Consolatio grew out of a need to process things through black metal. What started with the Into The Mist demo in 2021 has since developed into Ex Nihilo, the first full-length release from the project and a record that pushes deeper into atmosphere, structure and density. Behind it all is a solitary approach shaped around complete control over mood and pacing, with roots going back to earlier years in Arntor. With a second full-length already taking shape for late 2026 or early 2027, Consolatio is still evolving, though the core idea remains the same: raw, immersive black metal built for a certain frame of mind.
“music isn’t something meant to be rushed.”
Between the Into The Mist demo in 2021 and Ex Nihilo in 2025, what changed in the way you approached Consolatio as a solo project?
Into The Mist was really a feeling-out period. I was just seeing if I could actually pull off a solo project and what that sound would even be. There were thousands of riffs and ideas hanging around in my head since my Arntor days, and I felt they deserved to be heard.
Between then and Ex Nihilo, I think I just went deeper into the atmosphere I wanted Consolatio to exist in. I pushed the craft side of things further. I spent more time on the layers of the guitars and the structure of the songs. The first demo was a bit of a blur, whereas the new full-length feels more like a deliberate statement. It’s more focused and really shapes where Consolatio is going.
Ex Nihilo is the first full-length after several years of silence. What made this the right record to return with?
I feel music isn’t something meant to be rushed. Creating something needs to pull you out of bed at 3am on a Monday morning because you suddenly have a riff idea. Things take time.
It wasn’t a planned silence. I just didn’t have anything I felt was worth releasing until now. I had some ideas sitting around for a long time, and eventually they started to click together into a cohesive album. I’m not the kind of person who can just churn out a record every year for the sake of it. It had to feel like a complete thought before I did anything with it.
Before Consolatio, you were part of Arntor. What did working alone open up in your writing that a band setting never really allowed?
In a band, you’re always checking the pulse of the room. Does the drummer like this? Is the bassist on the same page? That’s great for energy, but it can dilute the original idea.
Working alone in Consolatio gives me total control over the atmosphere. If I want a track to be monotonous and sink into a specific mood, I can do that without arguing for it. It’s a lot more work, but the result is a completely accurate reflection of what was in my head.
Working alone, I lost a lot of energy, but the clarity and speed at which I managed to put my thoughts in order increased massively.
As Pestis first handled the remaster of Into The Mist and then took on Ex Nihilo as a new full release, how has that relationship developed from revisiting older material to building new work together?
It’s been a very natural progression. As Pestis did a good job with the Into The Mist remaster. They didn’t try to change what it was, they just helped it reach its potential.
Because that went well, it felt right to give them the new material. It’s a relief to work with people who actually understand the underground aesthetic. You don’t have to explain why you want the vocals buried or why the drums sound the way they do. They just trust the vision.
“I want to lean even further into the atmosphere, the riffs and the melodies.”
With the next album already planned for late 2026 or early 2027, what are you carrying forward from Ex Nihilo, and what are you deliberately changing this time?
Ex Nihilo felt very thick and heavy in terms of production, which is exactly what it needed. For the next one, I think I want to lean even further into the atmosphere, the riffs and the melodies. I’m carrying forward the same emotional core, but I’d like to bring more of the aggressive side of the music forward as well. It’ll still be black metal, but definitely a more mature version of what I’ve done in the past.
Buy/Stream Ex Nihilo on Bandcamp.
