Easter spells unholy metal festival in the nation’s capital. For the 10th year running the Inferno Festival acts as the counterweight for everything cozy and Christian. This year the stage will be stormed by greats such as Death Angel, Marduk and Nachtmystium , but the festival is also opening its door for alternative acts. Among the internationals we have former Swans frontwoman Jarboe with her haunting, provocative nightmare melodies and charming indie violinst Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy).
Zooming in on the Norwegian artists on the poster the diversity and alternative vibe might not hit you as hard. Sure, we’ve got quite politically uncorrect Mongo Ninja, Kvelertak –aka the new suppliers of necro rock and roll– and the youth mosh mixing of Serenity Trace, but the bill is still plagued with what you might consider uninventive, straight up black metal. But is it the role of Inferno to stay true to their black roots after all these years, or should the festival try to include more of the alternative metal acts in underground Norway?
If the corpse paint and repetative anti-Christian statements make you yawn there is still gold to be found in the Inferno pile for us hip cynics. We thought we would show you three exciting Norwegian bands on the bill that might play the metal game, but doesn’t neccesarily play by the rules. Årabrot bring the noise and don’t care much about stage antics or audience flattery, Monolithic leave out the vocals and claim they don’t need dragons or gods to succeed and Irr perfect the visual experience and drag you down into the mines.
Årabrot- No Rest for the Wicked
Photo: Haugesund Avis
Årabrot hurts in a good way. They are Norway’s premier noise rock trio who always play like the world is about to end. The music has the aggression of your favorite old punk rock and the weight of a heavy winter depression. Vocals are shrieked, drums are pounded and you are guaranteed to be shaken, not stirred. Now that they are ready to take on the big stage at Inferno, I had to ask the band if this was a major step forward for the underground noisemakers. And although Årabrot seem grateful to be able to join the Inferno circus, it is not beneath guitarist/voice Kjetil Nernes to throw in a little snide comment:
We played Club Inferno last year and caught the gist of the festival then. The first thought that struck me when we got asked this year was: Do all the bands get paid this low amount of money?
The band has formerly expressed a love for the early, evil metal of the late 80’s and early 90’s, but their gigs have perhaps been better received in the punk community. Every time I have seen them it has been intimate and crowded with half the audience looking scared and half the audience glowing with heavy passion. Naturally, it is easier to connect in a tiny club: How will it be taking on the large stage?
I guess we fit into the Inferno festival as much we did at the Øya festival. We will be the outsider band no matter what kind of festival we play. We have done festivals in Berlin and London on stages that match Rockefeller. The before mentioned Øya festival was not much smaller either. Rockefeller might be the largest if you are thinking purely space on stage though. I am sure it will fit us perfectly. With that many amps we should have no problem reaching our goal.
For the first time spectator Årabrot might seem like an introverted band. They show up, plug in, play and leave. It is sure to be a huge contrast to the bragging arrogance of the death metal bands they will share stage with. The music of Årabrot is supposed to speak for itself when you see them, and I have been blown away every time. But the mood of the music has almost created an image in my head of the band as untouchable.
We don’t exactly flirt with the audience and we really don’t care much what the other bands are doing. We are not in a band to be cocky on stage or drink beer with scantily clad women. Being on stage is a personal delivery; the music speaks for itself and it is anchored to something deep inside of us.
The list of releases is racking up for the Haugesund trio. Of the recent records we have to mention the full length “The Brother Seed” and the EP “I Rove”. Instead of slowing down they really seem to hit the ground running. There is no rest for the wicked.
“The Brother Seed” just got released on vinyl on the label Fysisk Format. Our next full length “REVENGE” (written with big letters) will be out September 13th on the same label. It will be released ON both CD and 2×12” vinyl! I guess a European tour will happen around that time too.
There is no question about the band being time consuming for the members. When you see how tight they are on stage, you would guess they don’t do anything but practice night and day. It is important to have goals for your music and stay grounded.It can be hard to make a living, especially playing the kind of music they do.
