Interview Zweizz (Fleurety, Umoral, Strid, ex-Dodheimsgard)

This year, the Norwegian avant garde metal act, Fleurety, have released a 2 songs EP under the name of Fragmenta Cuinvis Aetatis Contemporaneae, and it looks like soon there will be a new Felurety full-length album. Below is an interview I had with Zweizz, mastermind not only of Fleurety, but also Umoral and recently have joined a new band, Strid. He talked about the new EP, the future Fleurety album, also he have mentioned about the past releases of the band. More, he mentioned about Umoral’s new album that might be out at the end of this summer, his experience in the past with Dodheimsgard and others.

Cheers Zweizz and thank you for your time, how have you been up to?
Hello and thank you too! Summer and cabin in the woods stuff going on here recently, as well as spending time in the studio. I’ve also recently joined a band called Strid, playing the drums.

Here you are with the 6^th EP released entitled Fragmenta Cuinvis Aetatis Contemporaneae, but what is the concept behind the 2 tracks of the EP?
There is no specific verbal or written concept behind the release, both of the songs are instrumental, letting the music talk for itself, as an expression of black metal in its most regular form.

You still kept your original avant-garde sound, raw, heavy, dark, jazz and other elements. Do you imagine Fleurety to sound different? Of course, there exist black metal elements into Fleurety music.
Different compared to what? If you are thinking “different compared to other black metal bands”, then yes, of course. Black metal as a copycat business is a thing that should be left to those who have no background in the traditions of black metal, it’s a form of cultural appropriation.

17 years ago you have released Department of Apocalyptic Affairs, that is my favorite release of Fleurety. On that album, to say like this, is an album with a mixture of guests such as Maniac (ex-Mayhem), Hellhammer (Mayhem), Sverd (Arcturus) and many others. It is very interesting to have had so many guests into one album…
That album was experimental in the true meaning of the word. I see a lot of people labelling music as “experimental” just because the music sounds less conventional than mainstream, but this album was an experiment; we didn’t know what all those guests would bring into the studio, and very much was improvised and created as we went along through the recording process. In the end the album sounded very different from what we expected.

Do you have in mind to release a new Fleurety full-length in the future?
Yes, it’s already been recorded, and the title is The White Death. Eight brand new songs that are kind of, maybe, sort of, perhaps in the style of Min Tid Skal Komme meets Last Minute Lies. More details to be revealed very soon.

It’s been some years since you are collaborating with Trine&Kim for the cover artworks, also they are your good friends…
Never change the proverbial winning team. Trine + Kim have also made brilliant covers for our two forthcoming releases. I already mentioned The White Death, but there is also a release named Inquietum. This is a CD release that compiles all the 7 EP’s that we’ve been releasing the last years. We’re expecting this release to be out in the autumn through Aesthetic Death Records.

You had in the past a few gigs, Fleurety is more of a studio band. What is the reason you did not want to be on stage anymore?
It’s just more convenient for us to make music for recorded media. Maybe we’ll play live sometime in the future, maybe we won’t.

Not only Fleurety, but you have your solo project as Zweizz, then Umoral, Maz, and others, in the past you’ve been active with Dodheimgard and released “666 International”, that’s my favorite album of DHG, how were those days with DHG?
I had many great experiences with DHG, we made some kickass music and I learned a lot. I am also glad to be playing with Yusaf from DHG in a band again, as we are both members of Strid.

The Yawn Of The New Age is your solo album from 2007, with a weird sound and elements, what can you tell me more about this album?
It’s somewhat of an excursion into electroacoustics, a lot of granular synthesis. The music was made from 1999 to 2006. My suggestion is: Go to Spotify or a similar streaming service and type: The Yawn Of The New Age.

But I’d like to ask about the ZWEIZZ logo and cover artwork, looks like a black metal logo, but your music is different after all…
I think of that album (I assume you are talking about The Yawn of the New Age) as an approximation to some sort of abstract black metal.

For Umoral you took on board Teloch (Nidingr, Mayhem) and Hellhammer (Mayhem) and released a selftitled EP, is the band on hold at the moment or soon we will hear new Umoral materials?
I have been working rather intensively the last months with my friend Tom Selleck at Simms-Wattistan Studios, who is doing the immense amount of dirty work connected to the mix of the Umoral album. The working title is Der Hvor Sola Aldri Skinner. I’ve been saying “the album will be ready really soon” for five years now, but now I’m starting to see the end of it, and my ambition is that the album will be ready by the end of the summer. And, by the way, Hellhammer is not playing the drums on the album; it’s AntiChristian (also from Tsjuder and Beaten to Death).

 

You are working on a local newspaper as I know, but how can you handle with the music, being involved in so many bands and projects?
People keep asking why it always takes such a long time for Fleurety or Umoral or other things to be released. The reason is simple. Many projects and a full time job makes working on musical projects slow.

What are the next plans regarding Fleurety?
Start making and recording material for a new release.

Thank you again Zweizz for this interview, it was my pleasure! All the best!
Thanks to you also, and thanks to all who read this far. Always eat your broccoli, kids!

 

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