This interview was originally conducted as a short news piece for Iron Fist magazine (available in all good newsagents and digitally). Naturally I asked far too many questions for the word count I had and much of this had to be cut out. With the magazine now on the shelves here is the complete transcript courtesy of Cornelius von Jackhelln all about Solefalds ambitious and bonkers «World Metal World».
Hi Cornelius, congratulations on the new album and EP
Hi, Pete, and thanks! World Metal it is!
AN: We spoke when you played London last and you seemed to have a firm idea of the genesis of new material. Did everything come together as you expected it to? Were there any trials and tribulations when it came to getting your ideas to the finished music we hear today?
Cornelius: Solefald have many ways of making music, from composing in loneliness to writing and editing together – either way, it ends up sounding just like us! It may have much to do with our twin layers – Lars‘ keys and my guitars, then the interplay of Lars‘ vocals and my growls and narration. None of our albums have been edited and programmed in a such time-consuming way as «World Metal» – and in none of the albums has improvisation played such an important role! It seems we have come full circle with this one – it is the direction we could have opted for after «Neonism» (1999).
AN: I believe I read that you spent some time over in England working on mixing and mastering the album with Jaime Gomez Arellano. How did this all go and where else was involved as far as the recording process was concerned?
Cornelius: Gomez did a fantastic job for us, never before have Solefald had such a huge, hard sound. It was also logical, somehow, to finish a project entitled «Kosmopolis» in London, which in several ways is the world city of Europe. The idea of the World City is dominant in the album concept. Great to be there again, my first proper visit since 2005, the last gig excepted. Had oysters and ales and went hunting for tweeds in Portobello Road. Anyway: The album proper was recorded in different studios in Oslo (Svinestien, belonging to Zweizz (Fleurety, former DHG); Børge Finstad’s Toproom studio; Strand studio). The kalimba and the Zanzibar guitar parts I had the pleasure of seeing Anania Ngoliga record in Tanzania, along with Lars’ father Sigbjørn. The basis of the song «Bububu Bad Beuys» was improvised in Dar es Salaam, with one local and one Norwegian percussionist.
AN: I am assuming that it was principally yourself and Lars working on the music and yourself with vocals? Were members of In Vain involved and were there any special guests helping out on the recordings?
Cornelius: Lars and I have composed and produced the album, and laid down most of the vocals. After the Solefald tour of Europe with In Vain, we decided to recruit Baard Kolstad on drums, Alexander Bøe on bass and Petter Hallaråker on guitar – as a result, Solefald do sound rejuvenated and more hard-hitting! Johnar Håland plays the EBow on one song, and the above mentioned Anania Ngoliga makes the kalimba chuckle and shine on three tracks.
AN: The way I understand things Kosmopolis Sud the EP was a foretaste of the full length album but in mood it’s quite insular in feel and doesn’t really set you up for the expansive flow and melting pot of ideas on the full length. This made the album that much more of a surprise on hearing it. Would you agree with this? I think it’s fair to say your fans should always be prepared to expect the unexpected but do you think that the musical differences between the two will really catch people off guard?
Cornelius: Organising and preparing the Kosmopolis diptych («Norrønasongen» first, then «World Metal») was something of a thrill – and we were aware of the huge differences between them from the beginning. I had promised our fans a release in 2014, and was very anxious to keep my word – I find four years between two Solefald releases to be the big maximum, and five years – well, that would be too much. So «Norrønasongen» was our progressive trip into our beloved North, with mountains and mythology (and a great guest vocal performance by Einar Kvitrafn Selvik of Wardruna!), a free project fusing 70s Norwegian Progressive Rock with Noise and Folk. I am very happy with the result, but do reckon that it got people off guard. We discussed this before the launch – that «World Metal» would then hit even harder! So I guess it is a win-win for Solefald, even though some expected «Norrønasongen» to be a full album. As you have seen: «World Metal» is our album in full!
AN: What are the narrative ties between the two? The EP was very Norse centric concentrating on the folklore aspects of things whereas the way I see the album it spreads wings and flies off taking in a myriad of different cultures and civilisations.
Cornelius: What is written in our press release, that Solefald have forgotten about most of the world for the last decade, is only halfway a joke; the Icelandic Odyssey now counts four parts, and the Norwegian and Norse tongues have been vastly explored. «Norrønasongen» is our purest effort in this direction, with lyrics in various Norse idioms only and with the Hardanger fiddle on board.
«World Metal» is our return to the Kosmopolis, the World City – both in terms of music, with the variety of instruments and sounds, and in terms of the concepts and lyrics – the album is a travel through the cultures of the 20th century, and is narrated in at four languages. The album spreads it wings – well said! You may also consider it an exploration of Modernism!
