dark hails!
we have just recieved this interview from gramr of aldrlag.this is a fairly new project but i see good things for this band.gramr mixes black,some doom,ambient/folk to create a true dark masterpiece.read on for more details of the upcoming demo.
thanks to all who support
patrick and winter torment e-zine.
interview with gramr instruments and vocals for aldrlag done by patrick.
1.dark hails gramr! how is your week been going? please tell the readers a little about yourself.
Hello Patrick. My week has been going rather well; I’ve been writing, recording, and exploring new Aldrlag material for a future full-length, as well as studying up on various subjects. I can never think of declarative things to state about myself, so I think I’ll leave this section somewhat vague. Hopefully those interested in knowing this will decide for themselves via the other questions in this interview. ;)
2.when did you first get the idea to form/create aldrlag? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe the bands sound?
I’ve always been in bands, writing music and lyrics, etc., etc., so the creation of Aldrlag was really just a natural extension of the sort of musical and philosophical ideas I had been having at the time. Seldom a day goes by where I don’t at least touch an instrument—thus the idea of not writing or creating something seems much more challenging than the opposite.
Describing one’s own band’s sound is always a rather difficult task. It’s sort of like describing one’s own self—we could be this or that at any given moment, but who knows how long such feelings will last. This is how I feel with Aldrlag. At the moment the music is, in my own opinion, folk-inspired atmospheric “black metal” with ambient tendencies. Comparisons to Burzum have been thrown around often, but a strict Burzum-like sound has never been my goal per se. Not that I particularly mind the comparison, but I’ve been influenced by many additional things and composers.
3.looking at the bands myspace page, it looks like you write/create all the music yourself {with help of a session drummer} how long does it usually take to write/complete a song for aldrlag? do you have to be in a certain mood to write the dark music or does it just come naturally?
How long a song takes to compose really varies. All of the songs on the demo were sort of written over a period of years, with some final improvisation during the recording process to truly seal them in place. Right now I’m working on some material for a full length—which I’m almost finished composing—and that has taken me probably about nine months or so to complete. There’s still a lot more work that needs to be done, but the majority of it is finished.
I think when creating any form of art one has to always be in a certain mind set. Not that one need meditate or something like that, but you definitely can’t force creativity. Perhaps I’ll become inspired to write because I heard something, or even read something that caught my attention; there always has to be a spark, really. That being said, the style comes quite naturally. Everyone thinks of music in different terms, thus the best results occur when one simply writes what comes naturally.
4.have you considered looking for other members to create a full-band to help write or possibly play live someday or do you prefer to work alone?
I mostly prefer writing the songs alone. I’d like to play live someday, but I don’t think I’ll ever enter into a “partnership” with others as far as the writing process goes. When bands enter into this sort of “flat hierarchy” the process can take much longer, and even be arrested stylistically, due to the simple nature of the democratic process involved. Some can make this work, and my respect is with them—but then again, in the end I really like to have the final say as far as Aldrlag is concerned.
5.if you had the opportunity to work with any musicians past or present who are some musicians you would like to write/work with?
I don’t think I would adamantly seek strictly “metal” artists to work with in particular. I’m much more interested in those who perhaps have a respect for the genre, but also occupy themselves in the realms of folk, classical, ambient, and other forms of music. I’m looking to work with a cellist on the full-length, if that tells you anything.
6.you recently sent me a "advanced copy" of the bands demo. how long did it take you to write/record the songs for the demo? are you happy with how the demo came out? do you have a personal favorite song?
As stated above, the songs were composed over a period of some years. The recording process took a couple of days for the drums, and then about a week recording at small intervals for the rest. The entire recording process was really a learning experience for me personally, as I recorded and mixed the entire demo (save the drums) myself. This was really the first time that I’ve been able to experiment with microphone placement, decent mixing, and the like.
