After the epiphany that was Knippe, the debut EP, anyone would be hard pressed to follow up on such an achievement. A melancholic and somber album from this fantastic one-man black metal act is the result. I asked some questions about the album "Fandens Lykteskjær".
BRZ - Ild was created in 2020 but there is already a lot of talk about your band. Talk a little about the concept of the band.
Horgmo/ILD - I have been into metal since I was a kid, growing up with Iron Maiden, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Pantera and Megadeth. I discovered black metal in the late 90s after moving from my hometown to Oslo, and it was also then I started to play in bands. After playing bass in the dark post-punk band This Sect for almost twenty years, all the while listening mostly to metal, I decided to make something that was an expression of my true self. That is why I named the first song on the debut EP “Hjemkomst” (Coming Home). The decision also coincided with the pandemic, which made it easier to do a one-man project than a proper band, but I also wanted to have total control, so it would probably have been a one-man thing either way.
BRZ - Do you think it would have been easier to show your band, at a time when the world was more online?
Horgmo/ILD - Yes, it is definitely easier to reach people nowadays, but it also feels fake in a way. I remember walking around in Oslo just 10 years ago putting up posters for shows and putting in actual footwork to promote a band. I hate updating social media, so I just have an Instagram account for ILD, and I often think about how to reach the people that are not on social media. It is still important for underground bands to reach out through other channels like fanzines, in my opinion. I love the fact that the black metal underground still centers on physical releases. The process of receiving orders, packing and sending them to fans around the world is a whole other level of connection than the streaming void. Nothing beats looking up orders from places I have never heard of.
BRZ - Despite being a year old, you've already released a demo "Knippe", a single, and now you're about to release your first album. Was it all too easy or did you already have ideas in store waiting for the right moment?
Horgmo/ILD - I did not have a lot of songs or riffs just waiting to be recorded, but after listening to black metal for over twenty years I know what I like, and I knew what I wanted the concept of ILD to be and what sound I wanted to work towards. I would say the main inspirations for ILD when it comes to atmosphere and overall feeling are Burzum, Drudkh and Armagedda, although ILD doesn’t sound much like any of them.
Personally, I was at a very low point in my life last year, and there was certainly no lack of inspiration for dark music. Most of the lyrics are based on personal experiences, although molded into another time and place. I had actually never played an electric guitar before I bought one for this project, and maybe that made it easier to somewhat find my own style. I don’t know how to play all the classic black metal riffs. The main riff of “I natten, under stjernene” from the Knippe EP fell into my head while walking in the forest one night and the riffs have just kept on coming ever since. I rarely sit down with the guitar to make new riffs, I hum them into my phone when they start to form in my mind. On “Knippe” the music came first and then the lyrics, while on the new album all the lyrics where written first and I then made the music to fit the mood of the different lyrics.
BRZ - Is the new album "Fandens lykteskjær" a concept album or is it several unrelated themes?
Horgmo/ILD - “Fandens lykteskjær” was not written as a concept album, and the songs all have different lyrical themes to them, although they all center around the harshness of life, the cold indifference of nature and the solace found in giving in to darkness. When writing the music, I was thinking in terms of an album with a consistent atmosphere or mood. Putting together the album artwork, this became even more apparent. I’ve been intrigued by the cover of Earth’s “HEX; Or Printing in the Infernal Method” ever since it came out in 2005, and I wanted to base the artwork on a similar idea of a parallel, occult past. While researching, I came across a collection of photographs showing Norwegian loggers from the early 1900s. The somber, dark atmosphere of these photos matched the music perfectly, and now the songs suddenly felt like the laments of these men in their long, cold nights in the cabin. Exhausted from the hard work in the woods, they stare into the fire in search of a meaning beyond to this mortal coil. They find only Death, holding the Devil’s lantern in his left hand, and they follow that light on a path that grows ever darker.
BRZ - How did the recording of the album go, at a time when travel restrictions should be great? Did the studio have less staff working in person?
Horgmo/ILD - I recorded and mixed the album in my own basement by myself, so covid was in no way a problem. In fact, the isolation and restrictions actually contributed to the realization of the project.
BRZ - The album will be released in very limited editions and by a relatively new label (Screaming Skull Records). How was the contact with this publisher? Did you introduce them with the demo or did you already know someone at the publisher?
Horgmo/ILD - Before the release of “Knippe” the initial plan was just to put it up on bandcamp and maybe people I know would listen to it. However, I decided to send the demo to one label, just to see if I would get a response. I had just come across the small Oslo based label Screaming Skull Records (SSR) and I thought it was probably more likely to get an answer from them than a big label, so I sent them a mail. Two hours later, they replied that they wanted to release “Knippe” and a couple of months after that they decided to sign Ild. Working with SSR has been great so far! A small label can make fast decisions and there is no interference with the artistic process. We have also become good friends along the way as we share the same attitude to life and music. I have to mention that other labels have also contributed to spreading ILD: the Norwegian label Lilla Himmel released Knippe on vinyl and Raise the Dead Productions in Colombia is releasing the digipak CD of the EP. I am currently working with an undisclosed label for a vinyl release of the album, but what label it is will be announced in due time. Finally, I have to say that I am overwhelmed with the support and enthusiasm of the metal underground. The eagerness to find new music and support upcoming acts are a thing to be proud of, compared to the petty gatekeeping of other genres. Hail the underground and fuck the world!
BRZ - The album's title speaks of the devil's lantern. Who is this devil and why does he need a lantern to show himself?
Horgmo/ILD - A myth from Østmarka, the forest close to where I live, tells of the Devil’s lantern, a mysterious light that appears near Lake Nøklevann, but when you go to examine its source, it disappears. I thought the expression fit perfectly with the themes of the album, and I think of following the Devil’s lantern as choosing the path of darkness in life. I have experienced many hardships and know there is solace, calm and strength to be found in the dark when everything else is in turmoil.
BRZ - I've talked to some musicians from other bands who mention "ILD" as one of the most interesting new bands. What do you think about this highlight given by other artists?
Horgmo/ILD - I am very happy to hear that! I guess it means I have succeeded in making music with an atmosphere that other people can appreciate. I did not set out to be specifically original, but I did not want ILD to be a blatant copy of any other band either. I hope that ILD has taken on a recognizable sound and visual concept. If I can mention some interesting new bands myself, I would recommend checking out Livløst who made the intro track to “Fandens lykteskjær”. They have a beast of an album out in September. I have also listened a lot lately to Swedish funeral doomsters Gravkväde and the Finnish atmospheric black metal of Kalmankantaja. SSR signed two other exciting acts this year worth checking out, Praefuro who plays raw black metal and symphonic horror project Hogstul.
BRZ - Being a one-man band, makes live performances more difficult but I think a lot of people want to see your band. Are you thinking about getting musicians to accompany you live or do you not intend to do it?
Horgmo/ILD - At this moment, I have no plans of making ILD a live experience, but people have approached me offering to be a part of a live line-up, so it could happen one day. I suck 100% at playing an instrument and singing at the same time, so I would have to concentrate on the vocals for sure. Thanks a lot for this interview and for supporting the underground!
