kalejdystopi.blogg.se

The following text was an "interview" conducted by http://ghgumman.blogg.se/ with my band, Svartnad.

Though, when released on the aforementioned blog, the format and the spelling turned out to be all messed-up so I decided to release the "un-messed-up" version here.

//T.

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What´s the name of your band?

T: Svartnad. Short and simple.

What made you call the band "Svartnad"?

T: I don't quite remember to be honest. It sounded “moody”, which was in line with our ideals at the time.

How was the band formed?

T: Me and the former guitarist of the band, Karl Hoverman, were both really into suicidal/depressive black metal at the time and during a party we started talking about actually starting a band (the usual drunken-talk). But to my surprise the conversation continued the day after, and after a couple of weeks, Karl had written and recorded our first song “Save Me”. Hence, Svartnad was born. Karl left the band a few months later and Alex, the current guitarist of the band, was recruited from another band that we played together in at the time called Forlorn Remembrance.

What can you tell about your band?

T: Well, now days we're more in the post-metal-vein rather than in the suicidal/depressive black metal-swamp we were born from. We have one official release as of now; the 2011 EP “En Studie I Ensamhet” (“a study in loneliness”, in swedish). We are currently doing pre-production and demo recordings for our first full-length release which, hopefully, will be released later this year.

Where are all band members from?

T: I'm from northern Scania, which is the southernmost region of Sweden. My band comrade, Alex, is from the Malmö-area in southern Scania.

Who does what in the band?

T: I mainly play bass guitar and do the growl and “screaming vocals” (a.k.a. Shrieks). Alex plays guitar and occasionally contributes to the vocals. We have recently started working with a drummer who’ll most likely perform the drums on our upcoming release, though he's not a full-time member as of now.

What was the ambitions of the band when you started?

T: There hardly were any ambitions. We wanted to make music and that was it. This has probably remained our main ambition throughout the years.

A: Like Tobias said, we only wanted to make music we like and not try to conform to a particular genre. I think that’s why the music and the songs are so different and keeps changing.

Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you?

T: We focus a lot on making very dynamic songs, both when it comes to the riffs in themselves, the overall structures of the songs and the genres incorporated into the mix. The musical spectrum of Svartnad stretches from more black metal-oriented parts to soft, ambient and sometimes almost “pop-like” riffs, which makes the band really hard to define.

A: It’s very difficult. When someone asks I just reply “some kind of post-rock with some harsh metal incorporated”, which doesn’t really help that much. Since our songs vary quite a bit, it’s just easier to listen to the music.

Where was your first gig?

T: We have never played live nor do we intend to as of now, so I will skip all the following gig/live-related questions.

Who writes your music?

T: Both me and Alex contribute to the songs, though most of the fundamental riff ideas are of Alex' creation.

A: We write it all together. Usually I come up with an idea and then we work it through different layers.

Who writes the lyrics?

T: I do 99% of the lyrical works.

Who has the best sense of humor in the band?

T: Definitely me, Alex can be really dry at times so he does not qualify.

A: Haha, yeah I really have a dry sense of humour.

What genre do you feel you are?

T: As I mentioned earlier it's really hard (at least in my opinion) to label Svartnad's music. Our earlier stuff was labeled as “depressive rock”, “depressive black metal”, “post-rock” and “shoegaze” by our fans, but since the release of “En Studie I Ensamhet” the music has taken a sharp turn towards a more post-metal/post-rock oriented sound and aesthetics so I guess that's the closest thing to a genre that the band has at this time.

Why did you pick that particular style?

T: I don't think that you honestly can just “pick” a genre, it has to come somewhat natural to you. It's one thing to be interested in the genre in question but it's a totally different story to actually make something good in that vein without copying bands you're already listening to. TL;DR: It came pretty natural to us.

What are your songs about?

T: It varies. The songs on “En Studie I Ensamhet” dealt with subjects like depression, drug abuse and social exclusion. The newer songs are united under a common theme, which I will not disclose at this time. What I can say though is that it's a long step away from the bleak angst-loaded subjects of “Esie”.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers?

T: We only write our own material.

Have you made any albums out?

T: Yes, as I mentioned above we have an EP out called “En Studie I Ensamhet” which is available through most of the major CD-stores of the internet.

Do you have any clips on YouTube?

T: Since we do not perform live there are no clips of that sort. But there are a couple of videos containing the songs off “Esie”.

How old are you?

T: I'm 23 and Alex is 25.

What got you started in music?/At what age did you start playing?

T: My father always used to play the guitar for me and my brother when we were young and my mother always used to sing for us. Growing up it seemed only natural for both me and my brother to start playing ourselves and after much encouragement from our parents we both started playing. I started playing viola (variation of the violin) at age 8 or 9 and continued doing so for about ten years before the ever-growing interest for bass guitar took all of my time.

A: I’ve always been interested in music and started practicing it by the age of 8. However, it wasn’t until I got my own guitar at age 15 as things really kicked off.

How old were you guys when you first stood on stage?

T: I’ve performed with an classical orchestra several times from the age of 10 and onwards, but if that does not count I think I performed with my first cover-band at age 13 or 14 as a bass player.

A: If you don’t count silly stuff in grade school, I was probably 16 when my oh-so-cool melodeath band rocked the stage for the first time. Of course it was a disaster.

What year was the band started?

T: In the late spring/summer of 2008.

Which band is the best you´ve seen live?

T: I've seen hundreds of bands live, many of them really good but to name just a few I'd have to say Diablo Swing Orchestra (Wacken 2012), Tool (Metaltown 2006), Sigur Rós (2013), Pianos Become The Teeth (2011).

A: It’s really hard to say. Your own expectations and personal relation to the band matters a lot. One gig that really came out of the blue for me was seeing Porcupine Tree for the first time. I had only heard one or two songs from them, but they really captured me.

