Interview:	MORIBUND OBLIVION
Title:	Powerful intentions

Turkish Black Metal: until now undoubtedly a lesser focused topic inside international music medias. Unfortunately, because there exists a likewise small, but attractive exotic appearing and very strong bounded scene. And these hard working horde from Istanbul luckily counts to the better ones in the whole genre at all.

Formed by brave idealist and vocalist Bahadir Uludaglar once in 1999, Moribund Oblivion did grow constantly in artistic manners until today.

And the proud band brought its style with much live performances to their country. So they conducted the first Black Metal tour in Turkey at all as a part of the promotion for their first album, and Moribund Oblivion played in the cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Eskisehir and Bursa. Having enormously actively promoted their third album „Time To Face”, these Turkish guys aiming still high. Vocalist and guitarist Bahadir granted me a deeper view into his inner universe.

Hey Bahadir, please tell me a ´bit about yourself.

„I am a musician who has been making Metal Music in Turkey for years and at the same time a graphic designer, art director, advertiser. My main purpose is to introduce Turkish Black Metal to the world.”

What do you think of your previous life? Surely it’s very difficult, to practice such music in the Oriental area.

„I prefer the word “exotic” more than “oriental”, because “oriental” doesn’t include everything in here. In my opinion, it is actually a hard job in the whole world for the fact that dealing with it or making Metal Music is an extreme branch of art. Turkey’s cultural structure and taste of art are apparently incompatible with Metal Music but in Turkey Metal Music is a great passion, Metal crowd is so wide and it gets wider day by day. Of course there are matters such as companies’ investments, difficulties in finding sponsors and financial problems but we overcome in a way.”

Which are your lifelong dreams?

„When I first started to make music, I surely had lots of dreams but I take a look to the present time and see that I have made them come true with my band Moribund Oblivion and my solo-project Groza in an obvious estimate and made a real good progress. Dreams never end, there are always new aims...and I am not planning to wake up till bringing Moribund Oblivion to the peak of World’s Metal Music market.”

What kind of personalities do you prefer in your Metal life?

„In everyday life, I am calm and mature in musical life: aggressive but sometimes melancholic as well. Being aggressive and though and the ability to express these qualities are good but humankind is originated with feelings and senses, so we must reflect this side of our inner world.”

Which are your main responsibilities inside the Moribund Oblivion horde?

„Every person in a society has responsibilities, as a part of it, as an individual to perform my art in an effective way and to spread right messages to the people through my music are my commitments ‘cause I am an artist. There is a crowd of listeners to whom I address with my music, to create a true and honest connection and to guide them are important issues.”

What are your strengths as musician?

„Unbelievably excessive! In this way, there is nothing to make me surrender thanks to my love of music. To encounter many troubles and difficulties are probable and we face them. We have to struggle to keep the band stand and alive and for this we have to be strong. I have this strength and I learned to be tough and enduring throughout the rest of life by means of this power.”

Please give examples of ideas you've had or implemented for the music of Moribund Oblivion.

„I choose the themes that I think that they are right and try to convey them in the best way. There are absolute truths (rights) in life and everyone has also his own truths. I move, act in the directions of mines. Honesty, determination, sacrifice, regret, the lessons we take from the regrets, pain, sorrow ... these are my main themes.”

Tell me about your proudest achievement, Bahadir!

„Music... It is not a thing that everyone can do and I set my heart and mind upon it. I believe, I have a true purpose of life ... and to keep standing, to carry on making music without caring the others and to make my dreams come true for this purpose are really honourable.”

What are you most proud of at all?

„To introduce my music to the whole world as a Turkish musician.”

What is your biggest regret, and why?

„I am undecided about that. I think there is no such regret in my life.”

Who are your favourite bands and why?

„Moribund Oblivion... ’cause it is the band that I witness and best know how it has come to these days with great efforts ... so, it is my only favourite.“

Who are your heroes among the Metal bands?

„I have never had such a feeling. I surely respect the good musicians but this never comes to that extent. My hero is me. You always witness just the hero’s victories. But if you are your own hero, you can also know your defeats and losses because you can’t run away from yourself. Thus, the image, the profile of the hero turns out to be more realistic.”

So, what are the qualities of a good band in your opinion?

„Determination and resolution, discipline and standing against whatever happens! Rockers are known as undisciplined people but the ‘band’ thing is a serious work just like rise a child. When you first form the band, it is like a newborn baby. You perform at concerts, make albums and this time you see the baby’s growing up, getting matured .For all the members in a good band, music has to be the most important thing in their lives. If it is so, the members feel the possession of the band and you can act just like one body together within the band. This is very important.”

Why do you make this kind of Black Metal music?

„My music is characterized by my talent, my point of view and opinions. Music comes from the depths of a human’s inner world and his soul. I think questioning this is not a true thing. We can draw a conclusion that my soul reflects that kind.”

Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?

