Introducing "Transcending Into the Unknown"! Following the unexpected success of "Giants," the band shares insights into their diverse influences, familial dynamics, and the creative process behind their evolving sound.
1. Congratulations
on the release of "Giants"! How has the response been so far, and
what inspired the darker and heavier sound compared to your previous
self-titled release?
Thank you
very much. The response has really been overwhelming and also quite unexpected
to be honest, as some of our listeners may have been taken a bit by surprise by
the harder, heavier and more experimental sound. We are all three very big fans
of heavy, guitar-based music in all forms, and we thought that it would be
great and challenging for us to try to go in that direction now. That’s really
how it should be, when you are taking part in the TITU-experience.
2. The
band's name, "Transcending Into the Unknown," suggests a journey into
uncharted territories. Can you share more about the concept behind the name and
how it reflects your musical journey?
We are a
family with several “guitar geeks”, but we have never, previously to TITU,
played together due to different playing styles and music taste. However, we
did finally find out that it could be interesting to try to do something
together, and then we also had to find a name of the band. We ended up with
“Transcending Into the Unknown” as we all felt that this was like entering into
a completely new and unknown experience.
3. "Giants"
showcases a unique blend of various music styles. How did the individual
members' musical backgrounds and influences contribute to the eclectic mix
heard in the single?
We were
very well aware of that our individual musical preferences and performing
styles could be quite challenging to blend together. We do all respect and
admire each other highly when it comes to guitar playing, and we had to be open
minded and avoid being prejudiced before we entered into this project. It did
luckily turn out to be an amazing experience and it triggered so many great
ideas, once we got together and started working.
4. Filip
Dahl, being a seasoned composer and multi-instrumentalist, has a diverse
musical career. How did his experience as a lead guitarist in the '70s and
later as an engineer and record producer influence
the sound of "Giants"?
I did
initially start off as playing guitar in bands that played covers of pop and
rock hits at dance halls back in the 70’s. It was for sure a great time, but
also somewhat boring to all the time try to sound like someone else. My passion
was already then to compose and record my own music so I got more involved in
that in the years to come, and it was also what brought me to start working as
an engineer and record producer. I did get the chance to work with so many
great bands and musicians, and in so many different music styles in those
years. It really brought me so much inspiration and it also taught me to be
open minded to all kind of music, as long as it's good and performed with heart
and soul in mind.
5. Stian
Dahl, your guitarist, has evolved his playing style from blues and rock to
incorporating elements of neoclassical and death metal. How does this diverse
range of influences contribute to the band's overall sound?
I hope that it brings a bit more diversity to the overall sound of the band and
also contributes to the unique musical identity, by fusing blues with
neoclassical influences and sometimes even heavier death metal elements.
6. Robert
Dahl, fronting the band Ack-Ack in the '80s, has a background in punk and
metal. How does his experience from the subculture punk-/metal scene influence
the artistic direction of "Transcending Into the Unknown"?
What
attracted me to being part of that scene was the creativity and "anything
goes" feeling. We made the music we wanted, not what we thought others
would like to hear. This is the same feeling I get as part of TITU. Although we
have different musical backgrounds, and indeed tastes, all ideas are welcome. I
probably push the balance more towards "old school" metal sometimes,
but I love the feeling that our next song could be a gloomy piano ballad or a
brutal black-metal song or something else entirely.
7. The
band consists of family members - brothers Filip and Robert, and Stian, who is
Filip's son. How does the familial connection impact your musical dynamics and
creative process?
It’s
clearly great to know each other as good as we do, when you are going to
cooperate closely in a creative process. You have to listen to the ideas that
each brings, try them out in order to see if it works and all the time have an
open an honest discussion on how to proceed in the best possible way. That's in
our opinion the best way to work when you want to achieve a goal with lots of
musical dynamics.
8. "Giants"
takes a departure from blues-rock to a more prog-rock-inspired style. Can you
share the reasons behind this shift and the creative process involved in
crafting the new sound?
[Robert] It
started quite a while back when Filip sent us a song-idea, which actually ended
up as the drums/bass and rhythm guitars on the finished recording. Although we
didn’t do anything with it right away, it stuck in the back of my mind because
I really liked it. So, I was really happy when we decided to do something with
it, also because it was a great foundation to build a heavier and darker song
on (which I like 😀). So, I may have been partly
responsible for pulling it more towards a harder tone, but the great thing is
the way we work together, where the diversity of our contributions makes the
final result greater than its individual parts.
