Nok Novum presents Ominous Kyle—technical precision meets soaring, intricate guitar riffs. Instrumental progressive metal but with a soul. Read our discussion below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Coming out of the gate with a tough one! I have to say heavy, beautiful, and trippy.
How do you balance diverse influences like progressive rock, jazz-fusion, and heavy metal in your music, and how has this fusion evolved from your debut album to II?
That balance is pretty easy as we all have such diverse influences and have a rule of “there are no rules” when it comes to composing songs. I think we have a tendency to lean into the heavier moments because it comes most naturally to us; but because we are an instrumental band, we are very conscious of writing songs with lots of twists and turns to keep the listener engaged and that’s when a lot of the other influences creep in. The evolution from the first record to this one was very natural as we went from a two-piece band to a quartet. Adding members will always change your sound and I think that the progression from the first record to this one was seamless and really represents all four of us in the band
How did the concept of “Ominous Kyle” come about, and what does this character symbolize within the context of the album?
I wish I could say that Ominous Kyle has some sort of deep meaning or connection within the album’s concept but the reality is that we’re four dudes with ridiculous senses of humour. All of the titles on the record are actually the working titles that we ended up deciding to keep. It harkens back to some of the odd and goofy song names from the first record and it felt good to continue that trend. We got a bit heady with the titles of our singles released a few years ago and wanted to go back to not taking ourselves too seriously, because we really don’t.
What challenges and benefits came with taking a long break between your debut and sophomore albums, and how did this time apart affect the music on II?
There were quite a few challenges since the last record. Break-ups, kids, Grant moving to another city, and the pandemic certainly proved to extend the time between releases. We finished writing the material in 2017 and the drums were cut at the end of that year but we were plagued with many obstacles. Along with those hurdles, came a lot of time to reflect and really focus on the production of the album. I don’t think the record would be what it is today if we had not been derailed and had the opportunity to really explore every avenue.
How do you translate the complex and dynamic sound of Nok Novum into your live performances, and what can fans expect from your shows after the release of II?
Live isn’t too tricky! It’s pretty industry standard now to play with some backing tracks so we have a few of the atmospheric elements from the songs helping us out but we also focus on providing a pretty involved visual aspect to our gigs as well with video and lighting. Nok Novum shows are a spectacle!
Artists and people that have influenced you? Also favorite guitar riff you wish you had composed yourselves?
We have so many influences from King Crimson to Bill Evans to Primus to Meshuggah, Morbid Angel, Gentle Giant, Ma$e, and CKY. I’d lying if said that Creed’s Higher is possibly the pinnacle of guitar riffs. Gods.
In which place or state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
Ideally, it would be on a great sound system and in their favourite listening environment, preferably under the influence of something mind expanding.
If the music of Nok Novum was a film, which film would that be?
Heat with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. Put on that movie, mute it, and put on our record. I dare you.
Thank you!
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