In this interview with Grave With A View, the duo shares insights into the bleak inspirations and raw creative process behind Raw Illumination, a powerful exploration of desolation and brutal self-reflection.
1. Raw
Illumination delves into themes of loneliness, desolation, and inevitable
violence. Can you tell us more about the inspirations behind these darker
themes and what they represent for the band?
O: Modern
life in itself and day to day interactions with other people fuels
the need for expressing ourselves this way. Those themes represent
the frame for the picture we want to paint.
J: Death
and Violence are the great equalizers of this world, whether you like it or not
and this is a fact that we've both come to terms and have had to face in this
life. Looking in and reflecting on a life lived in a certain way, for better or
for worse.
2. The
album has been described as capturing the “black metal of dirty needles and
stained sheets, knives in filthy alleyways, and disintegrating minds.” Was
there a particular environment or headspace that helped shape this grim
aesthetic?
O:As the
music starts to come to life it pretty much tells us exactly what it needs
for its visual representation. Our studio/storage/creative space is a desolate,
run down memory of a small bakery and also a very fitting environment for
our art in its dirty bleakness.
J: As
previously stated, reflecting on a life lived in a certain way, for better or
for worse.
3. Each
song on Raw Illumination has its own unique atmosphere, almost like separate
stories in a larger narrative. How do you approach creating individual
soundscapes while maintaining the cohesion of the album?
O: We
aim for a certain feeling when writing.That whatever we write, the material
comes out with a sound that's cohesive even if the songs themselves would be
very different to each other. Songs on the album are also picked and put in a
specific order to take the listener on a ride that has a beginning, a twist and
an end.
4. Wrest
stands out as a track that embodies “doleful despair” and a sense of endless
torment. What was the process like for bringing this particular song to life,
and does it hold any personal significance for you?
O: Life is
endless torment, isn't it?
J: An
interesting take. Not to get too much into it as it's not my (or our) job to
tell people what they should hear and feel about a song but thematically
"Wrest" is somewhat about alcohol and substance induced, unstoppable,
violent expression of self loathing and all consuming paranoia. About the
personal significance of that, I think that can be read between the lines here.
5. You
worked with Haldor Grunberg at Satanic Audio for the mastering, a name
associated with bands like Behemoth and Dopelord. How did his expertise
contribute to capturing the essence of Raw Illumination?
O: Haldor
sprinkled the last, beautiful ashes on the cake. As we did the recording
by ourselves and me mixing it myself, we wanted to have someone else do the
mastering. Haldor was an easy choice for his understanding of this kind of
aesthetic and expertise of course. We didn't have to explain what the sound
needs or doesn't need.
6. Can you tell us more about
the visual concept for the album? How did working with model Anna Ivana Julma
and designer Danny The Destroyer help bring Raw Illumination’s themes to life
visually?
O: We're
very satisfied in the collaboration with Anna Ivana Julma on this project. She
shares our vision exactly, without hesitation and has the talent to bring that
out. I'm sure there will be more future collaborations with her.
J: Anna
Iivana Julma understood what we we're looking for immediately and 100% made the
albums concept come to flesh so we could capture it on film; the ugly, the
filth and the self-destructive one way road that embodies "Raw
Illumination". And Dannys a great guy, we've worked with him before and he
helped us out on the layout.
7. The album title, Raw
Illumination, suggests a kind of brutal clarity. In what ways does the music
reflect this idea of “rawness” or “illumination”?
J:
"Raw Illumination" as a name or a concept has nothing to do with the
instrumentation but it's purely from a lyrical standpoint. But what it stands
for, that's up to the listener once again.
8. From
a musical standpoint, how would you say Raw Illumination differs from your
previous releases? Were there any specific elements or techniques you wanted to
push further?
J: We
didn't necessarily decide to do things one way or another when we started
writing the album, the progression towards more "extreme" passages
regarding instrumentation just happened as it felt "right" and it
served the overall feel that started to develop around the songs.
9. How
do you hope listeners will feel or respond after experiencing Raw Illumination
from start to finish? Is there a particular emotional journey you aim to guide
them through?
J: Like I
said, not our job to tell you or anyone what they should or shouldn't feel
about art. It's all subjective. I know what I feel about it and what I see in
it but frankly, I could not care less about what reactions it brings up or
doesn't in other people.
10. Black metal often explores
themes that confront traditional ideas of life and death. How do you see Raw
Illumination fitting within or challenging those typical narratives within the
genre?
J: To me,
Black Metal at it's core is about the denial and destruction of all concepts
and structures; the embodiment of enlightment through self-destruction and pure
freedom from all laws and shackles of virtue and guilt. So, in that aspect, I
don't see a problem with us "fitting in" with BM in general but
honestly, we could not care less.
11. What role does your
partnership with Dusktone play in bringing Raw Illumination to audiences, and
how has the collaboration shaped the album’s release strategy?
J: We have
a good working relationship with the label and they understand what we stand
for and support our expression. Can't really say how this affects the release
strategy.
12. Finally, looking beyond Raw
Illumination, what’s next for Grave With A View? Are there plans to expand
these themes even further, or perhaps explore new directions in your music?
J: Writing
new material next, we sound the way we sound and we're not looking for a
specific direction to go in, well know what direction we're taking when the
songs start taking place. The themes/lyrics are from a very personal place and
as we're all stuck with ourselves, for better or for worse, so there's a lot
more to dig up there.
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