Interview with Irrseele

Hello Magnus! Your music has been described as “dark poetic black metal.” Can you tell us more about what that means to you, and how you aim to convey that sound and feeling in your music?
Irrseele is whatever the listener hears and feels in it. A lot of people seem to feel that poetic and dark atmosphere that has a lot to do with the lyrics. Surprisingly although people who don’t understand the words seem to understand the meaning behind them, cause music and lyrics go hand in hand in this project. So to answer the questions: Maybe it is “dark and poetic black metal” because the songs deal with the dark sides of our existence in a poetic way. Honestly I don’t know how I create them, it is a subconscious process in which the pieces of the puzzle come together automatically.

“Wahn & Wehmut” has been noted for its mix of rough and atmospheric sounds. How did you balance those two elements in the recording and production process?
For me this a question of dynamics. I like to arrange songs in a way so that they have maximum impact in terms of emotion. There are raging parts that are raw and wild, but they are perceived in this way also because I interchange them with calmer and more atmospheric parts. This is done on purpose to fit the intention of each song and to emphasize the story behind each track. In terms of production this needs a fine balance but I think it turned out just the way it should.

The lyrics of the album deal with themes of nature, the human soul, and melancholy. How did you approach writing those lyrics, and what messages do you hope to convey to your listeners?
Writing the lyrics is the last step in my process. But the topic and the message of a song is there before I write a single word down. I just pick up the vibe of the song and then all these images and feelings arise from that. Those I transform into words. Most of the lyrics are written more like poems. I want to take the listener on a journey, suck them into this dark world and hope they can follow along. Maybe they can take something away from it.

What are some of the key musical influences that inspired you when creating “Wahn & Wehmut”, and how did you incorporate those influences into your own sound and style?
My main influence is black metal and melodic death metal from Scandinavia, Germany and UK. Those old albums from the 90s and early 2000s still inspire me cause they captured so much atmosphere and emotion. So basically I listen to the same stuff as 25 years ago. I want to write music in that style but with a slightly more modern approach and a better production.

Black Romanticism is a literary and artistic movement that emphasizes the dark and inexplicable. How do you see your music fitting into that tradition, and what does it mean to you personally?
My topics are madness, melancholy, death, spiritual worlds, the forces of nature, darkness and decay, but also resurrection and transformation into a new way of existence. Dealing with those things in art gives me strength, it is also a process of mental cleaning. I don’t know how artist back then felt about that but when I read literature from the period of Black Romanticism or look at paintings from that era, it makes me feel in a pretty similar way. The topics are also very similar, so that is the main connection.

The album was released in February 2023. How long did it take you to write, record, and produce the album, and what were some of the challenges you faced in that process?
I’d say roughly a year from the first riff to the final album. I work in layers and iterations, cause this is a solo project and obviously can’t play all the instruments at once. So I experiment with riffs, harmonies, beats, synth layers and additional effects to create an atmosphere and dynamic I like. The biggest challenge was to make it sound cohesive like a band playing and not like a bunch of separate takes that were arranged afterwards. Also my approach of combining an old-school vibe with a more modern production was a challenge. But I think it worked pretty well in the end.

You describe your music as a solo project focused on creating a very personal work without creative compromise. Can you tell us more about how you approached the creative process for this album, and how you maintained that personal vision throughout?
I do all by myself, so there is no need for any discussion with other musicians or audio engineers etc. When I started the project I didn’t have a clear vision, how everything will turn out. But I had a feeling that I wanted to preserve in the music. All songs derive from that. This is also the reason why I look at this as a personal work. Irrseele captures the dark side of existence but also the dark side of me as a person.

You sing in German on this album. How important is language to the overall feel and meaning of your music, and why did you choose to write in German specifically?
All the lyrics are in German because I think you can express yourself best in your native language. And German is a very poetic language, you can play with it to create some double meanings and room for interpretations. As I said before a lot of people can understand the meaning of the songs without understanding the words. So maybe writing in German is more important to me than to the listener. It is just another layer that maybe creates a little more depth for German-speaking people.

Melancholy is a key theme in your music. How do you personally relate to that emotion, and how do you hope your music speaks to listeners who might be going through difficult times?
When you are dealing with negative emotions, like anger or fear or maybe melancholy, it is a good idea to listen to music that addresses these emotions. There is some strange psychological mechanism that makes you react to this music in a surprising way. Sad music does not make you more sad, aggressive music does not make you more aggressive. The opposite is happening. It gives you strength and makes you feel better. At least this I the case with me and a lot of people I know personally. And I hope this is true for my listeners, too.