Nature’s Vibrations: An Interview with Osi and the Jupiter

Stave” Osi and the Jupiter (August 27, 2021)

I got the pleasure to interview Osi and the Jupiter mastermind Sean Deth and our conversation led to many different paths from the origins of the project to the meaning behind his music. He took the time out of his busy schedule making music to answer my questions with a sense of depth and introspection. Osi and Jupiter have always been one of those music projects that I immediately gravitated towards. The mix of Norse/Appalachian music is such a unique combo that surprisingly works very well because there is an inherent sense of nature and the mysteries that lie beyond the veil. When you listen to the notes and imagery of Osi and Jupiter it will take you to a time where nature was the dominant force untouched by humankind, to a time where the land wights and the gods roamed free.

Hi Sean, can you tell us a bit about the origins of Osi and the Jupiter what was the catalyst to getting the project started?

S: Since I was very young, I have always been into different folktales especially ones that connect closely to nature and mysticism. Also, I am intrigued by folk music that had a dark feel to it and that moved me in some way shape or form. In 2014 I decided to start a project that would be part of my spiritual path that would paint a picture within its own folklore with influences from all that has helped me on this path. Those that have stated my music has helped them in some way really means a lot.

An additional note project is named after my two dogs Osiris and Jupiter.

So, what kind of folktales have been passed down to you and do you have any interesting examples of moments where nature and mysticism converged for you?

S: My grandfather used to tell different folktales to me as a child, we also went for many hikes when I was young. He would read some brothers Grimm stories as well as some of the Norse/Icelandic sagas and Celtic mythology. Nature has always been a solitude and if you engross yourself in it things start to unveil mentally and physically.

Norse themes are spread throughout a lot of your discography, what drew you to cover this subject matter with your music?

S: I am interested in many different folklores from all over the world. The Norse, Celtic folklore I connect more to, but I am very interested in Native American folklore as of the past year.

What Native American folklore have you been reading up on lately and what about the imagery has influenced your creativity?

S: Folk medicine and music as well as a connection to nature and the beings that dwell within. Shamanism and communication with nature. Respect and treat nature kindly.

Also, there is a powerful sense of nature worship and reverence in your music would you say there is a sense of that in your home state Ohio?

S: Nature mysticism and folklore is the backbone of my spiritual path and the music I created to help me on my path. I think it is important to disconnect and recharge yourself by taking some time to connect with nature in some way.

Photo by: Dominic Passalacqua

Speaking of Ohio specifically what about the state helps build that backbone for your spiritual path? Are there any specific folk legends associated with Ohio that has influenced Osi and the Jupiter’s sound/imagery?

S: Cuyahoga Valley is the closest nature reserve to me, when I was younger there was a lot less built up in my hometown and much more nature to explore, unfortunately over the years I’ve watched it just get built up, I really miss the old Twinsburg. I live about an hour from Appalachia southern Ohio and 45 min from the Allegheny in PA/West Virginia. I absolutely love the Allegheny area.

What is your take on the influx of Norse themed folk music you think it has become a bit oversaturated or is there still room for innovation?

S: There are a lot of good sounding music from a variety of different dark folk artists, I think one’s art is their own expression musically. There is always room for something different and similar, they coincide with each other sometimes.

Your work has now been lumped into the neofolk scene for a good while now, what is your take on the scene and how has your experience been with the musicians in the scene?

S: There are quite a few intriguing artists in the neofolk scene, I am a big fan of, Of the Wand and the Moon and have been for a while because of the atmosphere Kim creates with his music. I did a few runs with Blood in Sun this past year and became close friends with Luke who also creates a captivating art with his work as well.

I like how neofolk music is folk music with a dark atmosphere that expresses art and folklore with some spiritual backbone. More artists to check out are Rome, Sol Invictus, Sonne Hagal, Backworld, By the Spirits, Crooked Mouth, Tithe, Night Profound, Awen, Sun and Moon Dance, In Ruin, and Cradle of Judah from there you can find even more artists.

How would you describe your creative process? Do you have a specific ritual you follow regarding writing your music or has it changed for you?

S: For most of the songs off Uthuling and Nordlige I did some meditation and incantations during recording. As for the rest of my music, first I would write on acoustic then lyrics come usually afterwards with what is guiding me at the moment. Every once in a while, I will write something on synth and organ first, especially for a more atmospheric piece. I am still learning different things recording wise and instrument wise.

Photo by: Elise Howell

What themes and ideas were you running with in your new album “Stave”?

S: The concept with “Stave” is to bind yourself to a place and time. With me it is among nature and the process of growing and learning within it spiritually.

What was the process like engineering and rolling out “Stave”?

S: Right around the time we played Fire in The Mountains Fest in Wyoming (2019) I was recording “Stave”. I was in process of merging the old-time folk sound with dark ambience. The process was very fulfilling, and I learned a lot of new things along the way musically and spiritually. After all was mixed by me, we sent to Priory Records in the UK to get mastered by Greg Chandelier. Eisenwald has always lent a guiding hand though a lot of the release which I am very thankful.

What are some of your greatest influences in creating the images and music of Osi and the Jupiter as a whole?

S: Nature mysticism and folklore. As for artists I would say Townes van Zandt, Lindsey Buckingham, Ulver, Dax Riggs, David Eugene Edwards, Backworld and much more. The past few years I have been really into Sonne Hagal and OTWATM.

Osi and the Jupiter releases new music regularly is there anything you can let our readers know about for the next album?

S: During the beginning of Covid I recorded a bunch of covers and a few more originals that will be released sometime late this year or early next year. I currently am finishing the next full length in which I have a lot of different guest appearances on, stay tuned for that, everything is coming together very well.

Photo by: Dominic Passalacqua

Which bands or musicians have you been listening to lately?

S: King Dude, OTWATM, Sonne Hagal, Jim Croche, Wovenhand, Forndom, Urfaust, and Birch Book

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of music?

S: I am really into animals especially snakes, I have eleven snakes (five boas, four king snakes and two ball pythons) and love learning about them, they are very interesting solitary creatures. I also like to go explore and hike, especially areas that have some sort of folklore attached to them.

What new areas have you hiked and explored lately that had interesting energy happening while you were there?

S: Pebbles Ohio near the snake mounds has an amazing energy about the area. Old, hilly and the wind whispers through the creaking of the trees.

Finally, do you have any parting words for our readers?

S: Set goals, achieve them, and go out and explore something new. Best of health!

Bandcamp: https://osifolk.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/osifolk

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wuufpq

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/osiandthejupiter/

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/osi-and-the-jupiter/1156663323

Photo by: Sean Deth

Sylvaine “Nova” Review

Back in 2016 I was introduced to a project by a multi-instrumentalist under the moniker of Sylvaine from Norway. I came across her newest album “Wistful” back then and I was just blown away about how dreamy, ethereal, and raw the music was. It was my first ever review for my blog and one of the catalysts to what made me want to start blogging about the underground music industry to begin with. Since that time in May of 2016 (the same month “Wistful” came out) I have been keeping up with my blog as best I could, and it has turned out to be such a beautiful and satisfying success in my professional/personal life. Being able to write down my thoughts and feelings about music that moves me is such a gift and I am glad all you readers who have found my work enjoy reading it too. And here we are 2/22/2022 on a Tuesday and I was graciously given Sylvaine’s newest opus “Nova” from Seasons of Mist to review for you all. As a disclaimer I did not get around to reviewing “Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone” back in 2018 because life got in the way at that time. My feelings on that album are just as positive as “Wistful” and it is a beautiful work across the board, and in my opinion an even darker album in many ways. Though, I will have to say that “Nova” has exceeded all my expectations yet again and I would call it maybe an even darker work than “Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone”. 

I find it very appropriate that the new album came out and was written during the height of the pandemic. For me it was a very painful, and strenuous time in my own life, and from hearing “Nova” it sounds like it was also a very difficult time in Sylvaine’s life too. There is a raw, vulnerable, and very introspective tone in every single song. I could feel the pain, the longing, and the hope in waves as the album progressed. These past two years have been an age of difficult transitions and thinking about the concepts of mortality every day. The pandemic brought death, divorces, break-ups, layoffs, and every other bad thing about life in-between. Though during this dark time there was an enlightenment that was found in those dank caves each passing day. I would say the sonic journey “Nova” puts the listener through hits all these concepts in big and small ways. There is a real sense of finding self in the first song “Nova” and as the album progresses you are introduced to a multitude of emotions and journeys of the inner psyche of Sylvaine. If I could think of the proper words, it would be memories, anger, melancholia, shock, ends, beginnings, and the dreams/nightmares that come when you go through a painful transition in your life. In the end after all the pain one has been through is a feeling of recovery, healing, and seeing the world (as well as your existence) in a new light as you will hear in the final song “Everything Must Come To An End”.

