Terry Vainoras är mannen bakom doom metalbandet Subterranean Disposition från Melbourne i Australien. Debuten kom med ett självbetitlat album 2012, och efter ett längre uppehåll återvände Vainoras till studion i slutet av 2015 för att påbörja arbetet med det andra albumet Contagiuum and the Landscapes of Failure, som utkom tidigare denna sommar.
Vainoras trakterar de flesta instrument på skivan själv, men har fått hjälp från en handfull gästmusiker, bland annat sångaren Daniel Lucas (Painted Black) och Dan Nahum (Dead River Runs Dry, Bleakwood, The Veil) på trummor. En speciell prägel har även satts av Gelareh Pour som både sjunger och spelar på de persiska stråkinstrumenten kemanche och qeychak. Rocknytts Niklas Webjörn har fått en intervju med Vainoras.
Hi Terry! Can you tell the Swedish readers who may not know it yet; what kind of a band is Subterranean Disposition?
Subterranean Disposition has been my one man recording project since 2009. It is my outlet to explore different styles of metal and beyond that I have experienced playing in other bands all in one setting, namely doom metal, death metal and hints of sludge and pscychedelia with lots of exploration of ambient/ miminmalist passages of music. So far there has been two albums released, a self titled debut in 2012 and now the sophomore “ Contagiuum and the Landscapes of Failure” this year.
You have been around the music scene for quite a while now. You’ve been in some death metal and grindcore bands. What instruments did you play?
I have been playing in bands since 1993 and have been lucky to have been in many bands within and outside of metal – grindcore, metallic hardcore, death metal, doom/ gothic metal, black metal and stoner metal.
At first I started as a guitarist, then in my first band was persuaded into doing vocals. From there over the years I have also played bass, keyboards and tenor saxophone.
How did you came up with the idea of combining saxophone with metal?
The idea to try out saxophone on our debut album came from having an idea of a long drawn out melody over this quiet passage in the song “ The Most Subtle of Storms “ and knowing that guitar wouldn’t fit and not wanting to have something like violin there, I took inspiration from the German band Bohren und der club of gore and asked my friend Darcy Molan to try a similar vibe on it.
You’re not playing saxophone on the first album. Why?
Back in 2010 when the debut was recorded I had never touched a saxophone yet!
In between the albums I became a stay at home dad and was lucky enough to borrow a sax and begin to learn to play. By the time the second album was ready to get recorded I felt I could try to record the parts I had written. It was a great feeling to add another instrument to the songs personally.
The songs on your albums are long, and consists of many different instruments not so often associated with metal (like sax, Persian string instruments and piano). Some listeners might find it a bit too challenging. How important is your artistic vision compared to reaching a big audience?
For me the artistic vision and the working towards and fulfilling of that vision is everything, no matter what anybody may think of the final product. If I am truly happy with the result then the positive feedback from media or fans or fellow musicians is a welcome bonus, not a reason to write music in the first place.
I think the music sometimes has a “cinematic” feel to it. Have you ever considered making film music?
Thank you Niklas. I agree that some of the music has that cinematic quality and very often I look at the song structures as landscapes or different scenes of a story that the song has to journey through to explain itself. I would love to write to visuals one day and employ the techniques composers use in film Music.
The cover art of Contagiuum and the Landscapes of Failure mirrors the music very well I think. Who is the artist Coby O’Brien?
Coby O’Brien is an amazing mixed media artist from New York City. I first became aware of his work when my label Hypnotic Dirge Records commissioned him to do a cover for a compilation album. I checked out his Instagram account and came across the cover there and instantly knew that this was the image that could convey the concept of the album, luckily he agreed to let me use it !
There has been a couple of live shows with different musicians. Was it difficult to have other musicians play/interpret the music that you created on your own on Contagiuum..?
After the debut album was released I gathered some friends to perform the album live in Australia in 2013. It was a great experience and not difficult in trusting musicians I held in high regard to interpret the music and put themselves into it while doing so. Now this new album is released and I will be doing the same thing here in Australia later this year, and look forward to working with new musicians each time. Being a solo project it is liberating to not have to have the same people play when it is time to do shows.
Any plans for a European tour?
It has been a long time goal to perform this music in Europe after playing on tours with another Australian band – The Eternal back in 2007 and 2009. No plans are in place but I really hope to come over in 2017.
I wish you big luck in the future, and thanks for the interview with Rocknytt!
Thank you very much for the opportunity Niklas, and best wishes for yourself and Rocknytt \m/
