Gravkväde Pt ll
Last week we got to know parts of the story behind Gravkväde and now it´s time to go further down the drain in order to explore the bleak world of this project a little bit more. Make yourself comfortable and follow us as we enter the shores of existential pain once more...
Text: Hinsides 2021
Images: Used with kind permission
Logo by Domedag.
How come you´ve chosen to express your lyrical themes in your native tongue? Any advantages/disadvantages connected to this decision that unsuspectedly has come to your attention?
- There are mainly advantages to this choice, I think. If we were to write in a different language, a certain barrier would come up between the artistic vision and the result. We have written lyrics in English for different bands many times, and the process tends to feel somewhat less natural, since it is a second language and therefore words become much less personal to us. Personally, I think the older kind Swedish that we tend to use for our lyrics is very vivid and depressing to begin with. So the words make me feel the sorrow and dread on a much deeper level than I could accomplish in a different language. Unfortunately, this might alienate some listeners from fully experiencing Gravkväde. So maybe it is a double-edged sword after all.
Another thing that has caught the interest of Hinsides is the use of samples and scenes from the works of Ingemar Bergman. How would you describe Gravkvädes relation to his legacy?
- Yes, we have sampled the dialogue from his films quite heavily. I am very passionate about cinema and Ingmar Bergman is an artist of great importance to me and my work. In many ways, he did what Gravkväde aims to do but in a cinematic context. I feel a deep resonance with his way of approaching art and the central themes he explored in his films. The films of Ingmar Bergman were often quite minimalistic in scope, sometimes in an almost claustrophobic way. This creates a kind of intimacy between the audience and the film and makes the suffering portrayed on the screen intensely vivid. His works are quite brave in a lot of ways, as he often did not make any effort to entertain but rather focused on creating something that people could connect with emotionally. I have a somewhat similar approach to making music, and sometimes I feel as though I am directing rather than composing. The use of language in the films of Ingmar Bergman is also a huge influence on the way we write lyrics. I think the fact that almost all his films are in Swedish makes the connection I feel to his work and legacy deeper in some ways. I think one could definitely call Gravkväde ‘’Bergman-esque’’ in some ways and he remains one of the biggest influences on the way I view and reflect about art.
The Bergman chronicle.
The visual image that Gravkväde embodies appears as both coherent and well thought through. Is the visual concept something that you discuss, develop and execute within the band or do you use any external skills to materialize your ideas?
- The visual aspect of Gravkväde is definitely an important aspect of the band and has been since the very start. Domedag is quite talented in graphic design and also hand-draws all the non-photographed parts of our artwork, like our logo and things of that nature. The visual elements have therefore been largely his responsibility, but Gravrot and I are somewhat involved in the development of our visual image as well, though mainly through ideas. For the past year we have worked pretty much exclusively with my partner who is a photographer. Her style is very fitting for our aesthetic and has played a huge part in the materializing of our visions. We used to take our own photos too but leaving this to someone more professional has proven very worthwhile. This would probably not have worked with someone who couldn’t understand and relate to our vision, as we are always very picky when it comes to working with external talents. Sometimes I think it’s almost equally important to us to have a strong visual element as the music itself. This will probably become more important in the future as we have started to work more with moving images lately.
If Hinsides would highlight Gravkväde as something extraordinary and unique in it´s expression, would you agree or oppose to such a description? Please share your thoughts on the matter of artistic integrity and how you relate to this delicate issue?
