One of the bleakest forms of Dark Ambient music is known as Dark Industrial. Combining an esoteric blend of Dark Ambience, terrifying ritualistic undertones and a mechanized form of harrowing drones, Dark Industrial is definitely not for the faint of heart. One of the most consistent producers of this form of music is Pavor Nocturnus. With a stint of terrifying full-length albums, dismal split albums and a handful of singles, Pavor Nocturnus is one of the premier acts the genre has to offer. I had the honor of interviewing the dark entity behind the project and received some great insight on the driving force behind this amazing music.
1. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions. Congratulations on the release of your latest album, ‘Ecatombe’. What type of theme did you have in mind while writing this album?
I started writing “Ecatombe” during the first pandemic wave, collecting suggestions and thoughts that stormed in my mind during those months spent in confinement. Then I synthesized those moods in archetypes and transformed them in sound. I think that each track title is pretty self explanatory.
2. It’s been just two years between the release of ‘Ecatombe’ and the previous album, ‘Bosch’. Were there any delays between recordings or were you involved with other projects?
“Bosch” release has been delayed several times because of the pandemic, from the end of the recordings it took almost two years. Once the album was out I started recording “Ecatombe” and it took almost the same time to be released; I spoke with Frederic (Cyclic Law) in the first months of 2022 but he told me that the release would have need time to be out. In the meantime I had the chance to restart the live activity that was interrupted by the pandemic.
3. ‘Ecatombe’ was released on the mighty Cyclic Law label. Was this your first release with them? Do you have any future releases with them as well?
This is my first release with Cyclic Law, it is a great achievemnt for me to release my work with this prestigious label alongside many important artists I admire.
There are no other releases planned with Frederic at the moment but hopefully we will have the chance to do something else together in the future.
4. Your previous album, ‘Bosch’ was released on Italy’s Toten Schwab Records. That album definitely fit right in with the dark, industrial vibe of the label. How was it working with Toten Schwab for that release?
“Bosch” was released on Toten Schwan Records and Dio Drone, both labels are runned by friends and despite the difficulties we encountered, as I stated before, due to the covid 19 emergency, I was very glad to make this release with such like-minded people.
I’ve known Marco (Toten Schwan) for a long time, we have also recorded and released some music together under the monicker “Cameraoscura”. Concerning Dio Drone I really admire the work Naresh makes with his label and all the people involved in his projects, we shared some live gigs together and I am looking forward to hit the road again with him.
5. I really enjoyed that album and reviewed it back in 2022. Was there a particular vibe you were going for back then?
My intent was to translate in music not only the beautiful symbology of H. Bosch’s paintings, but also the impact those images had on me and my personal, emotional interpretation. I felt an intense experimental freedom during the whole creative process.
6. What does the name Pavor Nocturnus mean and why did you choose it as your project title?
Pavor Nocturnus means “night paleness” or “night terror” in latin, it is a sleep desease that can occur during childhood. I suffered of this kind of desease while I was a child and when I started my project i thought this monicker could be representative of the mood of my music.
7. Before starting Pavor Nocturnus, were you involved with any other musical endeavors?
I played in some black/death metal bands when I was younger, but Pavor Nocturnus is my first personal project.
8. What intrigues you the most about Dark Ambient and/or Dark Industrial music?
In my opinion the most fascinating thing about these musical genres is the range of emotion they are able to evoke, putting the listener in an immersive sonic enviroment. Everyone can experience something different according to his personal perception.
9. You’ve release several collaboration tracks over the years and I’m most intrigued by your collaboration with New Risen Throne called “Collapse Of The Orbiting Void”. How did this collaboration come about and do you have any possible plans for a full length release with New Risen Throne?
I wrote to Gabriele/NRT during the pandemic asking if he was interested in doing something together and in a couple of months we started to record and share some tracks. I took care of the arrangement, mixing and mastering process, while Gabriele was working on a computer graphics video for the track. He had this 3D model called “The Void” so that’s where the title comes from.
Besides being a great musician and 3D artist, Gabriele is also a very nice person, his work is always inspiring and I would be glad to work on something else together with him in the future.
10. What was your very first release as a Dark Ambient artist and how has your musical expression expanded since that release?
My first official release as Pavor Nocturnus was “Streghe”, an interpretation of witches’ imaginary, primordial rituals and mysticism. Back then I was not that much into electronic music, I was just looking for a musical language that could translate my intentions, that could give me freedom in composing my music. I think that a lot of my metal and classical music background merged into that album. Since then my musical approach has changed consistently and I don’t consider my music as dark ambient, despite it contains that kind of flavour of course. I have released four albums now as Pavor Nocturnus and each album sounds different from the previous one, this is something I would like to pursue in the future.
11. What has been your favorite album that you’ve released so far?
I do not have a favorite one, each album means something different to me and every release is a step forward in my growth as a musician and as a human being.
12. How do you record your eerie soundscapes? Do you record your own field recordings (if any)?
I use a mix of field recordings and sound synthesis, mangling the sounds with some samplers and effects. I have collected a lot of field recordings while working on “Bosch”, and usually when a sound intrigues me I record it and store it.
13. Do you have any album release plans for 2024?
There is going to be a release in autumn, a very limited physical edition of some material I recorded after “Ecatombe”. More info soon…
14. Have you ever played any live sets? If not, is that something that you might be interested in?
Playing live has become a fundamental part of my musical activity, in the last years I have been focused on touring in Italy, Europe and UK. Some years ago I had the opportunity to play a gig in Montreal and I would like to come back in Canada and USA.
Now I will take a break from live activity to work on some new music.
15. I really appreciate your time for this interview, and most of all your incredible music! Do you have any final words for those that may be reading this?
I would like to thank you David for this interview and for your interest in my music. My gratitude goes also to all the people that keep on supporting independent/experimental artists with interest and passion.
Links:
Bandcamp: https://musicpavornocturnus.bandcamp.com/music
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ge_pavor?igsh=NWx2Ym9ybmV1ODhu
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