Wraithlord Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?

1. Wraithlord is my solo project for all things atmospheric and all things black metal. It has existed since 2019 and is still going strong.

2.Since 2019 you have released a great amount of full lengths,  ep's, a demo and a split, how would you describe your musical progress over the last 3 years from the first demo to the new full length?

2. I would describe my musical progress as exponential. While I’m still proud of the NIMH demo and Kingdom of the Spiders, I can’t deny that they are very derivative of bands I was listening to at the time, such as Leviathan or Mayhem. It was during the time I was making KotS that I met and became friends with Declan and Nlorgpipe of Baazlvaat fame. Being around more extreme musicians and writing more and more music has resulted in my music becoming more and more mature over time. I am very proud of how far it’s come along since the NIMH days, and there is quite a contrast when comparing that demo to my most recent release, Dawn of Sorrow.

3.You also have released a lot of music over the last few years, do you spend a great amount of time writing and creating music and also do you see yourself still releasing a great amount of material with the pandemic calming down and life returning back to normal?

3. Outside of school and work (for those who don’t know, I’m an engineering student and a math/physics tutor), music is all I do. I don’t watch movies, I don’t play sports, and I don’t hang out with friends because my only friends are the guys from Baazlvaat. Be it listening to it, practicing with one of my bands, or writing/creating it, I am always interacting with music in some way. Even when studying, or sometimes even working, I always have something playing. I also read the occasional book, and I always choose a good soundtrack for every one. As for writing and creating music, I spend a lot less time doing that than one would think. Most of the album making process is spent in the production phase, getting every recording to sound exactly how I want it to and to create the exact atmosphere that I want. All of my best songs/riffs/melodies, such as Castles in Flame, the Crucifixion Fields, or Acheron, were written very quickly. I rarely actually sit down with the intent to write a song. Most of the time, ideas for riffs or melodies or song elements just come to me while I’m doing something else. For example, the main melody from Castles in Flame came to me almost spontaneously after I was listening to Vehemence for hours while working. Other ideas, such as song structures, I sometimes take from existing songs. For example, Watchers of the Chasm from Dawn of Sorrow. I took the basic song structure (long ambient intro, then heavy crushing riff, then bridge, back to riff) from listening to the Ruins of Beverast, one of the best black metal bands of all time in my opinion. Oftentimes I’ll have structure or song element (such as “I want an acoustic and

electric playing a certain type of riff at the same time”) ideas for months before I actually write a song in which it makes sense to apply those elements. The pandemic has definitely given me much more time to work on music. Even as life goes back to normal, though, I’ve still been lucky enough to find the time to make new music. Hopefully this will continue. Regardless, I will not stop working on music until I drop dead, so there will always be new releases from me, even if just once a year or once a decade.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years and also how would you describe your progress as a songwriter?

4. I would compare my approach to lyrics to the impressionism movement in art. In impressionism the individual lines and colors and shapes don’t matter, just the overall

impression that they give. Likewise, the phrases and words I’m saying don’t matter to me, just the impression they cause for the listener. To me, the atmosphere that a piece of music creates is far more important that the individual notes or riffs, and this extends to the lyrics. That being said, I do sometimes have specific topics I want to talk about. For example, the song 1242 is about the famous Battle on the Ice. Usually, however, I just want to use lyrics to create an atmosphere to go along with the music. Over the years I have become much better at doing this.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wraithlord'?

5. I chose the Wraith part because I wanted a name that was haunted or ethereal, and Wraith is an aesthetically and sonically pleasing word that fits both of those themes. I added the Lord part to be more unique and to add an element of grandeur. At the time I was not aware of the Warhammer 40k creature called a wraithlord, as it wasn’t until recently that I’ve gotten more into the Warhammer lore. I will absolutely not be changing my name though.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that was presented on the last few length?

6. Album artwork is very important to me. It is the first part of an album with which most listeners will interact, especially now in the age of listening on Bandcamp, Spotify, or Youtube. Therefore I use album art to lay the base for the atmosphere that I intend to create with the music. On the majority of my releases I have used old paintings because those tend to create an atmosphere the most masterfully. For example, Obscurity is an illustration from the first edition of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and A Dance in the Ghostlight is a painting entitled Dancing Fairies by August Malmstrom. On other releases I have used modern works as covers. NIMH was a photograph I

took myself, Summer Graves is a photograph taken by my friend Harmony Kline, and Earth and Stone is a work by Thaumaturge Artworks. I also intend to use a work by Rotting Reign for my next release, and a work by Cosmic Serpent for a future release. I urge the reader to check all of these people out online, as they are all very talented.

7.With this project you record most of the music by yourself along with some occasional session members but also have experience playing as a live musician for 'Baazlvaat', how would you compare the two?

