30 Apr 2023 - Thorsten

Downfall of Gaia have just released a new record called Silhouettes of Disgust and it’s awesome as it is more Crust Punk than Black Metal. And which position is maybe the most important in Crust Punk? Yes, the drummer! Thus it should not come as a surprise that we sat down with Downfall of Gaia’s drummer Michael Kadnar and talked with him about the new record, his record label Silent Pendulum Records and much more!

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28 Apr 2023 - Simon

Brilliant Bristol noise-mongers Sugar Horse were kind enough to sit down with us for a (quite frankly brilliant) interview which was every bit as good as we could have hoped for.

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23 Apr 2023 - Thorsten

Today marks the second “birthday” of Veil of Sound and yes, we could not be prouder – you have shown this little baby so much love, given us so much positive feedback, spread the word about us: Therefore, of course we want to give back something special. How do we do that? By giving you an interview with a legend, none other than the mighty Minuteman himself, Mike Watt!

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19 Apr 2023 - Thorsten

Alchemy for the Dead - the title of the upcoming Spotlights record, to be released April 28 via Ipecac Recordings, is a red thread that can be found in the lyrics and themes as well as in the music itself. All of that and more were the topics that we discussed with the band!

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11 Apr 2023 - Thorsten

See You Next Tuesday is one of these bands which should be huge, but unfortunately the world is not a just place, so we have to push them more. So that finally, there will be more people noticing how cool their songs and how hard their soundscapes are! Therefore - enjoy this interview with one of the band members!

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03 Apr 2023 - Thorsten

The Infinity Ring is one of those new bands which will make a lasting impression on the listener, because they sound pretty timeless and classic and at the same time modern and progressive. That paradox and a lot more was the reason for us to do this interview with band leader and main song arrangeur Cameron.

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26 Mar 2023 - Thorsten

After the success of our first double interview with Brutus interviewing Psychonaut and vice versa (still available here) it was clear that this format needs to become a regular staple for us. Since then we have been arranging some of these and here you get the second installment with two of our favorite Italian bands - Postvorta and Ropes Inside A Hole.

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20 Mar 2023 - Thorsten

Sometimes we feel a certain urge to highlight and showcase musicians that not enough people take notice of and Edley ODowd is surely one of them. He has played with some of the most remarkable musicians of the last 50 years and is surely a jack-of-all-trades. One more reason to talk to Edley is surely that he is one of the most humble, most reserved and most selfless persons I have ever had the chance to talk to. Please enjoy the hell out of this interview!

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12 Mar 2023 - Thorsten

It is always fun to be told by a band that what you thought about anything related to the group (track or record titles, name of the band, artwork etc) is completely wrong - maybe valid in other circumstances but mostly completely wrong. This happened, when I interviewed Phal:Angst. Where was I wrong? Well, listen to our interview with the band. Then you will also find out what Joy Division has to do with Japanese fish.

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08 Mar 2023 - Thorsten

Sometimes it is awesome to help friends. When being a music blog that’s not always easy, because how do you tell someone you like “I think we cannot help you, because the record is not good (at all)”? Difficult and sometimes awkward. In the case of KOLLAPS\E, the constellation of musician - reviewer is an easy one, because the band is constantly evolving and their latest record The Phantom Centre is an awesome piece of Post-Metal, full of heavy songs, brilliant dynamics and loads of atmosphere! Therefore we had to sit down with Daniel, the mastermind behind the band and talk about the band’s development, the songs, the pandemic and so much more. Enjoy!

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05 Mar 2023 - Thorsten

There are bands who make a record every two years and others publish one full-length a year. There are more productive bands and there is Fucked Up, a band with more than 100 releases to their name. One guy that was in it for all of these is founding member Mike Haliechuk who also writes most of the stuff - also for the latest record One Day, which shows yet another side of the Canadian Hardcore band!

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02 Mar 2023 - Thorsten

We here at Veil of Sound try to come up with new ideas for talks and topics all the time and sometimes we ourselves are surprised when some of these ideas work out. One of these surprises was this interview with Chef Curtis Duffy, one of the most interesting American chefs who turns out to be a metal head like many of us, who knows his stuff and who spent more than half an hour talking to Thorsten! Enjoy this delicious interview!

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26 Feb 2023 - Thorsten

Post-Rock bands have a tendency to elongate songs into infinity by repeating parts over and over again - it can become boring at times. Therefore it is pretty refreshing to hear a band doing Post-Rock but without these redundancies - even though there are also a lot really good ones out there who write long songs that are not redundant. One of these bands for Post-Rock lovers with short attention spans is surely jeffk from Leipzig, Germany, who has recently released their new record TAR and who were so kind to sit down with us and talk about the record and so much more!