As for the middle of the album there are so many different and intriguing ideas happening throughout “Nova” there is a lot of heavy songs with straight up black metal coldness abound especially in “Mono No Aware”, “Fortapt”, and “I Close My Eyes So I Can See” but there is that ever-distinct warmth and beauty sprinkled throughout these songs that makes Sylvaine’s work so unique and interesting to hear. I would probably say “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” is the most straightforward goth rock/shoegaze song I have heard in her discography I would say the song is a beautiful combo of Type O Negative meets My Bloody Valentine and I think it shows the growth and maturity of Sylvaine’s songwriting chops. The vocals are stellar, and the screams are some of the coldest and most spine-chilling I have heard in a while. The music itself is tight, epic, meandering and very dreamlike. The standout instrument to me are the drums by Dorian Mansiaux they are very powerful, heavy and reminds me a lot of Aaron Weaver’s drum work in Wolves in the Throne Room. There are quiet introspective moments in the songs that lead to loud heavy and aggressive moments which makes “Nova” very engaging to listen to.

Photo By: Gillian Pieteraerens

Overall, I will say that “Nova” is a brilliant and beautiful piece of music that needs to be heard repeatedly. It will take you through an internal journey of self. The highs, and lows of life and the memories that come with it will be a common feeling as you listen deeper and deeper to the sonic catharsis of “Nova”. There is an obvious shift in song-writing maturity in the album and it is absolutely required listening if you are having a bad day or been going through traumatic transition in your life. There is genuine sense of relatability and understanding in Sylvaine’s works over the years and I feel her newest album lets these concepts shine a brighter light. The human condition and its follies are very prominent in “Nova”, and I think it gives a greater, and more universal understanding of how to navigate these rough waters to find the lighthouse and land at the end where you can finally rest.

Sylvaine’s new album “Nova” releases on March 4th 2022!

Rating 9/10

Bandcamp: https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/

Official Page: www.sylvainemusic.com

Photo By: Andy Julian

Empyrium: A Retrospective 2002-2021

Welcome to part two of my mini reviews of Empyrium’s later discography. The new year has turned, and winter is upon us which means Empyrium gets a lot of listens from me this time of year. I would say the later half of their discography is some of the most compelling and emotionally resonating (especially for me). The one main difference between earlier records and later records is the length of time between full length albums. “Weiland” came out in 2002 and then “Turn of the Tides” was released 12 years later. Finally, “Über den Sternen” was released seven years later. Each album is unique, but each has that underlining Empyrium sense of dark romanticism and mystical nature worship. I would say that Empyrium have done a lot of experimenting and fine-tuning in their later albums. There is still the ever present dark folk element, but they dabble into more post rock, shoegaze, and gothic aspects of music. There was a lot of patience between each album, but the wait paid off because Empyrium’s later works are astonishing and beautifully introspective across the board.

Weiland (2002) 9/10

When “Weiland” was released, I was so excited to see what new, dark paths Empyrium took and come to find out that the new album was an even longer more substantial medieval dark folk album compared to its predecessor “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays”. There were so many amazing and compelling aspects of “Weiland” you had the gamut of acoustic strumming, haunting operatic vocals and even tinges of black metal sprinkled throughout the record. Hearing the album takes you into the darkest and mistiest worlds of forests, glades, rivers, and hidden/ancient structures crumbling with time. It magnifies the imagery tenfold compared to “Where at Night…” later in my life I felt “Weiland” has really helped me calm my stress and helped me daydream again. It is not only a mind-clearing listening experience but a mind-altering one as well. Best Songs: Fortgang, Waldpoesie, and Die Schwäne im Schilf

The Turn of the Tides (2014) 8/10

“The Turn of the Tides” was a surprise release for me when I came across it, I thought Empyrium were on an extended hiatus for a long while. 12 years is a long time to wait for new material and when the album was finally released, I was immediately listening to a more post rock/metal/ambient well produced album compared to the more archaic sounds of Empyrium’s earlier releases. There was a sense of modernism to the album but there was a very primal sense of melancholy and wistfulness to the entirety of “The Turn of the Tides” I would say this album hits hard and deep and lacks any gothic romanticism and mysticism. It sounds rawer, more vulnerable, and even airy at times. There is a lot of great songs on here that allows you to let your tears flow but there are a couple songs that seem to just be there without any significant emotion or deeper feeling compared to other songs on “The Turn of the Tides”. Best Songs: Saviour, Dead Winter Ways, and The Days Before the Fall

Über den Sternen (2021) 9/10

“Über den Sternen” is the latest opus by Empyrium and an absolute stunning album in so many amazing ways. It brings back the mystical and nature worship of earlier releases but magnifies it by a million. There is a strong sense of dreamy, misty, and shadowy forests in each of the songs. There is a feeling of wandering those woods and stumbling upon mystical beings and energies at the most unlikely of times. “Über den Sternen” harkens back to some of Empyrium’s black metal/doomy roots which adds a bit of power and heaviness to the listening experience in the best possible way. When I heard the album in its entirety, I felt like that young 22-year-old who was lost in the soundscapes of “Where at Night…” thinking of ghosts, lost love, nature, and the mysteries of the universe. I felt a great sense of comfort and longing again within the music of “Über den Sternen”. The familiarity of Empyrium’s entire discography is found in spades within this record, whatever feelings their music evoked in you over the years it brings those feelings/memories back. Best Songs: The Three Flames Sapphire, The Oaken Throne, and The Wild Swans

Thus concludes my mini reviews of Empyrium’s discography. There is so much variety and intrigue found in each release. If you have a love for mystical/introspective music I would give all their albums a listen and please use a careful ear and an open mind. I guarantee that the imagery, and feelings found in their music will resonate with you long after. It will make you appreciate the nature around you and allow you to daydream and think of dark fairy tales if you allow the music to effect you that way. Healing comes with introspection and a quiet mind and Empyrium’s music will help facilitate that healing in a multitude of ways.

Bandcamp: https://empyrium.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Empyriumfans

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zDkgQanNydhYIqQwQK9Ct/discography

Empyrium: A Retrospective 1996-1999

One band that has been a huge foundation for me and my interests in neofolk, classical and black metal is the band Empyrium from Germany. When I first got my hands on “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays” back in the early 2000s I was immediately hooked to the dark, bardic melodies of Empyrium that allowed me to appreciate the beauty of night and all its mystery and wonders. Since getting lost in their music and diving into their discography deeper and deeper I have grown to develop an affinity to what the world offers when the sun sets. Another element to Empyrium’s music is how much their music hits me in my emotional core. I always found ways to escape the negatives of my existence by getting lost in the enchanting music of Schwadorf (Markus Stock), and Thomas Helm.

I have decided to start another run of mini reviews of Empyrium’s discography and will be beginning with their early albums from 1996 until 1999.  I would say the first half of Empyrium’s works where revolutionary during the times of the big three doom metal giants (Anathema, My Dying Bride, and Paradise Lost). Also, their music gave the world a hint of what German black metal could sound like influenced by Ulver’s original black metal trilogy specifically “Kveldssanger” with these first three albums. I would say these years of Empyrium were full of creative, and innovative fire because hearing these earlier works were nothing I have really heard before when I got into underground metal.

A Wintersunset… (1996) 8/10

I listened to this album later in my foray into Empyrium’s music. Hearing “A Wintersunset…” shows a youthful energy that has a mystical even dreamlike quality to the music and production. There are obvious goth tinges mixed in with classical music, and black/doom metal. It reminds me of all the thoughts and memories I have had in my later teens and early twenties regarding melancholia and yearning, but also, escaping from a banal existence. The album evokes misty images of fall and wintertime and wandering through woods and meadows engulfed in the elements. It gives a warm, cold, and even hazy energy to the listening experience. I rate this album a little bit lower because there is a definite naivety to the album, and I think it just comes with being Empyrium’s first album. What makes it such a good album is the fact it gives a precursor to how much Empyrium has grown as musicians in future albums. Best Songs: Under Dreamskies, The Franconian Woods in Winter’s Silence, and The Yearning

Songs of Moors & Misty Fields (1997) 9/10

A year later Empyrium released easily one of their best albums in “Songs of Moors & Misty Fields” hearing this album takes you on a journey unlike any album I have heard. There is a real sense of mystery, wonderment, pain, sadness, and pensiveness to the writing in this album. It takes you down multiple paths to venture and always gives you a beautiful end to the different song trails. The album has a knack for giving real emotions about the sadness of love both unrequited and ending. There is a genuine sense of vulnerability and frustration in both the instruments and lyrics. I think it is one Empyrium’s most well-rounded and consistent albums. The songs are all great quality with great imagery abound. It hits all the right black, doom, goth, and folk notes in every single song. It is the perfect atmospheric record to listen to and it does an incredible job getting you lost in its various nooks and crannies throughout. Best Songs: The Blue Mists of Night, Lover’s Grief, and The Ensemble of Silence

Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays (1999) 10/10

Surprisingly “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays” was my first real introduction to the neofolk/dark folk sound. It is to this day my all time favorite Empyrium record. When I first got the CD and put it into my player I was immediately lost in the bardic, mystical, and medieval sounds of the album. I absolutely loved the vocals it brought out the dreamlike vibe to the album in a multitude of ways. The album brought me back to ancient times of decrepit castles, wandering ghosts, dark woods, and meadows dancing with mist and fireflies. There is a real sense of pastoral nature throughout the record. Hearing the album while driving at night in the woods of New Hampshire is the perfect place and time to get lost in the music and imagery. When it comes to a potential soundtrack of night and its mysteries “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays” is the way to go. Best Songs: All of them!

