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(This is Karina Noctum‘s interview of Sindre Solem, guitarist/vocalist of the Norwegian death metal band Obliteration, whose new album Cenotaph Obscure was released by Indie Recordings on November 23rd.)

Since I moved to Oslo I have been fortunate to be able to attend several special shows, including one for the release of Obliteration’s new album. It was an energetic gig and the band gave it all they had, in a completely heartfelt way. I have always had the band in my mind when it comes to old school oriented music, and there they will remain now more than ever with their new release because it fulfills my expectations.

Years have gone by since their last release, and everyone in the band developed musically without losing their essence. I think that is an important quality to applaud since many bands go in pretty strange ways as the years pass by. Cenotaph Obscure is true to the core of what Obliteration represents, and that is the Norwegian old school blend. I have to mention that they are influenced by the Kolbotn scene, and with that I mean Darkthrone, and that’s a huge advantage that you notice here and there in small details for all the audience’s pleasure.

I think they have a more mature and improved sound now. Skills and composition have now reached another level. Pretty delightful and interesting to see the development of the song structures. I have been quite obsessed with Nocturnal Graves from Australia for a long time now, when it comes to old school thrash and death blends, and now I will add Obliteration to that excellent list. What a great addition!

Taking into account all the aforementioned, I had to interview Sindre and quench my curiosity on the following matters:

Why has it taken this long to give out a new album?

We’ve been working on several projects, and playing in a band is not exactly our day job. For us, the music needs to be perfect, thus it takes its sweet time. Quality over quantity.

In which ways has the sound developed from previous releases?

I feel it’s taken an even darker turn, maybe wilder in some senses. Very little room for fun. It’s in many ways a more intense and complex record, in my opinion.

You know that when it comes to any old school oriented sound many bands try to either use old gear or try to keep a particular way to record or produce. Have you taken any particular considerations in this respect or are you going to change things, try something different this time?

Well, the most important tool is your ears, and how you choose to produce your music. On our part, intense, few takes have been essential, focusing on the vibe instead of perfection. But of course, using gear that sounds raw helps you reach the goal. We went to another studio, in another country, and used a lot of equipment we haven’t used before, mainly old stuff. Most of it is stuff that pre-dates metal, in many ways.

Do you have any guest appearances on the album?

No, we do not. Konie, the producer, added some noise and synthesizers though, but other than that we did everything ourselves.

How would you describe the sound of Cenotaph Obscure?

A bleak traverse toward the great nothingness.

What are the lyrics all about?

The lyrics are very dystrophic and are disconnected lyrical pieces. They deal with the meaninglessness of being, and the soul/intellect/thought’s travel/search towards death and damnation.

Are lyrics important to you? Do you spend much time researching/writing them?

Yes and yes and no.

Which bands/genres/subgenres have influenced you and had an effect on the composition process?

We try to NOT focus on musical influences when we make music anymore, just focus on the vibe and atmosphere of the riffs and music. Our musical tastes vary a lot, and we have a vast backbone of influences that are embedded in us, that range from old school death metal, punk, black metal, doom, thrash, psyche, prog, zeuhl, postpunk, heavy metal, electro, soul. Whatever sounds dark and weird.

What are your ambitions after the release?

No ambitions. Create more good music, play some shows that don’t suck.

…and what are the actual plans?

European tour with Aura Noir and Vorbid, some Norwegian shows with Aura Noir, Maryland Death Fest, Beyond the Gates festival, Tons of Rock, Chaos Descends festival, Old Grave Festival etc… Probably more to come. Or not.

What’s the process behind creating a song for you? Do you have a rough idea of what you want, or does it come to be as you rehearse/develop several ideas?

It varies a lot. Some songs are made beforehand, a lot happens at the rehersal room, someone brings a riff here and there, other stuff accrues during jamming, etc. But it all has to go through the slow churning wheel that is Obliteration, in order to mature and become an Obliteration track.

Your house is burning, and you can save just 10 albums out of your entire collection… what those albums would be?

Difficult. In no particular order:

Repulsion – Horrified
Slayer – Hell Awaits
Magma – Udu Wudu
Samhain – November Coming Fire
Cultes Des Ghouls / Sepulchral Zeal split 10-inch
The Devils Blood – The Graveyard Shufle
Darkthrone – A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Autopsy – Retribution for the Dead
Incubus – God Died on his Knees 7-inch
Black Sabbath – Master of Reality

What are the main differences between the recording of Cenotaoh Obscure and previous efforts? Has it been easier?