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19 Feb 2023 - Thorsten

Dichotomy. Paradox. Contrast. All words that synonymously could be used to talk about the difference between the Indie-poppy music on Constant Smiles’ new album Kenneth Anger which will be released at the beginning of March. Bundled up together with the circumstances revolving around charismatic frontman Ben Jones this record gave us the perfect opportunity to talk with him. Enjoy!

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12 Feb 2023 - Thorsten

We could start the intro to this interview just like the last one (with Shelby Lermo) because today’s guest is about to do the very same thing - release two very different albums on the same day, on with his band hepa.titus and one with his project Dunn with Rutmanis. Veil of Sound of course took the opportunity to talk with Kevin Rutmanis.

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05 Feb 2023 - Thorsten

Releasing one record is surely not enough, a double album might suffice most, but how about creating two records at the same time, releasing them on the same day and make people wonder how much (or little) sleep you got during the process? Ulthar did the latter and have released one of the early forerunners for Death Metal Record of the Year with their bundle Helionomicon and Anthronomicon - reason enough to sit down with Shelby Lermo!

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15 Jan 2023 - Thorsten

For decades, no centuries has mankind been dreaming of creating a symbiosis between man and machine - and music wise it might be said that no one has ever come as close to that symbiosis as Tristan Shone aka Author & Punisher. He has been developing machines for more than 15 years which enable him to create a sound that is industrial but man made, harsh yet melodic, shoegazey and metallic! And on his last album Krüller (check out our review of that miraculous record) he has taken another huge leap towards the sound that he himself envisioned years ago. And yes, that sound is addictive as one can see by looking at all the AOTY lists including Krüller!

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08 Jan 2023 - Thorsten

So we are pretty sure you enjoyed our interview marathon between XMas and New Years - if not check our YouTube Channel for those conversations with Jarboe, Sunflo’er, Dale Crover, drowse and Noah Landis (Tension Span)! nonetheless, that marathon is over, it’s a new year and we got a new format for you, which we will try to bring frequently but irregularly - two bands interviewing each other. And how awesome is this first edition with Brutus and Psychonaut?! Two Belgian bands who released mindblowing albums late last year and now we got them here on together on our channel!

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01 Jan 2023 - Thorsten

The first day of the year is always the final day of our interview marathon and just like last year we like to go out on a bang! And just like last year we want to end with an interview partner who would be much too humble to accept his importance: Noah Landis who played a huge part in the Gilman Street scene in the 80s, when bands like Samiam, Green Day and his most famous one - Neurosis - shared the stage very frequently. Noah has a new project, Tension Span, which we already reviewed here, and thus we had a lot to talk about!

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31 Dec 2022 - Thorsten

Day 8, you’re nearly there. And amid all the New Year’s festivities we want to throw another amazing interview your way to keep you busy. We already had the pleasure of interviewing Colin H van Eeckhout once this year (read the interview on his Absent in Body project here) and now he was so nice to spend some time wondering with us what it means to be Belgian or rather Flemish. We touch upon a lot of topics and he gives us some detailed information on his view of roots and why he doesn’t like separatism in his home country. Enjoy!

More or less exactly half a year ago, on July 1st, Simon Segers, Maarten Marchau, Thomas Hoste and CHVE released a really interesting record called De Manen Opzij (here you can find our review) via Consouling Sound (orders can still be made here) and while the record is really interesting in itself it also led me to ponder how a person like Colin would define his “Flemish-ness” or how being from Flanders has shaped him. And the ever-wonderful guy he is, he really gave us a lot of his spare time to talk about all of this, how the collaboration came to be and why a community center played a big part in it.

Do you yourself identify more as Belgian or more as Flemish?

Both really. Or even more. West Flemish first, then Flemish second, Belgian, European, Citizen of the World, Human… Depends on who you are talking to. It’s a means to put yourself in the Universe. Nothing more.

What does it mean for you to be Belgian? To be Flemish?

I have no idea. It’s such an abstract matter. I suppose it means I was born in Flanders, Belgium. And I grew up with the culture and morals that go with it, although that is already very diverse.

Which legends or traditions from your home region impressed you most, when you were a child/teenager?

None, I never saw anything happen that could be considered as a legend or tradition. I started reading about it later.

When thinking about Belgium and Flanders especially, I often come back to Flemish painters because there are so many awesome ones, van Eyck, the Bruegels, de Coninck, Bruegel, Rubens but also Magritte, Ensor, Tuymans, Panamarenko, Khnopff – why do you think has the country and region “produced” so many famous painters? How does this rich history of great visual art influence your work as an artist?

