OccultBlackMetalZine: Shylmagoghmar Interview

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Shylmagoghmar Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the solo project since the recording and release of the new album?

Nimblkorg: Currently I'm still mainly engaged with the promotion of the Convergence album. Since I don't tour, it is important to not neglect that.

Once that is over though, I will return to starting the writing for a future Shylmagoghnar album. Now that the trilogy is over, the choice of directions is very open, which is both freeing and frightening at the same time. I'm sure I'll find out where it wants to go soon enough though!

2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Nimblkorg: For Shylmagoghnar, I lean towards going with “something old, something new” for every album, and that is again the case here. Especially since it was the finisher of a trilogy, there are throwbacks to Emergence and Transience on this one. I like it when those are not too on the nose, because part of the design behind these albums is to create them in such a way that listeners will be able to discover new details on multiple playthroughs.

As for the new, it's hard to put into words, but my feeling while creating this album was that I had a more clear vision of what I wanted it to be than ever before, and that translated into the end result. Shylmagoghnar albums have always been written to be coherent, and story-like, and for this one that is more prominent than ever before. And since I was by myself this time around, I was able to make both the lyrics and the music guide the listener through the journey, so I think the “concept album” principle is more noticeable now.

There are also some new instruments making their debut on this album, though sparsely, like the violin and the tin whistle. The style of synthesizers also leans more towards an 80's vibe this time around, to go with the psychedelic undertone of the album.

3.This is also your first album in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait in between releases?

Nimblkorg: Yes, the album took roughly a year and a half longer than I had initially anticipated. Everyone who has been following this project since the beginning knows that I like to take my time, to make sure it's the best I can do during that timeframe. This time around however, there were some big events in my life which changed everything.

First of all, my first child was born. This was an immensely beautiful thing to me. My wife and I had been wishing for him for years. It's undeniably a huge shift in lifestyle though, so despite my attempts to continue album production during that first year, I got very little done.

Then, right around the time when I started to find my way in being a dad, my mother suddenly got diagnosed with a brain tumor and things went downhill extremely fast for her. This was an immense blow towards my core family and we went through hell and back together within only a couple of months. It was the worst time of our lives, but at the same time I can say that we have very few regrets about the way we handled things. There'd always been a lot of warmth and support between us, and that came forward stronger than ever.

After she passed away, I needed quite a bit of time to feel normal again, and returning to work on Shylmagoghnar was definitely part of that healing process.

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

Nimblkorg: This album is about a conceptual journey of death, from the view of the dying person. I've had some experience speaking to people in the palliative process, and had some unforgettable conversations. As they got closer to death, they tended to withdraw into their own world more and more – but sometimes still being able to say something about what they were seeing. They were mostly positive and soothing things, but hang-ups and old regrets were enhanced. The story and lyrics behind this album are based upon that. They feature the inner world and struggles the protagonist has to go through while being in the final stages of death.

As for my progress, the main thing that comes to mind is increasing vision. The more I work with music, the clearer the picture becomes in my head. Then of course I also accumulate experience on my instruments and as an audio engineer, so those steps too feel increasingly more natural. I feel much more secure in who I am as a musician and a person now than I did after the debut release.

5.The project started out in 2004 but you waited until 2014 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?

Nimblkorg: When Skirge and I started out the project in those early years, we were in highschool and it was really just a dream among friends. Interest for it would come and go. Frankly, I'm surprised to this day that it survived those years. Nonetheless, a couple of formative demos were recorded and at least locally, people reacted very positively to them. Some of those demos still float around on Youtube.

My (now) wife and a good friend of ours also made a video clip for the demo of Eternal Forest for my birthday around that time, which was also put on Youtube just for fun. To my surprise, it got a lot of views and once again very positive reactions. Sadly, the original upload of that video is now gone, but I've reuploaded it on our official channel for old time's sake.

In any case, all of this made us feel like we were sitting on a golden egg and not allowing it to hatch would be something we would come to regret. So our wish to truly make something out of it became stronger. That was still easier said than done, as we struggled to find band members that had the same vision and longevity as we had. That's what caused me to become a multi-instrumentalist and to learn audio production. This took me years, but eventually it led to the two of us recording and releasing Emergence in 2014.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Shylmagoghar'?

Nimblkorg: In those highschool years we were trying names with existing English words, but we were frustrated with how used up nearly every word felt. We knew we wanted to make music that felt like it came from another world, so it felt logical to us that the name should also feel strange. We decided to create our own word from syllables which resonated with us personally. Skirge chose Ma and Gogh, and I chose Shyl and Nar. We then put them together in the only combination that wouldn't destroy the world.

The meaning is something we've decided to keep a secret, because we prefer when people give the name and music their own interpretation.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

Nimblkorg: It was once again created by my good friend and professional compatriot Minghao Xu, whom I've had the pleasure of working with since the first album. It is a combination of elements which showed up in my dreams as the album was taking shape. The river at the bottom is the river of life and death which is followed throughout the story of the album. The maelstrom with the eye represents Infinion – a void-like place where everything and nothing dwell at the same time, because their potential hasn't turned into existance yet. At the outskirts of this place lurks a sentinel which devours those who cannot see past his deceit. It is represented here as an ouroboros of sorts, but in my dream it was a benign antlered worm floating through the void, which was dreaming up universe after universe without even being aware of it.

The color scheme was originally in natural colors. Green hills, blue water, that sort of thing. But since the album is about a psychedelic journey into a place which is anything but normal, I felt that the colors should represent that, so we shifted it into a more dream-like style, with colors that remind of autumn.

8.Originally the band started out as a duo but has recently turned into a sol project, what was the decision behind going into this direction?

Nimblkorg: Skirge and I are close friends, so we always agreed that our personal connection should stand above any band matters. Around the time when Transience was released, Skirge emigrated to another country, which he had been wishing to do for a while. This did not come easy for him though, and it ended up leaving him so tired that he couldn't muster any creative energy for multiple years. In preceding times, Shylmagoghnar was a topic we would always have fervent and excited conversations about, but I noticed a shift. Whenever I would tell him about a new song I was working on, I could tell that I was essentially putting an executioner's axe above his head. He tried to write lyrics for it, but it simply wasn't working and it felt bad for both of us. I didn't want to force him to create something he couldn't stand behind, and he didn't want me to be unable to follow my dreams of the project, so we decided it would be best to simply let it go. We haven't regretted the decision.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

Nimblkorg: It depends – black metal is divided in multiple subgenres, and many of those have their own distinct tastes and “rules”. I don't hear from traditional black metal fans very often, because I don't think I am the type of project they are generally looking for. They tend to prefer rawer productions, and synthesizers/melodic guitars are often a no-go. People who are more into atmospheric, epic and melodic black metal, or blackened death however are almost always extremely positive about it. Which makes sense, as I would count myself towards that second group, and I consider Shylmagoghnar to be more of a mix of genres.

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

Nimblkorg: The journey I'm currently on feels like my calling and there is still a lot of draw towards it, so I will definitely continue heading in the current direction to see where it takes me.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles you are currently listening to nowadays?

Nimblkorg: Almost nothing to be honest. I am fascinated with playing and experimenting with music, but I currently don't feel a lot of desire to listen to it. This has mostly to do with tiredness which comes after a long production cycle. I'm sure it'll come back after some rest.

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

Nimblkorg: Thank you for having me! I hope you and everyone reading this will enjoy the new album and get something personal/meaningful out of the experience. All the best! Nim - Shylmagoghnar