Interview with FORGOTTEN RUIN
Faye
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about FORGOTTEN RUIN (Members, Starting Year etc).
Forgotten Ruin started as a pretty basic raw black metal solo project on September 6th 2022. At the time it was just me (Faye). I had to get surgery in 2023 which had prevented me from being able to do vocals for about 8 months leading up to it and a few months after too so I brought in Allura as the vocalist starting with our album “Dark Realm of Passion.” She joined in December 2022 and we finished that album in January.
You have recently released your split EP with EROTICA. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
I think people like it, I haven't heard much talk of that release specifically. All the songs on it were pretty old at the time of release, I wasn't feeling inspired for a long time and I forgot we even recorded those tracks till a month or so before release.
Tell us a few things about your other music projects EROTICA and VEILED LADY.
Erotica is unfortunately my most successful project. I don't like Keller synth very much to be honest and our biggest song (On my Knees) is the worst thing I've ever made. The other erotica stuff I am proud of but that first demo sucks. Veiled Lady is something that I am very happy with. I learned how to paint right before making the first album and my paintings of mushrooms and stuff is what inspired me to make the music. It's a very happy thing and I like making people happy so I hope I've achieved that.
Label or DIY and why?
We do both, mostly labels but Allura and I have been making homemade CDs, I've been working on designs to make special editions of all the cds with hand painted covers which I am very excited for, some of them I'm having a hard time with ideas but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings that you would like to share with us?
Recording “DROP” vocals was pretty fun, Allura and I live in an apartment and she was doing a very loud style for that album so we took our recording gear to a friend's house so our neighbors wouldn't be scared something was going on. For the first take on “Dream That Never Ends PT 2” Allura did some crazy stuff to mess with us, I won't say too much about that since we may release that recording as a bonus track soon. We also recorded Without You I am Nothing’s drums there and I used a gaming headset for one of the mics, it sounded like shit so it was perfect.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
I like vinyl a lot, until recently we didn't have a great cd player so I don't have much of those. I mostly listen to old prog rock so when collecting that vinyl is pretty much the best way to find good music. Allura has over a thousand cassettes and nearly a thousand records, I don't have nearly as much of my own but we pretty much share our collections.
Allura - I am a big fan of different formats for different genres of music. For more noise and experimental stuff I prefer CDs and 7”s, for black/death metal I like tapes as well as LPs, and for more traditional music I vastly prefer LPs. Not that I don’t like LPs for more niche genres as well, but I understand the difficulty of such an expensive format for underground music.
Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Forgotten Ruin is mostly influenced by Opeth and other prog bands. Alscest is probably my favorite black metal band but I didn't know about them when I started the band. Best black metal band I've seen live is Baazlvaat. They were insane, such an inspiring performance.
Allura - For Forgotten Ruin I would say my influences are Bethlehem, Departure Chandelier, and Agalloch.
Allura
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Nothing should be sacrificed, art is not about success, if success is controlling your passion I personally think you should just give up, especially as an artist.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
My ideal show would be surrounded by friends, and I think the most important thing about a show is for the performers and the audience to feel the same way and experience it all together. I've had this quite a few times. It's pretty great.
How difficult (or easy) is it for a musician to compose all the tracks by herself and what difficulties did you face during the recordings of your releases?
It's always getting easier as I go along, my early music that I made completely by myself was a little rough but after 4 to 5 years of doing it I'd say I've improved a lot. There's always room to improve and learn. The most difficult thing for me is tech stuff. I did grow up in the generation of internet and stuff but my family didn't have the Internet till I was between like 8 and 11 (for context I was born in 2003). I've never been great with computers but I'm getting pretty comfortable with recording music which is the main thing I do.
Faye
What attributes do you think that a new Black Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
I think the only way to be unique in black metal anymore is to make music in the style of other genres but in a black metal way, which is exactly what Forgotten Ruin is doing as most of my influences are prog rock and metal. There's so many boring ass bands that all sound the same, I wouldn't say we're an exception, I don't think I can really judge for myself but I'd like to believe we're doing something a bit unique.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Yeah it's certainly helped us, most of our listeners know us from Spotify, for whatever reason the algorithm or whatever it is really likes us. I'd be fine if no one listened to us, I'd make these tunes anyways but it is nice to cash a little streaming money here and there especially when I'm struggling with money.
Faye
Do you see any differences between the US Metal Market & the EU Metal Market (Labels,Bands, Fans etc)?
I don't see many differences but I'm not really searching for any. I don't really care where people are from, I like to think of the world as one community instead of focusing on imaginary lines. Life is much happier when you see everyone and can be friends.
Allura - I have noticed that the American and European markets differ a bit. In my experience Europe is really into the “old ways” and bands that are paying tribute and homage to those who came before. I’ve also noticed how important large distro’s seem to be for Europe. Having your releases carried there is very helpful for reaching fans there. In the U.S. I have found that there is a difference in release strategy. There seem to be more small DIY labels here but that may also just be me noticing more since I am not really on the non-english internet so I am sure there are small scenes all over the world I don’t know anything about. Over here it seems to be very important what labels you have release your titles. I tend to find new music through a variety of small labels rather than other ways.
Tell us 10 metal (or non metal) releases that have "entered" your blood.