I have no idea. I would suppose that it started with the big harbors, and the world trade bringing a lot of colors and impressions back to this territory and the wealth here was able to stimulate arts as a meaning of installing their status. I am not schooled in art history so I would just express assumptions. No truths. It definitely inspired, we’re surrounded by tons of fine and contemporary art here in this little country.

Many cities like Ghent or Bruges feature some of the most splendid architecture which can be seen in a very ambiguous light as either very dark or as very bright – is that ambiguity also somethings that shapes Flemish culture?

I would assume so, even in the old Flemish painters colorful paintings there is a sense of darkness or at least that’s what I make of it. Medieval architecture has a robust nature, refined yet monolithic. It demands a respect of its viewer.

Musically, Belgium and Flanders has had and is having one of the most thriving scenes for several decades now – I know you and your bands have been a huge part of the H800 scene. Can you describe that time and how you experienced it?

I look back with melancholy. I praise myself lucky to have been a part of it. It came hand in hand with a skateboard scene. Everyone was full of positive energy and it just spread like wildfire. Even though here as well lyrics and themes were rather dark and smeared with teenage angst, there was a positive undertow. The vegetarian or vegan straight edge lifestyle got promoted among its ranks and was followed blindly. Like all teenagers we all wanted to be a part of something bigger. We wanted to identify ourselves. Put ourselves in the world. We started bands not being able to play any instrument, some persevered and are still around in some musical form. But it was the energy that made it spacial, the sense of community, togetherness. It was “us” against “them”. The DIY mentality got installed in that era, if you wanted something you needed to get it yourself, by going hard at it. Do it yourself, together with friends, be the best version of yourselves and work hard for it.

(Spineless was the root of Amenra back in the H800 days)

How can it be that such a “small” country has such a vivid scene? Does the government do something to support artists better than in other countries, e.g. Germany?

I doubt that.

I think the keyword here is the “small” in your question. The fact that we operate on a small scale, made sure that we all got to see “it” and each other. You very easily saw or heard about what was going on, and happening and you were able to connect with key figures very easily. It was very welcoming. And therefore very inspiring. So all helped each other out, instead of elbowing each other out of the way. Obviously the government supports the arts to a certain degree, but not really “our kind of art”.

But then you started Amenra and it changed again – I know you incorporate a love for many different Belgian artists like Zjef Vanuytsel. Which other Flemish artists influence your band’s work and your own?

Sculptors like Georges Minne, Constantin Meunier… the list is endless..but also contemporary artists like Berlinde de Bruyckere, Wim Vandekeybus, Peter Verhelst, Stephan Vanfleteren, Anne Demeulemeester.. Sculptors, writers, choreographers whatever.. there is some thing that that connects us all. Everyone shines its light on it from a different angle, and that automatically gives you another impression of “the thing” you work with.

Musically, I have to say the list is rather thin, people tend to step around the darkness, and aim for what is easily made more popular, more lighthearted, entertaining music.. Early Amatorski, Tamino or Ikraaan now, are things I resonate with.. I can’t say I dove headfirst into the kleinkunst artists, some writing is extremely deep, yet their over the top production sometimes killed it for me.

Flemish always sounds like a miraculous language to listen to, as it has a certain “rootsiness” to it, would you agree with that? Is sounds like a language well-connected to the soil where it comes from?

I would hope so, It’s something I always wonder about. When I ask foreign friends what we actualy sound like when speaking Flemish to one another. I had the theory of ‘sounding like Elves’ tossed in my face a couple of times, can’t say I got really warm of that idea :)

You use your mother tongue on several songs straying away from the regular English language – do you feel as if there are certain words that you can only express in Flemish? If so – is there a certain red thread running through these songs for you?

Yes definitely. For every expression or metaphor there is one language that takes home the grand prize. Something just make more sense, and sound deeper or more beautiful than another. You kinda have to hover from one another and feel how it translated to you.

But what that language is differs. It was extremely interesting to put focus on our mother tongue. Obviously your affinity and feel with your own language is way more elaborate or explored than any other. So I would assume you can go deeper with it, more layers, subliminal even. Saying more with the silence in between the words even sometimes. That’s a whole other story, the significance of silence in different times and forms.

When listening to your versions of Vanuytsel’s songs it becomes clear how melodic the Flemish language can be if used in a certain way – did you have to learn that for yourself?

