After Justin stumbled unknowingly into their pit of symphonic black metal, Russia's Sinister Frost gave us a lot of things to ponder. So much so, that we felt the need to reach out to them for some answers. We sat down to discuss the imagery of the name, the music itself, and how the Russian people respond to metal in the modern age. A special thanks to Philip and the entire Sinister Frost team!
First and foremost, we want to thank you all for taking the time to answer our questions. What made you guys decide to go with the name, "Sinister Frost,"and what kind of imagery do you think it creates?
Sinister Frost:
Hello. Firstly the band had a “Wolves of Hell” title. After a short period of time we decided to change it. The reason was not a full correspondence of old title with the concept of the band and us as persons in overall. Sinister Frost – it’s not just a name of the band. It means us. The band presents the darkest aspects of the soul, the absence of love and compassion. It’s like an icy indifference. Furthermore, we believe that Hell – if it exists – is a devilishly cold area.
How did you guys come up with the album title, "Cryotorment?"
Sinister Frost:
Cryotorment may be represented as the suffering from the Cold or as the frozen torture. In general it means the same icy indifference. This title reflects our concept.
Your music has some pretty complex riffs and song structure. Who does most of the writing, musically? What is the process like for each track?
Sinister Frost:
Generally the music is composed by Upsetcross. There are no special schemes. The main goal is to make any track unique. It should be different from the previous and the next one. That’s why each track has individual structure. Usually it’s a complex structure.
"Vicar of God Of The Death" really balances out the light and dark tones. Was there any significance to the track compared to the rest of the album?
Sinister Frost:
This track was composed at the very end. While the record process we allowed ourselves to experiment with the sound. The result was rather interesting and promising.
The vocals offer a very unique tone to the album. Who were some major influences as far as vocalists go?
Sinister Frost:
Vocals are the thing which we wanted to make original. There are a lot of bands with ordinary vocals and we don’t want to be the same. So we have two vocalists and our vocals hopefully aren’t so usual. At least we never used any kind of voice templates.
Your album artwork seems to fit the music perfectly. Where do you come up with the artwork?
Sinister Frost:
It seems that while the creation of artworks the designer was influenced by our common mood and different types of cold representations. The artworks were a great addition to the general concept and album atmosphere. Crytorment CD sheds the cold on its listener – even if it is on the counter of some music store!
What are your thoughts on fans downloading music? Do you think this helps bands spread their music around or do you think this ends up hurting bands because of low album sales?
Sinister Frost:
In the whole civilized world generally people are ready to pay for a CD or the uploaded track. To pay for anything that can be acquired for free in Russia is similar to bad manners. It’s sad but true. Here there’s almost no musical market at all. However in any case the band which doesn’t have a name yet can acquire it only via internet by spreading its art for free. As a matter of fact the leak of Cryotorment CD into the internet made this interview possible.
Are there any bands you would enjoy touring with in the near future? What kind of live show can we expect from Sinister Frost?
Sinister Frost:
Unfortunately, the organization of gigs and the quality of music gear on the local venues aren’t so great here. We know that and that’s why we plan to make infrequent but quality gigs with our own equipment and the sound engineering crew (4-5 gigs per year). Undoubtedly we think that a musician should give all that he has got on the stage. The good gig is when you don’t have any strength to crawl to the dressing room after the concert.
That said, how do you think the look of the band (make-up, costume, etc) plays in to the live experience? Where did your physical style come from?
Sinister Frost:
The look of the band has a significant meaning. As well as music and lyrics have. Besides, it’s very important to combine well all these components. Especially it is necessary for the live gigs where the proper atmosphere must be created. The concert is like a show where people come and look at you. And you must make them pleased with themselves. The visual style of our band is connected with frozen world as well. We were influenced by the local climate conditions which sometimes could be rigorous.
We have listened to, reviewed, and watched quite a few bands from Russia recently. Some were good, and some were far from it. How do you feel about the current metal scene in Russia, and what other bands do you think are helping to make your home a better place for metal?
Sinister Frost:
Now when the internet is available for all of us and it is unlimited, people here almost stopped to attend the gigs. This fact had a bad influence on gig promoters and organizers. Furthermore, now it’s much easier to buy the music gear. Considering this fact, it’s understandable why there are a lot of new bands appear. Most of them do not function long and usually they are replaced by the new ones. It’s so sad that this doesn’t make the music as a whole better in most of the situations. So you have to work hard to mark yourself from all this chaos around.
Lastly, falling into the black metal genre, how difficult is it to separate yourselves from the rest of the genre? How much resistance have you been met with by people who confuse the music of black metal, with the ideology (church burnings, etc)?
Sinister Frost:
Now by the efforts of true black metal fans any deflection from the genre is estimated like a natural heresy. Initially we didn’t plan to build any kind of borders. For example, there’s a death metal passage in the track. If it sounds well why not to put it in the whole song? The dogmatism creates monotony and prevents you from the real and unique art. As for the resistance from other people… All began while USSR age when our young people firstly began to be interested in heavy music. Unfortunately, they didn’t know how to do it and that’s why their behavior was a bit cheap and absurd. Everybody jeered at them. Unfortunately even now – after about three decades – such defiance is still here even if our metal fans became better in all aspects. We know that and we will do anything we can to make the Russian people change their point of view.
