Introduction
Maria of Copper Mountains released her debut album, "Into the Black Whirlpools (В чёрны омуты)", on April 16, 2026. I had the pleasure of reviewing the record and really enjoyed it, which led to a few questions, read our full conversation below.
The Interview
First of all, hello and thank you for doing this interview!
Maria: Thank you for inviting me! The attention to the project gives me the strength to keep creating, I’ll be glad to talk about my music.
The name Maria of Copper Mountains immediately evokes something folkloric and almost mythical. Where does the name come from?
Maria: You’re right, this name was inspired by the tales of Pavel Bazhov, which are an integral part of the Ural identity (Ural is the region I’m from). Although these tales are the author’s own material, not genuine folklore, they symbolize the Ural as they are based on elements of Ural distinctiveness - mountains, mining, and the abundance of minerals. One of Bazhov’s tales, “The Mistress of the Copper Mountain,” tells the story of a mythical spirit-mistress of the Ural Mountains. She is the owner of the earth’s riches, the keeper of the secrets of beauty. This is where the project’s name comes from - as a symbol of local identity.
The album "Into the Black Whirlpools" is a blend of atmospheric black metal, dark ambient, folk, and blackgaze. Do you think about genres while composing, or do those labels come afterward?
Maria: Initially, I didn’t have an intention to write black metal. I wanted to create atmospheric, immersive music with folk motifs, relying more on rock music. It quickly became clear that black metal and its expressive means suited these purposes very well. Now the palette of genres has become more or less established, and I would like to continue adhering to it. I like what it gives and what can be achieved with its help.
Your vocals are probably the first element that pops off, your range and, at times, sounding almost ethereal. How did you develop your style, and what are your influences?
Maria: Thank you for the compliment! I think the main influence here is the angelic vocals of Sharon den Adel. As a teenager, I constantly tried to imitate her singing. Then I entered a music school, where I studied folk vocal techniques, and I began to sing differently - densely, loudly (actually I mean so-called “chest voice”). This kind of singing is characteristic of the Ural song tradition. Nevertheless, my love for falsetto singing never went away, so now I really enjoy mixing the falsetto pop sound with elements of folk techniques.
Still on influences, which metal or non-metal bands, projects, artists etc are an inspiration to you?
Maria: Anna Von Hausswolff. Within Temptation, Asenssia, Lana Del Rey, Srub. Beautiful music always inspires creativity, no matter what genre it is.
You collaborated with Nikita Sapogov for the album. How is it for you to have a second person contributing ideas, helping compose the songs, etc?
Maria: This is wonderful! I love our creative symbiosis with Nikita, it's easy for us to create together, although of course, there are some conflicts sometimes, haha. I'm more conservative in my music production, and his suggestions are usually more experimental and innovative, so we rein each other in and complement each other.
After completing "Into the Black Whirlpools", is there anything about the album, or about yourself as an artist, that you understand differently now than when you first began writing it?
Maria: The album gave me a more cohesive understanding and image of what we represent, and I really liked it. Now we’re in the process of writing new material, and now we have a reference - "Into the Black Whirlpools." At the moment, for me, it's the benchmark for the Maria of Copper Mountains sound, and I plan to continue to adhere to it. I see that the album received good reviews both in Russia and abroad, so I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that people like our work, and we haven't received a ton of hateful comments. Doubt and fear gave way to confidence. So, we need to keep going!
As a last question, anything you want to add, is there anything you’d like to say? Final words are yours! :)
Maria: I’m happy that the album has finally been released and that it’s generating interest among listeners. We are not going to stop!
Review of the album
Wastrel
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