Subterranean Disposition interview w. doom-metal.com
October 15, 2012

Subterranean Disposition interview with doom-metal.com
Original Link
 
Subterranean Disposition is Terry Vainoras' new Doom project. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Terry has been working with various Australian extreme Metal acts such as Cryptal Darkness or Insomnius Dei. Inspired by his contribution to the latter, he decided to form a Doom band of his own…


 
(1) Hello Terry, and thanks very much for agreeing to be interviewed for Doom-Metal.com. Let me start by asking you to introduce yourself to our readers: who are you and where are you from? 
Hello Mike, Firstly thank you so much for this opportunity! I am a musician, primarily of metal music that hails from the city of Melbourne in Australia. I have played in many bands over the years in numerous different sub-genres and I have been blessed to be able to travel all over Australia and Europe playing the music I love.

(2) People may well have seen your name before, associated with various different bands - you have been in the music business a while! How and when did it all start for you?
This amazing journey of music started for me like many others of my generation by picking up instruments in High School and forming bands, doing bad covers of our favourite groups from around that time, For me it was 1993 when it started and I really have not looked back since! 

(3) Doom fans will probably have heard of Cryptal Darkness and The Eternal, at least, but there are a fair few Death or Black Metal credits on your CV as well. Are you equally happy working in all those extreme genres? Do you have a favourite?
I have been a big fan of all the different styles of metal that I have been able to write or perform in, and looking back, much of it has been a great learning curve leading up to where I find myself today musically. Learning the importance of melody, song structure, playing fast/slow with emotion, dynamics and so on is priceless. I am grateful to have been apart of it all although nowadays I choose to write in the styles that I truly find my voice in. So right now the doom thing gives me a lot of freedom to expand on ideas and paint in different colours so to speak. It is one of the favourites for sure. 

(4) There are also a fair few instruments on your CV – guitars, bass, keys, and vocals. Were you formally trained in any of those? Do you have a primary, or preferred, instrument?
I took guitar lessons in my High School years, although much of my style is self-taught. I took vocal lessons for a number of years about five or six years ago, as I am less confident in the clean singing style as opposed to the guttural vocals, which came naturally. However, apart from that much has been learnt on the job as it were. I am primarily a guitarist above all else, and most of the song writing begins on the guitar. 

(5) You are now working solo, under the name Subterranean Disposition? What prompted you to take that step? Is it better, or simply different, to being part of a band?
I was involved in a recording project – Insomnius Dei with Mark Kelson from The Eternal, we recorded an album "Illusions of Silence" back in 2007. Mark had written all of the music for the album and I came in wrote and performed the vocals as well as playing bass. After we had completed the album I was intensely inspired by its outcome, I decided to try writing some songs as a follow up, I believed I could compliment what mark had done within the melodic Doom/death framework and add a few twists to it with my own writing voice. 
Further down the track it became evident that Mark and I were not going to collaborate musically together in the near future and that’s when I decided to take the work I had done and move forward, calling it Subterranean Disposition. 
I do enjoy the process of writing alone; I feel with SD I do not have to second-guess what needs to happen within a song. It is not better or worse than being part of a band, it just is a different path with a similar outcome. 

(6) Your debut, self-titled album is due for release at the end of October. How would you describe it?
I would describe it as a journey. Brutality, Melody, Dissonance, Ambience, Darkness, Light, Fear, Hope… A dynamic journey through extremes. 



(7) I've already had the pleasure of reviewing it (Subterranean Disposition), and came away with a generally very favourable opinion. Do you think the review is fair comment – is there anything you would like to respond to, correct or add to it?
I think it is a fair comment and a well written one at that. I can tell you have spent some time with it, which is what this style of album really needs. Thank you for listening with focused ears! 

(8) Have you had any other feedback on the album so far?
The track "Most subtle of storms" has been available online for quite some time and has received some great feedback, particularly the use of saxophone. A few reviews have surfaced and so far, the feedback has been rather positive. 