We aim to craft records that make your insides groan without having the process cost us life and limb. If that means staying at the grass root level; Fine. If it involves Spellemann (Norwegian Grammys) or Top 20 that’s also okay. You can combine noise rock and normal life, but we all live below what is considered the Norwegian poverty line. It doesn’t necessarily mean we live in a cardboard box.
A couple of shows at Inferno catch Årabrot’s attention
There are three or four shows that might be interesting. We will see Mayhem of course. Jarboe also needs to be checked out, we have been fans of Swans for quite a lot of years now.
Monolithic- the difference between loud and loud
Monolithic is impossible to describe. They have to be experienced. Known as the northern hemispheres’ loudest two-piece they do what they please, pushing boundaries, traveling far and wide in Europe. Baritone guitarplayer Stian Westerhus was eager to answer a few of my questions. We covered the basic rock clichés; and even got a little technical.
This duo from Trondheim is not among the easiest acts to get to know. They bring the hurt to unexpecting jazz lovers and arouse the technical geeks. You might wonder if the festival knows what kind of beast they are about to unleash. I have only seen the band once, and accessible is not the first word I would use.
I would say we give the festival an image of width. Our audience is not only in the metal camp. It basically includes anyone who wants to see two guys work their asses off to make sure you get ear damage and whiplash. We change the rhythm around constantly. Try counting: most of the time you will never even know where the first beat of the rhythm is!
Even the most aloof genre junkie will start to sweat if he is asked to label Monolithic. All the core suffixes or jazz prefixes in the world won’t save you. Lovers of Meshuggah or Sunn O))) might nod along to the rhythm changes and the wall of sound, but when you get down to it Monolithic doesn’t sound like anything else.
Stian: When people can’t fit the music into a category they have to find their own way into the music. Few people can dig out our references or compare us to anything else. Some might see the metal reference points. People tend to react either with insecurity or they get pulled straight into the energy. And that is what Monolithic is supposed to be about: pure energy. To work towards the energy and break through. It is not about your foot on the monitor, make up, dragons or gods. It is about the fact that we have a drum kit and a guitar and that we are going to blow you right off the fucking field.
I remember seeing Monolithic at Studenterssamfundet in Trondheim where every member of the audience was offered earplugs before the band went on. It might not have been the loudest gig I have experienced, but it certainly breaches the top 10. It made me wonder if the noise level is used to provoke; to stir up the mindless masses.
Stian: Yeah, that is right, I remember that show. It was far from the loudest we have played though. Even acoustic we are ridiculously loud. Kenneth’s hi hats are his smallest cymbals and I think they are 21 inches. Besides, we don’t play with triggers. It is not important for me to play extremely loud, but you can’t play this music acoustic on the drums without coming close to 100db. Therefore the PA has to match the drums and the result will naturally be loud. In addition there are a couple of Hi watts on stage. That is not saying that it is uncomfortable. There is a difference between loud and loud. Monolithic is a very dynamic band.
The Inferno festival is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and has grown quite large. Some would like to have an expensive festival for the mammoths of metal, others want the focus to be on the small, up-and-coming bands. The competition is fierce to take the stage, and many are left behind.
Stian: I am not sure if I have an opinion on a small festival versus a large expensive one. There are a lot of eager bands around and when a festival grows the competition to play will get fiercer. It is nice when a festival will listen to the scene and the multitude. It should also be mentioned that Inferno is in a good position to front Norwegian metal beyond the country’s borders. If you see it from that angle a large player could be a good thing.
The two members of Monolithic can’t be accused of laziness. A sneak peek at their website reveals gigs coming up all over Europe. In addition, Kapstad drums with local giants Motorpsycho who have just finished covering the length of country; doing 15 gigs with improv heroes Supersilent. Stian himself is joining Nils Petter Molvær to Poland, Italy and beyond. Pieced together it seems like the multitude of influences and band experience only makes them stronger.
We are recording a new record this summer, which will be out around fall. In the meantime we are going on a small tour of Italy and doing a gig or two in England. Come fall we will probably go on a longer European tour and do a few gigs in Norway.
Reactions differ when Monolithic take the stage. The music might create a wall between the band the audience. Being so unique in their expression, the band is sure to stir up some emotion among the audience members. Some might share their thoughts with the band afterwards if they have any speech left.
We are usually so mentally and physically exhausted after our gigs that we might not be easy to get through to. Some people have said that we really opened their eyes, and I really like that compliment! I might have a filter that removes the worst of the criticism; I seem to remember some metal guys at Hole in the Sky saying what we did was just noise. I can still chuckle at that thought.
Some bands are more open-minded to new music than others, and Monolithic enter the hell gates of Inferno with a positive attitude.
I will try to catch most of the bands that I have not heard before! Personal favorites are Mayhem and Årabrot. Attila (the Mayhem singer) should be counted as a pure performance artist. The context of vintage black metal is pretty fresh to my ears too.
Irr take their metal seriously and work harder than the average bee. The band laid assignments aside and crawled up from the mine to tell us about Inferno, gruesome injuries and the importance of extreme visuals in extreme music.
Irr – the Hamburger Incident
Photo: Anders Stokke
Staying the course is a challenge if you want to survive on the cruel metal scene. Having moved around, changed members, sustained severe injuries and emerged victorious from the Wacken Metal Battle, Irr sure has experienced more than your average metal band.
Irr started as a progressive heavy metal band six years ago in Molde. The band was originally intended to be a side project to the heavier and more technical bands that drummer Oliver and singer Christian were involved in. We quickly gained followers in our home town; we stood out from the crowd. The early shows included barbed wire, gallows and wheelchairs. Sadly, after about two years, we had to lay the band to rest as we traveled to different parts of the country to pursue studies. As luck would have it we eventually ended up in Trondheim and got together again. Some member changes occurred and we became a power trio, feeling stronger than ever. We were left with a small core of similar ambitions and musicals tastes that complimented each other.
A friend hassled the band to join the competition to play the Wacken Metal Battle. She felt that they had a fighting chance against the other local bands
Going in with low expectations, we still gave it our best shot and surprisingly we won. Top grades from all the judges. The following summer we drove down to Germany and pulled our share for Norway at the Wacken Open Air. After the festival we started working on new material, moving in a more extreme direction. We are very critical of our own music and work with a wish to create new and different metal.
One might think that Inferno is a little dull after taking the stage at Wacken. For those of you who are not familiar with Wacken it can only described as the German metal Mecca. Take thousands of drunk, obese longhaired people and roll them up in a shabby tent and you are half way there. Ask the average metal fan about the festival and his eyes will glaze over. Irr might have to adjust their minds to fit a Norwegian stage that pales in comparison.
We were thrilled to be offered to play Inferno. We all have a deep personal relationship with the festival. In earlier years we have been to several killer shows at the festival while at the same time cursing the lousy bands that have played, thinking: “That should be us on stage instead!”. Now it is our time to show our muscles, and it will be unbelievably cool to be a part of package that will be served the audience at Inferno.
It is true that Wacken is bigger, and it was quite the experience to play there, but we are even more excited to do Inferno. If we compare them I would say that a smaller band like us can disappear in the swarm of bands at a large and international festival like Wacken. At Inferno I would imagine that the audience will appreciate our music more. It is a smaller festival, but the whole Inferno package is dedicated to the people who show up to enjoy the sights and sounds.
Visuals, props and image are important in metal. Mayhem throw flayed pig heads and Gorgoroth impale naked virgins (something that got them into a spot of trouble in Catholic Poland). Irr might be more modest with their visuals but put a lot of thought into it.
From the start the visuals have been important to us. It started out as experimentation with different outfits, masks and partially planned theatrical scenery. We wanted to surprise the audience with something new every single show. This required heavy planning every time, but the response from the audience was overwhelming. One time, Christian headbanged so violently he passed out and fell headfirst into one of the monitors. He staggered to his feet and fell sideways into the bass player. It was really handy that that show included a wheelchair prop. After the song Christian rolled back on stage in the wheelchair and finished the song. The funny thing was that the audience thought it was planned as part of the act and thought it looked great.
