Ne Obliviscaris à conversa com Música de Peso

Ne Obliviscaris é um nome que provavelmente diz pouco aos portugueses amantes de sonoridades mais pesadas. Ainda.
Saídos da cena australiana, tal como os sleepmakeswaves e os Alarum, os Ne Obliviscaris são uma das mais surpreendentes bandas da actualidade. Com uma variedade enorme de influências e uma sonoridade marcadamente Black e Death Metal Progressivos, preparam agora o álbum de estreia que irá suceder à excelente demo The Aurora Veil. Tim Charles (violinista/voz limpa) respondeu a algumas perguntas.

Música de Peso - So you guys formed around 2003. Tell us a little bit about your story as a band [including why you guys are called Ne Obliviscaris]. Did any of you had a band before, does any of you have some kind of musical formation...?
Tim Charles - Ne Obliviscaris is latin and means ‘forget not’. When choosing our bands name we wanted something that had depth and feeling, something that could be interpreted beyond one exact thing, a name that felt powerful and had impact, and a name that has a sense of history. For me personally, the saying, ‘forget not’, is about being aware of life: learning from the bad times, and appreciating the good. To be truly aware of everything that has come before us, in our lives and from a historical perspective, is to acknowledge the world as it is, an action that in of itself gives us a greater chance to improve our own lives and the world in general.
In regards to the story of the band- despite the band forming in 2003 it wasn’t until early 2005 that we had a complete and stable line-up. Once we achieved that stability the songwriting took a new and more developed direction that is the sound people now associate with Ne Obliviscaris. A couple of the guys played in some other local metal bands before NeO, but nothing that serious comparatively.

MP - What took you so long to record this demo?
TC - We were determined to make our mark straight away and we wanted to make sure that we made a positive first impression with people. So with that in mind, we waited until we really felt like we could do a recording we were proud of. Plus, because it wasn’t until early 2005 that we had a stable line-up, this made this timetable a lot more drawn out than initially anticipated. Also, in 2005 I had to have my tonsils out and couldn’t sing for a couple months, and Xenoyr was in an accident and broke his leg; so all these combined resulted in it taking us until late 2006 to finally record our demo.

MP - Where do you get all the influences (and inspiration to write) that can be heard on Aurora Veil? [i can even sense a little bit of eastern music] What do you consider to be your main influence - band or genre?
TC - Ne Obliviscaris is comprised of 6 musicians that are all very open minded musically, which results in all sorts of influences coming in from every direction. Each member brings in their own individual influences and because of that I wouldn’t really say that we have any one main influence. Personally I am inspired by all types of music whether it be metal, rock, jazz, western art music or otherwise. Life in general is an inspiration, our friends, families and all our experiences. If one takes everything in, I feel it allows you to more fully express yourself creatively and to sound out your personal unique voice.

MP - In the recording process, all these influences are combined consciently or is it kinda spontaneous?
TC - Mostly it is something that is spontaneous and innate. NeO’s sound is really the combination of the 6 unique individuals in the band, and we really encourage the breaking down of boundaries in regards to style and genre which means everyone is comfortable putting forward ideas that many bands would consider unsuitable for a metal band. There are things we do stylistically that happen purely by each member contributing their part and it creating a certain overall result, and then their are other times where an idea is put forward and we make a conscious decision whether we want to pursue that direction. But in general, we just try to let things flow naturally and not force our sound in any particular direction.

MP - Do you think you already have your own recognizable sound? Do you think people can identify your band if they'd hear it on the radio?
TC - I think so. My vocal and violin style are very distinctive especially, but the combination of styles I definitely feel is approaching something that is unique and representative of NeO alone. We are just trying to be ourselves, regardless of what anyone else is doing, and hopefully that comes through to the listeners.

MP - After Aurora Veil you'll release your first LP. Do you already have some label in mind to get a contract with?
TC - We’re in discussion with a few record labels at the moment, so hopefully we’ll have something official to announce in the near future!

MP - This LP is still unnamed right? What can people expect from it: it'll be similar to "The Aurora Veil" or will you try to change some things, [like sound more/less black metal, or more/less progressive or whatever]?
TC - There is no official name for the LP yet, although we do have a prospective title in place. Stylistically, the LP will offer a similar approach to ‘The Aurora Veil’. We will be re-recording those 3 songs (with much improved production and performances), as well as another 4 (about 70 minutes all up), and in the same way each of the 3 songs on ‘The Aurora Veil’ are quite distinctive and different, we feel that all 7 of the songs on the album are quite distinct individually. One song has a strong Latin influenced section, another has some jazz influence, another is very extreme and intense… but the over arching qualities that make Ne Obliviscaris what we are, have stayed essentially the same.

MP - What are your favourite bands?
TC - I listen to so much music it’s hard to just name a few, but a short list of some of my favourite bands would be: Opeth, Sigur Ros, Enslaved, ISIS, Immortal, Dream Theater, Explosions in the Sky, Cynic, Dillinger Escape Plan, Devin Townsend, Coldplay, Muse, Radiohead and many more…

MP - I read somewhere in the web that your demo can only be compared to debuts from death-metal bands in the early 90's. How do you feel when someone says this?
TC - Anytime we hear anything that in any way supports Ne Obliviscaris, and the music we are creating, we are so appreciative. As I said before, we are just trying to be ourselves, and the fact that so many people have been connecting with our music and appreciating our approach to metal is fantastic.

MP - How is the metal scene in Australia?
TC - The metal scene and community appreciation of metal is definitely much smaller here in Australia than in Europe. Despite being a big country in land masse, there are only 20 million people in Australia and we are a long way away from most countries, so it does make it hard for bands to get off the ground and make a living from their music. But despite this there are definitely some fantastic bands here such as: Alarum, Be’lakor, Separatist, Astriaal, The Ocularis Infernum, Aphotic Dawn, Ruins, The Amenta, Psycroptic, sleepmakeswaves, Voyager and more.

MP - Do you prefer to play live or just record?
TC - For me, there is nothing better than performing live. The energy that is shared between the band and the audience is something that can not be replicated in any other life situation. It is like a drug, and personally I just can’t get enough of it. Recording presents its own challenges and positive experiences and is also a great part of playing in a band, but the direct interaction with fans and the sharing of that live experience definitely makes performing live my favourite aspect of the band.

MP - If you could pick one band to share the stage with, which one would you pick? And where would you like to play?
TC - Well it’s incredibly hard to pick just one band, but it would definitely be fantastic to play with Opeth as they helped shape my view that you could do almost anything stylistically in metal (especially in regards to the more mellow and progressive elements) and if it was high quality it would find an audience. And like every other metal band hopes, it would be great to play at Wacken Open Air in Germany.

MP - Do you know any portuguese metal acts?
TC - I know Moonspell well, but admittedly, aside from them don’t have a great knowledge of the Portuguese metal scene.

MP - Would you ever consider coming to Portugal to play?
TC - We would love to come do some shows in Portugal! Once the album is released in the first half of 2009 we’ll be looking to tour Europe so if there is enough interest in Portugal hopefully we’ll make it there for some shows.

MP - Is there any band, book and movie you would like to recommend to Música de Peso readers/listeners?
TC - Ikuinen Kaamos are an incredible progressive death metal band from Finland that are criminally under-appreciated. Their new album ‘Epilogue’, which is about to be released, is incredible and they are definitely a band I have a lot of respect for. They are also a band I think a lot of Ne Obliviscaris fans would like.