As mentioned in an earlier post, NotTheAmp is now doing interviews with some of the artists you'll find in our reviews! I had the opportunity to talk with Hide Tepes, the multi-instrumentalist and brains behind Norway's own industrial-metal hybrid, Carrion. We black metal, the influences behind his new EP 'Blood + Diamonds", and some of Norway's finest bands that will be definitely making their way on to my playlists. Without further ado, let's dive in to what we discussed!
NTA: First and foremost, I would like to say thank you for the opportunity to interview you, and congratulations on the release of the new EP! The soundscapes on this release paint quite a bleak, apocalyptic vision while listening. Did any of the world’s current events like the war in Ukraine or the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic inspire some of that bleakness?
Hide: It seems I`ve always written about apocalyptic scenarios, plagues is not a new lyrical theme for me whatsoever. While I`m certainly victim to the same as everyone else in terms of the surrounding world and its influences on my conscious and subconscious mind I never set out to talk about any current event as such. Carrion has always been rooted in the Other. Lyrics and imagery is often born through dreams and altered states of mind. On a more human or earthly level perhaps it`s a therapeutic tool for me to examine and explore my own psyche and get to the core of my Self. I never purposefully set out to write dark or bleak songs, it`s just what naturally comes out. As for the music itself it`s the result of countless hours and endless nights spent patching and tinkering away with modular synths coupled with a more experimental approach to traditional instruments like guitars.
NTA: Norway is (at least in America) most famously known for being the birthplace of black metal, and it’s influences can definitely be heard in your music. What drew you towards industrial? Was it more of a natural progression from the burgeoning heavy music scene?
Hide: While I do love black and death metal I always gravitated more towards the Swedish scene with bands like Dissection and Watain, and Bathory of course. I first came across industrial music via bands like Einstürzende Neubauten and Coil and was immediately drawn to and enamoured by the highly experimental nature of it all. The idea that anything at all could be an instrument was really interesting and eye opening. Suffice it to say I was a little disappointed when I discovered how it all evolved into what is essentially nothing more than angry disco music but I digress...My roots have always and will always be in rock and metal but discovering Nine Inch Nails and obsessing over albums like The Downward Spiral and The Fragile has ensured that even if operating within rock structurally or through choice of instruments there`s always that more experimental approach to things. As much as I might love the textures and sonic nuance of noise and drones I do still appreciate a good melody and a catchy chorus which could come from bands like Deicide and Morbid Angel just as much as WASP.
NTA: What Norwegian bands should us Americans be checking out right now?
Hide: The bands Zeromancer and Seigmen, especially the latter, has long been favourites of mine as far as Norwegian bands goes. Both bands are made up of more or less the same people actually. Seigmen came around in the 90s and always had such a unique dark blend of rock and industrial. Growing up I`d often hear something like Kaizers Orchestra playing in my moms car as well and while I`m not sure how to explain the music I can mention the presence of oil barrels, gas masks and organs. For specific album I`d recommend Orchestra Of Knives by Zeromancer and either Total or Enola by Seigmen along with Ompa Til Du Dør by Kaizers. The Norwegian punk scene had some interesting ones too such as Kjøtt and Raga Rockers.
NTA: The Spotify playlist you posted on Facebook has quite the range of influences. I could not help but notice that 18 Visions was on there. What did you think of the re-recorded version of their landmark album Vanity?
Hide: The first time I heard 18 Visions it was actually the 2006 self-titled album and the Lifeless EP. Looking back it`s a little funny I never once questioned the stylistic differences between the two. I`m not typically a fan of re-recorded or remastered albums but in the case of Vanity I could make an exception though I will always favour new music over polished old stuff. Their Inferno EP is my favourite thing they`ve ever done which is probably the least cool thing you can say since as we all know the first album by any band ever is always the best.
NTA: Being a very talented multi-instrumentalist, what is your favorite instrument or piece of equipment and why?
