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INTERVIEWS

OTHYRWORLD — Interview with Jeff Ulmer (Michael Wohde, Dark Tales / 2006)

Note: This interview was to have appeared on Germany's Dark Tales website (www.dark-tales.de), but unfortunately due to unforseen circumstances the site became inactive prior to publication. Here is the original English text.

Michael Wohde: Hi Jeff. How are you? Nineteen years after Of The Sun And Moon (1986 / Sacred Blade) you have accomplished it to take up the second album under the project name Othyrworld . Unfortunately, the songs on Beyond Into The Night Of Day exist to three quarters of Of The Sun And Moon. Why have you taken up the album practical twice?

Jeff Ulmer: There are many people who would have just accepted their debut album as a learning experience - which ours was - and simply abandoned the material to work on newer songs, but I am not one of those people. I had a certain vision in mind, and until I could deliver that vision, it would always bother me. To me, the only unfortunate thing is how long it took to finally complete the new record, and get these songs released properly. The fans finally have the record I had set out to make in 1984, which, until 19 years later I had been unable to achieve for a variety of reasons.

Despite the critical acclaim it has generated over the years, I was never happy with Of the Sun + Moon, feeling it fell far short of my expectations in just about every regard. At the time, given the extreme circumstances it was produced under, the record was the best I could accomplish, but there were too many compromises, and too many outside influences that interfered with my ability to produce the record I had in mind. Even during the production, I was unhappy with many aspects of the project, but there was a great deal of pressure to release something after two years of recording, and the finances just wouldn’t allow for what was necessary to do the job I knew I was capable of. I felt it was imperative that I rerecord the material to get it up to my standards of production and performance quality.

By the mid 1990s, I had been working on the follow up to Of the Sun + Moon for almost a decade, but a series of problems kept setting me back, including having our master tapes destroyed with the album over half finished. With updated equipment, I restarted the project at my own studio, but after working on it for so long, I became completely burned out, and decided that I needed to take a break from its production. Returning to the first album material seemed a logical thing to do. I had no idea the album would take so long to complete, or that it would cost anywhere near what it did to produce, but once had I began production there was no turning back.

My original idea was to completely redo the album from start to finish, but as the years went by, I began to change the plan by adding in newer material that had been slated for future albums. By this time I needed to refresh my enthusiasm, and diving into the production of the new songs reinvigorated the process, allowing me to finally complete the project I had envisioned in the first place. Beyond Into the Night of Day serves as the foundation for moving forward, and while much of the material will be familiar to our older fans, I believe the end result justifies the work and sacrifice that went into it - especially if it allows me to continue making music independently.

On Beyond Into The Night Of Day there are only four new songs: Odyssey Of Light (Instrumental), Ethereal Skyline , Right Ascension and The Alignment . In which connection they stand this songs to Of The Sun And Moon ?

Although four songs may not sound like a lot, it does constitute another 18 minutes of new music, and the new versions of the Of the Sun + Moon material offer a new, more dynamic and powerful perspective on those songs as well. Beyond Into the Night of Day is only a small part of what has become a fairly vast library of Othyrworld music. As more of this library is released, how the songs and artwork all fit together will become more apparent, but each has a place in the underlying theme of my work. I would rather not elaborate too much on the meaning of the songs, since I believe a large part of the enjoyment of music, or any art form for that matter, comes from using your own imagination and interpretation. It seems that many artists these days are afraid of letting their audiences think for themselves, and have to spell everything out for them. I prefer to let my work create its own meaning, and whether that coincides with my own interpretation is unimportant.

In the Sacred Blade interview of 2002 you have told to us that there is no new publication under the name "Sacred Blade." Why did you decided to change the name, because the song material is the same one.

Even before the first record was published, I had thought of changing the band name, but was persuaded by management and others around me to stick with the name that had been gaining attention, and on which our reputation was founded. "Sacred Blade" was the result of trying to come up with a name that would fit in with artwork I had created back in 1978 under a prior band name, but had little to do with the musical and lyrical direction I was headed in, even at that time. As years went by, I grew more and more dissatisfied with the name, in part due to the number of newer acts that chose similar names, but primarily because it simply did not suit the music I was writing.

