Vouna. Interview with Yianna Bekris.

Interview by Andrew Stanton.

Interview with Yianna Bekris

Vouna is a cool Black Metal solo artist from the United States. Andrew Stanton talked to Yianna Bekris about her new album.

- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?

I’ve been writing doom songs and recording demos for a long time, but it wasn’t something that I thought I would turn into a “project” until my Black Metal band Eigenlicht went on indefinite hiatus. A few years ago I decided to record an album, which turned into my debut. I also started getting the itch to play live so I formed a live line-up and booked a few tours for the first album as well, all in 2018-2019. In 2020 I recorded Atropos which was released by Profound Lore Records this year.

- Is it easier or harder for solo artists in Black Metal?

I don’t necessarily think one is easier or harder than the other, but different. It is more difficult to have a band on your own, logistically, in many ways. There isn’t really anyone else to book tours, conceptualize art, do interviews or keep up with social media for promotion. When you record you have to do everything on your own too which can be extremely time-consuming. But when you are dealing with band members, there is often a lot of negotiation going on so playing solo you can truly be uncompromising in realizing your vision. Playing solo you can truly be uncompromising in realizing your vision.

- Have bands like Marilyn Manson and Limp Bizkit made it very difficult for people to take American Metal bands seriously?

Ha, I don’t know anyone who considers those Metal bands except maybe someone’s grandma. So I would say no.

- What bands did you like growing up?

I had pretty eclectic tastes growing up. My favorite Metal bands were Suffocation, Carcass, My Dying Bride, Slayer, Dissection, Mercyful Fate. I loved Death Metal especially but started getting into Black Metal in my later teen years. Some non-Metal that I loved was Depeche Mode, Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Souixsie and the Banshees, and other goth stuff like Dead Can Dance and the Cure. I also listened to a lot of Greek music as a kid, especially the hugest singers, like Anna Vissi, Stelios Kazantzidis. And I started getting into Rebetiko back then because I thought it sounded so old and fucked-up, and in many ways is the most honest and purest expression of pain I have ever heard. I would say Vouna is me getting in touch with a lot of these musical roots, so to speak, as in the music I listened to when I was getting really excited about discovering new music for the first time.

- Why do so many Black Metal bands prefer songs to be so epic?

Because it’s awesome.

- What can fans expect from your new album?

It’s more developed and therefore more epic and cohesive than anything I’ve done previously. I became more comfortable writing and recording by myself as opposed to the first album where I didn’t really know what I was doing so I feel the songs were somewhat inhibited in their growth by that. This album really captures the moment I came into my own as a solo artist.

- What is on the cover of your new album?

The photographer Amjad Faur took the photo and it is a bunch of dead things. As someone who worked out in the woods for a long time including identifying how trees died I learned to find great beauty in death. He used a piece of wood with beetle galleries for the backdrop, and dried up flowers and leaves infected with various pathogens, as well as a snake skin that he found. I don’t think people often appreciate that wood is dead but I definitely do.

- What is the Washington Black Metal scene like?

It is pretty bustling. There are a bunch of bands here, I would say right now there is a good mix of Black Metal and Death Metal as well as Heavy Metal. A lot of really great bands. There are a few Doom bands that are really great too but it seems like maybe we are the odd ones out.

- Will you tour Europe?

I hope so, I love Europe and I love touring there.

- Do you have a message for our readers?

Respect the natural world, we are part of it and it is all we have.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for the interview!