In the first month of the year the Dark Descent Released ‘Altered Realities’, the debut album of the Norwegian band Sovereign, really knocked me off my feet. Its genuine blend of Death Metal and Thrash Metal, the late 80’s way, sounded both old school and progressive. The album really makes you forget that we are actually living in 2024 and not in those thriving Death/Thrashing 80’s, but at the same time, it ventures into those visionary territories in which Nocturnus, ‘Spheres’-era Pestilence or the ingenuity of Death blossomed. Being one of the earliest highlights of the year, it was of course almost mandatory to shoot some questions to the band. Vocalist and bassist Simen Grong happily obliged.
Hi there Simen, thanks a lot for accepting my interview proposal. I have been massively impressed by your debut album, ‘Altered Realities’ which was recently released through Dark Descent Records. Although you have released a couple of demo recordings and an EP, they never made it unto my personal radar. If you look back at those early steps of the band, how would you describe your musical development that eventually led to ‘Altered Realities’?
Thank you!
The demo recordings, Iron Cast and Neurotic Demo, contain the first four songs we ever made. At that point we hadn’t quite found our sound yet, so we were just figuring things out. It all started to progress not long after the demos, and then suddenly we were dealing with the covid-situation, some lineup changes and things happening in our personal lives.
Tommy and I ended up sharing an apartment together right next to our rehearsal space during most of the pandemic, so naturally we would spend a lot time writing riffs and trying out all sorts of ideas whenever we could.
We were fortunate enough to have Cato join us during the spring of 2021, which was definitely a turning point. So I’d describe our musical development as a natural progression that might have, for better or worse, flourished as a result of circumstances.
For me the album felt pretty much like a musical equivalent of the DeLorean, a time machine taking me back to, let’s say, 1988. A time in which Death Metal came into being and still had loads of Thrash into its collective DNA. ‘Altered Realities’ has, at least to my ears, as much to do with Death Metal as it has with Thrash Metal. How would you describe your own musical reality? Not so much in exactly labelling it, but more into a philosophical position in time and space.
That’s a good question! Of course, the artistic ideologies from the late 80’s is engraved in our spine. A major creative driver is the paradoxical and symbiotic relationship between man and technology. We have never been more connected, yet still so far apart. We are able to closely observe other people whilst in complete isolation ourselves.. By choice, we dwell in the desolate landscapes of a future dystopia and the artificial perceptions of our individually handpicked and simulated realities. We struggle to look people in the eyes when getting our groceries, yet we still buy used panties and farts on jars on Onlyfans, you know? Anyways; that stuff generates riffs!
In my review I more or less described the album as keeping the middle of Demolition Hammer, Sadus, Death and Nocturnus. Of course, I could have added some more, or replace some names, but I think you get the idea I was trying to make… But for you, from a personal point of view, what was the exact musical starting point and route that you had in mind? If there, of course, was anything like that at all.
The first song we wrote for the album is the title track “Altered Reality”. Our previous songs were more “this or that” in terms of genre and structure. “Altered Reality” was the first song where we’d put all the different ingredients into the same song, making it more exciting, challenging and diverse. It just became clear to us what we wanted to create moving forward, so I’d have to say that was the starting point as we didn’t have anything very specific in mind going into this.
Sovereign is a four-piece band with each of you guys having gained experience within other bands in the past. If the commonly accessible resume’s are correct, amongst those past bands are Nocturnal Breed, Den Saakaldte, Thunderbolt (the Norwegian one) and Virus. Quite a wide range of different bands and genres. Past experiences makes you what you are today, obviously, but what do you think of that background did find its way into the music of Sovereign?
Even though we come from various musical projects with different expressions, we still feel Sovereign is its own beast. We have roots in various styles, and Sovereign is where we get to scratch the death/thrash/prog-itch.
