I’m pleased to share that Darkwave has been featured in Rock Hard Italy, one of Italy’s established metal magazines, in an interview titled “Il lungo addio” — “The Long Goodbye.”
The conversation with Michele Martini goes beyond the musical evolution of Evanescent Horizons. It explores the personal questions at the heart of the album: the nature of loss, the fragility of the future we imagine, and whether love retains its value when it is not returned.
These are not merely abstract philosophical questions for me. They were the starting point of an album that gradually became an exploration of something much larger: the possibility that what we give, feel and experience can retain its meaning even when life does not unfold as we hoped.
One of the central ideas behind Evanescent Horizons is that accepting loss does not mean accepting that everything we have lost was meaningless. A relationship can end. A future we imagined may never come to pass. But does that necessarily diminish the value of what we experienced along the way?
This is the question I wanted to explore through the album’s music and narrative, and it is deeply meaningful to have the opportunity to discuss it in an interview that looks beyond the sound itself and engages with the ideas behind it.
My sincere thanks to Michele Martini and Rock Hard Italy for the thoughtful questions and for giving these reflections a space of their own.
Below, you can find the original Italian magazine page, followed by the complete English translation of the interview.
Thank you for reading. 🖤
THE LONG GOODBYE
by Michele Martini
Compared to the recent past, Darkwave’s musical approach has become even more complex and rich in dark nuances. We spoke with Zsolt Némethy, the mind behind the project, about the evolution represented by Evanescent Horizons.
Once again, you have decided to explore themes rich in existential implications. What gave rise to these reflections?
“Evanescent Horizons stems from a very personal place. I asked myself whether love possesses intrinsic value even when it is not reciprocated and, consequently, whether there is anything in this world whose value exceeds that of our individual lives to such an extent that it could be considered eternal. In this sense, the album is a continuation of Horror Sacri; however, its point of departure is less philosophical and much more intimate and, in certain respects, vulnerable.”
The sonic approach is very dark and decadent. What was your state of mind during the composition process?
“I wanted to explore the difference between loss and meaninglessness not through abstract thoughts, but from my own personal perspective. It is an approach that proceeds from the bottom up rather than the other way around. We often take it for granted that something has value because it produces a desirable outcome. If we invest dedication and love in a relationship and the person we love reciprocates those feelings, that love seems full of meaning to us. If a relationship lasts, we naturally consider it a success. But what happens if we look at the situation from a different perspective? What happens when none of this comes to pass? Can something retain its value simply because it was experienced authentically?”
A pervasive sense of loss prevails. What does this feeling mean to you?
“Loss is one of the most universal human experiences. We lose people, relationships, possibilities, youth, certainties, faith in certain things, ideas or people, and ultimately life itself. Sometimes we mourn something that truly existed; at other times, we mourn something that could have existed but never came to be. A very particular kind of pain arises when we realize that the future we had imagined may never come to pass. We are not losing just a person or a relationship: we are losing an entire world. Darkness, however, is not destined to prevail. The protagonist of the story comes to understand that accepting loss does not mean acknowledging that what happened was meaningless, nor that love had no value.”
I am very happy to share that Metalized, the famous Danish metal magazine, has published a new interview with me about Darkwave and Evanescent Horizons.
The interview is titled “Genre Is a Language, Not a Prison” — a phrase that probably summarizes my approach to music better than I could have done myself.
We talk about what Darkwave is, how Evanescent Horizons came together, the ideas behind the album, and the different musical traditions that have influenced me. We also discuss the role of church organ, the album’s central question of whether love and devotion have value when they seem to accomplish nothing, and the artists who have shaped my musical thinking — e.g. Jon Lord, Nevermore and King Diamond.
I was especially pleased with the way the interview presents Darkwave: not simply as a one-person metal project, but as a place where extreme metal, classical music, atmosphere, storytelling and philosophical reflection can exist within the same musical language. One sentence from the interview perhaps says it all:
“Genre is a language, not a prison.”
