In a world like black metal, where themes of pain, isolation, and introspection are common, few works sound as genuinely disturbing as the debut album from Syllogomania. Born from the collapse of previous projects and driven by a process of grief and personal reckoning, this Polish solo project dives deep into the trauma of childhood, domestic claustrophobia, and the compulsion to hoard — not only objects, but also memories and sorrow.

Blending the rawness of depressive black metal with an almost cinematic approach to songwriting, Syllogomania unfolds like a sonic diary of emotional chaos, physical remnants, and whispered confessions among ruins. Ahead of the album’s release via Loudriver, we spoke with the project’s creator — who chooses to remain anonymous — about the album’s origins, its influences, and the deliberate discomfort it aims to provoke in anyone brave enough to listen.

How and when was Syllogomania born? Was there a specific moment or feeling that sparked its creation?
Smog splits up. I open a new project which then also splits up. When the drummer resigns, you can as well give up totally. I try to revive the first one with a friend who takes on the drummer position. We do rehearsals as a duo. We sketch some songs – maybe a new EP? After a few rehearsals the drummer resigns. Syllogomania is born.

Is Syllogomania a solo project, or is there a collective of musicians involved behind the scenes?
It’s only me here.

What can you tell us about the people involved in Syllogomania? Are they part of other bands or musical projects?
Erge was a vocalist and lyricist in my previous band who wrote lyrics to “Drink the Fire, Fan the Flames”. He currently sings in Asperatus and Defeated. Stawrogin is the voice of Odraza, Totenmesse (currently plays the bass there but still does backing vocals) or Gruzja. Apart from growls he’s got interesting clean vocals. My cleans suck and I was looking for a specific type of singing, a bit theatrical for the chorus in “Modlitwa” and he delivered.

Is anonymity a part of the band’s philosophy, or do you see value in personal exposure within the underground?
– I wanted to use relative anonymity due to sensitive, intimate topics of the album. The stuff presented here was real.

Was there a clear musical or conceptual vision from the beginning, or did the project evolve over time?
The music came first. To be honest one of the thoughts was “Why write a millionth and dishonest song about Satan worship when I could take honestly on something that shaped me?”. Musically, I always wanted to compose songs that wouldn’t be next Mayhem/Burzum/Mgła copycat. Hence I was looking even into swing or gypsy jazz for inspiration.

Did the urban and emotional landscape of Cracow shape the identity of the band in any specific way?
I am more of a “concrete” than a “forest” person. Kraków definitely inspires, especially during fall to early spring, with disappointing, almost non-existing grey winter – you get over half a year of depression to enjoy. (Un)Fortunately the city itself is no longer as ugly as it was twenty years ago.

Many Black Metal projects are born out of personal trauma or rage. What emotional or psychological force gave birth to Syllogomania?
Grief and mourning mostly, with a tint of nostalgia.

“SYLLOGOMANIA” is an intense and disturbing title. What does the concept of compulsive hoarding represent to you?
Basically, an inability to give up on various old, unneeded items. Irrational and emotional attachment to them. It’s chaos, neglect, destruction of living space. The album takes on a topic of total devastation of a place where everyone should feel most comfortable but also self-denial of oneself.

The album is described as a “brutal portrait of a childhood.” How much of this work is autobiographical?
Most of it. My childhood to early adulthood. While the topic will not appear as serious for most people, rather as a laughable matter, that’s how my everyday life looked. It was definitely a tiring and shameful time.
But this chaos shaped who I am today, I guess.

There’s a strong sense of claustrophobia and existential decay throughout the record. How did you translate that into sound?
That’s great! The album is shaped into the letter “W” with the tops being faster tracks and lower the calmer, slower ones, so it gives you some time to relax but not for long.

You mention images of mold, insects, dust, and suffocating boxes. Are these literal memories or symbolic of inner turmoil?
It’s literal.

Would you say this album is more of a cathartic experience or a confrontation with the self?
I feel it’s both, actually. On one hand I want to have closure with my past. On the other hand I’m anxious about how friends who happen to stumble over the album will perceive me.

The sound has been described as filthy, solitary, and aggressive Black Metal. What were your main influences during its creation?
Shining and Forgotten Tomb, especially their middle/later eras (sic!) like IV: Eerie Cold, V: Halmstad, Negative Megalomania, …And don’t deliver us from evil. Then Satyricon and Taake with their rock’n’roll. I’d also like to put a Greek band Aenaon with their genre bending. Each album serves a different landscape. And they have lots of saxophone, too. While we stay in the experimental metal realm – Diablo Swing Orchestra. Great recommendation. And surprisingly (or not for those who know me) Samael – especially the song “Being” from the album Eternal. It’s so jazzy! My all-time favourite by them! If we leave metal, then definitely Jill Tracy, Will Wood and the Tapeworms, and Matt Elliott. I also recommend Lucas Brar – a YouTuber doing jazz covers of popular and classical pieces.

How do you relate to comparisons with bands like Shining, MGLA, Forgotten Tomb, or Psychonaut 4?
Shining and Forgotten Tomb are pretty much my direct inspirations sound-wise. Mgła? We come from the same city but I don’t really count them as my inspiration. As for Psychonaut 4 I can see similarities regarding the atmosphere of grief and urban surroundings. I enjoy them a lot.

When composing, do you start from riffs, words, or emotions? What drives the songwriting process?
I usually try to do basic rhythm melody in scale (Hungarian minor scale). When a certain emotion catches up it guides my fingers on the fretboard and creates images, story, just as I would be watching a film.

Was atmosphere more important than technical precision for this record?
So it’s that bad… While I’m mostly content with the recording, I could have recorded the vocals better. I will hit the studio next time or at least someone to sit with me to make sure I won’t let any imperfection slip in.

Can you describe the recording process? Was it done entirely in solitude?
I programmed drums and recorded guitars, bass and vocals all on my own. I only sent the material for mixing and mastering to Przemek from Impressive Art studio.

Did you experiment with any unusual techniques, equipment, or ambient recordings to create the album’s suffocating aura?
Does using a microphone for streaming count? It did its job.

Which track do you feel best represents the core of the album, and why?
The title-track and “Modlitwa” relate to the topic the most.

The album will be released both digitally and physically by Loudriver. How did this partnership come about?
Via Solid Rock PR. I was constantly annoying and exchanging emails with Loudriver long enough that I ended up taking the offer.

Do you still see value in physical releases for underground Black Metal in 2025?
Yes, while today most music is streamed via Spotify or YouTube, etc., these services serve as promotional tools. To get the music itself to the listener. But there’s still value in CDs. It’s nice going through the booklet. At least that’s how it goes for me. Anyway, I happen to buy physicals once in a while but not for everything that comes out. Some from artists in which I’m interested, some totally random because I liked the cover or their gig was nice.

Will Syllogomania ever be brought to the stage, or is it strictly a studio project?
Not at this moment as I’m very active today, focusing on other three bands at once. It would be even tougher with Syllogomania being the fourth one to squeeze into the schedule and financially to rent another rehearsal room. Time passes by crazy fast now. It will go even faster with the fourth band. I won’t be able to dedicate myself in full to any of them.

What kind of emotional or psychological state do you hope the listener reaches by the end of the album?
I want to invoke disgust. Still, I hope for the material to be taken positively in some way.

Is this the beginning of a long descent into inner darkness, or do you see Syllogomania evolving in new directions?
I still have some old “trash” to be finally used, so we will see how it plays out. Probably not that much with obsessive hoarding as the main topic. There will be other things to write about for some variety. Negative ones, that’s for sure.