‘Click Interview’ with Not My God: There Are Many Challenges And Difficulties On The High Road Of True Art’
Not My God is a project set up by Tim Skold (Marilyn Manson, Kmfdm, Motionless In White, Shotgun Messiah…) and Nero Bellum (Psyclon Nine). They last year released their self-titled debut-album on Cleopatra Records and this year joined hands together with Metropolis to unleash ten new songs. “Simulacra” is hard to label, but clearly revealing a mix of influences; the work sounds Electronic and has been achieved with numerous Industrial sound treatments while the result has something pretty Cinematographic-like with Tim Skold’s passionate vocals on top. I’d a chat with both members.
(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: You guys know each other from playing together in your respective bands, but how did you finally come to set up a new music project together? What do you like in each other’s approach of producing music?
Tim: Our differences makes us similar. I know that might sounds a little strange but we are very alike in some of the ways we are different. As humans we do not only exist in a physical sense but also on many other levels and it is in some of those spaces we come together, almost subconsciously, to complement each other. Art is magic, much like a DC Marvel Superhero Universe.
Nero: I think that our individual projects are precious to us so when the prospect of working together came up, a new project was the way to go. An open playground to explore new ideas with no expectations. It almost immediately transitioned from work to ritual.
Q: The sound of Not My God is not easy to define, maybe a mix between Industrial- and Cinematographic music. It however reveals something ‘different’ and maybe ‘visionary’ when compared to other Industrial projects. What can you say about it? Did you have specific references and influences -also lyrical wise?
Tim: We have both done extensive ‘studies’ in the fields you describe above and thought it was time to explore uncharted territory.
Nero: I’m happy to live in an undefined space. To social distance our art from the unexceptional. The further we can step away from convention, the better.
Q: “Simulacra” is an interesting title –and especially considering your sound, as it might stand for ‘the representation or imitation of a person or thing’. What did you try to express by this title? And what do you think about bands, which are just trying to copy others?
Tim: Yes, exactly that and countless other interpretations. It is an ambitious title for a very ambitious collection of music.
Nero: The dead imitate the living. It’s an error in the facsimile. The second coming.
I don’t think about other bands enough to answer the latter half of your question.
Q: How do you manage working together? Is there any specific format and did you notice an evolution from your debut album towards “Simulacra?”
Tim: No! When we start it is a completely open field and it is only when we are on the way we realize what works and what doesn’t. No predefined rules or regulations will be allowed to stunt this development.
Nero: While there is no established format, Not My God has always been about experimentation. There is a subconscious push to do things differently. A song may begin as a patch on my modular system, I might plug a toy piano into a series of guitar pedals and improvise a motif or bow a broken violin through a granular processor. Always recording in the background. What works stays.
Q: What have been the different stages you’d to go through to achieve “Simulacra?” Did you encounter major difficulties and/or challenges?
Tm: Yes, there are many challenges and difficulties on the high road of true art. There is very deep darkness in the unexplored territories of this music.
Nero: The end result is multiple personality disorder. When composing for a specific project I can’t help, but to become the character that lives in that ‘world’, taking on the burdens that character may feel. It can be empowering and it can be devastating.
Q: I can’t get away from the idea your music could be used for a movie soundtrack, which is only accentuated by the different clips you made. Do you’ve specific plans in that direction and tell us a bit more about the clips? Are there new clips in the make for the new album?
Tim: Yes, I think I speak for both of us when I say we completely agree with this. I’d would even say that we know we have created music that will undoubtedly inspire other art including film and that this material will also push the format further and further. We would not mind making clips for every song, but that is of course fiscally impossible for us to do, but we look forward to see what film makers and others do incorporating or at least inspired by our works in the future.
Nero: With film and with music, we both aim to tell a story. It’s a natural marriage. What stories may emerge as an amalgam I’ll leave to the prophets and oracles.
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