 |
| Image Courtesy of the Band |
Some people were caught off guard by Blood Incantation's Timewave Zero when it dropped earlier this year. A death metal band releasing an ambient space rock record? "By Satan, what has the world come to?" said somebody in a Pantera shirt (probably). I'm sure most of you have recovered from the shock. If this is the case, and you're ready to dive even deeper into the depths of esoteric and heavy music, then allow New Jersey's Fernwah to... um, show you the way!
These Jersey grey-matter mashers released their debut album Approaching Oblivion via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions last December and I'm still trying to get an honest grip on it. The album is a celestial hemorrhaging and organic synthesis of grind aesthetics, progressive sensibilities, melodic songwriting, ambient calm, interstellar explorations, and death metal muscle that feels like it's been reclaimed from a whole other reality. The album breaks through barriers like a barbarian horde cutting through a Roman phalanx while managing to explore all impossible routes and flanks of sonic inquiry to unprecedented realms of understanding. Truly, Fernwah are the cosmic warrior-poet-kings whose arrival the human race has been warned/prophesized about. And, Approaching Oblivion is a whole fucking trip. I can't even start to describe it.
To try and get in the right zone to resonate with the vibrations that Fernwah is emitting I reached out to one of the band's two members to sate my reckless curiosity. Luckily, their guitarist and vocalist Zakk Mild replied and you can now read his responses on this very blog. They do not disappoint. Check out the Approaching Oblivion and the full interview below!
The following interview was conducted via email on April 19, 2022. It has been edited only slightly for consistency's sake.
How did you both meet, and what were the origins of Fernwah?
Oh, are you ready for the Origin story? HERE GOES: Peter moved into this crazy musicians and touring house I lived in we had lots of parties and hosted touring bands usually more than once a week. The house was in Sopranosville AKA Bloomfield, NJ. Only say that because we lived up the block from Holstens where they shot the final scene of the Sopranos and there is literally a Sopranos tour bus that would come on Sundays. We became close quickly thru a mutual respect of each other as musicians and people.
About 5 months after he moved in we got word our landlord was selling the house and we had thirty days to vacate. We had about three weeks where we had no spot to live and made it work thru motels, friends, and family and thru that we really started jamming. Any time we weren’t at work we jammed. For those three weeks the studio was our de facto home. Once we found a new spot we just continued playing a lot together. It def was some shared bond thru struggle shit.
We get settled into the new spot and then boom pandemic. We used the pandemic and lack of shows to work out tons of song ideas and those song ideas became Fernwah and our other band Come Mierda.
Are there any unifying themes, either philosophically or sonically, that connect the tracks on Approaching Oblivion?
One of the main samples are from the episode of the Twilight Zone "The Obsolete Man" which is all about how fascist governments want to close your mind off and restrict knowledge. In a lot of ways what we see now about school boards banning books is very reminiscent of that episode and it’s wild to think after all these years we are falling into the same traps that Rod Serling tried to warn us about.
As I understand, you use some concepts of Jungian psychology in your work. What kinds of archetypes can we glimpse as reflected in the music of your latest album?
That is a great question. One that pops up immediately is the “explorer.” There is def an undercurrent of journeying and exploration sonically as well style-wise. Also the "creator" because as a musician, creating original music, you create these interlinked sound waves from nothing and you hope they will have enduring meaning and value. Finally, I would say the "magician." What’s more magical and alchemical than making music?
Freedom seems to also be something you are wrestling with an Approaching Oblivion. What does this concept mean to you and the kind of music you are trying to make?
I think freedom is the common goal for all people. It’s one of the few things that really unites us in a sense that we are all searching for some sense of it, or if we have it one, way we want to find it another way. I consider myself lucky to be able to have the freedom to have made this album but also sometimes I think at what cost did it come? Do I even deserve to have this outlet and this space to be here when so many others never even got that chance?
Who are some of the non-death metal reference points of the sounds of Approaching Oblivion?
I would say the most present in my mind is Black Sabbath BECAUSE every band I’m in IS somehow influenced by them because they are THE GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME!!! AND PROBABLY KING CRIMSON IS MY SECOND FAVE BAND OF ALL TIME!!!!! 90’s music like Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice and Chains, Slowdive, Radiohead, My bloody Valentine, RIDE...
