Qrixkuor: "We are a band of polarising perceptions"

Anyone who has followed Qrixkuor’s course so far may have sensed that the British band was capable of releasing something "big". Even the optimists among us, however, did not foresee just how remarkable their second full-length, "The Womb Of The World", would prove to be. It is an astounding album that takes the fusion of cavernous black/death metal and symphonic music one step further, along with all the otherworldly creations such a union can give birth to. Don’t take our word for it: check it out yourselves on Spotify or Bandcamp, or simply enjoy the self-titled track’s amazing video.

So, we sought out S - the composer, guitarist, vocalist, and generally the mastermind behind the band - for a tour through Qrixkuor’s nightmarish and mysterious world. With courtesy and absolute confidence in his artistic achievements, S reveals to us the method behind the madness.

It’s my pleasure to welcome you at rocking.gr and congratulations on your new album! How have you found the reception so far?

Thank you and it’s a pleasure to be here. The reception to the album so far seems to have been overwhelmingly positive with a great many write-ups, comments and messages suggesting that the scope and intention of the record has been largely appreciated. Of course, it has flown right over the heads of some, but I would probably be very concerned if a work so dense and detailed was so easily and widely understood as to have no detractors. After the release of the ‘Zoetrope’ EP in 2022 - which seemed to be somewhat overlooked by much of the scene for many reasons - it feels satisfying to stir people’s attention once again.

In what ways do you think that your music has evolved in The Womb Of The World? What were your aesthetic/stylistic goals when you were composing it?

Simply more of everything - denser, sparser, faster, slower - more sprawling in some ways whilst also more streamlined in others. As a result, far more dynamic and far more effective, bringing together all that we have suffered and learnt over the past decade or so to a roaring, terrifying crescendo. The goal was to follow all of those threads to their natural conclusion, and this was very much achieved and more.

I enjoy keeping a treasure trove of small details just under the surface of these seas of nauseating tension

It seems that with a "clear", polished production, your music could sound a bit more straightforward, yet you prefer the cavernous sound style. Why’s that? Is it a way to create a tension or a contrast with the melodies or does this preference reflect the project’s concepts better?

The tightrope of clarity and density is the key balancing act in a QRIXKUOR production for Greg (Chandler, ESOTERIC) to navigate. I believe him to be the only person who could take what we present him with and achieve not only satisfactory but exemplary standards of both simultaneously. Certainly, adjectives such as ‘clean’ or ‘polished’ are the antithesis of what QRIXKUOR represents - it is a vessel of utter horror with filth at its rotten heart, no matter my burgeoning penchant for the odd moment of clarity or how many fancy instruments are present. I enjoy keeping a treasure trove of small details just under the surface of these seas of nauseating tension, to reveal themselves slowly as the subject delves deeper and deeper into the work.

People hear what they want to hear, a lot more often than they think

Despite your compositions being very lengthy, there is great flow, it feels like the music is telling a story. How do you make this happen?

Because the music ‘is’ telling a story, more or less, as much of one as the lyrics if not quite as obviously - they are flames birthed from the same spark. Apart from the obvious influence on the structures of multi-movement classical pieces and cinematic scores, the root of this fascination with longer-form works is probably Iron Maiden, both in the 80s with the likes of ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ but also their early/mid-2000s reunion material, which is the time period in which I discovered the band and began my descent into the heavy metal abyss that persists to this day. It seems to me that QRIXKUOR is a band of polarising perceptions - I have seen plenty of commenters lament that we string together riffs nonsensically, while others clearly see the method in the madness. It is madness indeed, but with a method there for those who seek to find. People hear what they want to hear, a lot more often than they think.

The classical/symphonic parts of your music are extremely interesting. Please explain the compositional process: do you compose the "metal" base first and then add the orchestral parts or do you work on them simultaneously?

Both feast off of each other, pushing the other forward until the work is complete. One facet can inspire the other and vice versa - in fact, I would venture that the ideas that retain their potency when crossing instrumental groups tend to be some of the more effective ones. Generally, more of the abstract experimentation with the orchestral layers is undertaken after the base - or ‘metal’ - elements are somewhat in place, but neither is truly ‘finished’ until it is ultimately committed to tape, and debatably not even then. What does ‘finished’ mean anyway?

How many people are in the Orchestra of the Silent Stars? Are these hired musicians? If yes, how tough is it to organise something like that?

15 this time around I believe, yes they are hired and the answer is very tough. I know just enough about the instruments involved to present everything to the musicians in a way that is fruitful to achieving the result that I envision, but the organisation and execution is a herculean task, especially while fulfilling all remaining roles in the band other than the drummer’s, and not one that I would suggest anyone else undertake lightly.

