Tuesday 25 May 2010

In-Depth Analysis: Joyless' Wisdom & Arrogance

Not quite what one would expect from a band called Joyless.


Depression and experimentalism are two attitudes common in (modern) black metal but what happens when they are taken to their absolute limit? 

The short answer is that you leave black metal. Originally [1], black metal's primary motivation was hatred but in recent years suicidal black metal (also known as depressive black metal or DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal)) has leaped into good fortune with adherents of the subgenre. Bands including Shining, Lifelover and Xasthur have gained considerable recognition within black metal circles with their bleak attitude and self-destructive themes. It is not all positive though; many detractors think such misery is merely 'emo'. 

Regardless of attitudes, Joyless are are interesting study in black metal becoming so depressive that they waive the metal component of their music. The earliest origins of Joyless can be traced back to 1991 with the conception of Forgotten Woods in Norway. Alongside Buruzm, Forgotten Woods are considered the pioneers of DSBM. Penning two full-length albums before they initially split up at the end of the '90s, they played emotive, black metal, drawing influences from rock genres. It sounds very organic and melancholy without resorting to the post-rock overload that many contemporary DSBM acts employ. Influences include Celtic Frost, Bathory and European thrash metal alongside The Velvet Underground and The Doors [2]. They reunited in 2007 and released Race of Cain, a raw and intolerant release with memorable melodies.

Joyless' birth was in 1996 with a line up composed entirely from the then defunct Forgotten Woods and their first release was the full-length Unlimited Hate. Some of the songs are old Forgotten Woods ones, recorded between 1994 and 1996. Like Forgotten Woods, the metal on this endeavour is atmospheric, despairing black metal with a good sense of emotion and hints towards more general rock music.

By 2000, the rock influence took over in time for Joyless to release their sophomore album Wisdom & Arrogance. This album strips Joyless of their black metal casing in favour of a depressive rock stance with a pop mentality. Although they pre-date Lifelover by almost a decade, this release can be described as Lifelover's bipolar younger sister. The most striking asset of the band which appears to divide listeners is the voice of new singer Ida Helleboe. Her voice sounds juvenile, nearly whiny and on the spectacular 'Transpire', she practically launches herself into a vocal tantrum.  Theoretically, these vocals sounds challenging to endure but in reality, they compliment Joyless marvellously and sum up the attitude of the band succinctly. Her vocals are greatly varied but within the boundaries of pop music and inscribe accessibility on to the release. The spirit of teenage curiosity, angst and innocence is preserved flawlessly in her voice. The closing track, 'Room of Velvet Splendour', sees Olav Berland handle lead vocals and his deep, clean voice (no growls here) takes repeated listens to get used to, after hearing Helleboe throughout the release, but compliment the lengthy number perfectly. He sounds depressed but insightful. The vocal duet on 'Why Should I Cry?' is nothing short of sublime, with the different vocals bizarrely gelling seamlessly together.

The music is varied throughout the album and the entire release lacks unity, save for the introverted and/or sardonic lyrics. Sometimes the guitars play icy leads with the most subtle of guitar fuzz in the background (a hang-over from their black metal origins) as can be heard on 'Close to God' or 'Room of Velvet Splendour'; sometimes they bounce with a near-bluesy feel on the poignant 'Transpire'; sometimes they joust with post-rock such as on 'Stand'. The drums are usually simplistic but occasionally make a departure from this, promoting dynamic rhythms with a progressive flourish, 'Close to God' being a great indication.

Although the music is inherently depressing, the mood it harbours is not entirely melancholic at certain points: 'Divine' and 'Isn't It Nice' are edged with rich and decadent textures, much like The Velvet Underground while the aforementioned bouncing blues-cum-rockabilly guitar rhythms on 'Transpire' actually contradicts the frustrated vocals of Helleboe. 'The Nails' has no music; it is simply a recital of a striking and thoughtful poem by Helleboe in her thick Norwegian accent. In spite of these diversions, Wisdom & Arrogance is wholly miserable over all.

Lyrically, the band deals with poetic imagery, depressive/frustrated emotion, irony and inner struggles. The lyric for the entirety of 'Stand' are:

Happy be a face
Nobody understands.

Happy be a face
Nobody understands.

No, stand.
Stand, stand.

Happy happy happy happy
Happy happy happy happy

Happy be a face
Nobody understands.
Happy be a face
Nobody understands.

The last note is higher than the pentultimate one, turning the statement into a question, interestingly. Less subtle are the teen angst lyrics of 'Transpire'. The opening lyrics are:

Hey, do you know where I am going? (I can hear something has happened)
I'm going angry
On you (I can feel it)
It didn't matter anyway (Something is wrong)

Fuck off (Look where are you)
And still you are signing my song along
And that is (Everything)
Fuck off (I'm going crazy)
Did you understand me? At all, at all, at all. 

These lines are straight-forward and totally imperfect, marking them all the more human and genuine. 'Why Should I Cry?' opens by taking a typically poetic image and ruins it:

The swans appear
And they sing the loveliest song I’ve ever heard
I gently caress
I believe I broke their necks
My eyes no tear shed. 
My eyes no tear shed.

The chorus of the same song relinquishes any chance of hope:

I have reached the end (The End)
I've reached my earthly end. (The End)
And I do know that all I do is die
So why should I cry?



'Isn't It Nice?' has lyrics that would not be out of place on a modern DSBM band's album, expressing the disaffection of life and hatred of the world:

I am lost
And I feel so alone
But it really doesn't matter
There ain't a thing I can do.

Judgment day
Let me know when you are here
I want to see
The world go down

Drag me deeper down
I don't care
Down here there is nothing
Nothing but myself

and concludes with:


Point a gun at my head
Do you think I care?
Point it at yourself
And pull the trigger now.

Could you give me a reason to celebrate?



Throughout the album, there are plenty of references to the colour blue and velvet, particularly velvet shining. The latter could be a  reference to the Forgotten Woods song 'The Velvet Room' (which also mentions dying swans in its lyrics). The associations of the colour blue are quite obvious and Joyless have mentioned it poignantly a few times prior to the release of Arrogance & WisdomUnimited Hate debut had a song entitled 'Blå melankoli' (blue melancholy); the EP Blue in the Face, released 1999 [3] has 'Room of Velvet Splendour' and 'Room of Velvet Splendour pt. 2', divided by a track entitled 'Swansmile'. 


This is actually a beautiful record that finds some comfort in defeatism and solace. The title sums the music up perfectly. Its amalgamation of personalities and its flaws work in its favour, mirroring the human psyche. The music is recorded impulsive emotion. It is a struggle to find a band as raw, emotive and unrefined as Joyless. They have not recorded an album since but 2009 was a busy year for the band with three different splits and a compilation. It seems impossible to imagine a follow up to Wisdom & Arrogance but it would be wonderful to see such a release.





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[1] Referring to the second wave bands, not first wave.
[2] Mortem Zine interview with Forgotten Woods, 2007.
[3] But recorded in May 1996 and arranged in 1995.