For the Belarusian stoner rock act Stonerhenge, life could not have been more challenging over the past few years. Formed in 2020, just as Covid-19 struck the globe and faced with the embargo affecting the country for the past two years, mainman Serge Skrypniczenka has had a lot to overcome. However, he persisted through it all by focusing on creating music as a means to cope with reality.
In an interview with Prog Sphere, Serge discusses these challenges and how they shaped the project to be where it is today, as well as delving into the future and more.
Can you share the story behind the formation of Stonerhenge in early 2020, especially considering that it brought together members from various well-known Belarusian rock bands? How did you go about selecting the band members, and what qualities were you looking for in musicians to join the project initially? Despite being the main composer, you mentioned that each musician made a serious contribution to the creation of music and arrangements. How does the collaborative songwriting process work within Stonerhenge, and how do individual influences shape the band’s sound? How does this balance influence your musical direction, and how do you navigate the spectrum between fuzzy riffs and mysterious instrumental improvisations?
At the end of 2019, I «found» a musical form that seemed potentially interesting to me. And suddenly I discovered that such a musical form does exist. To put it metaphorically, it is as if someone saw a beautiful postage stamp on a postal envelope and decided not to throw it away. And then this man started collecting such stamps. And one day he asked myself a question: am I the only one in this world who collects stamps? And suddenly this man learned that there is such a thing as philately. It has long been formed and is developing in all countries.
I feel very comfortable in such a mixed genre. At the core, of course, is stoner rock and all the branches that came from it. I imagine this as two intersecting coordinate axes X and Y. On one axis (for example X) on one side there is a «conditional Black Sabbath», and on the other there is a «conditional Pink Floyd». That is, on the one hand, heavy riffs with a predominance of fuzz rather than overdrive. On the other hand, there are beautiful, melodic, extended plays, often improvisational. On the other axis (in this case Y), on one side we see various forms of doom, and the other goes into atmospheric post-rock. And so the musicians who play in the genre that I describe find their place somewhere in this combined coordinate system. All this is heavily mixed with the sound of rock bands of the 70s. But this is neither epigonism (imitation) nor banal stylization. This is quite modern, relevant music.
Now I will not describe the situation with rock music in Belarus. However, with any music in our country in general. Let me just briefly note that we have never had show business in the traditional sense of the concept. There were individual manifestations of show business, but there was and is not an integral system. There are completely no social elevators for musicians. You need to have a good profession and income in order to devote your free time to music. Therefore, the quality threshold has always been unstable. People could play music well while they were in high school or universities. And by the time they graduated, they already had a good or even high level of performing skills. But then «adult life» begins – work, family, etc. and there is no longer enough time left for music. Therefore, many groups had a very impressive start, but then stopped further development.
The exception is cover bands. This is the only form of musical activity in Belarus that can be more or less commercially successful. But in my opinion, cover bands are a road to nowhere. Beginning musicians can start out as performers of famous hits. But then it drags on like a swamp. And even when cover bands record their own material, it sound like those whose music they perform.
Therefore, for a long time I could not find musicians for my new project. And already when the pandemic began, Cichan Zołataū offered me his services. We have known each other for a long time. He is not only a great bass player, but also a composing musician. He is musically educated and independent in matters of studio recording. I found it incredibly easy to work with him. I sent him audio sketches, and after some time he sent me the finished recorded bass guitar parts. Moreover, in several versions, from which I could choose suitable parts or combine all the recorded material.
By mid-summer 2020, all the instrumental material was ready and I just had to bring all the work to studio implementation. But… The Hot Belarusian August has begun. Protests, repressions, killed and wounded. You can understand that at that time everyone had absolutely no time for music. The debut album «Andromeda» hung in uncertainty. But at the same time, some new ideas were still born in my head for the next album.
In the last two weeks of 2020, I still fell ill with coronavirus. One week I just lay in bed. And on the second day, I woke up, took a shower, had breakfast, and sat down in front of the computer with a cup of coffee and a guitar and began creating compositions «from scratch». I can’t understand how this happens, but I managed to compose one completed composition every day. I immediately recorded it in my laptop as an audio sketch. Thus, in six days I completely composed the music for the «Cenotaph» album.
