Moloch: Something New and Retro At The Same Time

Way over there on the side of the world, there's an artist by the name of Moloch.

He's from Opole, Poland.

Moloch is an electronic black metal band. His works are inspired from a variety of sources, but mostly from Science Fiction and Horror.

On April 30, Via Nocturna released his latest album, The Other Side.

There were many different things to ask and we did just that.

Check it out below.

Glacially Musical: Thank you for taking a little time for us today.

Moloch: The pleasure is all mine, thanks for having me.

GM: On my site, mostly what we covered is some sort of metal. It's not uncommon to blur the lines, but tell me what synthwave is.

MO: In short it's a love letter to the 80's. It's pure nostalgia but then again a new and fresh approach to all things 80's had to offer in terms of electronic music. 

Basically it's electronic music influenced by the 80's movie soundtracks, video games and pop culture with a twist. Having new sound, big production synthwave is an eclectic and thriving genre. 

Something new and retro at the same time.

GM: How do you see your music?

MO: I like to think of my music as an experience. It's very dark, emotional yet has that beat going on and aggression. There is a lot of going and I tend to make it immersive so the listener just transports himself into some other place. 

It's like a trip back in time and into another dimmension. At least it's what I want to achieve...

GM: How is making music via synthesizers different from making them with regular instruments? How about the same?

MO: Not really. Songwriting is all about telling a story. I learned that from Hans Zimmer approach to music and it's as simple as that. The instruments are only tools to tell that story. So for me it doesn't really matter what I use. 

As long as I do tell something interesting with those instruments. Of course recording guitars and live drums is different than programming them. And the mix and master of virtual instruments is different. But this is the technical side of things. 

The core and the soul of music is always the same. Only the means are different.

GM: The layers upon layers of your songs...how do you create that?

MO: Frankly I try to keep my songs as simple as possible. It's not hard to put instruments and sounds on top of each other and make a mess. I prefer not to overuse layers. 

Keep things straightforward. 8-10 instruments at a time. The main obstacle is to make this work. The make those instruments stick together. Not to put one in front and the others to the background. But at the same time I must make them "organic" and heard. 

So I guess that's the biggest challenge for me. Beside of that it's just like painting on a canvas...

GM: What's one of your concerts like?

MO: Well, you should see that for yourself. If there will be any chance for a Moloch concert happening in the States, that is. I'm currently rehearsing for shows to take place in August in Poland as a part of a mini-tour. 

I will be supporting the great Perturbator on two of them so I guess you will be able to see how it looks live. It will be dark, scary and mystic. I want to have a special atmosphere while performing "The Other Side" so expect masks, mystery and dark synthesisers running wild (laug).

GM: What's the record you heard that made you think you needed to write songs too?

MO: That's a tough one. I took piano lessons for 6 years back when I was a child. After that I switched to guitar. I always tried to compose but I really started doing that around 2004 and debuted in 2006 with "Withering Hopes" a dungeon synth / medieval ambient record. 

I guess I just had it in me. I'm not one of those guys that will tell you that I saw "Stranger Things" and wanted to do 80's music (laugh). For me it was natural and a step in my music evolution. From a pianist to composer. 

However arrogant it may sound (laughs).

GM: What's the one thing about Poland that we all get wrong in The States?

MO: I guess many things. And to be frank it works both ways... But I think Poland is considered as a conservative country full of bigots and narrow minded people. 

And that's not entirely true since I think that we have something more to offer to the world than just Pope John Paul II's memorabilia (laughs). We are very creative and are good at solving problems. Also we have a rich and original culture which you can see a lot of in The Witcher games series. And you well know that we have some great bands that are big around the globe. 

So I guess we're not that dull and uninteresting as some might think.

GM: You're home sick, the weather is inhospitable...so you're inside...what are you doing to pass the time?

MO: Read a book, binge watch a good show on Netflix, have a beer or two? Go to the gym? I like to spend my free time doing nothing. 

That's when I can slow things down and regenerate since my everyday schedule is very hectic. I don't write songs in my free time. I always make a concept, try to put everything in order in my head and then schedule the writing process. 

So it's safe to say that I will waste my pass time than to have it super creative.

GM: What else do we need to know about Moloch, Synthwave, or The Other Side?

MO: Everything you need to know is on my official website www.molochofficial.com and on my Facebook page facebook.com/molochofficial 

Be sure to check'em out and stay in the loop. More interesting stuff coming from Moloch this year! Stick around friends! And thanks again for this opportunity to share a thought or two with you guys.