The Anurrn Talks

Dear friends, the Silesian sludge/drone/noise/doom collective Anurrn has recently unleashed their debut full-length "THEURN", which brings an ideal opportunity to chat with the band about the release as part of our irregular "Talks" series. Enjoy!

ANURRN: We like dark and depressive vibes!

Noise, sound experiments, darkness, depression… The ingredients the Czech collective Anurrn likes to work with in their music. And are doing it pretty damn well, as evidenced by their debut full-length THEURN. Let us then together with the members of the band dive into the swamps of noise!

You founded the band in 2023, yet you are no neophytes, as you have experience with multiple genres from alternative rock to electronic music. How are these reflected in your current sound?

Bota: I would say they are not. What is reflected is chiefly our passion for weird bands, as well as the need to emancipate from the sound of my main band Illegal Illusion. Simply to do things differently, though I suppose someone else should be the judge of that.

A: I also think that sound-wise, there is little influence from our engagement with previous bands. I doubt I would use somewhere else the way I play bass in Anurrn. To come up with a sound that pushes but at the same time is not annoying in an alchemy and simultaneously a challenge.

L: In my opinion everybody’s notion of the result and of the sound of things keeps getting updated with what we experience, listen to or the shows we attend (including the ones we perform at). A sort of hypothetical gutter, perpetually filled with new sound sewage, which then gets mixed with and reacts to the rest, thus changing the gutter contents.

Your name Anurrn is a variation of “an urn”, one that contains the ashes of your previous band. Why was it important for you to create, shall we say, such an almost ritual divide?

Bota: It is important because were it not for Aleš Hubáček and his band LemonHeart Club, there would be no Anurrn. I joined them some 15 years ago and kept bringing up Neurosis and the sort until there was no one else left but Aleš and the current Anurrn lineup (smiles). In fact, Aleš decided to leave his own band. He wanted us to keep the original band name, but we thought it bonkers, because it was originally his one-man project. In addition, we thought it may be a problem in the future and lo, the LemonHeart Club carries on… we dodged that one. So, the ritual divide is because there are ashes of the LemonHeart Club.

Your music is described as a raw fusion of sludge, noise, doom and psychedelics. How difficult was to link all these styles into what you call “the liturgy of sound”?

Bota: Well, it somehow happened to come about. Almost half of our stuff was finished already in the time of Aleš and the LemonHeart Club, while putting together the second half, we came across a problem named Anurrn (smiles). It is true that we try to put the emphasis on sound and feeling. And we do not include guitars, which is rather new for us. I myself am curious where all this will take us in the future.

Jorge: I think we never really aimed for some genre box. It was more the case of somehow defining the end product for promotion, posters, shows and so on. Everyone comes with what they like, then we work with it for some time, and it either works or doesn’t. Sometimes, only a fragment remains from the original idea. It is a long and quite demanding process. It being a crossbreed of some genres and subgenres becomes apparent only when the stuff is almost finished.

You say that you enjoy strain and the atmosphere that instills the feelings of anguish, fear and uneasiness. Is this dark and vehement aspect for you some sort of inner purification?

Bota: It is, for me at least. Generally, I do not like empty music that is just for dancing to or for singing along, though that is not to say that such music sucks. Not at all. But in my case, the music must have some emotional impact, and it is true that I like those dark and depressive vibes more. So, again for me at least, it is a kind of therapy. Simply put, happy music pisses me off (laughs).

Jorge: When you put it like that, it may seem that we get off on freaking out little children and old ladies in front of a church. That is, however, not the case, or at least I do not have it like that. I take it as an opportunity to scream, cry and punch out all of the day-to-day problems and screwups, which then results precisely in the strain and the fear and the uneasiness.

How important are the noise samples for you?

Bota: In essence, the intent was to base it on noise samples, because of the absence of guitars among other reasons.

Jorge: We were using samples already when in the LemonHeart Club. And when we found ourselves without guitars, there came an opening for Luky, who oftentimes creates sounds directly live on stage. In fact, I cannot imagine things without it.