I’m pretty pleased with the end result, but of course, as with anything, there are some spots that I wish would have turned out better. One is the vocals—especially the clean vocals. The microphone I was using was not really suited for vocal use, nor was the room acoustically adequate. I don’t think these factors absolutely ruin the demo, but they are areas I hope to work on in future releases.
My personal favorite, though, is As Wolves... I enjoy not only the music for this particular track, but the lyrics as well.
7.the demo has a very interesting name to it. how did you decide on the name of the demo? does it have a special meaning?
The actual title itself was somewhat of an after thought. The three runic characters have had significance for me for a number of years. Their creation was, at first, really an instinctual act, and their use together has increased in meaning with the passing of time.
Their meaning, notwithstanding the plethora of interpretations possible here, of course accords to the individual runes themselves: Algiz for birth and protection, Oþala for home and heritage, and Yr for death, misunderstanding, and materiality. Taken together, the implication means something regarding the need for protecting one’s home and heritage from destruction, or a reversal. This need for protection and life may have arisen from an error.
Another interpretation concerns the tree Yggdrasil. Algiz symbolizes the opening of the tree to the sky, while Yr depicts the roots stretching to Niflheim. In this sense, Oþala becomes a symbol for the nine worlds situated between the branches and roots of the tree—sort of a depiction of man’s situation between life and death, “spirituality” and materiality.
8.when you begin to create a new song which usually comes first the lyrics or the music? where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics?
It varies, really. A lot of times I’ll have a poem written that I then fit to music, but other times it can be just the opposite.
As for lyrics, I really draw inspiration from a number of sources. Of course Skaldic poetry and the use of kennings and metaphor can play a large role, as can the works of modern and romantic era poets. Ezra Pound, Friedrich Hölderlin, Nietzsche, W.B. Yeats, and old Norse and English epic poetry have all provided massive and lasting inspiration for me. Folk tales also often have the ability to bestow inspiration in their depiction of settings where the supernatural interact with the living.
9.i know you have mentioned the demo will be released on the polish label "hammerbolt productions".how did you come into contact with the label? any idea when the demo will "officially" be released?
Wojbor of Hammerbolt heard some Aldrlag tracks and decided he would like to release the demo via his label. It was a very simply process, which is what I really enjoy. I’ve known of Hammerbolt for awhile, so I was honored for them to have approached me.
The demo will be officially released sometime around early summer—that is, if no unexpected delays are encountered.
10.everyone seems to have their own opinions/ideas as what black metal means. so i was interested what does "black metal" mean to you?
I’m not entirely sure what “black metal” means, but I definitely do not agree with the opinions of those who would assume that it is primarily the musical manifestation of “Satan.” Rather, this seems to me to be merely a symptom of the polemical nature of this genre all together. It’s almost as if a few pedestrian individuals had no further way of verbalizing what they were feeling in regards to modernity, and could thus only explain it as a result of something “evil.” This is all fine and good to an extent, as Nietzsche often refers to the perceived “evil” natures of higher and stronger individuals with absolutely no reference to the Judeo-Christian personification of “Satan;” even yet, the real error occurred when certain individuals began to take the dualistic and fundamentally alien caricature of “Satan” seriously in a metaphysical sense. “Satanists” in the vein of those who would adopt the term today historically did not exist—one would even question if they truly exist today. Rather, the real “evil” and “heretical” characters of the past were actually pagans adhering to the old faith, and an examination of literary tales such as Le Morte D’Arthur will show fully how paganism was viewed by the recent converts to Christianity.
So really what we can conclude from this is that when a “black metal” musician says “Satan,” he is really using the Christian’s own word for European pagan and folk beliefs.
Perhaps “black metal” at bottom is simply a rejection of the modern condition?
11.well gramr thank you for doing this interview good luck with the band and the upcoming release. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thank you Patrick for the interview. Best of luck with the future of the zine!
...má ekki forðast sitt aldrlag...