The whole mining look is pretty recent, our songs started to sound more industrial and the mining industry seemed like the perfect framework for the music. We sometimes build the stage to look like an old factory or a mine and bring pickaxes, anvils and hammers to go with different parts of the set. At a show in February we built a kind of mineshaft in the middle of stage and hid all the equipment. It was just us– and a huge mountain with a mine running through it.
We use this kind of expression even though a lot of people might criticize it. We go for a certain visual expression which we feel makes it more fun to be at our shows. We would rather swing a pickaxe and hit the anvil than just stand rigid and play the show. Like someone once said: Extreme music demands an extreme expression. I am sure we will continue to surprise the audience with a brutal stage act.
As Inferno expands and more shows are to be witnessed, so is the potential metal fan base. We might argue that a commercial festival can drag more youngsters away from the pop scene and get them into metal. I could think of worse fates for the next generation.
It works both ways. As long as it doesn’t cripple the music I see it as a good thing that more people get into metal. A lot of times though, you have a feeling that bands piece together music tailored to fit a large audience. If they do that they lose some of the passion that comes with going in strange directions and breaking tradition. Extreme metal is a genre that should be demanding for both band and listener. That is what makes you love extreme music, you have to work hard to get into it, and the relationship you build with will be personal. If it becomes too commercial the music usually starts to sound dull and simple, it all blends together. Bands need to be conscious about the route they choose for themselves. Thrash metal and Heavy became more accepted and mainstream in the 90s so some people turned in a extreme direction. It is a natural progression.
Trust me: Spinal Tap has NOTHING on Irr when it comes to bizarre injuries and accidents. Still they stay strong. Hearing their stories you might wonder how long they will keep their limbs intact. But hey, you can play guitar with your tongue right? How about we start with the most metal excuse ever: “We don’t have a guitar player today cause he cut off a part of his finger”.
Hehe… Yeah, that’s right. It was 4 days before the show that Erik called us and said that he had managed to cut his finger bad while trying to split frozen hamburgers with a bread knife. A small part of his finger had been lost, and the doctor said that it might take a year before it would heal completely. We feared that that Inferno gig was going to go to hell. We’re a band that is used to– almost counting on– injuries and accidents.
When we did warm up for Vreid two years ago Oliver had fallen on a floor full of shattered glass so he had to learn to play a set with only one hand. If that wasn’t bad enough he managed to trip on the stairs going into the venue with a plastic bag full of beer. He broke the fall with his good hand, and got quite a nice cut there too. Luckily this was on the area around the pinky finger so he did the gig with a bloody towel wrapped around his hand.
Another time Erik had slipped walking on a scaffold and twisted his foot, so he was on crutches. During the show he had to play leaning against a pillar.
After the hamburger accident Christian had to switch to guitar instead of bass and learn all the songs in a week. It got a little hard when he had to play the guitar and strike the anvil at the same time, but it worked!
Can Irr stay as open-minded as Monolithic or are they picky like Årabrot? The answer is something in between.
Actually there are not too many bands that we have a strong connection with. Of course it will be a really sweet if Kovenant can manage to play a mean gig. Mayhem is always fun too. I suspect we will rather just wander around, drink beer and see if we can be surprised by some good bands.
So where do we end up? Understandably, Inferno needs safe bands; the festival has to make a living. As the watchdogs of the unknown we still lament Norwegian contenders from the underground. There are exciting things happening both in the thrash and doom scene at the moment– brilliant punk/metal crossover bands like Eskatol, Black Blood World or La Casa Fantom– who would go well with the program, but are not represented.
Still, we have given you three good reasons to attend, and my personal hot tip is to skip the simple death and black metal, and expand your mind with the underground goodness. Hell, Årabrot is worth the ticket alone if you ask me. Stay unholy.
Related posts:
One Response to “Inferno 2010: True Norwegian Underground/ Årabrot/Monolithic/Irr”
Ann Sung-an Lee - March 31st, 2010 at 22:53
REVENGE??? Muahahahaha….