- Well, I’m flattered you would use these words to describe Gravkväde. Of course, we would rather be viewed as something unique and I think this may be an accurate statement to some degree. But on the other hand, I also believe this is a somewhat subjective area and that such qualities are in the eye of the beholder. The fundamental ideas behind Gravkväde and the way we express them certainly differ from what most bands in the genre are doing if you ask me, but I am also a firm believer in the death of the author. Once our music is released, it is no longer up to me to interpret the meaning. I believe it is important for a band such as Gravkväde to embrace the subjective, since it is a band mainly based on emotion. So in a sense my views and feelings about our music is as valid as the next persons experience. I don’t think there is a proper way for the listener to experience our work, but it is certainly intended to be experienced, nonetheless. To me, artistic integrity is very important on some level, since I wouldn’t dream of making music in any other way than I want it to be made. Concerning the areas in which we as the artists have some kind of autonomy, such as writing, recording and choosing where to release our music, we refuse to compromise as much as possible. This has been our mindset since the very beginning, and it is not something we intend to change our position on. The only reason we would change something about our music is if it simply doesn’t resonate with us on a personal level. But once the music is released to the public, I don’t believe we have any power to decide how it should be consumed and interpreted. Anything else would be in great conflict with our philosophy. It is personal music intended to create an intimate and personal experience. With all that being said, I personally see a lot more value in treating the music of Gravkväde as something other than ‘’casual listening’’, and I know this to be something a lot of our listeners agree on.
Gravkväde taking “Man-spreading” to new heights.
Speaking of experimentation and artistic visions; what´s the most odd ideas or instruments that has come to use in Gravkväde so far, and are there any new pranks in the pipeline planned to be used on future recordings? Perhaps a drummer made of flesh and bones for once?
- This is a really difficult question because we certainly have a lot of strange ideas going on. I guess something a lot of people find odd and intriguing is the use we have made of the instrument we’ve come to know as the ‘’space cello’’. This is a large DIY string instrument that is attached through a huge metal spiral between two strings and two large ritual-type drums. When played with a cello or violin bow, it creates an otherworldly kind of ambient noise that we have used to create some of the ambient parts in our music. We have also played around with ‘’Aztec death whistles’’ to create disturbing and frightening sounds. There is always a whole lot of strange stuff going on in our recordings that is hard to define and pick out for the listener, but if we were to remove it all, the music would sound very naked and small. We have plenty of stuff planned for our upcoming material as well, such as recording our vocals in the catacombs of an old nearby ruin. There has also been talk of doing an entirely acoustic album, which should be very interesting if we decide to follow up on this idea.
It is interesting that you mention our drummer situation, since this is rarely discussed outside of the band. I’m actually surprised how few people mention the fact that most of our recordings do not use a live drummer. And while I might not agree, many don’t seem to notice since I am often asked if I play the drums on our albums. Normally I feel like people obsess about the notion of using programmed or synthesized instruments in the studio as something almost taboo. I’m more concerned about the way things sound personally. There are many reasons behind our continued use of programmed drums, though it started as something we utilized for practical reasons. The use of drum programming gives us a lot of control over the compositions. We are able to change entire segments of songs at the very last minute with a few clicks, rather than paying a sound engineer a bunch of money to help us redo our recordings or something like that. We can also spend hours tweaking and adjusting the sound in a different way, which is a very convenient thing in a DIY-operation such as Gravkväde. I also believe it adds a certain coldness to our sound that we have grown quite fond of. Our programming process has evolved through the years and become an essential part of our creative process, so it would truly be a big step to change things around. But there has been a lot of discussion about it and we may try this in the near future since we like to be challenged. We will also be performing our upcoming live sets with a drummer made very much of flesh and bone, since we feel that this adds something very valuable to the live experience.
Ok, the hour is being late and soon the night is upon us. Any closing words that will bring hope and joy to those of our readers who eagerly awaits new chants from the grave?
- There is a lot to be expected from us in 2022. We will be playing our first live shows, so we are currently working hard on developing and perfecting our set. We are also putting the last touches on our third studio album, which is turning out to be quite dark and different from our previous work in many ways. Those who appreciate our visual representation may also look forward to what we have planned for our next release, which will feature some interesting and fitting visual elements intended to take the experience of Gravkväde to a whole new level.
/Ezra, Domedag & Gravrot
You´ve just read the second part of a interview with Gravkväde made by Hinsides Magazine Oct 2021. The whole conversation will be published in the next physical issue of the paper in question. Previous issues can be ordered here: