Interview to LONGING (Sweden)

1

. Hey, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Who inspired you to become a musician and who would you say paved the way to get you exposed into hearing extreme metal?

Sisyphus- Hello, it's a pleasure to be invited. I am doing great at the moment with our upcoming album getting closer and closer to being finished. What inspired me to make music was in the beginning me looking up to my favorite bands when i started playing guitar, which were bands like Metallica and Slipknot. Then I was introduced to Mayhem which was the first black metal band I fell for, which started my interest in more extreme forms of metal. I have always wanted to spread my taste as much as possible, so I listen to a lot of other genres outside of metal as well.

wraith- Honestly, Ian Paice (Deep Purple) and Danny Carey (Tool) started my musical journey I just loved their power! And my extreme Metal journey started when I heard "Progenies of the great apocalypse" by Dimmu Borgir. I was completely amazed by every level of musicianship on that song that I would definitely say it was the seed that started it all

2. Before becoming a musician, were you self taught taking private music lessons at a young age or did you fully learn and adapt on your own from there?

Sisyphus- For the first few years I was self-taught but I did learn the first basic things like tabs in school during music class, which was when I wanted to start playing guitar. But after a few years I started taking lessons for about one and a half years because I wanted to extend my technical skills since I kind of reached a plateau. But for bass and piano I am fully self taught due to me not having the need for very technical skills with the music I make. But guitar lessons was a great choice, I would not be able to play a lot of our upcoming songs without it.

wraith- I got my first drum lessons from this old hippie dude! Greg Thornberg! He did session drumming with some bands in the 70s and he always was happy to pass on his love for drumming to new generations. I took the tools he gave me and then I learned on my own until I started jamming with other bands and looking up YouTube tutorials.

3. How do you manage to incorporate melodic/peaceful elements into your music while maintaining the aggression and rawness of black metal?

Sisyphus- I have always liked breaks in songs because it adds a lot of variation throughout the songs, which makes them a lot more interesting to listen to. The way I write songs like a story with some more simple and calm parts, but then some more intense and raw parts, which makes the songs a lot more emotional which is what I have been trying to express. 

4. You’ve released your debut EP “Longing in Solitary...” in August. For those who may be unfamiliar with the band, how would you best describe this opus?

Sisyphus- I appreciate you calling this an opus, but I would say the best way of describing it is raw emotion. When writing and recording most songs I was in a pretty bad place mentally due to a recent break-up, and recording these songs was a sort of "vent" for my feelings. The production also varies from song to song with "Bloody roses", "Chasing a ghost" and "Pessimism" being recorded with an interface while "M/s Salmonella" was recorded with an amp and microphone. In the beginning it was not really planned to be an EP, but when we started with the upcoming album we thought it would be strange to go from four depressive songs to a 2nd wave album, so we thought making it an EP would mark the end of our depressive era. 

wraith- A convergence of emotional journeys transmuting into sonic form through an unholy duo of musicians.

5. Musicians often have a single favourite spot on each album they make. What would be your moment of joy on this particular EP?

Sisyphus- After releasing something I usually become extremely critical of small things, and these songs were the same for the most part, but the part after the second clean section of Bloody roses and the clean part of Pessimism I will always be proud of. I think these parts really lift the songs up with Bloody roses reaching its peak of emotion during that part, and the clean guitars building up for the solo on Pessimism.

Wraith- My moment of joy on this EP is actually when I finally recorded the drums and it all lined up perfectly. I'd hear what the boys had laid down for me and when my drums slid in like a puzzle piece I couldn't stop smiling.

6. Let´s talk about the recording process. Were there any elements of the recording that proved particularly troublesome?

Sisyphus- As I mentioned before, I was not in the best place during the time of recording these songs, so for the most part the recording process was pretty terrible. It was also very frustrating recording the solo for Pessimism since it was almost completely improvised, and I got out of key on a lot of the takes, so when I finally got the take that is on the album, I  was extremely relieved. Otherwise recording was fairly smooth if the mental part is ignored.

wraith- Single take recording. Everything had to be on point so if there was a single stray ghost note or a sloppy kick, I'd have to redo the whole track, but honestly in my opinion, it keeps the sound nice and raw haha.

