Interviews: KA'APER

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Dark Metal band KA'APER from Cyprus. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1.“Lament for Osiris” is described as a story of grief, vengeance, and chaos. What drew you to this particular emotional and mythological theme?

Hey! Evgeny here! Thanks for having me.

As you probably know, all our lyrics are based on ancient Egyptian history and mythology. It’s a very deep theme. One of the most well-known myths is the story of Osiris and Isis - a very sorrowful one.

Briefly: Seth betrayed his brother Osiris, killed him, cut his body into many pieces, and scattered them across Egypt. Isis was inconsolable. She found all the parts (almost - check the full version of the myth, hehe) and breathed life into his body for a brief moment, just long enough to conceive their son, Horus. After that, Osiris had to leave this world for Duat, where, according to the myth, he was destined to reign forever.

To reveal a bit more about the upcoming album: there will be two songs based on this myth - “Lament for Osiris” and “Hiding.” Both are very melodi,c and both feature amazing guest singers.

2. You emphasize that this is not a song of Osiris, but a lament. What does that distinction mean to you artistically?

You’d better ask our guitarist, Timur. He’s the guy behind all those poetic press releases. He’s really good at finding hidden meanings in my lyrics, hehe.

I believe he meant that this song is extremely mournful and tells such a sorrowful story that “lament” is simply the most accurate word for it.

3. How did the concept for the track evolve from the first idea to the final version?

Very rapidly! I was humming the melody and realized it was above my vocal range, so it was obvious we needed a female guest vocalist. Then I decided to write a song about Isis.

The original title was “Cry of Isis”, but we had to rename it to avoid any association with the ISIS organization.

4. What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from this single?

There’s nothing in this world stronger than unconditional love, and nothing more valuable. Love is a very rare topic in metal. To be honest, this is my first love song ever, both in Ka’aper and outside of it, in more than a hundred songs written by me. So I hope that, even for a brief moment, someone feels it and hugs the ones they love. In that case, all our efforts will not be in vain.

5. Your upcoming album is titled “When Gods Walked the Earth.” What fascinates you about ancient mythology, and how does it shape your music?

That’s a great question - and for some reason, a very rare one.

I know exactly what I love about ancient mythology. Myths from all around the world, different religious texts, and other similar sources are true, “distilled” wisdom from times when people lived without all this vanity around them - simply, close to nature.

Real lives, not the virtual plastic ones we're living.

It’s a huge delusion to think that we are far more intelligent than people who lived thousands of years ago.

6. How do you balance historical or mythological accuracy with artistic interpretation?

We don’t, hehe. If I need to write my own story, I just do it.

For example, there’s a song on the upcoming album called “Our Time of Dying” (by the way, we’ll probably release it as a single in March). I describe Death there as a colossal entity holding ashes in her hands. There are no direct parallels with Egyptian myths - but I felt it was a good image to describe drought and the experiences of ancient people who faced it.

7. Do you see parallels between ancient chaos and modern chaos that influence your songwriting?

Of course! People remain the same, and whether we like it or not, we face the same problems. We are born, and we die, we love, and we hate, we search for meaning in our lives.

That’s why we always say that we mostly write songs about the present, but through the prism of ancient mythology.

8. The single features Julia Selikhova as a guest vocalist. How did this collaboration come about?

As you probably know, we follow a DIY philosophy, so everything you hear was recorded in our home studios, including Julia’s vocals. And oh my god! When I recorded her, I had goosebumps! She’s amazing!

By the way, we’re from the same hometown, but we met here in Cyprus. When I heard her singing for the first time and was completely struck. When she sings, one moment it feels like heaven, and the next it’s like a fucking truck full of nails! Her vocal range and ability to switch styles are insane.

Her band Buzzouter is about to start recording their first album, don’t miss it, it’s going to be fantastic.

9. What did Julia bring to the atmosphere and storytelling of the track?

Actually, everything. From the very beginning, I was writing the lyrics of this song specifically for her. I didn’t even know if she would accept our proposal, but from the moment we decided to have a female guest vocalist, I knew she was the only candidate we truly wanted for this song.