That is exactly how I have always wanted to approach music. I don’t want genre boundaries to decide what a piece of music is allowed to become. The idea, emotion or story should decide that.
Many thanks to Maria Penter Petersen and Metalized for the thoughtful questions and for giving Darkwave this space. 🖤
Read the full interview in the latest issue of Metalized – but for the sake of simplicity I copy it here, too (please scroll down for the English translation).
GENRE IS A LANGUAGE, NOT A PRISON
Behind the name Darkwave there is not a band, but one uncompromising Hungarian with a guitar, a computer and a slightly questionable sleep schedule. On his fifth album, Evanescent Horizons, Zsolt Némethy blends progressive extreme metal, death metal, orchestral arrangements and church organ into a story about love, loss and the meaning that may survive when everything else falls apart.
By Maria Penter Petersen
WHO IS DARKWAVE, REALLY?
Darkwave is a one-man project from Hungary. My name is Zsolt Némethy, and I write, arrange, play, record, mix, master and produce everything myself. So there is no secret band behind the name. It is just me in front of the computer with guitars, programmed drums and the recurring question: Why did I ever think this was a good idea?
The project began in 2020, but the desire to create my own music has been with me since childhood. I learned guitar through Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, but I quickly became more interested in creating my own sounds than copying those of others. Darkwave became my place to explore ideas without having to live up to other people’s expectations.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MUSIC?
Cinematic progressive extreme metal. The foundation consists of progressive metal, thrash, death and symphonic elements, but I also leave the door open to church organ, neoclassical music, folk, electronics, opera and Gregorian chant. I don’t mix genres just to show how strange I can be.
Genre is a language, not a prison. If a feeling requires a crushing death metal riff, I use it. If it requires organ, orchestra or something quiet and vulnerable, I choose that instead. Everything has to serve the story.
WHAT IS THE NEW ALBUM, EVANESCENT HORIZONS, ABOUT?
The album asks one central question: Does love have value if it is not reciprocated?
It is my fifth album and consists of 11 tracks, but I see it as one continuous emotional journey. The story follows a person who falls in love and imagines a future together. Hope slowly turns into disappointment, isolation, anger and despair. In the end, the protagonist is confronted not only with the loss of a person, but also with the loss of the future he believed in.
My conclusion is that certain things have value independently of their outcome. Love does not become worthless because it is rejected, and loyalty does not stop meaning something because you are abandoned.
HOW WAS THE ALBUM CREATED?
I spent about a year on it and handled the entire process myself. The biggest challenge was making death metal, progressive structures, orchestration, neoclassical elements and atmospheric passages feel like parts of the same world.
The church organ was given a special role. It can create an enormous space that is both beautiful and frightening. But the orchestra is not there simply to make the music bigger, and the metal is not there simply to make it heavier. Every note has to hit the emotional moment.
WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION?
In music, literature, philosophy, theology, science and life itself. I am drawn to questions about mortality, meaning, faith, doubt, suffering and what remains when certainty disappears. Personal experiences, loss, ageing, love and memories always find their way into the music, sometimes without me realizing it until much later.
WHICH THREE ARTISTS HAVE MEANT THE MOST TO YOU?
Jon Lord taught me to break down the boundaries between rock and classical music. Nevermore showed me that technical complexity and emotional weight can reinforce each other. King Diamond taught me to create a complete universe in which music, lyrics, characters and visual elements become one unified story.
That is exactly what Darkwave tries to do.
GENRE ER ET SPROG, IKKE ET FÆNGSEL
Bag navnet Darkwave gemmer sig ikke et band, men én kompromisløs ungarer med guitar, computer og en lettere tvivlsom døgnrytme. På det femte album, Evanescent Horizons, blander Zsolt Némethy progressivt ekstremmetal, dødsmetal, orkestrale arrangementer og kirkeorgel i en fortælling om kærlighed, tab og den mening, der måske overlever, når alt andet smuldrer.
