Two years after Ulvtharm’s phenomenal debut album, Jouni Ollila (MZ.412, Pouppée Fabrikk) releases a new full length. The influences remain similar and lead the listener into an obscure, imaginary world of unease. This is a new masterpiece where Industrial sound treatments and Dark-Ambient atmospheres flow together in a tormented experience. This work sounds like the imaginary merger between In Slaughter Natives, Brighter Death Now and Raison D’Être. No real comparison is possible because this work is above all a confirmation of Jouni’s unique talent in this genre of music. (Rate:8½).

Listen to “Sinners Will Inherit The World”:

About Ulvtharm

Ulvtharm is the solo project of Swedish artist Jouni Heikki Ollila, also known for his work in the EBM duo Pouppée Fabrikk and the Dark-Ambient project MZ.412, as well as Mr. Jones Machine, Project-X, Teleskop and Burg. Ollila began the Ulvtharm recordings as demos while living in Malaysia, then re-recorded them after moving back to Sweden around 2019/2020. The project’s debut album, “Wrēkō”, was released via Cyclic Law. “7 Uthras” follows two years later on the same label, on digital, CD and vinyl.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Censor is the brand new project from the Swedish musician Jouni Ollila who we known from his work with Pouppée Fabrikk, mz.412 and the recent solo project Ulvtharm. With Censor he tries “to capture the RAW vibes of late 80s, early 90s electronic music.”

Musically you will notice the DNA similarities with such bands as early Skinny Puppy, The Klinik, Frontline Assembly and Cabaret Voltaire.

Out now is a video for the track “Black Needles” taken from the upcoming album “Swarm” to be released on June 28 on all major streaming platforms and Bandcamp.

You can pre-order the album below on Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Swedish artist Jouni Heikki Ollila aka Jouni Ulvtharm is a name that will for sure make ring a bell. He got involved with the legendary EBM duo Pouppée Fabrikk and the Dark-Ambient project MZ.412. He got also involved with other bands like Mr. Jones Machine, Project-X, Teleskop, Burg ao. By the end of last year he released the official debut-album of Ulvtharm entitled “Wrēkō”. This work released by Cyclic Law stands for a great, retro-like sounding production mixing Dark-Ambient and Industrial music. The atmospheres hanging over the work create an imaginary horror scape. The work has been accomplished by an impressive sound canvas resulting in a sophisticated production. “Wrēkō” is for sure one of the best albums in its genre from the past year.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’ve been involved with that much bands and projects dealing with very different music genres. So how do you explain the need to already start with a ‘new’ project like Ulvtharm? What does Ulvtharm stand for -and especially in comparison or addition to other projects? 

Jouni: I always have the need to create music, in any shape or form. Ulvtharm is really a derivative of demos that I initially made for the MZ.412 “Svartmyrkr”-album, but it did not fit the sound and mood so I put these aside. Once I listened back on the demos, I found a message in the music that needed to be shared, and this is want sparked the idea to make a solo project as ULVTHARM.

Q: I think to have read about the origins of Ulvtharm it all started when you were living in Malaysia, right? Tell us a bit more about it and in which way did it have an influence/impact on the music and the album you composed? 

Jouni: Yes, the Ulvtharm recordings were started in Malaysia, however only as demos. I did not start re-recording everything until I moved back to Sweden in 2019/2020, and at that time the world was hit with the pandemic. It was a particularly dark period in my life, it exposed the darker side of my psyche, and I think it heavily influenced the impending doom and end-of-times themes on the album.

Q: I think it’s interesting to see how different places and different cultures can have an influence on artists. It all looks like a very personal mental process. What’s your experience and perception? And are there specific places you would like to stay and/or visit to get inspiration? 

Jouni: For me, moving back to Sweden has helped a lot with inspiration; in these parts of the world, we spend the majority our days surrounded by darkness with very little sunlight in the autumn and winter. This helps to spawn new ideas and draw energy from the cold void; it’s refreshing and helps me focus on the music that needs to be done, especially when doing Dark-Ambient and Industrial music.

