Interview with Ov Shadows done on 9-16-20

1.Hello please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hello!
We are Ov Shadows which consists of four dark souls hailing from Gothenburg and its surroundings.

2.When did you first discover black metal music and who were the first bands you discovered? Who are some current bands that have caught your attention?

Probably around 1994-95 when the second wave of black metal bands had come with full force. It was truly an amazing time, to experience and exploring the dark arts of black metal. We listened to band such as Emperor, Satyricon, Burzum, Darkthrone, Dark Funeral and Marduk, to name a few rather obvious ones. It was, however, a quick transition from the trash and death metal bands that dominated at the time.

Well, it feels like it's hard to keep track of all new the bands that emerge nowadays, the black metal scene has really become massive. We have of course slightly different opinions of what constitutes interesting and good black metal in the current scene, but there are some common denominators that units us. But to mention a few examples of bands that we enjoy and that delivers high quality black metal we would say Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Aoratos, Misþyrming and Funeral Mist. They all manages to carve out a niche of their own in a very crowded space, where much is sounding alike. As black metal musicians, we are all standing on the shoulders of giants, but those spending more time looking ahead than back are what moves the scene forward.

3.Ov Shadows was started in 2016 when did you and the other members first get the idea to start this band?Are you satisfied with how things have progressed with the band over the years?How did you choose Ov Shadows as the name of this band?

We were playing together in another band prior to Ov Shadows but felt that we had reached a
point where we couldn't evolve the concept anymore and that the band had lost the dark essence in the music that we always strive for. We wanted to put our music in a more dark and extreme direction again and that's basically how the idea of Ov Shadows came up.

The band name is inspired by Jungian psychology and the concept of ‘the shadow self’ - ‘the shadow aspect’ - which is reflected in our strive to explore and embrace the dark aspects that dwells within each and everyone of us.

Yes, we are pleased with the progression of the band. When we released the EP "Monologues" in 2016 we were in a kind of a heavy experimental phase. We tested a lot of things which resulted in a more slow paced, doomy black metal. With our debut album " The Darkness Between Stars", released in 2018, we felt that we came closer to where we belong. We wanted a more aggressive and intense approach with our music and also bring more atmosphere to it. We wanted the listener to feel like being plunged into the cold arms of death. And that brings us to " I Djävulens Avbild" which in every way is an improvement compared to our previous  releases. We are very pleased with this release but we are convinced that our future work will be even better. There is always room for improvement.

4.I Djavulens Avbild is the bands second full-length that was released through Hypnotic Dirge Rec.when did you and the band first come in contact with this label?

We came in contact with Hypnotic Dirge Records thanks to AAs involvement in the band Obitus.
We must say that we are very pleased with the collaboration with Hypnotic Dirge Records, everything have work out very well and we really appreciate all the work they have done/are doing for us.

5.How long did it take the band to write the music for the new release?Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?
The music for “I djävulens Avbild” have been created during a period of around 2 years. Inspiration comes and goes and we always want to develop our sound and push ourselves to find new dark paths with our music. Then there’s always ‘reality’ that sticks its ugly face in the way of creativity. We, as most others, are mere mortals…

The writing process begins in AAs studio and he is the one who mainly composes the music and then brings the raw material to our rehearsals. But the final product is always a result of a creative collaboration within the band, with contributions from everyone. Some songs are more or less kept as they where in the initial stage, whereas others goes through several versions or changes before we are satisfied. The only thing that matters, however, is the end result - who does what bears no meaning.

6.Who usually handles writing the lyrics for the music and what are some subjects written about on the new release?Which usually comes first the music or the lyrics?
The lyrics on all our releases up to this point are written by RA and have transitioned from Carl Jungs theory of the shadow self and lucid dreaming into the topic of demonology.
In the majority of cases the music is created before RA writes the lyric. In the cases that the lyric is written without a certain song in mind, it's more of a coincidence that it fits a certain song rather than that the music is written to fit the lyric. That might change somewhat when we are soon to start the next chapter of Ov Shadows. Then we will to a greater extent try to let the lyrics influence the compositions and see what happens.

7.Besides the I Djavulens Avbild new release are their any copies of the bands debut release still availible to purchase?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise currently availible to purchase if yes what is availible and where can the readers buy it?

Our debut album "The Darkness Between Stars” is sold out, there are however a limited number of t-shirts left in stock. Hopefully there will be a re-release and maybe also a vinyl, but that's not completly decided yet though. You may soon also order a  physical copy of “I Djävulens Avbild” directly from us. Merchandise and releases can be ordered from our bandcamp site our from our label (Hypnotic Dirge Records).

8.Has Ov Shadows ever played live over the years or do you prefer working in the studio?What have been some of the most memorable shows over the years?
Unfortunately not. Our ambition has always been to play live but due to other commitments it has not yet been realized. We definitely consider ourselves to be a live band so when the opportunity comes Ov Shadows will be ready. And that is a strong consideration when we compose our music - we never write anyhing that we can’t recreate as a band in a live setting.

9.When bands are able to play live again are their any tours or shows planned in support of the new release?
We don't have anything planned at the moment but hopefully there will soon come opportunities for us to spread our darkness. We are not desperate, however, and will not jump on any offer put before us. The circumstances needs to be right.

10.What does Black Metal mean to you?

Generally speaking, black metal is a vital part of our lives and goes beyond just the music. It's a way of life in many ways, something that you always have with you in your everyday life. But of course it´s a very personal question how you reflect upon black metal and how it impacts your life.

11.Ov Shadows comes out of the legendary Swedish black metal scene what are your thoughts of the black metal scene in Sweden over the years?

Well, that's a quite extensive question to answer but generally speaking the Swedish black metal scene have of course had its highs and lows over the years. In the 1990s, a lot of things happened within the scene and some amazing bands emerged that have had an huge impact and influenced the scen that we see today. Bands such as Bathory, Dark Funeral and Marduk will forever be considered the founders and giants of the Swedish black metal scene and then bands like Dissection and Shining have carved out new paths. In the early 2000s other countries took over the progression of black metal and it felt like the Swedish scen stagnated a bit.
But overall Sweden have always had a very good underground scene over the years and the black flame have never and shall never stop burning. Now and then some excellent bands emerge and that’s always nice to discover.

12.Who are your all-time favorite Swedish bands and are their any new bands you could recomend to the readers?
It is hard to pick all-time favorite band for a couple of reasons but the main reason is of course that we are four individuals with different preferences, so the list would probably be to long to publish. We have, however, already mentioned a few.

13.Besides bands are their any honest and reliable labels or distro's you could recomend to the readers?
Hellter Skellter and Shadow Records have always delivered on time and have reasonably good catalogues. And of course Hypnotic Dirge Records.

14.Besides working in Ov Shadows are any of the members currently working with any other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?

Ov Shadows has been the priority for all of us in the last 2 years but there are some other projects around the band, some more active than others.

15.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?

Thanks for giving us this opportunity! And thanks to everyone that supports us and buys our releases, it means a lot! Lets see what the future holds when it comes to practicing the dark arts.
Band Contacts
https://ovshadows.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ovshadowsofficial/
https://twitter.com/OvShadows
Label Contacts
https://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hypnoticdirgerecords