Af Maria Penter Petersen
HVEM ER DARKWAVE EGENTLIG?
Darkwave er et enmandsprojekt fra Ungarn. Jeg hedder Zsolt Némethy, og jeg skriver, arrangerer, spiller, indspiller, mixer, mastererer og producerer det hele selv. Der findes altså ikke et hemmeligt band bag navnet. Det er bare mig foran computeren med guitarer, programmerede trommer og det tilbagevendende spørgsmål: Hvorfor syntes jeg egentlig, at det her var en god idé? Projektet begyndte i 2020, men ønsket om at skabe min egen musik har fulgt mig siden barndommen. Jeg lærte guitar gennem Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin og Black Sabbath, men blev hurtigt mere interesseret i at skabe egne lyde end i at kopiere andres. Darkwave blev mit sted til at undersøge idéer uden at skulle leve op til andres forventninger.
HVORDAN VIL DU BESKRIVE MUSIKKEN?
Cinematisk progressivt ekstremmetal. Fundamentet består af progressivt metal, thrash, death og symfoniske elementer, men jeg holder også døren åben for kirkeorgel, neoklassisk musik, folk, elektronik, opera og gregoriansk sang. Jeg blander ikke genrer for at vise, hvor mærkelig jeg kan være. Genre er et sprog, ikke et fængsel. Hvis en følelse kræver et knusende dødsmetalriff, bruger jeg det. Hvis den kræver orgel, orkester eller noget stille og sårbart, vælger jeg dét. Alt skal tjene fortællingen.
HVAD HANDLER DET NYE ALBUM, EVANESCENT HORIZONS, OM?
Albummet stiller ét centralt spørgsmål: Har kærlighed værdi, hvis den ikke bliver gengældt? Det er mit femte album og består af 11 numre, men jeg ser det som én sammenhængende følelsesmæssig rejse. Historien følger et menneske, der forelsker sig og forestiller sig en fælles fremtid. Håbet bliver langsomt til skuffelse, isolation, vrede og fortvivlelse. Til sidst konfronteres hovedpersonen ikke kun med tabet af et menneske, men også med tabet af den fremtid, han troede på. Min konklusion er, at visse ting har værdi uafhængigt af resultatet. Kærlighed bliver ikke værdiløs af at blive afvist, og loyalitet ophører ikke med at betyde noget, fordi man bliver forladt.
HVORDAN BLEV ALBUMMET SKABT?
Jeg brugte omkring et år på det og stod selv for hele processen. Den største udfordring var at få dødsmetal, progressive strukturer, orkestrering, neoklassiske elementer og atmosfæriske passager til at føles som dele af den samme verden. Kirkeorglet fik en særlig rolle. Det kan skabe et enormt rum, som både er smukt og skræmmende. Men orkestret er ikke med for at gøre musikken større, og metallen er ikke med for bare at gøre den tungere. Hver tone skal ramme det emotionelle øjeblik.
HVOR FINDER DU INSPIRATIONEN?
I musik, litteratur, filosofi, teologi, videnskab og livet selv. Jeg tiltrækkes af spørgsmål om dødelighed, mening, tro, tvivl, lidelse og det, der står tilbage, når sikkerheden forsvinder. Personlige erfaringer, tab, alder, kærlighed og minder finde altid vej ind i musikken, nogle gange uden at jeg opdager det før langt senere.
HVILKE TRE KUNSTNERE HAR BETYDET MEST?
Jon Lord lærte mig at sprænge grænserne mellem rock og klassisk musik. Nevermore viste mig, at teknisk kompleksitet og emotionel tyngde kan forstærke hinanden. King Diamond lærte mig at skabe et komplet univers, hvor musik, tekster, karakterer og visuelle elementer bliver én samlet fortælling. Det er præcis dét, Darkwave forsøger at gøre.
