Jarno Nurmi - All instruments And Vocals
Well,Friends Of Aristocracy!
We speak again of all your emotions, from our newsroom, where we will post Interview 119 of the Aristocracy.This time, we'll talk about a unitary project called Serpent Ascending. This project comes from Finland. The idea is all by Jarno Nurmi, his sound is so intimate and evil and powerful that he is already on the second album of his solitary project entitled like Hyperborean Folklore. But, it would be incorrect to say that he does everything himself. In this project, yes.Now, Jarno answers our questions, you start following all this now!
A1:Talking about the composition work in Hyperborean Folklore?
Jarno Nurmi:Writing Hyperborean Folklore started already in 2016, before Ananku,the previous Serpent Ascending album was released. Finally, the album was written quite fast, maybe within a month or two,but the process of recording, forming the concept and lyrics took lot more time. Usually doing a Serpent Ascending album is not only about the writing and recording process. I feel like I must experience certain things related to the album before I have a better vision what the album is about.
A2:What Fennoscandian mythologies inspire you?
Jarno Nurmi:It’s much more difficult question to answer than you would expect. There’s thousands of different mythologies and local variations and versions of them. Do I even understand what they are about or am I only projecting my own ideals on them? This is what many people do today, especially those metal bands that take inspirations from some past tales and look at them through the scope of today. Probably I would not choose any specific mythology but the worldview behind some of them.They hint at a living world where all parts of existence are soulful beings.
A3:Is it agreed or is it natural for you to make long songs?
Jarno Nurmi:This time I decided to make longer tracks, but they came out naturally, without having to force them into this form. I just knew when the songs were ready.
A4:How to give progressions to such an intimate sound?
Jarno Nurmi:I’m happy to hear it sounds intimate! I worked for a very long time to make the album sound as it is. Mastering was done by a professional, Thomas W. Engel, but my part is probably lot less professional. I try to do my best with the equipment I have and hope it sounds original, something I have done, and not like every other album there is.
A5:Melancholy and hypnotic. Do you see yourself that way beyond your songs?
Jarno Nurmi:Melancholic maybe to some extent. Probably less hypnotic.
A6:Is the Serpent that names your project a biblical reference?
Jarno Nurmi:I think that originally it was a syncretistic combination of different religious influences and their symbolism. There’s certainly biblical references but they are merged with ideas about kundalini, qabalistic thoughts and all of them thrown into the pot of modern western occultism. But I think that a new kind of interpretation has been coming into life for some time now. Something that is not so strongly predefined.
A7:What films,games or literature inspire you?
Jarno Nurmi:I’m very bad at remembering films and film makers. I don’t watch films very often, but I have enjoyed films by Andrei Tarkovsky. Obviously, there’s lot of literature that inspired Hyperborean Folklore. The older literary references I used on this album are old poems from Kalevala and a poem from Prose Edda. Well, they are not just references but straight quotes instead, just reorganized to fit the red line behind the album. Some might consider it an unorthodox way of dealing with old texts, but I believe we should seek ways to rethink them today, understanding also where they came from and how. Growth of the Soil, by Knut Hamsun, sets the albums tone and the context in the beginning. The introspective lyrics to Stállus Hideout were inspired by recent literature of Niillas Holmberg. Besides them let’s mention Hermann Hesse and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
A8:Do you consider yourself your biggest critic?
Jarno Nurmi:I don’t know. Probably no one else has listened and analysed my music as much as I have. But I try not to judge too hard because I know that mostly my albums have been what I wanted them to be. There’s always something to work on. I have seen the flaws on my albums and always do my best to improve my work for the future releases. Yet some listeners may enjoy parts that I think could have been done better so who knows.
A9:DESECRESY, SLUGATHOR, NERLICH. I know you've played in other bands. But, of the three, which one did you fulfill yourself in other than SERPENT ASCENDING?
Jarno Nurmi:All three are important in different ways. Nerlich gave me new perspective on writing music and experiences needed at that point. I enjoyed playing in Slugathor. Especially the last year of our activity felt somehow special. I’m glad our last album was finally released last month after a 12 year wait. But I think I would have to choose Desecresy. It was great to work with Tommi on the first four albums and think about the lyrical themes and everything.
A10:Aṇaṅku and Hyperborean Folklore are different or complementary albums? Justify your answer!
Jarno Nurmi:I would say they are complementary. Of course, the new one is different, too, but that was not the point. It still sounds like Serpent Ascending and the differences between these two albums might be somewhat exaggerated at this early point when people have heard the new album for the first times. I wanted to work on something that I felt was missing from Ananku or was only lightly hinted at. Another album like Ananku would have been the end of Serpent Ascending. I had to take things to another extreme to find more room to breathe. Now there is a larger foundation to build on, to work for the future albums and maybe seek a synthesis between these two sides of Serpent Ascending. I have many possible directions and more freedom.
A11:What´s the idea behind artwork´s album?
Jarno Nurmi:The artwork was painted by Tommi Grönqvist. I think we discussed album artwork at some point and suddenly he had these works ready that are used in the cover art. The cover painting coincidentally reminds me of a place I’ve often been to, and which was one of the places this album was written in.
A12:How did esotericism enter your music?
Jarno Nurmi:I think it’s something that was always there, esotericism being something hidden and meaningful in ways that speak to those who understand it. But there’s many ways to hear and comprehend these things. Someone else might see nuances that I don’t see. There has been many moments that have shaped the relationship between esotericism and my music but the first one was in early 2000s when I understood that the lyrics of Warrel Dane, who was the singer in Sanctuary and Nevermore, both major influences to me with their first couple of albums, contained ideas that I couldn’t have understood without certain “esoteric” context.
A13:What is so beautiful about Finland to make such a spectacular Heavy Metal?
Jarno Nurmi:If any of the beauty around here gets channelled into my music, it is not only that of Finland but also of Norway, Sápmi and Sweden. There are certain places that have inspired me and which I have tried to learn to know holistically, understanding the rich cultural background and how it engages with nature. It is also close to what is in the core of Hyperborean Folklore,The encounter of different worlds and how we should understand them. Despite this local level, I believe listeners everywhere can find something that speaks to them inside this album.
A14:What would the 2022 Jarno say to the 2008 Jarno?
Jarno Nurmi:Maybe I would ask some advice from him instead. I would probably say about certain possibilities and options I never thought were possible as I didn’t even know of their existence. But getting to this point in my life has demanded all the experiences I have had so maybe it would be pointless to have gotten any advice from the future me.
A15:How come you emerged the I,Voidhanger Records?
Jarno Nurmi:In 2010, when I had finished the second demo “The Mournful Pilgrimage”, I was contacted by Luciano from I, Voidhanger Records. I think he saw potentiality in my music and I’m glad he did. Our cooperation has worked well and I would have had much more difficulties releasing music without his help and the great work he is doing with his label.
A16:Would it be losing the essence of your project if you called other people?
Jarno Nurmi:Not sure really. Maybe I have been too protective about Serpent Ascending. At least, I will probably ask for a session drummer to record drums. I have even thought of asking for a real singer to sing the clean parts in the future. I have one person in mind whose voice could perfectly fit the clean singing parts, but I don’t know him at all and don’t know what he would think if an unknown person like me would contact him. But there’s nothing to lose in asking. In general, I enjoy playing with other people.
A17:Who is Tommi "Desecresy" Grönqvist?
Jarno Nurmi:Tommi is a friend of mine with whom I played in Slugathor and Desecresy.Thank you for the interview, Felipe!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuSML9N1j6c
Comments