(9) I notice the copyright date on the credits is 2010 – was that when it was ready? If so, why the delay in release?
The album itself was recorded over the course of 2010 and mastered early 2011. From there it took a long time to find the right people to agree to a release. Enter Hypnotic Dirge Records. 

(10) Hypnotic Dirge Records are handling the release and distribution, with pre-orders now open (HDR Distro). I found them to be very helpful and friendly: what are they like to work with as an artist?
They are great for me to work with personally and the bottom line is this – they are fans of and have great passion for the music they choose to release. It makes it easy to work together on the elements needed to get the album released and in the public eye. The roster of artists is strong and eclectic and I am humbled to be a part of that. 

(11) Saxophone isn't an instrument that often appears in doom, more's the pity. What made you decide to include it on 'The Most Subtle Of Storms'?
First and foremost, I am a big fan of the German doom jazz group "Bohren Und Der Club of Gore" And I thought that a sax solo with a tip of the hat to their artistry would work well over that atmospheric part of the song, bringing an unusual yet dark element there until the heavy part breaks in. My good friend D’arcy Molan took the idea and ran with it. I was very pleased with the outcome. 

(12) I particularly liked the more unconventional moments on Subterranean Disposition – the way you used guest female vocals, the sax, and occasional keyboard flourishes. Do you think more of those moments would enhance your work or become a bit of a gimmick? Were you deliberately restrained in using them – and would you be in future?
I think that if a part of a song calls for and works with unconventional instruments then so be it. However, I am always cautious to over use said elements, as I want them to elevate and make the song memorable in the right way and not a gimmick as you said. If and when these circumstances arise in future writing then yes; I would not hesitate to experiment. 

(13) Is the project likely to continue? Do you have any ideas for following up this first album?
Yes SD will continue on, a second album has been finished in the demo stages and it will hopefully be recorded and possibly released in 2013. With so much time in trying to get this debut released there was a lot of time and inspiration to evolve the sound and present some new ideas in another album’s worth of songs. 

(14) What about touring to support the release? I have interviewed a couple of Australian acts and they have said it's not a great place for that – too big, and the fans are spread too far apart. Would you agree?
I have assembled a live band and we are currently rehearsing the album so we can play live in Australia and Europe in 2013 in support of the album. Australia is a quite harsh touring environment compared to overseas, as there are only six or seven major cities and a handful of regional towns to play, many of which are up to ten hours apart from each other. 

(15) Do you find there is much of a doom – or metal – scene at all in your area?
There is a healthy metal scene in Melbourne and other cities in Australia, The majority of local bands are of a faster death or thrash variety although doom and sludge bands are popping up and becoming more popular as time goes on. 


 
(16) What else do you listen to, when you are not producing your own music? Are there any bands or artists you would consider particularly influential on your own works?
I listen to many different styles, everything from noise to hip-hop to jazz, funk, country, etc. As far as influential listening goes currently the sounds of groups like Swans, Bohren und der club of Gore, Neurosis and Converge inspire me to really try to think outside the box in song writing terms. 

(17) What else inspires you to write songs? Any external influences – art, films, books, for example – or is it a largely internal process?
The process is always unique and ever changing. Photographs, films, books, conversations, dreams are all fair game as inspiration for songs. For instance, "Seven sisters of sleep" is influenced by the book of the same name. Whereas a song like "Most subtle of storms" was pieces of lines strung together and it was not until it was finished that a cohesive meaning was recognised. 

(18) Apart from Subterranean Disposition, have you got anything else in the pipeline?
Apart from SD I have a Metallic hardcore band, Order of Chaos which I have been involved with for 15 years. Order Of Chaos will be releasing another album in 2013. In addition, I have a Noise/ Ambient electronic project called Dentata which will release a debut recording in December of this year. 

(19) That's covered all the questions I started out with. Is there anything more that hasn't been addressed, or that you'd like to add?
Nothing comes to mind so I will just add this for those who are interested:
Buy here.
Listen here. 

(20) It only remains for me to thank you again for your time and the opportunity to talk with you, and to wish you success with the release.
Thank you once again Mike, I'm humbled to have been offered an interview - keep up the good work with doom-metal.com