So what do I have in mind for this album, stylistically? As mentioned in part 1, the foundational musical ideas already exist (some for over 15 years). I have a style that’s natural to me—usually songs based on some minor scale or other—and I don’t usually set out to write songs in some pre-determined style. However, I can use different textures and production methods to shake things up a little.
And that’s where choice-of-instrument comes in. In the accompanying image you can see 2 mandolins—one of them something of an antique. I don’t know if a mandolin will definitely make it onto the finished album—it’s just one possible example, but I am nevertheless experimenting with a broader range of instruments to see what works.
The 1st Wolcensmen album, Songs from the Fyrgen, was intended as a somewhat ‘foresty’ album, heavily inspired by Ulver’s Kvelssanger and early Opeth among others. The 2nd album, Fire in the White Stone, was stylistically in the same sort of vein but with a couple of new ingredients. My current thinking for the 3rd album is that it doesn’t need to sound so ‘foresty’, and can be a bit more eclectic if it wants to be. Don’t be surprised if it includes some electric guitar, for example. Though again, at this stage I really don’t know what instruments will make the cut.
Whatever happens from hereon, the core melodic style will be unmistakeably ‘Wolcensmen’, even if it is conveyed in novel ways.