Ode to obscurity
This is the first interview with the Norwegian band on our site. EXECRATION are technical death metal freaks with a dark background. Last year they released a deadly disease called "Odes of the Occult", I think it is one of the best recordings of 2011. This was one of the reasons why to interview this interesting band. Their approach to obscure Death Metal is experimental and crazy, but basically it is a classic Death Metal. The answers were provided by Chris (guit, vox).
Hell, how are things going for EXECRATION? What do you expect in 2012?
These are grim and frostbitten times for Execration. We will be playing lots of gigs in 2012, as well as release a new EP. The EP will be one step sicker than Odes, and will hint towards our next album.
How are you satisfied with the new "Odes of the Occult"? Could you compare this new stuff with your "Syndicate of Lethargy" debut? What is there different?
We are very pleased with Odes. Some differences to the old material are pretty obvious - Odes is more varied, darker, less chuggy/NY-style death metal and has vastly stronger vocals. Apart from that, the lyrical theme is slightly different/less direct than on Syndicate, while staying within the same realm.
It was a very clear goal when writing Odes that it should not simply be a sequel to Syndicate. We wanted to present something else, something darker. We feel we have succeeded.
I like you play old school Death Metal, but the non-traditional way that you bring some elements of progressiveness, innovativeness, maybe avant-garde into it, but it's still that damn good Death Metal...
Thanks! I agree that there’s a certain bit of avant-gardeness in there. We don’t want it to be too obvious, but we like giving our stuff a slightly mysterious spin. It makes the music more interesting, and thus it lasts longer.
Who of you bring most ideas for creating new songs? Do you think it is still possible to be original in Death Metal today?
Actually, Execration writes songs as a collective. No one contributes more than anyone else. I think it’s possible to be original in Death Metal today - to some extent. You do probably have to slightly bend the rules a little to get a somewhat original result, and I guess the originality will lie mostly in a unique sound. This means that it’s pointless to count riffs from each member of Execration - the song structures, the small variations, the way a song changes riffs, a fill, all those details - they all become an integral part of the Execration sound. We all participate in various ways towards that goal, and Execration would not sound like Execration without any one of its members.
I like that each song on your "Odes Of The Occult" is different, creative, but you still remain dark, obscure and insane, it is still EXECRATION ... is this your goal, or it is just natural way for you?
Well, I’d say it’s both our goal and something that comes natural. Of course, we worked a lot on writing Odes, but usually after the first batch of songs, we get in a certain mood where the rest of the songs flow naturally. Most of the hard work with Odes was pinning the tone of the album - we spent a lot of time before we managed to do that well. When we had done that, most songs came pretty naturally. “A Crutch for Consolation” is a result of our love for dissonant doomy evil death metal.
What is your way of writing process? Do you think songs composition is one of the most important factors at songwriting? A good song requires probably many things that may seem easy at first sight...
Song composition and riffs are equally important. You can string together awesome riffs and create crap. Similarly, you cannot compose poor riffs into something good. Our approach is mostly improvisations. Everyone writes riffs on our own, some riffs come to be by accident while rehearsing, and songs always come to be as a result of hard targeted work and experimentation with those riffs.
Which most important feelings must your music include to be it EXECRATION song? Would you prove to describe it?
I guess there’s a range of “obvious” feelings one could go for in a death metal song. Personally, I strive for a feeling of desperation, like being on the verge of going insane. If we achieve that we can make some really intense music.
It is well known that Norway is a country of mainly Black Metal with a dark past. How you got it you started to play this way of Death Metal? Do you listen also to classical Black Metal?
It’s closing in on 20 years since Norway was the black metal capital of the world. We like black metal like anyone else, but it’s been a while since Norwegian black metal dominated my new acquires. Death metal and metal in general, is also “big” in Norway, so it’s pretty easy to get introduced to that stuff. In fact, I think the outgoing part of the metal community in Oslo is dominated by death metal folks, not black metal folks.
Personally, I would compare your creation to such works as ANTEDILUVIAN "Through The Cervix of Hawwah" or MITOCHONDRION "Parasignosis", just complex and dark Death Metal. Do you know the two aforementioned works and what you think of them? Which bands do you all listen to most?