„Of course on a higher level. To get well known all around the world would be great and it will be! But we don’t have to wait for five years for this, it is closer! Surely therefore I want to be at the top. The greater you aim, the harder you try to reach it. I like forcing myself, success is the fruit of hard working and self-confidence.”

What's your ideal song on the upcoming Moribund Oblivion record?

„In “K.I.N/Killer Is Nowhere” album, there is more than one song to favourite. Of course the creator of the songs is sensitive about that subject and can’t separate. When I try to look at objectively, I think this way but if I still have to name: “I Will Bury”, “Come Back” and “Blind Guide” are so much outstanding.”

What attracted you guys to your current record label?

„At that time, Atlantis Music put forward the best proposal in Turkey and we worked together in the last two albums, “Machine Brain” and “Time To Face”. It is not clear yet with whom we will work for the album “K.I.N.” but it will probably be from a foreign country.”

What do you think about shabby music industry itself?

„It is usually ungrateful. There are always lots of enemies. We have also much of fans but to see the hinderings is bothering. You wait, hope to be appreciated for your efforts, but when you are nonsensely criticized, you just go insane... Absurd gossips, backbitings... We always face these, I hate them all... But except these, there is also appreciation, too. Being together with fans, performing loudly upon the great stages, going abroad and tours and as a result, feeling the pleasure and satisfaction... These also exist and we enjoy them. I mean that this event has both negative and positive sides. There will always be criticism and we will always be productive.”

What kind of goals would you have in mind if you get a contract with a big major label?

„We will sooner or later get that chance, no doubt but just after getting it, the first thing that I will do is to arrange worldwide tours, instead of just Europe, which last seven to eight months.”

What are you looking for in terms of development of musical style?

„At this point, it is a financial issue, about the technical equipments and financial investments. If we get the required support, our music will be improved in proportion.”

How would you describe your working style for the promotion of your band?

„We are already so much active at this subject and we are appreciated in our country for this reason too. Actually, we have a great advantage since I am also an advertiser. We work hard on promotional issues and thus we make an obvious difference.”

Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflicts in the Metal genre!

„So much... As I said before, there are always enemies. I may tell you something about it as an example: imagine that there is a man who doesn’t like Moribund Oblivion - at least, he says so. You turn on the music but this guy doesn’t know (or realize) that it is Moribund Oblivion. Than he starts to headbang passionately. When you ask him who that band is, he gains his consciousness and gets away from there as soon as possible ... and some other things just like this one...”

What's the last book you`ve red?

„I must confess that I don’t read much but the last book I read is “Impossible” by Adam Fawer.”

Which (Metal) magazines do you read?

„I periodically read magazines such as Metal Hammer, Legacy, Rock Hard... etc. to catch up what happens in the world’s Metal community and also follow the Metal web pages and sites.”

Why should listeners buy your next album CD?

„Because this is the best album of Moribund Oblivion throughout our music career; it is not only so fast, but also melancholic, as well. These two facts will obviously attract the audience.”

What can you do for the fans with your music that other candidates can't?

„We work so hard on promotions, yes, but the best thing to do for the fans is to carry on making music and also to be stable. To provide these and to see the fans’ getting older with the band itself is an excellent work.”

When were you most satisfied in your band?

„To be on the stage! To perform in front of thousands of people in a big open-air fest. There can’t be such a satisfaction greater than this. If we narrow this, I would like to mention a memory: we performed in Germany in 2006. When I got on the stage, I said in German: We have brought you Turkish Black Metal and now is the time to introduce! The expression on the people’s faces was a great satisfaction for me!”

What are three positive things your other musicians in the band could say about you?

„Disciplined, never gives up and is professional.”

What negative things would your band colleagues say about you?

„Conceited, being the boss and mad about discipline!”

If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?

„An Eagle. Eagle is the symbol of nobility and freedom which exists in my character.”

What spiritual ways in life are yours?

„As I said before; honesty, devotion, affection and the most important: memories. The band’s name also comes from this... about to fade away. Almost vanished... the memories we left behind. They are so important.”

Do you have plans to get own children in the nearer future?

„Definitely not now. A child means responsibility. I am not a kind of person that runs away from responsibilities but according to me this is totally a different commitment. I have lots of plans now and all are about music. If you have a child, you have to devote a great amount of your life to the child. And if so, you can’t have time to do other things which are so important for you. I will surely have children in the future, but exactly not now.”

There's no right or wrong answer, but if you could be anywhere in the historical world right now, where would you be?

„In every moment of the time-from the days I reached maturity till now. I would love to live every moment again... But in fantasy; I would like to be in Istanbul when the Ottomans reign in almost the whole world. I am already so much interested in time-travelling.”

What would you do if you won the lottery?

„I would like to found a big music company. That would be a big formation which includes production, organization and media. But I would never give up music. After setting up this formation, I would employ merchants because I am a musician and musicians mustn’t take a part in merchandising.”

© Markus Eck, 09.10.2008

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