HeavyHardMetalmania: SEPTEKH: Interview For World Domination!

Below can be read an interview of the Swedish death / thrash Metal band Septekh, this record by The Gardnerz` Wilhelm Lindh does not cease to make me happy, they are one of my favorite bands, a killer concept with brilliant musicians and devastating gigs, to the attention of promoters of shows in Portugal ... hope to see you soon guys!

Septekh born in Stockholm/Mörkö, Sweden, was formed in late autumn 2008 and has since then been recording, playing shows and dwelling in their refuge in the rural heart of the dark island. There they have honed an exquisite brand of groovy riffing and grand proclamations.
The band is inspired by things such as the musical elegant wave of devastation from the neighbouring country in the west, the older wave from the British isle as well as Motörhead, Black Sabbath and other forebears of true rock n roll.

Below you can hear Vlad Tepes taken from "Apollonian Eyes EP", Abyss Records, 2013

Wilhelm Lindh- Hey guys, what's up, can you introduce yourself and what you do in the band?

Nils- Hey Wilhelm! My name is Nils and I do the lead vocals and front Septekh on stage. Currently sitting at the breakfast table at a friends place in Åhus in the southern parts of Sweden. We're playing Malmö, Copenhagen this weekend and I took some R & R and seized the chance to visit the ocean.

Wilhelm Lindh- Since I'm kind of lazy, I have not read your lyrics, can you give me a short essay regarding the themes you guys growl about?

Nils- Hm. That laziness might turn on you one day. Better keep it under some scrutiny. There has off course been some development over the years in that department. Back at the time we did our first demos and at the release of The Seth Avalanche, we focused almost entirely on motivation and image. What ever created the right mood or image was what we chose to write about.

As we got to know the creature Septekh better it was obvious that it was necessary to address the issues at hand more directly. The stories became tighter, more deliberate on Apollonian Eyes. Still flirting with the fantastic but more worked over. More precision. Putting effort into remaining true to the message in it's most refined form. Now on Plan For World Domination we've pulled the stops entirely on censoring the lyrics. It almost feels like not writing them at all. At a certain stage in its development the song just sort of decides for itself and we often find our personal ambitions sidestepped by what actually ends up on the finished track.

Wilhelm Lindh- You have so far released three EPs and one demo, how come no full length album, is that a dying format or what's what?

Nils- I sincerely believe in the full-length format. No matter what people in the business might tell you. I think there is a general craving for the “proper” weighty, album. Perhaps even more so in metal and perhaps even heftier, bigger productions than back in the day will be needed to satisfy future audiences. The urge to digitalize and rationalize has already become hopelessly boring.

Our intention has always been to release a full album. However it felt appropriate to partition the early work into two separate EPs. Partially for reasons I explained above.

Wilhelm Lindh- Can you describe the progression you guys have made with each release, if you feel that there has been any.

Nils- He he. Yes I do feel just that. Other than lyrically there has been various musical experiments and infatuations that undoubtedly colored the way we write and play. Faster, stronger, harder was of course the first of those and still holds a lot of pull. But as telling the story got more important a lot of focus was given to swaying the listener. Getting better at transporting an audience. Pulling out a box of tricks from the formative years of Heavy Metal.

As we wrote the material for Plan there was a menagerie of directions, pulls and inspirations and we sort of just tried to have them all share a table. But as we moved towards the end of the process we were overcome by darkness. The same velvet blackness that got us into this in the first place. The allure of the void. Tracks like Fuck Dollar, Desdaemonia and Black Shores stem directly from that source with no detour by the world of light. It looks like that movement will persist for some time.

Wilhelm Lindh- I saw you guys in Malmö this fall, and I must say it was a killer show. You guys have a great show, even thou you only use small means (killer mustaches and beards), it is highly effective. Can you describe how a Septekh show generally goes?

Nils- Ha ha! Thanks. Yea it was a good crowd that night.

Well the timeline of the show varies little. Even though we change the setlist all the time the feel of the show usually turns out a little like this: We go out fast, get serous and sombre in the middle and end in a frenzy. Oh! And my clothes tend to come off towards the end.

Wilhelm Lindh- If I am not totally mistaken, you guys have played quite a few shows so far, any highlights/lows you would like to mention, and what is next on the horizon in terms of shows?

Nils- As I said above we're currently heading to Denmark. We're playing Dark Mental Festival. Then we're booking gigs around Sweden to promote the album. Fifth of July we will host a special gigg at Hellbar Stockholm to celebrate the release and play all 13 tracks back to back. That one will be made available for streaming in August. Keep a look out on our Youtube.