7. Playing with Baazlvaat is an entirely different experience. This is for two reasons I believe. One, Wraithlord songs are never played live, at least as of now. Two, Declan’s songwriting is completely different than mine. This is obvious when you compare the average Baazlvaat song length to the average Wraithlord song length. We also each have a different ethos when it comes to songwriting, in my opinion. When you hear a Beatles song, for example, it exists to me as a song, even outside of the specific recording that you listen to. Whether you listen to an album version, live version, or demo, it’s the same song. I feel the same way about songs that Declan writes, both for Baazlvaat and for our jazz fusion band, Slippy Cat. They exist as songs outside of our recordings. Wraithlord songs, however, exist as recordings. If I were to play any of my songs live, it would feel like a completely different song to me. This is because the production is such an integral part of the song. If I were to take the heavily edited and effected

percussion samples out of the breakdown from Rain on the Megalith it would be completely different, for example. I feel the same way about Nlorgpipe songs, although he might disagree with me. We have covered his song A Line of Portals live with Baazlvaat and it feels like a different song to me than the album version, mostly because of Nlorgpipe’s unique production style that is so integral to the experience. None of this is to say that either method is better or worse, though, just different.

8.A few months back you also put out an ep with all cover songs, can you tell us a little bit more about the songs and artists you picked for this release?

8. I chose those songs to cover mainly because I like playing them and because I feel like I could do something interesting with them. Nackskott I just enjoy playing and MS Salmonella has a heavy use of samples that I felt I could do something interesting with. It’s the same story with the song Summer Graves, originally by the great and unique band Circle of Ouroboros. I was interested in doing a mostly acoustic arrangement of that song. Pray I chose because it is a great song and because I like to experiment with layering different keyboards and effects. Romeo’s Distress is just all around an amazing song, and the melodic guitar during the chorus is iconic to me. I’m not sure why I originally chose to cover Heir to the Noose of Ghoul rather than any other Leviathan song, but I chose to include it on the EP for old time’s sake.

9.On some albums you also go for more of a dungeon synth style instead of black metal, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this genre and also are you also planning on working on future releases with this musical style?

9. As I stated earlier, my favorite aspect of music is the atmosphere that it creates. Black metal, jazz, or folk, it can all create a unique atmosphere around the listener. When I first found dungeon synth in around early 2021 I fell in love with it for this reason. There are no riffs, no hooks, sometimes there are barely even any melodies, just atmosphere. This led me to try it out myself with the Seven Towers release. With Earth and Stone I had been listening to a lot of kosmische musik and dark ambient, and I wanted to try something in that style of keyboard heavy ambience. Dungeon synth is one of my favorite genres and I plan on making even more in the future

10.A year ago you where also a apart of a split with 'Levitation Ritual', can you tell us a little bit more about the other project that had participated on the recording?

10. Levitation RItual is actually me. It is the name under which I release funeral doom. I am inspired by the incredibly niche torture doom scene, exemplified by bands such as

Wormphplegm, Senthil, and Mikko Aspa’s Stabbat Mater. It’s basically extremely raw funeral doom, with maniac vocals and a focus on torture and pain instead of depression. That’s why I chose to use a sample from an extreme BDSM video in the Levitation Ritual song on that release. I am going to return to the project hopefully very soon, and in an even more raw and deranged form. I also release noise/power electronics under the name Tamerlan Thorell. I have two new releases under that name almost finished. I have been very influenced by the power electronics scene both aesthetically and in my live performances, so stay tuned to hear my take on the genre.

11.In November 'Rabauw' released one of your albums on cassette, how would you describe the working relationship you have had with this label so far?

11. I have nothing but good things to say about the people at Rabauw. They answered my messages quickly and let me design the album art. What more could you want?

12.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal and dungeon synth?

12. I have been very surprised that my music has reached so many people worldwide. All of the physical releases not made by me have been released by European labels and I have shipped my DIY releases to places as far away as Japan and Israel. Many people know my music due to the Youtube channels Mao de Gloria, Transmissions from the Dark, and Atmospheric Black Metal, who have uploaded most of my discography, and who allow it to reach a very wide audience. When I started this project I never expected to reach anyone outside of my immediate (and very small) friend group, so I am eternally grateful for anyone who partakes in and experiences my music the world over.

13.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

13. I don’t really know where I’ll go as a musician, and I like it that way. It keeps things exciting. I can say for sure, though, that I will never stop recording and releasing music til the day I die, whether as Wraithlord, Levitation Ritual, Tamerlan Thorell, or some new project I haven’t even conceived yet.

14.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

14. My initial influences were basically just the classic black metal and one man bands such as Leviathan, Burzum, and Xasthur. On recent releases my biggest influences have been Agalloch and the Ruins of Beverast, two of my favorite bands of all time, and of course I listen to many other black metal bands as well. I think anything I listen to will influence what I create, whether I realize it or not, and I’m always listening to a wide variety of artists so I have many different things influencing me whenever I create music. Some that I consistently enjoy are neofolk artists such as Death in June, Current 93, and :Of Wand and the Moon:, and power electronics artists such as Whitehouse, Genocide Organ, and the Grey Wolves. I also listen to a lot of jazz, and my favorite jazz release is Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. I listen to whatever random shit I can find

online as well.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 

15. I appreciate the opportunity that Occult Black Metal Zine has given me to ramble on about these prompts. I would like to shout out Baazlvaat, Nlorgpipe, Tamerlan Thorell, and Levitation Ritual of course. Be sure to keep up with new music from all of these projects. I also send my regards to Alastor. Finally, to quote Douglas Pearce in his 2001 interview with Spectrum magazine, ‘Never forgive, never forget, and never surrender’ 

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