Chris Casket, co-founder, lyricist and bass player of the English project Strigoi, answered few questions about the band’s sophomore album, Viscera.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! Could you please introduce yourself and the band Strigoi without using the usual “Metal” labels?
Chris Casket (bass): Hi, thanks for having me. Chris Casket, co-founder, and co-mouth piece (on these occasions) for Strigoi. Without “The usual ‘metal’ labels” you say? Presumably you mean the standard trope of ‘DEATH DOOM’ in massive capital letters, or some other overused term of convenience to reduce all bands that don’t smile in photographs into one category, void of nuisance? Well, I was once asked to describe Strigoi in just three words previously. My answer remains: MIXTAPE OF MISERY.
According to the internet, the name Strigoi comes from Romanian mythology, and defines troubled spirits that are said to have risen from the grave, is it right? What is its link with the music you play?
Chris: Apparently so, thus making such a moniker perfect for the type of music and art Strigoi produce. When a band starts, the name can be almost irrelevant, as ultimately what the band produces becomes the meaning of that name, and what the name is synonymous with. In this case Strigoi was the perfect fit for our personalities, the music we wanted to make, the subject matter we discuss in the lyrics and the visuals that go hand in hand with music.
Your new album, Viscera, is about to come out, how do you feel about it?
Chris: Excited. It’s going to be so good to finally have this new record out there in the world after living with it in isolation for so long. Greg and I started writing Viscera mid-2020 when it became very apparent that the pandemic was a long term thing, and that ultimately we were not going to be able to support our debut album Abandon All Faith with live performance. Initially that was tough, as we’d really invested a lot of ourselves into the debut, so where do we go from here? The time we had to write and plan Viscera really paid off though I think, as ultimately I still love it after living with it for almost a year, so I think other people will too.
Why did you choose this name? Does it have any relation to Vallenfyre’s universe?
Chris: As with all things in Strigoi it was simply the natural choice from the writing process. Once you have finished that process it tends to be very obvious as to the direction you have traveled to complete a fully realized piece of art. Viscera can be seen in a multitude of different ways, but if one were to presume its focus comes from an examination of the human condition internally… then they wouldn’t be far off the mark. There will always be the perception of a relationship with ‘The Vallenfyre universe’, and if that’s relevant here it certainly wasn’t deliberate and contrived in any way.
How does the composition process happen? Was it different from your previous releases?
Chris: Despite the pandemic there wasn’t really much change in the composition process. From when we started the band, Greg prefers that I send lyrics first, then he will write the music to fit the overall vibe of those words. It’s certainly a different way of working for me, but also affords a lot of freedom for expression. If the music already exists then that can colour what ‘the message’ of the song might be. In doing it this way around I can be as honest in expression as possible, without having to compromise to fit a particular musical genre.
Since 2021, the band welcomed two new members, was it easier to create music with them?
Chris: From a creation stand point Guido certainly proved invaluable with some ideas regarding structure. He is very artistic, and has an eclectic taste in music, so having a third pair of ears on certain songs this time around was definitely a bonus. Ben joined just as the recording session was about to commence, so thus far we’ve only recorded and played live together, but we’ll see what the future brings.
What inspires you to feed your universe? Whether it is about music or lyrics.
Chris: I can only answer from a lyrical perspective, so for me it ranges from personal catharsis to wider inspiration taken from the darker side of the human condition. More blood has been spilt under the ‘rightous’ banner of religious faith than any world war. Since the beginning of recorded human history human beings have been brutalizing each other, infact my mind is still blown by the inventive nature of such monstrous behavior, right down to the ‘tools of the trade’ used to coerce confession from those deemed ‘unholy’. We live in an almost ‘post truth’ dystopia these days, a world fractured by religious/political difference, and as hideous as that is to witness, it’s a gift to those in need of artistic inspiration. Honesty in art is very important to me, so lamentably I can’t help but invest more than perhaps I should in relation to personal grief and life experience also. I find it engaging to then hear other people’s interpretations of my writing, and ultimately cathartic.
I notice some songs are very slow, like United in Viscera, and some are literally the opposite with a very energetic tempo like Napalm Frost. How do you decide which speed to use?
Chris: Greg will take the lyrics I send, and has this immediate sense of vibe, speed and duration. In the case of Napalm Frost I had very little to do with that song, but we were both very pissed off with the state of the world at the time… all the time in fact. As I said, it’s a very natural progression with each song we write.
The most mysterious song is in my opinion Iron Lung, the last one. Is there a special story with this one? Where does the final vocal sample come from?
Chris: Iron Lung is an immensely personal song to me, and ultimately still very fresh in my mind. Without wishing to appear overtly obtuse, the ‘story’ is a very real one for me, and one unsuitable to discuss at this time. That being said, my only ambition for that track, and this album, is that people listen and make up their own minds as to what each song means to them. Personal grief and sadness are human emotions no one can avoid, like a universal language that unites us all. Iron Lung explores those very aspects of existence, and I suspect will be one of the hardest tracks to listen to for many people… not just myself.
