Introduction
The black metal band Niveous from the United States just released their first debut album (review link at the end of the interview). So this will be a good time to ask them some questions.
So, thanks to the guys in Niveous for taking the time to answer some questions for us!
The interview
This is a genuinely dense mythology for a debut album. A monolith from deep space, an entity called the Void Star, an extinct race called the Sorn, and a resistance leader who happens to be the last of a dying people. Where did this whole universe come from, and how much of it lives in your heads beyond what made it onto these six songs?
Vokar: The idea for the universe came after we discussed the potential of doing a concept album about a 2nd ice age. I just took the ball and ran with it. With a lifetime of reading and watching scifi the ideas just flowed out of me. The Void Star mythos/universe is constantly on my mind with different ideas to continue the story.
You named the album after the cult, the antagonists, rather than after Cala Garin or the Ice Tribes, who seem to be who we're actually rooting for. What drew you to that choice?
Nortaath: As we are the main characters in this universe by nature, we wanted to ensure the story had an equally engaging counterpart character-wise. Vokar wrote an incredible protagonist, Cala, who really helped balance out the story and give dynamic to the intense conflict that is taking place.
Will we see this concept and the story expanded in future release's? (Personally, I really hope so)
Nortaath: We’ve built a pretty big universe, which is both great and daunting. In what way we haven’t fully determined yet - but I can say that Cult of the Void Star is only a beginning chapter in exploring this world and story further.
Away from black metal itself, what fed into this world? What inspired it? Books, films, anything outside of music that shaped the story or the atmosphere you were chasing?
Vokar: As I touched on in an earlier question, I have been a life long scifi fan. From books, I drew a lot of inspiration from At the Mountains of Madness and the Hyperion series. For films/shows/games, there are many storylines from the Star Trek and Warhammer 40k universes that have influenced me most.
Nortaath: I’m an avid cinaphile and definitely draw influence—both in storytelling and in visual aesthetic—from a multitude of films across multiple genres. I lean towards arthouse cinema and more avante garde surrealism (Jodorowsky, Cosmotos) within the horror and sci-fi genres, but unquestionably anything I do will probably be in some way influenced by the art and exploration of films like The Thing, Alien, and Blade Runner. I also feel like there hasn’t been a good apocalypse story told in a while, and naturally the collective aesthetics of black metal music itself and the cold music helped shape the rest.
When you were writing this album, what was the process like of applying this lore to the music? Does the story point the way, or does the music come first?
Nortaath: When we landed on doing a concept record, fleshing out the universe and story really provided purpose and depth to the flow of the album as a whole, as the story unravels in chapters alongside the tracks. Over the course of the writing process we continued to evolve and build on the core story concept, with Vokar authoring the narrative, characters and story. At some point early in the band we came to the creative decision that the worldbuilding and lore of Niveous would include us, Zygrath, Vokar, and Nortaath who are the main antagonists featured in Cult of the Void Star.
Nortaath, you painted the cover yourself, and your father contributed artwork to the booklet (All of which is absolutely stunning). How did the album's visual side come together, and what was it like translating that story and the music into something you can look at?
Nortaath: Thank you! Early in the music writing phase, the scope of the story started to take shape. I wanted the cover to have a good, eye-catching visual that really encompassed both the scope and atmosphere of the record. As for the booklet—once we decided on the 16-panel booklet, I prototyped out some ideas and layouts on paper to see what kind of text vs original artwork volume to shoot for. I brought on board my Dad, who’s a seasoned artist, he can really put out some insane quality and quick production speed as well, he really took the vision and rolled with it. Once the tracks were finished, it worked out perfectly having 6 songs, an A-side/B-side, with 3 tracks each.
You tracked this one at Electrical Audio, a studio that carries a lot of history with it. What was that experience like, and how did it factor into your approach on this record?
Zygrath: It was a great experience. While not traditionally known for tracking many extreme metal records, let alone black metal records, the experience of their staff combined with our engineer’s expertise captured the exact sound we wanted. The entire facility was built with sound and recording optimization in mind.
Also, The opportunity to record in such a renowned studio was really something special.
As a whole, or individually, who are some of your prime influences or favorite bands? How do you think that contributes to the band's sound? As I've said before, you guys definitely have a second wave/Scandinavian sound, which is a bit different from what you typically get with usbm.
Zygrath: you’re correct - when writing riffs for the band, a lot of influence is drawn from the classic second wave and what it spawned. Some personal influences are Craft, Sacramentum, Dawn, and of course Darkthrone.
Much of what is going on in the Icelandic black metal scene is very inspiring to me as well. I’ve long admired how those bands incorporate avant garde elements while still adhering to the ‘traditional’ black metal sound and aesthetic. (Mispyrming, Forsman, Vafurlogi, etc.)
All of this plays into the creative process for Niveous.
There was a surprise extra member on stage with you at the release show. Who was that, and how did that come together?
Kraetor: That was me, we’ve been discussing the addition for a few months. A lot of the material, especially the new tracks, really benefit from having a second guitar to fill out the sound and I’m very fortunate that the guys thought I would be a good fit.
How are you feeling about the state of USBM right now, and where do you see yourselves in it a couple years from now?
Zygrath: The USBM scene as a whole isn’t nearly as strong now as it was 10–15 years ago, although many bands that gained traction during that time remain active and prolific.
Our focus now is to continue writing for the next album (which is already in progress) and expand our live presence here in the states and beyond.
You clearly put a lot of care into the physical side of this release. From the booklet, the packaging, and even the vinyl colors. What does that tactile, hold-it-in-your-hands part of things mean to you, in a world where most people are just streaming it?
Nortaath: I think physical media, live performance - and being physically present with a piece of music, is more important now than it has ever been. You can create a much more immersive listener experience. One of the aspects I enjoyed most in the layout was designing each part of the physical releases with the unsleeving/opening presentation in mind, and the vivid vinyl colourations actually surpassed my expectations. As the physical format is a true to life extension of the music, streaming will always be a separate experience, but in designing and painting the cover artwork, I definitely had in mind that for most listeners, the artwork would be thumbnail sized if seen often at all. Regardless, even knowing the initial run of deluxe vinyls would be very small, we wanted to create the most complete package for the record possible.
Reviews from Niveous work
Michael
Michael
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