Bandcamp: https://empyrium.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Empyriumfans

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zDkgQanNydhYIqQwQK9Ct/discography

A Conversation with Kim Larsen from Of the Wand the Moon

It is getting colder, and darker out these days in New Hampshire and the changing of the seasons means the darker and introspective elements of myself come out. Nothing is as dark and as introspective as the music of Kim Larsen and his project Of the Wand and the Moon from Denmark. To wrap up my articles on this brilliant and emotional dark folk project Kim took time out of his busy schedule to answer some in-depth questions in the interview below. He gives us glimpses of what lies behind the music and why he spent 22 years creating a world of such stark, and compelling music that has touched so many people over the years.

I appreciate Kim taking the time to answer my questions knowing how reclusive and private of a person he is. He shows depth, intelligence, humor and care in his answers and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. His new album “Your Love Can’t Hold this Wreath of Sorrow” is out now and it is absolutely required listening (you can purchase the album with the links following the end of the interview).

Photo – @kimsolve

Hello Kim, thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me!

I guess my first question for you, is could you tell us your origin story Of the Wand and the Moon and how it was conceived?

“Hello Ryan, thank you for the questions. It has been a while since I gave any interviews. So please excuse me if some answers might be short.

Somehow it feels like walking in your own thoughts and then someone coming up asking you about something. Caught off guard.

But I’ll do my best.

I used to play in a doom metal band called Saturnus. At the same time, I was very much into music such as Current 93 and playing classical guitar. So, I incorporated this more, apocalyptic folk music into Saturnus (alongside the doom metal). Eventually the more acoustic ideas and compositions became too many to use for that band, and along the way I wanted to have a purer outlet for those ideas. And the other guys didn’t have the same love for this kind of dark/apocalyptic folk music. So, a natural step was to do my own project. In the beginning I hooked up with a female vocal duo that was doing singing in old Norse etc. But we weren’t really on the same page. I wanted something a bit darker, I guess. So, in the end I thought it be easier to just go ahead and do everything myself.”

At one point during an interview, you mentioned the style of music for Of the Wand and the Moon as “loner folk” could give us a more detailed definition of “loner folk” and what it genuinely means to you?

“It was a term that I heard from my co-producer Mikkel who recorded the new album. Guess it was more coined on musicians such as Dave Bixby, Bob Theil, Simon Finn etc etc. People who kind of got lost in time and were rediscovered decades after making some legendary albums. However, I felt somehow it matched pretty well where I had moved on to musically and lyrically. I really feel my music moved in another direction from when I first started out Of The Wand And The Moon. Not sure if you could call it folk nowadays even. Of course, there is some essence from the beginning but…yeah. There’s a lot of jazzy trumpets on the new stuff. And more of a 60s rock/folk band feel over it all, I think. It’s difficult for me to explain the style to be honest.

Anyway, loved that description…”

A common element to your music and lyrics is the concepts of love lost and regained and lost again. I noticed this as a very common theme in most of your discography, what made you want to pursue these themes to begin with?

“Never really planned out that this is the way the lyrics or music should be. Just my nature as a person, I guess. Hard to say what sparked that line of expression. But of course, things happening in my life pushed these thoughts and lyrics. Perhaps just trying to give a little back to the world what the world had to offer me …haha.”

How would you describe your creation process, are there any rituals or interesting things you do to help you write your music and come up with your ideas?

“No rituals really. Just must be in the mood and wanting to pick up the guitar or fumble around on the keyboard or whatever. Sometimes I can think of a line or watch something in a movie which will inspire a quote or a line. But usually just sitting down with the guitar. Compose the music. And then the lyrics will come after. The name Of The Wand And The Moon came into place as I used to do my music at night. And at the beginning I was somewhat into magick, runes etc. hence the “Wand” reference.”

Another element I noticed in your themes is nature and old faiths and such what drew you to these ideas for your music for Of the Wand and the Moon?

“I think this was mostly in the beginning of the band. I would read a lot about runes and magick as it was an interest at the time. Go to the royal/university library in Copenhagen and go through books on rune stones, mythology, and stuff like that. It’s more of a personal and intuitive thing these days. Like seeing signs and runes in building’s shapes for instance. But not really a big topic in the lyrical universe now.”

How important is Denmark to you and your writing process? Does it play a key role in influencing your ideas at all?

“I guess it has a huge role as the winters here are very long and dark. And it takes a big toll on my mood. Not good for my depressions. Probably not good for my production in those months either. But perhaps some work comes out of it after all.”

Another thing I noticed in your albums and music videos is a homage to old black and white films and you directly quote from these films too in some of your songs. What are the names of some of these movies and what do you recommend to our readers?

“Think those movies just somehow made sense to use. I have a nostalgia for those old movies. Love the works of Fritz Lang. So, the movie Spione was an obvious choice to add to some video. And movies like Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, Le Feu Follet, Bonjour Tristesse etc. And later movies such as Taxi Driver had a lot of impact on me. I could go on. Anyway, just seemed to fit perfectly with the universe of the music.”

Of the Wand the Moon has been lumped into the neo-folk scene for many years now, what is your take on the scene and how has your experiences been with the musicians and bands you played with over the years?

“I am really grateful for all the experiences and the friendships from the scene. Also, people I was a fan of became friends. Had very magickal moments along the way for sure. But I don’t really want to get stuck. And repeat and repeat. Things will inevitably change…the way of life.”

Where do you see the dark folk scene going now in 2021? Nighttime Nightrhymes came out back in 1999. Has there been a huge shift in interest since then from your personal perspective?

“I don’t really sit and ponder about where things are changing regarding music. Maybe some young people will come along and pick up the torch and blow our minds. Who knows…?

All I know is that I’m always striving to make my own music better. For me. In my own little world. Whether or not people will like it.”

What was the main influences and feelings you were going through in the writing process of “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow”?

“The usual, I think. The pain of lost love. The pain of having to move along alone. Nostalgia. Solitude. Memories. All the good things in life haha…”

There is an almost romantic urbanism found throughout the album, prior Of the Wand the Moon albums had a distinct nature/pastoral feel while the new album is the complete opposite. What made you want to go in this direction?

“I just wanted to open up the universe of the music to not get stuck in the old ways. To be honest I think I am somehow going back in time to when I was in my teens. The memories and the sounds I was exposed to then. As a kid I would go with my friends to these abandoned sites, run down areas where I grew up. Where nature took over the concrete and what have you. Music wise there is a straight line from my father’s record collection as well, I think. The bass sound. The tic tac bass is the sound of the records my father had and that I was listening to when I was very young. The “Je t’aime moi non plus” single with Serge Gainsbourg (with “Jane B” on the B side). The Beatles “Rubber Soul” and “Help”. The trumpet fetish I think came from watching an ancient Danish crime series called “En by i provinsen”. The intro theme had some trumpet that stuck with me I think. My father was also a big fan of jazz. Miles Davis and such. I would also sometimes record the music and dialogue from movies off the TV on my cassette tape recorder when I was a kid. Like “Escape From New York”, “The Warriors” etc. A lot of these things made a big impact on me.

I am curious about your reasoning for writing the songs “Fall From View” and “Williamsburg Bridge” they seem to be almost jarring to the flow of the album in a completely good way. What message were you trying to convey in those tracks?

“Williamsburg Bridge was a kind of intro to Nothing For Me Here. And the title was a homage to a night walk with a good friend of mine, Luke, over that same bridge when I visited New York years ago. Again, perhaps some reconnection with imagery of my childhood memories, movies, and such. And all the sudden, seeing/being in it myself in some strange way these many years after. “Fall From View” was a somewhat purging/cleansing of depressive thoughts. Not sure how to otherwise put it.”

The trumpet plays a huge part in a lot of the songs in the new album (it seemed to be used sparingly in “The Lone Descent”) what about this instrument? Because to me it fits perfectly in the mood and feel of the new album.

“I met Bo Rande the trumpet player many years ago, watching him play for the band Blue Foundation. Which he is still playing in. I asked him to play on “The Lone Descent” album and he agreed. While he recorded the stuff for that album, I was in such an awe of his playing, his technique, that I said to myself, “the next album I will do he has to have more songs to play on.” So made room on the new songs for him to throw in a solo or a part. Can’t praise him enough. At the recording sessions, everything he recorded we could use. Was just a matter of choosing. So wonderful.”

