FORGOTTEN TOMB INTERVIEW

December, 2015

DARKNESS EVOLVES OUT OF FORGOTTEN TOMB…

Negativity creeps in with its grin atmosphere… Hurt Yourself and The Ones You Love reveals its dark secrets in musical and philosophical aspects.

Hurt Yourself and The Ones You Love is released on April 2015. Three years after, we have new Forgotten Tomb full-length. How are the reactions from media and the fans?

Actually it’s 2 years and half from the previous album and we released the live DVD in 2014. Anyway, reactions have been better than “…And Don’t Deliver Us From Evil”, probably because of the better production and the more adventurous sound, I think it’s a very solid album and it sounds fresh. Of course we still divide the audience and press and someone who’s complaining will always be there, but most of the negative reviews I read are pointless and written by people who are just into our earlier stuff or deliberately hate the band, so I don’t give a fuck. Plus, the label said the album is selling better than the previous two, so I guess most of the fans liked it.

You seem to be on tour all this year. Hope to come across one of them in EU. How have the concerts been passing so far?

We played several shows already this year and we explored territories where we haven’t been before, such as Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and even Mexico, so it has been pretty interesting. We’ll have most of the work this autumn, starting from September and then all through October/November with the proper tour, supported by friends Nocturnal Depression. It’s going to be a blast!

How do you define Forgotten Tombs’s musical direction at last album? Do you think that the sound evolved to more avant-garde direction than doom/black?

I think it’s extremely heavy and dark, genre-ridden, it doesn’t really sound like any other band around these days. Of course we kept the main aspects of our sound intact, especially when it comes to Black Metal, Dark-wave and Doom influences, but we increased the heaviness of the riffs and you can spot some influences from early ‘90s Metal like Buzzoven, Helmet, Pitch Shifter, Fudge Tunnel, Eyehategod, even some Grunge/Alternative stuff. It’s all part of my background so you can hear it from time to time. This said, if one followed our evolution over the years will definitely love the record, since it’s one of our heavier ones, it’s extremely grim and negative, with very violent and controversial lyrical concepts. I think it’s important to retain influences from the past but always trying to be ahead of the game, offering something that sounds fresh and different from what you’ve done before, at least to a certain extent.

Could you please give more details about cover art since we only know the name of the model as Paula Luminal? How did this idea come forth? Do you think if it is an “ugly reality” symbol on cover art while the music is holding its dark beauty?

We noticed the material was coming out quite aggressive and twisted, so we definitely pushed ourselves into that madness further. We actually wanted something that looked extreme and that would catch the attention of fans. Our recent albums had some more “artistic” designs so we thought it was time to get back to something more crude, especially because the lyrics and sound on this album are very cruel and violent. Also, I really like photographs on cover artworks, but we didn’t want to use archive-pictures or stuff like that, so we hired a photographer and a model and we did it ourselves. I think the pictures turned out great, not just in terms of concept but also in terms of quality.

Forgotten Tomb quitted being a one-man band since 2003. How are the things going with Alex, Kyoo-Nam and your latest guitar-player A.? What is the difference for you being one-man band or with band members?

Besides changing our guitar-player in 2011, I think we have one of the longest running line-ups in Black Metal and I hope it will always be like that. I always use to say we’re more a gang than a band, so this probably also helps keeping each other together and fighting difficulties and disappointments, which are inevitable over such a long-lasting career. FT was never supposed to be a one-man band in the first place, I just couldn’t find the right people to play with in my area at that time, so I decided to save some time by playing everything by myself on earlier releases, most notably the demo and “Songs To Leave” (on “Springtime Depression” I had a session-drummer). I actually started playing live with a temporary line-up in 2002. When all the right people finally came together in 2003 the popularity of the band was already  blossoming so we immediately started playing live and rehearsing as a band. I still write 90% of the material for the band so the direction we took on the various albums was mostly my idea. Of course the other guys contributed to some stuff and in general we share opinions about the music, etc., but in terms of evolution it has nothing to do with having a line-up. Simply, you have to start from the concept that a band evolves. There are bands that don’t evolve of course, but to me they’re mostly boring as fuck.

