Screams Of Abel: Interview with "Dalit"

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In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever. --Micah 4:6-7 (NKJV)

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Screams Of Abel Issue#34 Index

Hey, if you liked the Dalit interview in this issue of Screams Of Abel Issue #34 please leave me feedback and let me know!

Dalit

One of the several bajillion cool aspects about Scandinavia is that you are always going to get a new, fresh and exciting aspect about music constantly pouring forth from the Funky Frosty North. This is especially true after I heard the fantastic single, "Nomad" from the considerably new Norwegian atmospheric alternative doom metal band DALIT (did I throw in enough descriptives?)

http://www.myspace.com/dalitband

SOA: Tell us how Dalit got started, and why did you decide to start Dalit?

Dalit started out as a doom-project around winter-time of 2006. Up until then we had all played in existing bands with an established sound and genre, and wanted to do something in a new direction.
The goal was to create something with a nerve, that is heartfelt and real. Crossing genres and doing just what we wanted really helped create an inspirational atmosphere that we believe our music represents.
We started recording pre-productions for numerous pieces of music, and narrowed them down to the soundscape that we were comfortable (and enthusiastic) about. Creating, arranging and not to mention recording our music took a lot of our time and energy and culminated in recording our demo/promo that we sent out to labels and magazines in late 2007.

SOA: When will you be making yourselves more well-known other than a handful of Scandinavian rabid fans?

Good question. There are plans for releasing our music in the very imminent future, but we can�t really say much more yet.

SOA: What would you call your musical direction, and in light of today's metal, would you say you are within that same direction or forging a new musical path?

I personally find genres to be a very difficult subject, and especially defining one�s own music into categories. The basic idea for Dalit was for it to be a doom-band, but I�m not sure if we are just that. I�d say we�re more doom than anything else though. To say that we�re forging a new musical path are bold words and it is not really up to ourselves to utter them, but hopefully we can introduce some new emotions to the audience.

SOA: What would be the greatest passions of each person within Dalit? What drives you to write what you write and forge it into a song?

Jon Ivar: I have a lot of passions, but my interest in indigenous cultures has without doubt inspired me both musically and lyrically. That goes with everyday life as well, with its struggles and down-periods. I find Dalit to be a great opportunity to fully express my honest somber emotions. Honesty in music is what I long for. I also find audio-recording an interesting subject, and doing the recording ourselves has been a very valuable lesson.

Cato: For me it's mostly about projecting emotions, in a way that may hopefully invoke some kind of emotional response to the listener.
The music and lyrics of Dalit is all about taking the nerve/emotion as it is in it self, not as it should be dealt with or treated etc. Pure emotions on its own terms so to speak. We try to project an image, whether it's ours or someone else's doesn't matter. It's the outcome that is our/my purpose. The idea of catharsis of the Greek tragedy, suits as an image of our purpose to some degree; we intend change, but must surpass denial, to invoke the self inside.
Personally it also makes sense to speak the universal language of music. Speaking that is, not reading.. The creative process defines the tongue.

Erlend: I meet quite a few "abused, oppressed and derelict souls" in my line of work, and though it is not a "passion" in the right sense of the word, it is a well of subject matter. Making music out of this is to me it is more a process of portraying emotions, observations or reflections. When I start writing I tend to see the song as a visual representation, and have a hard time translating it into sounds and words. (I guess I should have been a painter, but I suck at painting, so I'll just play it on my guitar instead.)

SOA: Is there still a reason for any band out there, especially a metal band, to reflect our known spiritual truth to anyone?

Absolutely. Music is a powerful gift and a strong tool to express what you believe to be true. What form of music you use is really irrelevant.

SOA: Final comments?

Thank you for the interview! And thanks a lot to all of you that has reacted to our music in one way or another! It is deeply appreciated! Check out our page at www.myspace.com/dalitband for updates! Peace.

Screams Of Abel Issue#34 Index