7. Your track “M/s Salmonella” is a cover version from an old Swedish band. How did this idea come about, and what was the experience like performing it?

Sisyphus- I am very happy that you asked this. M/s Salmonella was the first DSBM song i truly fell for with the intro melody, and ever since it has had a special place in my heart. Over the years of me recording music I think I have recorded about three different versions of the song just for fun, but when I started Longing I wanted to do a Lifelover cover, and I felt the choice was obvious. Now days I am not their biggest fan because I find them pretty repetitive at times, but that song will always have a special place in my heart.

8. What are some techniques you haven’t used on your current EP that you would love to experiment with in future releases?

Sisyphus- Well a technique I have used on the upcoming album that I did not use on most of the songs on the EP is recording with an amp. The reason I did not do it for most songs was because I did not have a microphone, so it was not really an option, but I have always wanted to do it because I have always preferred a more analogue sound. Another thing is more barre chords since it is basically one of the characteristics of Black metal, and I love the atmospheric sound you get when doing barre chords with lots of reverb, like in Pessimism.

wraith- As a drummer, I would love to experiment with more atmospheric type BM in the future, and have everyone create a soundscape that inspires imagery in one's mind.

9. Are there any kind of particular points of inspiration for these 04 tracks that you would like to discuss?

Sisyphus- I usually don't take a lot of inspiration when writing songs because I have a tendency of accidentally plagiarizing when doing it. But that does not mean that I have taken zero inspiration, because the piano on the songs are inspired from Lifelover with simple, high pitched melodies that I feel does a lot for the atmosphere. Otherwise I have mostly done things based on my own preference instead of taking stuff from other bands.

wraith- Bloody Roses came at a tough time for every band member. So I think you can hear a tangible sadness in that one.

10. Over the years black metal has evolved to be not just one specific sound. Is there any specific black metal sound that means more to you than the other?

Sisyphus- It is probably expected that DSBM is my favorite style of Black metal, but to be honest it is in my opinion a very inconsistent genre that has been very ruined by the mainstream more than other styles. It also goes in waves when I am able to listen to it, so I cannot say that it is even close to my favorite. If I would have to pick one style it has to be the 2nd wave style because it is the style that got me into Black metal, and it is a style I can listen to almost whenever. Atmospheric is also a style that I will always like, at least when done correctly. But this is very hard to answer because it depends a lot on the day you ask.

wraith- I am a huge fan of Symphonic Black Metal and love the interweave of orchestra and BM. I love the melodies, the openness, and musical opportunity that this style affords. It started my extreme Metal journey!

11. Since music is universal and brings so much to the table, what is your philosophy and intake about what music means to you?

Sisyphus- Music is for the most part enjoyment, I listen to music because I like it, but it is also a way for me to express myself, at least when making it. But for the most part I don't really have a specific "philosophy" for what music is supposed to be.

wraith- Music is a universal language, one that transcends words. It is pure intention, raw emotion, and adds depth to media, movies, stories, and life. Its human legacy, recorded through sound.

12. In your humblest opinion, do you favor streaming music digitally or prefer buying physical copies of CD’s, tapes and vinyls?

Sisyphus- For me this answer is clear as glass, physical copies will always be superior. It makes the music a lot more personal because you literally have it, compared to streaming when you only have an audio file that sounds exactly the same all the time. But I still have respect for digitally released music because it is a lot more accessible, and it makes it a lot easier to discover new artists and bands.

wraith- I always grab a physical copy when I can but unfortunately, today's fast paced lifestyle has me going back to Spotify more often than not. Although I was able to grab a Lawless Darkness vinyl by Watain recently!

13. Finally, is there anything else you would like to share with your fans and the readers of this interview?

Sisyphus- Keep your eyes open, our next release will mark the next step in our evolution. Thank you for having us.

https://longingdbm.bandcamp.com/