Springtime depression has always been my favorite album. Have you noticed that Albrecht Camus related sprig as suicide season since the gap, between inside and outside is quite deep in springtime and the melancholic existence cannot stand the awaking of nature. This aspect also makes Springtime Depression more precious for me, which was released later spring as August 2003 still…

I don’t remember that thing about Camus. Didn’t he say “autumn is like a second spring”? Anyway that’s quite an interesting thing. The concept behind the “Springtime Depression” title was born during one of those early spring days in March/April, when nature is blossoming but it’s raining and there’s a grey, empty sky; I thought I like that grey sky against the serenity of the green leaves on the trees, like sensing some kind of mistake, some kind of stark contrast. It was like being aware that while the world was cheering, I felt the opposite inside of me. Those are details that most of the common people don’t really think about or are able not to feel. On a side note, it wasn’t actually released in August, the LP was released in May/June 2003 and the CD in June 2003. “Songs To Leave” was released in August 2002 (after a 1 year delay). 

You released a tribute for GG Allin with Whiskey Ritual which is also A.’s side Project. in 2011, 22 years after GG Allin’s death who is a deranged man and one of the most controversial, self-mutilated punk star, what would like to say about him?

I think he was the true last punk-rocker and in some way he’s very underrated. I mean, of course there was shock-value and pure madness in his performances and stage antics, though if you listen to some of his interviews and you read some of his lyrics, he had some really well-crafted concepts and revolutionary ideas. I think he wasn’t stupid as most people believe him to be, he was pretty acute in some of his views. Unfortunately he was ruined by his excesses, but that was quite inevitable, like with most of the real artists. He certainly left some memorable songs.

Music has always been an enchanting field from mythological tales to pagan rituals that creates rapturousness either in meditative way or in destruction. However say, Self-destruction is much older like in punk times, but mainly in black metal or let’s say suicidal black metal genre lately. How do you relate destruction with music?

Well, not all music inspires destruction, though in Metal, Punk and other aggressive music-styles it’s certainly an important element, both in terms of destroying the common fake values instilled by society as well as lingering within self-destructive activities, both things that I’m pretty talented at, apparently haha. In general though I think Metal has lost its edge over the years due to all these fake-ass bands/politically correct hippies trying to save the world and all this bullshit… The well-thinking attitude in Metal is one of the things I despise the most in my whole life, it’s in stark contrast with the values this genre was built on, especially when we come to Black Metal and extreme forms of Metal. It’s the same thing that destroyed real Punk/Hardcore in the ‘80s, it’s destroying Metal nowadays. The new generations are a bunch of wimps, and I’m not talking in regards to the music itself (which sucks anyways) but in regards to the attitude they brought to the table. Some people should not really get mixed with extreme Metal if they’re afraid of being extreme.

As nostalgia, Forgotten Tomb had bloody shows in the early times of the band, first in Italy and shocked the audience for a while but then you quitted all suicidal acts in sight on stage. How do you remember those times? Nowadays there are still examples regarding live self-destructive shows, how do you see them?

The whole suicidal and nihilistic image became a cliché over the years and as a consequence I think it has lost the dangerous power it had back in the days. Aside from our first show in 2002 where I came on stage with bloody scars and stuff like that we’ve never used any shock-value elements during our shows, so we can say we’ve never been into this stuff. I was into self-harm “privately” for a while in my life at that time but it wasn’t something that I wanted to show on-stage any longer. Everybody is free to do what they want with their music or stage-antics, we just didn’t feel it was necessary to us and we’re still comfortable with going on-stage, kicking ass and going home. Probably if I wouldn’t have to play guitar on live-shows I could certainly be a bit more scenic, but after so many years being a 4-piece we’re reluctant to have another guitar-player just because of that. I think the music is strong enough to say fuck off to theatrics, even if I know for a lot of Metal fans it’s more important how you act on stage than what you play. But we’ve always been anti-spectacular so I guess we’ll keep on being true to ourselves and to our stripped-down, no-frills image. This said, on album covers and booklets we certainly have some very strong and shocking material at times, but that is part of our concept and of what we are so we cannot change that, if we do something it means we believe in it, it’s not merely shock-value.