After my recovery, I met with Pafnutiy and we recorded the French horn parts for Andromeda. Pafnutiy is also a musician with a long and distinguished musical background. And he also composes his own music. Therefore, I didn’t have to explain anything to him for a long time. Pafnutiy understood everything and worked quickly and efficiently.
In the spring, Cichan composed and recorded all the bass guitar lines for «Cenotaph». Now the task was to record two albums.
With vocals, of course, it was more difficult. I wasn’t initially sure if I even wanted to use vocals in my music. I couldn’t find anyone suitable. And I saw Źmicier Łukjančyk as the only candidate. Although he had not sung in forms of heavy music before. He became famous in the famous groups «Trojca» and «Altanka», which performed their original music based on Belarusian root folklore.
In the summer of 2021, he and I discussed the possibility of joint collaboration and decided that Źmicier’s vocals would be used in both albums.
The pandemic and subsequent events that happened in Belarus posed challenges. How did these external factors impact the creative process and atmosphere within the band during the creation and recording of albums like “Cenotaph” and “Eternal Explorer”?
All this time, arrests and pogroms continued in our country. In an atmosphere of terror, when people I knew were arrested and sentenced to prison, I was not very able to start working on the lyrics. So time flew by, and the recording of albums never began. Although, various musical ideas arose in my head, which I wrote down on paper. And at the end of 2021, such material accumulated for a whole album, which seemed to me to be completely instrumental.
I have working methods for creativity. If the work is not moving in a certain direction, then you need to start doing it in a different direction. If the music is not being composed, you need to think about the cover design. If you can’t work on the lyrics, you need to work on the music of new projects. If I can’t finish developing a guitar part now, I can start working on synthesizers. Etc. So I decided that I would record a new, instrumental album. And then I’ll finish working on the first two. This is how the «Eternal Explorer» was born.
For this album I only had the compositional structure ready. And I decided to complete everything by improvising. Immediately after celebrating Christmas and New Year, in early January 2022, I arrived in the suburbs of Minsk – to the studio of my friend and colleague Pavał Janoūski. I recorded the drums, bass and keyboard parts at home. And in Pavał’s studio I sat down and began to improvise over the recorded structure. «The Eternal Explorer» is practically my jam session with myself. I sat down, relaxed and recorded all the guitar parts, writing them as I went along. All my life I have been amazed at how this works. It is difficult for me to understand how these processes occur in people. Looking back, I am surprised at myself every time: how was I able to come up with and write all this down on the fly?
And later I concentrated. And, despite all external factors, I finished work on the texts for «Andromeda» and «Cenotaph». At the end of winter, Źmicier Łukjančyk and I came again to Pavał and recorded all the vocal parts in one evening.
Over time, Cichan smoothly moved to another group, where he feels more comfortable. I, in turn, can’t yet imagine using vocals in new works.
The debut album “Andromeda” began with three songs that made up the EP of the same name. Can you provide insights into the creative process behind selecting and finalizing these tracks, and what can listeners expect from the upcoming release, “Andromeda Outtakes”?
It often happens that I abandon some compositions in the final stages of working on albums. I don’t discard such material completely, but for one reason or another I don’t include any already recorded tracks on the album. However, these outtakes are not bad. And I came up with the idea that someday I would release them as a separate publication. For example, «Andromeda Outtakes».
But today I have a lot of such tracks selected from other albums. Therefore, the future publication of such a compilation album will be called simply «Outtakes».
Your new album «Gemini Twins” was completed in December 2023. Can you share some insights into the themes and musical direction of this new album, and how does it differ from your previous works?
The material for «Gemini Twins» was created in the summer of 2022. Well, almost all of it. I had several contacts with different musicians. But… How can I explain this? I am absolutely convinced that two important things are necessary for the success of any business. Yes, of course we need professional training and resources. But, at the same time, two components of success are very important: involvement and concentration. If they are not there, nothing will come of it. Nothing good, I mean. So, the people I talked to about working together did not have one of these two components. The person could be generally interested in the project. But he wasn’t involved. That is, this is not his style, not his genre, he wants to perform different music.