I don’t really think it’s ‘more’ melodic that another. But in our culture you quickly forget about your own language. Often it was perceived as not being very credible on a larger scale. It sounded “dumb” on a superficial level. That because we here have been used to English or French being the more popular music. You automatically assume that stories need to be told that way. But if you start translating those lyrics, you quickly realize that sometimes they’re also drenched in banality, yet they do the trick. They get the story told.

Nowadays the region is known for a wonderfully diverse metal-scene as well – which newer bands should we check out that keep that free spirit alive?

I have no idea, I am very much oblivious to what is going on around me in heavy music. The last band that really drew my attention was Psychonaut. The Psychonaut off-spin Hippotraktor. Bands like Pothamus, Modder, Mother,.. they’re all worth checking out. We have a lot of new side projects getting formed. DOODSESKADER and PREDATORY VOID…but like I said. I am no reference.

How important were/are labels like Good Life, Funtime Records or nowadays Consouling Sounds and Hypertension Records for the development of the scene?

Very. The most important role.

Let’s talk about the historical character of the region – Belgium is a country that had to fight twice for its independence – once against the Spanish/Austrians and then against the Dutch. Do you see certain traits in your country fellowmen that come from those fights?

I don’t know. People that are deprived or that are being kept under the thumb will tend to fight harder for what they think they are entitled to. That’s probably what happened with this small country.

Can you understand secessionist views that want to separate Flanders & Wallonia?

No. I love the Belgian national “slogan” or “motto” or whatever its called: Eendracht maakt macht / l’Union fait la forçe - Strength through Unity

Now let’s come to your latest work “De Manen Opzij”, a real display of Flemish artists! Can you tell us something about the record title and the vocals that you brought to the table?

De manen opzij holds a reference to the theme that was the underlying start of the project. It was an old saga Paerdje Maleghys of our are. What in short was a tale told to keep the youth at bay, restrain them of excess. Like most tales legends or fairy tales were old means to install morals amongst its people.

Manes aside reference the manes of a horse, but in Flemish it has added poetic value, as it also means, “The moons aside”. Like you would be able to push the moon away, disregard the Light in the Darkness. I wrote a poem in flemish to hold that thought. I will not even attempt to translate it.

How did the collaboration happen?

It was Steven Reynaert, director of folkcentre Dranouter whom was so kind to bring us together. He had this idea to bring traditional folk musicians and more contemporary musicians together and see what would come from that. So you have Maarten Marcheau on traverso, mouthharp and bagpipes, Thomas Hoste an hurdy gurdy, Simon Segers is a jazz drummer and percussionist, and I was doing bass guitar, hurdy gurdy, percussion and vocals.

You had a residency at a music center for some time to write the record, is that correct? How important was that residency?

Defining for the project. I loved it. It made me grow as a musician, working with those talented people challenged me as a non schooled artist to find my place in there. Make my presence “valuable” as well.

Is the free spirit that is on full display on this record something uniquely Flemish?

All music is universal. Once in the airwaves it belongs to everyone. The spirit runs freely.

(Photo Credit: CHVE picture by Guy Kokken)

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30 Dec 2022 - Thorsten

We’re now on day 7 of our Veil of Sound Xmas-Interview-Marathon and today we present to you lucky readers a conversation with Kyle Bates, the mastermind behind drowse, who released his latest album, the excellent ‘Wane Into It’, through The Flenser in November (available on vinyl here).

Coincidentally this exquisite release was reviewed by us and featured in at least one of our contributing writers top 10 albums of the year lists.

‘Wane Into It’ is an absorbing, multi-layered exercise in the concept of memory that benefits from multiple listens to fully appreciate its beauty, preferably on headphones. If exceptionally well made lo-fi/shoegaze/slowcore is your thing, check the interview out and then delve into the drowse back catalogue.

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29 Dec 2022 - Thorsten

The sixth day has come upon us and with us we want to give you an interview with a slow Sludge or fast Funeral Doom band from Sweden: Walk Through Fire. They are currently working on a new record and also give us a few little hints at what we can expect from the new record. So, if you want to know more about their roots, their name, their songwriting process and why they are not a jam band at all - this one is for you!

Walk Through Fire’s Ufuk talks about his Turkish roots, the way it is connected to one of their artworks and so much more. This interview surely is so interesting and detailed so that the picture one might have of the band is not as rounded off as possible. All pieces come together for me, and I am very happy to give you this interview with Walk Through Fire, enjoy!

Now, your last record was released nearly three years ago now – and the records before were released after a three-year interval. When in 2023 can we listen to new Walk Through Fire-material?

