Posted in Questionnaire on February 23rd, 2022 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Leif Herland of Bismarck
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
First and foremost I’m an audio engineer and songwriter at Polyfon Studio, I don’t consider myself a musician although I play bass in several bands. At the studio I produce, record, mix and master music for bands, filmmakers and artists. I’ve been fascinated by sound and music since a very young age, and I started writing and recording music at the age of 16. I took a degree in Music Technology at Glamorgan University in Cardiff in 2011 and have been working with music and sound on a regular basis since then. I started Polyfon Studio in 2019.
Describe your first musical memory.
My first musical memory was my grandmother’s old Yamaha keyboard which had built-in rhythms and different sounds. I played with that a lot!
Describe your best musical memory to date.
I played a show with a band called Sworn at Garage in Bergen for 10-ish people in 2007. At the gig we got discovered by a German fellow who wanted to manage us and book shows for us. A few weeks later we played in front of 6,000 people in Germany, that was surreal and one of my best musical memories to date! We also got to play festivals and went on tour with Behemoth and Aborted!
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I get tested in my work all the time. It’s important to stay open minded and alway try new things to achieve new sounds and new music! I try not to have any firm beliefs, neither professional nor private ones.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
In many cases artistic progression leads to better art. For me constant development and experimentation is key to keep my work interesting, both for me, my bandmates and customers in my studio.
How do you define success?
Success for me is when you can do what you love and make a living out of it. Most bands and artists strive to make this happen and when you’ve found your way and succeed it’s one of the greatest feelings there is!
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
I’ve seen some shit. I especially remember a foul website called rotten.com which had the worst kind of images and videos. I saw a man getting slowly beheaded with a knife when I was about 13 years old and that image stuck with me…
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’ve always wanted to create and release an electronic ambient doom album, and I work on it from now and then.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
I believe the most essential function of art is to give you something. Whether it is anger, sense of relief or provoking doesn’t really matter to me. If the art doesn’t give me anything it is not relevant to me.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I’m currently renovating my apartment and I’m very much looking forward to getting it done!
They recommend watching in 4K, but I think even if you’re slumming it in 1080p the focus on professionalism comes across in Bismarck‘s whole-album playthrough of their 2020 sophomore full-length, Oneiromancer (review here). The video, which trims the 35-minute long-player down to just under 32, was reportedly shot in one take and features pro-shop sound and lighting — there’s even a fan on frontman Torstein Tveiten — as well as three working cameras throughout. Lights flash, cuts are sharp, and the band themselves waste none of their or the audience’s time. Clearly it was a show-up-and-get-down-to-business kind of affair.
With it, the Bergen, Norway, five-piece give an impression of some of the intensity they might bring to a stage show, the darkened hammering of their rhythms bringing together post-metal’s claustrophobia with the sheer bite of aggressive and extreme sludge, and unsurprisingly, their performance proves worthy of the presentation they’re making of it. When I reviewed the album, I called it thoughtful, and the same applies here. Aggro as they are, Bismarck know exactly what they’re doing. The low lighting during quiet stretches, the attention to detail in the camera swaying, the balance of ambience and crush that pervades — it all serves the experience of the record as whole, and if the underlying point of Bismarck playing the thing front-to-back is to emphasize just how well it functions in that kind of listening context, the message isn’t at all lost.
Obviously the intent here, aside from maybe telling you to put in the entire and eminently manageable 35-minute ask that Oneiromancer is making, is to capture a live feel, and in that sense, the manner in which they do so actually runs against the current expectation born of so much of the live-streaming happening by bands around the world due, duh, to the COVID-19 pandemic. This may be Bismarck‘s answer to such a thing, since they are playing live and all, but this is professionally filmed and edited, wasn’t premiered live at the same time it was played. Thus it’s more like a concert video than a live performance being aired at the same time it’s played.
In either case, Bismarck crush it.
