Khonsu is the brainchild of the elusive and mystical brother of Obsidian C, Steffen Gronbech an artist who wishes to remain anonymous. The darker side of life with foreboding depression and hateful malice being fused into epic compositions Khonus has released “Anomlia”, a breathtaking journey of mesmerising black psychedelic psychosis fused with electronics and schizophrenic savagery the album is saturated with malevolent grandeur. Viewing all things bleak and dismal is Obsidian C who airs his views on the supernatural magnificence of Khonsu.
AVE NOCTUM: Greetings from the UK, many thanks for this interview and I’d like to congratulate you for the stunning “Anomalia”. You must be incredibly pleased with the way the album has turned out and the reception it has already received from the media and fans alike.
OBSIDIAN C: Hello, this is actually Obsidian C. from Keep of Kalessin answering. Steffen Gronbech refuses to do interviews and we have agreed that I do them, since I’m the manager and live guitarist of Khonsu. My brother isn’t interested in the media or any other attention around himself; he just lets the music speak for himself. That said, thanks a lot for the compliments! Steffen is very pleased with the album and I know he feels he can totally stand by the end product. Personally I think it’s a masterpiece, and the reception so far has been very, very good. It seems that a lot of reviewers admire and applaud the insane diversity and creativity of the album. The few mediocre reviews “Anomalia” has got seem to be from people that think the variety is a drawback rather than a strength. I definitely think that it’s a strength. It’s about time someone does something really new and different in the world of metal.
AVE NOCTUM: Going back a little if possible, can you give a brief background to the concept surrounding Khonsu, and also how does the name bear any significance on how music in Khonsu is crafted?
OBSIDIAN C: Sure. A couple of years before the release of the “Reclaim” album by Keep of Kalessin, me and Steffen were planning to launch another project, called Ix. We made some songs together, but it didn’t go anywhere because we had other priorities. I went on with Keep Of Kalessin, and Steffen focused on his studies. I got permission to use some of that material on the “Reclaim” album. Steffen still made music, but since his studies were the main priority he didn’t have much time and energy to work focused and structured on the music. He has studied clinical psychology for 8 years, but has during this time recorded a lot of different ideas that fit into a lot of different genres in his spare time. He is very open-minded and has few limitations when it comes to music. Over the years a lot of ideas in the metal genre accumulated, and finally some years ago he sat down to create more coherent songs from all of the ideas. I guess that’s when Khonsu was born, although back then he chose to call the project Merah. My brother put together a lot of ideas that had metal as its foundation, but as you can hear, he borrows heavily on other genres, especially electronic music which I know he loves. I think the themes of Khonsu is about feeling estranged, detached, isolated, frightened, angry, hateful, horrified, etc. It’s has some horror elements to it, which is inspired by a lot by writers like H. P. Lovecraft. He called his writing style “cosmic horror of the unknown”, and I think Steffen is inspired by that in Khonsu. He also works as a psychologist with severely disturbed individuals, and maybe he gets some ideas from that as well. He has great respect and curiosity for those who suffer greatly. He chose the name Khonsu not only because it sounds cool, but mainly because of it’s associations with the moon and darkness, the night, desolation, being isolated and outside of life (earth), etc.
AVE NOCTUM: I believe you changed your name from Merah to Khonsu, what were the reasons for the change of name?
OBSIDIAN C: Yes, that’s true. The simple reason is that there was a terrible terrorist shooting in France by a guy called Mohammed Merah just before the launching of the band through Season of Mist, and we all thought it would be inappropriate to call the band by the same name. Thankfully, we all think Khonsu is cooler.
AVE NOCTUM: Do you have a permanent line up? If so who is in the band currently?
OBSIDIAN C: The first time Steffen really needed a live line up was for the Inferno Festival gig in Oslo earlier this year. Thebon, who did the vocals on the album was natural as vocalist, and Steffen asked me if I could do second guitars. We then wanted to have really good musicians on bass and drums, so we asked Shandy Mckay from Absu to do the bass and Kenneth Kapstad which has played in lots of Norwegian jazz, rock, and metal bands to do the drums. Both are great at what they do.