I’m glad you point out that the music has not changed, at least not in its most important aspects. "Othyrworld" marks a new phase in my development as an artist, but it does not mean I have abandoned the central essence of the work that has come before - it better defines it.

Tell to us something about the name Othyrworld . What should he signify? Does a connection exist behind this name between the name Sacred Blade or another secret? Another fictive world they you have invented?

For me, Othyrworld represents a space in which independent thought, music and artistic expression merge into a new entity with a life of its own. For those who know and appreciate the work I have done as Sacred Blade, Othyrworld takes the foundation of the past and brings it to a new level, providing an opportunity to achieve my goal of being able to produce music on a full time basis.

You have played on Beyond Into The Night Of Day all instruments up to the drums of Ted Zawadzki. Why have you resolved to play all instruments alone? Was there no possibility a right band put together?

A big part of my enjoyment in creating and playing music is the ability to learn new instruments. Ever since the very beginning, I have worked alone much of the time, so taking over the majority of the instruments was a natural progression. Although it entails a lot more work to master each part, I like the challenge, and end up with the performance that I want. Ted and I both work on the drum parts, and my role in the production is increasing on the next album.

As for using a full band, good help is hard to find. When we were younger, it was far easier to keep a band together. As we got older, people’s priorities and responsibilities changed, like getting jobs and raising families, and most couldn’t afford the time or the expense of playing music, especially when there was no income for all the work, and instead, massive expenses were being incurred. Rather than fight with conflicting schedules and commitments, it made more sense for me to continue working on my own for the recordings, then putting together a group for live performance when necessary. After all, it is my music, so bearing the responsibility for its success or failure rests on my shoulders.

How would you yourself describe the changes and improvement if you compare Of The Sun And Moon to Beyond Into The Night Of Day ? I think that the technology has played a big role, right?

That is true to the extent that changes in technology have allowed me to work more efficiently and independently. In the past, it was not possible to attain the level of quality I now am able to produce without using commercial recording studios. Unfortunately, due to the huge costs involved in renting studio time, this placed restrictions on the artistic process, compromising the outcome.

While still extremely expensive to get set up initially due to the quality of equipment I insist on using, the benefit to having my own studio is the freedom to record when I am performing at my best, rather than on a set schedule. No longer constrained by the amount of time available. I can work as long as I want on a particular task or performance until I am satisfied, devoting as much time as necessary to get each detail the way I want it, and to experiment with different approaches or arrangements. Modern technology also allows me to begin the mixing process as production is underway, so by the time tracking is finished, I am well along on the mix.

From the artistic side, I have gained an independence throughout the production process that I previously had to surrender to others, allowing me to control the work from beginning to end. While in both of these aspects I lose the benefit of someone else’s experience, it forces me to learn far more than I knew before, which in itself is positive, and that experience is something I can use on future projects.

Speaking specifically about the new album, I was able to build the production the way I had always imagined it. The sound field is considerably larger, and the clarity much greater. The quality of the performances is far superior to the Of the Sun + Moon album, both technically and emotionally. By spending as much time as it took recording to get just the right feel for each part, I believe the music gained much more life and emotion. Also, a much wider variety of instruments was used on this record, which allowed me to capture the subtleties and nuances I had wanted in the past. On the Of the Sun + Moon recordings, if there was something I didn’t like in a track after a session was finished, fixing it required starting from scratch, including all the setup time. In my own studio, I leave the equipment set up all the time, which means I can concentrate on getting the basic performances nailed in a few takes, and go back weeks, months or even years later to fix minor technical or performance flaws. It also means that the sonic quality is repeatable on future recordings, which is not always the case when working at outside studios, due to budget considerations.

How does it look with older Sacred Blade material? You have said, that you have written 250 to 300 songs about during the last twenty years. Can you tell to us something about these songs?