Q: “Wrēkō” sounds like a very personal and even intimate work. Can we speak about a conceptual work or what is it all about? What have been the different stages in the writing and production of “Wrēkō”?

Jouni: “Wrēkō” is indeed very personal, it is a revenge on my own self, on my ego, for not taking these creative steps earlier. It is the Alpha and Omega.

Q: The dark atmospheres recovering this album but also the global sound treatments and production have a very explicit retro-like feeling, reminding me to early 80s artists dealing with Industrial/Dark-Ambient music. Tell us a bit more about the ‘sound’ properly speaking and what equipment and gear did you use? 

Jouni: I use a lot of hardware instruments and synthesizers when composing; for me it is only natural since this is the way I have been making music since the 80’s. My eurorack modular system plays a very important role on the album; many of the electronic buzzing and harsher passages are made on that system. For me, the modular synthesizer is key when creating heavy drones and Dark-Ambient passages, only my imagination is the limit when it comes to sound design. Also, there is a lot of acoustic instruments and field recordings heavily treated by both my modular system and effect pedals, a wide array of soundscapes which are then later puzzled together in my computer which serves as an advanced multitrack recorder.

Q: I’m always fascinated when an artist is involved with that much projects/bands and music genres. How do you switch from one project till the other and where does this eclectic side comes from? Are there specific genres you still want to explore? 

Jouni: This is a cyclical thing really depending on the state of my mind and from where I draw my influences. As an example, after making the Ulvtharm album my ideas were completely depleted, and I needed to feed my mind other influences to cater to the urge to compose new materials. At this point, it was natural to change genre; my artistic and creative senses need different input depending on the music I need to make. It was easy for me to move to Burg, to start working on the “Pendulum Swing” album which had sensory inputs like popular science, sci-fi books and movies. I switched my mind to these new influences and started my musical journey on a completely different project. I have found over the years that I cannot walk in the same shoes musically; I need to make these changes else I will quickly get bored and there will be no music made at all.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is the debut album of
Jouni Heikki Ollila under the Ulvthram moniker. The name of this Swedish artist must surely ring a bell. He has been involved with EBM formation Pouppée Fabrikk and Industrial/Ambient project MZ.412. “Wrēkō” has been written over a period of several years. It all started when Jouni lived in Malaysia and was achieved when he returned to Sweden.

Content: This work brings us back to the early days and origins of 80s Industrial/Ambient music. The overwhelming production is featuring vintage string parts, epic arrangements reminding me of the early years of In Slaughter Natives, crashing percussions and passages with grave vocals.

+ + + : This is a great piece of music revealing a retro Industrial/Ambient style reminding me legendary artists from the 80s Industrial movement. The tracks have been composed with an impressive sound canvas. The tracks are progressively built up until reaching a true sound orgasm which you might experience at “All The Lambs” and “Death Of The Locusts”. The ghost-like vocals are perfectly matching with the style and also accentuating the perturbing sensation when listening to this opus.

– – – : The album features 5 cuts but the final one sounds unfortunately as an anticlimax to the rest of the work.

Conclusion: “Wrēkō” sounds darker than the night and more frightening than terror which makes it sound as the perfect Dark-Ambient release.

