At the Heart of Stalker Music: Exclusive Interview with FireLake for SlavaR Blog

If you're a fan of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you’ve likely heard of FireLake. If not, it’s time to change that! Check out this fresh interview on the SlavaR Blog, where Oleg Yavorsky answers questions on behalf of the band.

Introduction

Have you missed FireLake? Of course, you have. As a journalist for the GSC-Fan site, I had a chance to speak with the band back in 2012. A lot has happened since then, but the bond between FireLake and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. remains as strong as ever, with fans still creating covers of their iconic tracks. I believe the story of the mutual influence between this Ukrainian metal band and one of the most legendary post-Soviet gaming blockbusters is far from over. Following the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Oleg Yavorsky (aka Yava) — founder of FireLake and former PR Director at GSC Game World — was kind enough to share his thoughts in this exclusive interview for SlavaR Blog.

It all began with an old guitar

[SlavaR]: Hi! Let’s dive into the things of past days which however are interesting. How did the idea to involve FireLake in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl OST recording appear?



FireLake in 2004

[Yava]: Hi! As with all good things in this life, the idea came spontaneously, but naturally :) There was an in-house “sound recording studio” in the company office, or rather a single room with soundproofing and microphone. It was mainly used for voice-over of the game characters: first a draft voice-over, with the developers themselves (by the way, some of the lines voiced by PROF were preserved in the release game), and then with the professional actors.

With the introduction of campfire talks in the game, there appeared a question of adding some music which would have been played by stalkers. Without much thought, we found the most busted guitar that could possibly be found, and I went to the office ‘recording studio’ to strum all what was coming to mind. We didn’t bother much about the takes, it was more important to capture the spirit of a ‘typical stalker’ at campfire: to play out of tune, loud, but with a soul :)

SlavaR’s comment: according to the memories of Dmytro Lekhno aka Krondor, former game designer at GSC Game World, in summer 2005 he brought an old guitar studied to play long ago to Kyiv from his house in Odesa, and gave it to Oleg Yavorsky for a couple of days. With this guitar Yava performed the music that was added to the nearest game build.

After that, I came to the team with an idea of Firelake creating some proper tracks for the game. I thought it would be a good promotion for the band, and there were places in the game where the music had to be added anyway, like Sidorovich’s radio, the bar, faction’s bases etc.
Obviously, our typical melodic death metal wasn’t the right type of music for it, so we needed to come up with something purely instrumental and without brutal vocals. The band supported the idea, and we got down to start creating. After a while, we already had five tracks, including “Dirge for the Planet” without vocals in the old arrangement and four new tracks.

We made a recording at the rehearsal, and I let PROF and other fellow developers listen to the demo. In fact, the devs liked all of them, but only two tracks of this first set were included in the game, “Dirge for the Planet” and “Against the Ionized Odds”. Later on, “Fighting Unknown” was also added to the collection — we recorded all three tracks in the friend’s studio overnight.



2005

The remaining tracks from that first demo have been left in dust on my HDD until recently, when we decided to release them (as live bonus tracks) in our compilation called S.O.U.N.D.T.R.A.C.K.S. If anyone is interested to listen, go to that page[firelake.hearnow.com], there are all the links here.

Iconic tracks

[SlavaR]: Your song “Dirge for the Planet” first appeared on the 2005 album “The Temptation Journey”. It’s about the “miraculous crystal given by stars”. And it seems like it brings us to the old Monolith concept in the ChNPP Sarcophagus as an evolutionary module that fell to Earth from space. Does this mean that the lyrics are really inspired by the game?

[Yava]: No, it was just a lucky match. “Dirge for the Planet” is one of our first songs, and the lyrics were written before the game’s appearance. This song is about how the global ecological disaster happens on Earth, when the future generation has to deal with a burned planet, where there is nothing alive here. The point of this song resonates well with the apocalyptic world of the game, that’s why it fits perfectly into the context.

[SlavaR]: “Dirge for the Planet” got two new versions, and it’s known for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans in these forms: one playing on the in-game radio, and another was included on the OST. What were you seeking for when you gave a new form for the song?

