Merger Remnant
Merger Remnant is a one man band that doesn’t sound like the typical one. The superb Ep ”Dregs” caught the interest of Hinsides Magazine and in order to investigate the foundations of this highly interesting musical universe we approached it’s flamboyant originator, Björn Larsson; also known from ”B.L Metal Podcast” and as a bassplayer in God Macabre, among others.
Text: Hinsides Magazine 2022
Images: Used with kind permission
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Cover of “DREGS” by J.S
So, how did Merger Remnant come to be in the first place? Has it been on your mind since ages, or is it all new and fresh? Please reveal the yet clouded story behind this creative outlet of yours and do not exclude any amusing facts that might be related to the conceiving moment of Merger Remnant.
Greetings Emil! Merger Remnant as a specific concept hasn't really been an idea of mine for a very long time, but the need of having outlet for various musical endeavors indeed has. I was the main songwriter for the death metal band Mordbrand, that eventually disbanded. We had a long break from writing and during that period I wasn't inspired enough to do any form of death metal music. So, I started toying around with other types of riffs and structures without an endgame in mind. The ideas were actually not intended for one single project, but I have - what I believe to be - a quite "original" (for a lack of better words) way of yelling and screaming - so I tought that maybe if I just do my thing I could fit all ideas together into one record. And hence Merger Remnant was conceived. I went out and bought me an e-drumkit and started recording different patterns. And I am by no means a very competent drummer, so that became a good demarcation for what possibilities I had. If I can't play it, it's not gonna be used. So the music became kind of basic in that way. Heavy, but very melodic. Not super fast or complicated.
Since I thought it needed more atmosphere and weirdness, I asked my old friend Jonas Ström that I hadn't jammed with since the mid 90's, who I knew had developed in to a total synth freak, if he could add ideas and layers upon what I was doing with his analogue gear. Quite rapidly we became a duo.
Merger Remnant doesn’t come across as a typical brand in the context of underground metal music. How come you choose that name, and what does it mean to you?
Galaxies merger and when that happens it's not gonna be a swell time for anyone involved. By time though, a new galaxy will surface. Some use the merger remnant as a parable to the religious endtime prophecies. But we in fact do know that our galaxy will merger since the universe seems to be like a pendulum, and sooner or later pull back and reverse the current expansion.
Would you say that Merger Remnant is tied to some kind of concept, and if so; how would you verbalize this concept? It would also be interesting to know if there are any specific inspirational sources of importance to this project? Bölzer, perhaps?
Cosmic catastrophes has been the theme for all the songs thus far. However, that might change. On an upcoming split record we have a song called "The Reaping Orbit". It's about frozen orbits in space carrying a sort of virus called "panpermia". When the remnants of the orbit melts the virus will be unleashed and may cause additional life, create life or wipe out all current life on the planet.
Musically I've been very inspired by bands like Celtic Frost, Killing Joke, Type 0 Negative and even Strapping Young Lad. But the more destructive aspects of said bands. The latest track in our catalogue, "The Light of Stars", have a more analogue proggy feel to it. For those who have heard any of our music will recognize our sound but it has a new twist to it. I think that's the route for an upcoming recording. But the most important thing for us is to do whatever feels right for the moment. To no limit ourselves when writing and thus far it has worked out I think.
The merged sigill of remnant.
Is the lyrical department of Merger Remnant equally important as the music to this concept, or how do you view the interaction between music versus lyrics?
I try to think of concepts amidst wiriting to gain inspiration, and the lyrics are always combined with the music in a fitting way. It must stick together 100% to feel right when I lay down the vocals. Both are very important but without the music there'd be no lyrics to write.
"The Light of Stars" is a bit different though since I found a really moody and quite beautiful poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and tailored the music to it.
But the Parasite could not hear
too loud its stomach growled as it feasted on the Farmers grain
too loud its whore moans as it bathed in the Miners sweat
too loud its cracks as it whipped the Horses back raw to the bone
too loud the vomiting and wailing of the young, shipped off in coffins
to murder each other on alien soil.
Too loud the jangle of the Peoples coins and teeth for the parasite to hear:
the Earth burst open like a rotting carcass by the dying Sun
and the dregs of the solar system scattered like drunkards piss.
Even then, the Parasite could not hear
too busy spitting venomous lies
chortling its own praise like a babbling fool
until at the end, the veil stretched too thin
the black ink of space grew so cold that atoms froze stiff
and with a sign of relief
Time itself laid dead.
You’ve been active in the scene for a long time and a part of numerous different bands. Your work with Merger Remnant differs a lot from your previous duties, right? Please tell us what you experience as the best and worst parts with doing almost everything yourself?
