A Dirty Dozen with JON REICHARDT from INTHEOSIS – July 2024

According to a recent press release: “An ancient sage once said it is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. InTheosis is the brainchild of Norwegian Grammy-nominated Extol vocalist, Peter Espevoll, and Australian Gold producer Jon Reichardt. On paper it would seem like an unlikely fit, as the two have found success in very different musical genres, but in reality the collaboration makes perfect sense. Today, they have shared their debut single “MYSTERIA” over at New Noise.” We get producer Jon to discuss new music, influences, and more.

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Mysteria is our debut single, it’s quite a dynamic song incorporating elements from different genres like djent, prog and alternative metal. I guess the music nerds would appreciate that there’s a bit of metric modulation in the intro and lyrics buffs might appreciate that the conclusion of the song takes a more hopeful turn. There’s a lot of layers to the production too, so make sure to listen with a good system!

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Seeing the music video for “Unti It Sleeps” by Metallica when I was a kid. I was a bit scared by how dark it was but loved the sound. From then on I picked up the guitar.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

As a young kid I listened to a lot of Beatles, ABBA, and Queen. But I was always intrigued by my dad’s Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, and Yes records. As mentioned I later heard Metallica and became obsessed with metal. From then on I got into Pantera, Slayer, Machine Head etc. until I got swept up by the Nu-metal wave with Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Deftones etc. Since then I’ve gone in so many directions – I studied everything from Jazz to ancient Hindustani music at university and listen to a very broad palette of genres these days.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I’ll name 2 – Chino Moreno (Deftones) and Garrett from Silent Planet.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Reading and coffee, going to a cafe with my wife and baby boy, video games, and seeing friends.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Progressive nu-metal with sprinkles of Djent? That would sound like an oxymoron to many as many love to hate on nu-metal for its simplicity but I’ve always been a fan of its grooves. My day job is working as a producer (mostly in hiphop) so I love the way nu-metal appropriated and re-interpreted so many great things about hip hop. But our sound is definitely proggy too as we like using metric modulation, non-standard song structures and so on. We haven’t had any comparisons that I dislike so far. We usually get compared to Meshuggah, Opeth and Korn which is an honour!

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Peter would definitely cook as he’s quite a food/drinks connoisseur and I’d probably do something annoying like overcook the meat while getting too distracted by diving into politics and religion. Haha

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

A few years ago I randomly met Ian Kenny from Karnivool at a mutual friend’s studio. Anyone that knows me knows I absolutely adore their album Sound Awake, so we chatted briefly and I could help but tell him that album is in my top 5. I was probably a bit intense but oh well… give credit loudly where it’s due!

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Theologian – I did my honours thesis at university in theomusicology/ethnography because I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection between metaphysics, phenomenology and music. Hopefully one day I’ll get time to move on to a PhD.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Favourite comedy and ever since it was released 20 years ago I still love Napoleon Dynamite. I’m pretty easy going with interviews, I generally enjoy them.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I wasted a lot of time paralysed by fear in my 20’s but that difficult time shaped who I am so I don’t think it’s helpful to live in regret. Plus, one of the greatest things about metal culture is that ageism isn’t as much of an issue, so here Peter and I are making dad-metal. haha

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Sound Awake by Karnivool. It’s one of those records that is so intricately perfect without being stale at all. Every note has its proper place, as do the sonics. Masterfully written and produced. Hats off to those fellas and Forrester! Makes me proud to be Aussie.

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Category: Interviews