Interesting comparisons - I don’t know either of them well. What we listen to the most varies of course. This autumn I have listened the most to Negative Plane, Leviathan, Ghost, Deathspell Omega, Necros Christos, Voivod, the Human reissue and very recently the Vektor albums.
Where do you find inspiration for writing songs from non-musical areas? May be there influences also from the world of subconscious visions, dreams, altered states of consciousness and the like?
Lyrics can be inspired by personal experiences, things you have seen or read, or by the wish to convey a mood or feeling. It’s hard to tell where the inspiration for the music comes from really. I’ve never experienced music coming to me in a dream. But I have noticed that feeling really miserable and hung-over can do something good to your creativity. Sometimes you need to “stir up” your brain to get out of the everyday patterns.
I want to ask about Consolation A Crutch song with a rather complex structure, other riffs and rather slow rhythms, some riffs evoke VALBORG or DEATHSPELL OMEGA in me…is this song something special for you?
It’s special in the way that it’s one of my favorite tracks from the album, but nothing more. I am not familiar with Valborg, but Deathspell Omega has definitely been a source of inspiration over recent years.
What kind of reactions have you got to your new stuff so far? Have you already met with a misunderstanding?
No misunderstandings as far as I have seen. In fact, we’ve been met with nothing but very positive reviews.
Your lyrics should refer to the questions about death, religion and philosophy. Who writes the lyrics and what they deal most with? How can I take the album title "Odes of the Occult"? Does this relate directly to the occultism?
Lyrics are written by Jorgen and me (Chris) with the help of Andreas Tylden (of Altaar, One tail One Head). The title is representative of the theme of the album, but is not necessarily directly linked to occultism.
Seems you didn’t play in any other or better-known bands, so I suppose EXECRATION is your primary concern. Do you remember even the initial thoughts and ideas at the band formation? What are your feelings on it today? Do you think you are still holding your lines?
Execration is our primary effort, yes. We started out in a different place, but Execration like it exists today have been working this way since around 2006. Since then we are working towards more or less the same goals. I guess we were more hellbent on being classic/standard death metal in the early days, but experimentation and eery atmospheres have always been a key goal for us.
Everywhere is now talking about the date of 21st 12th 2012 in relation to the Mayan prophecies. What do you think about this date? Do you think it has a deeper meaning for humanity or it is just an invented hoax?
The Mayan calendar stops on December 21st 2012. It’s not a prophecy, nothing will happen, they just didn’t bother making their calendar any longer.
What's your view on the origin of our civilization in general? Do you think all went through a natural evolution or someone actually helped to our creation? Do you deal with such issues?
I am not religious. I don't think I "deal with such issues" more than most people. I side with science.
Do you know the American writer H. P. Lovecraft? Have you read any of his work? Which ones make you most impressed by? What do you think about the Cthulhu myth who was later created by many other writers and occultists? And what about powerful Necronomicon? Do you believe that incantations in Simonomicon work?
I have not read Lovecraft, but I don’t believe in incantations in general, so I guess my answer here would be “no”.
How does Norwegian Death Metal scene looks today? Do you think Death Metal is a tradition in your country? Could you recommend some great bands? Which scene from around the world is closest to you in terms of Death Metal or extreme Metal in general?
Norway has a stronger tradition for Black Metal naturally, but there are exceptions. Some of the bands started out as death metal acts before black metal was “invented”. Darkthrone is a prime example. Be sure to check out Cadaver (a Norwegian death metal band that started out in 1988). And if you get a hold of some Death Metal Longsleeve, you are lucky! Of newer bands, Obliteration and Diskord are awesome!
How did you promote "Odes of the Occult" with live shows? Did you have any tour? Will you play in the near time at some interesting events and festivals? Is it difficult for you to travel from Norway?
We had the release party in a small metal pub in Oslo called Unholy (a place you should definitely check out if you visit Oslo). We’ve not been touring, but we have played some gigs here and there. One was at a small festival, “Til Dovre Faller”, in a remote part of Norway, Dombas. It was killer! 100 metalheads stuck on the mountain with loads of beer. Some festivals and a European tour are certainly in the plans for this year. Next off is by: Larm in Oslo in February, a Nordic music festival/conference. In April we’re playing at the Inferno festival.
Ok, that would be all on my part, if I forgot something important, feel free to write something for the fans. Thank you for this interesting interview and wish EXECRATION just what you desire, keep the flame burning!
