How has lockdown been for you on a personal level?
On the whole lockdown has been positive for me. I have an introverted personality and therefore enjoy isolated periods to myself, so this situation has allowed me to recharge my batteries so to speak. I find the daily grind very taxing mentally and physically, this time away from the ‘norm’ has allowed me to evaluate my life and make key changes. I have missed seeing those close to me and the freedom that we take for granted, but now lockdown has started to ease, we can hopefully start returning back to normality.
Have you been able to be creative?
I have been a lot more productive since lockdown, concentrating on my hobbies and just relaxing. It’s about adapting to the situation and taking advantage of it. I strongly believe we won’t experience anything like this again in our lifetime, therefore wasting this forced sabbatical would be a real shame. The Infernal Sea, have used this time wisely, working behind the scenes preparing everything for the upcoming ‘Negotium Crucis’ album campaign. As a matter of fact, I have been working on the layouts for each format, having designed them, signed them off and recently handed them over to the printers. Regarding new material, we have been discussing ideas and a few demo tracks are in the works. We have plans for new music in 2021 so we will use the next six months to prepare for that.
What do you think the short-term and long-term impacts of the pandemic will be on your art?
We have already been impacted by the pandemic in terms of cancellation of shows in 2020, we had some great shows lined up, but thankfully they have been rescheduled for 2021. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic’s overall impact during its infancy, we were forced to delay our press campaign and album release until later in the year. Long-term the pandemic could potentially have a devastating effect on this country’s music scene, it was struggling to survive before the outbreak and these unfortunate events are going to put a massive strain on promoters, grassroot venues, bands and future tours.
Are you hopeful about the future generally?
To be honest there is nothing we can do about it, this virus is here to stay and we need to adapt and get on with our lives. Hopefully things will return to normal and we can continue with our lives. Let’s hope people have learned from this situation though, things need to change and this could be a positive step for the future.
What can fans and/or promoters do to support you in the coming months and years?
Just continue to support the bands, venues, promoters any way possible, buy merch from the bands, order a copy of their album, donate money to prevent your favourite venues going into liquidation, and generally support in any way, shape or form. We are entering a new era, if we all stick together then our scene could emerge out of this stronger than before.
- ‘Negotium Crucis’ is out 18th September 2020 on Apocalyptic Witchcraft.