As an independent artist, every small step forward is something you have to fight for — which makes it all the more meaningful when a prestigious, long-standing rock/metal magazine like Rock Hard Italy not only notices your work, but gives it space in print. The album review that appeared in their October issue was already an incredible gift; and now, another honor has followed, with a full interview published as well.
For a completely self-taught, underground solo project, this is more than a professional achievement: it’s a powerful affirmation that the music is capable of crossing boundaries and reaching people who might never have encountered it otherwise. The creation of Horror Sacri was a deeply personal journey for me — and seeing that story find its place in print, in a magazine regarded for decades as an authority within the metal community, is profoundly uplifting.
This article is not just about where I am right now. It’s about where this path leads — and how beautifully the music echoes back when it finally finds its way into the wider world.
Here is the English translation of the original Italian text:
Obscure Transcendences
Zsolt Némethy’s solo project, Darkwave, has gained new shades and depth thanks to the contribution of two vocalists recruited for the recording of the new album Horror Sacri, as well as through an increasingly focused exploration of decadent and decidedly unconventional sound solutions.
What is the stylistic identity of Darkwave?
“The nature of the project has taken shape step by step. Hexapla laid the foundation by combining the raw energy of thrash metal with intricate composition and emotional depth. With Missa Innominata, I drew inspiration from the structure of the Roman Catholic mass, reinterpreting it in a profoundly personal way. It was an instrumental exploration of the spiritual and emotional weight of sacred tradition, expressed through metal. Thanatology became an even more intimate work: a journey through memory, mortality, and the transient nature of life. It does not seek to provide answers, but to evoke emotions that resonate differently for each listener. With Horror Sacri, I ultimately moved away from a purely instrumental approach. By introducing vocals, I gained a broader expressive range that allowed the music to articulate itself with a different kind of freedom. Yet it remains a deeply personal journey, one that explores the collision between human limitations and mortality on one side, and the infinite and the transcendent on the other.”
How did you develop the writing of Horror Sacri?
“The process was very different from the previous Darkwave albums, precisely because, for the first time, I included vocals. Until then, my music relied on atmospheres, titles, and instrumental structures to carry the narrative — but this time, the human voice became an integral part of the story. This opened a new level of expression: direct, unfiltered, and unmistakably personal. Conceptually, the album revolves around the notion of fear before the sacred — that tension between awe, reverence, and terror when confronted with the transcendent. I wanted each song to explore this state from a personal and emotional standpoint rather than a theological one. Sometimes this meant reinterpreting ancient sacred texts like the Dies Irae; other times, drawing from poems and writings I had composed years earlier, or giving voice to moments of rupture and rebellion. Musically, it was about combining Darkwave’s classic elements — thrash and progressive structures, neoclassical guitar textures, and heavy atmospheres — with new dimensions.”
Could you explain the meaning of the title?
“While respecting the mystery and weight of the sacred, I also wanted to acknowledge the fear, struggle, and even rebellion that often accompany human encounters with transcendence. For me, Horror Sacri was a way to examine religion and spirituality not as abstract dogmas but as lived experiences: wonder and terror, comfort and tension. I wanted to show how these forces shape us from within — at times painfully — and to reflect on what it means to confront faith honestly, with all its doubts and its shadows.”
And this is the transcript of the original Italian text:
Oscure trascendenze
Il progretto solista di Zsolt Némethy, Darkwave, si è arricchito di nuove sfumature grazie all’apporto di due vocalisti reclutati per la registrazione del nuovo album Horror Sacri e all’esplorazione, sempre più marcata, di soluzioni sonore decadenti e tutt’altro che convenzionali.
Qual è l’identità stilistica di Darkwave?
