SONISK BLODBAD – return with their fourth album featuring a bigger, more enhanced soundscape than ever before

Photo: Kondrad Christensen ( Ole and Heidi pictured )

 If you’re a fan of dark, 80s electronica in the vein of Coil and Cabaret Voltaire, coupled together with atmospheric Krautrock (think Klaus Schulze) and early Pink Floyd, then this Bergen based band is exactly what you’ve been looking for!
 
 Sonisk Blodbad return with their fourth album featuring a bigger, more enhanced soundscape than ever before.
 
 – We have Daniel Winter Lazarus to thank for that, says Ole Christensen, who goes on to tell us that the album was mastered by the American producer—a man who has been involved in everything from the Donald Fagen album, “The Nightfly”, to the Jean Michel Jarre-penned masterpiece, “Zoolook”. He now lives in Bergen and has released an album with Heidi “Heidi Goodbye” Torsvik under the name “Hidden Soul of the Fjords”.
 
 Heidi Torsvik features prominently on the new Sonisk Blodbad album, especially on the Pink Floyd-inspired “Shores of Oblivion”, where her voice features as a hypnotic sound effect swept under a warm blanket of Ole Christensen’s subdued morse signals and synths, completed by Sam Fossbakk’s (Elektrisk Regn, Tip Top Professor) David Gilmour-esque guitar. In short, it’s beautiful. As beautiful as white clouds lazily travelling against a blue sky. As beautiful as a field of flowers with no end.
 
 – The song was initially about three times longer in length, so we trimmed it down to about nine minutes. But it could just as well have continued for much longer. Christensen tells us. He’s looking forward to playing the song live in its entirety.

 You’re very careful when implementing beats, correct?
 – Yes, I’m not too fond of them. I don’t need beats; the music flows fine by itself—and the recurring strings provide plenty of rhythm. Using drum machines will often attach you to a particular musical era.
 
As with the previous three records, the album opens with a song from Conrad Schnitzler’s (Tangerine Dream, Kluster, Eruption) archive. Ole Christensen visited the Kraut legend multiple time until his death in 2011 and was given permission to freely use unreleased material—often made in collaboration with Wolfgang Seidel (Eruption, Ton Steine Scherben).

 
–  It creates a nice contrast with the rest of the album. People have told me, funny enough, that the album is good, but the first song is too long and tiresome.
 
 He puts on the second track and explains:
 
 – All the songs feature at least some references to music I like.
 This one is called “Alan Vega 2.0” and is supposed to sound like a “reboot” of the departed vocalist from Suicide—mostly performed by Niklas Rundquist (Lustans Lakejer, The Leather Nun) together with guitarist, Nils Wohlrabe (The Leather Nun).
 – It started with me writing a small synth part, then Niklas played around with it. His vocals are meant to emulate Alan Vega, so, it’s an obvious reference.  
 
The album continues with “Photons”, a dark tribute to Death in June. This is the only song that features original member Haavar Tveito, who in this case, sounds like he’s trapped inside an old factory hall, with no chance of escaping the monotony of life other than by letting his slightly fast heartbeat slowly fade to black.

 – Me and him started the band back in 2010. I try to have him appear on each album, since its sort of our thing. We’re the only two constants in the band. Well, except for Conrad Schnitzler

Written by:
(1) Conrad Schnitzler / Wolfgang Seidel
(2) Ole Christensen / Niklas Rundquist / Nils Wohlrabe
(3) Ole Christensen / Haavard Tveito
(4) Ole Christensen og Sam Fossbakk
(5) Ole Christensen / Niklas Rundquist / Ulf Knudsen.
(6) Ole Christensen / Heidi Torsvik
(7) Ole Christensen / Kristian Stangebye
(8) Ole Christensen
 
Sonisk Blodbad 2022: Ole Christensen, Kristian Stangebye, Niklas Rundquist, Nils Wohlrabe, Heidi Torsvik, Ulf Knudsen, Sam Fossbakk, Haavard Tveito, Wolfgang Seidel, Conrad Schnitzler, Tord Litleskare, Laurie Amat, Katje Elise Janisch, Beate Jacobsen, Helene Rickhard, Oliver Kersbergen, Steven Cerio, Jan-Morten Iversen, J. S. Theracon og Sandra Minter.
 
Produced by Ole Christensen.
Mixed/mastered by Winter Lazarus in Studio Møhlenpris, Bergen.
Cover art: ‘A Blue Triptych’ by Italia Ruotolo
Cover art inside (fold out): Steven Cerio