To wit, the video:
Bismarck, Oneiromancer live playthrough
This is a 100% live, one take playthrough of our latest album “Oneiromancer”! Performed, filmed and recorded at Carte Blanche’s Studio Bergen!
Welcome to the penultimate day of the Summer 2020 Quarterly Review. I can only speak for myself, but I know it’s been a crazy couple months on this end, and I imagine whatever end you’re on — unless and probably even if you have a lot of money — it’s been the same there as well. Yet, it was no problem compiling 50 records to review this week, so if there’s a lesson to be taken from it all, it would seem to be that art persists. We may still be painting on cave walls when it comes to the arc of human evolution, but at least that’s something.
Have a great day and listen to great music.
Quarterly Review #31-40:
Katatonia, City Burials
Like their contemporaries in My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, the latter-day period of work from Sweden’s Katatonia veers back toward some measure of direct heaviness, as City Burials showcases in cuts like “Rein,” “Heart Set to Divide” and “Behind the Blood,” but more than either of those others mentioned, the Stockholm outfit refuse to forsake the melody and progressivism they’ve undertaken with their sound in the name of doing so. By the time they get to “Untrodden” at the end of the album’s 50-minute/11-song run, they’ve run a gamut from dark electronica to progressive-styled doom and back again, and with the founding duo of guitarist Anders Nyström and vocalist Jonas Renkse at the helm of the songwriting, they are definitive in their approach and richly emotive; a melancholy that is as identifiable in their songs as it is in the bands working under their influence. Their first work in four years, City Burials is an assurance that Katatonia are in firm ownership and command of all aspects of their sound. As they approach their 30th year, they continue to move forward. That’s a special band.
Boasting production, mixing and percussion from The Golden Grass‘ Adam Kriney, Marmalade Knives‘ debut album, Amnesia, is a delight of freaky-but-not-overblown heavy psychedelia. Oh, it’s headed far, far out, but as the opening narration and the later drones of second cut “Rivuleting” make plain, they might push, but they’re not trying to shove, if you know what I mean. The buzz in “Best-Laid Plans” doesn’t undercut the warmth of the improvised-seeming solo, and likewise, “Rebel Coryell” is a mellow drifter that caps side A with a graceful sense of wandering the soundscape of its own making. The vibe gets spacey on “Xayante,” and “Ez-Ra” touches on a funkier swing before seeming to evolve into light as one does, and the 10-minute “Astrology Domine” caps with noise and a jammed out feel that underscores the outbound mood of the proceedings as a whole. Some of the pieces feel like snippets cut from longer jams, and they may or may not be just that, but though it was recorded in three separate locations, Amnesia draws together well and flows easily, inviting the listener to do the same.
Edinburgh’s King Witch toe the line between classic metal and doom, but whatever you want to call them, just make sure you don’t leave out the word “epic.” The sweeping solo and soaring vocals on the opening title-track set the stage on their second LP, the hour-long Body of Light, and as much mastery as the band showed on their 2018 debut, Under the Mountain (review here), vocalist Laura Donnelly, guitarist Jamie Gilchrist, bassist Rory Lee and drummer Lyle Brown lay righteous waste to lofty expectations and bask in grandiosity on “Of Rock and Stone” and the linear-moving “Solstice I – She Burns,” the payoff of which is a high point of the album in its layered shred. Pieces like “Witches Mark” and “Order From Chaos” act as confirmation of their Euro-fest-ready fist-pumpery, and closer “Beyond the Black Gate” brings some atmosphere before its own headbang-worthy crescendo. Body of Light is a reminder of why you wanted to be metal in the first place.
