EFFIGIES OF OBSOLESCENCE – SØREN WILLATZEN
Art: Alexander Gjerdevik Skjøtt
Chaotian is a Copenhagen-based death metal band which was founded in 2017 by Søren Willatzen (vocals/guitar) and Andreas Nordgreen (vocals/drums). The band released the two demos ’Where Gods Excarnate’ and ’Festering Carcinolith’, which garnered Chaotian lots of interest in the death metal underground circles, which culminated in the compilation of the said demos ’Festering Excarnation’. Recently, the band released their debut album ’Effigies of Obsolescence’ to high praise from fans, reviewers, and various bands and musicians worldwide.
No rituals, really, just pondering. Thinking about concepts or whatever fascinates me. Music, art and stories tend to be my greatest inspiration.
I would say there’s a balance between the secular, the fantastic and the religious elements in the lyrics. We don’t aim to separate these things or necessarily offer any real critique or praise. Lyrically, the focus is on hopelessness. The ephemeral nature of life.
I hold musicians in high regard and other people, but I do not worship them. Heavy metal is music, and it can be excellent music. It started way before death metal, like Andreas and Mads or Jonas. We love this type of music, but I doubt any of us worships it blindly in any real capacity.
I would say that the creative process mainly stems from personal inspiration and not some drug-based or ritualistic catalyst.
I personally admire Van Gogh quite a bit. It’s a case of personal madness that spills into his art in the most elegant way possible. It’s seamless. Another example would probably be David Lynch and Lars Von Trier. They have a way of creating movies that unsettle me, and are very far removed from most other directors today.
Music is very human. It’s my and many other peoples’ way of expressing themselves and their thoughts. It’s an emotional outlet, maybe just a creative outlet or just a product. This type of art is not necessarily spiritual or unifying; it is honestly mostly entertainment. But it’s not mindless entertainment; even in the most base music, there’s usually some thought behind it.
Andreas, Mads and I definitely listen to a lot of different music. Jazz seems common, but also noise, techno/industrial/trance/hardcore, classic rock and various types of world music. I know Andreas would recommend Fire Orchestra, and I bet Mads would recommend someone like Boris. Personally, I’d recommend Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin’s joint releases.
http://Chaotian.bandcamp.com
