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| This interview was made in collaboration with Last Cathedral Records |
Belarusian Black/Doom Metal project Slava Zima brings together dark atmospheres, traditional Belarusian instruments and poetry written in the Belarusian language. Behind the project is multi-instrumentalist Viachaslau Zima, who discusses its origins, his musical influences, the Belarusian Metal scene, and Slava Zima's contribution to The Final Witness compilation by The Last Cathedral Records.
Asmoth: For those discovering Slava Zima for the first time, how would you introduce the project and describe the musical world you are trying to create? What was the idea behind bringing Slava Zima to life?
Viachaslau Zima: Hello everyone. The Slava Zima project was formed in my head in 2021, when I retired from all my bands and projects at the time. The constant creative output in my mind was haunting me, and I was constantly forced to churn out music. But it was work without a purpose. When I looked back two years later at how many tracks I'd written, I decided I couldn't just leave all this music lying around. So I decided to finalize the finished tracks. The wonderful vocalist Andrey Apanovich joined me, and we began working closely on finalizing the songs. Slava Zima is songs about the elements, about the elements within oneself, about the endless struggle with oneself, songs about death.
Asmoth: Your music is rooted in Black/Doom Metal, but there are also atmospheric and distinctly Belarusian elements in it. How did you arrive at this particular combination, and what makes it important to the identity of Slava Zima?
Viachaslau Zima: I have a very large collection of wind instruments, including Belarusian folk instruments. These include flutes, zhaleikas, sopilkas, ocarinas, whistles, gudkas, dudas, and other bagpipes. I've been doing this for over 15 years. And I've always been fascinated by the musical component of Belarusian culture. It's in my blood, it's in my heart, and it can't be eradicated. Combining black/doom with folk instruments is precisely the combination that conveys all the tragedy and sadness of the long-suffering Belarusian people. The result is a uniquely dark, and sometimes cosmic, atmosphere. We're not the first in Belarus to use folk instruments in music, including heavy metal, and I hope we won't be the last. But I don't want to overdo it either. Everything should have its place. And I believe these melodic brass sections give Slava Zima's music that unique flavor by which we are recognizable.
Asmoth: A large part of your lyrics are connected to Belarusian poetry and the Belarusian language. How important is Belarusian literature and cultural heritage to your songwriting, and what do you want to convey by using these texts in your music?
Viachaslau Zima: I often hear the opinion that heavy metal originated in the UK, that Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Motörhead sang in English, and supposedly all other heavy music should be in English as well. I completely disagree with this statement. Firstly, there are no boundaries for the development of musical creativity, no code of rules that cannot be broken. If you want to sing in Belarusian, sing in Belarusian; if you want to sing in Finnish, go ahead; if you want to sing in Portuguese, no problem at all. Secondly, having such wonderful musical instruments in our arrangements, imbued with the millennial soul of the Belarusian people, it would be criminal to write songs in a language other than our native one. We often use lyrics in our songs written by our heroic classical poets in the 20th century or over 100 years ago. They beautifully reveal the deepest state of our collective consciousness. To be honest, I can't imagine Slava Zima's work in any language other than Belarusian. Maybe that's just for now.
Viachaslau Zima: I'd say the Belarusian metal scene is on the verge of extinction. It's practically nonexistent. Old bands break up and disappear for various reasons, few new ones appear, and they all play trendy genres that I wouldn't even call metal in the classic sense. We have a lot of listeners and fans of metal music. It's hard to make money from music in our country at all. Concerts don't pay for themselves. Merchandise and CD sales don't cover all the basic necessities. Streaming also won't make much money unless you have millions of streams. That's why we do have metal bands, and they're very good. It's safe to say that the strongest ones are still playing.
Asmoth: Slava Zima is a relatively new project, but you have been involved in the Belarusian Metal scene for many years through other bands and projects. How has that experience influenced the way you approach Slava Zima today?
Viachaslau Zima: Any experience is never just one specific thing. The experience of playing in many bands is about interpersonal relationships with musicians and audiences, about the approach to writing tracks and lyrics, and about the many technical components of music production. I could tell you a lot about how I record guitars and position the microphone, at what angle, and why I do it this way. But no one would be interested in that. Experience always provides some kind of support, regardless of whether that experience is positive or negative.
Asmoth: Slava Zima is featured on The Final Witness, the compilation released by The Last Cathedral Records, with the track “Učora”. How did the collaboration with The Last Cathedral come about, and what made you decide to contribute to the compilation?
Viachaslau Zima: It's very simple. The Last Cathedral wrote to me with an offer to participate, and I agreed. The fact that this work is for their charity was even more encouraging. I help people with music a lot. I record instruments, make arrangements, help with mixing and mastering, etc. And I never charge for it. I have a good job and get a salary from it. And I don't charge for my creativity on principle. I always think back to myself 20 years ago, when I was just starting out on my musical journey and how difficult it was for me to get certain things done. No one helped me, I had to make it all happen on my own. I hope these bands will achieve success and advance, including with my help.
Asmoth: The Final Witness brings together twenty bands from different parts of the international Doom underground, with very different approaches to the genre. How do you feel Slava Zima's music fits into this collection, and was there a particular band or contribution that caught your attention?
Viachaslau Zima: I think we're missing compilations like this these days, featuring a wide range of bands from around the world. Everyone's so immersed in streaming and their own playlists. Gathering such a large audience in one compilation is a huge undertaking. It's something we desperately need now, especially for the younger generation. How Slava Zima's music fits into this collection is for the listeners to judge, not me. I hope it fits well.
Asmoth: Beyond simply being featured on a compilation, what do you hope The Final Witness can bring to Slava Zima? Do you think projects like this can help international listeners discover lesser-known scenes such as the Belarusian underground?
Viachaslau Zima: Of course, compilations like The Final Witness can reach anywhere on Earth. It's not just a charity, which The Last Cathedral is praising from all sides, but also a pretty good advertisement for the bands. With this compilation, everyone wins. Thanks to The Last Cathedral for putting our track "Učora" first; it's an honor for us to launch the collection!