Wilhelm Lindh- I know you are working on a new album, feel free to without any shame plug it!!

Nils- We finished writing Plan For World Domination some time ago. And we're already far gone putting the songs together for our next one. That subject is however better suited for our next talk.

Wilhelm Lindh- Was it a big difference recording an entire album over an Ep?

Nils- Yep. Big difference. We decided early that we wanted to do all the recording in one sweep to keep the motion right. Doing four tracks in a row is hard work. Doing thirteen is devastating. The amount of preparation involved for the recording session sort of spiraled out of control and for a while it looked like we would have to retreat, rethink and regroup. But we pushed it and the Plan held. All of the album is recorded live in the studio at Silence, Koppom. Just adding guitar dubbs and voice afterwards. Some of the vocals, like on the opening track and on Neanderthal, are kept from the original studio take.

Wilhelm Lindh- You have made a few really cool videos, most recently with Burn it to the ground ,tell me a bit about it, are you big video fans? How has the response been to the videos, have you felt a big impact with them?

Nils- Absolutely. Producing the video for Burn It has been one of the most rewarding efforts so far. As you might suspect we pay a lot of attention to the visual. The whole apparatus must be served. Our job is to interact with the audience through any and all means necessary. Delivering the message is paramount.The music is just an appropriate vessel.

Wilhelm Lindh- You guys play a mix of death/thrash but with a unique personality, kudos for that. Was this the mission from the get go or has it evolved? What is the main influence for the Septekh boys?

Nils- Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. There was no mission. Just a bunch of guys playing. The specific personality of the Septekh creature had to be learned. Influences are wildly disparate and change constantly. There is a lot of Norwegian stuff in there, Charpatian, Emperor etc. And a good dose of Britt-metal. But also things like Deep Purple, MC5 and Sabbath of course. A lot of what we listen to and carry with us to the 508 is completely off genre and would take up way to much space to expand on here.

Wilhelm Lindh- Do you guys play in any other bands aswell?

Nils- Nope. No other bands.

Wilhelm Lindh-What would be the dream tour for you guys?

Nils- As big as possible. As long as possible. There is of course a lot of impressive and excellent bands out there we would love to be associated with. But in the end all that matters is scale and frequency.

Wilhelm Lindh- I know that you are fortunate to have artists within other fields, how has that effected the band?

Nils- I think we have benefited greatly from the cross pollination. Nothing is ever just one thing. Having multiple perspectives on an effort like this allows you to remain in some control of the finer details of the expression. Personally I find it a requisite.

Wilhelm Lindh- What is your take on the downloading debate? Curse or salvation?

Nils- On our part it's more salvation than curse I suppose. I realize off course that in upsetting old patterns a lot of respectable people get hurt and I mean no disregard to them. We're in the game to play good shows and it was never part of the plan to get rich selling CDs.

Wilhelm Lindh- You have released two Eps with Abyss Records, how did that come about and how has the Eps been received?

Nils- Mr Ferguson picked us up from MySpace in 2009 and wanted to ad us to his line up. Simple as that. The deal with Abyss Records has helped us immensely in terms of learning the game and getting our act together. Off course releasing an EP doesn't generate the same ripples as handing out a full length. Foundations for tall buildings need to be constructed carefully in order to withstand future pressure. We don't mind taking it slow.

Wilhelm Lindh- What has been the highlight for the band so far?

Nils- Every successive show keeps getting better. The next one is always the peak of our career. Though I must say that playing the legendary Nalen stage in Stockholm was something of a high water mark. At least in regard to the locale. Countless of the greats have made a mark there. Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Monica Z and now Septekh of Mörkö.

Wilhelm Lindh- Since I have run out of questions I will let you speak about whatever you feel. Go nuts!

Nils- Thanks! But I'm sort of out of time here. Got a date at a wine bar in town. Must put my lashes on and get ready.

Wilhelm Lindh- Thanks for taking your time to speak with me, I hope the future is bright and I will see you guys soon!

Nils- Yes you will sire! All well whishes to you and the Gardnerz. See you out there in the wilderness.

Regards – Nils GRZNLS Meseke, vocalist SEPTEKH

Sweden`s Wilhelm Lindh*, "Portuguese by adoption," guitar player, composer and owner of the Doom / Death Metal band The Gardnerz, reviews here in HeavyHardMetalmania.net. Careful and professional analysis to the music and albums with suggestions of what there is to see and hear ... not to be missed. "The wisdom is found in the extremes, all extreme Metal here!".