Ambient and weird keyboard based stuff like BOARDS OF CANADA, BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW, BRAIN ENO, APHEX TWIN, KRAFTWERK, TOBACCO...
Prog Rock like CAMEL, YES, GENESIS, OPETH, PORCUPINE TREE...
AND GUITAR MUSIC LIKE ERIC JOHNSON, STEVE VAI, ETC … and Amulet was written right after I found out Eddie Van Halen died.
You have a really interesting approach to melodicism that I almost never hear metal bands have. Specifically, a lot of your chord progressions feel very flowy and catchy- why do you think it's so rare for underground metal bands to approach guitar playing in the same kind of way?
I think it’s really hard to thread that needle of being melodic and having stuff that IS pleasurable to the ears and then stuff that’s actually heavy and pummeling. It’s rare that it gets done correctly which is why there are only a handful of good melodic death metal bands and why the second wave of metalcore was much maligned because it can come off as super cheesy and sound like jingles. I don’t think I’ve nailed it yet but I enjoy experimenting with different moods that only melodies and melodic playing can open you too. I also just love melody and when I’m noodling on guitar my lead style is naturally melodic rather than say going straight to the Yngwie stuff or bluesy stuff.
Why is it important to stay creative and test new ideas?
STAGNATION TURNS INTO MALAISE AND THAT IS THE DEATH OF CREATIVITY.
Thanks for all the great questions if anyone wants to buy a copy of the CD I have a few copies left and I can ship it out to you from the Fernwah Instagram!! All the copies on Horror Pain Gore Death are SOLD OUT!!!
We get settled into the new spot and then boom pandemic. We used the pandemic and lack of shows to work out tons of song ideas and those song ideas became Fernwah and our other band Come Mierda.
The artwork for your album Approaching Oblivion is really amazing! Is there a story being depicted there, and if so, how does it tie into the album as a whole?
The artist Thomas Toye is truly incredible. I gave him a few references of art I thought were cool. And sent him some rough mixes I had at the time and he just came up with that masterpiece. Also I let him know about some books, Harlan Ellison in particular, that was inspirational to the album. We both have a mutual love for old sci-fi and horror so he could really just speak the artistic language of that so he really just got the vibe.
The artist Thomas Toye is truly incredible. I gave him a few references of art I thought were cool. And sent him some rough mixes I had at the time and he just came up with that masterpiece. Also I let him know about some books, Harlan Ellison in particular, that was inspirational to the album. We both have a mutual love for old sci-fi and horror so he could really just speak the artistic language of that so he really just got the vibe.
I think the art def references the title of the album title Approaching Oblivion which was a Harlan Ellison short story collection from the 1970s about how we are destroying ourselves and society and how our complacency will be, and is, our undoing. Ellison was particularly angry with many of the former people involved in the protest movements of the 1960’s and many white so-called “ALLIES” who seemed to give up on all the causes of the former decade and settle into a toxic compliancy during the Nixon years- which mirrors a lot of society today. This also inspired the song title “ Corrosive Catharsis.”
Are there any unifying themes, either philosophically or sonically, that connect the tracks on Approaching Oblivion?
I think philosophically that idea of hurling towards our destruction but comfortably doing it like we can see it but it’s easier to just compartmentalize and do the easy thing and continue digging our graves. Along with the powerful corporations giving us enough distraction to not focus on the slow-rolling disaster. This and a lot of nostalgia, and about how it can be healing but also how it can be used to justify heinous acts in society and in one's own personal journey. There is a poem I wrote which is also the spoken word part in “ Vertigo of Freedom” which is very influenced by Thomas Ligottis's The Conspiracy Against the Human Race.
Musically. I wanted this to be as adventurous and out there as it could be, or as clinical and rigid, or wherever the song in a given moment of the writing process took me. I believe the best music is made when bands inject their own individual quirks into the genre templates they are working from. That’s the music that lasts the longest so I really wanted it to be as unique and true to myself and Peter as possible.
You have a lot of movie dialogue samples sprinkled throughout the album. What are some of these films and how do these crosssections of audio/visual work help you convey your message?
One of the main samples are from the episode of the Twilight Zone "The Obsolete Man" which is all about how fascist governments want to close your mind off and restrict knowledge. In a lot of ways what we see now about school boards banning books is very reminiscent of that episode and it’s wild to think after all these years we are falling into the same traps that Rod Serling tried to warn us about.