“La natura del progretto si è plasmata passo dopo passo. Hexapla ha gettato le basi, combinando l’energia grezza del thrash metal con una composizione intricata e una profondità emotiva. Con Missa Innominata mi sono inspirato alla struttura della messa cattolica romana, reinterpretandola in modo profondamente personale. Si trattava di un’esplorazione strumentale del peso spiritale ed emotivo della tradizione sacra, espressa attraverso il metal. Thanatology è diventato un lavoro ancora più intimo: un viaggio attraverso la memoria, la mortalità e la natura transitoria della vita. Non mira a dare risposte, ma a evocare emozioni che risuonano in modo diverso per ogni ascoltatore. Con Horror Sacri, infine, mi sono allontanato dall’approccio puramente strumentale. Introducendo la voce, ho acquisito una gamma espressiva più ampia, che ha permesso alla musica di esprimersi con un diverso tipo di libertà. Rimane comunque un viaggio profondamente personale, che esplora la collisione tra i limiti umani e la mortalità da un lato e l’infinito e il trascendente dall’altro.”
Come hai sviluppato la scrittura di Horror Sacri?
“Il processo è stato molto diverso dai precedenti album Darkwave, proprio perché, per la prima volta ho incluso delle voci. Fino ad allora la mia musica si era basata su atmosfere, titoli e strutture strumentali per veicolare la narrazione, ma questa volta la voce umana è diventata parte integrante del racconto. Questo ha aperto un nuovo livello di espressione: diretto, senza filtri e inconfondibilmente personale. Concettualmente, l’album ruota attorno all’idea del terrore per il sacro, quella tensione tra stupore, riverenza e paura di fronte al trascendente. Volevo che ogni canzone esplorasse questo stato da una prospettiva personale ed emotiva, più che teologica. A volte ciò ha significato reinterpretare testi sacri antichi come il Dies Irae; altre, attingere e poesie e scritti che avevo composto anni fa, oppure dar voce a momenti di rottura e ribellione. Musicalmente, si è trattato di combinare gli elementi classici di Darkwave – strutture thrash e progressive, trame chitarristiche neoclassiche e atmosfere heavy – con nuove dimensioni.”
Potresti spiegare il significato del titolo?
“Pur rispettando il mistero e il peso del sacro, volevo ache riconoscere la paura, la lotta e persino la ribellione che spesso accompagnano i contatti umani con la trascendenza. Per me, Horror Sacri è stato un modo per esaminare la religione e la spiritualità non come dogmi astratti, ma come esperienze vissute: lo stupore e il terrore, il conforto e la tensione. Volevo mostrare come queste forze ci plasmino dall’interno – talvolta dolorosamente – e riflettere su cosa significhi confrontarsi con la fede in modo onesto, con tutti i suoi dubbi e le sue ombre.”
The Emptyspiral.net podcast, hosted by the fan site dedicated to Lacuna Coil, is a unique platform for fans of the band, featuring news, discussions, and special interviews. Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to appear as a guest on the show’s 167th episode, where I shared what it means to me to be a fan of such an amazing band.
During the discussion, I talked about how I first discovered Lacuna Coil’s music and the profound impact their art has had on me. Their musical world has not only been a source of inspiration but has also fostered a sense of belonging to a community, something that Emptyspiral.net continues to strengthen.
I’m deeply grateful that I also had the chance to talk about my own musical journey. I introduced my solo project, Darkwave, which creates instrumental progressive thrash metal. We explored the history of Darkwave, from its beginnings to my most recent album, “Thanatology“, which was released in 2024 in a special remastered CD format. Towards the end of the conversation, I also gave a brief teaser about my upcoming material, which will feature vocals for the first time.
In the final part of the podcast, all four of us shared our thoughts on the title track of the 2022 Lacuna Coil release entitled Comalies XX, which led to some fascinating insights.
This interview was a truly special experience for me, offering the chance to express what Lacuna Coil’s music means to me. Having the opportunity to discuss Darkwave at the same time was a tremendous honor, and I’m incredibly thankful to Matt, David, and Mike, the podcast hosts, for making it possible.
