In this interview, we speak with Jannes Felsner, the mastermind behind Cosmic Vision, about his latest album In the Sign of Nature. Known for blending atmospheric black and death metal with acoustic and progressive elements, Felsner delves into the inspirations behind the album, which paints a dystopian picture of humanity's fragile relationship with nature. As a one-man project, he shares the creative freedoms and challenges he faced in bringing his vision to life, as well as the personal connections to the natural world that have profoundly influenced his music. Through this conversation, we explore the evolution of the tracks, his collaboration with Fetzner Death Records, and what’s next for Cosmic Vision.
Serial Metalbums: In the Sign of Nature is described as an exploration of the connection between nature, life, and the self. Can you tell us how this theme developed in your music? The album was written in 2019 and finalized in 2021-2022. How did the tracks evolve over time? What major adjustments did you make during that period?
Jannes Felsner: I was lucky to grow up in a kind-of rural location without being far away from larger cities. In whatever direction you go, it won’t take much time to be surrounded by trees and you might even f ind a quiet place beside one of the many lakes. For some this might sound like an everyday thing, maybe even boring. But I think being in nature can be quite a privilege nowadays, at least in a country with many big cities like mine. This is one of the reasons why I cherish the life I have. Therefore, it’s not a coincidence that I’ve always wanted to incorporate themes of nature in my music. But nature is not just “there”. We as humans are an integrate part of nature as well and we will always be dependent on the environmental forces. Human activities are the reason for many environmental problems, but we can come up with solutions too. “In the Sign of Nature” seeks to depict a dystopian view of the relationship between humans and the environmental forces.
Well, how did the tracks evolve? Over the years the song structures did not change at all. They’ve remained the same since the first 2019 demos. But I changed some melodies here and there or added additional sounds, especially on “Realm of the Fog”. Some of the lyrics were modified as well. The biggest adjustment I’ve made during that period has nothing to do with the music itself: I wanted to improve my singing, my skills on the instruments and of course my production skills. Therefore, I decided to work on another album first to gain more experience. After the release of my first album I approached re-recording the “In the Sign of Nature”-songs. If you listen to my f irst album from 2021 you can clearly hear the difference in production quality between now and then.
Serial Metalbums: The album starts with acoustic guitars before diving into more intense sounds. How did you balance the calm and explosive moments while maintaining a cohesive atmosphere? Tracks like The Shore and For My Will, For My Being show great vocal variety. How do you approach combining black metal, death metal, and clean vocals?
Jannes Felsner: The lyrics are the main driver of the composing process. In most cases, they were there before the music took on form. I know what a song should be about, and this makes it easier to create the music. The lyrics are the basis for the music which means they determine the atmosphere or the mood of every part of the songs. I guess, this really helps with the composing process to make the musical parts sound different from each other but not disorganized.
Some bands I listen to combine all these things – black, death and clean singing. So, to me, it just comes naturally to do this too. I kind of “knew” which type of arrangement fits best for the songs I wrote – at least according to my preferences.
Serial Metalbums: The instrumental track Realm of the Fog stands out for its complexity. What was your creative process for composing such an elaborate instrumental piece? What progressive or acoustic elements did you intentionally incorporate into this album to broaden the sonic palette of atmospheric black and death metal?
Jannes Felsner: Only a few kilometres from my home there is a hilly pinewood forest with a little dusty road leading the way through it. In the middle of the forest the trees give way to a small meadow in which there are a few houses. In the early morning hours of the autumn days the fog rises on the meadow but is often so low that you can see over it, and the tips of some plants in the meadow stick out through the fog. It looks beautiful every time. The inspiration for “Realm of the Fog” mainly came from this occurrence and was also very needed because I wanted to have an atmospheric instrumental song on “In the Sign of Nature”.
I like acoustic guitar in metal songs. Many of my favourite metal songs contain this instrument at some point. It can be used as an addition to the atmosphere or as a lead or even as a solo instrument. The acoustic guitar sound always has a down-to-earth-feeling coming with it, this is, what it makes so great.
In “The Shore” you can hear a synth stab sound. I was experimenting with it and thought that it could fit in there.
In every song but especially in the title track there are a lot of strings. I have a soft spot for classical music and some pieces of film music, especially for Lord of the Rings – It was through this music that I started liking this type of instrument. So, it's no coincidence that I use strings in my songs.
Serial Metalbums: As a one-man project, what are the greatest freedoms and challenges you face when creating such an ambitious album? Which artists or albums influenced In the Sign of Nature and your approach to atmosphere and composition?
Jannes Felsner: In my mid-teens I was a drummer in a band and soon found out that I might be better off writing my own music. When everyone wants to integrate their own Ideas, the chances are high that some ideas just don’t fit in style-wise or get rejected because another band member does not like the idea. That’s a natural process of course, but you have to decide if this is what you really want. I chose to make music on my own. The biggest challenge is the biggest freedom at the same time: You have to do everything by yourself. If you are struggling playing a part on an instrument, let’s say on the guitar. you can’t just turn to the second guitarist and ask him if he could play this part for you. The same goes for the other instruments. You have to learn how to play everything that’s in your mind. And for every instrument you don’t have the time to learn, you can use the keyboard sounds, haha.
My main influences are the bands I listen to regularly. I think everyone who is familiar with Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, Cân Bardd, Opeth, An Abstract Illusion and Shylmagoghnar will notice the huge influence these bands had on “In the Sign of Nature”. I just like a good blend of melodic metal, growls, melancholy and atmospheric keyboard sounds.
Serial Metalbums: How did you collaborate with Fetzner Death Records for the release of this album? How did this partnership help bring your project to life? What are your artistic goals for Cosmic Vision in the future? Do you plan to collaborate with other musicians or explore new musical directions?
Jannes Felsner: Having an own CD release is quite a special feeling for me, but producing a CD can be quite expensive nowadays! So, at the end of 2022 I started to search for a label to support my music and to help me release the new album on CD. I soon came in contact with the guys from Schattenpfade and we agreed to work together to release the CD in 2024. Due to a re-structuring Schattenpfade collaborated with Fetzner Death Records (FDR) and this is where I got in touch with FDR as well. Schattenpfade and FDR helped a lot with all the organizational work surrounding the release and the design of the CD. Thanks to them the digipack and the booklet of “In the Sign of Nature” got a way more professional touch. So yeah, I was not let down!
Honestly, for now my biggest goal is to be able to write music again, because I don’t know when I will have time for that in the near future. If I managed to release the next album in 6 years I would be more than happy. All I can say for now is that I want to try to incorporate more folkloristic and acoustic elements in my music (like in my single “The Song for the Guardians of Freedom”) without leaving behind the progressive elements.
A friend of mine makes music as well, and we already wrote some music together for fun, so maybe we will finish something serious at some point. He is into very different genres than I am so this will turn out quite interesting, I suppose. " à partir de cette intreview propose des titres en incluant une phrase des réponses