Metal-Roos: You have recently released a new solo album DISClose which focuses on UFOlogy. Do you give credit to the notion that because these beings are truly alien to us, they may exist in a dimension or state that we are unable to see or feel, to explain why there isn’t much documented or verified evidence? On the subject of evidence, in your research for the album, what do you think is the most valid encounter humans have had with Extra Terrestrials?
Absolutely – I don’t doubt that a large proportion of stories regarding encounters, abductions etc.. are just that; stories. But do think that there is a significant proportion of these reports that are actually true. What these people have actually experienced isn’t necessarily that which they remember – but strange things have been going on throughout recorded history. This is the root of our organised religions and, perhaps, our rapid technological advancements since the second world war. I think that the classic Betty & Barney hill encounter is credible because it set the format of all abduction tales. There are multiple crash reports that seem to centre around the arid states of the USA (which is coincidentally exactly where the world’s only atomic bomber squadron was located in 1947…).
M-R: Have you ever experimented with psychedelic drugs, like DMT? The only reason I ask, is that some people report seeing visions of alien entities that sound very similar to each other. Do you think that this may be a way to communicate with other intelligent beings, or is it just the effect of the drug?
Have I gone and bought DMT to smoke? No. Have I experienced DMT? Absolutely! I regularly have very intense and psychedelic dreams which are often profound which it is strongly suggested are the result of endogenously produced DMT from the pineal gland (released in large quantities upon great stress, like a serious accident for example, which cause NDEs and OOBEs).. I also happen to suffer from sleep paralysis, and I believe the two are intrinsically linked. I have an extensive collection of Terrence McKenna interviews, mostly regarding DMT – it is unbelievable how this compound has not been investigated further by medical science. As a matter of fact, the album before ‘DISClose’ was ‘Cosmic Man’ (Svart records), which deals almost entirely with these subjects.
M-R: A long while ago now, before year 2000, if I’m not mistaken, you chose to give away your entire music collection to avoid being influenced when creating a new sound. In 2019, with all that has been done, do you think it’s still possible to sound completely unique, or to invent something no-one has heard before? If so, how would you begin a project like that, if not, why not?
I really don’t know if it is possible to rid yourself entirely of all influence. There are the few bands like the Stones or the Beatles who started the whole “band” sound, and everything up to & including modern extreme music are derivatives of that. However, what you CAN do is stop looking at what your immediate neighbours are doing, and look further afield from some more diverse cross-pollination. How about some Black Metal Dub ? (Actually, I did that already with few tracks and a Burzum cover I did…) I think that what displeases me so much in other artists is doing the obvious, tried & tested… It’s so LAZY. And it’s BORING too. It’s OK to occasionally have a Maiden-type songs, but if you are basing your entire creative output on the ideas and experiences of other people, what are you actually doing ? You’re being a poseur. I am in the strange situation whereby even when I have deliberately tried to mimic, I have ended up creating something unique. That’s both a blessing (giving my a true sense of achievement) but also a bane (as most people only warm to something that sounds very similar to past tastes).
M-R: You have said that you fully immerse yourself in each project, and that you have moved on to a different direction for Ewigkeit after the release of DISClose. Can you give the fans a clue about what subject matter may be next for Ewigkeit, and your music?
I still have the paranoid side-effects of doing the Conspiritus album (Earache rec) in 2005! That was a good example of what I mean by immersing yourself… I have now begun to see each Ewigkeit album as a bit like ‘Louis Theroux’s weird weekends’, so whatever the next thing is, it will be something a bit weird and also imaginative. I have become quite intrigued by a few theories recently around Antarctica, breakaway civilisation, hollow earth etc…
M-R: You have said that working on a solo project allows you to grind at your songs and creations until you are satisfied, and you’re the only person that can make that decision when you consider your music finished. I am wondering is there something specific that lets you know when you have finished a song? When or how do you know that your music is ready to be released to the world?
My personal way of working is that because I have written and produced so much now, I can hear a finished article before it is finally formed. When you work with others who are thinking about, maybe just the instrument that they play? It’s a much slower ball game. For that reason, I get frustrated when working with other. But when you do get to write with others (like Bernt in ITW for example) who is totally on the ball and has a great level of personal skill, it just happens. The most gifted person I have ever worked with in terms of song writing / ideas is Jimmy Cauty (truly an innovator in his field with almost everything he has done). I guess that from my perspective, a song is done when I get bored with it. At that point, I’ll think “is this actually any good?” If not, it goes into the recycling bin of unfinished songs on my hard-drive. If it IS good enough, I’l start thinking “do I have a project for this?” and it eventually sees the light of day!
Interview Date: 2019-04-24
Interviewer: Jonathan Hurley