Anyone who delves a little into the caverns of extreme metal knows that beneath the surface of the more well-known bands you can often find the roughest diamonds. If you have ever really put your shovel deep into the Dutch Black Metal scene, chances are you have come across something by Jeroen Putman, lurking in the background he has been a value in the underground NLBM scene since the 00’s, with his one-man project Owl he recently delivered his 4th album. It is this album, ‘Terug Naar De Kou’, that I spoke to Jeroen about…
Hi Jeroen, despite being around since 2016, Owl seems to be a bit of a hidden gem in the (Dutch) Black Metal scene, so, thanks for taking the time to introduce us in your world. First things first, you have been involved in quite a few different bands and project since the mid-00’s, what made you start this solo-project in the first place?
I started my solo-project Frostbite in 2003 and changed the name to Nord. With Nord I give myself some freedom to experiment. With Owl the focus is mainly to write the music that I like; raw, simple, gritty, spontaneously with beautiful melodies ‘under the ice’. I try to keep it as close as possible to my own being.
Does this mean that you, as a person, identify yourself with these sort of terms and with that, is Owl really your musical equivalent?
The dark melancholic music and art is a part of my life since I was a child. Don’t confuse it with depression cause that is a terrible state to be in. That dark cold atmosphere is a very cosy and inspiring place to be in.
When it comes to ‘Terug Naar De Kou’, your most recent output with Owl, it seems just a logical successor of the previous recordings, but at the same time it sounds more crude in tone while it the production remains equally raw, making this new album even more piercing than ever before. How do you look at back at your back catalogue of four albums? How would characterize your latest fear and is there any logical musical evolution for you to discern?
The first demo was very, very raw. It was recorded on an analogue 4-track recorder and I had a better mix but the tape broke so I had to use an older mix, already put on a SD-card with a bad balance. ‘Fonkelingen’ was the second one: despite the annoying drumsound, I was proud of the compositions and vocals. The third one was ‘Een Nieuwe Wereld’: semi-improvised; I did the drums first and then I played along with the guitar riffs I had in my head. It was all played in one take to keep the moment and the vibe. After that I did accordion and vocals. The whole thing was made in two days. Then came ‘IJslijke Waarheid’: a collection of some songs which fit the Owl atmosphere, but with the latest one, ‘Terug naar de Kou’, I wanted to have a more simple approach. Slow, simple, empty, but with (to my ear) beautiful hidden melodies. The crispy sound is a happy accident: I plugged my guitar direct into my recorder with the preamp on loudest. I liked the harsh sound, and with some chorus it was harsh and icy. At this moment, I think Owl will stay simply with main focus on melancholic beauty combined with harsh sounds.
In my review for ‘Terug Naar De Kou’ I loosely tried to categorize your music with making a few musical references – not the easiest job, by the way. In the end I came up with the sort of raw bareboned sound of Ildjarn in combination with the low-fi feel of the Les Légions Noires bands. Is that anything that you can relate to or do you happen to have a better suggestion – if this is something that you care about to begin with.
I did not know the bands you mentioned, but after I listened I think it has indeed that low-fi feel. But when I have inspiration it mostly starts with melodies on guitar or in my head, then there is a vision of how I want it to sound with the other instruments. I have no other bands in my head when I’m writing and recording, but I think that my subconsciousness picked up from other music, pictures, moods etc. That (I think) creates an overall wave of inspiration that I want to translate into melodies.
Like its preceding recordings, ‘Terug Naar De Kou’ seems to be quite a personal recording. Song titles like ‘Alles Was Goed’ (which translates to ‘Everything Used To Be Good’) and ‘Onmacht’ (‘Impotence’) imply that they, again, deal with a deeper personal matter. Would you care to share some of the subject matter and motivations?
I write all lyrics totally in the ‘now’, without thinking. I have always done that this way. There are feelings that I put on paper and sometimes I use metaphors to be not too abstract. For example: on ‘Alles Was Goed’ I tell about a throwback to a somber phase in my life, after that everything was fine again, but suddenly the somber feelings are back and stronger than ever. And that is where the lyrics from ‘Onmacht’ take the story further. I talk about cold, desolation etc. as metaphors to the feeling.
I write them in seconds and I know they are pure without difficult words, layers or philosophic shit.
Continuing on from the above. Does working on music, which eventually materializes as Owl, require a certain mental state or focus? Of all your bands and musical projects, Owl seems the most intense…
Yes, totally sober, inspired and focus with a clear vision of the outcome. Full of adrenaline.
The earliest records of humans attributing special values and characteristics to the owl come from the Ancient Greeks, but it is widely believed that people attributed special traits to the owl long before that. As is commonly known, the owl represents wisdom and wit. However, less well known is that they were also seen as messengers of doom. What does the owl mean to you?
