OFERMOD (Eng.)
– Hi, thanks for your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything doing right now with OFERMOD?
We’ve just finished a couple of live shows in november and december. It’s been more than a year since the recording process for the new album began, so we are also preparing and working on some new material. Other than that «Thaumiel» was released the 26th of october last year… the world is a slightly darker place now!
– Have been 4 years since «Tiamtü» and this new «Thaumiel». How do you think you have evolved as artist during these years? What could you say are the main differences between both albums?
I wasn’t involved in Ofermod when «Tiamtü» was recorded, although I was involved in the process that led to this album for a while. The differences are many, and the similarities should also be obvious to people who’ve heard both albums. I know that it is the obvious and boring answer, but people will understand once they’ve gotten into the album. I like «Tiamtü» a lot, but to me «Thaumiel» stands as a whole in a different sense than «Tiamtü» did. The knife that is Ofermod has definitely been sharpened!
– Your first album got an amazing feedback, considered a masterpiece into the style. Due to this, did you work under any kind of pressure to keep the sime level of quality or do you just don’t care about that and let things flow?
J.K: Quite a hard question for me to answer, but I’m confident that he has better things to care about.
– Anyway I think this new «Thaumiel» is an even more introspective opus, also more mature and complete. Does each record depict a certain moment in your life?
J.K: Considering the fact that OFERMOD has existed since 96′ and only have released to EP’s, and two full-length albums, I think it’s very clear that all releases represent the years leading to their manifestation. Even though the similarities are obvious if you compare the Ofermod1998 to that of Ofermod 2012, the band is channeling darkness in a different sense today. None of us are followers of a dogmatic spiritual doctrine, but a path that is of a more individual nature – which by it’s own nature opposes stagnation and will equal development and evolution. Every true manifestation of dark art should be the direct result of hard work, contemplation, and watching inwards until the light of Lucifer shines even in the physical product.
– And what does this project provide you? I mean, is it a way to channel your inner self and your art with absolute freedom?
J.K: You pretty much answered the question yourself there! But then again, the «inner self» you refer too would be something beyond the ego of the mind in this context. There are no musical boundaries in Ofermod, but we know very well what tools to use, and when to use them.
– Talking about such; what’s the main concept behind this CD?
J.K: «Thaumiel» is a musical, Draconian grimoire, a meditation on the darkest reaches of this world and the other side alike. The lyrics were provided by different initiates of the Left Hand Path, and needless to say, the music and words presented on «Thaumiel» will effect everyone who truly LISTENS to the album. The lyrics are well worthy of hours of contemplation. I have gained quite a bit from them myself! The lyricists obviously possess a great deal of practical knowledge within the matters touched upon, and their contributions add so many more dimensions to the entire thing. I’d personally recommend everyone to listen to «Thaumiel» in complete darkness, or in a room lit up by a few candles, and treat the listening session as a guided meditation. Treat it as a key to the Sitra Ahra.
– How is the songwriting process in OFERMOD? What comes first? I also mean atmospheres, as soundscapes seem to play an important role on your creations.
J.K: Kind of hard for me to say… All of OFERMOD’s songs are very different from each other, so my guess would be that each song has it’s own individual process.
– Production on this effort is simply superb, creating a perfect balance between clarity, which allows the listener to perceibe every small detail laying in your music, and a really organic sound, which transports perfectly the evil and dark vibe your compositions have. Would you mind to shed some light on how was this process like and who took production duties?
J.K: The album was recorded in Endarker studio, and Devo Andersson was the engineer as well as producer. I can but agree to your comments – he did a great job! The process to get that sort of production is really down to a lot of hard work and many, many hours spent in the studio.
– This has been your first piece with Spinefarm after leaving a more underground label as Norma Evangelium Diaboli. How is everything going with Spinefarm and what differences both labels? Have the Finns provided you a wider coverage?
J.K: Spinefarm is a bigger record label, which naturally gives us more tools to work with. Our conditions should be kept between us and the label, but we are very pleased so far. NED will be releasing the LP version though! They are a label worthy of all support.
– All this about «Thaumiel» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Disobedience and liberation.
– Leaving the new album aside, I’ve seen lots of bands as IXXI, VALKYRJA, ONDSKAPT or WATAIN among others have always metioned you as a reference into the scene. How are you feeling about it? Do you actually feel as so?
J.K: Ofermod has been a very influential band in the «scene». It is a simple fact. «Mysterion Tés Anomias», along with the recordings of Funeral Mist and Malign the same year, had an immense impact on the black metal scene, especially in Sweden, during the early 2000’s. You’d have to be blind not to notice really. It’s a weird question for me to answer, as I wasn’t in the band in the beginning, but I’m not making some bold point here – I am simply being objective. Then again, every band, especially if it was started when the members are young and impressionable, will have itheir musical and «image-based» role models. If you look at the earliest Ofermod record and interviews, I think the ghost of Mayhem is pretty evident. My point is that all bands must draw inspiration from some source. What differs the great ones from worthless bands is the ability to use and re-shape these influences in order to create something new. I’m personally pretty tired of phrases such as «Ofermod influenced this and that band..:», which seem to be present every fucking time someone writes something about Ofermod. It seems irrelevant today. Ofermod’s music an lyrics speak for themselves, and so do most bands who are supposedly influenced by Ofermod!
– And what bands or styles have marked you or inspired you personally?
J.K: Suppose this would be more interesting if Mika answered it, as he has written all the music for Ofermod so far. I know that he likes a lot of different Black and Death metal stuff, as well as dark classical music. As for myself, I’m into a lot of different forms of music and would in no way label myself a «metal-head», but as far as metal goes, I prefer early norwegian stuff. So many of the records produced during that era are remarkably visionary. Just listen to «Under a funeral Moon», «In the nightside Eclipse», «De mysteriis dom Sathanas» or «Hvis Lyset Tar oss» – brilliant in all aspects, all of them! Black metal people in general seem to advocate the idea the genre should be all about re-inventing the wheel – yet constantly failing when it comes to defining what this really means – over and over again, but I prefer band who have the guts to move the genre forward (which isn’t equal to following every impulse and losing yourself in a maze of exaggerated «outside the box» thinking!). I do of course enjoy the music of a few current bands too… «Drought» by Deathspell Omega is one of the best records I’ve heard in years.
– On the other hand, you are a high ranked members of a secret organization called Draconian Current of The Qliphotic Order, based on some Chaos-Gnostic philosophies. Has this also affected your musical creations?
J.K: I’d really like to know what sort of source provided you with that information! That organization is so secret I don’t think anyone of us have heard about it, haha! He is a member of a Dragon Rouge though, and so am I. This question is obviously meant for Mika but as we both work with the forces of Ha-ilan Ha-Hizon, I’m quite sure that we share the same sort of idea here. Anyone who practices occultism with some sort of seriousity, will know that it affects all aspects – mundane and spiritual – of one’s life. It is not a question of some made up role-playing game, nor is it a gimmick – once you have unveiled certain aspects of the hidden worlds, inner and outer, their influence reaches much further than to the scene of spiritual work in itself. Music, as well as any form of art, is truly a great way to manifest the hidden (yet reachable) worlds that are considered «Evil» in our society. I can not imagine what OFERMOD would be without a spiritual foundation. But this «foundation» is constantly transforming and evolving, as the main influence of Ofermod is of spiritual nature. We are very honest to ourselves in this «sphere» of the band, and I think it’s very evident when listening to «Thaumiel».
– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
Hard to say right now. We’ll probably do some gigs during spring.
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Get the album, and drink deep from the abyss that it is! Hail the Dragon!