What are your goals with your music?

T: World domination.

A: I want people to listen and hopefully enjoy the music. For me, music has helped me a lot through some rough times, and if our music can do the same for other people, that would be great.

When did you decide to go all in for the music?

T: We never did. I study and Alex have a job, so the music is merely a leisure interest, a rather major one though.

A: Like Tobbe said, it’s not “all in”, at least not for the moment. We’ll see what the future holds in store.

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern?/What are your sources of inspiration?

T: I rarely get inspiration from other music. My main source of inspiration comes from books, movies and most relevant of all; people and their conversations. Also, I really don't listen to any “older” music. (Okay, that depends on what you define as old.) When it comes to movies I really love Bergman, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Nolan and Lynch (to name a few). I'm a huge Lovecraft-fan and I've been reading his various works since the age of 11 or so. So Lovecraft as well as some of the modernist authors such as Camus, Kafka and Orwell make up the basis for my reading.

A: I don’t think the age of a band matters. I can listen to a song from the 40’s and be inspired, as well as a song that was released this year. However, I think books, movies, scenery and nature really inspires me the most.

What's the first step when making a new song?

T: Usually we try to come up with the main-riff/theme of the song and thereafter we build the rest of the song around it. This sounds a lot easier than it actually is, though.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums?

T: I work and study in the media-area, hence I quit downloading (illegally) years ago. I think that services like Spotify, which I use daily, has a lot of potential to, not necessarily eliminate but at least help lower the rates of illegal downloading of music. Since I do not intend to make my living off of music I do not make the illegal downloading of our music such a big deal although I'd definitely prefer if people bought the CD's or at least listened to music through Spotify, Bandcamp or other similar services. Both in the sense that our efforts with Svartnad actually earns us, the creators, some revenue that will go straight into making more music and that some of my friends who actually struggle to make their living off of their music can live a more stable life.

A: I don’t really care, and I don’t think illegal download really hurts the artist. In the case of smaller bands, I actually think it helps them to market their music more efficiently.

However, with spotify etc today, it’s not really a big issue.

What would be your dreams for the band?

T: To release a bunch of records that I honestly could feel happy and proud about. And to do some shows. That'd be pretty sweet.

A: I agree with Tob. Going on tour with one of our major influences would probably be the biggest thing for me.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to?

T: I enjoy loads of different genres, it would take too much time and space to actually try to list them. At this very moment I listen a lot to bands/artist like: Bon Iver (my favorite band of all times), Cult of Luna, Mumford & Sons, Kent, Kaizers Orchestra, Breach, The Ocean, Darren Korb, Tom Waits, Vinne Paz, La Dispute, Imogen Heap and Defeater.

A: I listen to a lot of 70’s prog rock and Camel is currently my favourite band. Other than that I like progressive metal that’s not too technical, the “post-black” thing, 80’s speed and power metal (not that newer shit), some black metal and folk music (mostly scandinavian and irish).

What would be your greatest fears for the future?

T: I do not really fear what the future holds. It would be a shame to die tomorrow but it's not like it's something that I could question.

A: Probably losing my health in an accident or something, or losing a loved one.

 

Have you been part of any other bands/projects?

T: I've been a part of tons of bands/projects throughout the years, a lot of whom never recorded any songs which, in hindsight, is quite a shame. But to mention a few: Abomination, which was my first, somewhat, serious band. We played some strange mixture of black metal, punk and grindcore and released one rehearsal demo which is close to impossible to get hold of. The band, technically, still exist although we haven't rehearsed for 5-6 years or so, but we'll probably get together and record some of our songs one day in a not-so distant future.

I, also, was the vocalist and co-founder of a progressive metal band named Forlorn Remembrance. We performed a handful of shows and released two demos before I left the band in 2011 due to lack of motivation and personal conflicts within the band.

A: Oh yes. Besides the aforementioned Forlorn Remembrance I’ve played thrash metal, death metal, folk metal, and been briefly in a pop/rock band. I also have a project where I play some irish folk music where I play guitar, tin whistle and sing.

What do you work with outside of the band and the music?

T: I currently study audio production and sound design. I'm also active within game development.

A: I work at a major carton company where I usually spend the days locked in a lab with no windows.

What would you do if there was no music?

T: Probably learn to draw. Or listen more carefully to the noise of my apartment radiators I silently hum along.

A: Probably dedicate more time to an actual career.

How often do you rehearse?

T: When we all have time, which is quite rare.

Where do you rehearse?

T: Somewhere in Lund, Scania.

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment?

T: I like all of our songs, they're mah babies. Obviously I like the new/upcoming songs a bit more since I haven't had time to get tired of them yet. But fine, let's say that I like “Eterseglare” and “Mångator” in particular at this very moment.

A: If I had to pick two songs, it would probably be “Mångator” and “Kalejdystopi”. Neither is released at the moment but will end up on our upcoming album.

 

Do you have any webpages?

T: We're on Facebook (just search for “Svartnad”) as well ashttp://svartnad.bandcamp.com/

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there?

T: Keep doing what you love but be realistic about it. The music industry is a harsh climat with few bands that actually are able to make a living off of it, and they've been through hell both once and twice on their way there. Aim for the stars, be innovative but always keep yer feet on the ground and never, ever stop being humble about your art.

A: Don’t try to be a rockstar when you can’t even figure out your instrument, and keep doing what you like until it’s not fun anymore. ‘Cause then it’s no point in continuing.

How would you describe your sound in one sentence?

T: Bombastic, fantastic, euphoric, melancholic, dreamlike. I'm really bad at this.

A: Melanforic.

The end.

 

http://svartnad.bandcamp.com/