Chiron interview: ‘There is no such thing as perfection, but you want what you create to be the best that it can’
Michael Aliani will undoubtedly always be associated with IKON, a band that can rightly be considered one of the finest representatives of the Australian Dark-Wave scene. Although Aliani has maintained close ties with IKON, he embarked on a new musical journey back in 1997 under the name Chiron. Since then, Chiron has released several strong albums, and “A Dark Beauty”, released via Dark Vinyl Records, is a worthy addition to that body of work. Sometimes, beauty is found precisely where the light fades and darkness takes over. With “A Dark Beauty”, Chiron delivers an album in which atmosphere, emotion, and musical intensity converge. But what lies behind this dark beauty? What stories, emotions, and sources of inspiration shaped this latest work? I put these questions to Michael Aliani. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Chiron has now been around for nearly 30 years. When you look back at the Michael Aliani who founded Chiron and compare him to the artist who created “A Dark Beauty” today, what do you think has remained fundamentally the same—and what has completely disappeared or evolved?
Michael: Wow, nearly 30 years. That is remarkable. It doesn’t feel like 30 years. Time seems to go rather quickly, especially as you get older. And to put things in perspective, it has nearly been 40 years since I first started this musical journey. What a trip that is.
To be totally honest, I feel, fundamentally, that I have remained the same. I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing. In saying that, I do hope I have evolved on a personal level. There are some advantages in the aging process, I hope.
Q: “A Dark Beauty” is described as a bold evolution in terms of its influences. How did this evolution come about? Were there aspects of your earlier albums that you were less satisfied with—or perhaps had simply grown a little tired of by then? Tell us a little more about this new ‘sound’?
Michael: The evolution of “A Dark Beauty” is more about Dino, Ivan and Ernie and the relationship the four of us have with one another. I don’t think it has anything to do with the past. When you work with artists of this elite caliber, people you totally trust, the artistic process happens rather naturally.
Ivan joining Chiron has been a bit of a revelation in the evolution of the Chiron sound. His delicate guitar solos, subtle Metal influences, and beautiful Electronic and orchestral elements cannot be understated. The other revelation is working with Ernie again after many years. He is the fourth member of Chiron. I have known him for a long time, know how he works, and totally trust him. He did a lot of work shaping the sound of “A Dark Beauty”.
During this process, I wasn’t really thinking of earlier albums. You get a little obsessed with what you are doing at the time. What you have done in the past isn’t relevant. I think that has been a constant for every album/EP I have ever worked on.
Q: The album’s title intrigues me, especially given the themes it explores, such as isolation, the challenges of the world today, and the allure of melancholy. How does this connect to the title? Is it meant to be cynical, or is it based on a metaphor?
Michael: It’s definitely not meant to be cynical. I think the title is a good representation of overall feeling of the album. And to be honest, it does sound cool. We were having several conversations about possible titles, when Ernie suggested “A Dark Beauty” and it just seemed right. Then our wonderful artist Herbert Starek who also did the artwork for “The Sun Goes Down” and works closely with Dark Vinyl Records came up with the artwork for “A Dark Beauty” and to say everything fell rather beautifully into place, is an understatement.
Q: If a band wants to evolve towards a new or different sound, I imagine that this must have an impact on the creative process and bring certain challenges with it. How did that process unfold, and how did you find the right balance among yourselves to achieve the sound you were looking for?
Michael: I would love to tell you that when we started writing “A Dark Beauty” I had a specific sound and vision in mind. But I would be lying. The most important part of the artistic process is for everyone to feel totally free. I am not the sort of person who likes to be too organized or rigid. I think I rely on feeling and instinct during the creative process and let things develop naturally. And “A Dark Beauty” evolved naturally. There were no challenges in the process.
Q: What hasn’t changed in my eyes—or rather, my ears—is the power of the choruses, which often deliver that potent, uplifting effect. Let’s be honest: a good chorus can be the key to whether a song works or not, can’t it? Or do you see it differently? And are there any bands or artists that you regard as benchmarks in this respect?
Michael: I think you are completely right about the power of the chorus. I have never really thought about it before now, but it’s defiantly a feature in most of the music I have been involved in.
Most of the music I listen to has choruses that have impact. At the moment, I have been listening to Leonard Cohen, The Editors, Bowie, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Dead Can Dance, Portis Head, Tool, Sade, Tesseract, Pink Floyd and a heap of other bands.
Q: Music is undoubtedly a major part of your life, but what does that actually mean to you, and what would a life without music look like? On the other hand, I also wonder what role music can play today in a world filled with so much horror, suffering, war, alienation, and so on?
Michael: I have never really known life without music. Some of my earliest memories are growing up with grandmother and being forced to dance to Glen Miller or Elvis in the lounge room. To be honest I cannot really put into words the importance of music. I cannot imagine life without music. I suppose that gives you an idea.
What music means, and the role it plays within a rather dark world is different for everyone. Hopefully it can help in some way. I think we do need it.
Q: The album has been out for a few months now. How critical are you of yourself when you listen back to the tracks? And what, if anything, have you learned from the album that you might take with you into future Chiron songs?
Michael: When I listen back to the album now, I am not critical at all. But during the creative process I was. There is no such thing as perfection, but you want what you create to be the best that it can. If you were not a little critical, and I don’t mean in a negative way, you wouldn’t push yourself. That is why the process of creating an album takes years, not weeks.
I have learned that Chiron is in a good place. The relationship I have with Dino, Ivan and Ernie is quite special. Working with nice people, who happen to be talented, makes me a very lucky person. We are really excited about what is coming next. We are already getting some ideas together for the next Chiron album and chatting about it. We want to push it even more with the next release. It might be a little more experimental in places, or a little more dramatic in places. On a personal level, I want to push my vocals more. It’s rather exciting. 2026 has seen Chiron get back to performing live shows and we have totally loved it.
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