What is the overall message you want listeners to feel and understand about “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” what should we pay attention to or be aware of in the listening experience?

“I just hope people will enjoy the music. There is no message as such I want to pass on.

It’s a painting I painted. Just enjoy it for what it is.”

Out of all the Of the Wand and the Moon albums you created, which one would you say is your most favorite album as well as your least favorite?

“The new album is my favourite. I don’t have a least favourite. They all had their place in time.

I really don’t listen to my old stuff. Apart from playing it live. When it’s done it’s done for me, and I’m off to another place trying to do something new.”

What are some of your interests outside of music? Are there any surprising aspects of you (Kim Larsen) that fans would be interested to know?

“Haha…don’t really know what would be interesting. I love taking rides on my bicycle around Copenhagen in the summertime (which is too short). Sometimes taking rides to places or streets I haven’t been down before. Discovering new areas of the city and surroundings.”

How would you describe your music to someone who may not be familiar with Of the Wand and the Moon?

“It’s really difficult for me as I’m not a music journalist. Perhaps, melancholic music that were inspired by 60s soundtracks and acts such as Lee Hazlewood, Serge Gainsbourg, The Beatles, loner folk and of course my starting point of the dark folk/neofolk/whatever genre. Apart from that I don’t know…”

And finally, do you have any closing words for our readers?

“Love is made of dreams and dreams are made of hope and hope will smother dreams and dreams will smother love! But remember…the tears are free!”

CD: https://tesco-germany.com/…/of-the-wand-the-moon-your…/

Bandcamp: https://tescogermany.bandcamp.com/…/your-love-cant-hold…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3NyIa5rnbzdjLg6cJiEbbF

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wandmoon

Of the Wand and The Moon “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” Review

It is about 10:30PM here in New Hampshire and I have a glass of scotch nearby as I write this. The nights are growing cooler, and the air feels like the crisp crunch of fallen leaves. The smell of chimney smoke permeates the cloudless star-filled sky reminding me that the slow death and decay of the earth is upon us. This time of year, when the Autumn Equinox has arrived is a perfect time than any to hear the haunting lamentations of Kim Larsen’s new Of the Wand and the Moon album “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow”. I was graciously given a promo of the new album and got to spend a long, long time giving it a listen and think it is one of Larsen’s best works. It has been eleven long years since “The Lone Descent” and I can say “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow is a fantastic follow-up in every sense of the word.

One thing about Of the Wand and the Moon is I always stumbled upon his albums at times that are very difficult in my life. I always felt a sense of synchronicity when I listen to Larsen’s music. It is like the music and lyrics reflect my life in the uncanniest way all the years I have been a fan. Larsen has a supernatural knack for writing music that not only is dark and depressing in nature but also so relevant to my life and many others who have gotten the pleasure of stumbling upon his music. “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” arrived in my inbox during an incredibly painful transition in my life. Every lyric, note, and image just overwhelmed me with emotion I haven’t felt in a long while. I am brave enough to admit that this album caused me to get misty eyed on more than one occasion because of how on-point the album parallels to my recent heartache.

I would call “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” an album that is incredibly cinematic and almost a concept album in many ways. If you were to describe the highs, lows, beginnings and ends of relationships this album eerily hits all those moments and feelings to a raw, vulnerable degree. For me, I was in a two-year long relationship which took me to the old, beautiful, dirty streets of Dublin, Ireland. The idea of romance in a city and the inevitable end is very pronounced in a multitude of ways in “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” Larsen takes many daring streets of almost making Of the Wand and the Moon urbanized compared to the typical rural, and pastoral feel of earlier albums. At first this may sound jarring, but it works in many incredible, clever, and creative ways. I think it makes the music more powerful to hear because a lot of my past pains happened in big cities.

To me the city is a place with so many stories, people, thoughts, and feelings. When I wandered the streets of Dublin, NYC, Salt Lake City, Boston, and Portland I could feel and even see a dreamlike romance of two lovers in a smoky bar I could see a jilted lover openly weeping on a park bench underneath dirty streetlight. Larsen completely takes these concepts and runs with them. The two songs that really hit these ideas to the fullest extent is “Let’s Take a Ride (My Love)” and “There’s Nothing for Me Here” I cannot stop listening to these songs because not only are they beautiful, but catchy (which is unusual for Of the Wand and The Moon).

There is a ton of wonderful dark folk songs to be had in the album and all the songs hit so many emotions. Though, there are three songs that are unique that took me longer to understand and digest. The first track “Fall From View” it starts out as an ambient, amorphous entity that starts quiet and goes down a chaotic (even nightmarish) rabbit hole that is very uncomfortable to listen to (in the best possible way) to me the song reminds me of the many sleepless nights where I can’t shut down my brain and I think the worst of the worst. Then, I eventually go into restless sleep and have nightmares that haunt me even when I have been long awake. The second track is “Les Journées Sans Fin Et Les Nuits Solitaires (Endless Days and Lonely Nights)” it is a very quiet song that reminds me of the “Nighttime Nightrhymes” song “The Substance of Simplicity” it has this beautiful, airy, and ethereal female vocal chant happening throughout the song and then a female monologue spoken in French filters through the chants and gentle acoustic strumming. To me it is a song giving the perspective of relationships and how one wishes things could have been different and feels guilt around what transpired, also there is a sense of longing and thinking of when things were beautiful and full of life in the beginning. The final unique track is a quick minute and a half instrumental called “Williamsburg Bridge” to me it is the closest you could get to the atmosphere, and energy of life in the big city at night it sounds so lonely and isolating even among the roiling sea of humanity around you. This quick song really sticks with you long after you hear it.

One thing that really stands out with not only “The Lone Descent” but “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” is when Kim Larsen incorporates more guest musicians to his vision. You notice a massive surge in sound and feeling in the songs and almost a bombast compared to quiet contemplation in earlier albums. I think with contributing musicians to Of the Wand and the Moon’s music it makes the emotions more intense in the songs. The one standout is the trumpeting work of Bo Rande never have I heard a trumpet make my eyes well up more than the trumpet work in “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” it somehow gives the songs a whole new meaning and fits the citylike feel of the songs to an even greater extent. Rande’s talents give me a whole new perspective on the beauty of the iconic brass horn and how it can be used perfectly in dark folk music.

There are so many dichotomies found throughout “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” there is a constant sense of movement, transitioning, and eventual healing after so much pain and heartache. When an album can genuinely hit your core, it is a masterpiece in my opinion. To me “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” is exactly this. I think Kim Larsen nailed it in ever sense of the word yet again. I sense this album is going to get many, many hundreds of listens in the foreseeable future. I have finished my glass of scotch and feel like after going through the journey that is “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wreath of Sorrow” I can honestly say it helped me close that chapter of Dublin in my life, and now I can move forward to new horizons though guarded but hopeful all the same.

Rating 10/10

Bandcamp: https://tescogermany.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wandmoon

Of the Wand and the Moon…When Love Ends

Photo Captured by: Marquis Xavier

I have once again been on a bit of hiatus with my blog and I am sorry for being so behind on things. It has been a really stressful couple months with both my personal life and stuff happening within my family. The one constant that has eaten up my emotional and mental energy was a two year long distance relationship that came to an end in the most awful of ways. I started thinking more about my past relationships and how often I end up choosing the wrong people or the timing is just not right. Love is one of those emotions that has so many roads and meandering paths that lead to good as well as bad outcomes. It has led to me thinking deeply about the concept and how as of now I have yet to find a relationship that is good and stays that way (even when difficulties arise).

Nightime Nightrhymes (1999)

The more I think about this the more I have come to the conclusion that there is one musical project that has always been there for me to help me understand and navigate the painful aspects of relationships ending as well as the experiences dealing with unrequited love. That project is Of the Wand and the Moon which was conceived by Kim Larsen out of Denmark. I first heard about Of the Wand and the Moon (:OTWATM:) from Don Anderson of Agalloch fame. I remember to this day emailing him and asking for suggestions about neofolk projects that helped influence Agalloch’s music (especially from The Mantle), and he recommended :OTWATM:. So I started scouring the internet to learn more about this project and found the album “Nighttime Nightrhymes” that came out back in 1999. When I received the CD in the mail I put it into my stereo and was immediately blown away about how beautiful, dark, and painful the music was. There was a stripped down, and vulnerable aspect to the album that was mostly acoustic guitar and whispered lamentations. It immediately hit me in such a way that when I even hear “Nighttime Nightrhymes” to this day I am still awestruck at how much it hits home. The is one specific song on the album that I listen to all the time (probably in thousands over the years) called “I Crave For You” the lyrics are as follows:

“I crave for you
And the incense of night
To bathe
In the flame of your light
Cold pale in sorrow
In the tears that followed
The years that swallowed
The innocence of my love
I crave for you…”

I think this song above all other Of the Wand and the Moon songs stands out as the most on point song that has summarized my relationship history over the years. I was always put into really difficult situations and was tricked by what I thought love was. In the end I was always put through a veritable buzzsaw and came out scarred and bloody every single time and it took me years and years to recover and be myself again. But the thing is this has happened over, over, and over again. I have yet to be in a loving relationship that helped me heal my scars and stem my blood loss. I have become so disillusioned and jaded to the point that I didn’t even think of dating for almost 5 years. And now the cycle of pain has started anew, and now Of the Wand and the Moon is consistently in rotation to remind me that Kim Larsen has been through his own relationship hellscapes and the emotions that come from navigating those hellscapes. What I can say about sad and dark music is that it has always helped me move towards healing because it reminds me that I am not as alone as I think I am.

