Bilocate

Interview With Bilocate

SBS:  Welcome to our pages!  Whether you’ve been here with us in some way before, or you’re brand-new to the site, it’s probably best to get an introduction from you so that we get everyone on the same page to start.  Tell us a little bit about the history of your music, and what’s happening with it lately!?!

Bilocate:  Thanks for having us.  Bilocate started in the early 2000s in Jordan, driven by a shared obsession with Metal and the desire to blend it with our Middle Eastern roots’ cultural and emotional weight.  We developed what’s been called “Dark Oriental Metal,” fusing Doom, Death, and Black Metal with regional scales and atmospheres.  Over the years, we released critically praised albums like Sudden Death Syndrome and Summoning the Bygones.  After a long hiatus driven by personal and geographic changes, we’ve returned with “Resurgence” — our first new music in over a decade.  It’s heavier, darker, and more introspective than anything we’ve done before.

SBS:  Let’s talk about the before and after of where you’re currently at.  What’s something about the music that you’re making now that you don’t think you could have done five years ago, and what’s something you think you’ll be able to do with your music five years from now that you can’t do today?  How have you grown as an artist/band, and what steps do you take to continue your artistic evolution?

Bilocate:  Five years ago, we couldn’t have made “Resurgence” because we weren’t in the same headspace — or even on the same continent.  The band was scattered, life hit hard, and we had to fight to keep the spark alive.  But we stayed connected through riffs, raw ideas, and a refusal to let Bilocate die.  That fight shaped the track’s aggression and intensity.  Five years from now?  We plan to be louder, heavier, and more unapologetic — whether that means full-lengths, splits, or even live shows in cities we’ve never reached.  Growth for us isn’t about trends or polish — it’s about staying honest, and never repeating ourselves.

SBS:  If you were to assess the overall health of the independent music scene right now, what would you say?  What are the positives and the negatives about the current state of independent music, and what do you feel like artists & bands can do to contribute to the community & help it grow beyond the music being made?  If you’re not actively looking to listen to the music of other independent artists/bands, is it really all that fair to expect anyone would listen to yours?  How do you help the scene around you grow?

Bilocate:  The scene is alive but fragmented.  The positives are clear: independent artists have more tools than ever to create, distribute, and connect.  The negatives are saturation and short attention spans.  We try to support the scene by amplifying others, especially in the Middle East, where resources are scarce.  Sharing playlists, giving feedback, and showing up for underground shows are powerful acts.  If you want people to care about your voice, you have to care about theirs.

SBS:  What do you consider to be the biggest accomplishment or achievement you’ve had with your music to-date?  How do you personally measure your own success – is that something that even can be measured?  Is it awards, accolades, chart position…or is your definition of success based on something entirely different?  Should success, however you define it, be something that artists are continually focused on – or is success something that naturally occurs in the course of doing what you love to do?

Bilocate:  Honestly, releasing “Resurgence” after more than a decade away was a defining moment for us.  It wasn’t just about dropping a track — it was about proving that the fire was still there even with years and borders between us.  We didn’t have a label pushing us or a team scripting our return.  It was all us — writing, recording, and moving through everything life threw our way.  Success, for us, isn’t about numbers or press.  When someone from Brazil, Iran, or Poland reaches out, saying the music connected with them, it means something real.  That’s the kind of impact that lasts.

SBS:  When you’re working on something brand-new, and something about it just doesn’t feel like it’s coming together the way that you think it should, how do you know when it’s time to give up on it, or how do you know that it’s time to dig in even harder and find a way to make it work?  Are there distinct red flags you can hear when something’s not working?  What are the signs you look for that tell you to stop forcing the material?  What would actually encourage you to keep going with the process instead?

Bilocate:  For us, everything starts with the lyrics.  They set the tone, the mood, and the architecture of the track.  It’s not just stacking riffs and hoping something sticks — it’s building a sonic landscape that reflects the story and emotion behind every word.  Think of it like scoring a film: every section and shift needs to serve the scene.  If something feels off — a misplaced tempo, a riff that doesn’t reflect the weight of the lyrics — we know it’s not ready.  But when the pieces lock in and the music feels like the words, that’s when we know we’ve got something worth finishing.  That’s the foundation we build from.

SBS:  One of the points of general consensus in the art of making music, is that we all get our sound from somewhere…we hear what we like, then more often than not, we take tiny pieces of what we love to find our own voice & approach to go on and make music in our own way.  Essentially, what I’m saying is that it’s absolutely natural to be inspired by other artists/bands, and almost every artist/band ends up having that inspiration show up in their own work in some way, shape, or form.  What the real key is though, is retaining your own organic perspective – you still wanna be original too, right?  So how do you go about doing that?  Are there artists or bands that you know have been an influence on your style & sound?  How were you able to incorporate that influence without becoming too noticeably derivative and still be yourself?  Should we embrace and celebrate our influences more than we do?  It’s almost like we try not to admit influences exist in the pursuit of being original, but it’s like, bruh…if it’s there, we can hear it.  We all borrow something from those that came before us to some extent, don’t we?