I don’t think that these are new interests within black and death metal or that we are anywhere near the first to integrate such components, but perhaps we have done it here in such a way or to such an extent that has not, thus far, been attempted and/or achieved

The classical parts remind me a lot of classic horror film scores and some older composers. Have you been inspired and influenced by specific classical composers?

For a start, we could cite Shostakovich, Schoenberg, Webern, Penderecki, Xenakis, Ligeti…Stravinsky also to some extent. Predominantly those of the 20^th century, in their intensions and approaches to their art, which are the most important aspects to understand in relation to how they collide with our work. However, for sure it would not be incorrect to refer to some of the lesser known or even the more obvious names in 20^th and 21^st century horror and other types of cinematic music when pondering the atmosphere and (tentative) resolution found in some of our sparsely sprinkled moments of relative harmony, especially on this record - QRIXKUOR’s work has always exhibited a strong cinematic element even long before we started adopting aspects of their instrumentation. The influence of the French band ELEND also cannot be understated. I don’t think that these are new interests within black and death metal or that we are anywhere near the first to integrate such components, but perhaps we have done it here in such a way or to such an extent that has not, thus far, been attempted and/or achieved.

Amazing guitar work too, especially the leads. I sense some classic 90s death metal elements there, would you agree?

Indeed, the work of Azagthoth, Vigna, Cortez et al both fascinated and dumbfounded me as a youngster discovering the instrument, and continues to do so to this day. However, I would challenge that the lead-work of the past few releases owes just much to LaRocque, Smith/Murray, Tipton/Downing, Denner/Shermann and the countless others that you would probably be correct in mentioning alongside them. Their melodic sensibilities and feel are facets that my heart is deeply drawn to, and that I cannot prevent coming out of my hands.

Could you tell us more about the lyrical aspect of The Womb Of The World? What are its main lyrical themes? Also, how does the title connect with Santiago Caruso’s spectacular cover art?

The return of matter to the beckoning soil of its birth upon death and the fragments left behind - or otherwise - in the process, and the blessings and curses of an existence bound to walking the ever-thinning tightrope between madness and genius, never quite knowing on which side you will fall until the fall happens. Without delving too deeply into Santiago’s work on his behalf, the art portrays these fragments - the silent stars at the womb of the world

At the moment, Qrixkuor is a duo. Would a full line-up interest you, is this something that you plan to do in the future? Would you like to turn Qrixkuor into a live touring band?

A live band, perhaps. A touring band I would doubt. I am open to the idea of live presentations of the music in special circumstances, but the many questions that you may have as to how we would realistically/logistically perform the many of layers of this album and even the last EP to their full potential and without detraction are not ones that I even have the answer to at this present moment. Not having to worry about replicating the textures and timbres of the material live has been intensely liberating in the creative processes of those records, and we would not have broken the boundaries of extreme music to the extent that we have if that had been a concern. In essence, I do not feel that it is something that we HAVE to do, but perhaps it would be a shame if we never did again.

Genuinely revelatory (extreme metal) works are far fewer and far between, but they do exist

How do you feel about extreme metal these days, as a listener? Do you feel Qrixkuor is part of a specific scene?

Not as exciting as it was 10 years ago, but then perhaps I am also not as excitable, or just less easily impressed. Many of the festivals and international shows happening around that time, that regularly brought together the members of these groups as well as their supporters, have also become logistically impossible in the years since, such is the state of the world. There are certainly newer acts still keeping the fire burning, both by actively seeking to push the formulas or by offering a mercilessly effective take on the existing ones, and many of the olde guard are still going strong - genuinely revelatory works are far fewer and far between, but they do exist.

As for whether QRIXKUOR is part of a scene - I have no idea nor do I care much. There is no real local communion especially where I reside in the black heart of the West Midlands - supposedly the home of metal - but even in the wider-UK these days. There are certainly bands and individuals across the globe with whom we have personal and private history and kinship and that is far more than enough connection for me. We probably became too weird to musically align with enough other bands to constitute any kind of scene, which is no doubt a wonderful thing in itself.

What are your plans and ambitions for the future of Qrixkuor?

The truth is that I am not completely sure. I am something of an empty creative vessel for the first time in 15 years, having exhausted everything with this record. Whether that leads to an especially serendipitous place - or the exact opposite - only time will tell. I am currently making sure to truly savour the present moments surrounding the release of ‘The Womb of the World,’ having always been immersed in the next project by the time the previous one has cleared the mundane production hurdles required to be publicly released, and hence having never really done so. Do not mistake a short period of celebratory contemplation for complacency, however.

Thank you very much for this interview. Yours are the last words.

Thank you also. At the edge of the word at the 13^th hour - the fruits of madness never sour.