INTERVIEW WITH OMRADE

Following up to reviewing their debut album, Edari, last year, our managing editor Habib had a chat with Omrade's vocalist Krys (Bargnatt XIX) about the band and their upcoming releases, as well as their genre and other topics.

Can you tell us a bit more about the concept behind Omrade?

Krys (Bargnatt XIX): We are two in the band: JP (Arsenic) does the drums and orchestrations (synth, etc.…), and I play guitar and sing. Our music is an invitation to travel; all our tracks are a different painting. Every time, we catch the listeners in our universe. Our influences are Ulver, Manes, God Is an Astronaut, Dodheimsgard. We have no borders in music: We could mix trip hop, black metal, electro, metal, post rock and different sensibilities. The most important thing for us is to create our own universe.

Omrade describes itself as avant-garde metal. Do you think there is a growing appeal towards this subgenre? Do you think there would be aversion?

Avant-garde metal is very large; it’s just a definition of when some bands mix extreme music with another kind of music. It’s a personal approach, an effort to be not like all the other bands, create our own universe and try to catch people in this universe. The thing that matters is not the genre but the music itself. If you take some time to listen to a different kind of music, the genre is not really important. In this world, everybody is really comfortable with the standard or what they’re used to, so sometimes it’s hard to try different things. Avant-garde metal for me is a great compliment.

An aversion? I don’t know, but I think the people need to listen to the music before boxing it in a genre. The music needs to speak to its audience, and we don’t care if it’s metal/sludge/doom/death metal/avant-garde… It’s how we interpret it that matters to us.

We loved Edari! What’s coming up for Omrade in the near future? Any new releases or upcoming shows?

What can we expect in any upcoming release and when?

We've had great success with the album. Omrade’s Edari is now available in Mall of the Emirates. Virgin Megastore and Virgin Mega Store, Dubai Mall. It’s a collaboration with Metal East Records’ Moutasem Kabbani and My Kingdom Music’s Francesco Palumbo. We are very proud to be in Virgin megastore in the UAE. Very soon on 06/10/2016 our album will be released in an LP vinyl version.

Here's our press release on the upcoming vinyl: 

"After the good success of Omrade "Edari" CD, in collaboration with One Gone Beyond from the USA and Soman Records from France, we will release the album in vinyl format, limited to 300 hand-numbered copies.

Here is the the complete tracklist of the bonus CD "Hátíð Vinum":

1. Skam Parfyme [remix by Grégoire Fray (Thot)]
2. Friendly Herpes [remix by Déhà (We All Die (Laughing)]
3. Mótsögn [remix by Tor-Helge Skei (Manes, Lethe)]
4. Aben Dor [remix by Swarm Intelligence]
5. Luxurious Agony [remix by Edgard Chevallier (GHB)]
6. Mann Forelder [remix by Roka Skulld (Nordic Giants) & Billy Merrick (Saturday Sun)]
7. Satellite And Narrow [remix by La Soff]

The album, already considered by many one of the best surprises of the European Avant-garde Metal scene, will include a bonus-CD titled "Hátíð Vinum" that will be available only with "Edari" LP version and that will present seven tracks taken from "Edari" remixed by great artists into the international scene such as Grégoire Fray (Thot), Tor-Helge Skei (Manes, Lethe), Déhá Amsg (We All Die (Laughing), Roka Skulld (Nordic Giants), Edgard Chevallier (Gloomy Hellium Bath), Swarm Intelligence, Sophie C La Soff.

With this new step we draw a new limit to the words "vision" and "extremism"."

During April, we recorded our upcoming album at Ltpstudio in France (www.facebook.com/ltpstudio.lowertonesplace) with Edgard Chevallier. We have different guests on our future album but the details of that are secret for now. There’s more news coming soon!

Any words for the readers of Metality?

I would really like to thank Metality and Habib personally for introducing Omrade to the UAE metal scene. For the readers, just a few words: Never stop discovering new metal everywhere, because it’s always a joy to discover and share new music. After all, we're human. 

Thank you, Krys! Wishing you and the band the best of luck!

You can find Omrade on Facebook here. 

You can pre-order their LP here: http://smarturl.it/OMRA-LP