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
D: “It’s these words and music that keeps me living, keeps me breathing” – says one of the best Life of Agony songs; and although right now I don’t use lyrics for my music, I intend to transmit messages not only through sounds, but also through visual and verbal clues using appropriate cover art, as well as song and album titles. But the overall framework of self-expression for me is always the music – a framework that contains pieces from the essence of my life: feelings, thoughts, emotions, affections, memories, beliefs… and in general: everything. The creative process of this “musical storytelling” keeps me living a wholesome life and breathing healthy air – and if things go in the right way, the listeners of my songs will hopefully understand me through my music: not just the easily digestible superficial information, but also those things that I’m unable, afraid, or simply ashamed to tell in words. Music can transmit the essence of the “real me”. In a world where identity gets a rightfully increasing attention, I identify myself a music maniac, who condenses and presents his inner self in this particular type of art.
If I try to identify the source of this drive to express and share myself, I often end up with Jack Kerouac’s immortal words: “I’m writing this book because we’re all going to die“. I’m writing my book of music, because we’re all going to die – I’m going to die. But before I die, I feel the urge to create something that I think is “really me”. It’s not because I consider myself more talented or better trained than anyone else. It’s also not because I think that my thoughts are worthier to share than anyone else’s thoughts: I don’t feel the need to compete with anyone, except with myself. I just learned the hard way that all my efforts to create something meaningful proved to be (at least partially) dead ends – except this one. Music is my chance to be myself. Music is the backbone of everything I do.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
D: I’m from Hungary and work in Budapest as a neuroscientist. It may sound weird for the first time that a neuroscientist plays metal music: people keep asking me, how is it that someone with such a satisfying profession decides to become an independent songwriter and guitar player at a certain point of his life. While there are no short answers to this question, I cannot deny that it may look strange from the viewpoint of those who doesn’t know me in person. As a music enthusiast, I’ve been playing the guitar since my childhood and I even participated in ad hoc formations earlier – however, these efforts never really succeeded, due to lack of motivation, dedication, and time. I always had various other duties, therefore playing the guitar in a band was never a real option for me. Not that I’m antisocial or something like that (I’m an introvert, but I do love the company of like-minded people) – I just never had the chance (or courage…?) to come forth with my own compositions and ended up losing my interest in realizing someone else’s musical ideas. I always wanted to bring forth my own ideas, work on them and show them to others, but I had so many doubts, insecurities, and fears. The world is full of excellent artists who compose excellent music and play the guitar in a virtuoso way – and in this context it really needs some explanation, why I finally came to the decision to start composing and recording music. The question is always somewhere around one’s identity. Oscar Wilde once wrote: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” – and I think, this is the basis on which I built my musical project. I slowly became aware of the fact that I don’t need to compete with anyone: it’s impossible and I also don’t want to do so. I just need to be myself: I want my music to genuinely reflect the person who I am. And I hope that there is still a place for genuine music and honest musicians in the music market, no matter what genre or subgenre they belong to.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
D: My main inspirations are first and foremost those visionary musicians who substantially formed the world of rock music. First of all, the late Jon Lord – founder, keyboard player, composer and music mastermind of the hard rock pioneer Deep Purple – has always been my main source of inspiration. He was a real musical visionary with the primary aim to build bridges between “old” and “new”, traditional, and modern. If you give a quick listen to one of his earliest classical compositions incorporated in the song “Anthem” (1968), you may catch a glimpse from his early genius that peaked in Purple’s giant collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969 (Concerto For Group And Orchestra). At that time, it was considered an artistic abomination or even blasphemy to marry the “sacred” classical instrumentation with the “immature” and “impure” rock music. The example of Jon Lord taught me to avoid any sharp distinctions between “classical” and “modern” music: there are no unbreakable walls between them, as he demonstrated in so many magnificent ways. This kind of synthesis is exactly what I would like to achieve in my own songs. Also, I find Tony Iommi’s down-tuned, slow, and thundering riffs amazing and inspiring. When I first heard the brutal, depressive, and unique sound of the opening riff of Black Sabbath’s Electric Funeral, it was like a revelation to me. It was… let’s say, different: melancholic and sad, and at the same time, brutal and heavy. It made me think – which is a quality I value the most in any piece of art. I also find the harmony world and complex dual riffs of the Sherman-Denner duo of Mercyful Fate fascinating. Their songs like “The Oath”, “Nightmare” or “Satan’s Fall” were not only complex with their 7 to 10 minutes of playing times, but the perfect cooperation between the two guitarists is also clearly impressive, especially that they always brought up constant and unexpected harmonies that simply blow the listeners’ minds.
