{"id":43140,"date":"2026-06-18T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T05:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orkus1.com\/an-interview-with-athamay-part-1-of-2\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T07:15:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T05:15:14","slug":"an-interview-with-athamay-part-1-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orkus1.com\/en\/an-interview-with-athamay-part-1-of-2\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with ATHAMAY (Part 1 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In our two-part interview, we talk with Athamay<\/strong> about her fourth album, \u201cNecropolis,\u201d which is about much more than just death.<\/p>\n\n

Beyond & Once Upon a Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

As a powerful metaphor, the title refers not only to death, \u201cbut to an entire \u2018civilization of dead things\u2019\u2014memories, relationships, ideals, or even an inner emotional state.\u201d Marlen speaks about immigration in this context: After a few years, you start to feel like you don\u2019t really belong anywhere anymore. \u201cYou return home, only to realize that everything has changed. The place where you grew up no longer feels familiar, almost as if it exists only as a memory.\u201d \u201cNecropolis\u201d evokes this feeling: \u201cnot just death, but the haunting remnants of a past life; a homeland that still physically exists, yet feels emotionally out of reach, like a city of ghosts within your own memory.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Lively<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Sean also talks about how some sources of inspiration take on a life of their own: \u201cIn some ways, the song controls me as it develops, as if it already knows how it will turn out in the end.\u201d In addition to their original compositions, there are two cover songs. The focus here wasn\u2019t so much on staying as close as possible to the originals, but rather on turning them into Athamay tracks, \u201ctrying to make them fit the \u2018fetish\/dance floor vibe.\u2019\u201d Rumor has it that Depeche Mode got quite creative with the sounds in the original version of \u201cMaster and Servant.\u201d Athamay, on the other hand, uses, among other things, the \u201cusual industrial approach\u201d\u2014lots of samples of metallic objects being struck. \u201cWe also used samples of whips and chains in some songs.\u201d What\u2019s unique is that at the beginning of \u201cChildren of the Dead Gods,\u201d you can hear the voice of Marlen\u2019s daughter. <\/p>\n\n

Significant<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

When Marlen asked her daughter if she could contribute a few screams to the track, she gladly agreed. Marlen also talks about the contrast with the song\u2019s dark atmosphere. The lyrics are based on a poem originally written in Greek. It reflects on the idea that we are all \u201cchildren of dead gods\u201d\u2014\u201cPeople search for meaning while slowly losing sight of what really matters in life. We make plans, chase ambitions, and live as if we were here to stay, yet in reality we\u2019re just passing through this world. At the same time, the poem speaks to how easily we forget to cherish fleeting moments, how we neglect love, and how we become trapped in our own thoughts. Metaphorically, it\u2019s like being lost in an endless ocean that slowly washes us away, smashing us against the rocks, over and over again, until we no longer recognize ourselves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Martina Wutscher<\/p>\n\n

Lineup:<\/strong>Sean Athamay \u2013 Composition, Synthesizer, Guitar, ProgrammingMarlen Moysidou \u2013 Vocals<\/p>\n\n

Listen to the teaser for \u201cEchoes in Necropolis\u201d here:<\/p>\n\n

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