Don’t get me wrong - there are LOTS of amazing singers out there. But for us, Julia is outstanding and truly unique.

10. How do you approach vocal layering and contrast when working with multiple voices?

It was easy. Everything started with the main vocal line. Then I realized it felt empty, so I added some extreme vocals. After that, Julia came up with lots of ideas for backing vocals. Eventually, Max, our sound engineer, worked with everything - moved some backing lines, added cool effects, and voilà. You hear what you hear.

11. Evgeny wrote the lyrics, and Timur composed the music. How do the two of you merge your creative visions?

Sometimes it’s hard. When you have four equally stubborn motherfuckers in the band, you have to find compromises and also be able to say “no” to another suggestion to change something.

“Lament for Osiris” was the first song we wrote for the new album, and it almost didn’t make the cut. We had a lot of discussions about whether it should be included, because it differs drastically from other Ka’aper songs.

Sometimes you just suffer through it. With some songs, like our previous single “Amenhotep”, you know from the start that everything will be fine. But with “Osiris” it was really, really sophisticated.

12. What was the biggest challenge in capturing the emotional intensity of the song during recording?

The biggest challenge was convincing ourselves that this song should be on the album. It’s too mellow, too melodic, too slow. It’s a “too” song. Very different. But now, when the album is almost ready, we see that it sits there like a diamond among black rocks, and we’re glad we released it. It’s an amazing song, one of the best we’ve ever written.

13. Max Baryshnikov handled mixing and mastering. What direction did you give him to achieve the final sound?

Max is our “fifth member” - the guy who’s been working with us from the very beginning. The day after we decided to form a band, we recorded a demo. The next day, we sent it to our friends’ Telegram chat, and Max replied with something like:

“Guys, I want to mix and master it. It sounds like a good old band that just recorded a new song. I have no idea which band it is, but it sounds so familiar”.

At that moment, we didn’t even really have a band yet - it was just Timur and me.

Igor and Alex joined a couple of weeks later.

Our sound is largely Max’s vision, especially on the first album. We always trust him.

He’s like an elder brother: you can do whatever you want - fall, make mistakes, but you always know you can come to him for advice on how to avoid repeating them. He’s a great professional and an amazing person.

14. Ka’aper is described as a dark metal band. How would you define your sound within the broader metal spectrum?

It’s fierce, it’s dark, it’s melodic, and it’s live-show oriented. It should feel like a juicy chunk of pork flying straight into your face - and then being gently wiped with a soft towel.

16. How do each of you — Evgeny, Timur, Igor, and Alexey — contribute to shaping the band’s identity?

It feels amazing when all band members work hard toward the band’s evolution.

That’s probably why we’ve achieved so much in such a short period of time.

We formed the band less than two years ago and have already recorded two albums, a live EP, numerous singles, played many shows in different countries, and built a loyal - if not huge - fanbase. Honestly, we didn’t expect even a tenth of this in the beginning.

What started as an impulsive decision turned into a real band, and I’m honored to be part of it. Everyone brings ideas, and together they form what people now know as Ka’aper. I’m really glad listeners feel that this is not a product made by guys trying to become fucking rock stars, but real emotions shaped into songs.

17. With the album set for release in April, what can fans expect in terms of themes, sound, and evolution?

It’s the same Ka’aper you hear on “While Flows the Nile”, but deeper, fiercer, and more aggressive, while at the same time more melodic. I’d say the upcoming album is more grown and mature.

18. Are there any upcoming performances or plans you’re excited to share?

Lots! First of all, we’re hitting the road in February together with the legendary Belarusian band GODS TOWER. We’ll play six shows across Poland, Germany, and Cyprus.

Then we’ll be representing Cyprus in Athens at the Wacken Metal Battle, together with our brothers Speak in Whispers.

19. How do you hope “Lament for Osiris” sets the tone for the rest of the album?

I think it’s still too early to talk about that, but it’s a good song, and listeners seem to love it - even though it’s completely different from the rest of the album. It’s much more melodic, and it’s our only song with female vocals. So I think it will always remain one of a kind - just a cool experiment.

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