Bridges Burned and Hands of Time (2019)

I think another aspect of :OTWATM:’s music is how much it reflects the dreams I have had over the years and the feelings and emotions that come with them. Whenever a relationship ends in the most awful and traumatic ways in my life there are always recurring places or situations I am put into within my subconscious. There is another song from Of the Wand and the Moon, “I Called Your Name” that reflects what sometimes happens in my dreams:

A fire lost at the cost of love
my stare bares witness to the demons I fought
the things we won’t do for love

And I called your name in vain – in vain
loves my bane and time marches on

Four years till this day in this slow decay
a prayer for an end and you’re far away
you’re far away…”

Typically I see myself in a wood that has multiple rooted paths, or I see myself in a giant house that has stairways that lead nowhere or somewhere. One time I would take a path or a stairway and end up being in a downtown part of a city that I am familiar with, and I see through the sea of people my ex walking around or with someone else and I always yell at the top of my lungs their name and they don’t listen. It is like I am surrounded by soundproof glass or in a different parallel world that only allows me to see over interacting with them.

Emptiness: Emptiness: Emptiness: (2001)

My mind is such a vast and sometimes scary place to navigate because when I love someone so deeply I am devoted and loyal and true to them to a fault and it often takes me a long time (years even) to get over someone I have fallen so deeply in love with. I sense their energy, scent, and see them everywhere in my peripheral vision. I don’t know why I get haunted by my past loves but in some weird way it helps me find closure (it just takes longer). All these thoughts and feelings always fall back to the songs Kim Larsen has written. His lyrics are so on point and the emotions and feelings he invokes in his music exactly reflects every single one of my experiences of losing love and the pain that follows with it. A song that really kind of hits all the points in my experiences, healing and recovery is “Can I Erase the Demon?”:

“I see it’s growing darker
And darker still
I see my heart growing darker

And darker still
I felt your heart growing darker
And darker still
I see this life growing darker
And darker still

Can I erase the demon?
Can I ever fill the hole?
Will I see the stars
And start anew?”

The Lone Descent (2011)

It is always such a dark and melancholic moment dealing with the aftermath of a long, hard, and loving (?) relationship especially with what I am currently navigating these past couple weeks. I thought I would not feel all the anguish, loss, and shock of losing someone I love but it happened again and I hope it is the last time I am going through these trials and tribulations in regards to relationships. I definitely feel like I have paid my dues tenfold with the most immense heartache that came with it. I am ready to press forward and find someone who loves me for me and will be there with me through the good and the bad. I am forever grateful to have stumbled upon Of the Wand and the Moon. The music has been my constant companion and reminded me that the feelings and emotions I have dealt with are normal and not too uncommon either. Misery, anger, sadness, wistfulness, nostalgia and memory are always going to be commonalities in regards to love and relationships. If I can think of one last song that helps me move forward would be “Watch the Skyline Catch Fire”:

“Words ring hollow
Clouds draw in
Discouraged
Spring rides on
Embrace the solitude
The fruit of life
Sorrow deep
Impenetrable
Watch the skyline catch fire
Strangers come and go
There’s death on your lips
I never knew
Our tears are water
Under the bridge
A distant memory
Before I go to sleep
Watch the skyline catch fire
Swallows come and go
I was never really here
But these streets know my name
Behold…”

All lyrics by Kim Larsen

Bandcamp: https://tescogermany.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wandmoon

Aerial Ruin/Bell Witch “Stygian Bough Volume I” Review

It has been a great while since I have updated my blog. 2020 was a really stressful and trying year (also for many other people). Because of the pandemic and working from home for over thirteen months now, I have lost interest in writing consistently. Now I feel like I am good to write again after much-needed multiple vacations in Ireland. I wanted to write a review for an album that has really been in consistent rotation since the album’s release and has really hit my emotions I have been dealing with when COVID became a thing. This album is “Stygian Bough Volume I” a collaborative project by Aerial Ruin and Bell Witch. I would say if I could choose one album that has hit all the right notes for these dark times “Stygian Bough Volume I” is that album!

This album hits the darkness, intensity, and emotional ruin of Bell Witch’s music. While also including the airy, melancholic, and withdrawn hopelessness of Aerial Ruin. I have a huge reverence and love for both these bands and hearing this collaborative project between the two is absolute musical gold. If I were to choose an album that fits my recent emotional trials and tribulations, this would be it. There are so many moods and feelings throughout the five tracks of “Stygian Bough Volume I” that it has been a cathartic and important listening experience for me. Listening to the album takes patience, determination, and grit to get through. There is nothing catchy about the album. What it lacks in earworms it more than makes up for in musical vistas of suffocating darkness, death and retribution.

Photo By: Makenzie Stone

The album begins with the stunning track “The Bastard Wind” it starts out with Erik Moggridge’s sorrowful voice and acoustic strumming and I picture an image of someone standing on a cliff side overlooking a calm sea shrouded in fog and moonlight. There is darkness everywhere and a sense of loneliness and apprehension. As the song progresses we are introduced to a wall of bass feedback and riffs by Dylan Desmond of Bell Witch and that calm sea ends up roiling and raging as a storm rolls in from the firmament. There is a sense of absolute anger and rage at the world as the song grows heavier and heavier. This ties directly to the funeral marching beats and fills of Bell Witch’s Jesse Shreibman’s drumming talents. That cold loneliness I felt in the first half of the song leads to overwhelming anger and sadness in the second half of the song. Throughout the massive sound and growls from Bell Witch, Moggridge’s voice filters through the storm as a strong and steadfast sentinel standing firm in the sea. The storm rages but there is a sense of calm and balance like the beam of a lighthouse guiding you out of the dark.

As the “The Bastard Wind” dissipates, we are then introduced to a 13-minute acoustic driven song called “Heaven Torn Low I (the passage)” while the first song gave a sense of looking over the raging sea this song gives a sense of wandering an endless labyrinth of trees in perpetual twilight. The sudden emotional highs and lows of “The Bastard Wind” has transitioned to a feeling of stasis/numbness in a forest of emotional limbo. There is a sense of peaceful uease in the song, like walking without disturbances but feeling like someone or something is following you. It gives a sense of creeping doom that you really aren’t completely safe from whatever is stalking you. As the song ends we are then introduced to a sea of feedback and drones that leads to one of the quicker songs on the album “Heaven Torn Low II (the toll)” this is a powerful, intense and moving piece of music that overwhelms the senses with despair and sadness. The way the guitars, bass, drums and vocals swirl in with one another is otherworldly and emotionally draining. It is like all the feelings from the prior two songs have unearthed almost a madness of the mind where there is no control but just utter mental/emotional wreckage. As the song progresses it suddenly comes to a close with an instrumental interlude called “Prelude” where the madness subsides and there is just silence in a void with quiet contemplation. Then the song ends and we are introduced to one of the best closing songs in a metal album I have heard in a long while, “The Unbodied Air”. 

If I were to describe the sound of “The Unbodied Air” it is literally all the emotional hills and valleys the whole “Stygian Bough Volume I” album puts the listener through coming to a crushing and apocalyptic end. The growls are on the forefront in the first half of the song and it makes a setting of being lost and ripped to shreds within the ominous and destructive clouds of severe thunderstorms. Hail hits your flesh and causes you to bleed, the electricity of lighting courses through your nervous system making you feel like you are dying over and over again. There is no sense of calm. You are continuously tumbling, and tumbling in endless storms without a sense of direction or even a sense of self. Eventually the winds subside and you feel the lashing cold rain hit your face. It almost brings you a sense of relaxation, but you know a storm of hail and lightning could hit you when you least expect it. Though as the song progresses it is almost as if the storm is dissipating. The rain is not as overwhelming, it seems to fall lighter and the warmth of the sun enters this aggressive, and deadly weather system. You feel a balance of warmth and cool. As soon as you hear Erik Moggridge’s ethereal voice come out of the fog you see land surrounded by roiling and churning ocean waves. 