Or the person is interested in it, but is not at all concentrated. He can’t learn composition. He comes to rehearsal and doesn’t really know what and where to play.
Plus, there is the phenomenon that people, in particular musicians, are leaving Belarus en masse. After all, our repressions not only did not decrease, but on the contrary, they intensified. Members of some groups were sent to prison for long periods for singing songs. There are practically no concerts. And even cover bands have problems – they must coordinate their repertoire with the authorities. As it was in Soviet times.
So at some point I just said to myself: Stop! Stop looking for people. If I can’t find them now, I’ll do all the work myself. I have enough musical skills to do this. Plus modern technologies. I planned to finish recording Gemini Twins in the fall of 2023. But I was forced to go to Poland on business several times during that period. So everything was completed before Christmas.
As for the album theme matter. I am interested in the themes of Man, his place in the Universe. From primitive times to the era of space exploration, people continue to ask themselves eternal questions: Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going?
The character of Captain Glosster from «Gemini Twins» is a slightly modified version of Homer’s Odysseus. This is the image of the End of the Wanderings. But Odysseus, after long wanderings, returned to his beloved woman. On the contrary, Captain Glosster found his love as a result of his trips. Found her in Other Worlds.
I don’t use science fiction images because «that’s how it’s supposed to be according to the laws of the genre.» It would be too primitive and not interesting. The composition «Time Loop» is not a reference to some kind of science fiction. In my composition, the image of the Time Loop is an image of human life. Life is rhythmic, irreversible. Under any given circumstances, we do not have the ability to press «Ctrl+Z». We can only move forward.
The theme of «Star Infantry» is the theme of a human soldier of any era. A harsh, cruel, bloody reality, which is replaced by moments of rest, when a simple soldier, like a «cog in the system», simply dreams of an abandoned house, of an abandoned girl.
«Solstice» is inspired by the feeling of a calm, soft summer day. When all thoughts are stable, there is no anxiety and the world around you looks amazing through the haze of sun rays and summer smells. I tried to convey this state in my track.
«Over the Mountains» could, of course, be an image from science fiction. But not necessarily. This is the feeling of flying over the mountains. Perhaps on another planet. Or maybe not. This is a feeling of triumph from conquering air.
«Fugit Irreparabile Tempus» is my musical reflections on our world and the place of Man in this world.
Can you already shed some light on the creative process behind the new album you have in mind, and how do you plan to approach it differently, considering all of the aforementioned challenges?
Currently, I have begun work on creating a new album, which will be called «Solaris». Yes, it’s based on a work by Stanisław Lem. I am very close to the themes and meanings that the author outlined in his famous novel. Despite the fact that I have a huge amount of sketches, the work has only just begun. And it’s still too early to talk about anything concrete.
Currently, only you remain in the Stonerhenge project, and you are seeking new musicians. What qualities are you looking for in potential band members, and how does this search align with your vision for the future of Stonerhenge? With the idea of a new album already in mind, how do you envision the future lineup of Stonerhenge, and is there a possibility of an international collaboration?
Yes, I patiently continue to search for musicians. I’m already looking for them in Poland. I’ve been thinking for a long time that it’s worth moving there.
With no concerts possible in Belarus and visa-related issues, what strategies did the band employ to stay connected with the «outer» world and maintain a creative flow during such challenging times?
Yes, there are problems. For example, the PayPal system in Belarus only works «one way». That is, I can pay something. But I can’t get money. In particular, I cannot receive money for sold albums that were published on Bandcamp. Moving to another country can certainly solve these problems. At least some of these problems.
What aspirations do you have for the future of the project?
You see, from the very beginning of my Stonerhenge epic, I was faced with some various problems that arose in the outside world. As soon as the next stage of creativity approached its final phase, something happened. Pandemic, protests, war. But, even in such circumstances, I was able to create all this music of my own. Music for which I am not at all ashamed.
So I’m sure I just need to keep creating. And changes in external conditions – moving to another country, etc. — will contribute to the further development of my Stonerhenge project.
Make sure to check Stonerhenge’s work on Bandcamp here.
