Afsky Interview: A Journey From Grief to Beauty

Gather 'round, sinister Citadelians, and venture forth into the eerie embrace of The Heavy Metal Citadel! Prepare to be enchanted by the spectral symphonies of Afsky, where the haunting melodies will send shivers down your spine like that Grimace TikTok shake trend, only in a good way!

Step inside Ole Luk's cryptic world, where he conjures dark poetry and mysterious tunes inspired by ancient spirits and, uh, Danish schlager music? Who would've thought! But fear not, for these eclectic inspirations have birthed a unique blend of black metal that's as bewitching as a ghost at a rave! So, sit back, tell your kids to pipe down and read on!

Welcome to the Citadel, Ole! Your latest album Om hundrede år is quite diverse and ambitious and it’s a fine soup of the traditional black metal sound mixed with folk and within an acoustic landscape, what was your approach when writing the album and how did it differ from the last one?

Thank you very much, and well...I guess it all started with a poem I wrote for my grandmother when she died. It's some years ago now, but my mother's mother was the last grandparent I had left, and her death just brought a lot of thoughts to my mind—thoughts about life and death and a certain reminder that life is not forever. And sad enough, my own parents are now the oldest generation in my family…and therefore also next in line if I put in a more dark light.

Regarding the music process, it doesn't differ from any other album, other than I have more experience now than when I started. But because of the use of this poem for my grandmom, I didn't really see how a song full of hate would fit in next to it, so therefore, this album became sort of a tribute to life, as I have referred to in other interviews. I wanted to add more here, but I saw the next question and will move on to that.

For those of us whose Danish is a bit rusty can you highlight some of the overarching lyrical themes on Om hundrede år?

I kinda said a bit about it already. This album is not about hatred in any way. The opener Stormfulde Hav (Stormy Sea) is a poem for my grandmother and a song for her and her husband, that by the way, had the same name as me, Ole Luk. There's also a song for my parents, songs about my thoughts on life, thoughts about dying and living and trying to get the best of the time we have. I can be pretty mournful when I look at the state of the world. It could be so much better. I know I can't change the world, but I can try and make it the best for me and the people I'm surrounded by.

You said you “get inspiration for new songs from other styles than metal” what kind of genres or artists did you draw from for the new album (if any)?

Oh, it could be any genre, yes. I love music in general, not just metal. It all comes down to the mood. I'm definitely most into music in minor or with a minor feeling, and if the mood's right, the genre doesn't matter to me. I think many people would be surprised if they knew what melodies or songs I have found inspiration in or have transformed into my own. Some of the inspirations most far away from metal would probably be old Danish schlager music or 60/70s pop music.

My parents mostly listened to classical music, so a lot of melodies have been stuck in my head since I was a kid because they already touched my feelings back then. I have often thought about making a playlist to share with all the different songs that somehow have a connection to Afsky. As I mentioned, I think people would be very surprised. Maybe I'll do so one day.

When did you decide performing live was something you wanted to do with Afsky, and how did you choose who to play with you?

When I started writing songs on my own, which became Afsky, it was never my intention to play live. I played in a band that I have left now (Solbrud), and back then, we had a decent amount of shows. Besides my day job, there was simply no more time to give, but after releasing the first EP, a friend from Aarhus, Denmark, gave me a push to play at his festival, and I ended up saying yes. I have thanked you before, but thanks again for the push Leifur!

The lineup has changed a bit over time, mostly the bass players, actually, due to getting kids and work and so on. The live lineup now is: Simon Skotte Krogh on guitar (also Sunken), Simon Frenning Sørensen on drums (also Morild) and Martin Jørgensen (the man behind Metal Magic Festival in Fredericia, Denmark. If you dont know it yet, please check it out, he's good at finding cool bands)

What are some of the more epic tour memories that stand out in your mind in 2023? What’s been the reception to the new tunes?

Ohh, now I really have to activate my brain because so many things have already happened this year! Martin Jørgensen joined Afsky this year; that's a good one for a start. Then we toured Europe this spring with Uada, which was a lot of fun. One night in Tilburg, some crazy meth heads wanted to beat up all of us outside the venue; one even got out of his wheelchair and started walking while his friend swung a shovel over his head.

Recently we toured the UK and a couple of EU mainland countries with Panopticon, which was also pretty awesome. They were all super great guys too. When in the UK, we started out by partying so much that we forgot a guitar and all the merchandise the first night on tour. The second day the car broke down when the front wheel shock absorber detached from the wheel. After getting the car fixed at a pretty improvised car shop, the wheel almost fell off on the highway. And we met so many nice people out there while we were on the road! Good times!

Is everything Afsky still DIY (photos, lyrics, the insanely rad printed cards and bags, etc), or has the project become too big now?

