All-consuming genres like blackgaze lean into atmosphere, nature, and otherworldly influences to interpret the world through sound. And for Unreqvited, a black metal act hailing from Ottowa, Ontario, making cold, calming, and ambient compositions is where the warmth and light rise through the winter chill.
Despite the icy overtones, make no mistake: Unreqvited has a fire beneath the sonic surface, filled with echoes of hope and mystery. What many consider “dark” in the genre is the very thing that infuses the experience with magic and enchantment.
We connected with Unreqvited to discuss their history, new music on the horizon, and who they are beyond the sounds of winter.
You’re based in Canada. Is that right?
That’s right, I’m in Ottawa, Ontario.
How is the blackgaze/atmospheric black metal scene there?
Practically non-existent, it seems. I don’t keep up with a lot of new music that comes out, but I haven’t heard of any new artists in the genre coming up from my area. Atmospheric black metal seems to do well over on the Quebec side, but Ottawa is mostly metalcore and hardcore, which I was once heavily involved in.
You are arguably one of the more successful artists in blackgaze. What got you into the genre, and why do you think you’ve had so much success thus far?
I’ve always loved Deafheaven and Alcest, but my love for the genre was reignited when I discovered the “Lightfox177” and “Atmospheric Black Metal Albums” YouTube channels back in 2015/2016. I went down the rabbit hole of new artists that were coming out and felt compelled to make my own contribution to the sub-genre.
As far as why it’s been successful, I’m not 100% certain. I’m sure there’s an element of luck in there, but I’ve also been very determined over the past few years to make something out of the project. I put a lot of work into every element of what Unreqvited is, and I think the audience I’ve cultivated appreciates that. They make everything that I do possible, and I want to offer them something more than just an album every two years.
You recently released a split with Sadness on 02/14. According to Flowing Downward, each act will last 20 minutes. How did this collab come about? Is there a reason you both went with 20-minute tracks?
Flowing Downward reached out about it roughly a year ago. Andrea (from the label) and I know each other because he also does some work for Avantgarde Music, which is the label I released my 2018 album, Stars Wept to the Sea, under. Sadness already had a 15+ minute song in the works when Flowing Downward reached out, so I knew right away we would be making one long song each. I’m a fan of everything Sadness makes, so I happily accepted the offer. I was also eager to challenge myself to write such a long piece of music.
Speaking of Flowing Downward, to my knowledge, you are not on their “roster” of bands. Are you currently independent, or are you working with a label?
I’m technically still locked in with Prophecy Productions for a few more albums, but I got the OK from them to partake in this split under FD.
What bands and artists have influenced your work?
So, so many. Alcest has always been a big one, but shortly before recording my debut album, Disquiet, I was getting pretty heavily into Woods of Desolation and Ghost Bath. Those two bands heavily influenced the sound of that record, and from there I started to inject a lot of my other influences into that core sound I started with. Stars Wept to the Sea is heavily influenced by film score, Mosaic I is heavily influenced by post-rock, etc. Every record has a different set of influences behind it based on my listening habits at the time.
What role does spirituality play in your artistry, if at all?
I’m fascinated with the idea of spirituality, but I am in no way a spiritual person. Being creative and being able to escape the world is cathartic for me, but it isn’t a spiritual experience or anything like that. My brain is pretty closed-off to things like meditation, faith, spirituality, superstition, etc. It’s unfortunate, because it is one of my favourite topics to write about.
Outside of Unreqvited, who are you? What are some of the things you love doing besides music?
I fill up a lot of my time with music-related things between all of my projects so I can stay as busy as possible. I’m a bit of an addictive personality these days, so I’ll occasionally have long bouts where I am heavily engaging in something else like gaming, reading books, being social, etc. But I generally need to be in my room making music as much as possible to feel productive and creatively fulfilled. Since I try to do as much as I can in-house, it’s also nice to have other things that I can do to maintain that productive feeling, even if I’m in a creative block. I’ll always have merch orders to fulfill, new t-shirts to screen-print, emails/fan comments to respond to, music production videos to watch and learn from, etc.
In what way can fans best support you?
Patreon is an awesome place for supporting small artists. I have a wonderful little community there that get special perks for their support. Otherwise, picking up physical copies and merchandise on Bandcamp is hands down the next best thing!
You can follow Unreqvited on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bandcamp.