Eminently listenable and repeat-worthy, Glass Parallels‘ debut LP, Aisle of Light, nonetheless maintains an experimentalist flair. The solo-project of Justin Pinkerton (Golden Void, Futuropaco), covers a swath of ground from acid folk to psych-funk to soul vibes, at times bordering on shoegaze but seeming to find more expressive energy in centerpiece “Asphyxiate” and the airy capper “Blood and Battlegrounds” than any sonic portrayal of apathy would warrant. United by keys, pervasive guitar weirdness and Pinkerton‘s at-times-falsetto vocals, usually coated in reverb as they are, Aisle of Light brings deceptive depth for being a one-man production. Its production is spacious but still raw enough to give the drums an earthy sound as they anchor the synth-laden “March and April,” which is probably fortunate since otherwise the song would be liable to float off and not return. One way or another, the songs stand out too much to really be hypnotic, but they’re certainly fun to follow.
Stonework is the self-aware debut full-length from Portland, Maine, trio Thems That Wait, and it shoulders itself between clenched-teeth metallic aggression and heavier fuzz rock. They’re not the first to tread such ground and they know it, but “Sidekick” effectively captures Scissorfight-style groove, and “Kick Out” is brash enough in its 1:56 to cover an entire record’s worth of burl. Interludes “Digout” and “Vastcular” provide a moment to catch your breath, which is appreciated, but when what they come back with is the sure-fisted “Paragon” or a song like “Shitrograde,” it really is just a moment. They close with “Xmortis,” which seems to reference Evil Dead II in its lyrics, which is as good as anything else, but from “Sleepie Hollow” onward, guitarist/vocalist Craig Garland, bassist Mat Patterson and drummer Branden Clements find their place in the dudely swing-and-strike of riffs, crash and snarl, and they do so with a purely Northeastern attitude. This is the kind of show you might get kicked at.
Complexity extends to all levels of Sojourner‘s third album and Napalm Records debut, Premonitions, in that not only does the band present eight tracks and 56 minutes of progressive and sprawling progressive black metal, varied in craft and given a folkish undercurrent by Chloe Bray‘s vocals and tin whistle, but also the sheer fact that the five-piece outfit made the album in at least five different countries. Recording remotely in Sweden, New Zealand, Scotland and Italy, they mixed/mastered in Norway, and though one cringes at the thought of the logistical nightmare that might’ve presented, Sojourner‘s resultant material is lush and encompassing, a tapestry of blackened sounds peppered with clean and harsh singing — Emilio Crespo handles the screams — keyboards, and intricate rhythms behind sprawling progressions of guitar. At the center of the record, “Talas” and “Fatal Frame” (the shortest song and the longest) make an especially effective pair one into the other, varied in their method but brought together by viciously heavy apexes. The greatest weight, though, might be reserved for closer “The Event Horizon,” which plods where it might otherwise charge and brings a due sense of largesse to the finale.
The order of the day is sprawl on Udyat‘s recorded-live sophomore LP, Oro, as the Argentinian outfit cast a wide berth over heavy rock and terrestrial psych, the 13-minute “Sangre de Oro” following shorter opener “Los Picos de Luz Eterna” (practically an intro at a bit over six minutes) with a gritty flourish to contrast the tonal warmth that returns with the melodic trance-induction at the start of “Los últimos.” That song — the centerpiece of the five-track outing — tops 15 minutes and makes its way into a swell of fuzz with according patience, proceeding through a second stage of lumbering plod before a stretch of noise wash leads pack to the stomp. The subsequent “Después de los Pasos, el Camino Muere” is more ferocious by its end and works in some similar ground, and closer “Nacimiento” seems to loose itself in a faster midsection before returning to its midtempo roll. Oro borders on cosmic doom with its psychedelic underpinnings and quiet stretches, but its movement feels ultimately more like walking than floating, if that makes any sense.