Hello and thanks for reaching out. Yes, we do have a new album recorded. At this point we’re looking for a new label to work with, so it’s still a bit uncertain as to when it will be released. But we hope it will be soon!

What can we expect from the new material?

It’s a slow, oppressive dirge from start to finish. A natural continuation from Vår Avgrund I’d say. The organ is very central. Maybe even more so than on its predecessor. It’s also our first album with Esaias playing the organ. He’s a very talented musician and an absolute pleasure to be around and make music with.

By the way, Am I right in assuming that the same artist did the covers for your last two records? Will it be the same one on the next WTF record as well?

We have used different artists for each album cover. Our close friend and long-time fan Göran Nilsson (HYDRA GRAFISK DESIGN) did the artwork for Vår Avgrund and for some merch before that. For Hope Is Misery we used works by Turkish artist Cihat Aral depicting his experience being tortured in Turkish prisons in the eighties (same as my father and many of my relatives had experienced). The Furthest From Heaven artwork was made by me. For the next album you’ll have to wait and see!

Has Covid19 played a bigger role for you as a band or has the pandemic influenced your approach to songwriting?

It had both a negative and a positive impact on us. The negative side was that we released Vår Avgrund just a month before the lockdowns. This of course meant we couldn’t tour and promote the album properly. The positive side was that we used the time to refocus and write music for the new album.

How must we in general imagine the songwriting process for Walk Through Fire – is it jam-based or clearly structured? Who brings in what? Is it a democratic process or is there a main songwriter?

We barely jam. We actually suck at jamming. It’s usually me or Juliusz bringing an idea — either on the guitar or the organ — and showing everyone how we imagine it sounds like. Then we start playing it together until we find the right tempo and feeling, and then record it. After a while we start putting those pieces together into songs. Sometimes it takes years for an idea to find its place in a song. For instance, on the new album we have a part that was written back in 2015. We always loved it but didn’t find its right place until now.

Your name – Walk Through Fire – is it a reference to an album by Peter Gabriel (or Raven for that matter) or is it the idea of walking over hot coals that “incited” your choice?

No, the name came to me during a period when I was watching Twin Peaks and was into Charles Bukowski a lot. Twin Peaks has the sentence “fire walk with me” as a theme throughout the series, and Bukowski has a book called What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through The Fire. Both resonated well with how I imagined the music back then and what the band should be about.

Your sound is pretty unique for even though it is obviously doomy sludge or sludgey doom (whichever box one might prefer) but at the same time it’s pretty shifty and diverse. How much thought do you give that aspect of the music?

I think that comes from us trying to make music that we want to listen to ourselves — but to our knowledge doesn’t exist yet. We want to push the boundaries and explore the unexplored. For instance, we often experiment with playing a composition absurdly slow or overly repetitive. In that absurdity sometimes something unique and beautiful grows.

It seems as if slowing down the songs is important for you, but you never fall on for the droney side of doom – are you careful not to use such sounds?

We put a lot of thought and effort into our sound. Ever since Hope Is Misery (from 2014) we’ve barely made any changes to our gear. We’ve always been very strict on not applying any effects apart from distortion. A lot of metal bands rely too much on reverbs, compressors, delays and other effects to make it sound big and dramatic. It can easily feel like unnecessary cosmetics. We like it raw and simple.

On the last record you seemed to use your mother tongue for the first time – what sparked the change?

We wanted to break down as many barriers we could between the music and the human emotions it represents. And one of those barriers for me was the English language. It wasn’t the language of my thoughts, or “inner voice” (the voice we use to understand those emotions intellectually). It was very frightening at first. I felt great discomfort because I had never heard this type of extreme slow music with lyrics in Swedish before. But after a while I finally found my voice; how I was going to scream my guts out and articulate in a way that made it feel right. In the end I’m glad I exposed myself to that discomfort because ultimately it really elevated our music.

When you started the band more than 15 years ago – what was the intention behind it? To make that kind of extreme metal music? Were there any bands that inspired you for that sound?

To make music that dealt with personal and collective pain. Musically we wanted to do something that combined the melancholy of black metal bands such as DEATHSPELL OMEGA or early DARKTHRONE, with the slow punishing rhythms of doom and sludge acts such as CORRUPTED or GRIEF. On the first demo we were also very much into GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR. But more than any other band, it was the Swedish sludge/doom band ABANDON that inspired us.

A few years ago you released a live album on which you played songs by Arvo Pärt – how did that come to happen? Why Pärt?

