Interview Oscurum

Oscurum's founder discusses the band's origins, pandemic influence, musical inspirations, DIY recording, lyrical themes, collaboration with Riva Sonora, reception, upcoming album, and future plans.

1. Can you tell us more about the origins of Oscurum and how the band came together in 2021?

To be honest, there is not much to tell. This year, I left another, long-standing project. In search of a new musical output, I then brought Oscurom to life.

2. How did the Covid pandemic and subsequent isolation influence the creation and direction of your music?

For me, the pandemic meant above all making it impossible to work together musically in the rehearsal room or the physical contact that is part of creating music together. On the other hand, it gave me more time to enjoy nature, the woods and to reflect on future projects.  This is how the musical idea of the band was formed.

3. As the founder of Oscurum, what were some of the key musical influences and ideas you wanted to bring into the project?

I think the biggest influences are of course the big names in the Norwegian black metal scene. I grew up with that and of course it will always be with me. But in the last few years I've been influenced by more and more bands that are going for a quieter sound. Maybe that will also be oscurom's future, we'll see.

4.  You mentioned recording all the material yourself. How does this process contribute to the overall sound and vision of Oscurum?

When writing the songs, I just build up a basic structure, with a certain idea in my head. for me, the real polish comes when recording the songs, when you can sense the actual feelings of the song. Being able to try things out and give free rein to my creativity without any time limits is very important for me and the music.

5. Your lyrics often delve into themes of the connection between humanity and the spiritual world, consciousness, and societal influences. What draws you to explore these topics in your music?

I think humanity has lost its connection to the spiritual world around it. Society is driven by capitalism, where it's all about profits and numbers, most people take it all for granted. The destruction of our own livehood and the associated abandonment of the old values of our ancestors will be our downfall. for me, the topic is simply too important not to deal with it in my texts.

6. Could you share more about your collaboration with Riva Sonora and how her contributions enhance the musical and lyrical aspects of Oscurum?

Riva mainly supports me in vocal parts, obviously her parts of course, but my own also come from her pen to a large extent. As described above, I build the basic structure of the songs first, and then she is involved in the recording process to find melodies, lyrics and sounds.

7. You've released a few songs over the past two years. How has the reception been, and what have you learned from these initial releases?

The response to the songs to date has been extremely positive, although of course on a rather small scale. In today's music landscape with its massive oversupply, it naturally takes a long time for people to become aware of you.In addition, for me, the last few releases were mainly a learning process in terms of recording, songwriting and musical alignment.

 8. Your upcoming full-length album is highly anticipated. What can fans expect in terms of themes, sound, and overall experience from this album?

The themes on the album I don't think have changed much, the sound probably has, so I hope people see it as an further musical development.

9. How did the partnership with Atmospheric Black Metal Albums for the album release come about, and what impact do you think this platform will have on reaching new listeners?

As a new band on the market you have to try to get people to take notice of you in the first place. Channels like ABMA's allow you to do just that. I simply wrote to him and he gave me the opportunity to upload the videos, for which I am of course very grateful. That way my music reaches a lot more people than if I just upload it to my channel, which nobody knows about.

10. Lastly, what are your plans and aspirations for Oscurum beyond the album release in April 2024?

I don't have any immediate plans yet, but I'm already writing new songs. I hope that there will be some people who will give the album a chance and then we will see what the next releases will bring.

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A World Beyond (EP) (youtube.com)

Celestial Path | Oscurom (bandcamp.com)