Well, most things are still DIY. Obviously, I don’t print t-shirts myself, and I also work with a label, but all the photos, cards like you mention, graphics for some and so on, are still me doing it. It's also still me shipping all packages, answering messages and stuff like that if you order from me. It can be a lot of work, but that's what I love to do. I can reveal that I'm currently working on the way to release the vinyl test prints for" I Stilhed", the acoustic album. The front and back photo was taken on the Danish west coast, which has a special place in my heart. I guess it will be a super limited edition, but I have put a lot of work into it so far, so I'm looking forward to sharing it.

Ok, onto bigger questions…

We saw a brilliant video of you making Solkors (suncross) necklaces by hand for Winter Solstice. Tell us more about the Solkors and why it is important to you.

Well, the sun is the life-giving power in our world and has been, for all time, so to speak. And it's right there. We can see it bright and clear, but some people still throw their life away to religion. By that saying, everyone should do as they please; I live my own life. And where many people praise and love the tales from the old Norse belief (which I also find very interesting), I like the idea of the sun wheel being found all over the world.

This symbol is common and equal to us all. Without the sun, none of us would exist. We are all humans, but sadly we still fight each other all over the globe. We are all earthlings, in my opinion. No need to fight or suppress each other. So this is a symbol that somehow combines us, if you may. Before there were any gods, people praised the sun as a part of nature. That's what I like about this particular symbol! It's our common denominator. Same reason I get sad when people like right wings misuse it.

More than 5 years ago, in an interview you said: “The more idiots there are, the more rules must be made to protect the 'community', which only benefits a certain segment. So in that way, one can say I feel a certain disgust for humanity and the way the modern society is put together.” Do you feel similarly now and that society has progressed in a worse direction?

Haha, damn...you did your research; I like that. I dont remember saying that exact thing, but it definitely sounds like me. I always say that we humans only need one rule: do whatever you want, in and with your life, as long as you dont tread on anyone or do any harm to any fellow human, animal or nature. It should be as easy as that. Of course, you would need some regulations and guidelines when using common areas and so on, but I hate living in what I think is a nanny state. And Denmark is not even that bad compared to other places.

I talk and write with a lot of people all over the world, and it's just heartbreaking to hear how people's freedom gets decreased in so many places." We" like to think that we are modern and educated, but the world is still stuck in the middle ages for so many reasons. The world is still divided in so many strange ways and mostly just benefitting the ones who already have enough. It's like the bible says:

”For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Matthæus 13:12 (funny number by the way, maybe theres a meaning behind it after all)

The search for meaning is a central aspect of existentialism. Does the fact that we as humanity have no objective global purpose or meaning liberating or terrifying and something you have to deal with?

**Image Credit Adriana Zak Photography**

Well, it's something that I think a lot about. I just mentioned the bible and threw in a quote in the previous question, though I'm not religious. Sometimes I wish I was...well, I do not, because I feel I have seen the" light" (meaning, I have found my own purpose for my own life and accepted the fact that I exist for nothing. We are all just here by coincidence and as a result of evolution) BUT, I try to imagine if you really are, and truly believe, life would be a lot easier. Again depending on many things, but at least in the way of believing in an afterlife.

Well, I guess that's why it makes sense or HAS to make sense to so many worldwide. Because the thought of life just being meaningless and then suddenly ending is kinda unbearable...well, at least until you realise that with that information, you can do whatever you want. (that being said, if you follow" my" rule, I wrote earlier). That's what I do. I did care a lot when I was younger what people thought of me, but I do not anymore. The other way around, I don’t judge anyone for their choices or for what they like or do. When you accept that, I think it's way more easy to just go through life curious and make out of it what you want.

As we know the struggle of the common man is something of interest to you, do you feel that any real tangible global change can happen peacefully or is it only through armed struggles? Basically are you more the Ghandi or Che Guevara type when thinking of historical changes between classes?

Well, I'm a huge pacifist, that's for sure. I don’t believe in violence though I, unfortunately, think it would be necessary to cut out some of the" cancer spots" that walk around. BUT, history has also shown that even the best intentions can backfire and that man is easily manipulated and can turn around and do even the worst things, as long as the reward is big enough. I would, with all my heart, wish that I actually believed in world peace, but I don’t. As sad as it may be.

But there's still hope for a better world, but it starts with equality, economic equality, and objective education for all human beings. That would probably be my step one as long as some people own half the world, having in mind that none has chosen to be born; it's like jumping into a board game where all the other players are almost done with the game. Not fair in any way. The world needs to be rethought. If not, things like jealousy will always be a problem.

Do you think our reality is “real” or is this some sort of demon’s dream or a simulation where we’re all just batteries in the matrix?