I personally loved the Nocturnus-like vibes, the spacey guitar tone and slight use of humming cosmic astmospherics. A song like ‘Nebular Waves’ for instance feels to have more than a kind nod to Mike Browning’s visionary work. Without wanting to repeat the previous question in different words, Nocturnus’ ‘The Key’ has been of major importance for my personal musical development, so I just seeing if we are a bit on the same page here…
“The Key” and “Thresholds” are two phenomenal records. We find inspiration in many different bands, but Nocturnus, being one of the few bands using “keys” in a certain manner, is probably the most evident on the album.
If ‘Altered Realities’ is proving anything, besides the more than solid homage to the old framework of the Death Metal genre, it is the more than impressing musical capability of the band. The technical wizardry of every individual musician in the band is stunning and leads to otherworldly songs. It is not uncommon to have technical Death Metal feeling more like a collection of riffs and loose musical ideas, you guys are delivering solid songs instead. Can you tell us something about the creative process leading up to the writing of your debut album?
We try our best to make songs with clever structures, twists and details that you may not even notice unless you really analyze them. It doesn’t have to be technical or difficult at all, but we like to nitpick on small details to have some surprises here and there and to keep things unpredictable and interesting. Of course we also try to challenge ourselves as musicians and to make songs we find interesting to play, but never at the expense of “the song”.
Opposed to the more regular death, gore and anti-Christianity topics in Death Metal, you’ve opted a very different theme. Of course, that too is not entirely unique, but I am curious about your main sources of inspiration for writing lyrics and cover artwork.
We wanted to question our interpretation of human existence, societal values, and purpose. There is a thematic through line from start to finish that deals with unrest, and it is an integral part of the music. Lyrically, from the chaotic start of “Altered Reality” to the acceptance of confusion and unrest in “Absence of Unity,” it very much deals with existentialism and problems beyond our comprehension.
In my review I also tried to place Sovereign a bit in a historical and geographical context. Norway has not much of a big Death Metal tradition, apart from the very few classics in the old days things were quiet for the most part of the Death Metal history. But in more recent years bands like Obliteration and Execration seemed to have changed that a little. But the thing that struck most is that those “newer” bands, including Sovereign, were bringing something different compared to all the Entombed and Autopsy clones. Can you philosophize with me on this? Where, do you think, does this come from?
I think it has become more acceptable to put different elements into this music nowadays, and I think that both Execration and Obliteration have done just that. This might also have paved the way for other bands to be more explorative as well.
The previously released demo tape and EP were both released on cassette tape exclusively. Was that a deliberate choice, in the sense of that you value the idea and concept of the “demo tape”? Now that ‘Altered Realities’ was released on all three currently relevant sound carriers, would you consider releasing the older material on vinyl and CD as well? Or do you believe those recording are a passed station that served its purpose in the past?
Jørgen Garmann from “Snake Oil Kassettforlag” reached out to us when we had just released our first demo “Iron Cast”, and asked us if we were interested in a doing a cassette-release. This was before we had recorded the tracks for the Neurotic Demo, so we just agreed that we would do it once we had some new material ready. I don’t think we had even given a physical release much consideration prior to his offer, but it made sense to keep it “old school”. Shortly after, Thomas Haywood reached out and asked if we were interested in releasing the cassette in the US on his label “Redefining Darkness”, and then at some point Marek Drahota from “Filth Junkies Records” in Czechia did the same. Those recordings have probably served their purpose by now, but who knows? Maybe!
Something that I am always eager to ask is about the recent musical purchases and current playlist. But especially with a band such as Sovereign, that seems to have a colorful musical background, I am even more curious. So, what’s cooking with you? What has been on your turntable lately?
Lately it’s been ZZ Top – Tejas, Bolt Thrower – War Master, Sadistic Intent – Ancient Black Earth, and Ingenting – Samleting.
With the album really freshly released, it might be a bit of wild question, but what will the remainder of 2024 bring the band (and us)? Is there anything we can expect from you guys in the upcoming period?
We’re working on getting a tour together, so hopefully we’ll have some dates to announce soon!
Alright Simen, again, thanks a lot for taking the time in answering these questions. In good tradition I would love to leave you the opportunity to close off this interview with some last words…
Thank you! Our friends in Stress Angel will be releasing their full-length album soon, so make sure to check it out! Sick band, sick dudes.
