1. The quality of “Repose” is outstanding! That’s quite surprising for a debut album and I’m sure it made an impact. Could you please introduce the band and its history to us?

Thank you very much!
OMIT (2012):
• Cecilie Langlie – Vocals
• Tom Simonsen – Guitars, bass, programming
• Kjetil Ottersen – Guitars, keys, programming

Cecilie and I first worked together as members of Fallen (Norwegian doom metal act). By the time we left that project, we both had come up with extensive material which we felt necessary to take with us and channel into a self-contained framework. OMIT became that framework, involving a completely different environment and musical scope. This was largely due to the participation of Tom Simonsen, who took great interest in the material and introduced to the mix a refreshing and experimental compositional approach. Technically, you could say that our musical direction is characterized by a mixture of diatonic and pandiatonic elements; function versus non-function, with the former brought in primarily by Cecilie and me, and the latter primarily by Tom.

2. Did you record anything before “Repose”? Or is it really your very first creation?

All members of OMIT have a fairly long history of making and recording music, so ‘Repose‘ is by no means groundbreaking in this regard.

3. The debut consists of 5 songs lasting for 85 minutes. Have you planned it from the beginning to compose such a long album? Was the length of songs a priority for you?? Do you think it was inevitable considering the character of your music?

The song length was not planned, nor a priority. The very pace and structure of our music naturally dictate the length, I would say.

4. Talking about compositions… How do you create your music?

Seeing as we have made only one album as OMIT so far, I will refer to the process behind ‘Repose’. It all started out with the bulk of the album’s orchestral, piano and acoustic/clean guitar themes which I had written and recorded prior to OMIT’s inception, coupled with sketches and near-finished vocal melodies and harmonies by Cecilie. Some rudimentary drum patterns also existed at the time. Figuratively speaking, all of these components would work as sporadic nodes between which Tom provided the interconnecting lines in the form of either entirely new or supplementary guitar riffs, additional instrumentation, and song arrangement; a somewhat unorthodox approach, but nonetheless intriguing. Drums were subsequently perfected by Tom, and Cecilie ultimately finalized the remaining vocal parts. Apart from a few exceptions, this was the main songwriting method. Whether we will pursue a similar one in the future is yet to be decided. The lyrics for ‘Constriction’, ‘Dissolve’, and ‘Insolence’ were penned by Tom, ‘Fatigue’ by my former Funeral (Norwegian doom metal act) colleague, the late Einar André Fredriksen, and ‘Scars’ by me. The use of Einar’s work is with his family’s blessing as the legatees of his intellectual property. Lastly, the recording sessions occurred at different points in time at different studios between 2006 and 2010. I did the preliminary engineering, Tom did the main engineering and mixing work, and we joined up for the mastering. The originally programmed string parts were transcribed to sheet and re-recorded by violinist Mira Ursic and cellist Rosamund Brown.

5. Did you put everything you have composed on “Repose” or do you have any unused material left which you might use on the future releases?

Everything was used.

6. “Repose” makes an impression of a perfect, conceptual unit. Is there any theme which links the individual songs?

There is no specific theme, but all songs and lyrics are assembled to project a sense of melancholy.

7. Another thing which I find interesting is your work with atmosphere. You don’t employ any dramatic or unexpected changes. The music flows calmly and all the changes are very natural. What is the most important factor for the overall result?

I hold that the challenges are generally about making each song inherently progressive; that the sum of form and substance yields a momentum that makes the piece commence, mature and terminate in a sinuous fashion, regardless of its duration. It is fairly comparable to writing a sentence: A weak syntax will make the sentence fall apart and cease to communicate, but if carefully built, the sentence can go on for quite a while without losing its impact. In my personal opinion, this is a universal rule when it comes to writing popular music in particular, and I argue that it is highly relevant to serious music and folk music as well. I know too many cases where songs have been created by throwing parts together randomly and repeating them three-four times; a rather insipid formula that shines through in the end.

8. The artwork of the album perfectly underlines its mood. The only negative thing is the undue similarity to the graphics of Opeth’s album. And not only in terms of motives but this also applies to the logo. Coincidence or not?

I see what you mean, although Opeth is hardly the first band to incorporate facets of nature romanticism in their work. The basic designs and photos for the cover had actually been ready for some time when we first discovered them during a visit to photographer/designer Kjell Ivar Lund’s studio. We instantly felt it would be the right approach. Kjell Ivar then made a few modifications here and there, including band photos and the OMIT logo. In the end, we had a tailored product. As for the logo itself, Kjell Ivar was free to draw whatever he felt like. I am not sure whether it is inspired by Opeth’s logo or not. It serves its purpose anyhow.

9. If I should compare “Repose” to some other album I’d choose My Dying Bride’s – “Turn Loose the Swans”. Also Cecilie’s voice gives out a feeling similar to the voice of Sarah Marrion who sang on Paradise Lost’s “Gothic”. Who do you consider to be your influence?

As a band, we have no direct influences.

10. And what about non-musical inspirations? What is your attitude towards literature, movies and other fields of art?

I will answer on behalf of myself here.

Non-musical inspirations are even greater than the musical ones, in my view. Academic literature, philosophy, science and technology, various art from various periods, architecture, science fiction thrillers, mental and physical exercise... The list goes on and on.

11. The classic question imminent. What were the responses on “Repose” like? Are you perfectly satisfied with it or is there anything you would like to change?

On the whole, the reviews and responses were overwhelmingly positive. We are very satisfied!

12. OMIT is not the only band of its members. Could you introduce the other bands you are involved in?

As of 2012:
Cecilie – Havnatt (dark folk music), Skumring (doom metal)
Tom – Havnatt, Skumring, It’s the End (progressive rock / various)
Kjetil – In_zekT (industrial metal), Diagnostic (industrial noise / electronic), Vestige of Virtue (doom/melancholic metal).

13. Your music is perfect but I can’t really imagine it in concert settings? What are OMIT like when you play live?

We have never performed live as OMIT before.

14. Let us look towards the future? Are you preparing a new recording? Do you have an idea how the music of OMIT might change from the debut?

Looks like we will begin the writing process for our sophomore album during Q2 next year (tentative). The new music will possibly take a more neo-classical turn.

Thank you for the interview. Any last words?

Thanks to all the listeners who have found an interest in OMIT’s music, and thanks to Mortemzine for the attention!