Interview: Michal Kustra of Dargor

Michal Kustra is a guitarist and composer from Poland who is releasing music with his atmospheric black metal project Dargor. He has launched two singles so far, and in the interview below he talks about the project, the latest single "Decay" and more.

Alright, first thing is first. Before we dive into all the music stuff, how's life?

It’s great, I can’t complain. I’ve got a job I like. I do things I like. I am surrounded by great people. And it’s all awesome : )

Speaking of new music, you have recently launched a new single. What can people expect from “Decay”?

My new single „Decay” is an atmospheric black metal song. It was compared by some people to the bands such as Khors, Winterfylleth or Summoning. It sounds very „flowing” and „cold”. Maybe even a bit melancholic. It’s in medium tempo and has some traditional black metal riffs and double kick beats. It has also some groovy parts. And a few calm moments full of atmosphere and space. I love this kind of music and I am very happy with „Decay”. I hope you’ll like it too.

What was it like working on the song?

It was a lot of fun for me. I am really into this entire thing. Composing, writing lyrics and recording. I love to create music and materialize my ideas. I am also a bit of a „studio nerd” and I like to experiment with new recording equipment, methods and settings. For me it’s all about the process. Having joy while working on the song. Releasing it at the end and sharing it with people is just an additional bonus.

Are there any plans for releasing an EP or a full album any time soon?

Yes, I plan to release my first EP when I have six songs and videos done. For now I plan to work on songs one by one and publish them on my Youtube channel. I am working on the third song at the moment (I am already recording it). I’ve also started to compose fourth and fifth one. When I publish sixth song I’ll release entire EP at the same time. With artwork, title, logo and all that stuff. Mostly for digital promotion. I’ll probably make only few physical copies.

Do you plan on transforming Dargor to a full-fledged band and play live?

In the Dargor project I want to focus only on recording music. I don’t say that I’ll never play my songs live with some people. It would be great as well. But for now, creating and recording is all I want for this project.

Who and what inspires you the most?

Bands like Samael, Ajattara, Dimmu Borgir, Shape of Despair and October Tide inspired me mostly. But also things other than music. Beauty of nature around us. Human behaviors and psychology. Books and movies. And all people who self improve and make something interesting with their free time. Not necessarily music. They also motivate me a lot.

What other genres of music do you listen to? Have any of the other genres you listen to had any impact on your playing?

I listen to all kinds of metal. Not only black and doom metal bands. Groups from other genres have some impact on my playing as well. I used to play electric guitar in heavy/thrash metal bands. Even with some melodic death metal influences. Something has left in my style after that for sure. I also like listening to movie soundtracks. Especially cold, minimalistic ones, from science fiction movies. I enjoy modern and industrial sounds. I like ambient and calm electronic music. Maybe it has some influence on my songs as well. In future I want to create at least one very calm, atmospheric ambient song. With no drums and vocals in far background.

I really appreciate you giving us your time today. Is there anything else you would like to tell us and the fans before we wrap things up?

I would like to thank you all who is reading this interview. Have a nice day! Do things you like in life. And keep metal spirit alive \m/