SOURCE – How does Belarus, as an immediate neighbour, view the war in Ukraine? What impact has this conflict had on Belarus and Poland?
Jauhien (Guitars, Bass) – It is worth starting with the fact that one should understand that there is Lukashenko’s regime separately, and Belarusan society separately. Naturally, Belarusian society is against the war, condemns Russia and tries to support Ukraine in every possible way.
Lukashenko’s regime is a puppet regime. And I don’t want to talk about it. Belarus as a state is now in a very bad position. There are Russian troops and mercenaries there, which are controlled by Russia. And to our dismay, we should recognize that the Republic of Belarus is an unwilling co-aggressor in the war. As for Poland, it is one of Ukraine’s main allies. Poland is also trying to help Ukrainians in every possible way. And what is important for us, it helps Belarusians who fled their country very much. For which Poland is grateful.
SOURCE – You’re carrying the legacy of writing in Belarusians, a language most of your fans don’t speak – why do you think fans still have such a connection to your songs?
Nokt (Vocals, Flute) – We are not the only musicians singing our native language. Norwegian, Finnish, even Polish and Ukrainian – the first words I learned from these languages were words from metal songs. And this is great! Metal connects people from different countries around the world and also introduces them to each other’s cultures. In this regard, we are not doing anything new.
Jauhien (Guitars, Bass) – I think we do a pretty good job of conveying atmosphere and emotion through music. And it’s worth mentioning that we always leave the lyrics and translations in English for the listeners to familiarize themselves with.
SOURCE – As you make more and more albums, does it get more difficult to break new musical ground and do new things?
Jauhien (Guitars, Bass) – I don’t think we will have any problems to do something new. We are now realizing the music that was written in 2016-2017. A lot of new stuff has been written since then. And I personally like the future material much more. So problems are not expected.
Nokt (Vocals, Flute) – There are still so many musical techniques that we want to try, so many instruments that we want to record!
For example, for one of the bonus tracks recording we used additionally vargan, ocarina and acacia fruits collected in the cemetery. There was one funny moment with them: at night they began to crackle and rustle on their own, so Jauhien once had to get out of bed and carry them to the kitchen.
SOURCE – Tell us about the track Buried Alive and the video you shot for it. How important are videos in the promotion process these days?
Nokt (Vocals, Flute) – To be honest, we never thought of music videos as just a promotional tool. And that’s why we’ve never shot such simple promotional videos where the musicians just stand and play. Though maybe we should think about it now. Maybe.
For me, music videos are a separate art form that I like to create as much as music. I have video ideas for each of our songs. Unfortunately, filming requires a lot of money. But I really hope that someday we will have the opportunity to film them all.
As for ‘Buried Alive’, both the song lyrics and the script for the video tell my personal story of dealing with depression and panic attacks.
In addition, one of the scenes in the video is a reference to one of my favorite Belarusian bands ‘Neuro Dubel’.
SOURCE – Have you experienced any differences in how the foreign press treats you and the band compared to how native press and media treats and writes about you?
Jauhien (Guitars, Bass) – There is almost no local music press left in Belarus. Especially the press on heavy music. I’ll even say more, there are no ordinary independent mass media left in Belarus either. The regime and censorship destroyed everything. So we can only focus on the foreign press. And the press received our album very warmly. We got a lot of positive feedback and reviews. And that’s good.
Nokt (Vocals, Flute) – More specifically about the situation with the Belarusian metal press: Now there are 5 portals/blogs.
I drank a lot of beer with 2 of them yesterday, so they haven’t listened to the album yet. I think they will listen after their vacations.
The representative of the third told me last week that he would like to do an interview with us, but he will not be able to, because it is dangerous in Belarus.
The fourth site is currently under reconstruction. Aaaaaand we have one blogger left, he is on tour now. Look, the fingers of one hand were enough for me to count the living Belarusian music press.
SOURCE – What effects have social media and streaming services had on his music sharing and consumption?
Jauhien (Guitars, Bass) – This is the 21st century. The digital age. Social networks and streaming services are the main way of music sharing. On the one hand, it’s great because everyone can bring their music to the audience. But it’s also bad. A lot of low-quality music appears, which takes up the attention and time of listeners. But these are the current realities and we need to accept these rules of the game.
SOURCE – What worries or concerns do you have about the world that we live in today? Where do you think the leaders of the world need to put more time, energy, and focus on so that future generations will benefit from these measures?
Jauhien (Guitars, Bass) – I wish people would stop wars and start doing something constructive. Something like “make love, not war.”
Nokt (Vocals, Flute) – I don’t feel calm enough in Poland now. There is a fear that war may come here as well. I think it’s time for me to start learning how to shoot. I don’t want to run away anymore.
As for leaders, it would be nice to stop trading with any dictators. Dictatorship brings war.
SOURCE – What are your goals and aspirations for the future of Dymna Lotva?
Jauhien (Guitars, Bass) – Of course we want to become world rockstars and invite Metallica to warm up for us. And seriously, there is still a lot of work ahead of us. Our goals are to make quality music and bring it to a wider range of listeners. And we’re just gonna keep working on that.
Nokt (Vocals, Flute) – I do not agree! I don’t like Metallica.
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