The main difference is that we recorded in Studio Cobra in Stockholm, instead of recording ourselves at Kolbotn with our old shitty equipment. It was a much more intense experience, and very different working with a producer/technician like Konie, who has a very different way of looking at music than we do. It was maybe easier to record, but harder to mix.

Do you feel you have to meet certain expectations with your new album now that you have gained a place in the scene through the years?

Maybe. I don’t know. Try not to think about it. We just try to make good records.

What’s true metal to you? Does it exists at all?

Yes. Music that feels honest, authentic, that has soul and flair, that’s true metal to me. You can hear it right away if something is soulless or has the “wrong” focus, in my opinion.

Anything from the underground Norwegian scene that you like and wish to recommend us?

Void Eater, Ritual Death, Mare, Reptillian, Sepulcher, Inculter, Knokkelklang, Kosmos Brenner, Nachash, Execration, Diskord, Black Viper, etc…

And last… what do you think of Beaten to Death’s song “The Obliteration of Nekromantheon”?

Beaten to who?

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/obliterationofficial/

BANDCAMP:
https://obliterationorway.bandcamp.com/album/cenotaph-obscure

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Though very specific to white people who were going through an awkward phase in 1995 (basically anyone between eleven and forty), My So-Called Life’s resonance cannot be overstated. Simply say the words Jordan Catalano. Say them to any white woman, gay white male, or superconfident-in-his-sexuality, irony-loving straight white male, and watch them swoon. You seriously do not even need an explanation about the show. Actually, if someone asks your name, you should say it’s Jordan Catalano and that you’ve never heard of the show. You will be the hit of the party, provided you let everyone in on the joke by the middle of the evening. Otherwise you will probably be known as a self-centered, dyslexic jerk.

The show itself was seen as revolutionary for its frank and honest dealings with same- sex relationships, drug and alcohol use among teenagers, and domestic abuse. However, the part of the show that truly bonds white people together is not their common experience of exploring these issues. No, it’s the collective sense of regret for mid-nineties fashion.

“Do you remember the episode where Rayanne had the drug overdose?”
“Sort of. Do you remember that choker necklace she wore?
What were we thinking?”
“I’ve actually had a drug prob—”
“And the scrunchies? Are you kidding me?”

So rather than attempting to use the social aspect of the show to forge a deep connection with white people, you should simply revert to the number-one rule when dealing with white people: throw a themed party.

As a male, if you arrive with a white T-shirt, ripped jeans, and a plaid shirt tied around your waist you should be guaranteed, at the very least, a make-out session. As a female, show up with a plaid skirt, combat boots, and your hair parted down the middle. Though this outfit would normally get you branded as a lesbian, tonight it will have quite the opposite effect.

Note: You may notice that all the music from this era is very depressing. Do not worry about it having a negative effect on your party. White people have an amazing ability to get drunk and then all happily sing, in unison, a song about suicide.

Whiter Shades of Pale: The Stuff White People Like, Coast to Coast from Seattle’s Sweaters to Maine’s Microbrews, coming 11/23!

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Kurrus posted a statement this morning on Facebook:

Commissioner Johnny Key has asked many of Little Rock School District’s teachers to agree to a waiver of state law which provides almost all of Arkansas’s public school teachers with fundamental due process rights with respect to their employment. The commissioner has raised this issue after months of negotiations between Little Rock’s superintendent and teacher representatives. This will force Little Rock’s teachers to make a very difficult decision on short notice. Should they defend their state law rights, or give up a fundamental right of employment which they have had since they were first hired? It seems unfair in any event to raise such a major issue at the end of a negotiation. This type of negotiation does not build trust and cooperation at a time when those two fundamental elements are essential to the success of LRSD. It also undermines the authority of the school district’s primary negotiator, the superintendent.

We all want our schools and students to be successful. The state has been in control of LRSD for almost four years. During this period Little Rock has lost students to new schools in our community which have either been started or expanded with the state’s permission. If the students who left were higher performing, the average scores of the remaining students were driven down by this state action, at the time when the state itself was in control. It would also be helpful to know the academic achievement levels of students who left LRSD, but then transferred back to LRSD because the competing schools were not accommodating the special needs of these students.

This basic conflict of interest needs to be addressed, or at least accounted for. It would be helpful now to know these facts, which are available to the state.