I saw this video for Pärt’s “Silouan’s Song” and was totally captivated by the slow, beautiful movements in both the music and footage. After watching it a couple of times I started imagining how it would sound through the wall of sound and heavy hitting slow rhythms of WALK THROUGH FIRE. It seemed like such a perfect match. One day we started trying it out at rehearsals by ear and instantly felt like this was something we needed to do. So, we put together a couple of pieces we wanted to play, adapted the instrumentation to our setup, and Juliusz even adapted the score to work for each person’s music reading skills since most of us had none. It was actually quite phenomenal what he did. After two years of rehearsals, we did one live show, which was recorded and released digitally as a live album.

When listening to your music more carefully it feels as if there is a deeper connection to the work of Pärt, which is also about space and time between notes or chords – would you say that Sludge or Doom lends itself perfectly to such interpretations?

I absolutely would. One perfect example is the SUNNO))) album Kannon. My guess is it’s based on one of Pärt’s works (which we also did on the live album): “Kanon Pokajanen: Ikos”. Listen and you’ll hear what I mean!

Is there any other modern composer for which you would do a similar record? I thought of Philipp Glass played by WTF? Would you also be open to step into completely different genres? Like Bitches Brew by Miles Davis?

Great question. We love Miles Davis, but I don’t think it would make sense for us to play his music. And while I’m personally not that into Glass, we have absolutely been inspired by Terry Riley and Steve Reich, and also by other types of composers such as William Basinski and Richard D James (APHEX TWIN). We actually did a rehearsal demo where we played “#3” from the Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 by APHEX TWIN. An absolute masterpiece which worked perfectly with our sound. We have also recorded demos with interpretations of traditional Turkish music (which is where I’m originally from). But after Pärt we felt like we needed to focus on our own music. But who knows what the future might bring…

I ask that because there is a saxophone on your last record – is that something that drives you? To find out how far you can take the soundscapes? Which unusual elements can you incorporate?

Those ideas have come very organically I’d say. It feels pretty easy for us to explore new sound territories within our music because we don’t have that much to compare ourselves with. I don’t know any band that sounds quite like us and that’s a great freedom that allows us to take inspiration from a wide variety of genres.

Who played the saxophone parts on Vår Avgrund?

Malin Wättring, a very talented impro saxophonist.

What do you then think of bands like A-Sun Amissa or Rivers of Nihil who also use saxophones?

To be honest, I have never heard those two bands. But one band that definitely inspired us to try the saxophone was one of our favorite bands: BOHREN UND DER CLUB OF GORE.

Is there any surprise in that sense on the new record that you might give us a little hint at?

I don’t think anyone that has listened to us before will be surprised. They will hopefully just be glad we’re doing our thing again but even better. And anyone who listens to us for the first time will probably be surprised in either a good way or a bad way. It’s usually the case.

If you could do a split covers record with any band around at the moment and each band covers two songs by the other one – which band would you choose to cover which of your tracks, and which tracks by that band would you like to cover in return?

I think contrasts would be interesting. So, I’d like to begin somewhere far away from how we sound, but with some crucial elements in common with us. The contrasting elements could be slow vs fast or hard vs soft. A crucial element could be tonality or the melancholy in our music. So, let’s say…

IMMOLATION. One of my all-time favorite bands.

We would cover
“Close To A World Below”
“I Feel Nothing”

They would cover
“Den Uta Botten”
“Till Intet Gjord”

But I guess I would have to give Ross Dolan the freedom to translate the lyrics into English, as I’d hope they’d give us the freedom to skip the guitar solos!

You can curate a one-day five/six-bands festival and WTF is also playing – which spot would you play in, and which four/five other bands do you invite to play? Which running order?

COUCH SLUT
WALK THROUGH FIRE
ORANSSI PAZUZU
JK FLESH
WILLIAM BASINSKY

And now to our quickfire round:
Crowbar vs. Eyehategod? Both of them have had an influence on us but I’d go with EYEHATEGOD because of their uncompromising attitude and integrity they’ve kept all these years. And no other band can bend time in slow tempos like EHG.

Down vs. Corrosion of Conformity? DOWN (I & II)

St Vitus vs. The Obsessed? ST VITUS

AC/DC vs. The Rolling Stones? AC/DC (Bon Scott years)

Turbonegro vs. Kvelertak? TURBONEGRO.

Breach vs. Refused? BREACH. One of the most unique, grooviest, and darkest metal/hardcore bands that have ever existed. They were a true force of nature.

The Doors vs. The Beach Boys? THE DOORS.

Touring vs. Writing/Recording? Writing and recording.

Beer vs. wine? Beer.

