*When did you really get involved into music in general and into metal specific? Who was responsable for your interest in (metal) music?

I have loved music since my early years. When I was five my elder brother started listening to Scorpions and then one day I saw Metallica’s ‘The Unforgiven’ video and felt that music was something special for me, something that made a very deep impression on me. When I was eight my brother had a small collection of tapes of Alice Cooper, Metallica, Nirvana, Def Leppard and so on and I really enjoyed listening to those bands.

*Which artists or bands did influence you the most?

I’ve had a lot of bands in my life that have had a big influence on me. The most impressive were Metallica, Lacrimosa, Drudkh, Raventale and Clouds.

*Which instrument do you play and how and when did you learn to play? Did you had lessons in school or private lessons? If so, was that because your parents expected that from you? Or did you learn to play the instruments by yourself? Do yo still follow some lessons?

I wanted to study music since childhood but my parents were against this and didn’t give me a chance even to try. So when I got older and started living on my own I started taking private music lessons. That made me really happy. The first instrument I learned to play was bass guitar. I still follow some lessons trying to achieve new skills cause I have many ideas about creating of the new songs.

*Do you listen to or are you intrested in other styles of music beside metal? If so, what is the kind of music you prefer to listen to?

My playlist consists mostly of metal music but there is also folk and oriental music, OSTs, sometimes industrial and baroque.

*Is music a full time job for you now or do you have a job beside music? If so, what kind of job are you doing? If you would be really succesful with music, would you quit your other job?

Unfortunately, music is not my full time job at the moment, my main occupation is doing accounting and financials for the international company. I would really love to devote more time to music and SIDUS ATRUM and if one day I have an ability to make it my main occupation, I think I will do it.

*If you could start a complete new band (something like an all star band) with other musicians on other instruments, which artists would you pick for wich instrument and why? Would you still go for a black / death / doom metal band?

This is very interesting question. It would be something very experimental, mixing different genres and intended to create a new style perhaps. It’s hard to say which artists I would invite for the project cause there might be many new instruments, sometimes rather unusual for metal related genres.

*If you had been banned to an uninhabited island and you may pick 5 albums to listen to, wich albums would you choose and why?

I think it would be Clouds ‘Doliu’ (these songs full of love and sorrow would live forever in my heart), Raventale ‘Transcendence’ (an excellent album with a combination of atmosphere and heavy riffs that make my blood flow faster), Septicflesh ‘Codex Omega’ (it’s just an awesome piece of art that I can’t stop listening), Olafur Arnalds ‘Broadchurch’ (very beautiful and atmospheric music that touches the depth of my heart), Drudkh ‘Blood In Our Wells’ (one of my favourite albums ever that will always remind of my motherland).

*Every new album of a band or an artist is the best one, so they say. So here is a chance to promote your album. Why should a music lover buy your album? What are the standout tracks for you on this new album and why?

My new album is a complete story of the soul from birth to death and reincarnation. It is imbued with pain, hope and realization of the meaning of our path in the spiral of life. The combination of different styles and ideas helped me to create a fascinating and atmospheric journey that will make you think about many things. The standout tracks on this album for me are ‘Sea Of Life’ that is very atmospheric and experimental and ‘Farewell’ that was composed the day I said goodbye to one of my family members before she died.

– See “CD-Review” for a review (written in Dutch) for the new SIDUS ATRUM album ‘Spiral Of Life’ (Kvlt Und Kaos Productions) –

*Is there a chance that you will promote these songs through live concerts? If so, would you prefer small clubs or big festivals? And is there a chance we can see SIDUS ATRUM in Belgium?

I would be very interested in promoting my new songs through live concerts but at this time I’m really concerned with the situation caused by covid and a possibility of the planned live shows to be cancelled or postponed. It would be easier to do if SIDUS ATRUM were a full band able to give concerts any time. But when you have to find session musicians, prepare for the show and cancel it due to quarantine, things get more complicated. It’s hard to say whether I prefer small clubs or big festivals, I need to try both to decide. Hope one day the situation around the pandemic changes and I will visit your lovely country with the live show.