9. Stian,
you draw inspiration from guitarists like Dimebag Darrell and Paul Gilbert. How
do these influences manifest in your playing style, especially considering the
diverse genres you've been a part of over the years?
The
influences from those guitarists have shaped my approach to how I write riffs
and solos. It often results in a balance between melodic and technical leads. With
TITU I lean more to the melodic side, as it suits the overall music style we
have better.
10. Robert,
as pzyroks, draws inspiration from thrash metal, doom, stoner rock, blues, and
jazz. How do you balance these diverse influences within the band's overall
musical framework?
That is one of the great things about this project. I never have to produce music “to a specification” (like -This is a blues song - only play pentatonic licks in a 12-bar). I can use the parts of my influences that I feel fits the song we are developing as I feel best. As I often take inspiration from what the other two are doing, which can be quite different from my initial ideas, it’s great to have a diverse “influence-bank” to draw from.
11. Filip,
having taken a break from the music scene, returned with several album and
single releases. How has the music scene changed since your earlier days, and
what motivated your return to full-time music production?
It has
indeed changed dramatically since I started working with music. I grew up with
analog recordings (I started off on a 4-track reel to reel tape machine) and
vinyl records, so the change to the digital tools and possibilities we have
today is stunning. I did eventually end up more and more being behind the
studio mixer, recording other artist than write and perform music myself during
the 90’s. It finally got me to a point where I did not touch a guitar for
several years, and I had no inspiration or motivation left to pick it up again.
So, I ended up selling all my gear to get some money instead. A friend of mine
did show me an inexpensive but really great Kramer guitar that he had bought on
net back in 2015, and that triggered me to order one myself. The joy of playing
and making music returned to me again as soon as I got it, and the rest is
history now.
12. The
single "Giants" is described as having a symphonic rock element. Can
you elaborate on how symphonic rock fits into your overall musical vision, and
are there specific bands or artists that have influenced this aspect of your
sound?
[Filip] I
guess that I’m the one to “blame” for the symphonic rock elements in our music.
I’m a huge fan of bands like Dream Theather, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple and the
way they manage to mix symphonic elements in to rock music. I love to
incorporate music elements which creates a broad musical landscape with melodic
parts (keyboards, vocal and choir parts), that supports and elevates the main
elements in a song to a higher level. “Giants” is a very good example of that,
as you will find such layers behind the predominant guitars, bass, drums and
lead vocals.
13. The
band has its roots in Norwegian rock bands from the '70s. How do you see the
evolution of the Norwegian music scene, and how has it influenced your current
musical direction?
[Robert] Actually,
as there are some years between us, I think we bring influences from different
eras from the 70’s and onwards together in TITU. They say that the music you like when coming
of age shapes your music-taste for the rest of your life; there might be
something to that. For me the late 80’s/early 90’s was a great time for
Norwegian rock-music, with bands like Raga Rockers, Jocke og Valentinerne,
early period Motorpsycho etc. being some of the more mainstream ones.
[Filip] We
are blessed with so many great musicians and bands in Norway. However, not so
many of them managed to reach out to an international audience back in the
70’s, even if they were really great. That did luckily change a bit during the
80’s when bands like Aha, TNT and Stage Dolls managed to crack the
international music scene and achieve great success abroad.
14. Considering
the diverse musical backgrounds of the members, how do you manage to maintain a
cohesive sound for "Transcending Into the Unknown"?
Filip’s extensive background as engineer and record produce comes in very handy here. He is the one who mixes and produces our songs, but of course also in close cooperation with Robert and Stian. It’s again very important to listen to all individual suggestions and preferences we have in order to try to achieve a final result that we all can stand for an be proud of.
15. What's
next for "Transcending Into the Unknown" after the release of
"Giants"? Any upcoming projects, collaborations, or plans for live performances?
We already
have some new ideas, which currently consists of only basic drums, rhythm
guitars and bass. They will be a great basis for creating new songs and it’s
always so exiting to be able to start off with an almost blank canvas and then
add bits and pieces bit by bit in the same manner as we did with “Giants”. We
will hopefully manage to have a new TITU release later in 2024, and we are
really looking forward to continue our journey into the unknown.
(1) Transcending Into the Unknown - YouTube
Transcending Into the Unknown (@intotheunknown_2023) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
Filip Dahl (@FilipDahl8) / X (twitter.com)
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