VEMOD - Dark Ethereal Metal

Thank you for your time. It is indeed a great pleasure to have you here in my little fanzine. Atypical year for all of us, right? 

It has been, yes. Although as an introvert living outside of the most urban areas, life has not changed as dramatically for me as it has for many others during this strange time. We have been able to stay safe and continue working. In fact, it has been a very productive period for me and for Vemod.

You complete, this year, 21 years of existence. Your discography, by comparison, is a bit sparse compared to the band’s life. Is there any reason, in 21 years, for just 1 Album, 1 Split and 2 Demos? 

The reasons are manifold. In the early years, the time in between the first demo and the first album, there was so much transformation going on in our personal lives. We were growing as individuals, expanding our horizons in all kinds of ways, also musically, and we were not yet quite certain about what direction Vemod was to take. I wrote a lot during that time, and made a lot of plans, but in the end a lot of that was put aside, because I think we instinctively knew we could do better.

Something happened around 2009-2010, and many currents were converging and things really fell into place. Some great ideas arose about what Vemod could really be, and we immediately felt a lot more enthusiastic again. From there on the work flowed more smoothly. Since around this time I have not really needed to discard much material, because most of what I write is automatically tailored to the Vemod standard. Maybe that is what happens when you work on the same project for so long.

There are, of course, still things that slow us down, as the last ten years are clear proof of. Some are outside of our control completely, some are the result of our own creative choices, and yet others are somewhere in between. The latter category is where I would place procrastination, of which we cannot deny our guilt. Our tendency toward perfectionism as well, which in some ways could be seen as the same thing. Vemod consists of three very patient, very careful, often somewhat over-thinking individuals, and we must pay the price in some way or other. Usually, it will be in lost time. It is, for better or for worse, a part of who we are, and there is little more to be said about it.

The things we cannot control are common to all. It is the steady flow of trials and tribulations we call everyday life. Health, home, family, friendship. Love, loss and everything in between. These things are more important than anything else, so even Vemod, despite being the great work of my life, will have to wait when life itself demands our attention elsewhere.

The way we approach making music must also be mentioned here, and particularly the way I, as the songwriter, go about organising all the various (future) recording projects. We do not really work in a linear fashion. This means that we are, at any given time, working at several album projects simultaneously. Each project will have a loosely defined theme, based on everything from a fully developed lyrical concept to something as vague as a colour or a certain style of landscape or the atmosphere of a season. When I then compose a piece of music, I will enter the headspace that each respective project requires, and I will know if the newly composed piece will fit there or not. This means that during the years of working on 'The Deepening', our upcoming album, we have done a lot work on other albums too, especially in the writing department.

Your sound is neither "simple" nor of immediate assimilation, and I believe that, in a way, that was your wish (or am I wrong?). Challenging the listener to travel the necessary distance to really absorb your sound. Sound that received, from you, the designation of “Dark Ethereal Metal”. Can you give us more details on what Dark Ethereal Metal is, please?

You are right. I think most of my favourite music is layered in some way or other. It does not have to be in a technical way, but that there are "hidden" aspects of the music that make themselves known to the listener over time and repeated listens. I think something like that is definitely important for us to achieve in Vemod at some level, for sure. We wish to keep a certain sense of mystery in our music, because that is we are drawn to ourselves. And of course it makes for better longevity in a piece of music if it will have more to offer as time passes.

As for "dark ethereal metal", that was just something we came up with on the spot when we were about to announce our first album, mainly so that we could separate ourselves somewhat from the black metal tag which we knew would be placed on us if we did not actively do something about it. Somehow it stuck around in the internet all these years. I do not think it is a very good term, and certainly not very catchy. That said, I think our particular brand of metal is pretty ethereal, so that is on point. I do not know how dark it really is, though. Over the years I have questioned that more and more. The vague term "dark" does not really say anything useful about the music that Vemod makes. 

Anyway, as to what it is, I think you are just as qualified to say as I. For me, it is simply about making the best and most atmospheric music I can make. Music that will keep us excited for years and years. 

This complexity in your sound gives us ambiences that, at first, we do not visualize as compatible, but that in the end combine perfectly. What do you take as inspiration and/or influence for this formula? 

It is hard to say exactly, because over the years we have listened to so much different music and slowly integrated such a wide variety of influences that I cannot pinpoint where it comes from anymore. By now it is just an abstract inner pool that I draw from when I write. I think the same goes for when we are arranging the music, too. We may apply techniques and approaches that are not necessarily the standard for "our" kind of metal music, but choose to do things in ways that are slightly different. It does not have to be anything dramatic, but subtle differences can go a long way in making music sound more fresh and divergent from the norm. It is enough to just feel, as a listener, that there is more going on here, just below the surface.

You come from a musical background that includes bands such as Black Majesty or OTOH, Mare or Dark Sorority, among many others. They all are structured on a base that we can label as Black Metal; but at the same time, they all add something to the genre, something new. Has the paradigm of Black Metal changed so much these last 15/20 years? Has the change been dramatic to the point of a lost of identity?

I cannot really answer this question because I have not really been fully part of or "inside" of the black metal scene or sphere and that way of thinking. I have never considered myself as a black metal musician, just someone who grew up with some classic records and took inspiration from them in my own music. There are so many definitions of what black metal is or should be, but none of it really interests me on a deeper level. I care more about music at large. Music as an art form and a deep emotional language. I also care little for the various ideological aspects of black metal, as it just does not resonate all that much and it is not very relevant to my life or what I want to achieve with it. So in regards to your question: I have no idea about the current identity of black metal.

And, for the sake of clarity: I have only been involved in One Tail, One Head out of those you list there, and the rest are the work of my bandmate. In addition, I can add that our bassist has been, and is involved, in numerous other bands that are outside of metal altogether. I have also been involved in several non-metal projects over the years, so our background covers much more than (black) metal.

