Article | OLD FOREST: Interview with Kobold

OLD FOREST: Interview with Kobold

01/11/2025 | 19:12

“For us, seeing DIMMU BORGIR playing with an orchestra on the main stage at Wacken is completely incompatible with the fundamentals of black metal.”

For some, British black metal outfit OLD FOREST is a humorous footnote to the genre. But a musician like James Fogarty aka Kobold (ex-IN THE WOODS, ex-THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL) knows exactly what he is doing. Not everyone will like “Graveside” and if you read this interview you might understand a little better why. In addition to the music on the new album, the Brit is particularly willing to provide information about his attitude.

The “Old Forest” are remnants of the primeval forests from the first age in Middle-earth. Is that where your band name comes from?

We have one song on our debut (“Grond – Hammer Of The Underworld”), but that’s the only inspiration we ever had from Tolkien. This is incorrectly stated in the Encyclopaedia Metallum, as is the incorrect statement that we are from London! The name OLD FOREST comes from the Sussex Weald, a large forest that stretches across the Sussex area on the southeast coast of England (where we actually come from). This forest has now largely disappeared, but was considered impenetrable and was sparsely populated with many remote villages. Although the last successful invasion of England took place in Sussex in 1066, the Weald was one of the last places in the country to convert to Christianity. For this reason, pagan customs live on for much longer, and we have a rich history of local myths and legends describing both local history and geographical features – mostly involving devils, ghosts, monsters, murderers and so on. In general, the inspiration for the last OLD FOREST albums has been devouring classic horror films, early 90s black metal and other classic metal. You should engage with your passion on a deep level before creating something spontaneous, otherwise you’ll just end up with an empty palette.

“Graveside” is quite a contrast to its predecessor (e.g. the production). What are the reasons for this?

We felt we had to go back to the roots of OLD FOREST. We’re happy with all of our releases, but we wanted to bring back a spontaneity that is often lost as you become more experienced. This spontaneity and naivety is what we like about the old black metal records from the late ’80s and early ’90s, and it’s also why we might dislike most of the black metal of the last 25 years post- Nuclear Blast / Century Media period). One of the few “big” bands that remains largely unaffected by this is DARKTHRONE. There is definitely a growing rejection of overproduced black metal, just as there is with the intrusion of technology into art in general; People want something exciting and real, not something finely produced and boring. The big bands have lost their way since around 2000 because they got distracted by money and “fame”. This shit doesn’t belong in black metal. Not at all. For us, seeing DIMMU BORGIR playing with an orchestra on the main stage at Wacken is completely incompatible with the basics of black metal.

The promo text also refers to some of the classic bands of the second Norwegian wave. Why is this still so relevant to you?

These records capture the vitality of youth lost along the way through age, experience and selfish ambition. The best material is ALWAYS the first version! Art in general is a delicate balance between evolving ideas and retaining the original essence – overthinking or planning can completely destroy that. There’s something exciting about early ’90s black metal that goes beyond the crime and drama we all know; The introduction of keyboards and elements of folk music were massive components that allowed for greater musicality and a far wider range of sounds, largely missing from extreme metal up to that point. Look at the explosion of folk metal and ethno metal in the last 10-15 years. This is largely because these things were present in 90s black metal.

How difficult is it to make a production sound so retro these days?

It used to be very easy if you didn’t know what you were doing. Nowadays, with digital technology, it is paradoxically very difficult. After working on the music for so long, we had to completely go back to a different mental state. This is a very challenging yet rewarding experience. It is entirely possible that we will go further in the future. Beleth (Guitar and Bass – NM) has recently been experimenting with playing with his left hand (for added authenticity)…

The songs were written before “Sutwyke” was released. How many albums do you have under your belt?

Personally, I am always working on different projects. For example, a project can be a highly polished and commercial classic metal band, but at the same time I’m working on a very consciously raw record like “Graveside” and maybe something electronic that has nothing to do with metal. As far as OLD FOREST is concerned, we have periods of intensive writing work, followed by periods of rest that are important for reflection. We are already in the thought process for the next release.

The imagery (e.g. the band photo) is perceived by some as quickly satirical. Would you agree that there is a fine line in black metal?

We don’t care; The drama and theatricality of black metal is important to amplify the music. Would I fall to my knees dressed like this? No. But we’re not going down on our knees either; We create art that has a deep meaning for ourselves. Black metal should be escapist, ethereal, otherworldly… if you don’t understand that or judge artistic merit based on your own ideas of what is “cool” or “acceptable” then maybe real black metal isn’t for you – Or you can start your own band and do whatever you want. Black metal was never intended for mass consumption and its commercialization has itself denigrated it.

What do you mean when you say that “Graveside” could be seen as an “intellectualization of the idiotic” in black metal?

It is the willingness to take a step backwards as an artist, to adopt a minimalist and regressive ethic for one’s own work and methods. Where the uninitiated might hear a recording full of mistakes and mistakes, the connoisseur hears the deliberate imperfections of artists who truly understand their craft.

Please tell me about the cover artwork. It could also be GEHENNA artwork.

I haven’t seen a GEHENNA album yet, it looks like that, but we always try to find something that really captures the atmosphere and feeling that we want to project and portray in the music. Sometimes we even start with the artwork in mind and use it as inspiration for the music we create. This cover, with a few minor changes, was perfect for Graveside – it’s like a still from a classic horror film.

Photo credit: Volume

Editor:

Nils Macher