Speaking of extremity, the term jouissance is explained as a gap between desire and joy. If you go further on pleasure, there you find suffering. So, do you think if arts, say Forgotten Tomb cannot exist if there is no suffering?

It certainly helps. It also depends on what one feels as “suffering”. I’m mostly desensitized these days, though I guess my “suffering” mostly comes from unstable life situations, lack of almost everything, failures, disappointments, poverty, getting older, not being able to fulfill my aims in life, hating the place where I live and not being allowed to kill as much people as possible without getting caught and imprisoned. I also have some health issues from time to time that are extremely painful. All that stuff combined together causes me a lot of distress and I guess that’s the real suffering of being an adult, compared to the juvenile depression that I might have had 15 years ago or so. Life is way worse now, though if you listen to the music I do nowadays you’ll notice an angry edge to it, I don’t revel in depression anymore. It’s more of a pissed-off, desperate nihilism. I think it can only get worse, unless I win at the lottery and I suddenly become a millionaire, which on the other hand would allow me to delve definitively into high-profile vice and perversion (which would be another inspiring factor nevertheless).  

Hurt Yourself And The Ones You Love title brings me to misanthropy which reminds me our very old interview in 2009 for my black metal zine called Acedia. You pointed out a contradiction in misanthropy term since people mix it up with individual hatred or disgust to all human being. 6 years after, with that influential title you came up, what would you like to say about misanthropy?

“Misanthropy” is a misused term which I try to avoid these days, ‘cause apparently for some it’s not what it’s meant to be (a strong dislike for society rules and for several kinds of people or for human kind in general) but it’s just a way to hide their unsuitableness in this world and their nerd-like attitude. You know, all these kids that are unable to have friends or a girlfriend use to call themselves “misanthropes”, while they’re actually just creeps! I can stay in crowded bars, have a laugh with strangers, shake your hand if needed, but it doesn’t mean I like all these people, it just means I know how to behave on the streets. Many serial-killers were apparently social and respectable people, therefore they were not misanthropes? You get the point. This said, I certainly spend a lot of time at home and I prefer to hang out to certain places instead of others, and I seriously dislike a lot of people too. I don’t know if this makes me a misanthrope or not, but it’s a term that reminds me of those young nerdy Black Metal misfits who don’t have a life, so I try to avoid it as much as possible these days. 

Both with lyrical and musical wise, Forgotten Tomb has always related with melancholy or a music of melancholy. How do you define this mood in Forgotten Tomb and in your personal life?

Everybody changes from when they’re 19 to when they’re 35, otherwise it would be a huge problem. This said, I didn’t change that much at all when it comes to my vision of life, band and people. I still think most of humanity should perish as soon as possible, therefore the death of others is always a nice thing for me. In regards to myself, I’ve never been a constantly depressed person, if not for a bunch of years in my teenage years/early twenties. I think all artists go through some very dark times in their lives, with higher highs and lower lows than regular people, but I always said that this doesn’t mean that someone is constantly depressed or pissed-off. Every album captures an image of that particular moment when the songs were written, like a photograph. Press and fans want to portray a precise image of artists like me, because everything you say in interviews and on the albums helps them to sell magazines/get more views, but life is made of many facets. Most of the stuff I had the chance to read about me online is often taken out of context and used to bash me somehow. Truth is, you can’t really judge people basing on what you read/hear around. These days I’d say I’m very disillusioned and most of the time I’m quite a loner, but this doesn’t mean I’m necessarily depressed. I’m beyond that point in life, I got used to things going wrong most of the time, no big deal. I’m not happy about how things are going in my life but I’m not depressed, I’m quite desensitized. I don’t cry over myself, quite the opposite. I enjoy the few things in life that I like and that’s it, there’s not much else you can do (unless you win at the lottery, like I said earlier).