Photo By: Lauren Lamp

There is shade standing in the middle of granite monoliths stacked perfectly and organized. Your soul drifts to the land like a slowly falling leaf. And you join the shade and your soul becomes flesh and you come to see this land goes on forever. There are endless mountains, rivers, streams and green trees lying before you. “The Unbodied Air” ends with a crescendo of vocals, drum beats and waves of guitar/bass feedback. Everything sounds organized and even hopeful. The emotionally draining journey of “Stygian Bough Volume I” ends and your mind and soul is once again full of life and light. You are not entirely sure what hides within these hills, trees and dales. You have left a life of disease and looming dread, you have come to the world that exists hereafter. 

“Stygian Bough Volume I” is easily one of the best albums to come out in 2020. It is the perfect remedy to the depression, loneliness, anxiety and pain that this pandemic wrought. This album has really helped me get out of a darkness I thought I got lost in for too long. What is even more exciting is that Aerial Ruin and Bell Witch are working on “Stygian Bough Volume II” maybe we will hear how the journey goes for our soul once we have arrived into the hereafter. Who knows what vistas and lands we will visit when we hear the next album. I for one do not wish this sonically cathartic journey to end that Aerial Ruin and Bell Witch has created. I hope it can continue onward into a land where COVID is finally eradicated and we can live our lives without fear and have a little hope again.

Rating: 10/10

Aerial Ruin Bandcamp: https://aerialruin.bandcamp.com/

Aerial Ruin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aerialruin/

Bell Witch Bandcamp: https://bellwitch.bandcamp.com/

Bell Witch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellWitchDoom/

Bell Witch Official Site: https://bellwitchdoom.blogspot.com/

A Conversation with Fen’s The Watcher

 

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Photo Credit: Tom Huskinson

Happy 2020 everyone! I had the distinct honor of being able to interview Fen’s vocalist and lead guitarist The Watcher. He discussed a broad range of topics from the conception of Fen’s new album “The Dead Light” to lessons he has learned over the years, as well as his thoughts on the direction black metal is going as a whole. He spent a lot of time giving detailed answers and brought so much insight into the world of Fen and how they have become one of the premiere acts in the United Kingdom black metal scene today. You can check out their new album “The Dead Light” on the following links below. It is an absolutely wonderful album full of greats ideas and new dynamics musical-wise. I hope you enjoy the interview and feel free to comment below.

Firstly, what was the inspiration and ideas that came to mind in the creation of “The Dead Light”?

“The central drive to create what would eventually become ‘The Dead Light’ occurred almost immediately after we finished recording the previous record, ‘Winter’. For me, once an album is completed, it is like the closing of a chapter – what needs to be said has been said and the focus therefore must be to look forward, to give shape to the next phase of expression that needs to be defined, explored and realized.

 With this in mind, we reflected on what we had achieved with ‘Winter’ – we recognized that it was a sprawling, earthy album that was rooted with a sense of weightiness (both sonically and conceptually). Not only this, it was incredibly lengthy and winding from a compositional perspective, which was again a reflection on the labyrinthine, earthy subjects that the album tackles. Therefore, taking all of this into consideration, we consciously decided we wanted to do something very different and found our gaze wandering skywards. I found myself deliberating on the phenomenon of light travelling across the cosmos from celestial bodies that are unimaginable distances away from us here on earth – celestial bodies that may well have become extinct in the time it has taken for their light to reach our mortal, human eyes.

 This initial consideration really cemented the kernel of the avenue we wanted to explore and it was really this premise that underscores the album and indeed gave birth to the album title, ‘The Dead Light’. This is a very direct reference to the phenomenon outlined above – looking upon a window into the distant past, the light from long-dead entities still travelling through the fathomless void to ultimately deliver to us an image of something that no longer exists. From this central premise, the rest of the ideas for the album began to take shape – principally, mankind’s relationship with the cosmos and how this has impacted on the philosophy, theology and scientific thought since the dawn of civilization.  

 Musically, meanwhile, the decision was made to reflect this conceptual stance by creating material that was crystalline, spectral and sharper. It was also key for us to make the new songs more concise – with ‘Winter’, we felt we had taken our indulgent proggy streak more or less as far as it could go. None of us had any desire to simply make ‘Winter – the sequel’ or try and outdo ourselves on the winding ‘long song’ front as I think it would have crossed the line into over-indulgence. So, we set ourselves a new creative challenge – to say as much as we did before but in less time, to really focus on self-editing and brevity.

 For a band such as ourselves who have been writing very long songs since the very start, writing long songs actually isn’t all that difficult. Indeed, you have the freedom to have all the time in the world to basically let your message unfold and develop – the REAL challenge is keeping it brief, keeping the compositions and arrangements tight. We always want to push ourselves and therefore, this was a challenge we were fully up for attempting!”

What was the recording process like? Did you try anything new or different with the writing of the album compared to past albums?

“This album was recorded at Foel Studios with Chris Fielding (of Skyhammer Productions) overseeing the production/engineering. Foel is a place I’ve known about for some time – it is truly in the wilderness, set deep into the depths of the Welsh Countryside and the perfect place to escape from the multitude of distractions that life insists upon throwing at you. When the opportunity arose to record there, we had to take it! Chris is also someone I have been interested in working with for a while – his record speaks for itself after all – so to record with Chris at Foel was something of a dream arrangement.

 It was a real pleasure to record if I’m honest – the isolated setting made not only for total concentration/focus but also the splendor of the surrounding landscape helped inspire, gave us an additional impetus to really deliver. They were hard, long days, don’t get me wrong – there’s only three of us in the band and we all have to ensure that we put in our ‘A’ game – but they were productive, satisfying days. We spent a lot of time experimenting with effects pedals, different amps/tones etc. to ensure that what was ultimately put down on tape was the optimum expression of the sound we were trying to achieve.

 We did try some new things with this record – we worked with clicks for the first time ever, primarily to save a bit of time with the final tracking/editing process but also to ensure that the songs were as tight and as sharp as possible. Writing-wise, the songs very much came together as most Fen records do – myself and Grungyn composing most of the material individually in isolation and then bringing songs (or half-formed songs) to the rehearsal room to be worked on as a full band. As ever, some songs can evolve dramatically at this point in the process whereas others remain more or less as originally conceived. Of course, some rehearsal room improvisation/jamming contributed at points but one needs to be very disciplined with this approach – quite often, ‘jamming’ is a lot more enjoyable for the practitioners than it is for the listeners so a high degree of self-editing and awareness is needed! It can sometimes lead to some quite unexpected and welcome outcomes however so it can be a useful tool for composition when used correctly.”

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Photo Credit: Tom Huskinson

In your description of “The Dead Light”, you wanted to focus your efforts to the celestial skies above. What made you want to go in this direction instead?

“As I outlined earlier, if ‘Winter’ was an exploration of earth, death, burial and renewal then our drive with ‘The Dead Light’ was to undertake an approach that, whilst focusing on something that was the conceptual opposite in many respects, still encompassed a great deal of spirituality. Not only this, the fundamental bleakness at the heart of the human condition is a thread that runs through all of our releases so it is no different.

 That said, I’ve always been fascinated by the night sky, the mysteries of the universe and the fundamentals of the cosmos. Yes, most kids like ‘space’, that’s true – it appeals to the seeking, questing mind for a start and ultimately, how can something so vast, unexplored and quintessentially ‘alien’ to our terrestrial existence NOT be fascinating? For me, I’ve always looked at it from a more scientific angle I guess and indeed, did study elements of astrophysics as part of my degree.

 Ultimately, however, it is the vastness, the emptiness and the sheer mystery of the celestial aether that inspired me to explore these themes. In many ways, the depths of the cosmic voids are the ultimate embodiment of true bleakness – for a band that claims to channel a sense of bleakness through music, it only makes perfect sense to embrace such a topic!”

Fen have been in existence for over 12 years now, what lessons have you learned as a musician/artist since then?

“Many. Whilst all of us had band experience prior to Fen being formed, we have learned so, so much about how to conduct ourselves as individuals, musicians and (perhaps most importantly a collective) since Fen was originally conceived. The biggest lesson for me has been on the business side of things – and as crass as it sounds, it is only when people are actually showing a genuine interest in your band (as opposed to just being supported by mates etc.) that this really starts to rear its head. Sadly, as soon as any amount of ‘real’ money enters the equation, you need to have your wits about you – not only this; you need to stay strong, stand your ground and defend your art.

 We were probably guilty in the early days of under-selling ourselves; or perhaps not fully understanding the value of what it is we can bring to (for example) a live event. We are lot more confident now in what we do and what we can achieve – and in how we respect our own art. We will never undersell ourselves now and I think it is important for all bands to do this. As much as we all want to play shows or have albums printed/released, it is important to understand that labels, promoters etc. are all businesses at the end of the day. With this in mind, any discussions relating to gig booking, signings, releases, must be approached for what they are – business negotiations. It is vital to go in to such discussions with your eyes open and that you stand firm about what it is you expect. At the end of the day, if you do not respect your own art, how can you expect anyone else to do so? We’ve definitely learned this the hard way since we started.

