Mithraic Magazine

While my familiarity with the deeper trenches of DSBM is still developing, its importance within the broader black metal spectrum is undeniable. In Magna Sila’s two track EP “Worthless” stands out from the sometimes repetitive and dare I say sometimes uninspiring crowd as an unsettling exploration of inner turmoil. Clocking in at just under 20 minutes, 2 tracks, this brief offering manages to feel both expansive and suffocating. “Worthless” unfolds before us like a carefully constructed well of sound. It draws the listener into it’s melancholic depths with a persistent and unnerving gravity.

The opening track, the self titled, “Worthless” establishes an overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere. We begin with a strong, deliberate slowness, a weighted foundation upon which layers of sound gradually build. A melancholic hook emerges from the initial density, a fragile thread of sorrow that pulls the listener further into the abyss. The band excels at this gradual layering, patiently building intensity and drawing you into a false sense of familiarity. Just as a degree of comfort begins to settle, something else creeps in. Forcing the listener to confront the underlying darkness. “Worthless” here, lures you in with a sense of sadness, only to expose the raw agonising reality of life.

As “Worthless” fades back into the psyche, track 2, “Emotional Blunting” gets ready to take its place, with a slightly different, yet no less effective approach. This track opens with a much colder, more abrasive quality to it. An edge that catches the listener’s attention like the dragging of a razor across skin. The vocals here are particularly visceral, feeling ripped and torn, they convey a sense of complete devastation. While the subtle melodic undercurrent plays through, it is constantly being overwhelmed by the pervasive sense of dread. This track alone evokes the sensation of being trapped in a state of detached suffering, where even the faintest idea of feeling is suffocated and snuffed out.

The EP’s ability to create a palpable sense of sinking, of being dragged down by an inescapable weight, screams of the darker aspects of the human condition. I’m not sure if it’s just I haven’t given the genre enough time or the extra focus I gave to this EP, but this feels like more than just some depressing songs. Even the simple fact that it’s only 2 tracks, gives it an almost cinematic quality that hints at a narrative, albeit an internal one, of struggle and perhaps a grim acceptance.

The unsettling landscape and emotion in “Worthless” leave a lasting impression. This EP hints at a deeper, even more personal well of inspiration. To explore deeper into the themes and creativity behind this intense record, we had the opportunity to chat with the individual behind In Magna Sila, and uncover the darkness that shaped “Worthless.”

Let’s start at the natural place, Can you give us a quick introduction to In Magna Sila, this is a one man project correct?

First of all, thank you for the opportunity to talk about the music of In Magna Sila. In Magna Sila is a solitary project, a one man band in fact. I have been playing for a long time and I have played in different genres, starting from metal, passing for a short period through death metal, then returning again to classic metal and then landing in recent years in the world of darkwave. Starting from last year I felt the need and the desire to write something really dark and gloomy, that would bring me back to the listening of my nineties and I started to compose Black Metal songs, which in a rather casual and natural way took a Depressive direction, at least the two present in the EP.

So far this is your only work under this title. This EP, “Worthless” feels like a very personal and intense work. Could you tell us where the ideas came from that led to this? What were the core concepts or feelings you wanted to explore?

Worthless is a very personal work, I don’t mean that it necessarily talks about topics that concern me, but it certainly gives my point of view on some topics that can be perceived as personal. As I said before, my intent was to create a dark, sad, funereal world, that would bring back to my mind the emotions I felt while listening to music during my adolescence (we’re talking about the nineties). An urgent need to be able to express what perhaps I didn’t know how to record in those years. Now recording an album is something I can do alone and in total independence, thirty years ago it was clearly much more complicated.

The name “In Magna Sila”, taken from Nicola Misasi’s book, carries a certain weight. What significance, if any, does this book have for yourself?, and how does it connect to the themes and atmosphere of your music?

One of the initial ideas regarding the In Magna Sila project was to combine Black Metal with the folklore of Southern Italy, Calabria and precisely the Sila plateaus. Telling stories of bandits, witches, woods and wolves inspired by the book of Nicola Misasi. Then the situation changed a bit and the two songs on the EP have little of the initial thematic idea… But that’s okay, in the future I will definitely try to tell something connected to Calabrian folklore. Actually in January I’ve completed the writing of an album, where some of the themes of the book In Magna Sila are narrated, but for the moment I haven’t found labels interested in publishing my album. Back to the question In Magna Sila is a beautiful novel, actually a collection of stories that revolve around the stories of poor people in Calabria at the end of the nineteenth century: bandits, convicts, farmers. A truly beautiful book, unfortunately I don’t think it has ever been translated into English, but I could be wrong.

