The Theos Variant
The Theos Variant invite listeners into a cinematic world of emotion, atmosphere, and evolving sound. We spoke with the band about Tales from Ataraxia, creativity, and their musical journey.
1. Tales from Ataraxia explores the idea of searching for stillness and peace through different experiences and emotions. What does “Ataraxia” mean to The Theos Variant, and how did this idea shape the atmosphere of the album?
Ataraxia means a place of peace and contentment amid the chaos of the world. It is our task to find this place in even more turbulent times. I believe it is always with us in our minds. We just need the doorways/guideposts/Beacons to find them.
2. Each of the album’s 11 tracks tells its own story rather than forming a traditional concept album. How did you approach creating such different stories while still giving the record a cohesive identity?
We already knew what theme we wanted the album to have based on two songs we released last year and the year before. We just kept coming up with new musical ideas and attempted to craft stories centered around that theme.
3. You ultimately decided to delay Tales from Ataraxia because the original mixes didn’t have the consistency you wanted. What specifically made you realize the album needed more work, and what did that decision teach you about trusting your creative instincts?
Most of the tracks did not have the same balanced quality that two of our tracks had, and our wish was to have the consistency across the board for the album. This decision taught us to plan ahead for the next album.
4. Benedikt Hain and Thomas Krottenthaler of Outback Recordings played an important role in completing the album. How did working with them change or enhance the sound you had originally envisioned for Tales from Ataraxia?
They made everything sound bigger and more epic. They quite literally manifested the world we envisioned in sound. We are extremely proud to put out there what they have mixed and mastered for us.
5. The album combines soaring vocals, cinematic guitars, atmospheric textures, modern rock songwriting, and contrasting heavier and melodic passages. How do you balance these different elements when writing a The Theos Variant song?
It comes naturally for us. We basically just combine both of our musical tastes (what we enjoy listening to) and when we collaborate, you get the finished musical product.
6. Before the Nether arrives on September 18 with four tracks from the album, ahead of the full release on October 30. What would you like listeners to discover in this first glimpse, and what can they expect when they finally experience the complete Tales from Ataraxia journey?
We would like listeners to discover different musical worlds that we have built for each track. We also want them to discover that our signature sound is constantly evolving, but always retains certain cinematic qualities we both enjoy. This EP is a taste of the expansive musical cinematic soundscapes that is the full album. Certain tracks from the full album will contrast quite alot from the EP and I for one am excited to see and hear the reactions.