 The other thing I have learned is to never rest on your laurels – never lose your edge or become complacent. Always work on improving in all facets of what you do – composition, musicianship, even just, in how you express lyrical concepts or think through your approach to bringing ideas to life. When a band has been going for a long time and has an established fan base, I can imagine that the temptation to sit back and ‘coast along’, getting by with ‘churning stuff out’ can be tempting. Not for me. After all, you are only as good as your last album or gig and the thought of somehow getting lazy or moving backwards terrifies me. It literally keeps me awake at night – and it should. Standards within the extreme metal scene are getting higher and higher – I try to attend as many gigs as I can, to check out new and up-and-coming bands, to see where the bar has been set. I need to be kept on my toes, to be pushed and to feel the continuing drive to excel and exceed previously set standards. And in my view, this should be the approach of any self-respecting artist!”

Fen_TheDeadLight_cover_art

What inspires you to come up with your incredible imagery in your lyrics as well as songwriting?

“I’m a bit of a sucker for a powerful metaphor I have to admit! I’m actually not much of a fan of ‘direct’ lyrics really – nor do I feel particularly confident in writing lyrics that express themes and ideas in a way that ISN’T shrouded in metaphor. That’s an important point for me – I am always conscious of trying to ensure that there is an interpretive quality to what we write, that it isn’t just a lecture or some sort of surface-level story. Layers, inference and subtext are absolutely key.

 So, given this, I think evocative – and occasionally unexpected – imagery is a powerful way of driving ambiance within our lyrics. It helps emphasize the drama inherent within the music whilst also (I hope) encouraging the listener to think a little, to start exploring ideas that aren’t initially obvious within the song and to add their own interpretive slant to what is being discussed. It is almost like painting with words in some respects and as I like to think our music/albums are very visual in many ways – after all, we spend a lot of time developing our album artwork/aesthetics – it is fundamental that the lyrics support this approach.

 Ultimately, the best lyrics act alongside the music to drive the listener ever deeper into the material – to truly resonate with what is being said as well as emphasizing or highlighting the drama of the song playing out. When these two elements synchronize harmoniously, that’s when I personally feel that Fen’s art is at its most compelling.

 And as with all of our writing, the inspiration often comes from within – a feeling, a notion, a state of mind that can often be emphasized by situation or circumstance. A bracing walk through the autumnal fens; a splendid hike through the mist-shrouded fells of the lake district; simply sipping a decent whisky at night in solitude can set the fires of inspiration burning!”

I have read in other interviews that Fen was first heavily influenced by Ulver and the Fields of Nephilim do both these bands still resonate with you now after all these years? What other bands have been influencing you as of late?

“Definitely – Fields of the Nephilim in particular are an absolute staple, one of the fundamental bands for me all these years later. There is just something absolutely magical about their first three full-length albums that remains undimmed by the passage of time. Ulver are similarly vital – ‘Bergtatt’ of course laying down the blueprint for this style of black metal nearly a quarter of a century ago!

 As for bands that I’ve been influenced by more recently, it’s hard to say. When I am composing music for Fen, I try to separate myself from what has generally been on my record deck as my goal is (as ever) to write from a ‘pure’ creative perspective, to channel an almost subconscious creative desire to realise the essence of Fen in musical form. And to be honest, I listen to such a wide and diverse selection of music that it wouldn’t always be appropriate – just recently, I’ve had W.A.S.P.’s ‘The Headless Children’ and Pond’s ‘The Weather’ nailed to the turntable which, great as they are, wouldn’t really be massively appropriate to dip into for inspiration!

 I guess one of the big discoveries over the last few years has been finally getting into Yob – a truly unique band with an absolutely unquestionable vision. Instantly recognizable, diverse, heavy (in the ‘right’ way!), excellent riff writing – Mike Scheidt is as close to a genius as we can get in this scene in my eyes. I’d say these guys are a real inspiration to me – forging an utterly distinctive musical path with such elegance and with just three guys to deliver it. Massive respect.

 Alongside this, I’ve been keeping my ears warmed with all sorts of stuff – plenty of 70s Yes, The Chameleons (another great guitarwave band from the 80s who have a massive impact on the shoegaze scene), the first Verve album, The Great Old Ones (excellent French post-black with Lovecraftian themes. It’s a diverse roster indeed and one that I’d like to think all helps inform how Fen ultimately expresses itself.”

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Lately many bands I have been hearing have been focusing on space and the universe is there a reason why metal bands (specifically Fen) have focused on these themes?

“It is a bit of a weird one – many bands have chosen to explore ‘spacey’ themes in the last year or so it has to be said! I’m not sure if it’s a pure coincidence or just simply the result of individuals despairing so deeply with what is taking place here on earth that they feel compelled to look to the heavens for some sort of solace…

 Like I explained earlier, I’ve always been fascinated by cosmological concepts since I was a child and it is something that has followed me as I have got older. I don’t see how it isn’t possible to be fascinated by this, frankly – there are so many avenues for exploration, so many incredible phenomena that lurk within the vastness of the universe (or even the multiverse if we want to go there…) that it strikes me as willful ignorance to simply disregard any consideration of the cosmos. Out there lie the very fundamental secrets and tenets to our existence here on our rather unremarkable planet orbiting a rather unremarkable star – something that may give some substance, meaning or context to the origins of life here.

 And beyond that, there are so many other phenomena we barely comprehend – dark matter, space/time, gravity, singularity – phenomena which underpin the very fabric of everything that surrounds us (after all, lest we forget, all matter we perceive on this planet was essentially born in the heart of a star). How is this NOT utterly compelling? And of course, given the type of characters who are attracted to the extreme metal genre, it’s no surprise that such concepts have so many willing enthusiasts within the scene. It’s an intoxicating mix of darkness, mystery, nihility (if one adheres to the theory that we are truly alone in a freezing, uncaring universe), violence, destruction and ultimately, sheer unknowable vastness. It’s a rich, rich wellspring for the metal mind to draw upon and such themes/concepts are perfectly delivered via the vessel of black metal I think.”

Fen has become one of the premiere black metal bands in the United Kingdom, do you think black metal in the UK is going in a positive direction or has it plateaued? In general, do you think black metal is an evolving genre or has it stagnated?

“You’ve asked two separate questions here really – firstly, has UK black metal plateaued? The answer from me is a resounding ‘no’ – indeed, it has never been healthier to my mind. There are so many new, up-and-coming bands forming at the moment who not only exhibit a real sense of considered definition and quality-control in their music/aesthetics but also demonstrate a real hunger and drive to succeed. The scene here just keeps getting stronger – it’s a far cry from the early days of it just being Cradle of Filth, Hecate Enthroned and Thus Defiled being the sole flag bearers for the genre on the world stage.

 We have some acts from the UK now really cementing international reputations – Winterfylleth, Saor and A Forest Of Stars being the vanguard of those who underpin the quality of what has originated from this isle in the last fifteen years or so. But there are plenty of others who are now making names for themselves – all adopting their own unique take on the genre but being united by a sense of common purpose and a palpable drive to succeed. Notable acts include Aklash (excellently composed atmospheric BM), Wolvencrown (searing melodic BM), Abduction (harsh, nihilistic fury), Necronautical (riff-heavy and symphonic), The Infernal Sea (vivid aesthetics married to snarling old-school sonics), Thy Dying Light (monochromatic lo-fi aggression) – there are plenty of others. I’d urge you to spend some time digging through everything our scene has to offer.

 As for black metal itself stagnating? It’s hard to say – it’s a genre that has traditionally seen so much reinvention and genre cross-pollination that it has almost become synonymous with change and with evolution. What is interesting however is how conservative much of the fan base can be also – and if one were to take a bigger step back, have we REALLY seen any significant evolution in the last 15 or so years? The whole late-90s ‘weirding’ of Norway was clearly a time of real experimentation, however whilst we did get a handful of excellent records out of it, some of it has not aged well at all. The ‘black metal meets electronica’ thing of the early 2000s also has been (rightly) condemned to the dustbin of history, though someone had to give it a try I guess.

 I guess these were all exercises in establishing boundaries. I think what a lot of the ‘over-experimentation’ enabled was to define the parameters within which black metal could experiment and still retain its identity – and it is much more about uniqueness of atmosphere, authenticity and songwriting bravery but crucially, within the confines of the ‘traditional’ trappings of extreme metal. Some of what I consider to be the most forward-thinking acts of the last 10-15 years (Blut aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, The Ruins of Beverast) use the traditional ‘guitar/bass/drums/synth’ tools of the genre yet deploy them in such a way that makes them original and write material that is truly unique. In this, I can only see the genre continuing to evolve in this way, for more brave souls to continue to push at the edge of the compositional envelope.