To be honest, I have no idea how many songs I have written anymore, since the majority of them are still works in progress. I do have at least four albums worth of material demoed, and am constantly writing new material. There is not really much to say other than I hope circumstances will allow me to record a lot more of them without all the distractions and hurdles that have come up in the past. Part of my fascination with music is the ability to learn and experiment with different instruments, so you can expect even more diversity in the future, but that doesn’t mean abandoning or radical departures from the style that our audience has come to know. It is all about expanding the Othyrworld universe, from the melodic instrumentals to the heavier songs.

I have read you write for many years to an book that deals with the topic of Sacred Blade . Can you already betray to us details? Which history is told and when will the book appear?

The novels actually have nothing to do with Sacred Blade, and never did, which is one of the reasons I have left that band name behind. Since there is no timetable at this point to do more work on them, it is probably better to avoid talking too much about it other than to acknowledge that they are in the works. For now, these writings serve as a thematic center for the lyrics. Whether I will get around to publishing has yet to be determined. It would be nice to be able to complete that project, but like everything else, it will require a great deal more work, and finding the time to concentrate on it is a major challenge.

Your music, Sacred Blade as well as with Othyrworld is called by many critics as a "Space Metal" because the lyricss deal with Science Fiction and you are a big fan of this matter. Do you believe in extraterrestrial beings? I remind here of Erich von Däniken who is almost a Phantast of such stories and has already written over many books.

While there are themes throughout the lyrics that are in the realm of science fiction, I believe that they more accurately stem from trying to understand the nature of our existence on a more universal scale. Admitedly, there are a lot of concepts that I accept as plausible, even though they are based in fiction at present.

On the subject of extraterrestrials, I find it hard to believe that Earth is the only planet in the entire universe that has developed life, or that human beings are the only race to have the ability to create the type of technology we have. Despite the advances that have been made in science over the past thousand years, we are still in our infancy when it comes to understanding the universe we live in, if we are even capable of understanding something of that magnitude.

It would also not surprise me to discover that beings from elsewhere in the universe have visited here. It would certainly provide a more plausible explanation for some of the mysteries that exist than some other theories.

You have founded before some time your own label: Othyrworld Recordingz . What has been the decisive factor own label to found? Have you to cooperate no interest with other companies? Would like you to be independent?

We have had plenty of interest over the years from established labels, including majors, but when it got down to the actual deals, although they may have enabled us to progress faster in the short term, in the long term it was decided that remaining independent made more sense. It is easy to be lured by the promise of money and fame, but my commitment is to the music, which would have been compromised, because those who control the purse strings are the ones in control of the production, as I learned on the first record. The considerations are financial, not artistic. Instead, it made more sense to work independently, where things like schedules and budgets didn’t interfere with the creative process.

There are very few labels that would allow me the time or financing to do the job I have to do, which is understandable. Even if I could find someone willing to back the project, it would likely cost me all rights to my music, and in the end I’d wind up owing the record company money. That is not a great way to stay in business.

The industry of music has little to do with the quality of the work. It is about churning out product, and trying to move as much of it as possible. It is a machine that has no concern for the artists involved, it is driven strictly by the bottom line, and how much money can be made for a given investment. Stars are easily replaceable, and there is always someone waiting for their shot at the brass ring. I think the result speaks for itself — look at the quality of the music being manufactured today, but also look at how many artists seem to be skyrocketing to fame, then vanishing due to the effects of heavy touring and working twenty-four hours a day. It is no wonder people burn out, or wind up with substance abuse problems.

My goal is to keep producing music long term. The past decades have allowed me to build a foundation, get my production facility established, and to educate myself while developing my craft. With the release of the album, I am now allowing the fan base not only to hear the music, but also to play a role in keeping it going by supporting its continued development.

If I both Artworks of Of The Sun And Moon and Beyond Into The Night Of Day I compare ascertain differences. Tell to us something about their connections. Are fictive stories hidden behind both Artworks?