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/aldrlag
we have just recieved this interview from gramr of aldrlag.this is a fairly new project but i see good things for this band.gramr mixes black,some doom,ambient/folk to create a true dark masterpiece.read on for more details of the upcoming demo.
thanks to all who support
patrick and winter torment e-zine.
interview with gramr instruments and vocals for aldrlag done by patrick.
1.dark hails gramr! how is your week been going? please tell the readers a little about yourself.
Hello Patrick. My week has been going rather well; I’ve been writing, recording, and exploring new Aldrlag material for a future full-length, as well as studying up on various subjects. I can never think of declarative things to state about myself, so I think I’ll leave this section somewhat vague. Hopefully those interested in knowing this will decide for themselves via the other questions in this interview. ;)
2.when did you first get the idea to form/create aldrlag? for the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe the bands sound?
I’ve always been in bands, writing music and lyrics, etc., etc., so the creation of Aldrlag was really just a natural extension of the sort of musical and philosophical ideas I had been having at the time. Seldom a day goes by where I don’t at least touch an instrument—thus the idea of not writing or creating something seems much more challenging than the opposite.
Describing one’s own band’s sound is always a rather difficult task. It’s sort of like describing one’s own self—we could be this or that at any given moment, but who knows how long such feelings will last. This is how I feel with Aldrlag. At the moment the music is, in my own opinion, folk-inspired atmospheric “black metal” with ambient tendencies. Comparisons to Burzum have been thrown around often, but a strict Burzum-like sound has never been my goal per se. Not that I particularly mind the comparison, but I’ve been influenced by many additional things and composers.
3.looking at the bands myspace page, it looks like you write/create all the music yourself {with help of a session drummer} how long does it usually take to write/complete a song for aldrlag? do you have to be in a certain mood to write the dark music or does it just come naturally?
How long a song takes to compose really varies. All of the songs on the demo were sort of written over a period of years, with some final improvisation during the recording process to truly seal them in place. Right now I’m working on some material for a full length—which I’m almost finished composing—and that has taken me probably about nine months or so to complete. There’s still a lot more work that needs to be done, but the majority of it is finished.
I think when creating any form of art one has to always be in a certain mind set. Not that one need meditate or something like that, but you definitely can’t force creativity. Perhaps I’ll become inspired to write because I heard something, or even read something that caught my attention; there always has to be a spark, really. That being said, the style comes quite naturally. Everyone thinks of music in different terms, thus the best results occur when one simply writes what comes naturally.
4.have you considered looking for other members to create a full-band to help write or possibly play live someday or do you prefer to work alone?
I mostly prefer writing the songs alone. I’d like to play live someday, but I don’t think I’ll ever enter into a “partnership” with others as far as the writing process goes. When bands enter into this sort of “flat hierarchy” the process can take much longer, and even be arrested stylistically, due to the simple nature of the democratic process involved. Some can make this work, and my respect is with them—but then again, in the end I really like to have the final say as far as Aldrlag is concerned.
5.if you had the opportunity to work with any musicians past or present who are some musicians you would like to write/work with?
I don’t think I would adamantly seek strictly “metal” artists to work with in particular. I’m much more interested in those who perhaps have a respect for the genre, but also occupy themselves in the realms of folk, classical, ambient, and other forms of music. I’m looking to work with a cellist on the full-length, if that tells you anything.
6.you recently sent me a "advanced copy" of the bands demo. how long did it take you to write/record the songs for the demo? are you happy with how the demo came out? do you have a personal favorite song?
As stated above, the songs were composed over a period of some years. The recording process took a couple of days for the drums, and then about a week recording at small intervals for the rest. The entire recording process was really a learning experience for me personally, as I recorded and mixed the entire demo (save the drums) myself. This was really the first time that I’ve been able to experiment with microphone placement, decent mixing, and the like.
