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Møl – Diorama: the portrayal of inner worlds
No bands has surprised me as much as Møl in recent years. When I started listening to them with the LP Jørd and I/II (which collects their first two EPs), their sound immediately struck me. An ethereal shoegaze in the guitar melody, intense witch screaming vocals, and overwhelming drum incursions played at a black metal speed, but also with hints of Brit-rock and ambient in its nuances. There’s no need to label it; it’s definitely a sound I’ve rarely heard before, too energetic for Jesus & Mary Chain and too introspectively melodic for Emperor.
In 2021, Møl released their new album, Diorama, and I was immediately captivated. The album presents a richness of themes and sounds rarely heard in metal and shoegaze, emphasized by an excellent production. The definitive confirmation came with their concert at Copenhell 2023, where the intensity and energy were matched only by Zeal & Ardor‘s performance, but with a more pronounced human factor and spiritual connection between the audience and performers, partly thanks to slower musical breaks interrupting the metal aggressions.
As soon as I heard rumors that the band Møl would be in Copenhagen for recordings, I knew I had to meet them to do have Diorama told by their own words.
The Interview
We meet at Tjili-Pop, the bar where I’ve spent many Wednesdays listening to the music of local and international songwriters. A soft, old-school soul-jazz creates the typical atmosphere of this street venue.
Kim, Ken, and Holger come from the rehearsal room. The limited space available in the already crowded venue allows for only three people in the camera frame, with Holger patiently supporting us off-camera. During the discussion, we’ll focus on the singer and lyricist Kim and the drummer and melody writer Ken.
We start by introducing Kim and the Århus scene, and his involvement in key venues of this city’s scene such as Radar and VoxHall. Among the mentioned bands are Brutus, Cult Leader, The Ocean, and Bersærk. Kim musical journey started in this environment as a Do It Yourself (DIY) photographer.
We trace the band’s history, from being the emerging band of the year that allowed them to record their album Jørd at Copenhagen’s Grapehouse studio (Holy Roar Records), to the production of Diorama with Tue Madsen at Antfarm studio for the Nuclear Blast records.
Two essential personalities in the music of Diorama are the band manager Mirza Radonjica, who sings a feature in “Photophobic,” and Kathrine Shepard, who contributed to the album’s most intense track, “Diorama.”
We complete the presentation of the creative team behind Diorama by introducing “No Heroes” Jon Gotlev ( Lis Er Stille), who has been responsible for the band’s graphics since the beginning and is part of the band “Lis Er Stille”. He also created the video for “Jørd,” which we will showcase.
The song Diorama
I want to focus on the track that I’ve loved most from this band, “Diorama.” It’s perhaps a slower and more emotional song but incredibly rich in meaning. This track was inspired by the movie “Hereditary“, which deals with the somatization and reprocessing of trauma but also has a very intimate meaning for Kim, who wrote it. The first live performance of “Diorama” was at Copenhell 2023 (here our live report, currently in Italian), and it left me speechless, so I won’t try to describe it, but I’ll leave you with the footage of this performance.
The project John Cxnnor
Let’s move on to Kim’s new Industrial project, John Cxnnor. This supergroup debuted live by opening the stage at the RoadBurn Festival 2023 (on platform here) and promises to be one of the must-see performances at Copenhell 2024. John Cxonnor celebrates the world of Terminator through the eyes of the most innovative members of the Danish modern metal bands: LLNN and Cabal. Here’s a taste that will whet your appetite, the video of “SunWalker” featuring Kim’s vocals.
We conclude by commenting on the current lineup of Copenhell 2024, the most current and innovative edition ever proposed for this festival. Among the new artists, we highlight the presence of Mr. Bungle, Chelsea Wolfe, and Mimi Barks. Kim suggests, among the great surprises of 2023, Night Verses, now on tour with Tool, a band definitely worth listening to!
For those who will attend, don’t miss Møl’s concert at Resurrection Fest 2024 in Lugo, Galicia.
Diorama LP tracklist
Fraktur
Photophobic (Additional Vocals Performed By Mirza Radonjica)
Serf
Vestige
Redacted
Itinerari
Tvesind
Diorama (Additional Vocals Performed By Kathrine Shepard)
Label – Nuclear Blast GmbH
Recorded By – Antfarm
Lyrics By – Kim Song Sternkopf
Producer – Sounds Of Subterrania
Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By – Tue Madsen
Band Line-up
Vocals – Kim Song Sternkopf
Bass – Holger Rumph-Frost
Drums – Ken Lund Klejs
Guitar – Frederik Lippert, Nicolai Busse Bladt
