In life and in art, I’m mostly interested in depth. Being this deep invested in it comes with certain caveats, like not appreciating certain types of more lighthearted or at worst jokish approaches to creating something. To each their own though, as my lack of comprehension towards something bears obviously no weight in any grander scale whatsoever. But where it inherently matters, is when it comes to what I’m writing about. If you’ve come across my scribings before, you’ve certainly noticed this. The artists I cover surely aren’t all cut from the same cloth per se, but there is a certain underlying red thread stringing everything together, and more often than not, I’ve referenced it as spirituality. Today, that aspect is represented to some of the most severe degrees I can recall.
Trepaneringsritualen (and derivative monikers, look them up) is the main outlet by the Swedish multi-instrumentalist and artist Thomas Martin Ekelund, existing somewhere in the shadier overlaps of death industrial and dark ambient. Drawing further flesh around the bones from esoteric matters and runes to both sacrilegious and religious imagery, Trepaneringsritualen has made quite the name for itself and deservedly so, over its near-two decades of existence.
While a lot of details about the project’s musical and visual aesthetics and appearances can be found online and straight from the figurative horse’s mouth, I decided to go against the grain a bit and not include an interview here. There are a lot of things I’d be eager to know about the artist, but equally, our own interpretations bear more weight than is often let on. I am pretty confident that if Trepaneringsritualen wanted to be transparent and vocal about things concerning it, writings in runes and abstract characters in addition to mixed languages probably wouldn’t been its chosen approach, right? There is integral value in performance, and knowing how the artist does everything from live shows to the music itself, that performance is nothing short of comprehensive.
Due to this comprehensive nature of Trepaneringsritualen, I also noticed I automatically refer to the project as an ‘it’ rather than a ‘he’. That should on its own speak volumes about the fact that we are dealing with an entity over here. It has its creator, of course, but the outcome transcend the confines of flesh, at least to me.
Having been active since 2008 (with the Dutch multi-instrumentalist Peter Johan Nijland being a part of it as well for the past ten years, alongside some other frequent collaborators often left unnamed), Trepaneringsritualen has produced quite an impressive discography exploring all the various facets of the umbrella genres mentioned earlier, on a mission to mold its own unique sonic structure. It’s pretty clear the missive was accomplished very early on, and it’s been about refining and discovering new ground since. Collaborating with other artists (one very frequent one being Nordvargr, whom I wrote about and interviewed here) have also generated side projects branching out from the main continuum, all bearing point and purpose in expanding the Trepaneringsritualen universe.
From the music to the live shows, album and song titles, artworks, and well, the overall art direction, the concept of ritual is extremely present and a constant unifying everything. I’ve touched upon the connection of ritualism and spiritualism many a time before, and once again those themes make themselves well known, and actually have a poignant deeper meaning rather than being slop for social media masses to feed off of. We as listeners are merely that; listeners. Hearing the sounds and seeing the live shows, perhaps, brings us closer to being part of the tenebrous rite, and the rest remains unspoken.
It’s interesting to me how much variety there is Trepaneringsritualen‘s music, yet everything always sounds familiar and like it’s stemming from the same, bleak and gloomy pit of things vile and atrocious. Whether the more ‘band-esque’ albums like Kainskult and Perfection & Permanence that are built on pulsating industrial rhythms or the seeping, ominous ambient and drone driven works like Rituals and Septentrional, or the almost techno-like pagan tribal vibes of A Diadem of Fire, it’s always obvious (titularly speaking) who’s in the helm. And that, is pretty damn cool if you spare even a second thinking about it.
Actually, yeah, let’s all think about it.
I don’t know what it is exactly, but the world of experimental music, regardless of whether it’s below or above ground in terms of outlook, is really the one overarching motif under which true artistry is allowed to flourish, if you ask me. I keep noticing time and time again that a lot of bands and whomever keep talking about pushing the envelope or doing this or that and finding themselves or whatever the fuck, but usually that couldn’t be farther from reality and the end result sounds exactly the same as previously. But when it comes to certain fields, usually employing electronic instruments, those type of statements actually would bear significance. Yet, you don’t catch someone like Trepaneringsritualen spewing shit about reinventing the wheel or whatever, but just hear the result and remain in disbelief. Someone equipped for it could come up with some kind of an analogy about animals and their cages for that, no?
I grazed upon the paganism earlier, but it’s also one defining factor in Trepaneringsritualen‘s grand being, presenting itself in a multitude of ways for those caring to take a proper look into it. From the runes to performing swathed in burlap, and from the icon imagery to the infernal auditory impulses especially, it’s incisively clear that God had no hand in any of this, and I’m sure if It tried to meddle with any of it, that hand would be acutely cut off and recycled for a more prominent and welcome usage. Heresy is one thing, being godless is another. Hence the whole idea of this act being an entity rather than an artist or a band is meaningful – Trepaneringsritualen is its own image. Nothing less, nothing more, just itself.
I feel like throughout the entire article I just went on tangents and sort of circled around the subject and described equally what it is and what it is not, but ultimately, we all know that you, the listeners, are the judge. While that jurisdiction comes with certain caveats mostly concerning importance and how much opinions ultimately matter or don’t, you at least get to decide what you listen to. With that in mind, I should also underline that getting into Trepaneringsritualen doesn’t come with an assortment of homework, it’s just one of those instances where you need to decide you want to see instead of just looking, whether you want to explore or remain blissfully unaware. The choice, as they say, is yours.
Listen to Trepaneringsritualen on Bandcamp, and follow the act on Instagram and Facebook, should you want to stay on top of things going forward. I strongly encourage you to do so.