AN: World Music WITH BLACK EDGES? is definitely an apt description with many ethnic twists and turns found within the songs. I am guessing that your travels have been a great inspiration for the overall sound and narrative flow of the album? Any particular points on individual songs that you can share with us in regards to this?
Cornelius: For my part, the latter years’ travels in South America, Africa and the Middle East have definitely had an impact on the playfulness and curiosity you find in «World Metal». The songs «World Music With Black Edges» and «Bububu Bad Beuys» have a strong African touch to them, the former being epic and the latter, rather ludicrous. On «Bububu», I was supposed to recite some kind of war poem – but I got carried away by the rhythms, and opted for some harsh chicken screaming instead! Guess there is a touch of Mr. Bungle in there.
AN: Musically the rule book goes completely out the window as well as there are a huge wealth of ideas found and things totally go against any genre conventions. It’s certainly not an album for pigeonholing things. Of course this makes it all the more interesting for the open minded. I love the way you throw in everything from trip-hop, ethnic tribal drumming, techno, trance, Spanish acoustic guitar and a splash of metal and that’s just on the first track? Did you really set to push the boat out here and make it clear that you have well moved away from being considered a \\\metal/// band as such?
Cornelius: Already in the title, «World Metal» is a manifesto; a proud declaration of being WORLD and METAL after two decades of stubbornness and perseverance. Solefald have never been a standard Metal band, and never will – but Metal has always been the ground we stood on. This album may be our last Metal as such. We will see what the future brings.
AN:: Equally interchangeable are the vocals both stylistically and language wise. How many languages did you vocalise in this time around and what were they, I kind of lost track?
Cornelius: There is New Norse (really «High Norwegian», «høgnorsk»), English, French and German – and of course, Gobbledygook!
AN:: There are not many albums that work quite so fluidly and take in so many ideas culturally that I can think of. Perhaps the one act I might if put on the spot put a slight comparison with is Laibach as they possibly share a lot of the artistic ideas as you and convey it with the same sense of atmosphere as you. Basically I guess what I am asking is how the hell would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before and is wondering where your inspiration comes from?
Cornelius: I would present Solefald as a contemporary art project choosing Metal as its mode of expression. The comparison with Laibach is interesting – I have been a citizen of the NSK State since 2010, and have spent quite some time over the last years to meditate on totalitarian aesthetics as a kick in Metal’s ass. As you might know, NSK (Neue Slowenische Kunst) is the artist collective of which Laibach are members – and although Solefald have our own distinct approach, there is something fresh about Laibach’s conceptualism. The big challenge for us has been exactly that, how to fuse narration with experimentation.
AN: You chose to unveil your brand of Techno Metal Chicken Madness™ on the unsuspecting world first in form of ‘Bububu Bad Beuys’ first. It’s a nutty track that’s for sure and makes me think of an insane voodoo ritual. As a snapshot it just makes me grin every time I hear it and as a whole the album seems like it has hardly been a laborious task but more one that’s been great fun to put together, was this the case? It certainly comes across as a happy album and one to put on when you need a perk up.
Cornelius: You are right, «Bububu» is also ray of sunshine to me! «World Metal» has been a thankful album to work on – especially Lars has spent much time on it, editing and programming for months on end – I have had a more field approach to it, if you like, by going to Africa to record (with Lars’ father Sigbjørn as co-producer) among other things. The last three songs on the album are quite elegic, though, relating to the loss of a family member and the collective grief in Norway after July 22nd, 2011.
AN: Any plans for taking this insane circus on the road and if so where are you hoping to play, a temple in the Amazon jungle or somewhere a bit less exotic?
Cornelius: You are closer than you think, with the Amazon! I was supposed to go there in 2013 with my friend Julian Blaue, a performance artist – we founded Gringoism in Brazil that year, and «Bububu Bad Beuys» is an offspring of Gringoism – an art doctrine that aims at importing the noise, the glitter and the brouhaha of the world out there into our protected hearth! But that was a digression – Solefald will probably go to Iceland in the near future, to give a show there! And hopefully do a European tour this year!
AN: Closing thought. When does music and art stop becoming music and art and simply become bonkers and do you think you may yet cross that line?
Cornelius: Good question. I do believe it has to do with energy. Take the sorry scene of Borat’s 2006 movie, where he is devastated after having learned of Pamela Anderson’s sex movie – he burns her picture and the DVD, and goes to sleep on the pavement in Hollywood in deepest grief. It is absolutely hilarious on the screen. Now, picture that a rather dull person you know would copy what Borat did, without humour – that would not be art, it would be bunkum.
(Pete Woods)
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