To anyone who might suggest that extreme metal cannot also be forward-thinking, Bismarck submit the thoughtful bludgeon of Oneiromancer, a five-song/35-minute aesthetic blend that draws from doom, death, hardcore and sundry other metals, while keeping its identity in check through taut rhythm and atmospheric departures. Following the chants of opening intro “Tahaghghogh Resalat,” the Chris Fielding-produced follow-up to Bismarck‘s 2018 debut, Urkraft (review here), showcases an approach likewise pummeling and dynamic, weighted in ambience and thud alike. “Oneiromancer” itself starts with blastbeats and a plundering intensity before breaking into a more open midsection, but “The Seer” is absolutely massive. Despite being shorter than either the title-track or “Hara,” both of which top nine minutes, and closer “Khthon” underscores the blood-boiling tension cast throughout with one last consuming plod. Fucking raging. Fucking awesome. Pure sonic catharsis. Salvation through obliteration. If these are dreams being divined as the title hints, the mind is a limitless and terrifying place. Which, yes.
I won’t say it’s seamless or intended to be, but as Albuquerque, New Mexico, two-piece The Gral Brothers make their initial move on Caravan East between cinematic Americana and industrial brood, samples of dialogue on “Cactus Man” and violin in the seven-minute soundscaper “In Die Pizzeria” seem to draw together both a wistfulness and a paranoia of the landlocked. Too odd to fall in line with the Morricone-worship of Cali’s Spindrift, “Crowbar” brings Spaghetti West and desert dub together with a confidence that makes it seem like a given pairing despite the outwardly eerie vibes and highly individualized take, and “Santa Sleeves” is beautiful to its last, even if the lone bell jingle is a bit much, while “Silva Lanes” pushes even further than did “Circuit City” into mechanized experimental noisemaking. They end with the birdsong-inclusive “Ode to Marge,” leaving one to wonder whether it’s sentiment or cynicism being expressed. Either way, it’s being expressed in a way not quite like anything else, which is an accomplishment all on its own.
When you’re at the show and the set ends, Flamingo Graphics is the CD you go buy at the merch table. It’s as simple as that. Recorded this past March over the course of two days, the debut album from Floridian foursome Astral Glide is raw to the point of being barebones, bootleg room-mic style, but the songwriting and straightforward purposes of the group shine through. They’re able to shift structures and mood enough to keep things from being too staid, but they’re never far off from the next heavy landing, as “Devastation” and the closer “Forever” show in their respective payoffs, that latter going all out with a scream at the end, answering back to the several others that show up periodically. While their greatest strength is in the mid-paced shove of rockers like “Space Machine” and “Scarlett” and the speedier “Workhorse,” there are hints of broader intentions on Flamingo Graphics, though they too are raw at this point. Very much a debut, but still one you pick up when the band finishes playing. You might not even wait until the end of the show. Meet them back at the table, and so on.
The ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the varied responses of publics and governments worldwide, and the disruption to lives and livelihoods has reached a scale that is unprecedented. Whatever the month or the month after or the future itself brings, more than one generation will bear the mark of having lived through this time, and art, artists, and those who provide the support system to help uphold them have all been affected.
In continuing the Days of Rona feature, it remains pivotal to give a varied human perspective on these events and these responses. It is important to remind ourselves that whether someone is devastated or untouched, sick or well, we are all thinking, feeling people with lives we want to live again, whatever renewed shape they might take from this point onward. We all have to embrace a new normal. What will that be and how will we get there?
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Leif Herland of Bismarck (Bergen, Norway)
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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
Well, it’s a challenge to release an album right now, that’s for sure. Not being able to play live is weird, and we’ve moved and cancelled all planned shows. Everyone in the band is in good health, and none of us have caught the virus yet.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
In Norway it has been quite strict. Now the country is opening up slowly. Bars, restaurants and shops are opening with restrictions. Events are now allowed with up to 50 people as long as they respect the one-meter rule. If you’ve been out of the country and returning you have to be in quarantine for 10 days.
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
People are keeping their distance to each other. The culture business is suffering. Musicians, technicians, event companies and so on are having a hard time surviving due to the restrictions. A lot of people are temporarily laid off too.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
We’re healthy, we just released our sophomore album Oneiromancer, and it has been very well received! We’re meeting up and we’re rehearsing, and when things are turning back to normal we’re ready to get on the road and play shows for you! Stay safe and stay doom!
