Interview with VIRTUAL PERISH (2/2)

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

In our two-part interview with Virtual Perish, we talk about their new album, “Virtual Parish,” which will be released on October 23, 2026. Did you miss the first part? No problem— you can read it here.

Orkus: Was there a particular piece that gave you guys a real headache? What was the reason?
Aurelio: On this album, it’s definitely the title track. For a long time, the chorus sounded too much like a children’s song, and we had to experiment a lot to get it to sound as good as it does now. The work paid off, since it might even be my favorite song on the album. “Doomscroll” was also a personal challenge, since it’s the only song on the album where I handle all the vocals.
Iris: For me, this was definitely a song that’s still in the works—a nearly brilliant embodiment of high-end industrial, which is my home turf anyway. The problem can be described quite well as “first-world problems”: I thought the instrumental was so perfect right from the start that I absolutely didn’t want to “ruin” it with vocals. (grins) After listening to it a few times, though, my inner show-off singer finally got the better of me, and—at least from my perspective—I managed to conjure up some pretty decent vocal lines. You’ll be able to judge that for yourselves in a little while 😉
William: For me, it was definitely “Roleplay,” our tribute to the band Mushroomhead. Playing three singers at once was hard enough, but Jeffrey Nothing’s screamed parts really forced me to learn a new vocal technique. I still haven’t quite got the hang of it, though.

O: The album gets off to a powerful start with “MAD.” Is there a story behind its creation?
Aurelio: The song was conceived as a nu-metal song through and through, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be. The duet aspect, in particular, worked out really well, which also allowed us to fully showcase Iris’s talent.
Iris: My first reaction—absolutely expressive and thoroughly descriptive in true Iris style—can be summed up as follows: “Oida!” (which translates to something like “Dude!” and was meant to express my unbridled joy at this rhythmic masterpiece). I then went into a bit more detail describing my favorite vocal style: rap-metal. Concise, aggressive vocals paired with provocative lyrics are meant to create a “Try me, you won’t stop me” vibe. Those crazy riffs were probably what gave this atomic burst of emotions its name—for that reason alone, “MAD” is one of my favorites so far. It’s also the first song where I was able to refine my distortion skills a little. (smiles)

O: With “doomscrolling,” you’re obviously addressing a real problem of our time … how do you feel about doomscrolling?
Aurelio: I still remember well how, back when YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram didn’t have a short-form video feature yet, TikTok was the only one that did. Those platforms were more enjoyable, and our attention spans hadn’t been trained to get shorter and shorter. I’ve gotten better at managing it now, but right when the feature was new and being rolled out across all platforms, I had some trouble breaking away from it. At some point, it’s easy to get caught up in a cycle where the algorithm suggests content that’s no longer healthy for you, and by then, at the latest, it’s time to turn your attention to something else—something more important.
William: I think I’m immune to it… haha! I’ve actually never been addicted to that specific thing… maybe it’s because it’s just the latest digital addiction, and I’ve already built up a tolerance to all the rest (video games, YouTube, binge-watching…). If you really want to break free from this, invest in a skill that people actually pay for (take a few online courses) and let that lead you to a career that’s truly rewarding. Go to the gym and work out so you don’t get out of breath so quickly and keep yourself as fit as possible (bonus: you’ll meet people who are working on themselves, and that opens up new opportunities for jobs, dating, health, or leisure). Go out and talk to people… Learn how to come across as likable and how to present yourself in a way that makes people react positively to you. There are great books on this—*How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie is still a great choice. Develop better habits… I can recommend “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Finally have enough of the stagnation and decline that this inaction brings you, and actively DO something about it. Step away from the internet. The internet isn’t reality.

O: All that negative news can really get you down… so what, on the other hand, helps lift your spirits again?
Aurelio: I find comfort in the music I make and listen to, my daily work, my family, our family dog, and my beloved partner. The dark music we create also offers comfort, even if that doesn’t always seem plausible. We no longer feel alone when we can hear and sense that another person feels and experiences the same things we do.
William: I create things. I fix things. I solve puzzles. And I’m always on the lookout for even better ways to do what I’m already doing. I’m protected from the worst, yet at the same time open to enjoying the best. Plus, I have a “comedy brain” that just never stops. I’m basically wired to find something humorous or amusing in just about everything.

O: I also found the closing track, “Virtual Parish,” particularly mesmerizing. How did it come about, and why does it work so perfectly as the album title?
Aurelio: Ever since our EP “Beneath the Tracks,” a tradition has taken root. There’s an unofficial “Kill Yourself” series, and this is the sixth installment. These are always the darkest tracks on the albums. This series includes our older songs “Kill Yourself,” “Abide,” “Day of Horus,” “Hatred Society,” and “Jadestone.” The song also perfectly represents the album in all its facets; it’s gloomy, dark, catchy, brutal, yet melodic.

William: That basically ties in with what I said earlier: Get off the internet. The interpersonal contact there is completely different from what you experience in real life with people standing right in front of you. Most real-life groups aren’t cults—online communities, on the other hand, often seem extremely cult-like. And every single one belongs to a corporation that dictates what you’re allowed to say, think, and do… with absolutely no basis in the laws of your country. I’ve left every single online community I’ve ever been a part of, and I couldn’t be happier. You really CAN find happiness among the people right around you—I just had to learn how to come across as more likable to others.
Iris: From my perspective, this was a classic case of “And what exactly am I supposed to sing here?”, which quickly turned into “I’m coming up with another harmony in a higher register again.” I drew on all my melodic skills from my choir days—and that’s how a chorus was born that was so vocally complex that I had to sing each line separately from the others so as not to completely confuse my own ears. (grins) The end result pretty much eclipses everything else I’ve ever composed in terms of polyphony.

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

Lineup:
Aurelio Rami – vocals, programming, drums, composition
William “Edge Case” Warden – vocals, composition
Iris Rebecca – vocals

Listen to “Primal”: