halder Black metal musicians walk around and talk as much as they can without resorting to arson or murder. The Washington-based musician, whose real name is Martz Riesterer, maintains a healthy boundary between his private life and public persona, and reveals few details about himself. Here’s what she revealed: She lives in the forest, she searches for her food as much as she can, and she wants to stick to herself. She also detailed her love of folklore and traditional Belgian stories passed down to her by her grandparents. It is no surprise that she plays black metal and her most successful project, Halder, began as a solo project. Her individualism and close connection to nature remains on her latest LP. poem of vowseven after they acquired a backing band and started performing live.
Although these developments are not groundbreaking on an absolute scale, they are important moments in Halder’s overall evolution in 2021 and beyond. Godslastering: A lonely peasant’s hymn. Shortly after releasing that album, she signed with 20 Buck Spin and released her next mini-LP. eternal fanfare, added Necleon as a drummer and built a lineup for live performances. Her progress revolves around gathering more tools to better realize her vision as she still holds the creative reins. Sonically, that vision now has a heavier, more specific sound that she revealed with her “Vessel of Suffering” late last year. She didn’t ignore the synths that enveloped her, leaving more bite and gravel on her tongue. The best way to describe it is that her new work has grown in size without being too bloated, and is as powerful and domineering as if Riesterer had eaten Senzu beans.
One would think this direction is due to her signing with 20 Buck Spin or her focus on live shows, but she insists that’s not the case. Although she has more resources at her disposal, her vision remains lonely. She pursues the spirit of her ancestors, nostalgia, and the darkness born of the material world. This darkness is not evil and, like nature, is beyond morality. It’s not scary, but its power needs to be treated with respect and admiration. The secret sauce of Halder’s beer is that she effortlessly achieves this amorphous goal. There’s nothing performative about her. Her black metal is raw, traditional, and medium-paced, unencumbered by flashiness, solos, and diversions, so much so that she feels that everything is intentional and necessary. This is cool kid metal in the sense that she’s so confident in herself and what they’re doing, and has such a clear vision that you can’t help but admire them.
Mr. Halder was kind enough to answer our questions about the 20 Back Spin, his connection to the natural world and tradition, and the joys of foraging.
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Since using 20 Buck Spin, your material has traditionally had a more “heavy” sound, especially on “Vessel of Suffering.” How has working with a label influenced your music production?
Working with 20 Buck Spin hasn’t changed the way I make music in any way. That’s why I decided to pursue a partnership with them. The decision to make things darker and heavier felt like something I needed to do, so I was able to start exploring that. eternal fanfare.
Given that you formed Hulder as a solo project, how does it feel to have a dedicated live band backing you up on tour?
Initially, Halder was something I felt I had to do, something we hadn’t been able to co-create before. Because of this, I became interested in forming a full band and incorporating other people’s input into my creative process, but I knew it wouldn’t work out. As my writing and vision began to build and interest in my first album began to grow, I began searching for a set of musicians I could trust to accurately portray my music in a live setting.
You have said that you are a hikikomori, but I am curious as to why you wanted to share your music with the audience through live performances.
The idea of performing in front of an audience of any size, something I never expected to actually happen, changed after recording “”. kill god …We were able to hire Necreon to do the drums on the album and CK to handle the engineering duties. As the process went well, we started talking about the possibility of putting together a line-up to bring this material to life.
We felt that this music needed to be properly introduced to the world, so we organized a special show in the middle of the woods in Washington state. I didn’t expect much other than to organize something that would be an experience for everyone involved. Playing in the woods felt much more natural than at a club somewhere, but it ended up lighting a fire to keep going. Since then, I’ve found that live performance is a way to maximize the material.
You’ve said that playing black metal and music is a way to combine the metaphysical and physical worlds. I hope you will explore this idea further.
My connection to the natural world, and my continued pursuit of it, is deeply personal, and Halder serves only as a glimpse into that. It is an inescapable truth that melodies speak to the core of most people and can sometimes create a sense of memories never experienced in this realm. I’m guided by this feeling when I write songs, and I can only hope that listeners feel the frequencies of loss, pain, and ethereal beauty that I can only inject into each song.
You may have read about how important folklore (particularly Belgian folklore) was when you were young. The American northwest is not well known in folklore, so how have you filled that void? Has the myth of Halder become your own folklore?
Folklore has always been an important part of my life and my worldview. Growing up in a small Belgian town, shades of medieval life were always prevalent in me, and the elders in my community seemed to have endless stories to share.
I no longer live in Belgium, but every region of the world has its own folklore and fables. The Pacific Northwest of the United States is no exception. Whether it’s medieval stone architecture or vast forests of cedar and fir, humans create stories and rationalizations about the good and evil (for lack of a better word) that exist in our environments and actions. Collect. I find this very fascinating and deeply moving, and feel that it is truly sad that such traditions are being lost in modern times. When we lose connection with what raised us, we become mere passengers. It is our responsibility to learn and pass on the stories and traditions of our ancestors before they are forgotten.
You talk easily about how modern times have taken away many of the things you value in life, such as your connection to nature.you said here“I like to think of my music as a small measure against this erosion of tradition.How do we achieve this on a concrete and mechanical level?
I see each release as a mark of a specific time and place. No one else can interpret what I experience and feel during the creative process, but that is the intention. Each listener takes what they see fit from a particular release and uses it as inspiration for their own efforts. We live in a world where “intelligence” and “success” are quantified by a number of metrics that I personally don’t understand.
Traditions and lore have long been used to reflect the pain of those who shed blood and to prevent their relatives from doing the same. These are being actively stripped from many cultures around the world and replaced with the “truth” and “convenience” of technology. I don’t see myself as some kind of cultural revolutionary, but I just hope that my music and words can be meaningful to some people.
Foraging comes up a lot in your interviews. What can you forage in your area, and what deeper purpose does it serve for you?
I’m lucky to live in a very fruitful area in that sense. Game birds, deer, salmon, wild mushrooms, berries, and numerous medicines are just a few of the things easily available here. In addition to this, there are many small farms that provide much more than what you can forage. The idea of hunting, gathering, and sourcing locally is just part of a larger need to live a life more connected to the natural world.
It’s interesting that you live in an area that has a similar landscape with groups like Agalloch and Wolves in the Throne Room with a variety of atmospheres, but your sound has always been more metallic. , it looks like they’re continuing down that path with their latest album. Of course, you can’t speak for those bands, but how does the nature around you inspire you to play heavy metal, whereas other bands in your area lean more towards atmosphere? Does it have an impact?
I live in the Pacific Northwest and have never been part of a “scene” or musical movement. The music made here 20 years ago has played its part in history, but I’m not interested in connecting with that style or sound. The vast forest surrounding my home serves as a personal refuge from the shocks of technology and modern day life. I am regularly blessed with the opportunity to come into contact with the immense beauty of nature, and I find that as much as I despise the cold, harsh realities of modern life, the slow experiences of home life serve as an inspiration. Ta.
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poem of vows Released on February 9th by 20 Buck Spin.