Just a mysterious beautiful animal, with a beautiful sound. Sit in the forest on a cold night, listen to the owl in the distance, play some slow accordion drones and hear the wind…
Something that stands out on a good part of your work is that you are responsible for the artwork yourself. You are an illustrator yourself, so it makes sense that you make your own covers, after all, no one knows the feeling you want to convey better than yourself. But you also draw other things than just your own cover designs: your hand is very recognizable, quasi cartoon-like but with a very dark and gloomy feel, almost Tim Burton-like. When you draw, are you guided and inspired by the same things as when you make music?
The cartoons are my life. I started a comic series around 1998 about an icy world with only souls, spirits and ghosts. The approach is more or less the same: dark, minimalistic, harsh. And also the focus and vision of the outcome is important. When I draw or paint for others, I feel more free, but in the end it will never be as close to my heart as with my own little work. I also think it is important to see every release as a whole: music, lyrics and artwork.
You are from Lobith, a small town in The Netherlands, yet one that is home to a few interesting Black Metal bands. In my review I cited that, as often is the case with very local scenes, a lot of those bands are ever helmed by largely the same musicians. Still, regardless of that, can you take us with you to your local musical environment: how did Lobith manage to produce a good amount of interesting Black Metal bands over the past years?
My neighbour owned a local rehearsal room for bands. Around 1999 a black metal band called Stormgate practiced there. I was also a lot around that room to practice drums and bass. And some years later sometimes I jammed with Maikel from Bloedakker. Around that time (2004) I met Rob Koopman and Bram Peters and they came to Lobith often to work on Widergeist and Irrwish. Deep in my heart, I did not like to play in a band, but being around with friends was cool. After a view years some young guys from Lobith called me, they had formed a band Duistervrees, later named Northward. They were looking for a rehearsal room. Some years later they split up and Peter, the drummer started Sternklang, Nicky and Sylwin moved to Utrecht and formed Laster. Peter had some other project like Geistentanz and Wanklank. With Wanklank he wanted to form a band again so he asked Rob, who moved to Lobith. And after a while the asked me for bas and vocals. But as I mentioned: I’m not really a band player and prefer to do my own stuff with Nord and Owl. Also Rob has his own project: Azanul.
And, while we’re at it, let’s zoom out a little and make it a national matter. The Dutch Black Metal scene has developed itself in a musically versatile and diverse entity, it is even safe to say that The Netherlands are one of the most interesting places for the Black Metal connoisseur. Still, Owl, with its Black-Metal-stripped-down identity, does seem to be quite a unique phenomenon. Is this something that you consciously pursue and how do you look at the Dutch scene as a whole?
I really think very simple: I like what I hear or I don’t like it. I think it is more the feeling that a bands gives me: when I feel that it is real from the heart and soul and it has a certain energy that grabs me, then It is good. I’m not aware of the scene, but I prefer the small concerts with the people with a certain underground vibe. Difficult to describe, it is about feeling.
I touched on it a few times, both earlier in this interview and in the review for ‘Terug Naar De Kou’, but you have been an active figure in the Black Metal scene for some time now. Your resume features bands like Wanklank, Nord and Irrwisch. How do you look back on some twenty years of playing in Black Metal bands? Is there anything you are particularly proud of or maybe even something you rather prefer not to be reminded of?
Haha, well, playing in bands was not really my thing. The reason is that we take our music very seriously and personal, so it is hard to accept some different opinions or visions. Sometimes it is better to not play with them in a band, to keep our friendship alive. Maybe if we played another genre, it would work fantastically. With my own projects (music and cartoons) I can surely say that it keeps on going till I die. The drive when there is inspiration is always present. Particularly proud.. hmm.. I have made my own guitar and bass guitar, both in the same style, and they both sound very unique.
There is little regularity in the pace at which you release something new with Owl, it seems that during the Covid period you made the most of it and thus came up with two albums in 2021, but in general it seems that you come up with new music when you feel like it. With that in mind and counting all your bands and projects, what can we expect from you in the near future?
During Covid I had a creative boost: 3 comic books were made, a lot of music, but you can’t force creativity. There are some things certain in the future: comic books will go on and on, same for Owl releases: they will go on and on too, and I keep on trying to get better and better. That is what I want.
Alright, Jeroen, that was it from my side, of course I would like to thank you for sharing some of your insight and background of Owl. I would also like to grant you the opportunity to close off this interview…
Then I would like to use this opportunity to convey my thanks to Alex from Zwaertgevegt, who has opened doors for me and thanks to the people who support me.
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