Besides music, I also find inspiration in literature. I have always been a bookworm and all the books, poems, and novels (or even song lyrics…) that I’ve ever read have clearly put their marks on my way of looking at things. Books with a touch of sadness or tragedy were always the ones that inspired me the most. Although it’s extremely hard to pick only a few from such a wide spectrum, my favorite authors include novelist and writer giants like Erich Maria Remarque (Three Comrades; Arch of Triumph) or Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Night Flight; Wind, Sand and Stars), but also less known and painfully underrated writers like Marguerite Radclyffe Hall (The Well of Loneliness). My affection towards all things melancholic can also be caught in my enthusiasm for early horror pioneers like Bram Stoker (Dracula), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) or Edgar Allan Poe (The Fall of the House Usher; The Cask of Amontillado). Apart from them, Gilbert Keith Chesterton (Heretics) always impressed me with his clear reasoning and brilliant paradoxes, Jorge Luis Borges (The Aleph; Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius) and Gustav Meyrink (Golem, The Angel of the West Window) enchant me with their unique and sometimes haunting dreams, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) helps me to imagine a better world, and Jack Kerouac (On the Road) takes me to a never-ending journey to see hidden places and meet extraordinary people.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
D: It’s an extremely good question, because it helps me reflecting on how I envision myself and my future in the world of music. First and foremost, I value the fact that I am an independent musician: it’s a great privilege and a responsibility at the same time. The downside of being independent is that I don’t have the whole day (or at least most of my time) to compose music, practice guitar skills, or promote my albums. However, there is also an unlimited freedom to operate in being an independent musician: I can always create whatever I feel like good, interesting, or inspiring. I will keep on walking this path: I will follow my instincts towards a continuously evolving realization of my musical ideas. The possibilities are endless: I’m thinking about incorporating vocals in my future albums, and I will definitely continue my experimentations with orchestration.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
D: I am extremely proud of my albums: I put so much effort in them like nothing else in my entire life. I still remember the feeling when Hexapla, my first release came out two years ago: it was an indescribable feeling of joy, relief and pride. Also, it makes me proud that my albums were well received: they appeared on SoundCloud’s RepostExchange charts and one of them was even featured in the “New and Notable” section of Bandcamp’s homepage. But the most heartwarming thing for me is that my music made me friends with people whom I otherwise would have never met.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
D: To be honest, I’m one of those musicians who put a lot of energy and money to build up a small but functional home studio. I always wanted to have this freedom to record my own stuff, because I find it way easier to work alone, without time and budget limitations. Having such a facility in the reach of my arm is an enormous help for me. However, promoting myself is a strikingly different issue. While I’m perfectly aware that self-promotion is a prerequisite of becoming a successful independent artist, it’s a well-defined profession which I’m not familiar with. It’s extremely hard – if not practically impossible – for an independent artist to break through this so-called “glass ceiling” and reach potential listeners without professional help – and it has serious consequences. The lack of effective routes for artists to reach their potential audience results in a distorted situation, where both artists and fans exist in isolated bubbles, and the odds of finding each other are very low. I try to get every chance to promote my albums on social media and streaming platforms – I even have a website that serves as a hub that connects these fragmented pieces of information. But I’m sure that there are lots of potential fans out there whom I will never be able to reach – exactly because of these technical limitations. It’s almost impossible to find each other in the overall noise – and that’s why I consider each and every person who listens to my music a miracle. I’m extremely grateful for their presence in my life.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
