Good afternoon, thank you so much for answering these questions. How's everything going in Oslo?
Thanks for taking interest! Things are going fine here, if a bit slowly. As the one-man operation Urkraft is, there are a lot of things to keep track of, and now I'm also planning to launch new merch.
1. In the past, you were part of bands associated with styles like death metal and progressive metal. However, around 2014, you decided to launch your own project, more focused on a style like black metal. What led you to create Urkraft? Why did you choose this name, and what does it refer to?
That's not entirely accurate. I played in Astaroth, a black metal band, for longer than both Unspoken and Sarpedon. And when Urkraft was formed, black metal was a natural choice as it was formed by Astaroth's non-original memebers at that time, since the only remaining original member lived in Germany, and it halted our progress. So at the beginning it wasn't “my own project”, even though I wrote all the songs and came up with the name. Though after a while conflict arose, and by 2017 it had become a solo project, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it forced me to take all the roles and learn the tools I needed to learn to essentially do everything myself, which in turn have given me absolute power to do whatever I want.
As for the name, which means “Ancient Force”, it just felt natural. I have always felt a connection to nature, combined with a great fascination for deep time, and the aeons that have passed before there were any humans at all.
2. The first album took almost six years to arrive, but since then, there's been a certain regularity in terms of releases, maintaining a rate of one every three years. What happened that caused your self-titled debut album to take so long to arrive? What was the songwriting process like for your most recent album, "Naturens skrik"? How do you think your sound has evolved between your last two releases? What brands of instruments did you use to compose the album?
The reason the first took so long was of course all the things I mentioned above. It was first recorded in 2015, but most of those recordings couldn't be used, and had to be redone. It was then I decided to try to learn the tools myself, and never having to rely on someone else again, save for mastering. It has saved my a lot of headache, and has streamlined the process as I've become more and more proficient using DAWs.
The song writing process of “Naturens Skrik” has been very intuitive, as I've learned to trust my musical instincts. As with previous albums, I used Guitar Pro to write the music, but the difference this time was that I already had a well of material before sitting down and writing. The reason for this is that I've gotten into the habit of playing my synth every day, always trying to come up with new melodies. And playing the synthesizer, while also exploring a lot of different genres, from opera to ambient and dungeon synth; has opened up a whole world of possibilities – a whole world of melodic structures, all complementing each other, creating a greater whole, and with great atmosphere and emotion.
So I've learned to exploit these techniques. I always try to find one or a few central themes to a song, and have variations on those throughout the song.
As for the instruments I used, I used Schecter and Ibanez for most of the guitars, with Yamaha for accoustic guitar and bass. I used Korg for the synths, one digital and one analogue.
3. Black metal seems a bit too vague to describe its sound. Listening to "Naturens skrik," one discovers quite elaborate atmospheres, where the ambiance plays a fundamental role in conveying different sensations to the listener, including the immersive quality of the sound. How would you describe the sound of "Naturens skrik" to someone who hasn't heard it yet? What bands or styles influenced the album's composition?
This is a tricky question. Simply “black metal” as a descriptor just don't cover it anymore, I feel. It has evolved past that now, but exactly what to attach to it, is difficult to decide on, and it has been described as “atmospheric”, “symphonic”, and “progressive”; which are all true. This is because I don't really care about labels, and am not afraid to break rules and do un-orthodox stuff. I think perhaps “cinematic black metal” would be a good descriptor, even if it's not an official genre. That being said, I also had a general idea – a half forgotten memory – of the early sounds of melodic/symphonic black metal, like Ulver, Troll, Burzum, and Arcturus. That is to say, I didn't actively listen to those bands at the time, but rather more experimental bands, like Oranssi Pazuzu, Dødheimsgard, and Astrosaur, not to mention all the ambient, dungeon synth, and classical music. Artists/bands like Vangelis, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, Gustav Holst, Tales under the Oak, Delmak-0, Erreth-Akbe, and Trollslottet, has thaught me a great deal about not only atmosphere, but also musical story telling, and I've tried to incorporate that on a fundemental level. My aim is to take the listener on a journey in a similar manner that Tolkien takes you on a journey when you read his books.
4. Its themes have a nature component and certain fantasy influences, so to speak. Where do you find inspiration for your lyrics? What specific themes does "Naturens skrik" address? Do the lyrics adapt to the music, or vice versa?
