[Interview by Salvaje]
Misanthropic Black Metal from the stone grind shores of South Germany. Voidhra was born as a one man Black Metal band in the beginning of 2021 – whereas the idea itself has been blazing beneath the surface for quite some while. All songs, lyrics, recording and production are done by Chris Horseblood and some constructs reach back for a decade at least. So set the swarm free… this is Voidhra.
Chris Horseblood… introduce something about yourself?
Hello, I am Chris Horseblood and the man behind Voidhra. I have been making music for the last 23 years and started getting into music production myself about 3 years ago. My main instrument is the guitar and I am mainly autodidact.
How have you found Voidhra? What are the ideas behind this band?
Well, I guess that it was the other way round and Voidhra found me. Voidhra is a one man black metal band at the moment. I have been making music and particularly black metal for over the last decade. Over the past years I had quite a rough time in my life and Voidhra was my valve to release my inner anger, hatred and frustration in creative musical form into the world. Voidhra became my darkest voice so to say.
Please describe more about your musicstyle and the main influences?
I describe the musicstlye as guitar driven black metal conjured into a strenghtened production. That means that I put a lot of focus on the guitar work and the riffs and I am trying to give my best for a grim and cold production which is powerful at the same time. Scandinavian black metal bands of the second wave had big influence on me but also some death metal bands. Musically this would be Immortal and Dissection for example.
What sort of topics and messages were written in your lyrics?
As mentioned beforehand Voidhra deals with topics that I also deal with in my personal life such as loss, despair, hopelessness and misanthropy.
Explain further about your debut release, “Sorrow Guides Us All”?
The debut “Sorrow Guides Us All” is a 6 track album that will be released in October 2021 over The Crawling Chaos Records. I have been working on the album for about nine months now and the mixing and mastering is almost done. The tracks on the full length album vary from headbanging mid tempo black metal to neckbraking fast blast-beat pieces. I am very satisfied with the result to create an album with that athmosphere and details.
Regarding the EP-album, did everything turn out as you planned and expected?
Well yes, the EP was one station on the way to the album. It was all a process of creating music and getting forward with it.
How did Crawling Chaos Records get interested in releasing the material?
I sent the EP to Crawling Chaos Records and he got in touch with me and he apparently liked the material. We wrote quite some mails and talked about everything very openly, which I do respect a lot. Finally both sides decided that we take this path together and release the album in October.
What does the future of Voidhra look like?
The main focus is the release of the album right now. There is still quite some work to do and I am some kind of perfectionist, which is a curse and blessing at the same time. After the release is before the release…so I am going to write new material. There are also plans to bring Voidhra to life on stage. I am in contact with very talented musicians and we will see how this figures out. So I am very excited what the next months will bring.
What are your opinions about the present scene and music of Black Metal?
There are some really talented bands and projects out there so it is really worth to keep your eyes open and listen to demos and albums from the underground and lesser known bands.
Final words are yours? Thanks.
I thank you. Go and get a listen to “Sorrow Guides Us All” which releases in late October. And if you like it consider getting the album, following Voidhra or just reach out to us. Voidhra is grateful for every support.
voidhra@gmx.net