Pure Wrath - Interview

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Published on Monday, 24 December 2018 14:00

Interview with: Januaryo "Ryo" Hardy
Conducted by: Will Ring

The Indonesian one-man atmospheric black metal project Pure Wrath was started in 2014 by Januaryo "Ryo" Hardy. Since its inception, two albums and a split with Onirism have been released under the name with the second album, Sempiternal Wisdom, released in the end of October this year via Pest Productions and becoming one of the best 'under the radar' sleeper hits of 2018. Read more about the band, the new album, about past, present and future of Pure Wrath in this interesting short interview.

Will: Tell us about the birth of Pure Wrath. How did it all start?
Januaryo: Pure Wrath initially started in mid 2014 when I got bored of all my death metal projects. Then temporarily stopped until the end of 2016 where I started writing my first album Ascetic Eventide.

Will: Pure Wrath has easily become one of my favorite sounds of the last couple of years and the new album is one of the best of 2018. What made you want to play this style of music?
Januaryo: Thanks for digging my stuff, really appreciate it! I'm a fan of black metal musically. But I don't want to absorb the whole shape of it. So I combine my interest in movie scoring into the soft-side of black metal (musically). My interest in arranging orchestration also dragged me into this project, which is not really black metal. So I would like to do it as an experimental project with black metal influences.

Will: What are some of the biggest advantages and disadvantages of being an one man band?
Januaryo: I find that there's a lot of people still arguing and disrespecting solo/one-man projects and sometimes disdain it because it's not a real band and has no live shows. Those things are also advantages because I love it when it's lifted high by all those cyber-bullying, which is funny for me. Especially in Indonesia, where I got blamed and humiliated by the so-called true black metal dudes and metal elitists.

Will: According to Encyclopedia Metallum, you're involved in about five or six different projects including Pure Wrath, while also running Insidious Soundlab. How do you find the time for all this?
Januaryo: Naturally according to my individual thought patterns and mood. I have a normal job as data analyst in a company in daytime and doing all music stuff at night. So I think this is the best pattern for me at the moment.

Will: What's your proudest moment as a musician?
Januaryo: I'm proud when I know people can enjoy and get inspired by the music I created with struggle, so I can buy/support another musician with the money I collected from my music. A circulation.

Will: My favorite track on the new album is the cover of Saor's "Farewell", which comes as a bonus on CD and cassette version. How and why did you decide to cover this newer, relatively unknown song?
Januaryo: I'm a huge fan of Andy Marshall's creations, including Fuath. I'm a fanboy and will always be his huge fan. It's a dedication as a fan.

Will: There are some minor changes you made in your version of "Farewell". Why and how did you come up with the alterations?
Januaryo: I know I will never play it similar like Saor did. But I love to do everything with my style, so I re-arranged some parts with respect. I hope my version won't ruin the beauty of the song.

Will: Besides Pure Wrath, name a band that more people should check out.
Januaryo: Vallendusk, Proceus, Choria, Nicrotek, Soulless.

Will: What will 2019 hold for you and Pure Wrath?
Januaryo: I'll try to gather my best friends in music and play live with Pure Wrath. Maybe a mini tour as well around Asia.

Pure Wrath links: Facebook, Bandcamp

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