The one-man Black Metal beast known as Shylmagoghnar have recently released their third album on November 10th entitled Convergence. The man behind Shylmagoghnar, Nimblkorg Virtanen took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about the new album, advice on starting your own home studio, his personal hardships during the writing and recording process, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Your new album entitled Convergence was released on November 10th, what can you tell fans about your latest album?
Nimblkorg: It is the final album of the original trilogy, and it takes the listener on the final journey of death. This album was a particularly emotional one to write and record, because I’ve lost my mother and received my first child alongside its creation. It has helped me through a tough time and I hope it will do so for others as well.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being your third album?
Nimblkorg: The technical side of things became a bit easier due to previous experiences, and because of that I felt a lot less stressed during the production. My vision was clearer than it had ever been before and the end result closer to that vision than I was previously able to conceive. With that said, the writing remains a very iterative process as it has always been, and years have gone into crafting the final outcome.
MER: How would you compare Convergence to your previous two albums?
Nimblkorg: To me it feels more free. Being by myself for the entire album was a lot of work, but there were no compromises and I was able to craft every facet of the journey exactly as I had envisioned it. Beforehand we were a two-man band, and there was rarely any friction. Still, two minds means two directions, so the results were always an in-between of two different visions. I enjoyed that for different reasons, but it was interesting to see things from this alternative approach for sure. One thing that was retained from previous titles is that there is still a lot of variety between songs and, as always, a healthy amount of instrumentals. I personally am more satisfied with the end result than I was with the previous two albums. I feel far less burned out now that it’s finished, which was a big problem in the past. But all of the albums have a soul of their own and will never replace each other in my eyes. They fit different moods.
MER: How would you compare writing as a solo artist as opposed to writing with a band?
Nimblkorg: The writing itself wasn’t massively different from the way things were before, because of our method. Skirge and I used to work like a tag team. I would write and record music. He would then prepare his lyrics/vocals and we would record those together in my home studio. I then mixed all of that into the final result. So technically the only different step for me was that I also had to write and perform more vocals. However, the mental process does change when you’re by yourself. When you work as a team, you take decisions as a team, and the outcome may be different from when you had taken those decisions by yourself. There are benefits and downsides to both methods I think.
MER: What do you see as plans for yourself after the album release?
Nimblkorg: First of all, continuing to write for Shylmagoghnar of course! Some people worried that since this is the end of the trilogy, that means the end of the band, but that is not the case. A trilogy was just the original dream the two of us concocted when we started this band in high school. If anything, the trilogy concept limited me a bit in what themes I could use on an album, so quite a lot of ideas ended up in the drawer over the years. I imagine that some of those might make for a good foundation for a new album. I don’t know yet what it will be about, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough. The project has a life of its own and I follow wherever it takes me.
MER: You have been recording and producing records from your home since your inception in 2004. How has your in-home recording practices evolved from your inception?
Nimblkorg: My grasp of what makes a good and balanced production has developed a lot over time. You learn something new from every production, and the better you get, the more you’re able to recognize your own pitfalls. One of the biggest problems I used to have was that I was never able to call something finished. I would go in circles endlessly, rerecording and remixing the same song over and over. While that did some good, it also wasted years of my life. At some point you need to learn to burn bridges and just call something finished. I’ve also gotten much better at understanding and applying my tools. A well trained carpenter can probably tell you a 100 ways to use a hammer, while a beginner only knows one. That’s very much the case for anything in audio as well. As you become more familiar, you become more creative. You need to learn the rules to know when to break them so to say.
MER: When recording, do you approach traditionally metal instruments differently from your more orchestral elements?
Nimblkorg: Yes, metal has been built around instruments which are very loud and rich in their frequency content. That often means that they will need some work to fit together with other instruments. This is easiest when recordings are very dry and direct, so these are qualities I look for when recording anything from a harsh vocal to a distorted guitar. More traditional orchestral elements are oftentimes less bulky in their spectrum, so they feel like they already tell you where they want to sit in the mix. For them I’ll usually try to find a microphone and position which brings out those suggestions. Also, because they take up less sonic space, they oftentimes go well with some kind of reverb to fill them out a bit, so I’m more likely to have an extra microphone or two set up to capture the room’s tone from a distance. There are instruments which are a bit in between worlds, like drums. For metal you’ll generally want to mic up individual shells and cymbals from up close to get that dry direct sound. But they are lifeless without some room sounds, so I’ll often record that similarly to for example a violin, and will mix it in to taste later.
MER: Do you have any advice to artists looking to start their own home studios?
Nimblkorg: Definitely! I could write a book about it, but for starters, here are some thoughts: Be kind to your ears, you’re only going to get one pair. Find out which investments have the biggest impact. You don’t need an analog mixing console right now. Decent speakers and an audio interface are worth your money though. Buy slightly above what you think you’ll need, so there is room to grow. Good monitoring begins with your room. Reflections will make it impossible to judge your audio. Think of it as if you were a video editor trying to set the perfect colors for your film, while sitting in a room where every wall is a mirror, and there are disco lights behind your screen. That’s audio in an untreated room. Read about First Reflection Points, Standing Waves, and find a tutorial on how to make DIY acoustic absorption panels. Research speaker placement. It’s free! After doing all of the above, realize that you’re building a home studio. Chances are, you cannot get everything as perfect as in a million dollar custom built room. Get it as close as you can, and learn to compensate for imperfections. Have a pair of headphones or two you can trust to double check things. Reference mixes you enjoy and try to understand what they are doing differently and why! Only buy more plugins and gear once you need them. For plugins, if possible, wait for Black Friday deals. Get an SM57 microphone. You can do a whole album with those. You can always add more specific mics later. Buy it new though! The 2nd hand market is overflown with fakes, which are hard to detect without having it in your hand. For your initial investment, aim to not buy the cheapest but also not the most expensive gear. The very cheapest gear is oftentimes a beginner’s trap and will make things harder than they need to be. The most expensive stuff will either be very esoteric or simply be aimed at people who know exactly what they need already. The lowmid tier stuff will last you a long time. When checking your whole mix, listen passively, for example while reading a book. That way you will only be drawn towards the sound if there’s something off about it. If you’re not bothered by it while doing that, chances are that there is nothing wrong with your mix. Get it done! Once you get competent and want to sell your services: DO NOT UNDERVALUE YOUR WORK! It’s both damaging to yourself and to the industry. Keep in mind: cheap price tags attract cheap customers. Finally: ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY! If you get frustrated, just go have a cup of coffee and come back later. It’s not going anywhere.
MER: What have been some of your favorite releases of 2023?
Nimblkorg: I haven’t heard all that many of them yet sadly! I was so preoccupied with getting the release done that I’ve been living under a rock for a while. I have some catching up to do in the coming months. I did work as sound engineer on a release by befriended band Thurnin, which is a dark neo-folk project, and I think the guy writes some fantastic moody stuff. So for anyone who is into something non-metal which fits well with an autumn walk through the woods, check out Útiseta by Thurnin.
MER: What are your hopes for your future as a solo artist?
Nimblkorg: I feel very blessed that I’m able to make music as an introvert in a private atmosphere and somehow still reach the ears I’m hoping to reach with it. My main wish is to keep doing that and hopefully create meaningful works which speak to the hearts of others, be it in good or bad times.
Be the first to comment