Inspiration for my lyrics I find everywhere. In a highly digitalised world, I find we've become more detatched from nature, both externally and internally. The overarching theme is about showing mankind, and all its flaws, in a critical light.
I always write the music first, but I also have a general sense of the themes I want to explore. So when it comes to writing lyrics, I usually have a few topics in mind which I pair with songs I feel fit the vibes of the lyrics.
5. There isn't much information available about the recording, mixing, and mastering process of the album. Was it a solo process, or did you collaborate with a professional recording studio?
Except for mastering, which was done by Jack Conrow (Jack Control), I've done everything myself, even artwork. That means I can continue to perfect the album by adding more elements, even when “all” the recording is done.
6. The album has been released by the record label Dusktone. How did the contact come about, and how did the decision to work together on the release of “Naturens skrik” come about?
I simply sent in a demo request via their online form, and they liked it, and wanted to sign it, and Dusktone was one of my top choices of label, so it was a no-brainer.
7. You also created the cover art for the new album. What inspired you to create this drawing? What does it represent, and how does it relate to the album's content?
The title “Naturens Skrik” was inspired by the text Edvard Munch wrote that accompanied his famous painting, “Scream”, which reads the following (translated from Norwegian):
“I was walking along the Road with two Friends
The Sun was setting – The Sky turned / blood red – and I felt a wave of Sadness – I stood still tired to Death – above / the blue-black Fjord and City blood and Flaming Tongues hovered My Friends walked on – I / remained behind – shaking with Angst – I felt the great Scream in Nature.”
And thus the artwork was inspired by the title. I simply wanted to illustrate “nature screaming”, using natural elements to create a screaming face. It's a weird mix of Salvador Dalí, Theodor Kittelsen, and Edvard Munch, and the cover of King Crimson's “In the Court of the Crimson King”. All that mixed in with my own observation, and interpretation of nature.
8. Norway was a fundamental setting for the birth of a genre like black metal. What remains today in a city like Oslo of the essence of those early years? What bands can you recommend?
To be honest, I'm probably not the right person to ask. Making the music of Urkraft is a rather isolating experience, detatched from much of the things going on around. So I'm not quite up to speed on what's happening. But I can name drop a few, since I know the people playing in them: Tilintetgjort, Urarv, and Mulm. The last one I did clean vocals on, so I'm kind of biased, but I think it sounds quite good in general!
9. Will you keep Urkraft as a studio project, or are you considering recruiting other musicians and playing live shows someday?
It will probably be a studio project, until it isn't. I DO want to play live someday, but it's not top priority at the moment. I have already “written” a lot of material for the text one, just stored in my mind. I'm afraid I'm too fond of creating new music, to have time to put together a band. Maybe in an album or two.
10. How did you get started in music? What were the first concerts you attended? What were the first albums you bought? What event in your life pushed you to want to be a musician?
We learned to play guitar, on a pretty basic level, in our music classes in Middle school, but I wanted to do more complex stuff than simply playing the same 3-4 chords over and over. So I got my first guitar, an electric one of course, when I was 15. In the beginning I just played freely, with no thought to tempo, tuning, or technique. But that got better when after I had some evening guitar lessons, and beyond that, pretty much everything is self thaught.
The first album I bought was “Korn – Issues”, but I quickly moved on to better acts, like Iron Maiden
And the story is similar with the concerts I attended. When I was 16 I was at Roskilde, and saw Korn and Slipknot, among others, but none of the bands on that festival left an impression with me. But when I was 17 I got to see Iron Maiden for the first time, and I still consider it one of the best concerts I've been to.
11. Which album represents the essence of black metal for you? What are the most recent albums you've bought?
I would have to say Mayhem's “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, given its sound, but also the history surrounding it. However, Ulver's “Bergtatt” lies much closer to my heart.
The most recent album I bought was Sunn O))) - “Sunn O)))”, which I bought when I saw them play in Oslo not long ago.
12. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit. If you'd like to add anything for Urkraft fans, this is the place. I hope you enjoy the questions.
As mentioned before, I'm in the process of having merch made, like patches, buttons and posters. I'm also working on a T shirt design, but it's not quite ready yet.
Thank you for the interview!
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Theodor Bastard – Oikoumene (Gold & Orange Mixed) 44,99 €
