Iron Fist Magazine

INTO BATTLE: POSTHUM

“Sometimes melodies arrive while I’m sleeping so when I wake I’m really stressed trying to remember the melody. Some of the ideas come from dreams and nightmares, or in that time just before I fall asleep,” says Posthum‘s Jon (guitar/bass/vocals). Hailing from Akershus, Norway, an area tipped by many as the new Bergen (“Akershus is both the old and new Bergen!” say the band), Posthum, rounded out by Morten (drums) and Martin (guitar/bass) are set to smash through the black metal glass ceiling with their sophomore full-length ‘Lights Out’. Signed to Indie Recordings, ‘Lights Out’ builds on the foundations of 2009’s ‘.Posthum’ and their 2005 demo, showcasing a tighter, scalpel-sharp approach. So what have the trio been doing with themselves in the interim? “After finishing touring with Dark Fortress, Shining and Satyricon in 2009 we began to think about a second album,” remembers Jon. “The process has been long and darker than before. The album has really got into our heads and has been exhausting at times. It’s been a time of many experiences and different feelings towards life, love and existence in general.”

He’s understating just how dark of a record ‘Lights Out’ truly is. Bleaker than infant death, ‘Lights Out’ saw Jon drawing directly upon his experiences with sleep paralysis, leading to a very unsettling listen both for the fan and the architect of the album. “It gave me fear I never had before and it really is the creepiest thing I have ever experienced. For me, it helped to write down lyrics after waking up, to sort things out and try to find something logical about it. To construct the things from a dream within a room you feel awake in is not recommended! ‘Summoned At Night’ is the track on the album that is most directly about sleeping paralysis. The intro sound of the track is the sound of what a sleeping paralysis starts with for me. It still gives me creeps just to hear that sound!” 

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