How do you think Black Metal fan look at the Norwegian scene right now? The "ghost" of the 90 still weighs on those who, in the middle of the 20th century, you create Black Metal? 

Again, I have no clue. It is very hard for me to say how everything is viewed right now, as I am a little bit too detached from it myself. What I can say though, is that for me personally at least, the classic Norwegian black metal records still loom sky high, "ghost" or no. Some incredibly potent music was made during those years and those great albums did truly earn their status. 

Still, Norway gave us bands like DHG or Fleurety, among many others, who still in the 90s tore up all the premises and created something that transcended the genre, even at that time. Can we say that there is something in the genetics of Norwegian Black Metal musicians? 

Oh, I doubt it has anything to do with what country you are born in, but I do think that the early years of Norwegian black metal were more about breaking rules and challenging conformity than most people tend to think in retrospect. I think there is often a little bit too much emphasis on the strictness of certain codes some people set for themselves, and less focus on just how creative some of those young people were, and how different they were from each other. A lot of wildly different and courageously experimental music came out of that period.

Let us take a song like “Ikled Evighetens Kappe”. A roller coaster of feelings and ambiences, where there is no apparent driving line... but where it all fits. You end up moving away from the structures of the genre, evolving it. Can we take this as a show of the evolutionary/creative essence the genre holds?

Thank you for the kind words! Well, once more I will have to say that I think it has little to do with genre, but more with personal choices in regards to approach and perspective. I also really like that piece myself, and in many ways it shows some early signs, or hints toward things yet to come from Vemod. Then as now, atmosphere was and is our first priority, and to achieve what we have envisioned for a piece of music, we may shy away from structural conventions and employ different techniques. I enjoy songs with parts that may not "fit" together in the traditional pop song way, but has a way of gliding into each other seamlessly still. If done well it can really create a very emotional effect.

What form does the composition/creation process take place? Do jams happens? Is there individual work from all of you? How do you "build" a Vemod song?

I write all the songs, and usually I do it long before we take them to the rehearsal space or do demo recordings, so I have a lot of time to consider all aspects. If they pass "the test of time" - in other words, if I still feel the need to show it to the others after a significant amount of time has gone by - then that piece of music is probably worth doing.

As for the writing itself, it usually happens during the first few hours of the day. I like to get up reasonably early, around 7, make some coffee, and then either read for a bit (usually fiction at this point of the day) or go directly to work by picking up the guitar. I find mornings to be the best time for my creativity, and I think it might be because I am still not "tainted" by "the real world", so to speak. My mind is not hi-jacked by the internet, news, emails, phone calls, or anything mundane like that. 

I first come up with chord progressions. In Vemod, there are not a lot of "riffs" in the traditional metal sense. By walking back and forth, playing the chords over and over, I get a sense of the possible arrangements. I hear drum patterns, synths, vocal lines, lead guitars and so on. I usually get a feeling of what kind of direction it will take pretty fast. I hear it clearly in my mind at this point. This truly is my favourite part of the whole process. There is something innately magical about the moment of creation.

I record the good ideas on a little handheld recorder, and something I make general notes around the vision for it in a notebook. I will also pretty often place it within one of the future album projects almost immediately, if I feel that the atmosphere suits what I have in mind for that album. Sometimes I will make a more layered little guitar-and-synth demo on the computer, but it is not always necessary. 

From there we take it into the rehearsal space. We jam out structure, figure out repetitions, bass lines, drum breaks, etc. This will often take a while, but when we have a final structure down, I will continue composing lead guitar and other guitar spice, arrange the synths, and work on vocal lines. And then, by the end of all that, we have a Vemod song.

What was your intention with a song like “Altets Tempel"? It is quite distinct from the rest of the songs from the album.  

My intention was to have a meditative synth piece in the middle of the album. 'Venter på stormene' has a two-part album structure, and the last two instrumental pieces reflects a sort of immersive introspection to end that very personal journey within the heart.

It has been a few years since your album was released, and we have not been lucky enough to have any news from you again. What has "prevented" you from that? Has the pandemic come to, unlike other cases, give us new music?

If you mean releasing new music, then a few reasons were outlined above. First, we were working on 'The Deepening', but we were also working on other album projects, and in many ways we were preparing a new infrastructure for Vemod in order to better be able to execute our plans in the future. We also had many other obligations in other bands, and for my own part I completed my journey with One Tail, One Head in the years between. Then, of course, there is just life getting in the way of art, sometimes. I have periods where health issues have prevented me from working in any meaningful capacity, for example. Things like that occur, sadly.

Nevertheless, yes, the pandemic actually has provided me with space to make a lot of music. I found that once my schedule was cleared of any live work and travel, I began to re-connect with my inner creative world in a way I have not been able to for some years. That was a very interesting discovery for me. Staying home for longer periods of time, immersing myself in books, taking long walks in the woods, being able to think more clearly without so many plans or so much noise - it was liberating in a sense. In some ways, I have been feeling closer to the pure state of creativity and enthusiasm of the very early years; the deeper reasons of making music.

Diverging the conversation in other directions: Black Majesty, Dark Sorority, Whoredom Rife, Mare (Djevel edited this year) and all the other projects in which you are all involved: do you have news, or have I missed something completely (which would not amaze me, to be honest)?

Sorry, I cannot really speak on behalf of any of those bands. I am sure they are all working in their own time, though.

It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to ask you these series of questions. Until next and may Portugal one day be part of your trajectory. Cheers from Portugal, mates.

Moreover, it was a pleasure to respond. Thank you for your interest in our work and our music. Be well!

Vemod Official Bandcamp