Thanks again for your time and insight. We will be waiting, anxiously, for whatever comes next.
First and foremost, we want to thank you all for taking the time to answer our questions. What made you guys decide to go with the name, "Sinister Frost,"and what kind of imagery do you think it creates?
Sinister Frost:
Hello. Firstly the band had a “Wolves of Hell” title. After a short period of time we decided to change it. The reason was not a full correspondence of old title with the concept of the band and us as persons in overall. Sinister Frost – it’s not just a name of the band. It means us. The band presents the darkest aspects of the soul, the absence of love and compassion. It’s like an icy indifference. Furthermore, we believe that Hell – if it exists – is a devilishly cold area.
How did you guys come up with the album title, "Cryotorment?"
Sinister Frost:
Cryotorment may be represented as the suffering from the Cold or as the frozen torture. In general it means the same icy indifference. This title reflects our concept.
Your music has some pretty complex riffs and song structure. Who does most of the writing, musically? What is the process like for each track?
Sinister Frost:
Generally the music is composed by Upsetcross. There are no special schemes. The main goal is to make any track unique. It should be different from the previous and the next one. That’s why each track has individual structure. Usually it’s a complex structure.
"Vicar of God Of The Death" really balances out the light and dark tones. Was there any significance to the track compared to the rest of the album?
Sinister Frost:
This track was composed at the very end. While the record process we allowed ourselves to experiment with the sound. The result was rather interesting and promising.
The vocals offer a very unique tone to the album. Who were some major influences as far as vocalists go?
Sinister Frost:
Vocals are the thing which we wanted to make original. There are a lot of bands with ordinary vocals and we don’t want to be the same. So we have two vocalists and our vocals hopefully aren’t so usual. At least we never used any kind of voice templates.
Your album artwork seems to fit the music perfectly. Where do you come up with the artwork?
Sinister Frost:
It seems that while the creation of artworks the designer was influenced by our common mood and different types of cold representations. The artworks were a great addition to the general concept and album atmosphere. Crytorment CD sheds the cold on its listener – even if it is on the counter of some music store!
What are your thoughts on fans downloading music? Do you think this helps bands spread their music around or do you think this ends up hurting bands because of low album sales?
Sinister Frost:
In the whole civilized world generally people are ready to pay for a CD or the uploaded track. To pay for anything that can be acquired for free in Russia is similar to bad manners. It’s sad but true. Here there’s almost no musical market at all. However in any case the band which doesn’t have a name yet can acquire it only via internet by spreading its art for free. As a matter of fact the leak of Cryotorment CD into the internet made this interview possible.
Are there any bands you would enjoy touring with in the near future? What kind of live show can we expect from Sinister Frost?
Sinister Frost:
Unfortunately, the organization of gigs and the quality of music gear on the local venues aren’t so great here. We know that and that’s why we plan to make infrequent but quality gigs with our own equipment and the sound engineering crew (4-5 gigs per year). Undoubtedly we think that a musician should give all that he has got on the stage. The good gig is when you don’t have any strength to crawl to the dressing room after the concert.
That said, how do you think the look of the band (make-up, costume, etc) plays in to the live experience? Where did your physical style come from?
Sinister Frost:
The look of the band has a significant meaning. As well as music and lyrics have. Besides, it’s very important to combine well all these components. Especially it is necessary for the live gigs where the proper atmosphere must be created. The concert is like a show where people come and look at you. And you must make them pleased with themselves. The visual style of our band is connected with frozen world as well. We were influenced by the local climate conditions which sometimes could be rigorous.
We have listened to, reviewed, and watched quite a few bands from Russia recently. Some were good, and some were far from it. How do you feel about the current metal scene in Russia, and what other bands do you think are helping to make your home a better place for metal?
Sinister Frost:
Now when the internet is available for all of us and it is unlimited, people here almost stopped to attend the gigs. This fact had a bad influence on gig promoters and organizers. Furthermore, now it’s much easier to buy the music gear. Considering this fact, it’s understandable why there are a lot of new bands appear. Most of them do not function long and usually they are replaced by the new ones. It’s so sad that this doesn’t make the music as a whole better in most of the situations. So you have to work hard to mark yourself from all this chaos around.
Lastly, falling into the black metal genre, how difficult is it to separate yourselves from the rest of the genre? How much resistance have you been met with by people who confuse the music of black metal, with the ideology (church burnings, etc)?
Sinister Frost:
Now by the efforts of true black metal fans any deflection from the genre is estimated like a natural heresy. Initially we didn’t plan to build any kind of borders. For example, there’s a death metal passage in the track. If it sounds well why not to put it in the whole song? The dogmatism creates monotony and prevents you from the real and unique art. As for the resistance from other people… All began while USSR age when our young people firstly began to be interested in heavy music. Unfortunately, they didn’t know how to do it and that’s why their behavior was a bit cheap and absurd. Everybody jeered at them. Unfortunately even now – after about three decades – such defiance is still here even if our metal fans became better in all aspects. We know that and we will do anything we can to make the Russian people change their point of view.
Thanks again for your time and insight. We will be waiting, anxiously, for whatever comes next.
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