Interview date: 29.09.2008
UnSun are a fresh musical phenomenon from Poland. The two main players are Mauser, former guitarist of Polish death metallers Vader, and singer Aya. So it’s beauty and the beast, but the two of them have struck up an extraordinary creative chemistry, which has produced a brand-new band that stands for an icy, gloomy atmosphere built on a massive wall of riffs, with Aya’s flawlessly sweet, almost angelic vocals laid over the top. UnSun are a band that managed to bring an album to the scene with their debut “The End Of Life”, proof that it’s still possible to get musical recognition and a fresh sound in a very simple way.
RockLine: What was the main reason you decided on a completely new band, with a totally new musical direction, something you’d never done before?
Mauser: When I met Aya and heard her voice for the first time, I knew right away that we’d end up playing together sooner or later. Aya has such a passion for music and she’s so deeply connected to it that it could hardly have ended any other way. We talked about music together, and also about the style we wanted to play. I added heavy guitar riffs to her voice, and that was exactly what we both wanted. It was a crazy experience! We booked Hertz studio in Poland for our first demo, because by then we already had two songs written. So we started recording the new promo, which was meant for various labels. In those days we had no clue what would happen with all of this in the future. Once that was finished, things moved along very simply. I had loads of ideas, loads of guitar riffs, so I started composing new music, new material. Aya got to work on it too. Aya often suggested I change a certain riff, so I adjusted some of the guitar parts so her vocals would sit even better in the music. Everything went really smoothly. The demo material took on its first rough shape of the final thing and we both liked it a lot. We listened to the recordings again and again, several times in a row, and that gave us a clear idea of how the album should sound. When Aya said something like, “I like this, I can do a great arrangement on it”, I was really happy. Everything developed in a way that constantly gave me the feeling that the path we’d chosen was the right one. That’s the short story of how UnSun came to be and how it all happened. It started with the wish to play together.
Aya: It just happened that Mauser and I started building this project in a totally natural way, and later we began looking for other musicians too. At that point I had complete trust in Mauser. When it came to choosing musicians, he knew exactly what kind of musicians we needed and with what skills.
Mauser: I’m not playing with Vader at the moment, I left the band. My last show with them was on 30.08.2008. I decided that long before, because I’d outgrown Vader’s music as a person. I realized I didn’t want to play in both bands at the same time. Man,… there are just too many obligations you have to meet at once. UnSun are my priority right now and I’m channeling all my energy into this band.
RockLine: What about the other two members, did they contribute any musical ideas?
Mauser: Only Aya and I are responsible for UnSun’s musical direction. This style is a compromise between the musical passions and the musical visions that Aya and I have. When we started recording “The End Of Life”, we already had 10 songs put together. They were recorded on a computer. I sent that material to the other two members of the crew, who then played everything again in the studio. The idea for UnSun is entirely Aya’s and mine.
RockLine: So it’s a kind of chemistry between you and Aya?
Mauser: Yes. It’s a matter of chemistry. We communicate great together, and everything is really easy for us when we work together. I love her voice and the things she does in music. I think it’s the perfect combination.
RockLine: Aya, what do you expect as a musician from UnSun?
Aya: I’d like to write songs and sing. That’s all. And I don’t want anyone limiting me in that.
RockLine: Aya, what’s your musical background, what are your musical influences, etc…?
