Today we’d like to introduce you to Simlev.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

Being a kid of the ’70s, I was always fascinated by the guitar. Some of my earliest memories are of seeing Elvis on TV, strumming a guitar. It looked cool and sounded even better. I would grab anything I could find around the house and pretend I was playing, completely lost in the moment.

As a kid, I gravitated toward any rock songs centered around the guitar, but my true obsession began when I discovered metal at a young age. Iron Maiden was my gateway—drawn in by their monstrous album covers, since I loved to draw creatures myself. The Number of the Beast was my first love, and from that point on, I was hooked on heavier music and dark imagery.

At that stage, I was just a fan. But everything changed in 1988 when I heard …And Justice for All by Metallica and Dimension Hatröss by Voivod. Those albums didn’t just inspire me—they ignited an obsession. I had to get a guitar. I had to create.

A year later, after scraping together enough money from a crappy summer job, I bought my first beginner guitar, a small Peavey amp, and a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal. I spent the next six months teaching myself Metallica riffs, but I quickly realized I wasn’t satisfied just playing other people’s music. My head was already filled with my own ideas, my own sound.

I found a drummer in my area, and we started jamming. A year later, I was writing full songs—songs that would become Krokmitën’s first demo, Can’t Get Away.

The rest is history.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Finding like-minded musicians and putting a band together was no easy task. I’ve always been a driven individual with strong opinions, which made it even harder to find the right people. Eventually, I managed to surround myself with friends and piece together a unit solid enough to start writing songs.

Finding a place to rehearse was another struggle. Our parents tolerated our jam sessions on weekends—for a while. But the noise wore on them quickly, and soon, we had nowhere to play. Being broke kids didn’t help. I was desperate to record my ideas, but back then, recording on a computer wasn’t an option. You had to rent equipment, figure it out on the fly, and make it work.

Despite the challenges, we scraped together enough money to record Krokmitën’s first demo, Can’t Get Away. The process was anything but easy, but I loved every second of it. I couldn’t wait to write more, to get back into the studio. The following year, we recorded our second demo, Follow the Rain.

With those two demos in hand, we started playing local shows, even putting together a small youth center tour around the greater Montreal area. That’s when the real challenge reared its ugly head—keeping a band together. I quickly realized that no one around me was as driven or had as clear a vision for Krokmitën as I did.

After about four years of struggling to keep the band together, I realized I no longer had it in me. Keeping Krokmitën alive felt like an uphill battle, and eventually, I decided to put it on the shelf and shift my focus to my graphic design career. I told myself I’d get back to it when the time was right.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

As a professional graphic designer and video editor, I’ve always loved blending those skills with my music. That’s why every Krokmitën album features strong imagery and visuals to complement the sound.

I’m also a huge movie fan, which has a clear influence on both my music and design. I approach songwriting like scoring a film, crafting soundscapes that unfold cinematically. Visually, I aim to create a semi-cinematic aesthetic that enhances the experience.

Krokmitën albums are one-track compositions, flowing organically—much like scenes in a movie or movements in a classical piece—immersing the listener in a continuous sonic journey.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

I’m a deeply instinctive person, always following where my vision leads. Fortunately/unfortunately I tend to see grandiose projects in my head, and bringing them to life is incredibly time-consuming.

Working on a Krokmitën album is a total mind-fuck. It’s a constant battle against the limits of time, energy, and budget—what I call the evil triangle of creativity. At some point, something has to give. Do I invest the time and energy to save money, or do I throw money at a problem to buy back time and energy?

I usually try to have it all, which means making quick, committed decisions to keep the process moving. But no matter how much I push myself, albums always take longer than I’d like—because when it comes to my vision, compromise is really not an option.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.krokmiten.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krokmiten/
• Twitter: https://x.com/krokmiten
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@krokmiten
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/31cJIHpouXmjlZHRyUgvU8

Image Credits

Simlev