[Yava]: We tried to adapt the song to the game, we were looking for an optimal sound. First we had the idea to record it with an acoustic guitar, later we tried to add keyboards on top. Thus we made a couple of versions. Sound director liked exactly the piano version for the in-game radio, and that’s how it turned out.

[SlavaR]: Your two other tracks, “Fighting Unknown” and “Against the Ionized Odds”, are not really typical for your genre. How did you work on them? What did you want to reflect in them?

[Yava]: These two tracks were already written under the influence of the game — we wanted to capture the dark atmosphere of danger, fighting for survival and reward in the end. It was our music fantasy on the subject. We invited flautist Yulia Zemlyana, our guitarist’s friend, to record “Fighting Unknown” (also they both recorded the track “Gurza Dreaming” as a side project Addaraya). The flute sound along with the guitar overdrive made a perfect mix and the right emotional effect. So that’s why everyone enjoyed the track.

[SlavaR]: We remember FireLake’s performance at Gameland Award 2 in 2006. Actually, whose initiative was it, and how GSC and the band reacted to that idea?

Left: a rehearsal for Gameland Award 2. Right: drummer Dmytro Nazarenko during the performance.

[Yava]: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was at the top of anticipated games on the market, and GSC received an invitation from Gameland to present the game at their event. Because it all happened in collaboration with MTV, the performance of various bands was planned, they needed live music from the game. I introduced the idea to the company management, and we agreed that it will be a good PR move for the project. The organizers really liked “Fighting Unknown” from all our available tracks, and the band was happy with that choice too. For FireLake it was one of the most unforgettable performances.

[SlavaR]: I’m not absolutely sure, but flautist Yulia Zemlyana didn't feel really well during the performance on stage. Is that true?

[Yava]: Yes, she had a fever of 40°C :) But she was a true stalker and showed herself as a professional in her field.

[SlavaR]: There is another song which is best known apart from the main discography of your band, it’s “Live to Forget”, in English and Russian. What’s the story of its creation? Why was it not included on the “Clear Sky” OST and came out completely only in “Call of Prypiat”?

[Yava]: We had no intention to take part in every release — everything has evolved in a natural way. Prypiat is such a powerful and iconic place that we could not but write a song. We recorded “Live to Forget” twice, in different languages and various arrangements. Originally it was in English. I’m glad that this song became part of “Call of Prypiat”, for me it’s one of the most successful tracks.

Stalker music as a way of changing

[SlavaR]: What guitar amps, cabinets, effects pedals did you prefer in the second half of the 2000s, when you wrote music for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? And what do you prefer to use for now?



2007

[Yava]: Like the overall majority of underground bands, we played on everything that was at hand and everything that was available at the rehearsal bases and gigs. In terms of guitar sound, we mostly used “processors” — Boss, Line 6, plus various pedals (generally Boss too) — Noise Gate, Equalizer and so on. Lately I prefer the “classic” — tube amp overdrive with guitar preamp. Also I use a CryBaby “wah-wah” pedal. Now digital audio processors have advanced by far, so musician’s opportunities to find their own quality sound are increasing every day.

[SlavaR]: Do you feel sad that your “stalker” tracks are better known than your main musical activity?

On S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Fest 2009 stage with singer Olena Gayuk

[Yava]: We look at this with understanding. It’s clear that melodic death metal is a specific kind of music, not everyone likes it. Besides, music is not our main professional activity, this is what we do with pleasure in our free time. And we are pleased to receive words of support regarding any of our creativity.

[SlavaR]: Have you planned to record something new for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in the early of 2010s? Maybe you had some drafts?

[Yava]: We had one new song in drafts, but this never came to “release”. Perhaps it still makes sense to record and publish it on the web.

Performance in Donetsk. March 20, 2011

[SlavaR]: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game series inspire different musicians to their creativity. Performers called their own styles “stalker rock”, “stalker metal”, “stalker punk”, although officially these subgenres are not generally accepted, the music media nothing write about them. But I want to ask you as the inspirations of these musicians, what is the “stalker music” in your opinion and what characterizes it?

[Yava]: It’s cool when the game and music inspire someone to get creative, then it was all worth it! :) I also don't really understand what the genre “stalker music” means, the main point that matters is that it should be from the bottom of one’s heart :) Probably the perfect “stalker music” is what combines with the game harmoniously, adds up to its atmosphere, a feeling of nostalgia and hope despite the depressive realities of fear and danger.

[SlavaR]: What did you learn during your working on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tracks and still use when you’re creating in your main genre?

[Yava]: Perhaps the main thing that we learned from those times is not to be afraid of changes and experiments. This is the essence of creativity, I believe.



Forge of Metal Fest in Kyiv. December 24, 2011

[SlavaR]: Did GSC Game World communicate with you to offer the recording tracks for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 reboot?

[Yava]: At some point we offered the idea to record a new soundtrack, but found no response. Anyway, our well-known tracks in the game have been included in the release.

About different things

[SlavaR]: In 2020 vocalist Victoria Kotenko was replaced by Asya Pashynska. How does it feel to work with her?



Asya Pashynska

[Yava]: It’s great, she is very talented and ambitious. Glad to watch her growth as a vocalist.

[SlavaR]: How has the full-scale invasion impacted you and your musical activity?

[Yava]: The war has had a significant impact, we were scattered at different places, each has their own circumstances. That’s why we haven’t been performing at live events lately. But the music lives on, and we're not giving up.

[SlavaR]: What’s supporting you now?

[Yava]: First of all, our families and friends. Second, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and faith in the victory. And music, by all means.

[SlavaR]: Which is easier to create, melodies or ideas for lyrics?



Promo poster for FireLake’s second studio album Radioactive, 2012

[Yava]: First thing is always music :) Since I can remember, we always had problems with lyrics, and I had to write them :) Fortunately, now Asya helps out in this case and writes herself.

[SlavaR]: Now I have probably a strange question for you. I found a large number of absurd jokes about bassists. I can’t understand, what have they done to deserve this :) What do you think about it, in particular your bassist Anton Kleshchоv? And I remember Sergiy Dvuzhylny was a bassist in the past too.

[Yava]: Hmm, I guess there are many jokes that can be only about drummers :)) Kind of “hey, I can’t figure out, what is this song we are playing right now?!”. Musicians as creative persons like to make fun. Our life without humor would be unbearable.

[SlavaR]: When can we expect your next album and what are your future plans?

[Yava]: Five or six new tracks are already waiting in our “collect box”. I hope we can record them and release the new album in the near future. We will definitely let you know! :)

[SlavaR]: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers on Steam Community?

[Yava]: Thanks for your attention to our music, stay in touch, and glory to Ukraine!

Band members

Current members

• Oleg Yavorsky — guitar, backing vocals
  
• Sergiy Dvuzhylny — guitar, backing vocals
  
• Dmytro Nazarenko — drums
  
• Asya Pashynska — vocals
  
• Anton Kleshchоv — bass

Former members

• Oleksii Akulshyn — guitar
  
• Andriy Salnikov — drums
  
• Roman Gomenyuk — bass, vocals
  
• Ruslan Drizd — guitar
  
• Olena Korol — vocals
  
• Olga Lyapina — vocals
  
• Andriy Larionov — guitar
  
• Vladimiros Kurkimtsys — bass
  
• Victoria Kotenko — vocals
  
• Andriy Popov — vocals
  
• Oksana Element — vocals

Discography

• 2005 — The Temptation Journey
  
• 2012 — Radioactive
  
• 2024 — S.O.U.N.D.T.R.A.C.K.S

Gratitude

The author thanks:

• Oleg Yavorsky for chatting and photos,
  
• Kaitlyn Keller for support with English editing.

The article also uses photos by Tetiana Mundshtukova.

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[SlavaR]

Glad to see that you discovered something new!

[Borahkreth]

I had no idea Firelake's founder was the former PR Director at GSC Game World. That explains how they ended up on the soundtrack. And that's a good thing, as Dirge for the planet is one my favorite song (though I prefer Alina Gingertail's cover), and Live to forget is also awesome.

[SlavaR]

Thanks rad!

[rad]

Awesome blog! Glory to Ukraine!