When it came time to design the artwork for Beyond Into the Night of Day, I wanted to update the original concept from the Sacred Blade debut. Like the music on the Of the Sun + Moon album, the artwork was all analog combining oil paintings and a reflective steel logo treatment with the camera. This was a very convoluted process which took months to get right, and in hindsight, was much more of a challenge than I had ever anticipated.

As a graphic designer, I had been working with a few 3D programs on the computer, and decided to use that technology for the new covers. The images presented throughout the packaging are all three dimensional constructions done in Bryce — the same program used to create the original Myst video game. Despite their similarities, each image required a fairly complex setup when it came to lighting the scenes, and hundreds of hours in rendering to get to the final versions.

Do you believe as a culture shock when extraterrestrial and intelligent beings visits with his spaceships the earth? (how in the film Independence Day ). How would the people on the earth react? What do you think?

I don’t believe that mankind is ready for this kind of revelation. I think it is safe to say that contact with an alien life form would be a monumental event in human history, and it is impossible to predict the reaction it would cause, but I suspect mass hysteria and widespread panic would be very likely. The human race has developed deeply held beliefs over the centuries that would be shattered by the appearance of visitors from outer space. What we accept as the truth would be radically altered, and institutions that have stood for thousands of years would crumble. This alone would be devastating to billions of people, but given the power and technology that a race capable of travelling the stars would possess, we would be at their mercy, with no practical means to defend ourselves, and nowhere to run.

With cultures, religions and ideologies as diverse as they are in this world, we are all bound to a single planet. We had better hope that if a foreign life form does reach us that it is benevolent, but given our history of violence and self-serving interests, I doubt our response would be peaceful. It is far more likely that any contact would be done discretely or covertly, with the ambassadors slowly integrating with our society. They would guide policy until the world’s inhabitants were ready to accept their presence.

Accepted these foreign beings would be friendly to the people and would invite them to fly to her galaxy. Would you fly with them and leave the earth around new life forms to get to know?

Good question! I think it would be extremely difficult to leave everything I know behind, but at the same time, it would be an opportunity of a lifetime, so hard to pass up. Do I get to come back?

With all enthusiasm to your music and experimental happiness you are, besides, still an hobby gardener. Still time remains, actually, for family? Do you have woman and children?

My life is dedicated to creating music, but I also enjoy a lot of other activities. I still am an avid gardener. Over the past couple of years, since moving from the city to a small town in the country, I have been raising chickens, and getting first hand farm experience with horses, peacocks and other animals. I have been able to spend some time exploring the off-road areas around where I live, which has a rich mining history, so I will go out and collect rocks and other relics from the past that can be found in the wilderness. I enjoy getting out in nature as much as possible, and have also taken up photography.

How do the plans look for the future? When, for example, will the next album appear? Do you have in this regard already some ideas? I don´t hope that the next album appears in twenty years.

I am well into production of the next album, but there is still a great deal of work to be done. How soon it will be done depends in large part on how well the current album sells, and how much financing I need to secure through other forms of work. The main reason the last album took so long was because of the amount of money that had to be raised to finance the studio and everything that went into the production.

Do you know, actually, John Blackwing of Thunder Rider from Montreal/Canada? He has played the last year with his band at the Keep It True festival in Germany and was inspired. Do you believe that it is possible to come with Othyrworld to Germany or is this excluded?

I have not had the pleasure of meeting many of my country’s musicians, including John. With the many projects that I am involved in, I don’t get out much. We hope to one day get over to Europe to get a chance to meet some of the fans who have supported us for all these years, but my first priority is to get the next album recorded and released, since I know people are waiting for more new material.

How do the tour activities with Othyrworld look then in Canada? When have you played for the last time Live or do you see Othyrworld only as a home and private studio project?

We have no plans to do any touring in North America, at least not at this time. It has been well over a decade since we last took to the stage. For our type of music, playing in Canada doesn’t make a lot of sense, as it is extremely difficult to not lose money given the extent of the travel, lack of venues and promotion. The days of playing for beer are over.