The best part is the freedom. I have three children and limited amount of time to do stuff, but I have never been as productive as I've been since my oldest daughter was born. I started looking at time in a different way. 15 minutes is valuable to go down in the studio and tweak a guitar sound or do a vocal line etc. That's the biggest and maybe only reason I do much of my stuff on my own. I don't have time to sit in a reheasal room and talk for 40 minutes before jamming. The worst part is that I have to rely on myself when trying to figure out technical stuff or creative stuff. I have a lot of honest and reliable friends that I can send stuff to and ask them to be blunt. Is this good, or shit? If it's shit, I'm happy 'cause then I don't have to work anymore on that particular song or podcast endeavor. But 97% of the time I'm quite confident in what I do and I'm my own worst critic.
Do you have some kind of audience in mind when you make music to Merger Remnant? Is there anyone particular you would like to impress, and how do you picture a typical fan of Merger Remnant?
That's the cool thing with this band. I have no idea who's gonna like it. It's more common that I have people in mind that's gonna hate it, and that's fine. I know it's cliché but I really do this stuff for my own amusement and my own needs. And I think that's audible in the actual music. I don't have the time to put into a 'big project' so I'm quite happy that there are labels willing to release my stuff, and that's enough for me at this point in time. Maybe that will change when the kids are older but I'm getting less and less impressed by the lifestyle of touring bands etc.
What kind of reactions have you received from listeners, and most importantly; How would you react yourself on your podcast if Merger Remnant was made by someone else and a song was sent in to the show?
The response has been very positive. In fact: I haven't seen a single negative comment about the record, but the audience thus far is quite small. We're a new band that is hard to place, and I don't have any illusions of grandeur. People will discover us by chance 'cause we have no promotion what so ever. I've been in the underground metal scene all my life and that's where I'm happy. I guess time will tell if more people get into it and that would of course be delightful, but I can't complain about the bands status in any way.
Boring answer maybe, but it's impossible to distance oneself from one's own creation. I have no idea what I would think of it, but I do know that I would have a hard time categorizing it. Haha.
What does the creative process looks when you collect the material suitable for Merger?
Jonas is a space geek, so he's more into the science stuff while I'm more into the emotional stuff regarding existence, space, eternity etc. He's more knowledgable and I kind of lead him into a specific theme.
Another frequently askes question here in Hinsides Magazine is the one where we investigate what creativity is and how to be creative? How do you view this phenomenon? Your creativity shows in music, but are there any other fields that you also like to be creative?
Well, not really. To me creativity is something I carry around all the time. I think of ideas, vocal lines, melodies and emotions that I try to write down or record (with my phone) so I won't forget it. I feel physically ill if I haven't done anything musically creative in a while. It's almost a disability for me.
Despite your name (Björn=Bear) sleep does not seem that important to you? How do you make the concept of time to work in your favor? Please reveal your best recipe of how to get things done according to the non sleeping Bear formula?
Haha! Well, I try to have a purpose with everything I do. In that way I NEED to finish. Be it a Bandcamp page where I display stuff, be it a physical record. To me there is no purpose to do stuff without finalizing it. Hence I sometimes sacrifice a few hours of sleep every now and then, and just struggle to cope with mundane stuff in the daytime.
Since you do the mere part of the instrumentation yourself while writing and recording the songs of Merger Remnant it would be interesting to know if there are any future plans of live performances?
Yes. Or, we have some musicians lined up to make it work. But we’re looking at maybe two years or something. We have some very interesting offers in terms of live performances that are too cool to turn down. But it has to 100% to make it work, since we’ll have to bring a lot of electronic deviced and in-ear systems and other technical challenges - which I’m not really comfortable with at this point. But yes, a live setting is in the works.
And while we already talk about the future; what does it hold for Merger Remnant? Any major happenings soon, and how about 20 years from now? Still doing the podcast and Remnant gigs? Thanx a lot for your contribution!
We have a split LP with The Holy Flesh from England that is recorded and mastered. Cover and layout is finished too. We’re just waiting for it to be printed. After that we’ll focus on a full-length.
20 years is a long time, but at this point I don’t see any reason to quit what I’m doing. The only obstacle is the state of the world. The earth is a shit hole at this point. And morons and dipshits control it. The rise of nationalism and bogus patriotism stands in the way of solving our EXISTENTIAL problems, and stuff like music and entertainment is just recreational tools amidst the chaos. A comfort. And I’ll gladly provide some comfort to those who need it, but let’s not kid ourselves.
Thank you Emil and thanks for letting me have a say in this magnificent mag! Cheers!
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