Since 2020, Covid-19 crisis fucked a lot of things up, how did you face the situation as a band? Did it have an impact on the album?
Chris: To begin with it was very challenging, and (outside of the obvious humanistic concerns for everybody’s safety) ultimately disappointing. We had only just finished the press cycle for the debut album when Covid hit, so there was all this excitement to get Abandon All Faith out live to as many people as possible… then nothing, and no possibility for the foreseeable future. But we decided to use the situation as best we could, as the alternative was not an option… hence writing Viscera. It was unprecedented times, so I think it would be illogical to say that the pandemic didn’t impact the album, as the pandemic WAS everyone’s entire existence at the time, but for my part in the process I just had to look elsewhere for inspiration, ensure that I maintained focus (which at times to begin with was certainly a challenge) and get on with what we COULD do. Ultimately I think the protracted period of writing really helped us fully realize what Strigoi actually is to us, and what it should be moving forward. So I think we took a bad situation and used it to our advantage.
Do you have plans for the band’s future, after the album release?
Chris: At present the plan is to make up for lost time, and play to as many people as we can. We will have two albums out, and only three live performances to our name… so hitting festivals etc. hard next year, and perhaps some touring is definitely our focus.
Do you think you still improve yourselves as musicians?
Chris: Always. You should never think you have reached your full potential in anything you do, and should always be trying to push forward. To use my writing on Viscera as an example, Greg pushed me to broaden my writing style, something I had become slightly comfortable with. Initially it was a challenge, but anything worthwhile should be, and I am grateful that he did because there are some passages on this record that I am now immensely proud of. Total nepotism right? Haha, I’m usually my own biggest critic, so I am entitled to take the occasional day off… once in a blue moon.
You recently played three festival shows, how was it to go back on stage to play your songs?
Chris: It was amazing. To finally perform these songs in the environment they were ultimately designed for was magical. You just hope after all this time that the audience is still there, still gets it and wants to hear more. From the three festivals we did that certainly seems to be the case, so I can’t wait to get back out there. For me, a song isn’t fully realized until it’s performed live, and you can see the whites of peoples eyes. We had never performed together as an entire unit until the first show, so the fact that things went as well as they did has certainly lit a fire within the band to do so much more.
Do you consider touring with Strigoi? Or only a few appearances from time to time?
Chris: Certainly, providing the tours are suitable, and of course everyone is free. Greg will always have Paradise Lost commitments, but I knew and supported that from the start. Strigoi has every potential to exist in those dark places of the tour schedule, and from recent discussions that we’ve had the situation will be ideal.
What led you to the Metal universe back in time? What was the very first album you ever bought?
Chris: First metal album? I believe it was an Iron Maiden album, or it might have been Megadeth… the standard gateway releases that kids like because the cover art is awesome. I then discovered Alice In Chains and bands like that, but school days were abit of a blur musically speaking, a different favorite every week. It was only when I discovered The Cure that I knew I wanted to play an instrument, so totally non-metal inspiration there. Metal at the time seemed so difficult to achieve, but making an enormous dark racket with a big Gibson guitar and a few modulation pedals… that was definitely more for me. Of course over the years I’ve been inspired by a multitude of other bands from all genres, and to this day I still love those early Slayer albums that were a part of my early exposure to Heavy Metal, but hearing Disintegration by The Cure for the first time is what prompted me to ask my mother for guitar lessons.
What do you know about the French Metal scene? Which French bands do you know and like?
Chris: I hate to admit it, but not much I’m afraid. I can say that the times I have played in France it’s been amazing, and other bands on the bills always ace, but aside from Alcest, Vous Autres, Seth, Disfuneral I think you may need to send me some recommendations. There are some great punk bands I like too, Vlaar, Exhaustion in particular.
What if I ask you to compare Strigoi’s music with a dish? Which one and why?
Chris: Baked Alaska: Hardened shell, ice cold at it’s heart. That is potentially the weirdest question I have ever been asked… now all I want is dessert.
Are there any musicians or bands you would like to collaborate with? Whether it is for one song, an album…
Chris: As Strigoi there are certainly some bands that would be great to do a split EP with. I have always loved that format, perhaps stemming from my love of Punk. Of course, if I say who then it definitely won’t happen, so I’ll say no more. Personally: if Robert Smith is reading this I’d be up for strapping on a Fender VI so Inbetween Days would finally be performed live properly again. After that snide comment… no chance.
Last question: which bands would you love to tour with? I let you create a tour (or just for a few shows, if you don’t consider long tours) with Strigoi as opener and three other bands!
Chris: So we get a quick sound check… nice one. OK, I’d want to keep it balanced, and interesting for the audience, whilst maintaining the overall theme: Triptykon, Fields Of The Nephilim, Loathe. That’s a ‘mixtape of misery’ right there.
That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Chris: Thank you for getting in touch, our new album Viscera will be released 30/09/2022 via Season Of Mist records, and I really can’t wait to see what everyone thinks about it. Thus far the video singles we have released for Hollow, King Of All Terror and An Ocean Of Blood have been very successful, so if you haven’t yet make sure you check them out. Cheers.