APRIL 6th + 7th, 2023
INFERNO MUSIC
CONFERENCE

Review + Photos: Polina Kulikovskikh
Ihsahn Guitar Clinic Video Coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO5tO4adImU&t=16s

The Inferno Metal Conference is an essential component of the annual Inferno Metal Festival, a renowned event that takes place in Oslo, Norway. This conference brings together metal industry professionals, musicians, artists, journalists, and enthusiasts who share a passion for the metal music scene. It serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and insights, while also offering networking opportunities for attendees.

Set within the walls of the official Inferno hotel - Clarion, the Hub, the conference provides an excellent opportunity for festival-goers to expand their experience and engage in meaningful discussions, make new connections, and immerse themselves in the metal community.

The Inferno Metal Conference covers a diverse range of topics, including music production, songwriting techniques, live performance strategies, marketing and promotion in the metal industry, music distribution and streaming platforms, album artwork and design, band management, touring, and more. Renowned figures from the metal music industry, such as musicians, producers, label representatives, and journalists, often participate as speakers or panelists, sharing their expertise and offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of metal music.

This year's program was particularly captivating, featuring discussions on various intriguing subjects. For example, there was a session exploring the incorporation of theater elements into metal performances, as well as a conversation about passion and burnout within the industry. Attendees had the opportunity to participate in unique activities, including the Black Metal Bus Sightseeing, Drag Music Bingo, and the Inferno Metal Auction.

A notable highlight of the conference was the "Bad Vibes" exhibition hosted by the National Library of Oslo. This exhibition showcased the complete series of Slayer Mag fanzines, including original cut-and-paste pages by Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen. Visitors could also enjoy a unique listening experience featuring multi-track recordings of classics by Mayhem and Enslaved from Grieghallen Studios, as well as a personal letter from Pelle "Dead" Ohlin to "Metalion." The exhibition is open until September 16, 2023, making it a must-see for metal enthusiasts visiting Oslo this summer.

Beyond knowledge-sharing sessions, the conference offered workshops focusing on practical skills related to metal music. Participants had the chance to learn guitar techniques, drumming, vocal training, and recording tips from experts. This year, Ihsahn of Emperor discussed his musical journey, while Baard Kolstad of Leprous unleashed the Power of Rhythm. Let's delve into the highlights of the conference's individual days:

Day 1. (6th of April)

Day one of the conference - started at 11:45 with an opening speech by Harald Fossberg (a prominent figure in Norwegian Black Metal who has followed it from its inception days, first via his radio show Stupet (The Abyss), which started in 1987. Later as a journalist for the newspaper Aftenposten. His book "Nyanser av svart" ("Shades of Black"), which traces the origins of the Norwegian Black Metal scene, was published in Norway in 2015).

Since the sessions overlap I had to make some choices about what to attend and the first one was called "The second wave: the influence of Masacre". With a career spanning 35 years, Masacre stands as one of the most enduring and formidable Colombian death metal bands. In the early days of extreme metal, the music was characterized by its chaotic and destructive nature. Numerous bands emerged, driven by a fervent desire to defy conventions and carve their unique path. It was a riot against conformity, religion, and societal structures—a sonic embodiment of the tumultuous minds of youth. This musical direction, however, was not limited to Norway alone; it transcended borders, fostering communication and demo tape trading between countries like Colombia and Norway.

In this interview the band talked a lot about the Colombian perspective. Masacre, one of the pioneering death metal bands hailing from Medellin, engaged in a comprehensive discussion with Harald Fossberg and Kjetil Manheim, esteemed member of the legendary Mayhem. Together, they recounted their experiences, shedding light on the vibrant Colombian metal scene and its connection to the global tape trading network. The conversation unveiled the rich history and untold stories of Masacre, offering a unique glimpse into the band's evolution and enduring impact on the death metal genre.

After this interesting conversation I attended "Thirty Years of Hate: black metal and subcultural developments in Turkey from 1990-2020" held by Douglas Mattsson (a prolific writer that has published many academic articles on the Turkish black metal scene, amongst his most recent publications is “Spreading VX-Gas over Kaaba: Islamic semiotics in Turkish black metal” in the anthology The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Turkey (2022) and “The Enemy Within: Conceptualizing Turkish Metalheads as the Ideological ’Other’”, in Living Metal: Metal Scenes Around the World (2022) together with Dr. Pierre Hecker).

In his lecture Douglas Mattsson talked about the history of black metal in Turkey, controversies surrounding it as well as the situation these days. It was incredibly insightful and well researched and I hope it will form a part of the book on this topic that Mattsson has hopes to release later on.