“Worthless” delves into some very dark and difficult emotions. What compels you to explore such depths of human experience through your music? Is there a sense of catharsis or personal necessity in doing so?

I don’t know if the need for catharsis pushed me to write the lyrics in Worthless and Emotional Blunting. What I do know is that they are feelings that you can find yourself in during your life and it’s not a pleasant thing. They are dark and desperate territories to deal with and often you can only face them alone, sometimes there is no way to defeat them and you can only live with them. This is the reason why the instrumental part of these two songs is so dark, slow and at times suffocating.

Depressive black metal, at its core, often feels like a journey through intense inner turmoil. Do you find there’s a meditative element within this style of music, both as creator and listener? How does this aspect resonate with you?

Depressive Black Metal is a very intense genre, born from torment and sadness and can only be appreciated by certain people, with a certain type of receptivity. In its own way it can be a cold and glacial world, but also romantic, even passionate. I find it perfect for meditating, for reflecting, thinking… you know, but also for letting yourself go in a stream of consciousness. In Depressive Black Metal you can find Schopenhauer, Leopardi, even Nietzsche, tormented spirits who have transcended their era and have been fully appreciated and understood after their death or maybe not even now.

The EP has an almost cinematic quality, particularly in the way the vocals are layered and the atmosphere builds. How do you approach the composition process to create such immersive and emotionally charged soundscapes?

I’m very happy you said “Cinematic quality”. In fact I’m very influenced and inspired by the great composers of soundtracks, for example Max Richter was a great help and inspiration in some passages of Emotional Blunting. I love the arrangements performed by orchestras that follow the story told in a film. For the two songs of the EP I used the same procedure: I started from an instrumental landscape so to speak, then I looked through my notes for lyrics that could be good and finally I sang the vocal lines, basically improvising on the spot, then I made a second recording of the voices. I spent two or three mornings for each of the two songs including the songwriting and the recording, having very little time at my disposal it’s the only way. I have a busy and very chaotic life, so it’s very difficult for me to find free time. Basically when I get to record I often have to have pretty clear ideas in my head and hope that when I pick up the guitar they sound exactly as I imagined them.

This layering of vocals in “Worthless” is great, ranging from a near-comforting low growl to anguished shrieks, whispers of anxiety and almost a defeated acceptance. Can you elaborate on the intention behind this vocal approach, and how it contributes to the overall message and impact of the EP?

Thanks. I’m basically a baritone, so I don’t have many problems singing in a low range, even the part with the screams came quite naturally to me, but there I have to be careful not to damage the vocal cords using a correct technique, but sometimes I forget the technique and then the most desperate screams come out, those that are my favorites. Let’s say that I tried to combine my passion for Peter Steele’s voice with the typical Black Metal scream. Well I can say that the most desperate screams have a real cathartic effect, as if I could throw out a ton of shit, anger, poison…

While DSBM often explores themes of depression, isolation, misanthropy and suicidal ideation, do you find with writing this style of music, any form of grounding within these themes that might offset the overwhelming darkness? If so, how?

I think you’re right. As for me, I can say that somehow I’ve always felt comfortable with melancholy. I like twilight, autumn, the cold, I love dramatic and dark novels, gothic fiction in general and the same goes for movies and music. I like reading Schopenhauer and Leopardi. Composing depressing music was probably the only way to give life to my inner self. I don’t know if this comes from a need to free oneself from some burden but I know that sometimes it’s a pure and simple necessity, a primitive thing that needs to live. At least for me it works like this, some people find pleasure in sports, others in dancing in the disco, but I love reading sad stories and composing sad music.

Creating music like this can be psychologically demanding. How do you, as an individual, process and manage the emotional weight of the music you create? Are there specific coping mechanisms or perspectives you employ?