I would urge the commissioner to step back from his demand and provide more information which would allow the community to understand the reasoning and purposes behind his action. I would also urge that the deadline of October 31 be extended so that the teachers in all of Little Rock’s schools are not forced to defend the basic rights which have been afforded to all teachers in traditional public schools in our state for many years. If a major change in state law is needed, it would appear that the legislature should take up the matter, so that any change would apply equally to all schools which are similarly situated, rather than just to schools in LRSD. In any event, the school year is underway, and teachers are under contract until the end of the year. As a practical matter no changes in schools could be made until next school year. I would ask that the parties extend the current agreement, employ a mediator if necessary, and get to work improving results rather than forcing an unnecessary showdown. If I can be a volunteer facilitator in any of this, please count me in.

"The directive issued by state Education Commissioner Johnny Key demonstrates the problem with having a one-man unelected school board making unilateral decisions for the Little Rock School District.

We need to do everything we can to improve our schools, but there is no evidence that waiving state laws that were adopted through a deliberative democratic process will solve any problems. Instead it is likely to create more uncertainty and instability that will further undermine the LRSD as it faces great challenges.

It also doesn’t make sense to single out teachers for corrective action when we should be doing everything we can to attract and retain high-quality educators. We need a collaborative approach that includes teachers, administrators, parents, students, and — most importantly — an elected school board that directly represents the interests of every citizen in our city."

I also sent Key a series of questions today.

He didn't "release" that statement yesterday. I obtained it from a source and published it. The Democrat-Gazette later developed a story.

I was curious, for one, about his reference to an Oct. 3 agenda.

But I'm more curious to know how he explains a lack of advancement of the district under four years of state control. Doesn't his department, now in charge, share responsibility? What about the "school board," i..e., Johnny Key. The state fired the last school board because six of 46 schools were deemed deficient. The number is now up to 23. What about the principals? Does Key not place responsibility on them? Why have so few of them been replaced? What about his hand-picked superintendent, Michael Poore?

No, Key wants to fire teachers.

I have asked a very specific question that deserves an answer. How many teachers has LRSD wanted to fire but found stymied by the state teacher fair dismissal law, which provides some due process and protection from whims of a poor supervisor?

Also, is LRSD the first step in rolling back fair dismissal wherever a school is judged in "academic distress"? I think I know the answer.

UPDATE: Frank Scott Jr.'s response arrived by email Wednesday morning:

“While spending the day greeting voters at the early voting locations, I contemplated the issues surrounding the growing controversy related to the contractual negotiations between the Little Rock School District and the Little Rock Education Association.

“Yesterday, I spent the evening talking about this issue with those who directly affected and involved. It is my understanding that this disagreement stems from the letter grade rating at some of the LRSD schools which has resulted in a request for a waiver of the teacher-dismissal law. Ultimately, the lack of a locally-controlled school board has allowed this controversy to exist.

“As I have stated before, I strongly support the immediate return of the LRSD to local control. This will allow our elected school board officials to make thoughtful decisions regarding the contractual relationship between the LRSD and LREA to permit protection of the due process rights of one of our city’s most cherished resources, our teachers.

“The current proposal invokes unfairness and a double standard: teachers will be treated differently depending on the location of their employment without any regard to the unique circumstances at each of our schools. This would make our city, our schools, and our teachers even further disconnected.

“We have to focus on moving from disconnected to connected, connecting our city, our schools, and our teachers to create better educational opportunities and to create a better Little Rock. The restoration of a locally elected school board must be one of the first steps in that process.

“Also, as outlined in our Opportunity Agenda, we recognize the importance of our City leaders providing support and resources to the LRSD’s teachers and students to improve our schools.

“This is why we intend to implement a summer and after-schoolgrade level reading program to improve literacy and hire Little Rock’s first Chief Education Officer to collaborate with the LRSD, LREA, and others to increase resources and opportunities for both teachers and students. It’s time to unify our city in support of our teachers and students.”

Nine’s coverage of the netball Constellation Cup begins on Sunday.

Clint Stanaway and Aislin Kriukelis will host with commentary by Liz Ellis, Sue Gaudion, Cath Cox and recently retired Diamond, Laura Geitz, in Brisbane and Townsville.

Trans-Tasman rivalry will boil over when the Samsung Australian Diamonds and the New Zealand Silver Ferns face off in the Constellation Cup netball series starting this Sunday, October 7, at 1.00pm AEDST on Nine and 9Gem.

The Diamonds, the world number two team, hold a five-year winning streak in this annual four-game clash.

In the last Quad Series, it all came down to the final game where the Diamonds defeated the Silver Ferns 60-55 at Melbourne Arena.

Nine’s Head of Netball, Keeley Devery, said: “In the recent Quad Series, New Zealand really looked to be finding form that has been lacking in the last few years, so it won’t be one way at all this series.”