Can you describe the songs of Sacred Blade and the new songs of Othyrworld with your own words? Would be very interesting for our readers. The draft of both albums would interest us.

I find it very difficult to discuss my music or lyrics, since I feel that music is something to be experienced, not talked about. Each person approaches that experience from a unique perspective. As a fan, I have always been attracted to artists who could create music I can connect with, either on an emotional level, or by presenting some form of challenge, whether it was thought provoking lyrics, the skill of musicianship, or a degree of artistry that somehow affected me in a positive manner. It is not something easily explained. For me, it is something that transcends its components to create something more, something that has a value beyond notes, words or color. It has a magical element that can not be put into words.

I am just a facilitator for my creativity, I don’t necessarily know why I create something or what it means, if it means anything at all. It is the interpretation of the audience that is most important.

Sacred Blade-Album:

Ayltuthus I:

I love recording these ambience pieces that allow me to work in many layers of guitars and play with the three dimensional space. The Hammond organ forms the drone. The voice is processed with an electronic device I built in high school, just as it was on the Of the Sun + Moon album.

Of The Sun + Moon:

I think the lyrics speak for themselves on this one. Our lives are part of a continuum and in a constant state of evolution, but they a governed by a constant, that being our environment. In the case of the human race and as citizens of Earth, we are all children Of The Sun and Moon.

The new version is far more dynamic that the 1986 version and features a lot more guitars throughout. The end solo was the biggest challenge. The 1986 version was a single take done at the end of a long night on a guitar that was barely holding together. The Othyrworld version was written over an extended period of time, with many months spent rejecting ideas. Each section of the solo was played on a different guitar and is double tracked.

Fieldz The Sunshrine:

Despite appearances, the lyrics to this one actually have a meaning, however I am not yet ready to explain it, since it has to do with material from a future album. They are concepts and ideas in their most concentrated form, which when extracted, describe a central part of one of the characters in the Othyrworld story.

On the original recording, I used a Leslie speaker in the big studio where we were working. The new version replicates this electronically, while adding an eight string bass part to fill out the bottom end. The vocals here are a vast improvement from the Sacred Blade album, which was hacked together on a really bad night.

Salem:

As a young teenager, I was trying to cope with the injustices in the world. In researching many subjects, I became interested in the history of witchcraft and, in particular, the fear behind the persecution of those deemed to be different. While the song is specific to the Salem era, we see the same mentality at play throughout history, where out of ignorance or fear one group or ideology villifies another. It is only by being aware of our reaction to fear that we can overcome it. It is a lesson that the world desperately needs to address, as we become ever more divisive in our nature.

Written in 1978, the chorus originated on stage during a gig at Vancouver’s High Anglican Church. Needless to say the audience didn’t get what they were expecting from a band named Sacred Blade. Since this song has nothing to do with the theme of the record, it was deferred to another release. I have a new version almost finished, which shreds the previous release in intensity.

The Reign Of Night Rainz:

I am inspired by nature, and this composition reflects on a subject natives of British Columbia’s coastal areas are all too familiar with. This instrumental features a mass of acoustic guitars. Creating atmospheric backgrounds like the one found here is a lot of fun. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you how it was done. Some things are best kept secret.

Legacy:

The concept behind this song is that despite the turbulence and conflict experienced by everyone during their lifetime, that one must ultimately find peace, both individually and on a global scale. This was another song that fell far short of my expectations in its 1986 version. The Othyrworld version has the power I was looking for, but didn’t achieve, due to the recording environment I was facing during the Of the Sun + Moon sessions.

To Lunar Windz:

One of my favorite things about working in the studio is recording these instrumental tracks. To Lunar Windz… begins with a pair of acoustic guitars, then slowly layers in more and more guitar parts before transitioning into the fade out. Here I am using the steel guitar, along with piano and eight string bass, under a repeating acoustic guitar part. This song took a lot of work to redo for the Othyworld album. I had it about 90 percent tracked when I realised the tempo was all wrong, so over the course of two days I retracked the entire thing — about 40 guitar parts in all. The reprise at the end is one of my favorite sections of the album, which I came up with at about 2am after recording the rest of the parts.

