AN NCS INTERVIEW: UKEPARAAVE ENVIAVUASAN

Aug 012024

(Our contributor Vizzah Harri has provided us and you the following interview that he conducted.)

We contacted the founder of Nächtlich and owner of Vinland Corpse records, the artist known as Ukeparaave Enviavuasan, in order to shed more light on their latest album Exaltation of Evil, which was reviewed at NCS here. (They’re also involved with quite a few other projects, Thallid, Black Kruud, Bloody Winds, Dibikimitig, Dobhar Chú, Dolmen Shrine, Eerified Catacomb, Reliquary Ash, Malphas).

Ukeparaave Enviavuasan (still from Dylan Baillie’s video at the Park theatre 1/13/23)

Hi U.E., would you like to share any thoughts on the new album, and where it stands in your discography as far as your vision for Nächtlich?

The new album is a culmination of several years of work since forming a 5-member version of the band. The songs are no longer written by only myself and Gamzhurm but fairly equally among all members, with some exceptions. Nächtlich is now an organism of many functioning parts. The vision continually evolves as time passes and I feel this album is a perfect representation of where we are currently. The next album is about ¾ written at the moment.

I could find only one song with lyrics on Metal-Archives, the title track for your previous album. Do you feel that vocals should just be experienced as one more element or is it to retain an air of mystery shrouding the project?

In one of the many represses of Third Ritual I published those lyrics as well. I’m surprised those have not surfaced at all yet. I have never felt it necessary to publish all of my lyrics. If someone asked me personally and I trusted them, I would give them out. However, I believe in being selective about the transparency of my lyrics for many reasons. The chief reason of which is misinterpretation.

I may compile many of the older lyrics into a zine or book of sorts in the future, however I’m in absolutely no rush to do so. I’m still holding onto the blood-stained original lyrics sheets for all of the songs on our last album, Satanas Solum Initium Est. I may find a suitable owner for those in the future, but they’d need to be a trusted friend as well as a dedicated archivist.

Second Ritual of Night Worship

Your second EP, Second Ritual of Night Worship, has for me one of the best pieces of cover art of any subgenre in black metal. This time ’round you went for something closer to what you did for Third Ritual and your second full-length. This brings forth two questions: Did your live band turn into your regular band now – seeing as the project started as your solo-endeavor? Can you tell me a bit more about the decision for the setting and choice of shot for this album cover, as in, did you want to give off some dungeon vibes going for something that looks like a cave ritual?

The cover of Second Ritual Of Night Worship is a piece by Odilon Redon, originally used for the frontispiece of “Les Flambeaux Noires” by Émile Verhaeren. You may recognize some other artworks by Redon, especially the cover of the Cenotaphe/Circle Of Ouroborus split (incredible bands, incredible split.)

Cenotaphe/Circle Of Ouroborus split cover (top left)

“My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined.” – Odilon Redon

Upon the formation of the live band, I immediately decided with Gamzhurm that it should transform into a full band. We knew we would be less prolific going forward, as it is harder to create lots of releases when 5 people are involved, but that wouldn’t matter as the quality and brevity of the material would improve. I’d confidently say that it has, in a way. The setting is a place I’ll refuse to disclose to maintain its integrity as a ritual space. We used a disposable film camera and the photos were shot by a close friend of ours.

Can you tell us a bit about the recording process for Exaltations of Evil?

The bass, drums and guitar were all recorded together in simultaneous takes, with synths and vocals added after. Interludes were thought up and recorded after as well. All of which was done in what’s been referred to in the past as “The Howling Depths”, the cursed basement of a house in which 3/5 of the band resides.

In ‘Pagan Victory’ my layman ears tell me it’s a Boss metal zone pedal being used, but I’m probably very wrong. I know the metal zone gets a lot of hate, but perhaps it works for a rawer sound?

It’s not a metal zone. It’s an MXR Distortion +. A pedal that’s definitely stood the test of time and been used in all different subgenres of metal. I do know at least one of the genius psychopaths in LA-based sadometal band LIBIDINOUS ACTS uses a metal zone. I’m sure there are certain model variants that sound more like shit than others.

But we’re not playing prog-metal here. We’re playing black metal, and any would-be audiophile pussies who would scoff at certain pedals being used to achieve a raw sound (the basis of the genre, as a lot of people need to be reminded) should go feebly jack themselves off in a different subculture.

Still from Dylan Baillie’s video at the Park theatre 1/13/23

Would you like to share about what other equipment was used in the recording?

Most of our amps are pretty old; for myself I don’t use anything fancy. In the past a lot of our recording techniques have been a bit of a bizarre mix of analog and digital, or solely analog. This recording was no different. Although the quality has definitely improved since Satanas Solum Initium Est.

Vocals are usually recorded through a 4 track and transposed back onto the instrumentals, the same with the synths. I would wager our future recordings will be less raw than in previous years, but we will not lose the essence.

‘Starsight Of The Outer Regions’ first appeared on your Third Ritual EP. I love the re-recorded version and it fits really well with the rest of the record. This track’s evolution alone shows the move in a direction of more clarity in sound, a bit less… raw: some more bombast even. It’s not that it is less raw in essence, the production is just a bit clearer. Was this a natural progression for you musically?

I have wanted to re-do ‘Starsight…’ for some time, but until this album it hadn’t ever felt right. We began playing it as a live band and changed certain aspects of the song, the bridge, etc. It absolutely felt natural as a progression and because of the ingenuity of my brothers in the band, the song has finally transformed into something much closer to my original idea that I wasn’t fully able to capture on my own all the way back in 2017.

<a href="https://deathfullust.bandcamp.com/album/exaltation-of-evil">Exaltation Of Evil by Nächtlich</a>

On a bit of a different tack, which Canadian bands – no matter the genre – do you think people should look out for more?

This ought to be quite a list. Alright. First of all, FREEWAYS: if any of you reading this consider yourself a fan of classic rock or heavy metal and don’t know this band yet, you need to fix the fuck up and change that. Two black metal bands from Newfoundland: GROLE and GRENADIER. In Quebec, the obvious AKITSA as always, but also VERGLAS, CONIFÈRE, VESPÉRAL, PÉNOMBRE, JUTE and FRANK GOSHIT. Since Quebec is just a wellspring for good underground projects, I’m definitely forgetting many.

In Ontario the venerable CHALICE OF VOMIT, ERYTHRITE THRONE, COPROLITH, ADVERSARIAL, ANCIENT STONE, WERI AUNGEL and VREXIZA. Not to mention the projects we have in house, in the band. ADUANTAS, NOCTURAL THIRST, BLACK KRUUD and quite literally every project Gamzhurm touches. Again, maybe too many to name.

In Manitoba, all of the MANIDOO GATHERING projects and bands as well as NOCTURNAL DEPARTURE. I don’t know many people personally out west but I greatly admire the WAR VELLUM camp and its related projects, especially BRULVAHNATU. Last but not least, BLUD AUK TAPES has never ever disappointed and has existed for over a decade now, with every release being exceptional in quality.

Thanks for all the recommendations and for your time and patience in answering the questions! To finish up, three words to muse on: Crypt, Desolation, Apotheosis.

Crypt: Silence

Desolation: Deserved

Apotheosis: Unreached