Aya: What I am is shaped above all by my passion for singing and my talent. I’m an artistic soul, and I carry that somehow in my genes. My mother was also a singer in a band when she was young, and my father is a painter. The house I grew up in was always full of music. There was always someone who could play some instrument, whether piano or guitar, and everybody sang…I’ve been singing since childhood. I’ve always loved to sing, and what’s maybe even more important, other people always liked my singing too. In elementary school I sang lead vocals in the school choir, because my teacher told me I had a very good voice. That sparked an even bigger desire to sing in me, so by high school I already had my own individual repertoire. I put all my free time into singing, and I played guitar on the side. Nothing else interested me at all. Back then I wrote lots and lots of songs. I presented them to friends by singing and playing acoustic guitar, and they added violin, guitars,…At a big competition in the city where I live I won first prize, and that’s when I knew music was my way of life. There were many of those competitions and I placed high in all of them. Along the way, many experienced musicians helped me polish my singing technique even further. I was always looking for a chance to perform, and then it happened that Mauser and I walked into Studio Hertz, where we recorded our demo…
RockLine: Mauser, did the programming and adding samples give you any headaches? The final effect “The End Of Life” left on me after listening is amazing. Just considering the atmosphere alone…
Mauser: No. It was very simple. When I started composing our music, I already had everything in my head and I knew how I was going to approach it. I’ve always been drawn to the challenge of producing samples on a computer. So I gathered a large number of samples and started combining them with the music. Things can be really simple when you know exactly what you want. I’m attracted to electronic music and I learn fast. What I’m doing with UnSun is my first experience in the field of electronic music, and I’m very happy with the results of my work.
RockLine: Was it hard to complete the UnSun lineup with the right bassist and drummer?
Mauser: When I was looking for a drummer, I asked Darayu to help me just with the studio work and nothing more. When he heard the music I played him, he told me he knew someone who’d be perfect for it. Within the next few days I met Vaaver and we immediately started talking about UnSun. We shared exactly the same musical vision for UnSun. Daray’s recommendation that Vaaver was the perfect choice for UnSun also mattered a lot. I’d originally asked Heinrich only to help us out in the studio too, but it just happened that he joined the band, because he found a lot in common in the music. So Aya and I got two more great musicians in the band, who are also good friends.
RockLine: Do you allow any possibility that you’d ever play for Vader again in the future?
Mauser: I think never again. That part of my life is completely closed. I don’t look back.
RockLine: Did the ideas for the UnSun songs come from some older riffs from your Vader era that you didn’t use there, or did you develop most of the riffs completely spontaneously, as you got your new band going?
Mauser: I wrote some great guitar riff ideas back in my days with Vader, but those were different riffs. I started thinking about different music, a different, new band. I realized that this is what I actually want and what I actually have to do. All the new things that UnSun’s music brings are totally clear and pure, and they come straight from my heart. There’s no pretending whatsoever. A lot of people don’t understand the situation I’m in, or they don’t want to accept it. They’d like to see me in Vader, only in Vader, but I’m not their slave…
RockLine: Are there any challenges in music ahead that you’d still like to try?
Mauser: I truly believe in UnSun and I think everything lies ahead of us, that is, ahead of UnSun. I’d like to write good music and enjoy myself while doing it. I’d like to deliver quality music to our listeners, and I’d like that music to grow with our fans, and UnSun with them. UnSun is the next step in my career, the next rung on the ladder of my life, and I wouldn’t want to lose it. I know our music will grow, and all of us will become better musicians and better people.
RockLine: How would you both comment on the current rock/metal scene in Poland?
Mauser: In Poland we have lots of great bands, and not just black or death metal acts. Riverside, for example. They play outside Poland, at festivals, they have a deal with a bigger label, InsideOut Records, they’re on tour all the time. They, and hopefully us too, are finally the two bands that managed to break the curse that bands from Poland only find success in Europe or the US if they play extreme styles of metal. I think UnSun are proof that Poland has really big potential, and I know we’re far from having said our last word.
RockLine: What are the next steps for UnSun? Tours, etc…
Mauser: We’ve got a tour planned. Right now we’re really curious how people will react to our music. We’d like to shoot another promo video for our album “The End Of Life”.
RockLine: Are any new ideas piling up yet for the next UnSun studio album?
Mauser: Not yet, because we’re too busy right now with promoting “The End Of Life” and can’t find the time to think about a new album. “The End Of Life” is our debut and we learn from our mistakes. We know which mistakes we can’t repeat on the next album.
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