The Enlightenment:

Like many of my other songs, it is still too early to really delve into the story behind the lyrics. It was only after the release of the first album that I discovered my own alternate meaning to the words, which I don’t care to elaborate on. I am still working on the definitive version of this prologue. Everyone can use a little Enlightenment now and then.

Master Of The Sun:

Certainly one of Sacred Blade’s signature songs, Master of the Sun was the first of our more epic pieces to be released, debuting on our 1983 demo. This and The Enlightenment were slated to appear on Beyond Into the Night of Day, but were deferred late in production as the recordings had not reached a level that I felt was definitive. The lyrics refer to elements in the novel I am working on.

The Pressing:

The basic theme of this song is the process of transition, whether on a physical, mental or spiritual level. The differences between the Othyrworld and Sacred Blade versions are less pronounced than much of the rest of the album, but still significant from my perspective.

In Light Of The Moon:

As I release more of my catalogue, it will become evident that the song lyrics have a tendency to reference each other. In this case, the title is a refrain from Of the Sun + Moon. Like The Pressing, it relates to a right of passage, from dark to light, from night to day, and the change in perspective that can bring.

From a less philosophical angle, this is an opportunity for the band to rock out, especially live, and the drums are allowed to take center stage during the solo section.

Moon:

This instrumental track was written the same day as The Transient (formerly Hammerhead), and originally released as the final track on the 1983 demo, although it didn’t make many of the traders’ lists at the time. This was another piece that I wasn’t happy with from the ’86 album, in particular the fadeout solo, which I had to perform on a backup guitar in one take due to technical problems and time constraints. Constructing and arranging the new solo literally took years, until I finally found a direction that I liked. This is one of my guitar orchestrations, which is even longer than previous versions. I am always surprised at how many fans rate this as their favorite song of ours.

The Four New Tracks on Othyrworld:

Odyssey Of Light:

I have always had an interest in astronomy, and am fascinated by the fact that it can take billions of years for the light from the farthest regions of space to reach us. Even the light from the star closest to our sun, Proxima Centauri, takes over 4 years, and for light to travel just from one edge of our galaxy to the other takes around 100,000 years. Looking up at the night sky, we are witnessing the history of the universe, with stars and galaxies that may no longer exist. This was the inspiration for this instrumental.

Ethereal Skyline:

This, of course, is where the album derives its title. Ethereal Skyline was originally written in 1984, but under a different title, different lyrics, and a much different arrangement. A revised arrangement with the current lyrics was first demoed in 1985 (if I recall correctly) and was to have appeared on the second Sacred Blade album, however the solo section, and its multi-layered guitar harmonies was lifted from yet another song for the final album version. Like much of my work, the approach to the lyrics is like painting with words; abstract, yet hopefully conjuring images of their own. The Hammond organ was an integral part of the song from its inception. During final production, I made a few changes to the percussion, which gives the song a more 1970s feel.

Right Ascension:

Right Ascension dates from the late 1980s, when I was busy demoing third album material. It was the first of the new songs to make the Beyond Into the Night of Day album, and also served as the mix template as I neared its completion. Like several other songs, Right Ascension features a good deal of contrast, from the acoustic intro to the heavy main riff, to the choral refrain.

The Alignment:

Written in 1988/89, The Alignment was originally slated for the third album. The lyrics are particularly relevant to the release of the album. It was the last song to go into production, and its unique aspects provide more contrast to the record. Ted and I share drumming duties on the recording. The introduction, which shares the album title, was written while recording the song in 2004, and features two bass parts.

Message for our readers?

Thank you for taking the time to read this interview, I hope you found it interesting. If you would like more information on the band, please visit our website at http://www.othyrworld.com. With your support, I will be able to continue creating independent music, and I thank anyone who has supported our work in the past, and invite you to join us as we move forward with Othyrworld. Peace!

Thank you Jeff for this interview and your time, take care.

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