SOURCE – What stands out about Hollow Gloom to you as an Wolves Among Us release?
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – Hollow Gloom has definitely gone in a more heavy direction than ‘Collapse’. We introduced 7-string Guitars as a key component in our writing process, and it made its mark on multiple tracks. It is perhaps also a more mature record in its soundscape and writing.
SOURCE – Calamity is the first single/video for the new album. Was this the logical first choice to preview the record, and how do you think the video shoot went? Was this a collaborative effort between the director/film crew and the band to get what you most wanted visually to capture?
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – When deciding which song to be the first single, we had a lot of different songs to choose from, as we felt multiple had that ‘first single quality’. To say it was the logical first choice, probably wasn’t the case. However, ‘Calamity’ was a song we, from the start, were very comfortable with. The instrumentation is an interesting mix of simple heavy hitting riffs, the oddly melodic tremolo picking verse riff and the more dreamy chorus. We collaborated with Tobias Scavenius for the music video, which was a great experience. We scouted locations throughout our hometown of Aalborg, and he commented on what he thought would work best. We settled on a place called ‘Råt og Godt’, and then he basically took the reins, and produced a fantastic video that we are very proud of.
SOURCE – What concerns or fears do you have most about the world that we live in today – and what areas do you think people need to spend more time, energy, and effort in to make this a better place?
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – This is a big question. On a general note, and as an active band, we hope that the whole Covid situation dies down soon. On a more personal level, one of our biggest fears is that we lose touch with each other. There are too many trying to just force people into thinking, or believing as they do. We have a million ways of communicating with each other, but we fear that the ability to really listen to each other is lost. Especially in this mental health epidemic we seem to be in. It’s important to talk, but just as important to listen. Loneliness especially seems prevalent in society these days, and it breaks our heart that anyone has to feel lonely.
SOURCE – Growing up in Denmark, can you tell us the importance of acts like Mnemic and Raunchy when it came to establishing what could be possible with your work as a musician, considering their global impact in the metal scene?
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – We all grew up with Mnemic and Raunchy, we have seen them live multiple times and enjoyed their music through the years. They are our forefathers and who don’t love Deathbox and Raunchy’s album Death Pop Romance. We were saddened when Mnemic stopped (we’re still hoping for a reunion), although Raunchy are back from their hiatus and playing at Næstved Metal Festival, which is amazing! We hope to play some shows with them sometime, call us if you read this! There are plenty of names from Denmark that people know outside of Denmark. We constantly talk with people who specifically mention Raunchy, that makes you proud, and it makes us want to push ourselves towards both Mnemic’s and Raunchy’s legacy, and we hope people will talk about us like that someday.
SOURCE – How would you describe the state of the heavy metal scene within Denmark? Is there enough support for domestic talent as well as the international bands that tour your country – and are there specific styles that go over better than others?
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – I think the heavy metal scene in Denmark is quite healthy, and with a good amount of variety. Bands such as Cabal and Baest is doing great work in leaving a big fat danish metal footprint, both in Denmark and internationally. Denmark has a great metal following, and as such, a lot of fans. However, Denmark is also a small country, so fans often have to choose which bands to support, due to money and time etc. It often helps to do gigs with multiple bands, as it can draw in people that otherwise wouldn’t be interested.
SOURCE – How do you see the entertainment industry coming out of this pandemic after eighteen months of twists and turns? Do you believe people will have more respect and appreciation for the creative arts that may have been taken for granted in the past?
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – That’s a hard question to answer. While people are hungry for gigs and the overall live experience, respect is hard and appreciation is hard to earn. Lots of music has been released during Covid due to the restriction, which leaves more room to write music (as it has been the case for us), many artists get overshadowed and will probably have a hard time reaching a bigger audience. With that said, our personal experience has been that people have missed live shows and the feelings that brings with it.
SOURCE – Growing up with the tools of the Internet and instant communication at your disposal, what are your thoughts on the use of social media, cell phones, etc. in order to build the brand of the band? Are you conscious as well as cautious as to how to present yourselves accurately and fairly while not offending your audience?
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – We’re definitely branching into social media a lot more than what we have previously done. It’s such a big part of the music industry these days, that it is sort of mandatory. In 2021, you truly have to be careful and aware of what you release onto the internet, as it can either be taken out of context and turn into a big mess or, in general, garner unwanted attention. We don’t think anyone wants to offend their audience whatsoever, but the line of what is being regarded as offensive has in the last couple of years been moved aggressively. Said line is a hard one to define as to what is fair and what is not, but being able to speak freely and debate certain subjects, is something that we believe is healthy to society. As for us, we are not overly cautious about offending people. We try our best not to, but if we do, we hope it will spark conversation so we can better ourselves.
SOURCE – Thanks again for your time and for this opportunity, feel free to leave a message to our readers!
Jimmy Bertelsen (Vocals) – We hope you enjoy our new album ‘Hollow Gloom’ as much as we did making it. If you want to get in touch with us directly, you can reach us on our facebook or instagram pages. Lots of love!
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