Turkish underground culture has embraced black metal, one of the most extreme subgenres of metal, since the early 1990s. Originating in Europe during the 1980s and gaining prominence in Norway in the 1990s, black metal's aesthetic and lyrical themes traditionally centered around blasphemy, satanism, violence, and a critical perspective on Abrahamic religions. However, a notable shift occurred within the Turkish black metal scene's cultural production in the mid-2000s, introducing references to Islam. One of the reasons this shift took place was that local bands want to convey more authenticity using symbols meaningful to their local listeners. And another being the change in the political environment within the country becoming more and more conservative about religion.

Next up was "Metal in the Metaverse" talk held by Frank Kimenai (an Amsterdam-based music ecosystem researcher and advisor), Yvan Boudillet (a creative industry and innovation expert) and Maarten Walraven (Ph.D.). The talk was dedicated to giving a better idea of what is metaverse and how bands and labels can use this new virtual space to reach out to fans. A bright example that was mentioned during the conversation was Ozzfest 2022 - the first ever metal festival to be held in the metaverse, offering some new exciting experiences to those who watched it.

In the experts' opinion there are a lot of creative opportunities for a bands and labels to find new ways of representing themselves online and creating new types of communities for younger audiences especially those who are into gaming. However since this is still developing technology, it still has a lot of space for discovery and improvement and so far for many it is still something not taken particularly seriously.

Day 2. (7th of April)

The day began with "Mutilated Tyrant: a conversation about the Navajo black metal scene" - the talk organized in partnership with the US embassy in Oslo. Mutilated Tyrant is an exceptional band originating from Ganado, Arizona in the United States. What sets Mutilated Tyrant apart is their deep connection to the Navajo or Dineh heritage. Following a thought-provoking NRK TV documentary by Thomas Seltzer, which shed light on the challenges faced by musicians living on reservations, the festival organizers took a bold step and extended an invitation to Mutilated Tyrant to perform at John Dee. In this interview the band revealed their unique sources of inspiration coming from their culture and delve into the rich creative tapestry that shapes their music. They played as a part of Inferno festival on the first day and the members were overwhelmed by a warm welcome they received and the opportunity to make it this far as a band.

The band members eloquently conveyed the striking contrast between the atmosphere when bands gather to perform on the reservation compared to traditional American venues. They shed light on the unique dynamics and challenges faced by bands within their community, where achieving popularity beyond the reservation can be an elusive pursuit, although there are occasional exceptions. In some instances, concerts take place in intimate settings such as someone's house, where a vibrant gathering of 50-60 people eagerly gathers to witness the collective energy of 6-7 bands.

Mutilated Tyrant's understand the message of Norwegian black metal as sticking to ones roots and inspired by it they are trying to make the younger generation of native Americans more interested in their roots. They are planning to release the entire album in their native language but so far are working on perfecting their knowledge. The inspiration for their lyrics come from things they see around - nature, weather and deep personal emotions.

Next conversation was about Passion & Burn-out held by Hilde Spille (Paperclip Agency, NL) - check out her blog at https://www.compassforcreatives.com/. When it comes to searching online for ways to prevent burnout, the prevailing advice often suggests injecting more passion into one's work. However, Hilde has observed that despite many individuals working with immense passion, burnout remains a pervasive issue and people tend to ignore the signs of it. In this enlightening lecture, she unraveled the complex relationship between passion and burnout. By addressing crucial questions, such as how burnout can occur despite one's passion, she shed light on the underlying dynamics at play.

Additionally, the lecture explored the importance of leveraging positivity and establishing healthy boundaries as essential tools for safeguarding against burnout. Everyone attending could self-test themselves if they are currently experiencing symptoms of burnout and get an advice from Hilde .

The conference continued with a conversation between Frank Godla (Metal Injection, US) and Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ) about Sakis's career in music. Athanasios "Sakis" Tolis, also known as Necromayhem, has achieved significant recognition as the guitarist/vocalist of the Greek band Rotting Christ. One might assume that Sakis' involvement with Rotting Christ would keep him occupied enough. However, the reality is quite the opposite. Despite being one of the founding members of Rotting Christ, alongside his brother, Sakis has managed to find time to pursue solo endeavors. Remarkably, during the pandemic, he embarked on recording a full album and even released it free of charge. This daring move speaks volumes about Sakis' enduring passion for music and his willingness to embrace new artistic expressions. With a career spanning over 35 years within the same band, Sakis possesses invaluable insights on what it takes to maintain a marathon-like musical journey.

Throughout this year's conference, one recurring theme that resonated in various conversations was the notion of creating without the sole aim of achieving financial or material success. Instead, the emphasis was on the intrinsic joy and fulfillment that comes from the act of creation itself. In today's world, it can be easy to overlook the fact that many remarkable works were born out of a pure passion for the craft, devoid of ambitions for fame or wealth. An excellent illustration of this is the entire black metal genre, which emerged from the depths of artistic expression, driven by a desire to explore and push boundaries rather than conform to commercial expectations. It serves as a powerful reminder that true artistic greatness can emerge when creativity is allowed to flourish without the constraints of external goals.