As a personal curiosity that I want to ask you; this year we contributed to an international exhibition with my mother’s painting called “treatment of melancholy by music”. In the painting, a quartet is playing Jacqueline Du Pre for the victim who vigorously suffers from melancholy. What kind of treatment would you like to use to treat melancholy if you can?

I don’t want to treat melancholy, I want everybody to suffer as much as possible and as a musician I do everything I can to fulfill this vision. Personally speaking, I’m not sure I want to get rid of my melancholy either, and I guess it’s even impossible ‘cause I was born this way.

Last question is for Italian band… The great bitter, Amarone or Tuscany delicacies or Gavi, etc., which one is your sine qua non? Do you think if the wine fits black metal more than other drinks in terms of enthusiasm and sophisticated atmosphere?

This is definitely my favourite question, since I’m a HUGE wine freak! I only drink wine (and some cocktails from time to time). My favourites are white sparkling dry wines, especially those done by “méthode champenoise”, champagne-like fermentation. So I basically drink Franciacorta, Prosecco and Champagne, depending on how much money I have at that particular moment. Italian and french wines are obviously my favourites. I like some red too from time to time, but mostly if I’m having a good dinner which goes along with it nicely (in winter, usually). In regards to cocktails, I’m very fond of Jim Beam & Cola, but I prefer using canned Coke. Mojito is cool too, and Moscow Mule. İ don’t know what fits Black Metal better, but I think most of the black metallers sipping red wine are posers who don’t know shit about it and just want to show off. Beers and whiskey are still going strong in the Metal area, from what I see when we’re touring. Having good wine outside of Italy and France is incredibly difficult.   

Thank you for the interview. Please share your last words...

Thanx for the interview. Hurt yourself and the ones you love, then come seeing us live on our tour in autumn. Cheers.

Originally published on Filhakikat.net 

SOME MUCH FOR NOTHING INTERVIEW

December, 2015

Hi Erik, How are you lately?

Hello, and thanks for your interest in So Much For Nothing. I guess I’m ok. It rarely helps to whine and complain all the time, so I try not to bother anyone with it.

Your album Livsgnist is released on Jan, 2012. How are the reactions, reviews for the album from press, fans and your label My Kingdom Music? Do you have any plans for a new album recently?

The album got massive critics when it was released. It sticks out from the normal metal release and because of that, I guess it gained some extra cred from the review writers, in addition to the simple fact that it’s a really solid album in the first place. I’ve also gotten lots of feedback from people saying this and that about how good this shit sounds, so that’s of course a positive thing along all this negativity. As for a new album; all songs are written, but I’m not finished with all the lyrics and vocal arrangements yet. After tons of delay, I hope we will start recording it late this summer.

So Much For Nothing (SMFN) is started as your solo project but now drummer Uruz is also permanent member. Now there you have kick offs for live performances first at Inferno Festival on February 1st and then Under the black sun festival on 3-5 July 2014. Will you use live members or are then any plans for permanent ones?

As for now, I think we will keep on going with this live members situation as it seems to work really good. As you mention, we just played our first gig ever at the kickoff event for the Inferno Festival, and I don’t think it could have gone much better.

Do you have influences from classical music or other genres while you are creating SMFN music? You are using various instruments like violin, cello, saxophone, trumpet that bring experimental atmosphere to SMFN music. SMFN seems like contribution of dark experimental pop into black metal. How do you define SMFN music?

I like listening to classical music, but I rarely do it anyway. Although I listen to lots of movie soundtracks, and you can find lots of classical music there, so… I probably do, when I think of it twice. However, the instruments you mention is not played by myself, but some talented people I know. I just play the basics on the album; guitars and bass, as well as some small parts with piano and flute. As for the inspiration, I must say that my main inspiration comes from pop music and black metal, as those are the two genres I mainly listen to myself. And as for how I will define SMFN, it’s easy; metal-pop/rock!