 However, this is offset by what I can see in the conservatism that currently dominates the black metal mainstream – when bands like Mgla end up becoming one of the biggest outfits in the genre by essentially re-writing the same three-chord song seven times and calling it an album, you can’t help but ask some questions about stagnation creeping in somewhere! But I digress – black metal is an individual thing after all and I’m happy to leave this sort of thing to the festival crowds whilst seeking out those acts who are trying to push themselves and the genre forwards.”

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What are some of your hobbies outside of music, tell us more about The Watcher as a person?

“Well, I’ll keep this relatively brief – I’m a bit enthusiast of craft beer and single malt whisky. Indeed, I think Scottish single-malt pot still whisky is the greatest drink conceived by human beings – it’s no exaggeration to state that it has been a very important part of the Fen creative process. It’s an evocative, invigorating spirit that carries with it a real sense of time, place and landscape. It has therefore accompanied many a late-night writing session – it’s a rare treat to kick back with the guitar, a glass of cask-strength Ardbeg and then look to summon atmospheric inspiration…

 Other than this, I also quite enjoy hiking across country, up hills and mountains and across rugged terrain. Given I live in the city, it’s not easy to get access to such landscape but we generally try and get away to the wilds once or twice a year.

 I also quite enjoy fantasy gaming – role-playing, tabletop/miniature games and card games. Yes, classic geekery and something that is far more prevalent in the black metal scene than many would like to admit. I know a LOT of folk who have rediscovered their love for miniature paining recently – I sadly don’t have the time to dedicate to it that I’d like but I try and reconnect once in a while!”

Has any movies, books or other mediums helped influence the music of Fen?

“Movies – not really. I enjoy watching films but much more as an escape or a distraction – a way of ‘switching off’ if you will – than as a genuinely artistic pursuit. I guess there’s only so much space in one’s brain and we all need our vices or ways to unwind. So film isn’t something for me that I take inspiration from in Fen.

 Books are a different matter I suppose. Again, I read a lot of escapist fantasy literature to relax, however I also spend a lot of time reading philosophical works also and some of thinking therein really helps with giving form and voice to the lyrics/concepts we like to express with our albums. It’s not something I have the mental energy to dig into all the time but when I can, I do dig into works by many of the existential and metaphysical writers in an attempt to try and add some structure/meaning/sense to my own worldview. Key writers include Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein, Russel – I have also dabbled in the works of Neiztche and Sartre but found these perhaps a little TOO opaque, though some of the key themes definitely resonated.

 Whilst the above are not directly referenced or drawn from as inspirational sources, they have been key in helping shape my thinking and my worldview – almost sitting behind what I do in Fen as some sort of inspirational ‘background radiation’ supporting the concepts and ideas we look to explore in our music.

 For ‘The Dead Light’, I have also drawn upon some of the more philosophical/outlandish theories that can crop up at the fringes of astrophysical considerations. Again, this has also been supported by some key writings that deal with the wider implications of a number of scientific theories – Tipler’s ‘The Physics of Immortality’ and Deutch’s ‘The Fabric Of Reality’ are intriguing reads, even if occasionally being a little questionable from a strictly scientific viewpoint. Nevertheless, these are fascinating subjects and any cursory read into metaphysics, astrophysical phenomena and transhumanism is sure to get the inspiration circuits firing.”

Reading more about your background you have your hand in many other musical projects, which ones are you focusing on as of late? Which projects should our readers focus on?

“At the moment, I think it is fair to say that I am only really involved in two ‘active’ musical outlets currently – Fen is of course one of these and the other is what is predominantly a solo outing, ‘Fellwarden’. The latter is an expressive outlet I commenced in around 2014 to give voice to a more sweeping, epic black metal sound that I had been yearning to undertake for some time. Havenless – who has been drumming in Fen since around 2016 – provides the drums for this and I was actually working with him in Fellwarden prior to his involvement with Fen.

 We have just completed work on the second Fellwarden full-length – the debut ‘Oathbearer’ came out in 2017 – and we started work more or less straight away after this so it’s taken a while to come together. That is understandable though as I’ve really pushed the material further on this record – more epic, more layers, a more ‘widescreen’ approach to the compositions. It also really digs deeper into the themes of the project, taking huge inspiration from the rearing landscapes of the Cumbrian fells of North Western England. I think it sounds great myself and I’m really looking forward to it finally seeing the light of day!

 This said, there are other possible things bubbling away – indeed, there has been talk that the long-awaited second De Arma record may finally see completion in 2020 – amongst other things. I guess you could say I like to keep busy!”

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Photo Credit: Stefan Raduta

Fen has done many shows and tours over the years, specifically which ones stood out to you most?

“In terms of individual shows, we have been quite lucky in some respects as we have had opportunities to play at some incredible venues in front of some amazing crowds. Prophecy Fest last year at Balver Hohle in Germany was one of these – the setting was absolutely mind-blowing, awe-inspiring and atmospheric. It was an absolute honour to play. Our set at Summer Sonnewald in Austria back in 2011 was also something special – playing on an Austrian mountainside as night descended and beacon pyres were set aflame in celebration was something else. And our show in Moscow in 2014 was also awesome – we didn’t know what to expect but the venue was great and the audience absolutely reveled in it. Playing in the US in 2012 was a rare treat also, we had a great time. All of these will live with me until my final day but there have been plenty of other great live experiences along the way also.

Tour-wise, the month we spent in Europe with Agalloch in 2013 was an incredible experience. A great bunch of guys for sure and we had such a good time with them – we also played some pretty cool shows along the way as well which helped!”

If you could describe the music of Fen to someone who may not be familiar with the sound how would you describe it?

“Man, I get asked this now and then (normally by curious ‘normal’ people) and it’s so difficult to accurately sum up to the uninitiated I fear! I guess it would be along the lines of ‘atmospheric yet furiously raging metal music, shot through with palpable sorrow and a sense of the ethereal’. Is that pretentious enough do you think?”

Finally, do you have any parting words for our readers?

“Thanks for taking the time to read this and for checking out our music!”

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Bandcamp: https://fenuk.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fenofficial

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2rZmcCq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FenBandUK

 

 

Obsequiae “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” Review

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When I heard Obsequiae would be coming out with a new album I was so excited to hear what Tanner Anderson has created. I can safely say that he has created a potential album of the year candidate for 2019. The album is consistent, unique, and beautiful there is not a weak part to be heard in “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings”. When I first heard of Obsequiae, I was very much intrigued because I thoroughly enjoy Tanner Anderson’s project Celestiial. Listening to the epic sound found in Celestiial I was itching to hear a pared down version that was succinct but still had that immense feel to the music, and that is how I found out about “Aria of Vernal Tombs”. I purchased the album right away and immediately got into the ethereal and medieval world of Obsequiae. After experiencing the beauty of “Aria of Vernal Tombs”, I could not wait to hear what “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” had in store for me.

The album begins with an amazing instrumental by Vicente La Camera Mariño, “L’autrier m’en aloie” this is song is astonishing in its beauty and really paints the listener a picture of natural landscapes with ruins scattered across green craggy islands. The instrumental ends and the sounds of wind, and birds take over; then the first chords kick in for the song “Ceres in Emerald Streams”. This track hits all cylinders and rips but has a subtle dreamlike vibe to the guitars that somehow eases the tension completely in the song. “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” has this sound going on throughout the album, which makes it incredibly consistent.

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The next aspect of the album that really is a highlight is the muffled screams of Tanner Anderson, it really adds a mystique to the overall sound of “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” his vocals sound like they were recorded on a cliff side overlooking rivers, lakes and castles in disrepair. It gives an overall natural vibe to the music that fits the themes conveyed in all 12 tracks perfectly. In addition, the lyrical delivery in the songs is top notch and gives a sense of longing for the ancient world before technology took over. The lyrics show a deep yearning for places with overgrown hedges, vast gardens and mysterious woods nearby.

Another thing that makes this album brilliant is how atmospheric and crunchy the guitars are, I picture a bard somewhere in an old church playing electric guitar summoning the ancient spirits of old. There is such a sense of melody and beauty in the riffs and leads. I imagine in my head these songs playing while I ride horseback from the mountains, rivers, and through the misty meadows of Avalon. Each track on the “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” has this mystical, and fey-like imagery found throughout every menhir, sepulcher, and dark/dusty castle corridor. If you are itching to hear an album that will take you to different worlds, this album does it in spades.

In conclusion, I feel this album is brilliant, the imagery, overall sounds and vibe of the album hits all the right emotional notes. As I progressed through the album, I felt such wonderment and even a bit of sadness. There is a sense of longing for worlds lost to time and technology throughout the entirety of “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” it is album that allows you to journey inward to experience a world where your ancestors once walked and the sorrow they felt when man’s folly caused the impending doom of the natural world. “The Palms of Sorrowed Kings” is the millions of voices lost to time and decay, please listen to their message.

Rating 9/10

Bandcamp: https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/the-palms-of-sorrowed-kings