Thanks for the chat! And keep death metal real!
http://www.execration.no/
Chris 9.2. 2012 Mortuary
Hell, how are things going for EXECRATION? What do you expect in 2012?
These are grim and frostbitten times for Execration. We will be playing lots of gigs in 2012, as well as release a new EP. The EP will be one step sicker than Odes, and will hint towards our next album.
How are you satisfied with the new "Odes of the Occult"? Could you compare this new stuff with your "Syndicate of Lethargy" debut? What is there different?
We are very pleased with Odes. Some differences to the old material are pretty obvious - Odes is more varied, darker, less chuggy/NY-style death metal and has vastly stronger vocals. Apart from that, the lyrical theme is slightly different/less direct than on Syndicate, while staying within the same realm.
It was a very clear goal when writing Odes that it should not simply be a sequel to Syndicate. We wanted to present something else, something darker. We feel we have succeeded.
I like you play old school Death Metal, but the non-traditional way that you bring some elements of progressiveness, innovativeness, maybe avant-garde into it, but it's still that damn good Death Metal...
Thanks! I agree that there’s a certain bit of avant-gardeness in there. We don’t want it to be too obvious, but we like giving our stuff a slightly mysterious spin. It makes the music more interesting, and thus it lasts longer.
Who of you bring most ideas for creating new songs? Do you think it is still possible to be original in Death Metal today?
Actually, Execration writes songs as a collective. No one contributes more than anyone else. I think it’s possible to be original in Death Metal today - to some extent. You do probably have to slightly bend the rules a little to get a somewhat original result, and I guess the originality will lie mostly in a unique sound. This means that it’s pointless to count riffs from each member of Execration - the song structures, the small variations, the way a song changes riffs, a fill, all those details - they all become an integral part of the Execration sound. We all participate in various ways towards that goal, and Execration would not sound like Execration without any one of its members.
I like that each song on your "Odes Of The Occult" is different, creative, but you still remain dark, obscure and insane, it is still EXECRATION ... is this your goal, or it is just natural way for you?
Well, I’d say it’s both our goal and something that comes natural. Of course, we worked a lot on writing Odes, but usually after the first batch of songs, we get in a certain mood where the rest of the songs flow naturally. Most of the hard work with Odes was pinning the tone of the album - we spent a lot of time before we managed to do that well. When we had done that, most songs came pretty naturally. “A Crutch for Consolation” is a result of our love for dissonant doomy evil death metal.
What is your way of writing process? Do you think songs composition is one of the most important factors at songwriting? A good song requires probably many things that may seem easy at first sight...
Song composition and riffs are equally important. You can string together awesome riffs and create crap. Similarly, you cannot compose poor riffs into something good. Our approach is mostly improvisations. Everyone writes riffs on our own, some riffs come to be by accident while rehearsing, and songs always come to be as a result of hard targeted work and experimentation with those riffs.
Which most important feelings must your music include to be it EXECRATION song? Would you prove to describe it?
I guess there’s a range of “obvious” feelings one could go for in a death metal song. Personally, I strive for a feeling of desperation, like being on the verge of going insane. If we achieve that we can make some really intense music.
It is well known that Norway is a country of mainly Black Metal with a dark past. How you got it you started to play this way of Death Metal? Do you listen also to classical Black Metal?
It’s closing in on 20 years since Norway was the black metal capital of the world. We like black metal like anyone else, but it’s been a while since Norwegian black metal dominated my new acquires. Death metal and metal in general, is also “big” in Norway, so it’s pretty easy to get introduced to that stuff. In fact, I think the outgoing part of the metal community in Oslo is dominated by death metal folks, not black metal folks.
Personally, I would compare your creation to such works as ANTEDILUVIAN "Through The Cervix of Hawwah" or MITOCHONDRION "Parasignosis", just complex and dark Death Metal. Do you know the two aforementioned works and what you think of them? Which bands do you all listen to most?
Interesting comparisons - I don’t know either of them well. What we listen to the most varies of course. This autumn I have listened the most to Negative Plane, Leviathan, Ghost, Deathspell Omega, Necros Christos, Voivod, the Human reissue and very recently the Vektor albums.