Roadburn vs. Psycho Las Vegas? Roadburn. The first year I attended Roadburn was in 2011. In one single weekend I saw TODAY IS THE DAY, SWANS, GODFLESH (Streetcleaner set!), WOVENHAND, EARTH, SUNN O))), KEIJI HAINO, WINTER, SCORN and CANDLEMASS… But lately their musical direction hasn’t been for me really. So, if I got the chance to go to Psycho Las Vegas I would. Their lineups remind me of the old Roadburn days.

The beach or the forest? A silent beach

SunnO))) vs. Boris? Coincidentally enough I was listening to their joint split Altars just now. Great record. But I would go with SUNNO))).

Thank you for taking the time and talking with us, all the best for the record release and we hope to see you soon.

Thank you, Thorsten! Likewise. /Ufuk

(Photo Credit: title picture: Erik Hermanby, sheet music picture: Einar Stabenfeldt)

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28 Dec 2022 - Thorsten

Day 5, marathon midterm and today we touch royalty. Because today’s interview partner, Dale Crover, has worked with: Mike Patton. King Buzzo. Kurt Cobain. And these are just a few of the names he’s worked with. Starting out in the Pacific Northwest and leaving with King Buzzo from there right before Seattle exploded, he also left behind a band he used to play in you might know: Nirvana. But hey, being one of only two constant members of The Melvins ain’t so bad either, huh? We talked with him about the new Melvins record, the band itself, his relation to Buzz and so much more.

When talking to Dale, one does not have the feeling as if he is talking to somebody who was in so many bands and projects with so many famous people and musicians, artists and vocalists. Why? Because if there is one thing Dale certainly ain’t, it’s arrogant. He is a funny, regular guy when talking to you pretty openly about how the new record came to be, what it is like to be a part of the Melvins for so long, that he seemingly understands Buzz blindfoldedly and how it feels to be 69th best drummer in the world (according to a certain magazine, that doesn’t know anything)! Enjoy folks!

(Photo credit: Shervin Lainez)

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27 Dec 2022 - Stephan

Nearly at mid-term in our interview-marathon and this time we got our second written interview – maybe a bit shorter than usual, but we guess you can use a little breather. Additionally we are 100% sure that you are gonna like this interview with GGGOLDDD, one of the most interesting bands around, whose masterminds Thomas and Milena also curated 2022’s edition of Roadburn and who came up with an album that needs to be talked about constantly.

This Shame Should not be Mine opens a lot of discussion about how to deal with sexual harassment and rape and how to deal with it, how to cope with it. Not only this is a topic for us, but of course also how the curation for and collaboration with Roadburn Festival went for the couple. You see - there is more than enough to talk about and thus we are more than happy to give you this interview which Stephan did for us. Enjoy!

First of all I want to congratulate you on what an outstanding album This Shame Should Not Be Mine has become, and on all the well-deserved attention and praise it receives!
On the album you (Milena) are singing about your personal experience of sexual assault in very real and clear words. And I think your focus on the trauma and its effects makes it accessible and relatable to an even wider audience beyond the already sadly too huge group of survivors and indirectly affected of this kind of violence. Did you receive any reactions from directions which have surprised you?

Since we first performed This Shame Should Not Be Mine at Roadburn Redux we have received so many heartening and heartbreaking responses from people who can relate, all in their own individual way. A lot of them were also from men and non-binary people. Especially among men there seems to be even more of a taboo. And the taboo was a big part of why I wanted to make this album. The taboo is why people still feel isolated and guilty when this happens to them. So it’s important to tell these stories and help people understand they are not alone. And that the shame should not be theirs.

When talking about trauma and sexual assaults - do you think that we are witnessing the results of over-sexualized generations? Is this rise in publicly denounced sexual assaults a good sign in your opinion?

We are witnessing the results and collapse of patriarchy. Sexual violence is something of the ages. The fact that it’s now more talked about and discussed is simply because people feel empowered to speak out. It helps keeping the perpetrators and the power structures that used to shield them accountable for what they do.

I can imagine that there were many steps on the way which demanded overcoming: Realizing what the theme of the project would be, then discussing it within your band etc., each of those steps somehow getting bigger and bringing it out more into the open. Was this increasingly scary or did it eventually turn into a process of coping?

Both, I would say. It was scary addressing it publicly, even in the most intimate of settings. But it’s a necessary part of coping with it and finding a way of moving forward.

I saw you performing the full album at Roadburn Festival and I have seldom felt such a serious and respectful anticipation from all people on and off stage for a show of that size. During your performance especially “Spring” brought me as close to tears as it is possible without crying. Also considering that the album had started as a commissioned project for last year’s streaming edition of Roadburn, can you tell us how this show played out from your perspective?