Bilocate:  We owe a debt to bands like Opeth, My Dying Bride, Enslaved, and Katatonia.  But we always filtered those influences through the lens of our experience — being from the Middle East, dealing with regional taboos around Metal, and navigating exile and identity.  We use native scales, thematic weight, and emotional storytelling to stay grounded in our truth.  We don’t hide our influences — we honor them by building something new from them.

SBS:  Has there ever been a time where you wrote something inside one of your songs…maybe it’s a lyrical line, or maybe it’s a riff of some kind…something that you did, where you surprised yourself?  I like to think we all have a moment or two where we can stand back and be amazed by something we created, and appreciate the fact that maybe, just maybe, we exceeded our own expectations of what we thought we could accomplish – you know what I mean?  Get as specific as you can so the fans out there know what they should be paying attention to when they hear it – what’s your favorite thing that you’ve written on the inside of one of your songs, and why does this particular piece resonate so much to you?

Bilocate:  The final breakdown of “Resurgence” hit us hard.  It was raw, stripped-down, and unexpectedly melodic amidst all the chaos.  The line “In dreams we become alive… yet, helpless… lifeless… dreamless… in resurgence” still gives us chills.  It encapsulates the paradox of hope after trauma.  We didn’t plan for it to land that way — but it did.  That’s the magic of songwriting when it’s honest.

SBS:  I’ve been having a lot of great debates lately about whether or not everybody that’s making music has the right to be heard…and you’d probably be surprised by how different people seem to feel about this issue.  I know where I stand on it, and I think you can all probably get an idea of what my position would be from this free interview we’re doing here & the way we run things at sleepingbagstudios…but regardless, I’m putting this question out there to you, because I’m interested in YOUR perspective.  Just because you’ve made a song, does that mean people should listen?  If your answer is yes, do your best to explain why you feel that way & why we should make a sincere effort to listen to the music of others.  If your answer is no, explain why you feel that way, but also explain why people should still be listening to your music if that’s the case – what would make your music the exception, and not follow the rule?  Is there any value to an idea that’s not finished, or a song in its demo stages, or maybe something that’s not recorded in a top-shelf studio or with good equipment – somebody still took the time to make that song to the best of their ability with the means they had to create it – should that be listened to, or not?

Bilocate:  Yes — everyone who creates with sincerity deserves to be heard.  Not every song will connect with every person, and that’s fine.  But music is more than sound — it’s memory, emotion, defiance, survival.  Especially in underground or marginalized scenes, just existing musically is a statement.  We’ve heard grainy demos from war zones that moved us more than polished chart-toppers.  Soul doesn’t care about bitrate.

SBS:  There are ups and downs in the dynamics of almost every album we listen to, with very few exceptions.  Even those exceptions, probably still come down to more of a personal preference about what we enjoy about music and how we personally hear it, rather than anything being completely and totally “perfect” – you know what I mean?  Does an album actually need to have some kind of up/down dynamics in terms of what’s appealing to the masses in order for the best of the best songs in a lineup to be fully appreciated?  Wouldn’t every artist & band avoid the ‘down’ side (less accessible/less popular for example) if they could?  Does the ‘down’ side represent something else perhaps, like the story of an album or journey of an artist?  Is the ‘up’ side of a record as potent or noticeable if it doesn’t have a ‘down’ side to go with it?  Would a completely balanced album somehow be boring if it didn’t have the ups/downs that most have?  Do we HAVE to like every single song on a record for it to be considered complete?  Are the dynamics of an album something anyone can really steer in the direction they want to, or are all artists & bands simply going with the strongest material they have created at the time?

Bilocate:  The “down” moments are essential — they give context, contrast, and breathing room.  Our albums are written as journeys.  If everything hits at 10, nothing feels heavy.  An instrumental interlude or atmospheric break can sometimes carry more weight than the following blast beat.  We don’t expect every song to be loved, but they belong if they serve the arc.  That’s how you build something timeless.

SBS:  I wanna send out a shout-out to YOU from me personally – I appreciate everyone that has taken the time to talk tunes with me throughout the years, and I appreciate the time YOU have taken with this interview too.  Because this one’s a little different in the sense that it’s been sent out to multiple people and is a little more generic in that regard, I have no doubt whatsoever that we probably didn’t get to talk to you about something you wanted to talk about – so let’s fix that!  This final space is what we call the SBS Open Floor – a spot where you can say anything else you want to say to the people out there.  It can be anything at all…your main websites…something else you want them to know about you and/or your music…your favorite bands in the scene right now…the secret 11 herbs and spices to the Colonel’s secret recipe – you get the idea, and it’s probably best you choose something that suits you rather than take any of my suggestions, but feel free to take the SBS Open Floor for a ride.  Whatever it is you want the people to know, now is the prime time for you to tell’em!  Thanks again for everything – keep in touch!

Bilocate:  Thanks for the space and the thoughtful questions.  Thank you for anyone reading this: if you’ve followed us through the years.  If you’re discovering us — welcome.  “Resurgence” is just the beginning of our next chapter.  Follow us on Instagram, Bandcamp, or www.bilocate.net to stay up to date.  And most of all, support underground Metal.  We’re stronger when we raise each other.

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