Obsidian Kingdom came on the scene to shake things up in many different ways. Their music is unclassifiable, falling somewhere between sludgy doom and proggy rock, with plenty of analog keyboard influence and retro flair, and their latest record, MEAT MACHINE, out now, is a surreal, neon masterpiece.
Another, often less-talked-about fact is that Obsidian Kingdom contain a proud member of the queer community. Judit, the keyboardist, is a trans woman and a badass. She’s stoked on MEAT MACHINE, which, in her words is “a beautiful trainwreck bundled with screams, sweat, explosions, meat, and nausea.”
Before releasing this latest album, the band went through a lot of changes. They dealt with member changes, issues with producers, a drummer who went sober, Judit’s transition, and of course, what all humans have been dealing with for the past year.
“It’s all kinda there in the record, so have a listen for a little piece of us,” Judit says. Luckily, the record has been received well, and so has Judit’s personal journey as a trans woman.
“In my experience, since my transition, I’ve only received love and support from our fans,” she says. “I think the stereotypical party-animal-misogynistic-macho trope is no longer dominant in the scene. It’s still a very male-predominant scene, and I would certainly love to see metal bands with a more relaxed approach to gender expression and identity in general, but it’s 2020, and times are a-changin’. I’m sure it will get more diverse in the times to come.”
Judit admits that she’s privileged in a way, as her family, friends, coworkers, and bandmates have all supported her. However, she tried to come out initially at 19, before being trans was as accepted as it is today. She was faced with denial and went back into the closet until she turned 34.
“But at 34, things were different,” she says. “After I transitioned, Edgar, Obsidian’s singer, told me something like ‘now I can read you.’ I had been this dark and hermetic character for so long … coming to terms with myself and transitioning brought to life a more honest, proud, and authentic version of me, and that was noticed by many close people.”
In terms of helping other people through the same journey, Judit has a clear message.
“You are valid. You are loved. You are not alone. I totally get it: it’s a leap of faith, and the void is scary. And we don’t wanna push you, rest assured. You do you, on your own terms, at your own pace. You don’t even have to come out at all if you don’t want to. But if you ever do, remember: you are valid. You are loved. You are—mark my words—not alone.”
“Haters are gonna hate, and there will always be that misogynistic, transphobic, racist, or ableist comment, but I think they are less and less cheered by the community, and it will only get better,” says Judit. “Stay safe, stay wild, rebel yourself.”
Pick up a copy here.
