Mysterious outfit by the name of Mythology released a wonderful seventies inspired progressive rock album, ‘The Castle of Crossed Destinies’ via Black Widow Records.

“Continuum between past and present.”

‘The Castle Of Crossed Destinies’ is a cross between modern and vintage. How would you describe your sound?

First of all hi! It is true that many describe my sound as a mix of modern and vintage. Mythology is not my first project. I’ve done others, and on several occasions the reviews note this feature. I must say that I like the description. I have been dedicating myself to music for several years and I have played practically everything. Probably the compositions reflect these experiences of mine, then there is the fact that I am still very curious and I am pleased to hear the new proposals so I could be a continuum between past and present. In truth, today’s music is going through a period of static. We are no longer in the “golden” era where every year new ideas were born and rock took on many sound aspects. Today it is very different but sometimes something interesting is still produced.

“Not knowing who the music comes from, the reviews are freer”

Why do you choose anonymity?

Anonymity was a game played with Black Widow which then continued. I compose music of different trends but it’s not always easy to release things other than what you’re known for. I had composed songs for a prog rock album or rather rock/prog, but I didn’t know how to present myself. I had the idea of anonymously sending a CD with the auditions to Black Widow Records. Clearly I gave a different address than mine in case of contact. Well after a few weeks I get an email saying: “We liked the work! We would like to suggest some changes and we will be interested in the publication”, at which point I revealed myself and we had a laugh. However, the anonymity remained and this thing came in my favor because not knowing from who the music comes from, the reviews are freer, both in a positive and negative sense, and this makes me better understand how the work was received.

What kind of mythology interests you the most?

There are not many turns of words if you look at the synonym of mythological we read: epic, heroic, legendary, fantastic (and here the story of Italo Calvino is ok), but referring to mythology in the sense of history is: study of myths in the individual religions of the ancient Greco-Roman world.

How do you usually approach music making?

I always have motif and riffs in my head. In fact I am always very distracted, and having at my disposal a recording room is great. I record ideas that comes to mind with keyboards or guitar… then I calmly review them, many are discarded, but others become finished songs. Then sometimes I just need a bass line or even a noise to trigger a new idea.

“The album was born little by little with a lot of mental freedom and without prejudices about the genre”

Can you share some further details how your album was recorded? What kind of equipment did you use?

The album was born little by little with a lot of mental freedom and without prejudices about the genre. It was composed and recorded almost simultaneously. As equipment I clearly use the computer, but its use is limited to the function that an analog tape recorder would do (I still have a 4-track Tascam). Cutting, pasting and other functions are clearly much easier. I work with old Roland and Korg expanders. I have an old Viscount organ and a Korg MS-20. For the amps I have several choices from new to vintage. Over time I have accumulated several amps and I have old ones because I never wanted to give them away. Then there are two mixers; a Tascam M-312B and a Crest Audio. The two have different sounds, but I use them in a complementary way. Having said that, I would like to say that beyond what we used, the music is played with the “brain”, which then controls the hands.

What are some bands/musicians that have a big influence on you?

As for the genre, I listen to everything with pleasure. I listen from Mozart to the Sex Pistols, from Bach to Neurosis, but don’t take these names as favorites. I’ve always played very different genres. Over time I have moved to another level of listening- where what I like is relative and doesn’t matter. Today I listen more analytically to see how the composition was constructed and look for the sensation and will of the artist in question. Basically I’m not a fan, I’m a music lover.

Can we expect something new from Mythology?

Frankly I don’t know if Mythology will have a sequel. I hope so even if I foresee that it will be much more difficult compositionally to make a second album. ‘The Castle Of Crossed Destinies’ was composed very freely without any reference to any past work and to be honest without thinking about what genre it belonged to. The second could be disturbed by the first. I don’t despair in fact maybe it could be a good challenge.

Klemen Breznikar

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