L: The hardware I stand behind outputs not only samples, but also the synthesis of sound. So, for me it is absolutely crucial. Otherwise, there would be nothing for me to do in the band. I think the fusion with the usual instruments works. This permeation of two worlds suits us well.

You recorded the album with Hrom in the Low Resolution Studio. Why this place?

A: We have been meeting the guys at the same shows, so we knew Hrom has a studio and listens to similar stuff as we do. We then grabbed a beer and that was it. We like that he understood right away how we wanted it and then recorded and mixed everything perfectly. Cheers to Hrom!

Bota: There is not much of a choice in our case. And now I have pissed off all the Czech studios (smiles). Given what Hrom does (LUT, NĀV – both bands sadly on ice), his studio was for us a no-brainer. And it is also great in terms of price-result-approach etc. Highly recommended. The alternative was the Golden Hive Studio of Amák, but we never had the chance to talk terms, because we struck a deal with Hrom right away while having beer on the Brutal Assault festival.

L: Agreed. In hindsight, I am super glad that instead of the DIY approach, the guys pushed for a studio session with Hrom. There is a short studio report on the MetalGate YouTube channel. Check it out.

What is the role of the visual aspect of your live performances?

Bota: An important one for sure, but not indispensable. Fortunately, in addition to samples, Lukáš also likes video, so it was clear as to who will make the visuals we screen when playing live. There are no stories in there or anything like that. Just abstract shapes and motifs to complement the overall atmosphere. And what you see in those is an individual matter. Well, it won’t be a beach by the sea – that much is certain; or the Dead Sea at best (laughs).

Jorge: Visuals are no doubt important in completing the mood of the live performance. If we had strobes and fog instead, it would I guess matter little. Of course, we are delighted that our very talented “electrician”, sometimes called Kevin, is taking care of the screening. Thanks, Luky.

How do you perceive your cooperation with MetalGate? What does this label mean to you?

Bota: There was also not much to choose from… and I will get my ass kicked again (laughs). We sent our stuff to all we would have liked to work with and MetalGate said yes. Of course, we have known this label for years, also from Brutal Assault where they were patrons of one of the stages. We appreciate the cooperation and are thankful for the trust, which we hopefully will not disappoint. Everyone who supports fringe music and art should be given a medal.

L: The fact that someone takes your music, trusts it and wants to release it, is always utterly magical for me. We are happy about the approach of Ondřej from MetalGate. Calm and professional arrangement and at the same time openness to a release collab with the OwlRipper Recordings. The work that MetalGate does to cultivate the metal underground deserves great respect.

You initially considered a release on vinyl, but the overall length would require a 2LP with only one track on side D. Leaving one song out never really crossed your mind?

A: We did not really think the vinyl through. A pity. We did talk about combinations – for example filling the rest with remixes or connecting it to a new album. Leaving one song out went sideways because we could not agree which one, so in the end we decided against it.

What gigs do you like the most? Do you have any ambitions to play abroad perhaps?

A: Ideal case is a club packed to the brink with sludge/noise/drone/doom fans (smiles). But even having twenty people is great when you can see that someone really enjoys what you play. We are totally open to playing abroad and I believe we will.

Bota: The best feeling comes from such gigs, where people are invested. That said, since we are on the fringe of the genre, there are not many such people, in the Czech Republic at least. We are however welcome any feedback. And generally speaking, this type of music should be presented primarily live.

L: I feel good with the guys no matter where we are, even in our rehearsal space where we find ourselves quite often. When the show begins and we start, I find myself elsewhere in my head. I am not there, but I am, and I know I can count on them and that we are in this together. In addition, we use a shared in-ear system which eliminates things like “I did not enjoy the show, because of bad sound”. From the performer’s perspective, I find that quite liberating. As far as playing abroad is concerned, if we are to get an offer for a soiree, wherein the organizers care about the music and the sound, we are very much open to that, same as to any gigs at home.