Creating music with dark and sad themes can be hard and painful, but I think it’s also therapeutic in some way. It can be likened to a body that expels toxins and after a few moments of suffering can appreciate the benefits. Then I don’t know it’s a strange feeling, but as I said before I like melancholy, all the music I listen to must have a melancholic vein, it can be angry, heavy or calm and relaxing, but it must still be melancholic otherwise it’s difficult for me to like it. I don’t know, maybe somewhere in my head I must have some masochistic traits, I don’t know. The paradox is that if you force me to listen to happy stuff like reggae for me it becomes torture, while maybe most people find it distressing to endure a dark melody for more than two minutes. As I said DSBM is a music that can only be received by people predisposed to certain moods and the same goes for those who write this type of music.

Many listeners find solace or a strange comfort in DSBM. What are your thoughts on this phenomenon? Do you intend for your music to offer this kind of experience, or is it more of a personal expression?

It’s the same for me. I think you’re absolutely right. I don’t know if my music can have the same effect on those who listen to it, I like to listen to my songs again and again, but my opinion doesn’t count for much, of course I’d be happy if my songs could alleviate someone’s pain or give relief.

The EP’s production is raw yet nuanced, capturing both the intensity and the subtleties of the emotions conveyed. What was your approach to the recording and production process, and how did you aim to achieve this balance?

Thanks again. I think a lot of it comes from the arrangements. On Worthless I wanted a powerful and deep sound so I started with a simple initial arpeggio played with a crunch sound on a baritone guitar, then gradually I added distorted power chords and everything else trying to mix a crunch guitar that plays on the high notes with a distorted one that stays on the low range. I tried to create a series of layers that are added during the song with a fairly linear drum and bass. Finally I added the keyboards. On Emotional Blunting the process was similar but there are more guitar lines playing the whole time. I even used a Fender Jazzmaster with standard tuning, which is not a very usual choice in Black Metal, and then I added the baritone guitar just for the power chords. In this song the keyboards play from the beginning to the end but their sound is not distinguishable, I use them just to create a sort of wall of sound where the individual instruments blend together, so the drums are less evident in the final mix. I think I recorded six guitar lines for Emotional Blunting that play constantly throughout the song. The common trait between the two songs is the guitar arrangements that insist a lot on crunch arpeggios combined with distorted power chords. Having played in a darkwave band in recent years has helped me a lot in developing functional arpeggios for the songs. During the mixing process, I tried to level the volumes using as few interventions as possible on the individual tracks in order to have a rather full-bodied and direct sound.

Looking at the broader context of black metal, how do you see In Magna Sila fitting into the genre, and what elements do you feel make your sound unique or distinctive?

I don’t really know how to fit In Magna Sila into the vast world of Black Metal and I couldn’t even tell you what the peculiarities of my music are. I can tell you that I follow the feeling of the moment and so things could change a lot in the future. Maybe at this moment the most interesting feature of In Magna Sila are the layered arrangements and various changes of tonality in the songs… Yes I would say that

What are your future plans for In Magna Sila? Are there any directions or concepts that you’d like to further explore under this title?

As I said at the beginning of this interview, I have an album ready, but I don’t have a label. The album should be called Disjecta (a strange title inspired by the 19th century poet Igino Tarchetti). It’s a very varied album, maybe even too much. If I don’t find anyone interested in publishing it, I’ll write other material and I already have some things that I really like almost ready. I’d like to do something that revolves around a concept but I’m very prone to sudden stylistic changes these days so the situation is unpredictable. Something similar to the Worthless EP could come out, or some Blackgaze material, sometimes I also feel like writing songs in the style of Dissection.

And to finish up, I ask everyone. Are there any books, movies, artists, musicians that we should be checking out. Who’s really got your attention at the moment?

The list would be very long. For lovers of Avantgarde Black Metal I can recommend Dawn Of A Dark Age, a very particular Italian band. In more melodic territories I anxiously await the new album by Klimt 1918, then I often listen to None, who unfortunately I think have been disbanded. In these last weeks I have also happily re-watched two old TV series produced in Italy: Voci Notturne and Il Segno Del Comando. They were beautiful TV series, a mix of occult, esotericism and detective fiction, unfortunately I don’t think they have ever been subtitled in English, they are true cult series.

Thank you for the time and effort. 

For those interested or intrigued by In Magna Sila, you can find them at the link below. 

-Zero

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