Interview: Morcolac
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Interview by Jeger
Morcolac is a Black Metal Band from Italy. Formed in 2021.
This Is Black Metal Webzine talks with the founder of this band “Sadomaster” about this great Vampiric Black Metal Band!
This Is Black Metal: Hails Sadomaster! Thanks for the interview. Please introduce the band to the people who don’t know you…
Sadomaster: Hail to all readers! Morcolac has been my most prolific creature since I gave it life in 2021, when I decided to dedicate myself to composing something that reflected my most daily listening in terms of Black Metal. Since I started composing mostly adopting vampirism themes (but not only), I never stopped and quickly composed the songs for the first album, released in October of the same year. Since then, the composition has continued undaunted to the point that I soon returned to the studio to record the second album!
TIBM: Morcolac’s specialty is Vampyric Black Metal. What initially inspired you to want to dedicate your art to the Vampire?
Sadomaster: I have always listened to Black Metal bands with similar themes with keyboards attached to emphasize the vampiric, horror, fairy-tale and fantasy imagery: think of songs by artists such as Satanic Warmaster, Drowning The Light, Order Of Nosferat, Black Funeral… They are bands that I love and listen to often, so it was inevitable that at some point I would create my solo project like that. Being the only composer of the music and lyrics gives me total freedom and coherence of expression for the imagery I want to recreate. Clearly, the session members I turn to for recording also contribute to retouching and perfecting what I compose and I am grateful to them for this.
Sadomaster from Morcolac
TIBM: Usually people are intrigued by the Vampire because there’s something about it that they can consciously or unconsciously relate to. Is there anything about Vampyric existence that you find familiar?
Sadomaster: Vampires are nocturnal creatures, they hate sunlight and garlic: all things we have in common, haha! But they can also be romantic, thoughtful, poetic, as well as bloodthirsty beasts. They are figures who know how to reflect different emotions of our human self: anyone can find similarities with a vampire. Who has never been tormented during sleepless nights, seized by the most disparate thoughts, whether good or bad? All of us, no one excluded. It is said that the night brings advice, and the thoughts you have at night compared to those during the day, I find have a greater energy, a greater pathos.
TIBM: You’ve got a new record coming down the pike in “Drawbridge to Citadel of No More Dawn”. Conceptually, what are we in store for?
Sadomaster: We are at the gates of the citadel mentioned in the title, which would be the protagonist track of the next full-length. The drawbridge leads to the city which I will talk about in the next album: a real preview of what awaits you once you cross the threshold. Initially, the songs that make up this EP were supposed to be part of the split together with another band: in the end, the agreement fell through for reasons beyond our control, so I decided to proceed with publishing these songs independently. This release is getting excellent feedback and the Dusktone label is doing excellent promotion of it. Even though this EP wasn’t planned (I had finished composing the next album before the opportunity to split with the other band arose) and it’s obviously a, let’s say, minor release, in terms of sound it’s my favorite, no doubt.
Morcolac – Drawbridge to Citadel of No More Dawn (EP)
TIBM: What did you do differently as far as writing and recording compared to your previous “Vrykolakas” LP?
Sadomaster: In itself, Vrykolakas was a sudden composition compared to its predecessor. I’m glad you mentioned it because I consider it a big step forward in terms of compositional maturity compared to A Vampiir Is Born, and in general it’s the release of mine that I like to listen to more often, despite perhaps having gone more under the radar than its predecessor. Drawbridge To Citadel Of No More Dawn was the result of even faster composition and writing, also because it has a shorter running time. I had already composed the cover of Satanic Warmaster to include in the third album, but once the other tracks on the EP were finished, I decided to include it in this new release, thinking that it was more in keeping with it. So, I went back into the studio to record it. As for recording and mixing, it was a fairly long job as usual, based on the commitments of Azghal who was responsible for records the whole work, as well as the synths.
TIBM: “Dungeon Dustears” is my favorite cut on the record. I love the quaintness of it and how remembrance seems to be the theme. The melody, the tonality, everything about it is great. Did anything in particular inspire it as far as life experiences or is it simply the product of imagination?