I’m pretty pleased with the end result, but of course, as with anything, there are some spots that I wish would have turned out better. One is the vocals—especially the clean vocals. The microphone I was using was not really suited for vocal use, nor was the room acoustically adequate. I don’t think these factors absolutely ruin the demo, but they are areas I hope to work on in future releases.
My personal favorite, though, is As Wolves... I enjoy not only the music for this particular track, but the lyrics as well.
7.the demo has a very interesting name to it. how did you decide on the name of the demo? does it have a special meaning?
The actual title itself was somewhat of an after thought. The three runic characters have had significance for me for a number of years. Their creation was, at first, really an instinctual act, and their use together has increased in meaning with the passing of time.
Their meaning, notwithstanding the plethora of interpretations possible here, of course accords to the individual runes themselves: Algiz for birth and protection, Oþala for home and heritage, and Yr for death, misunderstanding, and materiality. Taken together, the implication means something regarding the need for protecting one’s home and heritage from destruction, or a reversal. This need for protection and life may have arisen from an error.
Another interpretation concerns the tree Yggdrasil. Algiz symbolizes the opening of the tree to the sky, while Yr depicts the roots stretching to Niflheim. In this sense, Oþala becomes a symbol for the nine worlds situated between the branches and roots of the tree—sort of a depiction of man’s situation between life and death, “spirituality” and materiality.
8.when you begin to create a new song which usually comes first the lyrics or the music? where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics?
It varies, really. A lot of times I’ll have a poem written that I then fit to music, but other times it can be just the opposite.
As for lyrics, I really draw inspiration from a number of sources. Of course Skaldic poetry and the use of kennings and metaphor can play a large role, as can the works of modern and romantic era poets. Ezra Pound, Friedrich Hölderlin, Nietzsche, W.B. Yeats, and old Norse and English epic poetry have all provided massive and lasting inspiration for me. Folk tales also often have the ability to bestow inspiration in their depiction of settings where the supernatural interact with the living.
9.i know you have mentioned the demo will be released on the polish label "hammerbolt productions".how did you come into contact with the label? any idea when the demo will "officially" be released?
Wojbor of Hammerbolt heard some Aldrlag tracks and decided he would like to release the demo via his label. It was a very simply process, which is what I really enjoy. I’ve known of Hammerbolt for awhile, so I was honored for them to have approached me.
The demo will be officially released sometime around early summer—that is, if no unexpected delays are encountered.
10.everyone seems to have their own opinions/ideas as what black metal means. so i was interested what does "black metal" mean to you?
I’m not entirely sure what “black metal” means, but I definitely do not agree with the opinions of those who would assume that it is primarily the musical manifestation of “Satan.” Rather, this seems to me to be merely a symptom of the polemical nature of this genre all together. It’s almost as if a few pedestrian individuals had no further way of verbalizing what they were feeling in regards to modernity, and could thus only explain it as a result of something “evil.” This is all fine and good to an extent, as Nietzsche often refers to the perceived “evil” natures of higher and stronger individuals with absolutely no reference to the Judeo-Christian personification of “Satan;” even yet, the real error occurred when certain individuals began to take the dualistic and fundamentally alien caricature of “Satan” seriously in a metaphysical sense. “Satanists” in the vein of those who would adopt the term today historically did not exist—one would even question if they truly exist today. Rather, the real “evil” and “heretical” characters of the past were actually pagans adhering to the old faith, and an examination of literary tales such as Le Morte D’Arthur will show fully how paganism was viewed by the recent converts to Christianity.
So really what we can conclude from this is that when a “black metal” musician says “Satan,” he is really using the Christian’s own word for European pagan and folk beliefs.
Perhaps “black metal” at bottom is simply a rejection of the modern condition?
11.well gramr thank you for doing this interview good luck with the band and the upcoming release. do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thank you Patrick for the interview. Best of luck with the future of the zine!
...má ekki forðast sitt aldrlag...
band contact
http://www.myspace.com/aldrlag