It was definitely the most special show we ever played. The respect and attention we got from the crowd was very emotional for us too. We know that a show like this is rare for all in the room, so we’ll cherish this for a long long time.

Speaking of Roadburn, you (Milena and Thomas) were also invited as curators for the festival and put together an array of artists ranging from guitar dream pop over experimental electronic to sludge and black metal. How was that process and what were your takeaways from that experience?

It was such an honor and so much fun! We could just throw wild ideas at Walter and he would work with us to make some of these happen. We really feel like we managed to materialize the concept of “Redefining Heaviness” and are super happy with the acts that were booked. We also learned a lot about what it takes to put such a festival together and we got even more respect for everybody involved.

How did the people at Roadburn react when you told them of your plans for your commissioned piece?

If we remember correctly we told Walter what it was about and we sent him the first demos of what we had been working on. His response was very emotional and gave us a lot of confidence and strength. Overall, the way Walter has put his trust and confidence in us, has helped us a lot in finding our path forward.

As a fellow attendee I just have to ask: Any favorite performances (inside or outside of your curation)?

This year’s Roadburn was such a special and emotional experience, with so many highlights. We were really blown away by the electronic acts, like Amnesia Scanner, Duma and The Bug. Liturgy’s performance of “Origin Of The Alimonies” really overwhelmed us. And Midwife gave such a beautiful concert.

Your interest in electronic music is also very much on display in form of the synths, minimalistic beats and trip hop influences on This Shame Should Not Be Mine. Do you think this would have happened as a natural progression of your style anyway or did this album in particular demand a different, less guitar-centric musical language?

It was something that we had wanted to do for quite a while. We had started to experiment with electronics a bit already, but the pandemic really forced us to dive deeper into this. Suddenly our band routine was totally gone as we weren’t allowed to get together. So we played around with electronics in our home studio and found a way to compose and arrange in that way. That came together with Roadburn commissioning a piece and the trauma rearing its ugly head. All of that together resulted in “This Shame Should Not Be Mine”.

Given the different setup on stage, will the recent material vanish from your setlists after the current tour cycle or do you consider translating some of the songs into “rock versions” later?

We’re always looking forward and you surely shouldn’t expect us to return to a more rock sound after this.

Finally let me address a concern many of your fans are probably worrying about: Are you always online? Your reaction time on social media usually is alarmingly quick!

Haha no

And speaking of internet matters: You’ve recently rebranded Gold to Gggolddd for mostly rather pragmatic reasons of better online recognition and optimized search engine results. Would you mark that as a success or has it led to further confusion?

We are super happy with it. It’s so much easier to find us online, and that is all we wanted to achieve.

Onto our infamous quickfire round - you get two alternatives, have to choose one and maybe give a short explanation. You also can answer separately.
Beer or Wine? No

For your next vacation - the mountains or the seaside? Norwegian mountains please

More appealing to you - Paradise Lost in their electronic phase or in during their early Doom innovations? Icon!!

Writing/Recording or Touring? Writing

K’s Choice or Skunk Anansie? Skunk Anansie

Alanis Morrissette or Melissa Etheridge? Alanis Morissette

Portishead or Tricky? Portishead

Thou or Sons of A Wanted Man? Thou, because we have to admit we haven’t heard Sons of A Wanted Man, yet.

Iskandr or Fluisteraars? Fluisteraars

Messa or E-L-R? Both, but since they recently suffered a ravishing car crash, our hearts are with Messa.

(Photo Credit: Cover of TSSNBM: Szilveszter Mako; Thomas & Milena portrait plus live picture: William Lacalmontie)

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26 Dec 2022 - Thorsten

So, day three already. After the great and mighty Jarboe and Alcest, we now want to give some of you the chance to maybe discover a new band you might not have been giving attention by now: Sunflo’er from Potsdam in Upstate New York. Their latest album all these darlings and now me is bursting of energy and brimful with mighty, clever ideas and twists and turns that show a modern Hardcore band aiming for the sky. Enjoy our video-chat with the whole band!

I did not know too much about Sunflo’er before this interview and me preparing for it. But listening through their discography and especially their latest album, I was not surprised because the label through which the four guys are releasing their music usually never fails in their roster-choices: Dark Trail Records . And they do not disappoint this time around either. Sunflo’er has made a giant leap and maybe released the modern American Hardcore album of 2022 next to Soul Glo and The Callous Daoboys. Therefore we talk about the record and the songwriting process behind it, but also about Wes Craven and why one of them has a box of Corn Dogs in his fridge! Enjoy!

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