D: Darkwave is a one-piece musical project, meaning that all the duties from songwriting through playing the guitar and bass to programming, recording, mixing, and mastering lay on my shoulders (Zsolt Némethy). Being a solitary musician with no companions or bandmates, right now it’s impossible for me to play live. Of course, I want to find a solution to this issue in the near future: music is some kind of a form of interpersonal relationships, and I do want to share it with everyone, who’s interested in it.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
D: While I’m grateful for each and every download, I also feel that an mp3 file on someone’s hard drive or cell phone has nothing to do with the holistic feeling of discovering the cover art and booklet of a CD or a vinyl. I can’t deny that streaming sites are gold mines, but I still collect CDs: partly to support the artists and partly to have that special feeling of holding a complete artwork in my own hands.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
D: Firstly, I wish I’d written Lacuna Coil’s Veneficium. According to Cristina Scabbia, Veneficium is “the painful and fierce scream that rises from the darkness” – and this is something that resonates within my soul. It touched me so deeply that I even let the ancient Latin words of this song inked on my left arm. Also, I wish I’d written Cynic’s Box Up My Bones, more or less out of the same motivation. But I could mention a couple of other songs from Nevermore, Mekong Delta or Voivod, too.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
D: Right now, I live in a pretty much isolated bubble, where I don’t have much interference as a musician with the so-called music industry: I compose, record, mix, and master my albums by myself, alone in my little world. But from a very different angle I have at least a limited overview on the whole business, being a team member of a Hungarian metal webzine where we do interviews, write concert reviews and album critics. From this point of view, I see the enormous machinery of the music industry, of which bands are just small parts. Being a professional musician looks extremely demanding these days: touring is exhausting, royalties are limited, so bands must rely on selling merch. I wish bands could have more financial independence in order to have a chance to dedicate themselves exclusively to songwriting, recording and performing.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
D: At the moment I’m taking a very short break. It’s not easy to compose, record, mix, master and promote an album alone – especially when you have a regular 9-5 job. Despite all these hardships, I find it an extremely rewarding activity. Still, sometimes it’s useful to distance yourself from these things in order not to let them become monotonous. But I have great plans for the future. Firstly, I want to release all my three albums in hard copy CD format. For this, I first want to remix them in order to achieve a better, thicker and more mature sound. Secondly, I already have ideas for my next release, and this time I don’t exclude the possibility of incorporating vocals and lyrics in it. Nothing is certain at the moment, but I feel like working with vocals would add something valuable to my future songs.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
D: I have a website (https://darkwavemetal.com) that’s updated frequently. The visitors can find everything there, including the links to my social media, streaming services and Bandcamp. I try to keep my listeners as informed as I can: the website contains background materials, stories and in general, everything. If someone wants to buy my albums, then the easiest way is to visit my Bandcamp page (https://darkwave-metal.bandcamp.com/), where all my releases are available.
As I wrote in my previous post, the livestream (an interview with my music) will first air today, Wednesday Oct 26 at 21:00 (it’s 3:00 AM Central European Time) through Trent Radio in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada along with two other regional stations. Live stream link: http://www.trentradio.ca/
The recording of the feature will go to The Antidote website on Thursday morning of Oct 27. Link: http://www.theantidoteradio.com/ As some people want only the talk without the music, The Antidote will also put up a second post with the interview only.
This Friday and Saturday at 21:00 Eastern, the feature airs on Michigan’s Z Radio The Mix. Live streaming: https://www.zradiothemix.com/
Saturday Oct 29 at 22:00 Pacific, The Antidote repeats on the Effect Radio network in the USA. They have a total of 59 FM stations. Live stream link: https://effectradio.com/
Thank you so much again for being here and listening to my music!
