Lars Nedland, the brains behind White Void, Borknagar, and Solefald is now releasing another project Black Void. Nedland took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about Black Void’s upcoming debut album, the differences between his projects, his influence from Punk Rock, and more. Check out the chat!
Metal Express Radio: Black Void’s debut album Antithesis is set to be released on May 27th via Nuclear Blast, what can you tell fans about the band’s first full length album?
Nedland: White Void and Black Void are separate bands, but united by their starting points and the fact that they contrast each other. White Void is soft, Black Void is hard. White Void is melodic, Black Void is aggressive. White Void is absurdist, Black Void is Nihilistic. White Void is pink and neon, Black Void is monochrome. The album is a punk and black metal attack. Aggressive and unrelenting.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being the band’s first album?
Nedland: I started writing Black Void at the same time as White Void, and things went really fast from there and to the signing by Nuclear Blast. Both bands were signed at the same time, so the whole process has been a speedy one. We recorded in our home studios, and the mixing and mastering was done by Øystein G. Brun at Crosound studio.
MER: How was it working with Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ on the song “Dadaist Disgust?”
Nedland: Both Sakis Tolis and Hoest from Taake have very unique positions within the black metal scene, so it was an honour for me to collaborate with them on the Black Void album. Rotting Christ are among the godfathers of the scene, and I always loved Sakis’ vocals, so it was a real treat to collaborate with him on this album. Hoest and Taake are black metal purists – they have been true to their idea of black metal since the very beginning, and Hoest brought those ice-cold Norwegian shrieks and screams into our framework and made “Death to Morality” a truly chilling piece of uncomfortable darkness. Absolutely beautiful.
MER: Can you explain more about White Void?
Nedland: White Void is based on seventies Hard Rock and melodic New Wave from the eighties, so it’s quite different from the rawness of Black Void.
MER: How did the formation of Black Void come about?
Nedland: Black Void grew out of White Void when I was writing the music for the White void Debut, Anti. White Void is colourful and melodic, so I found myself needing a contrast to that. Something monochrome, raw and hard. Uncomfortable and unruly. Black Void became the Antithesis to White Void. A flipside of the coin if you will.
MER: What do you see as plans for the band after the release of the album?
Nedland: Right now I’m on tour with Borknagar in the US, but maybe we’ll get touring with Black Void after that. We’ll see.
MER: Are you a fan of other bands signed to Nuclear Blast?
Nedland: They have a great roster with a lot of fantastic bands.
MER: Who would you want to tour with? (Headline or support.)
Nedland: It would be coo to do a Black Void / White Void / Borknagar tour, I think.
MER: What were some of the major influences to start Black Void?
Nedland: The main influences for Black Void are Punk and Black Metal for sure. Bands like Black Flag, MC5, Bad Brains, GBH, Stooges and so on one side and bands like Venom, Celtic Frost and Bathory on the other. I guess we lean heavier on our Punk influences than most bands affiliated with Black Metal – I was always a fan of the raw energy of the original Punk movement, so I’ve tried to channel that into Black Void.
MER: Where can fans get more familiar with the band’s music?
Nedland: Fans can check us out on Spotify, Tidal or any other streaming service, or they can order our debut album from Nuclear Blast or our bandcamp https://blckvod.bandcamp.com/
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