I love that movie. The whole idea is just marvellous, but accepting the idea that we would live in a simulation, only brings even more questions than just accepting that it's totally random that we are all here. OR that there is a god, an afterlife, or just a meaning or purpose to the whole thing. But the idea is still cool. And hey, if there was an afterlife...sign me up! I enjoy it here, though I write sad music.

Sorrow and hate are strong and necessary emotions, but people actually find comfort in wallowing in them as it doesn’t require the difficult work of deconstructing why you feel those emotions and how to alter your mindset to be more productive, do you feel metal enables this deconstruction or enables the wallowing?

Well, that's a hard question. I hope I understood it correctly. I myself have worked a lot with" sorrow", and sometimes I can even get a bit stuck, to be honest, especially after working with my latest record. A lot of questions and thoughts are stuck in my head. If I hadn't written an album on some of these things, maybe it would be even harder to have these thoughts in my head. But again, if I wasn't working with them, would they even have been there?

They probably would have, but I also see some patterns that it can actually be very helpful to either be mournful or full of aggression to get your true feelings out. I know I have written some of, what I would say for me, the best material when I was totally down. Maybe not aggressive, but just full of sorrow. For whatever reason. I know that's the same feeling for many of my fellow music colleagues.

So to get back to your question...does metal help in any way. I guess yes. It has been an outlet for me many times, without thinking about the exact moment.

Enough of philosophy, let’s get to the more important questions like your favourite pizza toppings!

We know you’re a fan of the Danish poet Hans Christian Anderson, if you could write a blackmospheric concept album about one of his fairy tales, which would you pick and why?

“Fan” is maybe not all correct, but I used one of his poems on OJDMD, that's correct. I did so because I found out that he was not only a fairy tale writer but also had written a lot of more personal and sad stuff. The poem that I found somehow touched me. There is a story called" The Red Shoes". Probably more unknown, but very dark as I remember.

The story ends with a girl that has magical shoes, and she has to dance until she dies with them on, so she takes an axe and cuts off her legs, but the shoes keep dancing with her dead feet and legs still attached. Pretty grim. If it were one of the more common tales of his, I would pick" The Little Match Girl". Sad story and would fit pretty well in the black metal universe :)

Where do you see black metal being in 50 years? Do you think it’ll be some cyber Punk version of itself?

I don’t know; it's probably some AI-generated weird stuff with so many influences from everything that you wouldn't know the origin. It's hard to say. I guess there will always be an orthodox version of it. But it's fun to think about what people will come up with. Maybe I will even be around to witness it. I hope so!

The Danes are a strange bunch, while being voted one of the happiest places to live, it also has some of the darkest music and has birthday cake beheadings for kids, would you say Danes live in a place of swinging extremes?

Well, if you know that Denmark is also the number two country in the world (Island nr. 1) that uses antidepressant medicine, then yes! Swinging extremes, you got it. But in general...I guess it's the same all over the world. You can always find opposites no matter where you go, by the way. The" kagemænd" that we behead is quite delicious. With or without a head!

Can you recommend some good metal hangouts in Copenhagen or other parts of Denmark?

Boring answer but no. Or, maybe I'm just not the guy to ask. Nature and the outdoors is my favourite hangout spot, after all. In the town, I mostly go out to shows and watch bands. Pumpehuset and Stengade are places I enjoy. I guess there are some bars playing metal music, but I can be quite picky with my" beer soundtrack", and I also smoke weed, so it's better for me to stay at home and do so. There's a place called" Lygtens Kro" nearby where I live. I would always recommend that place. Good atmosphere, and everyone is welcome!

What should the fans greet you with after a show, a pint, a stjerneskud, smørrebrød?

I really love craft beer, so that would be a good thing to greet me with, or a joint ;) Some fans come up to me and give me some of their own band merchandise. To be honest, I always appreciate so, and if anyone ever did and read this now, I will let you know that I have listened to ALL the music I was ever given. Some bands ended up on the playlists that I have online. So that's always appreciated.

Thank you so much for the interview, and final words to our listeners?

Thank you for the interest in my project and for actually coming up with some good questions! And the last word would be something I always say but also mean to the core of my heart:

Thank you all for listening to my music and for buying my music and merchandise. And never the less, for coming up to me after shows and sharing your stories. It truly means everything to me. I feel very blessed and humble that Afsky has become what it has become. A dream come true, but it depends on you folks, so thanks again for the support!

BONUS: Give us a random question about whatever you'd like and we’ll ask it to the next band we interview!

Where do you see the world in 100 years from now?

We’d like to thank Ole for visiting the Citadel and for answering all 101 questions. Make sure to head over to the Bandcamp and support Afsky by buying Om hundrede år and some merch, now!

In the meantime, let the black metal spirits guide you, and remember, life might be short and meaningless, but it's still worth headbanging your way through the chaos!

Afsky: A Journey From Grief to Beauty