The melancholic tones of SMFN catch from the beginning of the songs throwing out the listeners to the unpredictable utter darkness. Oldchool guitars riffs, sorrowful vocals, sharp deathwish, suicidal lyrics are the ones what I can say about your music. What are your influences coming from? Do you think creativity is implicated in extremism, pain and destruction?

Musically, it’s what I wrote above, inspiration wise. Lyrically and regarding this “feeling”, I really don’t know… As far as I can remember, I’ve always been attracted to darkness and the sombre aura, so the whole melancholy concept which dwells upon SMFN really comes natural to me. And the lyrics are spawned out of everything from single actions which has happened to a more general feeling and the way I see things, life, future etc.
As for creativity in general, I don’t think this HAS to come from something extreme, sorrowful or whatever, but if you take a look at the history, many of the greatest artists of all time don’t seem like they have been happy as a teletubby, so to speak.

There is a trendy description for depressive black metal music as suicidal black metal? Do you think if it is used to describe some sort of music? Do you call SMFN suicidal black metal?

Of course it’s used as a description for a special type of genre which doesn’t exactly fit the regular extreme metal, black metal or whatever. But isn’t depressive and suicidal black metal sort of the same when referring to bands in one of those categories? Anyway, I don’t mind what label music get, and I’ve seen this label when speaking of SMFN as well. I don’t mind what other people say, but personally I just call it metal-pop/rock. Not suicidal or depressive or something like that. Plenty of bands and artists outside the metal genre have sombre lyrics without being labeled with that tag. I mean… Have you ever heard the term “suicidal synth pop” or “depressive country” when referring to a band/artist that happens to write about the darker aspects of life? I haven’t…

Livsgnist means “spark of life” which takes me think about Nietzschean affirmation theory.

In The Birth of Tragedy Nietzsche maintains that the Greeks knew well that life is terrible, inexplicable and dangerous yet didn’t surrender to pessimism by turning their backs on it. Instead, they "transmuted" the world and human life through art. Their culture is a unity of two "attitudes"—the forces of life (Dionysian) and the love of form and beauty (Apollonian).

Saying “yes” to life, feeling the joy of exhaustlessness of you, a pleasure featuring the pleasure taken from destruction… Do they take part in SMFN ideology? What do you wanna say about this resemblance?

Well, I haven’t been giving this issue much thought… But as stated, “the forces of life and the love of form and beauty” sounds pretty much intact with a part of how the concept behind SMFN works.

Nihilism might be defined as severe misery resulting from meaningless efforts and loosing the meaning of life. Do you call yourself nihilist? How do you define it by your own words?

I think I will rather call myself a realist if I have to put a tag on myself, which I prefer not to. But according to the definition of nihilism in the question, I guess it suits me in some levels. Again, I haven’t given this much of a thought either… I simply am who I am and do what I do, without having the urge to find a definition or to find out under which label I “belong”.

Melancholy, suicide is related with depressing gloomy atmosphere and long-lasting dark winter times of Scandinavia in black metal scenery. However, according to Camus, suicide season is the beginning of summer because when the nature awakens, the gap between inside and outside gets deepens that makes internal midwinter intolerable. What are your thoughts on suicide and suicide season? Do you think suicide is a passion or it is like falling in love as Freud says?

I think this is a very individual matter; when and why people commit suicide. But of course it’s some sort of passion… There’s a reason why they want to leave this world, so they probably have a passion for suicide, right? But frankly, I don’t care…...

In SMFN lyrics love and death are in touch in many sides. Moreover, in the songs of One Last Night and Suffer in Silence, love is threatened to death if not commits a suicide. What kind of relationship do love and death have according to you?

