AN NCS INTERVIEW: GOLOD

(We thank Comrade Aleks for the following interview with Vadim (aka Holod), the person behind the Toronto-based black metal project Golod, whose newest album was released just last month via Ván Records.)

Little is known about Golod. “Golod” translates as “Hunger” from Russian. It’s a solo-project based in Toronto and it’s tagged as “black metal” and “ambient”. Its discography contains two full-length albums – .​.​.​to be Lost and Forgotten in Solitude (June, 2021) and the brand new Dnevnik (January, 2023).

It’s also known that the man who stands behind this project is Vadim, whom I interviewed about one month ago regarding another band – Hussar. So actually it was easy to find him and get more information about his lo-fi exercises in Black Art.

Well, do people use this definition in relation to this kind of music nowadays? However, let’s talk a bit about Black Metal Art!

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Hi Vadim! How are you? We spoke not long ago about your death metal band Hussar and its album All-Consuming Hunger, now you have the Golod project. How long ago did you start it?

Hello Aleks, nice to speak with you again. Golod started out a few years ago, in 2019.

 

Is it your solo project or a band? Is this format comfortable for you?

Golod is a solo project – at least at the moment. I can see myself collaborating with others in the future, although nothing is planned yet. It’s very comfortable to have a solo project since I can do anything I want, whenever I want, however I want.

The downside however is that it takes longer to write material since there aren’t other people around to bounce ideas off of.

 

 

What kind of “hunger” did you mean in naming the band this way?

Golod refers to a spiritual hunger – a perpetual longing for more. A longing for understanding, for self-expression, for self-reflection.

 

So your motivation behind Golod was to express your spiritual yearning? Not just to play raw black metal mixed with ambient?

Well, in the beginning I was just writing to write, not knowing the greater meaning behind the project. As time went on however I did notice that I was putting more and more of myself into the music, instead of simply stitching riffs together to form songs. I would frequently compose during challenging times in my life – which was my way of coping with them. The yearning I experienced during those times of hardship is felt in the music – at lease to me – which means there is an air of honesty to the whole project. Honesty in art is very important, and the motivation behind Golod is to keep expressing it in any way I can.

 

Golod’s first record …to Be Lost and Forgotten in Solitude was released digitally about one year ago. And I see that it’s available through Ván Records. Did you press some CDs to capture the album in a physical form?

I was fortunate enough to strike up a deal with Ván Records shortly after finishing the first record.  They pressed CD and vinyl, while also handling all digital distribution. It felt surreal to be on the same label that represents amazing bands like Ruins of Beverast, Urfaust and Sortilegia.

 

Golod’s sound is an example of lo-fi production, something that could be intentional. And as I heard your work in Hussar with its savage yet strong delivery, I bet that you had your vision how Golod should sound. So what about this?

Yes, the production is intentional and very meticulously crafted. The raw nature of the sound makes it easier to create a dark and oppressing atmosphere. It also creates a barrier of entry to new listeners – who will either be immediately put off by the sound, or find it intriguing and continue listening. The music is a challenging listen at first, but those who persist can find comfort in it – or at least that is the goal.

Well, you talk about putting a barrier before listeners, but actually I think what the band is hard to find. At least I didn’t find the project’s page in Metal-Archives. Didn’t you care much about the promotion since 2019?

Not particularly. Promotion has always been a weakness of mine. I don’t much care if my albums get recognition or a large audience. To me the biggest achievement is creating the work itself, and anything that comes after is a bonus. If 5 people hear it, great – if 500 people hear it, that’s just as good. The only thing I care about is whether or not it has an impact on the listener. As for Metal Archives, that website is notoriously temperamental with what submissions it allows.

 

…to Be Lost and Forgotten in Solitude was performed on a verge of raw black metal and ambient, and your new album Dnevnik follows the same patterns but this time you used lyrics written in English. And “dnevnik” translates as “diary”. What is your diary about?

Dnevnik is written as a journal entry from the perspective of a prisoner. The whole song is an ode to Alexander Solzhenitsyn. After that, the rest of the songs deal with more personal themes that I mentioned above.

 

Can you name the bands which shaped your aesthetic vision of Golod?

There are a couple of bands that I pay homage to rather directly; I think it’s safe to say that I wear my influences on my sleeve. For instance, the production on my records is a love letter to Paysage d’Hiver. Musically I’m inspired by Uaral, Sortilegia, Emperor, Ulver, Burzum, Windir, as well as the bands featured on the Scream of the Eastern Lands split. There are quite a few Ukrainian black metal bands that put out incredible albums with great atmosphere and songwriting. I also tend to favor black metal demos and self-produced albums over studio albums because I find they have more personality, and a more direct energy – which to me makes the music more visceral and honest.

 

 

How long did you work over this material? How did you see Dnevnik when you started to compose this album?

“Dnevnik I” took me about two years to put together. A large amount of time was spent on writing and arranging that first song, which is the showpiece of the album. I wrote the story for it some time ago – before the song was even completed – and knew that it would have to be another long one in order to fit all the ideas I came up with. After many different arrangements I finally finished it, and then proceeded to shelve the album for several months – not knowing whether or not I would release it. When I decided to pick it up again, the remaining songs came to be rather quickly, and I was done with the album in no time.

 

Are you going to distribute the new album through labels or will you keep it strictly on Bandcamp?

At this time it will live on my Bandcamp, but I do plan to do a small run of tapes in the near future.

 

What are your ambitions towards Golod? How far do you aim to go with this project?

I can see myself releasing Golod material for many years to come, perhaps for the rest of my life. I use it as a chronicle – something I can look back on later in life and remember where I was while I was writing the music. I have no desire to turn it into a full-on band that does live shows and tours, it’s too personal to me to want to do that.

 

Are you satisfied with Golod’s black / ambient shape or do you already aim to change something in the sound?

For the time being, yes I am very satisfied. The particular lofi sound that I was able to achieve on the two records is very pleasing to me.

Part of me wants to do a more traditionally produced hifi album, but I’m not sure. If I choose to go that route the material will be vastly different compared to what I’ve released so far due to the different approach I’ll have to take in writing and producing the songs. But who knows. At the time of this interview, I have yet to begin work on a third record – so I’ll know more as the material begins to take shape.

 

Thanks for the interview Vadim! Did we skip something? What would you like to say at the end of the interview?

Thanks for having me and for any attention this interview will bring to Dnevnik!

 

https://golod.bandcamp.com/album/dnevnik