2021’s UNMAKER challenged the standards of what heavy was with beautiful brutality. Textures that inflict piercing wounds to eardrums but moments later heal. It also successfully expanded on the conceptual worlds LLNN were imagining. Not just defined by the physical entities of pieces of wood and metal thrust with human force, the industrious post rock four piece have built soundscapes that are engrossing even sometimes overwhelming with their intensity. But before they birthed this magnum opus into the conscious of their followers vocalist Christian Bonnesen had already made his decision to depart sometime in 2022 to spend more time building his family and work on other projects.
Some bands crumble in the face of such a linchpin and key creator leaving, but not Rasmus and his fellow musical journeymen. They always had not just the next best thing but THE person who could not only do justice to Christian’s work but keep propelling LLNN into the stars of distant galaxies.
LLNN’s set at ArcTanGent showed Victor has had no problem settling into his prominent role within the group quickly but as he explains. “There’s still a few riffs I need to get completely under my skin, it’s not like I go on complete autopilot. Which I would prefer to do, but that is going to come. We have practiced as much as we could with our busy schedules…but right now we are mostly playing old material.”
With this adjusted line up this will of course add new ideas to the mix as he dives into the near future, “I’m really looking forward to play some new material that I have been writing on as well. We have a few more shows this year and then we end with a hometown show which we are excited about.’ which as he expands on may have some ‘special guests’ in tow. This alongside their appearance on 20th October at Cult of Luna’s ‘Beyond The Redshift’ in London, makes for an exciting way to wrap up this chapter of LLNN.
Once they have obliterated those final few rooms it will be time to build anew as Victor articulates. “Right now I see that it’s like a barrier and there is water behind it. Now we’ve pricked a few holes and it’s starting to flow. But now we want to start taking the whole dam down.” Rasmus elabortes “when we did jam before it felt very natural. [Victor] came up with something [we jammed] and it turned into something completely different…it was a good start. It can be hard to get any new guy in and start the creative process but because we have all been in bands together for a lot of years, we know each other well.”
As is apparent the Danish alternative scene it is very much one big family. With members of LLNN collaborating with Victor as part of the John Cxnnor collective, his initiation as such to fans of the band has been occassionally opening sets solo performing ‘Stormgate’. “We wanted a bit of a statement and I hope that came across as that was the intention. Something that was written for Roadburn but it is probably gonna be a bit of a prototype of what is to come. And it was just like setting the tone, trying to get people sucked into our universe and then just smash it down with ‘Imperial’ afterwards.”
It certainly was an apt introduction to the ruthless delivery Victor can bring and what that is an overwhelmingly disgusting range regarding the dark arts of vocals. From guttural black metal style screams to turning on a sixpence to hardcore roars and everything in between. Accompanied by his contorted bodily movements is a sight to behold to any aspiring heavy music vocalists. Victor dives into tips for those wanting to get most out of their performances.
“The most important thing is breathing, that is something I practice a lot and training your diaphragm. To have like that extra breath of air you won’t necessarily use but you will have a small reserve. Try long screams first and you will have more errors and it is gonna hurt in the beginning. A lot of people will say if it hurts, you’re doing it wrong…but then you kind of strain your voice so it is like getting your reps in. Find your own technique too. Use your body and visualise where it is going. I visualise directions and pulses and everything in between. I can do my deepest growls when I have my foot up on something and look downwards and I visualise it as like a goo that’s oozing out and dripping down. But if it’s something like going down and a bit up at the end it’s more like lava.”
Rasmus and Victor certainly are hot as lava with their other band EYES this year with one of the most impactful hardcore albums of the year in Congratulations which has come with rave reviews. “It feels so nice when you put so much time and effort into it”, Rasmus explains. “It is just nice people appreciate your music and art and understand what we do. Which is very important to us.”
“We are talking with touring with a UK band at the moment in Europe and we might do some shows with them in the UK so that might materialise at some point”, Victor teases some eventual shows here for the quintet. The two of them seemingly comfortable with such a wide array of projects on the go. “It’ll be a creative end of the year. New LLNN and EYES.”
Whatever the duo work on with their wide array of creative forces in Denmark and beyond in 2024 it has a high bar in Congratulations and Unmaker set which they will elevate themselves over, space boots equipped and all.