I guess both love and death are two really emotional topics, and the thought of one or the other can probably be too much for some people. Of course you have the lack of love which can lead to death, but also the love of death – the curiosity of what’s on the other side (even though I personally don’t think it’s anything waiting for you there) or those who somehow fall in love with the thought of dying, as they can’t stand this world anymore. I don’t know…. I can probably come up with many more thoughts around this subject, but does it really matter what I think? When reading lyrics, it’s best to think about what you get out of them yourself, instead of trying to “understand” the author’s thoughts, at least in my opinion. In most cases, you will probably get in wrong anyway.

Many suicides are seen in black metal genre, which is started with Dead from Mayhem. What kind of connection do you think black metal and suicide have?

The search for utter darkness, feeling misplaced in this world, being depressed as you don’t feel you fit in… Lots of people commit suicide, not only people involved with black metal. However, the feelings and darkness is usually very essential in black metal, so it’s not very surprising that several people within this “scene” have passed away over the years.

Misanthropy as hated over humanity and in sometimes hatred over every living thing including nature. What does misanthropy mean to you? Do you call yourself misanthrope?

As said, if I have to label myself with anything, I will call myself a realist, but of course, I have some misanthropic point of views.

How do you feel about drug usage in rock/metal scenery? Do you think hallucinogens can contribute to inspiration on music like opening a different perception as Aldoux Huxley mentioned much in his book called Doors of Perception?

Yes, absolutely, but I don’t think that it works for everyone. Like so many other things, I think this is very individual, and personally, when writing music I usually end up dead drunk. Possibly not the best way to work, but I think it’s essential in SMFN’s matter.

Niklas Kvarforth from Shining is featuring in Suffer in Silence song from Livsgnist album in vocal parts and lyrics. How was the working with him? How did you league together?

I knew Niklas from being on tour with Shining together with my other band Sarkom. I told him about SMFN and that I wanted him to take part on one of the songs. Sure thing, but today you can just send files over internet, so he did his part in Sweden while I was at home in Norway. We communicated mostly over e-mails and everything worked out great, I think!

Unlike SMFN, anti-religious side of black metal is seen your other band called Sarkom. What do you think about religions generally? What do Aleister Crowley’s disciplines or Anton La Vey’s Church of Satan mean to you?

As said before, I’m a realist. If someone told me about a man who can walk on water, then please show him to me and make him demonstrate how he does that. Unless I can’t see it or personally feel it, it’s not real to me. On topic, religion mostly sucks. Just look how they fight over things that claim to be real. And that you will get seven virgins when you die for example, haha! Unless they are pedophiles, most women aren’t virgins, so I don’t understand how each and one of them will get seven!!? As for A. Crowley or La Vey, they mean nothing to me. Don’t know so much about them either, so that’s rather natural. I care mostly about myself and my closest and do what I want within a certain limit, of course. As far as I know, I don’t get any ideas or way of living because it’s written down or told by others. I have a slightly functional brain, so I prefer to think myself rather than doing what others say I should.

What do you want to say about Trondr Nefas (Trond Bråthen) known with its band called Angst Skvadron who passed away on May 2012? He is one of the friends of you which you contribute great projects together. How is he remembered by your side and in black metal scene?

Nefas is one of those I actually will call a pioneer in the black metal scene, and I’m personally inspired by his work with Urgehal. That’s one of my favorite black metal bands. He was not a close friend of mine, but we met from time to time. As you say, we worked together, or he helped me out with a couple of guitar solos on Livsgnist, which I rather will call it. However, I have several memories of him and he was certainly a person not to forget! People still talks about him “up here”, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t! Even though he is gone, his music will live for many decades!

Please share your last words and wishes. Thank you for the interview.

If anyone feels to check out SMFN after reading this, the easiest way is through facebook. That’s where the shit happens these days. The page is regularly updated by myself or our PR manager Patricia Thomas. As we also just have started to play live, any interested bookers should not hesitate to get in touch! Thanks for your time and support!

Originally published in Turkish on Filhakikat.net.