Owe Inborr at his studio in Forsby, Finland

Article and photo by Sabina Bodbacka

Owe Inborr, mostly known for the Ostrobothnian black metal band ONDFØDT and his own metal recording studio called Wolfthrone Studios, shares his experience of and thoughts on today’s music industry.

“Music theory is a desperate attempt to explain music”, Inborr says and continues, “Music should first and foremost come from the heart.” With five years of music education; three years as a musician, one year as a producer, and one year as a sound engineer, Inborr has plenty of experience and holds the idea that everyone can teach themselves to become good at playing an instrument. But he also recommends those interested in getting into the music industry to attend a music institute, since they will then be able to study music theory, learn faster and get into contact with other musicians. Another good thing with music institutes is that the students are able to influence the teaching, for example, if there are several students who want to play metal music then they will be able to play it and learn it. “There are very good Finland-Swedish music institutes, but unfortunately too few”, Inborr comments. This results in the fact that a lot of students have to travel very far distances to even be able to attend a music institute. But, in the end, not all things can be thought at a music institute.

Whether you run a recording studio or perform as an artist you need to have something special in order to stand out and be able to make money. You should transcend limits, dare to do more, and even be a little crazy because all publicity is good publicity. “You cannot evolve if you don’t dare to try new things”, Inborr comments. In order to get known, you should always bring up your band name or studio name; take credit for the work you have done; and work together with people who are willing to share your name to other musicians. You should also be available on social media, such as Facebook, Soundcloud and YouTube, because that is the best way to reach out to fans and costumers. But, in the end, you should be prepared for the fact that it will take a long time to become known, unless you have luck on your side.

“It was pure luck that someone important happened to stumble upon Ondfødt”, Inborr comments. Through the Belgian record label Immortal Frost Productions Ondfødt was able to release a full-length album entitled Hexkonst in 2014 and through Witches on Fire Records they were able to release a tape version of the album. Together with the help of Kenneth Aasheim from Norway, Ondfødt has been able to spread their music throughout the world resulting in multiple reviews and interviews both “on paper” and on radio. “It is pretty easy to get known as a metal band in Finland, since most Finns listen to metal music, but not as easy as for example in Sweden, because Finns seem to be more narrow-minded,” Inborr comments. Good markets for Finnish metal bands are Germany, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Regardless of how known your metal band is, important aspects are one’s image and one’s ability to be as crazy as one can be.

It is hard for bands to stand out due to today’s easy access to the internet, and 9 of 10 bands are probably unheard of and play poorly performed music. To be able to live on music you have to multi-task instead of specializing in one aspect. You also need to be open-minded and able to keep many balls in the air. Inborr himself have been and is involved with many different bands as a drummer, bassist, guitarist, singer, lyricist, and composer, most notably with the black metal bands Ondfødt and Nidhugg; the sludge metal band Gangrened; and the crust punk band Spöad. He also owns his own record studio and has mixed several albums and songs, most notably Ondfødt’s EP 1 and their Hexkonst album; Pimeydentuoja’s The Devil’s Epoch album; and Veristi’s Musta Sielu album. Lastly, he has also experience with live sound engineering. In order to live on music you also have to be prepared to spend a lot of money, Inborr has for example spent more than 10 000 euros on his studio during a period of three years. “It’s a sum that will take a long time to get back, but I honestly don’t care how much money I can make in this industry as long as I can afford to do what I’m passionate about,” Inborr states.