I honestly don't listen to metal near as much as you'd think a black metal musician would, most of my favorite albums are rock but I'll start with some metal one's I like Opeth’s Morningrise is my favorite metal album I think, Dream Theater’s Metropolis Part 2 is a close second, was my favorite for years but I've been really obsessed with Opeth lately. Riverside’s album Second Life Syndrome is my favorite album of any genre lately, it's kind of on the edge of rock and metal, the title track is fantastic. My absolute favorite band is Jethro Tull, their albums Benefit and A Passion Play are super important to me, Benefit is what I put on when I'm feeling down. Endless Skies by Ashbury is another great one I discovered in 2020, it's an incredible fantasy rock album that every rock and metal fan needs to hear, it's severely underrated. Gentle Giant’s The Power and the Glory is sooo good, it's a really strange and groovy 70s progressive rock album like no other. King Crimson’s Beat is awesome, and so are their other 80s albums, I'm very sad to be missing the Beat tour this year. I've been listening to Leprous a lot lately, their album Malina is really good. The last one I'd like to mention is Steven Wilson's To the Bone, I absolutely love all of his work as a songwriter and producer. Many favorite things mentioned, hope that made sense.
Allura - I am going to start off by mentioning Oblique by Bobby Hutcherson. It is one of my favorite jazz albums ever. I love the atmosphere it creates and regularly put it on at night. I used to have the tone poet reissue of the LP but sadly I had to sell it during some financial troubles a few years ago. Hopefully I can get another copy someday. Prurient’s Bermuda Drain is an album I have in constant rotation. I love how it blends some more traditional noise and power electronics sounds with those of techno and other electronic music.Whole Lotta Red by Playboi Carti may be my most listened to album of all time which is crazy tosay since it only came out about 4 years ago. I feel it is a perfect album all the way through and I frequently listen to it when I drive or commute on public transit. Green by Hiroshi Yoshimura is maybe my favorite ambient album of all time. I love how it balances its compositions and is simultaneously soothing and energizing. I feel that it fosters imagination for me. It is a go-to when I am reading books. Drukqs by Aphex Twin is a very important album for me. I first discovered it right around the beginning of one of the darkest periods of my life. I just remember loving it so much and then having it fade to the background only to be rediscovered after I had moved through this turbulent time. It feels like it is part of my emotional exit from this period. It’s a masterpiece through and through and I believe it is essential listening for everything. Ecco2k’s E is one of the most beautiful and emotional albums I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Hearing Ecco traverse his emotional issues in such a cathartic way entranced me when I first found the album. It was very important to me for a period of my life. Erotic Diarrhea Fantasy by Torsofuck is maybe my favorite metal album of all time. I love the riffs, the samples, and the whole absurdity of the whole thing. It is pornogrind as it should be (new bands take note). I remember slowly discovering the source of all the samples over the years as I happened to stumble on the films sampled. I am now at the point where I recognize all of them. It's a crazy feeling when you hear a scream in a movie and go wait… that's the scream from Erotic Diarrhea Fantasy. The score to Contamination (which is also basically the score to Buio Omega (Beyond Darkness)) by Goblin may be my favorite film score ever. My copy of the LP is in constant rotation here at our apartment. If you haven't heard this album, be sure to check it out. Let Me In by Suspect Unknown is what true crime power electronics should be. Spectacular Slogun worship project that is gnarly through and through. One of my favorites of all time. My final album I need to talk about is G.R. by Deathpile. Holy shit what a fantastic album. There was a period where this was daily listening to me. Pure perfection in the harshest form. The best PE album of all time hands down. John’s lyrics strike you deep in the heart as he recounts the brutal murders of Gary Ridgeway from his perspective. Chilling samples come in at the perfect moments to create a truly disturbing piece of art.
Faye
The cover artwork of FORGOTTEN RUIN has a dark, depressive, and erotic atmosphere. How important are for you the words, love, sex, and lust?
Love is very important for me. I like to consider anyone who is nice to me to be my friend, I think if everyone else thought this way we'd all be a lot happier. Sex and lust, yeah I write a lot of songs about those but to be honest, it's not all that important.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Chicago, Illinois (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
I honestly don't know about the metal scene here very much, I'm much more involved in the midwest dungeon synth scene and have met some of my closest friends through it, its a truly wonderful community and I'm thankful for my experiences with it. Allura and I just recently went to see Mortiis and two really great friends of mine opened the show, had a great time!
Allura - I have a tendency to not go to new places and rather revisit familiar locations so therefore my knowledge of the live metal scene here is sadly limited. I go to noise shows more than metal ones and have a few spots I am very fond of. I also like going to see shows at Reggies and Livewire.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
I don't know anything about that actually, is that a place?
In the last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange, and new situations in our everyday lives (covid, lockdown, etc.). Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
It's all very tragic but from my experiences I was really able to find myself and I know a lot of people who can say the same. The lockdown brought a lot of time for self reflection and it gave me lots of time to pursue what i'm passionate about. My life would be very very different without the pandemic, heck I don't even know if I'd be around, definitely never would have made Forgotten Ruin.
Allura - For me the pandemic was a time to be alone and focus on my art. I spent my time working on my label. I worked on music nearly every day and ended up having over 50 releases in 2020 alone. It was definitely a hard time for me but I mostly used that energy to create music.
What are your future plans?
We have a split for Forgotten Ruin on the way with a good friend's project, I've also begun writing for a new FR album which I think will be our best stuff yet, definitely the most progressive and conceptual. Allura and I have a lot of film friends and someone we know is going to make a music video for one of the songs, it will also be the first time I'm releasing the lyrics since my first album in 2019 but to be fair I didn't write any of those lyrics it was all my bandmates, only thing I contributed to that band was some groovy baselines and a handful of riffs, mostly bass though.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thanks for having us friend, I hope I didn't ramble too much haha, I tend to make very little sense talking about certain things.
Allura - Thank you for having us. It was a lot of fun answering these questions.
*Allura note - I felt a bunch of the questions had been pretty much answered by Faye so I figured my input would be redundant.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
Faye
FORGOTTEN RUIN CONTACT:
https://www.instagram.com/forgottenruin_/
https://forgottenruin.bandcamp.com/
https://forgottenruinstore.creator-spring.com
https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/197841487
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/forgotten-ruin/1666410739