Interview: Preface To The Dead Sea

Q: Tell us a few words about your name?
A: DIMA: It’s just a combination of words, and there is no special value for them… when we started to play, it was hard to find the name which was enjoyed by all of group members… so once me and NIKITA just find this combination and it becomes the band name…
NIKITA: It’s a long story to tell and not that interesting to my mind but anyway. First shows we played without vocals (actually I improvised something occasionally) and our name was something like “guest band”, “+1”, or what do they actually right when the band is a newbie. We even once entitled ourselves with some stupid long name like “And I donate blood on Sundays”. Thanks Cthulhu we changed it, haha. Then Dima started to come with some clichés: dead seas, ships, sailors, stuff like that. Meanwhile I was (and I am now) inspired by Leroi Jones poem “Preface to a Twenty-Volume Suicide Note” (you may hear parts of it in our song “Redonda” btw). And we just took first part of my idea and the last of Dima’s. Actually, I think our name is meaningless and stupid but I like the idea of synergy, it could be even better if every member could give a word and the name would be five-word. I’d like to do like that in my next band.

Q: What’s your inspiration, what gives birth to the sound of PTTDS?
A: NIKITA: The sound is totally controlled by our guitar tormentors ANTON and VANYA. I guess they are frustrated every day and release the shit from inside through music. There is no other way to explain why it always smells shit in our rehearsal room, haha.

Q: You mix a bunch of different styles, black metal, post-rock, sludge etc. I suppose that each one of you listens to different stuff, so which bands, scenes, genres do you listen to?
A: SERGEY: Yes, you're right. Because of our different music tastes situations when one of us says "hey, let's make here something different" are not uncommon. I do listen a lot of different music - from rap and jazz to grindcore and powerviolence. But among my favourites I'd firstly mention Envy, Mono and Sigur Ros. So, I guess, I'm the first who says "why don't we make some melancholy part over here?", hehe. I also like to listen some hardcore stuff, especially beatdown hardcore, but only when it's dealing with political or social aspects, not some apolitical shit.
DIMA: Transilvanian Hunger is always in my heart…
NIKITA: I personally listen to many genres, but the most interested for me are noise rock, no wave, AmRep rules. And emoviolence like TRISTAN TZARA, SHIKARI and the like. But there is no trace of them in our music because I’m too weak and guys beat me everyday.

Q: Your sound combines perfectly with the artwork of your album, don’t you think that, nowadays that the good bands blow out like mushrooms, aesthetics is ‘’another instrument’’ for the band?
A: SERGEY: You know, I think aesthetics is important, sure, but not necessary. Occasionally there could be a lack of aesthetics, but there is a strong message. Sometimes the message you give through lyrics is the most important thing, however aesthetics could emphasize it, yeah.
NIKITA: All our songs are named for islands. The route between them is placed on the inside of the CD cover. Marine aesthetics is the closest to us. As for me, I think aesthetics is the way to hide the fact that you have nothing to say. Fuck that shit.

Q: What does it means to play music in Russia? Give us a few information for the life in your town, is there any local scene?
A: SERGEY: To play music in Russia is the same thing as to play music anywhere in the world I guess. The only thing to mention is that we have more copycats here. The trends, you know, desire to be famous by playing some "modern" stuff and all this bullshit. I call this "desire to play for the masses not for your own pleasure". Talking about scene, I live in Tula, it's 3 hours drive from Moscow. I'd say there is no "scene" right now. Sure we have some people who cares, but separateness is so huge that I don't think something will change in the nearest future.
DIMA: For today I live in Moscow… big city = big scene… but I think it’s very separate, because everything in Russia tends to decay with time and punk/hardcore/metal is not an exception… it looks like a Russian national feature, but it seems to me so…

Q: Are there any other Russian bands that we should check out? not only metal stuff if you want…
A: DIMA: There is not a big number of my favourite Russian bands… but I think, you mus check EVOLET (doom/post-metal from Petrozavodsk), REKA (post-metal from Moscow).
NIKITA: Dima is too post-metal, ahah. There are many good bands in Russia, really. Just first that came to my mind are DIMENTICARMI NON! (no wave, female vox), LOA LOA (noise rock), PINKSHINYULTRABLAST (shoegaze), PREA HRADA (post-hardcore), RICOCHET (punk rock), MARSCHAK (legendary Russian scream), EEVA (now more Dischord-like post-hardcore). Give them a try. And don’t forget about old 80’s stuff. I assume you should check out GRAZHDANSKAYA OBORONA (GR.OB) and ZVUKI MOO.

Q:Who or what in this world do you think that is responsible for the magical meeting of post-rock with black metal? do you feel part of this new scene?
A:SERGEY: Honestly, I don't see this as the new scene and indeed I don't think we're part of it whatsoever. But I think it's always great when different styles of music combine. However that should not be the purpose in itself. It's more honest to play something from your heart, even if it's similar to something else and does not represent something new, than to play music with desire to be originator of some kind and just be "progressive", if you understand what I mean. Real art is from a heart, not from a head.
DIMA: I don’t feel so. As for me, A.Lundr and his PANOPTICON is responsible for it… when I heard his song “speaking” for the first time I understood that it’s a love for all my life… I guess we don’t play some sort of black metal with post rock influences or something like that…

Q: Are there people that still fight in your country? Are you optimist with the situation there?
A: SERGEY: Everyone who knows me tell you that I'm definitely not an optimist whatsoever. Especially considering masses, society and human consciousness. But to change the world around you should start from yourself. So, yes, we definitely have the people who still fight. We have anarcho- and antifascist movement here, people who really care, but it's very small when you're taking into account large territories of our country. But it's not the reason to give up.
DIMA: I think only big bomb detonation can save this country and all people in it…
NIKITA: So pathetic.

Q: Give us one word about Lenin.
A: SERGEY: One word? OK. I think "dead" matches perfectly.
DIMA: Ho-Ho-Ho Chi Minh!!!! Lenin Lenin!!! Sta-lin!!!! It’s a stupid S.H.A.R.P.’s jokable phrase… it’s my first association… I can’t explain it in one word…
NIKITA: Yeah, “d-e-a-d”, right!

Q: Tell us anything you want for the end...
A: DIMA: Thanks for the questions, I enjoyed them…
SERGEY: Thanks for an interest! Please feel free to contact us, to ask anything you want or just to express an opinion! – prefacetothedeadsea@gmail.com
NIKITA: Thanks for patience. Now go and hang out.

Interview: Αντώνης Α.