AVE NOCTUM: What vision did you have for “Anomalia” before recording and what do you think it offers above and beyond the myriad of releases available in complex black metal today?
OBSIDIAN C: It’s a little bit hard to answer for Steffen on with this one, but I guess he wanted to create a powerful, dark, eerie, and most of all atmospheric album. He is more concerned with creating atmospheres and evoking moods than he is on technicality; even though lots of riffs are very technical and hard to play in my mind. I think the album is very unique, and really stands out in the myriad of releases by metal bands today. Personally, I have never heard anything like ““Anomalia””, even though I’ve heard comments that it resembles Arcturus, Enslaved, and Emperor here and there.
AVE NOCTUM: How did you go about the writing of “Anomalia”? Was it a solo effort or undertaken as a joint venture?
OBSIDIAN C: Steffen wrote all of “Anomalia” by himself. He also recorded it and produced most all of it, except the main electric guitars, in his home studio. So it was definitely a solo effort. As I mentioned earlier, he sat down with all of his ideas some years ago to finish the songs. I’m not absolutely certain how his writing process is.
AVE NOCTUM: What preconceived ideas did you into the studio with before recording it and where was it recorded? Are there any special tricks or methods you used during the recording as I feel that the guitar tone and sound is very unique overall?
OBSIDIAN C: I can’t really answer for Steffen on this one. But I know most of the album was recorded in his home studio. I don’t know if he had any preconceived ideas, he just sits down with his equipment and starts improvising and recording as it goes. So the album was recorded over many years. The vocals were recorded in Thebon’s living room, and the main electric guitars were recorded at Morningstar Studio, which I partly own. I engineered and produced those guitars, and also developed the distorted electric guitar sound on the album. Stamos Koliousis and Vangelis Labrakis mixed and mastered the album and we all think they did an awesome job. When it comes to special tricks and methods, we like to keep those secret, hehe.
AVE NOCTUM: Added to this what were the objectives regarding the sound, production and mixing for the album as it is very dark and complex? Did you produce the album yourself/yourselves?
OBSIDIAN C: As I mentioned, most of the album was produced by Steffen. I produced the main electric guitars. Stamos Koliousis and Vangelis Labrakis mixed and mastered it, but Steffen was very involved in the process, giving feedbacks and comments on how he wanted it. I think he wanted a dark album, but with a clear and powerful sound.
AVE NOCTUM: You play all the instruments on the album, how do you go about balancing all the elements together without any one dominating the sound?
OBSIDIAN C: It’s true that Steffen plays all of the instruments. He draws on many different genres of music. I have the impression that he sometimes makes the foundation on guitar, and other times on piano and synth.
AVE NOCTUM: What would you say is the crowning glory on the album, for me it’s the superb closing track “Va Shia (Into The Spectral Sphere)”, I adore the way this song plays with your senses, conjuring up all sorts of disturbing images in your head?
OBSIDIAN C: I don’t know what is Steffens favourite track, I guess it’s impossible to choose between ones children right. Personally, my favourite track is the opener “In Otherness”. But I totally agree with you regarding “Va Shia”, it’s a monumental and epic track, full of twists and turns. It’s a great way to sum up the album, as I feel it has elements of all of the other tracks.
AVE NOCTUM: What was so attractive about Thebon’s vocal style you wanted for the album? What did he bring to Khonsu project? Also did you give him direction on delivery of his singing or leave the vocal creativity to Thebon himself? Were all vocal parts done by Thebon?
OBSIDIAN C: To take the last question first, Thebon did all of the vocals on the album, except some spoken words here and there and one or two screams which Steffen did. I think my brother chose Thebon because he knew his vocal abilities and how diverse of a vocalist he is. Since Steffen made a diverse album, he also wanted a diverse vocalist. He also knew him as a person, so I guess that made it easier practically. I think Steffen had made most of the vocal arrangements and melodies before the recording, but it was probably some trying out during the recording where Thebon contributed with some ideas here and there.
