Grimy, melodic, and high-energy, Pacific North-West based musician Warlord Colossus is a distinct voice in the shadow rap genre. Combining dynamic vocals and paired-back, undulating tracks, Warlord’s music ranges from sinister, slow beats to aggressive, guttural flows that inject you with enough energy to rip a door off its hinges.
Sitting down to talk about the state of flow that comes from being present in creating work, Warlord Colossus speaks to his own process and explains that “I make for myself first, from the soul, and let the universe feed ideas to me, I never want it to feel forced, and I don’t think about the end result."
So like starting out with an idea and focusing your energy on the process, without being attached to the outcome?
Yeah, I let the melody come, let the lyrics come, it all kind of materialises from somewhere and I use my life experience to interpret the sounds and ideas that I’m hearing in my head. Then I bring it all together.
What about themes, would you say you work with specific themes in mind?
I wouldn’t say that I focus on specific themes because I don’t want to feel limited to working within a certain set of ideas. I guess they do naturally come up, but they're more of a by-product than an intention.
Do you think that’s because you primarily create through a lens of personal experience? Like there’s always going to be recurring subject matter, but what you’re experiencing is also always going to change.
When I’m making music it’s coming from whatever I’m feeling at the time. I’ll find a sound if I’m feeling energetic, or angry, or heroic, or strong, and I’ll channel my energy into that. My songs are for swinging swords, moshing, shooting guns, lifting weights, running, they’re for expressing aggression, but in a productive way.
Based on conversations we’ve had in the past I know that learning to reframe aggression is important to you, do you want to expand on that?
As you get older you start to understand that not everything that happens to you is bad, even if it feels bad in the moment. Things that are challenging are usually opportunities for growth, you might not be able to control what happens to you in life, but you can control how you respond. So I think it’s really important to learn how to have a positive relationship with your aggression. There’s value in having healthy outlets for aggression, you can be aggressive, and you can be strong, and you can be a good person. You should learn to do battle, and then try not to.
I guess building on that idea of getting older and developing your sense of self in a way that feels authentic, in what ways do you think your work has grown and changed in the time that you’ve been making music?
I’ve learnt that simple is good, simple is considered and intentional. You can overthink things really easily, but not everything needs to be complicated. Learn what works for you and master it. For me I need the melody to be wavy and have movement, that way there’s room for the vocals and space for me to use my voice in different ways. I like to simplify my workflow, and focus on a high standard of sound quality.
You’ve mentioned before that an early influence for you was realising the ways in which songs can communicate a story, how does narrative function in the way you write lyrics?
I’m writing from my own experience, but I want to be able to say more with less words. The more you can refine the language you’re using, the more impactful it is for your audience. Someone who’s dealing with mental struggle but wants to do better is who I feel I can relate to the most. It’s important to say something strong, and I think being really intentional and deliberate in the words I’m using allows the audience to find their own connection in it.
That mindset of being intentional and deliberate is something I’ve observed across your work. When you’re in studio, what are you striving for during the process of making and editing music?
Ultimately I want things to sound really beautiful. I want every word to sound strong, I’m counting every syllable, everything needs to fit together. Being present in that process and being in alignment with what feels authentic to you allows all the parts to fall into place. The melody you’re looking for will find you, and when you’re present with that melody then the rest of it comes.
What about beat, does beat function in the same way for you?
Mm no, for me melody is always first. It’s everything, the cadence of the drums will fall into that, and so will the lyrics, but the melody is the crucial part.
I know performing is something you really love, when you’re putting together a song are you considering what it’s going to look and feel like when it's played in front of a crowd?
Oh yeah if I don’t think the song will go hard in front of 10,000 people then it’s not right, because it means it hasn’t achieved the level of energy or momentum that I need to see in what I’m making. If the melody can’t move you without my words, if my words don’t sound powerful, if the drums don’t bang, if it doesn’t make you feel tough in your car, then I’m not putting it out.
You talk a lot about how the flow state that comes from being present in the making process allows all these separate parts to fall into place, is that feeling of being fully immersed in a task something you think we should strive for in general?
I think everyone should be working towards finding what it is in their life that allows them to enter that flow state. It’s a balance of challenge and skill, and it’s what gives you a feeling of connection to yourself and the rest of the world. That’s why I’m so dedicated to what I do, growth is a goal but it’s not why I make music, I do it because there’s nothing else I can create out of thin air like this.