“When Gods Walked The Earth” builds connections between ancient mythology and today’s world. What inspired you to that direction, and why does it remain relevant in 2026?
Yes, you got it right. That’s the main topic of the album, the idea that our civilization and we, ourselves haven’t changed. Basically, we remain the same. All our lives are built on the same foundation, we’re eager to live and afraid to die, we meet the ones we love and the ones we hate and we believe in something unexplainable around us. It all comes in new forms, but it’s mostly the same. Our lives have changed drastically, but we, as human beings, have remained the same, and that’s the main inspiration. When you understand that each of our lives is an enormous treasure to us, but in terms of the universe and eternity it’s just a grain of sand. At first glance, this thought can be a bit uncomfortable, but it’s soothing as well, your life is nothing, so live it exactly the way you want, this one is your last one.
Egyptian mythology appears throughout the album. Which myths or historical figures had the greatest influence on the lyrics?
Many of them, actually! I enjoy ancient myths; they’re crazy in a good way. And, of course, I admire historical figures like the pharaohs. For example, “Amenhotep” is dedicated to the Colossi of Memnon, which depict Amenhotep III. Of course, hats off to Howard Carter, who sparked widespread interest in Egyptian history by discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun at the beginning of the 20th century. Last but not least, we all admire the ancient architects who built pyramids, temples, and tombs that continue to encourage people to dive deeper into the history of Egypt and other ancient civilizations.
"We grew up in Russia and Ukraine, two countries that are currently at war, yet we play together in the same band. Music unites people. In a world full of hatred, there has to be something that brings us together and makes us friends instead of enemies."
Compared to your previous full length, what changed the most during the songwriting process?
Honestly, it became much harder. I mean, we wrote our first album with a “why not?” attitude. We were writing weird stuff and just leaving it like “Why not?” Surprisingly, the audience received the album very warmly, so we felt we had to write something more interesting, more mature. There was more responsibility, I would say. Looking back, I think it was my fault, because I was the one who tried to polish the album as much as possible. Maybe that was a good thing, because, in my opinion, the album turned out really well. But anyway, it was much harder, we argued a lot.
The album balances melodic passages with heavier riffing. How did you approach that balance without losing intensity?
There’s no formula, just intuition. If we feel a song needs a slower, more melodic part, we add it.
What was the atmosphere like during the recording sessions, and were there any unexpected challenges in the studio?
As I mentioned before, the atmosphere was tough from time to time, but the recording process itself was pretty easy. Since we record everything at home, we have unlimited time to choose the best takes. But there’s another side to that, there’s no one who can say, “Bro, that’s shit,” so you record what you think is a decent take, listen to it again a couple of days later, realize it’s shit and end up recording it all over again.
Max Baryshnikov handled the mixing and mastering. What did he bring to the album that helped shape its final sound?
I always say that Max is more like a band member than just a mixing engineer. He adds all kinds of Atmospheric elements, he calls them “producer’s UFOs” for some reason. I’d say Max shapes our music even more than we do. He’s an amazing guy and an outstanding professional.
Guest musicians contribute violin and additional vocals. At what stage did you decide these parts were needed, and how did they expand the songs?
Ellen, our violinist, is my wife. She played on our first album and now on the second one as well. Usually it’s as simple as, “Hey, could you record some violin?”. A couple of takes later, everything is ready. I really love her playing; she adds so many different colors to our music. With the vocalists, it was pretty much the same. Both Julia and Mike are our good friends and outstanding singers. We invited Julia because “Lament For Osiris” tells the story of Osiris and Isis, so we needed a female voice for Isis’s parts. Mike’s story was a bit different. I wrote the vocal parts for Hiding, and while recording the demo I realized that the highest notes in the chorus were right at the limit of my range. I immediately thought of Mike because he has an amazing voice and a much wider vocal range than I do. All of our guest musicians did an amazing job.
Several songs reflect themes of life, death, betrayal and the passage of time. Werethese topics influenced by personal experiences, current events, or historical sources?
All the songs are based on personal experience, that’s for sure, especially on the second album. Every one of them reflects my personal feelings about what’s going on around me.
Looking back at the period between your debut and this second album, what lessons had the biggest impact on your writing and performance?
That’s a really hard one. Fortunately, I don’t think we had any really hard lessons to learn. We’re just gaining experience, making mistakes and fixing them.
The world seems increasingly unstable, with wars, political division and social uncertainty. Do you think extreme metal has become or should be an even more relevant form of expression because of that?
Of course. Not only extreme metal, but music in general. We grew up in Russia and Ukraine, two countries that are currently at war, yet we play together in the same band. Music unites people. In a world full of hatred, there has to be something that brings us together and makes us friends instead of enemies.
When listeners return to “When Gods Walked The Earth” years from now, what do you hope remains with them after the final song ends?
Nothing but pleasure. Actually, our music is all about enjoyment. If you want to properly bang your head while listening to atmospheric, melodic music that’s neither too stupid nor too sophisticated, you’ve found what you were looking for.
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