AVE NOCTUM: What are the lyrical ideas or topics behind “Anomalia” as the album comes across as bleak, depressing and resolutely despondent at times?
OBSIDIAN C: You have a good point there, the album is at times very bleak, depressing, and despondent at times. I believe this was Steffens goal as well. The main theme of “Anomalia” is alienation and existential dread. Other topics include frightening altered states of mind, depression, anxiety, and cosmic horror. I generally guess that Steffen wished to convey feelings of depression, isolation and alienation, anxiety, terror, hate, contempt, anger, etc. You know, the good feelings, hehe.
AVE NOCTUM: Linking this with the previous question is that the cover art work is quite striking and matches the foreboding darkness of the music, how important is cover art to Khonsu and to you as musicians? What is it that makes this cover perfect for “Anomalia”?
OBSIDIAN C: The cover artwork was very important to Steffen. He really wanted something that could fit the style of the music and lyrics, and indeed it does. It was made by Adrien Bousson at the Season of Mist graphics department, and he did a great job. Steffen provided him with the main ideas and themes. What makes the cover perfect is that it’s eerie, dark, and has a touch of science fiction which the music and lyrics also have.
AVE NOCTUM: You managed to get a deal with Season Of Mist, a label I totally admire for its exclusively unique acts, how did that come about and how much influence did Thebon and Obsidian C have on the process if at all?
OBSIDIAN C: I know Michael from Season of Mist a bit, and sent him the material for “Anomalia”. He liked it and wanted to release it. It’s pretty much that simple, hehe.
AVE NOCTUM: Side question regarding S.Gronbech if he is not answering these questions. If he is then ignore it. I read in another interview that S Gronbech wants to try and remain anonymous. With respect and if it is true, what is the purpose of such secrecy and mysticism?
OBSIDIAN C: As you already know, he is not answering. In fact, he is not answering any interviews. I don’t think he is interested in any media attention around himself. He wears the mask partly because it looks great and matches the eerie feeling of Khonsu, and partly because he wants to stay anonymous. I guess he just doesn’t want any fuss around him as he is a private person. Or maybe he just doesn’t care, and leaves it to his brother to do the work, hehe.
AVE NOCTUM: Will the band be a live proposition and if so have you played any concerts so far? What touring plans, if any, do you have?
OBSIDIAN C: We hope to play some concerts next year, probably on some festivals. Khonsu will probably not go on tour, partly because the live members all are very busy and live in different cities. Steffen himself works a lot as a clinical psychologist, as I said, and I think that is his main priority in life when it comes to work and income. We have played one concert so far, at the Inferno Festival inOslo,Norwayearlier this year. It was a great show, and we got lots of positive feedback afterwards.
AVE NOCTUM: If the band is not a touring proposition how do see the band being marketed in such a competitive music scene?
OBSIDIAN C: Well, we’ll just have to see about that. Personally, I think the music will market itself a lot, because it’s unique and really stands out from all of the other stuff that is released.
AVE NOCTUM: What plans do you have for the future? Will we see more material from Khonsu at all or is it a one off?
OBSIDIAN C: As I said, Steffen is very busy, but he has given me some hints that he is working on some new material. He said it will be even darker than “Anomalia”, with less brighter moments. So, more overall and pure blackness then. We will just have to wait and see if it’s realised.
AVE NOCTUM: Are there any messages you’d like to pass onto Ave Noctum readers?
OBSIDIAN C: I hope everybody likes “Anomalia”, and that you are drawn into the world of Khonsu. Hope to see you live at a festival next year!
AVE NOCTUM: Once again thank you for answering these questions and may Khonsu’s fortunes within the world of extreme metal be profitable.
OBSIDIAN C: Thanks a lot, and thanks for the interview!
Adventurous, challenging and supremely absorbing Khonsu’s “Anomalia” opus is splendidly addictive and hopefully after reading this you have suitably motivated to check out this fine demonstration of dark splendour.
http://www.facebook.com/soundsofkhonsu
Interviewed by Martin Harris
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