who designed this logo for you? Your album artwork is also designed in a way that samples real photos and is very dark, who designed this album artwork for you?
S: 在这个Logo出现之前，我们尝试了不同的方案。Nihil画了他的草图，我画了我的。然而我们对它们并不太满意，这个方案完全出乎我的意料。玫瑰是"黑暗塔"神话的一部分。我想它们应该出现在Logp上，这个方案最终成为最佳技术解决方案。Nihil为它做了漂亮的处理。Nihil 负责发行版的图形设计。我负责概念部分，Nihil负责技术部分。
Before this logo appeared, we tried different options. Nihil drew his sketches, I drew mine. However, we were not satisfied with them much. This option came to me completely unexpectedly. Roses are part of the mythology of the Dark Tower. And I thought that they should be on the logo. This option turned out to be the best technical solution. Nihil gave it a beautiful finish. Nihil does the graphics for the releases. I am in charge of conceptual part and Nihil takes care of technical part.
V: 你的专辑都是以数字形式自行发行的，你是否考虑过发行CD版本？目前有没有与任何唱片公司接触过？
Your albums are all self-released digitally, have you considered releasing them on CD? Have you been in contact with any labels so far?
S: 是的，有这样的计划，但肯定不是在未来几个月，我们曾接到过与一家法国小型唱片公司合作的邀请。我们曾计划与法国的一支Black Metal乐队合作发行合辑，但现在我们决定暂时休整一下。一旦情况有变，我们一定会着手工作。我们希望我们的专辑不仅能以CD形式发行，还能以黑胶形式发行。
Yes. There are such plans, but surely not in the coming months. We had offers to collaborate with a small French label. A split with one of the French black metal bands was planned, however, for now we decided to take a break. As soon as some circumstances change, we will get down to work for sure. We hope that our albums will be released not only on CD, but also on vinyl.
V: 首先祝贺你们今年发行了最新EP"Citadel"，你们的作品给我一种黑暗、悲伤的感觉，你们缓慢、沉重的氛围给我一种非常凄凉的感觉，你们的旋律很棒，令人印象深刻，鼓声不是很快，但与你们的音乐形成了很好的对比。鼓点不是很快，但很好地烘托了气氛。你的歌声也很有特色，低沉、咒语般的嗓音和阴险的黑金属歌声风格，让你的作品更加阴险。
First of all, congratulations on the release of your latest EP ‘Citadel’ this year, your work gives me a dark, sad feeling, your slow, heavy atmosphere gives me a very bleak feeling, your melodies are great and impressive, the drums aren’t very fast, but it’s a nice contrast to your music. The drums are not very fast, but it sets the atmosphere very well. Your vocals are also very distinctive, with a low, incantation-like voice and a sinister black metal vocal style, which makes your work even more sinister.
S: 非常感谢。我们决定改变流派，从Melodic Black Metal转向Atmospheric Doom Black Metal，因为我们相信这样的音乐能更有说服力地传达我们的思想和信息。今年我在演唱中不仅使用了尖叫，还使用了咆哮，这种体验对我来说既新鲜又愉快。我尝试用不同的发声技巧让我们的歌曲变得更加黑暗和阴险。
Thank you very much. We decided to change the genre and move away from melodic black metal towards atmospheric doom black metal, as we believe that such music conveys our thoughts and messages more convincingly. This year, I used not only screaming in my singing, but also growling, and this experience was new and pleasant for me. I try to experiment with different vocal techniques to make our songs darker and more sinister.
V: 2024年有哪些现场表演让你印象深刻？能否描述一下现场气氛，2025年有哪些新的演出？
What are some of the live performances that stood out to you in 2024? Can you describe the atmosphere and what new shows you have coming up in 2025?
S: 很遗憾，我们还没有现场表演，我们近期也没有演出计划。由于Nihil的意见，我们的合作仅限于工作室工作。
Unfortunately, we do not perform live yet. We do not plan any performances in the near future. Our cooperation is limited to studio work because of Nihil’s views.
V: 你们有没有想过在2025年推出一些新作品献给大家？能告诉我们关于专辑的新消息吗？
Do you have any thoughts on releasing some new work to dedicate to people in 2025? Can you tell us anything new about the album?
S: 是的。借此机会，我想说新专辑“When the Stars Disappear into the Darkness”应该会在2025年发行。我们原计划今年秋天发行，但由于技术原因，我们推迟了发行日期。专辑已经准备就绪。与我们的第一张作品相比，这张专辑将更加大气。这张专辑还将献给黑暗塔神话及其黑暗面。在这里我们的路线保持不变。
Yes. Taking this opportunity, I would like to say that the new album «When the Stars Disappear into the Darkness» should be released in 2025. We planned to do it this fall, but for technical reasons we postponed the release date. The album is almost ready. It will be more atmospheric compared to our first work. The album will also be dedicated to the mythology of the Dark Tower and its dark side. Here our line remains unchanged.
V: 虽然你们是一支非常年轻的乐队，但你们的作品非常大气和稳定，我会一直关注和支持你们的乐队，我也希望通过这次采访能有更多的中国乐迷关注和支持你们的乐队，最后你们有什么想对中国乐迷说的吗？
Although you are a very young band, your work is very atmospheric and stable, I will always pay attention to and support your band, I also hope that through this interview more Chinese fans will pay attention to and support your band, in the end, do you have anything you want to say to your Chinese fans?
S: 感谢你接受我们的采访。我想告诉我们的中国歌迷，我们是同一条船上的！我们很高兴能在金属音乐的世界里感受到团结，音乐是没有国界的。我们会尽最大努力做好我们的工作，用新的作品取悦你们！阅读斯蒂芬-金的书籍，聆听我们的新迷你专辑，在社交网络上关注Dark Stronghold。
Thank you for the interview. I would like to tell our Chinese fans that we are in the same stream, guys! We are pleased to feel unity in the world of metal music. There are no boundaries for music. We will try to do our job as best as possible to please you with new releases! Read books by Stephen King, listen to our new mini-album and follow Dark Stronghold on social networks.
Dark Stronghold乐队主要作品：
Dark Stronghold - The Feast of Black Crows（2023）
Dark Stronghold - Citadel（2024）
Dark Stronghold乐队官方Bandcamp网站：https://darkstrongholdua.bandcamp.com/album/the-feast-of-black-crows
Dark Stronghold乐队官方Facebook网站：https://www.facebook.com/dark.stronghold
Dark Stronghold乐队官方Instagram网站：https://www.instagram.com/dark.stronghold/
Dark Stronghold乐队官方Twitter网站：https://x.com/Dark_Stronghold
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