Hide: I always gravitated towards the bass. I remember getting a cheap electric guitar in my early teens or maybe even before then and while I did have an interest in guitar as well I`d often try teaching myself bass lines on that guitar. Some of the first songs I learned to play was Lucretia by Sisters Of Mercy, Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, Bela Lugosi`s Dead by Bauhaus and Die My Bride by Murderdolls as well as attempting to play along to albums like Shout At The Devil (Motley Crue) and The Crimson Idol (WASP).
I never intended on being the front man of anything, in every bands I was in during my teens I was a bass player as well as contributing to songwriting to whatever extent there ever was any such thing going on in the messy bands of a 13 year old. It`s the same old story I suppose where you have one person who truly means it and has the drive and the passion and then the others don`t. I ended up playing several instruments and fulfilling several different roles out of necessity and in trying to keep whatever band I was in alive before eventually deciding to go ahead and do it all on my own in a more purposeful manner which just happened to coincide with my discovery of industrial music as well as having grown tired of the repetitive nature of three chord punk and developing a curiosity for electronic music. These days my go to instrument is my modular system, the idea of a living, breathing ever changing instrument that`s fully tailored to my wants and needs is extremely intriguing and I think the idea of building each sound from the ground up adds a much more personal touch to things.
That said, after doing the previous two Carrion albums along with various sound design jobs I had immersed myself in the world of synthesis to such a degree that I missed the simplicity of just picking up a guitar. A lot of the recent writing and recording sessions that makes up not only the [Blood + Diamonds ] EP but also the coming album is all rooted in the idea of a simple drum beat and a decent riff. I got really into using the guitar in less obvious ways where a percussive sound or a something which at first glance might appear as a synth is in fact a guitar going through a series of effects or even plugged into a hardware synth such as Korg`s MS20 and then further mangled and manipulated in the modular domain with the help of eurorack pieces such as Arbhar by Instruo.
NTA: Your other project, Sever the Servants, has an American member, Mike Nolen. Any plans in the future to bring this project to a live stage here in the States?
Hide: It`s certainly been discussed but due to the plague there`s been the obvious difficulties with getting anything concrete down. Plague or not there`s always the international issue to consider and all that entails as well. But in order to not make it seem completely hopeless I`ll say that there`s several tour line ups and ideas that we`ve talked about that I think would be varied and exciting once we manage to get it off the ground.
NTA: Both Carrion and Sever the Servants are both signed to Produkt 42, an independent label based in my old hometown, Colorado Springs, CO. What made you go with that particular label and why? Sean is actually a very close friend of mine, so I am super pumped that he has some really killer talent on his label!
Hide: I had known Sean for quite some time for his previous involvement with Sounds & Shadows as well as him being a DJ. It just so happened that we parted ways with our previous label (on good terms I might add) and around that time Sean was telling me about his plans and ideas for Produkt 42. Sean's musical roots goes far back and touches on many sections of the world of music that is important and relevant to me and what I do so it seemed a good fit given we`ve got a fair amount of common ground and influences be that in the metal world or the early industrial scene with bands like Coil and TG. The fact that all my musical projects be that Carrion, STS or my solo work is on his label is a matter of practicality.
NTA: Which venue have you played at that has your heart? Are there any venues that you are dying to play?
Hide: I honestly don`t think any particular location stands out in either case to me, of course as far as places I`d like to play my mind might immediatly go to the venues here in Norway where I went to my first couple shows but that`s so far out of reach that it`s not something I even consider especially given that we tend to focus our attention to the UK and U.S. anyway.
NTA: What does the future hold for you, and what can we expect from you and your amazing musical endeavors, like any tours or albums to look forward to?
Hide: Mike and I have been talking about doing another STS release, in fact we`ve got a single coming out at the end of October so that`ll be the most immediate thing to follow this EP. Over the past year or so I`ve also been writing and recording the 4th Carrion full-length album which is reaching completion as we speak. The plan is to have a single or two out during the first couple months of 2023 perhaps accompanied by music videos if all goes as planned.
NTA: Thank you again for this incredible opportunity to talk with you, and for being Not The Amp’s first interview!
Hide: Thanks to yourself and anyone else who's ever cared.
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