Sadomaster: It’s amazing how that song is the favorite of everyone who talks to me about this EP! Structurally and instrumentally it is the simplest of the lot but I can see that it works well. The text is entirely from my imagination, it talks about a vampire locked up in a dungeon surrounded by his painful thoughts: a soul in pain for whom it is impossible to find comfort. In terms of lyrics it may recall Exile Bloodtower, a track from the first album, in which the protagonist is a vampire imprisoned in a tower that recalls the glorious past. As for the sounds, they too are melancholic and personally, listening to it again, in hindsight it reminds me a lot of certain melancholic sounds adopted by Drowning The Light, an artist who, as I said, I have a lot at heart, as well as melodies that I compose for my other Depressive Black Metal project Griverion. And this is a pleasure, because you recognize my way of composing music in general.
Morcolac – Dungeon Dustears
TIBM: Do you have any plans for live performances or is Morcolac a studio-only project?
Sadomaster: Obviously I would find it exciting to bring Morcolac on stage but I haven’t found a complete line-up yet. It’s the problem that I think all one-man bands have, specifically in Italy, where it’s really rare to find people who have the time and desire to make the commitment to be session members for a band. Unfortunately, here it is difficult to find musicians accustomed to this musical genre in general. One day, I really hope to be able to play live, since several people would like it.
TIBM: Are there any film or literature influences that inspire your albums?
Sadomaster: Films such as Murnau’s Nosferatu and Bram Stoker’s Dracula are undoubted inspirations of mine. I also love reading about ancient vampire legends and keeping up to date on the topic as thoroughly as possible. The myth of the vampire, as well as that of the werewolf, another theme I deal with passion in my lyrics, are very ancient and interesting ideas can often be found. And then I rely on my imagination, which in these imaginaries is lucky enough to be very vivid.
TIBM: Has occultism served as inspiration for any of your work?
Sadomaster: I have never studied occultism in general but it would undoubtedly be good to have greater compositional inspiration. It is easier for me to write music rather than lyrics, also because I was born as a guitarist rather than a singer, but I intend to improve myself more and more so I will consider this.
TIBM: As someone who takes a relatively modest and a 100% genuine approach to your craft, how do you feel about the use of modern recording toys like Pro Tools and Auto-Tune?
I feel like Black Metal is the last genre to embrace old techniques. It would be a shame to see its artists succumb to such pitiful technology.
Sadomaster: However, it is also undeniable how technology, for years now, has been helping musicians to obtain the final result they are looking for: drum triggers are used to give precision and homogeneity to the hits, vocal distortions and filters are used for vocals that otherwise would not render so well, you help yourself by playing a part precisely and then pasting it into the next section to make everything homogeneous, you help yourself by arranging the grid of each instrument so that it plays as much in time as possible. And I could go on and on: I assume that any band helps itself with technology, especially as emerging bands of non-professional musicians. We all use aid and, clearly, it depends on how you use it.
TIBM: To obsess over the Vampire is to also be obsessed over death, or at least escaping from it. Death is also a common theme in Black Metal. Is there anything about your mortality that you find influential to your work?
Sadomaster: Yes, absolutely: time passing and the awareness that I won’t live forever. This gives me further impetus to complete and record my work: life is unpredictable and if you wait too long to do something you want to do, it might be too late and you might never do it again. Recording and publishing my releases is the most important thing for me, a strong need I feel. We are mortal, and we should get to the end with as few regrets as possible, as I see it.
TIBM: What does the future look like for Morcolac?
Sadomaster: The recording and release of the next album, first of all. Recording it is not something I feel like doing shortly since I am busy with my band Ticinum between composing new material and various live shows, and considering that I should record a further album with another project of which I am waiting for one of the members finish recording his parts, when the time comes there will be a long job to do, also because it will be a job with a longer running time than Drawbridge To Citadel Of No More Dawn.
TIBM: Do you have a message for the coven?
Sadomaster: Enjoy Morcolac’s new EP and go listen to the two previous albums (pay attention to lyrics too) if you missed them! Thanks for the positive opinions of those who already know my music, I hope to be able to delight you with some shows one day!
Hail!
TIBM: Thanks for your time!
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