Best songs: “All The Lambs”, “Death Of The Locusts”, “God Of Sleep”, “We Will All Abandon You”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/ulvtharm412

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

About Ulvtharm

Ulvtharm is the solo project of Swedish musician Jouni Heikki Ollila, also known for his work in Pouppée Fabrikk and MZ.412, as well as Mr. Jones Machine, Project-X, Teleskop, and Burg. The Ulvtharm material grew out of demos originally made for MZ.412’s “Svartmyrkr” album, which did not fit that project’s sound. Ollila began the recordings while living in Malaysia and completed them after moving back to Sweden around 2019-2020. “Wrēkō”, his debut album under the Ulvtharm name, was released on Cyclic Law.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Black-Industrial, Death-Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Originally released in 1988 by Mechanik Cassettes, “Macht Durch Stimme” was the debut work of Swedish Maschinenzimmer 412. Driven by  Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, Juni Ulvtharm Ollila and Leif Holm this trio got international fame by their hard EBM project Pouppée Fabrikk. Mz.412 became a true reference in a different scene and brings their early work back alive while a bonus cut has been added.

Content: This work brings us back to a very own interpretation of Industrial and Dark-Ambient. The tormented atmospheres have been accentuated by Industrial noises while now driven by slow rhythms, and then by a Martial-like rhythmic. You’ll also notice hard screams, saturated noise waves and field recordings mixed together in repetitive loops.

+ + + : This work hasn’t lost its initial magic and remains a true reference in a style Mz.412 has invented. I enjoyed the tormented sonic voyage, which also sounds sophisticated. I still find back the true, Industrial, spirit form the early years which has been masterly adapted into something new. This was the debut of a successful career.

– – – : The bonus track which is an alternative ‘tape’ edit to the “Rood”-track is a cool extra for the fans but nothing more.

Conclusion: “Macht Durch Stimme” sounds as a true sonic Poltergeist and will occur you a cold sweet sensation.

Best songs: “Aptionstheorie”, “Sequela”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/MZ412official

Label: www.coldspring.co.uk / www.facebook.com/coldspringhq

About Mz.412

Mz.412 was formed in Sweden in 1988 as Maschinenzimmer 412 by Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, Jouni “Ulvtharm” Ollila and Leif Holm, and is credited as an originator of “black industrial,” combining industrial noise, ritual ambient and black-metal atmospheres. Jonas “Drakhon” Aneheim joined in 1995, replacing Holm, around the time the name was shortened to MZ.412. Björkk, also active as Nordvargr, has additionally recorded in Deutsch Nepal, In Slaughter Natives and Sällskapet, alongside Thomas Ekelund, and has collaborated live with Trepaneringsritualen. “Macht Durch Stimme” was the band’s 1988 debut on Mechanik Cassettes, reissued here by Cold Spring with a bonus track.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

“Macht Durch Stimme”, the debut release of Maschinenzimmer 412 (a.k.a. MZ. 412) is a true milestone in the history of Swedish black industrial music.

In 1987 Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, Jouni Ulvtharm Ollila, and Leif Holm formed Maschinenzimmer 412, next to their other project Pouppée Fabrikk. Jonas Drakhon Aneheim joined in 1995, replacing Holm and the bands anew got abbreviated to MZ. 412.

Originally released in 1988 by the Swedish tape label Mechanik Cassettes (run by Memorandum’s Petter Marklund), “Macht Durch Stimme” came in a tiny edition of just 50 copies. For this reissue out via the fine label Cold Spring all of the material was remastered from the original 4-track tapes and a previously unreleased, exclusive track that was rediscovered when listening through the old master tapes was added as well.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out via the Italian label Old Europa Café is the newest 9-track album by Folkstorm. “Nihil Total” comes in a limited edition of only 300 copies and again offers classic orthodox Swedish industrial made without computers or modern tricks. The album also is the third chapter in the Folkstormish trilogy together with “Information Blitzkrieg” and “Ortodox”.

Folkstorm was originally founded under the name Volkssturm and was considered to be a more direct continuation of MZ. 412. Behind the buttons we of course find Henrik Björkk (Pouppée Fabrikk): “I started Folkstorm because I wanted to do something similar, but unlike MZ.412. I experimented with different recording techniques and sound sources to get a raw, dirty sound.” Folkstorm is actually a one-man band, but sometimes Ulvtharm and Mrs. Nordvargr helped out.

Here’s a teaser for the new album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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