Another sample if from Christopher Lee discussing the occult. I’m a huge believer in the power of esoteric knowledge and fascinated by the occult of all the different beliefs and interesting figures.
Not to mention I may have initiated a magik blood sacrifice for my artistic success.
Also there are samples from HARLAN ELLISON AND PHILLIP K DICK.
As I understand, you use some concepts of Jungian psychology in your work. What kinds of archetypes can we glimpse as reflected in the music of your latest album?
That is a great question. One that pops up immediately is the “explorer.” There is def an undercurrent of journeying and exploration sonically as well style-wise. Also the "creator" because as a musician, creating original music, you create these interlinked sound waves from nothing and you hope they will have enduring meaning and value. Finally, I would say the "magician." What’s more magical and alchemical than making music?
Freedom seems to also be something you are wrestling with an Approaching Oblivion. What does this concept mean to you and the kind of music you are trying to make?
I think freedom is the common goal for all people. It’s one of the few things that really unites us in a sense that we are all searching for some sense of it, or if we have it one, way we want to find it another way. I consider myself lucky to be able to have the freedom to have made this album but also sometimes I think at what cost did it come? Do I even deserve to have this outlet and this space to be here when so many others never even got that chance?
Even though your music is not specifically death metal, the genre still seems to inform much of your approach. What is it about death metal that you find liberating? What aspects do you feel hemmed in by?
I think death metal and extreme music, in general, lets you tap into this primal intensity that can be achieved in other genres but it’s easier to tap into it with extreme music and punk etc. I also play in a death metal band Oxalate and am a huge fan of the genre. Undeath, 200 STABWOUNDS, Sanguisgabogg, Outer Heaven, Blood Incantation, Phobophilic... the genre is overflowing with great new bands taking the genre into a lot of exciting directions.
Who are some of the non-death metal reference points of the sounds of Approaching Oblivion?
I would say the most present in my mind is Black Sabbath BECAUSE every band I’m in IS somehow influenced by them because they are THE GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME!!! AND PROBABLY KING CRIMSON IS MY SECOND FAVE BAND OF ALL TIME!!!!! 90’s music like Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice and Chains, Slowdive, Radiohead, My bloody Valentine, RIDE...
Ambient and weird keyboard based stuff like BOARDS OF CANADA, BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW, BRAIN ENO, APHEX TWIN, KRAFTWERK, TOBACCO...
Prog Rock like CAMEL, YES, GENESIS, OPETH, PORCUPINE TREE...
AND GUITAR MUSIC LIKE ERIC JOHNSON, STEVE VAI, ETC … and Amulet was written right after I found out Eddie Van Halen died.
You have a really interesting approach to melodicism that I almost never hear metal bands have. Specifically, a lot of your chord progressions feel very flowy and catchy- why do you think it's so rare for underground metal bands to approach guitar playing in the same kind of way?
I think it’s really hard to thread that needle of being melodic and having stuff that IS pleasurable to the ears and then stuff that’s actually heavy and pummeling. It’s rare that it gets done correctly which is why there are only a handful of good melodic death metal bands and why the second wave of metalcore was much maligned because it can come off as super cheesy and sound like jingles. I don’t think I’ve nailed it yet but I enjoy experimenting with different moods that only melodies and melodic playing can open you too. I also just love melody and when I’m noodling on guitar my lead style is naturally melodic rather than say going straight to the Yngwie stuff or bluesy stuff.
I also like that the guitar playing feels very muscular but not overly aggressive. Do you have any thoughts on striking that balance in your playing style?
Well I think being involved in death metal and hardcore bands the percussive nature of the instrument, the CHUNK, becomes present in your mind when you're trying to write.
Well I think being involved in death metal and hardcore bands the percussive nature of the instrument, the CHUNK, becomes present in your mind when you're trying to write.
Why is it important to stay creative and test new ideas?
STAGNATION TURNS INTO MALAISE AND THAT IS THE DEATH OF CREATIVITY.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Thanks for all the great questions if anyone wants to buy a copy of the CD I have a few copies left and I can ship it out to you from the Fernwah Instagram!! All the copies on Horror Pain Gore Death are SOLD OUT!!!
Shout out to Mike of HPGD for making this all possible!