Where do you find inspiration for writing songs from non-musical areas? May be there influences also from the world of subconscious visions, dreams, altered states of consciousness and the like?
Lyrics can be inspired by personal experiences, things you have seen or read, or by the wish to convey a mood or feeling. It’s hard to tell where the inspiration for the music comes from really. I’ve never experienced music coming to me in a dream. But I have noticed that feeling really miserable and hung-over can do something good to your creativity. Sometimes you need to “stir up” your brain to get out of the everyday patterns.
I want to ask about Consolation A Crutch song with a rather complex structure, other riffs and rather slow rhythms, some riffs evoke VALBORG or DEATHSPELL OMEGA in me…is this song something special for you?
It’s special in the way that it’s one of my favorite tracks from the album, but nothing more. I am not familiar with Valborg, but Deathspell Omega has definitely been a source of inspiration over recent years.
What kind of reactions have you got to your new stuff so far? Have you already met with a misunderstanding?
No misunderstandings as far as I have seen. In fact, we’ve been met with nothing but very positive reviews.
Your lyrics should refer to the questions about death, religion and philosophy. Who writes the lyrics and what they deal most with? How can I take the album title "Odes of the Occult"? Does this relate directly to the occultism?
Lyrics are written by Jorgen and me (Chris) with the help of Andreas Tylden (of Altaar, One tail One Head). The title is representative of the theme of the album, but is not necessarily directly linked to occultism.
Seems you didn’t play in any other or better-known bands, so I suppose EXECRATION is your primary concern. Do you remember even the initial thoughts and ideas at the band formation? What are your feelings on it today? Do you think you are still holding your lines?
Execration is our primary effort, yes. We started out in a different place, but Execration like it exists today have been working this way since around 2006. Since then we are working towards more or less the same goals. I guess we were more hellbent on being classic/standard death metal in the early days, but experimentation and eery atmospheres have always been a key goal for us.
Everywhere is now talking about the date of 21st 12th 2012 in relation to the Mayan prophecies. What do you think about this date? Do you think it has a deeper meaning for humanity or it is just an invented hoax?
The Mayan calendar stops on December 21st 2012. It’s not a prophecy, nothing will happen, they just didn’t bother making their calendar any longer.
What's your view on the origin of our civilization in general? Do you think all went through a natural evolution or someone actually helped to our creation? Do you deal with such issues?
I am not religious. I don't think I "deal with such issues" more than most people. I side with science.
Do you know the American writer H. P. Lovecraft? Have you read any of his work? Which ones make you most impressed by? What do you think about the Cthulhu myth who was later created by many other writers and occultists? And what about powerful Necronomicon? Do you believe that incantations in Simonomicon work?
I have not read Lovecraft, but I don’t believe in incantations in general, so I guess my answer here would be “no”.
How does Norwegian Death Metal scene looks today? Do you think Death Metal is a tradition in your country? Could you recommend some great bands? Which scene from around the world is closest to you in terms of Death Metal or extreme Metal in general?
Norway has a stronger tradition for Black Metal naturally, but there are exceptions. Some of the bands started out as death metal acts before black metal was “invented”. Darkthrone is a prime example. Be sure to check out Cadaver (a Norwegian death metal band that started out in 1988). And if you get a hold of some Death Metal Longsleeve, you are lucky! Of newer bands, Obliteration and Diskord are awesome!
How did you promote "Odes of the Occult" with live shows? Did you have any tour? Will you play in the near time at some interesting events and festivals? Is it difficult for you to travel from Norway?
We had the release party in a small metal pub in Oslo called Unholy (a place you should definitely check out if you visit Oslo). We’ve not been touring, but we have played some gigs here and there. One was at a small festival, “Til Dovre Faller”, in a remote part of Norway, Dombas. It was killer! 100 metalheads stuck on the mountain with loads of beer. Some festivals and a European tour are certainly in the plans for this year. Next off is by: Larm in Oslo in February, a Nordic music festival/conference. In April we’re playing at the Inferno festival.
Ok, that would be all on my part, if I forgot something important, feel free to write something for the fans. Thank you for this interesting interview and wish EXECRATION just what you desire, keep the flame burning!
Thanks for the chat! And keep death metal real!
http://www.execration.no/
Chris 9.2. 2012 Mortuary
interview