The Diamonds’ veteran midcourter, Kim Ravaillion, is out of the Constellation Cup and will be replaced by Kate Moloney and Jamie-Lee Price.

Moloney will play in the first two matches of the series in Brisbane and Townsville and Price will play in the final two matches, in Hamilton and Wellington in New Zealand

Hot on the heels of the Constellation Cup comes the FAST 5 Netball World Series beginning on October 27 on Nine.

Blockchain rights startup JAAK has made several senior appointments ahead of its first commercial release set for in 2019.

Spotify’s former artist-in-residence D.A.Wallach and David King, inventor of YouTube’s Content ID join as advisors, while UMPG’s Dom Lovett joins full time.

According to JAAK, its first commercial product will lower the barriers to music innovation by ‘simplifying the licensing and back-office processes for music rights holders and developers’.

The aim is to encourage new and varied music services to launch.

In May 2018, JAAK launched a music pilot where partners including BMG, Global Music Rights, Red Bull Media House, Sentric, Warner Music Group, and Warner/Chappell Music, contributed music rights information, metadata, and audio assets to a private sandbox.

A similar pilot for the film and TV industries is being developed.

Wallach, who was Spotify’s artist-in-residence for four years and is currently a solo artist who toured with acclaimed artists like N*E*R*D and Lady Gaga, penned the influential essay Bitcoin for Rockstars, advocating for a decentralised solution to the spiralling rights management problem.

David King, meanwhile, is known for inventing and building YouTube’s Content ID system, which identifies, manages, and monetizes copyrights in user-generated content on the platform.

Following his recent work with the United Nations and the World Intellectual Property Office on digital infrastructure for copyright holders, King will advise on refining JAAK’s product strategy and furthering its commercial partnerships.

“We share the belief that rights can and will be unified across shared, decentralised infrastructure and we’re assembling a team capable of delivering that vision.”

Vaughn McKenzie-Landell, Jaak

Alongside Wallach and King, JAAK have made five new hires.

Dom Lovett joins as Head of Music Copyright after a decade with Universal Music Publishing Group.

Before UMPG, Lovett held roles at BMG, Zomba, and MCPS.

Meanwhile, Hari Ashurst-Venn will focus on developing commercial partnerships. He was previously head of creative services for the emerging DSP Lucid Tunes and founded the influential indie label Double Denim Records.

Furthermore, JAAK have hired Entrepreneur First member Alina Colceag and Samir Rashed as product designers. Samir joins following a UX product manager role at school leaver network Alumnet.

Finally, Philippe Rixhon, a research fellow at UCL Centre for Blockchain, will be briefing JAAK on developments in copyright policy.

“The industry we should all want is one in which artists are paid transparently and instantaneously when listeners enjoy their music.”

D.A. Wallach

D.A. Wallach said: “When I, years ago, conceived of a global metadata and payments platform built on blockchain technology I was hoping that this might once and for all cut through the intense global disorganization in the music business that bedevils artists who merely want to get paid fairly for their work.

I am still hopeful that a combination of streaming platforms, decentralized databases, and payment networks can deliver on this promise.

“The industry we should all want is one in which artists are paid transparently and instantaneously when listeners enjoy their music. Facilitating this eminently achievable vision will become a competitive necessity for rights holders seeking to attract the best talent.

“I’m excited to advise JAAK because they are taking a comprehensive and practical view to building core infrastructure for the future of the industry. Their seriousness and focus set them apart.”

“JAAK have remarkable leadership and a mastery of all the latest technologies that are best suited to meeting these market challenges.”

David King

King said: “Now that most music fans have switched to digital it’s time for the industry to come together around more flexible and scalable licensing solutions, making sure that consumers have a wide variety of platforms to choose from.

“JAAK have remarkable leadership and a mastery of all the latest technologies that are best suited to meeting these market challenges.

“I’m excited to join their team and to participate in developing the next generation of the music business.”

JAAK CEO Vaughn McKenzie-Landell added: “Tackling such a complex problem with new technology requires not just incredibly talented people but also voices, ideas, and experiences from businesses across the entire supply chain – including creators.

“D.A. and David’s insight and experience increase the effectiveness of our efforts and the depth of our relationships. Combined with Dom, Hari, Alina, Samir, and Philippe, our team integrates deep expertise in rights administration, copyright policy, and creator services with digital infrastructure, royalty payments, content identification, distributed systems, and product design.

“We share the belief that rights can and will be unified across shared, decentralised infrastructure and we’re assembling a team capable of delivering that vision.”Music Business Worldwide