We’re super excited to share our deep interview with Tim Charles from Ne Obliviscaris! We talked about music, art, and life, but also dove into his new podcast ‘Occupy the Void,’ time management, and meditation. As the violinist and vocalist of Ne Obliviscaris, Tim is a key figure in shaping the band’s unique progressive metal sound. Don’t miss this chance to discover his creative process and personal insights! Enjoy!

First off, it’s Asuna from the Surge Türkiye team. It’s amazing to hear that you’re coming to our country. And it’s great to meet you!

How are you? How have you been spending your time lately? Want to share a bit about what you’ve been up to?

TIM: Thanks very much for having me! I’ve been well thanks.We had a great summer been in Europe for festivals such as Graspop, Hellfest & Download,  I also squeezed in a holiday with my daugther to Singapore & Thailand during a break in our schedule which was really nice. So lately it’s been lots of sun and beaches for me mixed with epic festival shows so couldn’t be better. Especially seeing it’s actually the end of winter in Australia which I conveniently missed most of! I also got the chance to visit Istanbul for 48 hours in July and see some of your beautiful city for the first time.

It might be something we can find everywhere, but our readers are curious. The famous question: How did NE OBLIVISCARIS come together, and what was the band’s vision when it all started?

TIM: The band came together way back in 2003 with a mishmash of different members from different places. Xen & I were the two founding members who then over the first few years experimented with different line-ups until we found the right mix to bring the vision to life. The original vision musically was more classically influenced black metal to be honest, but when I first started writing for the band the music took a more melodic and progressive tilt more and more over time. This developed organically over time in collaboration with the other members to create the sound we have today. Our vision as far the aspirations of the band in some ways were always big- hopes of touring the world- and yet at the same time the sort of music we were writing we never really considered was anything more than quite niche underground music. So from that perspective the band in some ways exceeded what we even thought was possible.

With your roles as a musician, manager, producer, and spending time with your family (your moments with your daughter look really sweet), you must have a very busy schedule. You must be very disciplined to manage all this. How do you handle time management? Can you say that all your band members are just as disciplined?

TIM: I think one thing I have realised over the years is that more than time management it is about energy management. Often there are enough hours to fit everything in if there is the energy to use that time efficiently. When we are run down and struggling all of a sudden hours disappear in the day without much productive action being achieved. For me personally I used to push through and my driven work ethic would create sometimes great results in achieving things, but my body would slowly get worn down until I became very burnt out. Especially when the list of things to do for the band is never really ever done. Everyone in the band deals with their experience differently but for me meditation and mindfulness practices have become a big part of how I monitor my energy and continue to refill my own cup to ensure I can maintain a healthy way of being. This is of course still a work in progress, but slowly I think I am improving in how I do things year by year.

Do you ever feel the need to control everything around you? People who take on many responsibilities often face this challenge. If this sounds familiar, how has it influenced your mental health, life, and the band’s progress? I’d love to hear more about your experiences.

Perfectionism and the need to control everything sometimes can be mentally exhausting, but if you can manage it, it can also elevate things to a much higher level, like it has with Ne Obliviscaris haha.

TIM: I think as an artist it’s really important to understand where your strengths are. When it comes to NeO I am one of several songwriters within the band, but regardless of who writes the original ideas I’m generally the one obsessing over the song structure and arrangement, obsessing over the tiniest details of every single part, helping produce the albums and doing countless mix notes amongst many other things.   In Ne Obliviscaris because I have worked for 15+ years as a booking agent, manager, tour promoter, label owner for many bands, I naturally also gravitated towards running the business side of things for NeO doubling as the bands manager.

My ability to obsessively dive deeply into everything related to NeO has definitely helped the band become what it is, but at the same time finding places to step back and allow others to excel in the roles they are great in is the key to making it all work in a way that is good for everyone’s mental health. This is something that at times I have not been great at and it’s contributed to me burning out like I mentioned above. Post pandemic my approach to such things has been quite different though in a more positive and sustainable way.

One of the ways I avoid perfectionism is having faith in quality processes. A great example of this is when mixing Exul. I felt confident in the way I was analysing the mix and how all the parts were fitting together and could slowly work through that process knowing that by the time I went through it thoroughly the mix would be the best fit it could be at this point in time. Then it doesn’t need to be perfect, but just the best we can achieve at this moment in time.

You also started a new podcast called “Occupy the Void.” Christina and you discuss the experiences and stories related to mental health and wellbeing of artists, musicians, and creative individuals in general. You’ve featured important names like Corey Taylor, Nergal, and Devin Townsend. It sounds like a really creative and therapeutic project! How did the idea come about, and how is the podcast going?

TIM: It’s been a wonderful experience without a doubt. Christina invited me to be part of it last year and it’s been great to be involved in opening up some important discussions on mental health and wellbeing. These are topics not spoken about that openly by many people which makes them even more vital to engage in. Because of my hectic touring schedule it has made co-ordinating interview times with guests quite challenging, so quite soon I’m going to step back from the co-host role for this and instead you’ll see me returning as a regular guest delving into a range of wellbeing topics with Christina.

In addition I’ll be re-launching soon a project I’ve been working on for quite some time called ‘The Pivot Moment’. This is a range of meditation/mindfulness classes and courses that I’ve developed.

One other thing I’m curious about is your own meditation style. It could really help new musicians who are feeling burnt out to find a way to take a break. Of course, this might be especially useful for those who don’t have a little daughter to recharge their energy with!

TIM: My primary meditation practice are based in modern mindfulness practices such as include mindful breathing, body scan meditation, open awareness & more which in essence are secular interpretations of ancient buddhist meditations.I also have a strong focus on gratitude & compassion based meditation practices such as Tonglen and some of my own variations including one I call ‘Kind Choices’ that I teach with ‘The Pivot Moment’ a business I started to share some of my meditation and wellbeing learnings with others. I combine these practices with daily cold showers and journalling to ensure I am taking time to reflect on how i am going within myself and any adjustments I need to make to my self care routines.

There are so many benefits of meditation. For me it came about as I had not properly learned to process stress and this was starting to get bottled up to where I felt it very hard to control my emotions going back a few years. This started to impact those around me in a negative way, and meditaiton was a way I learned to be fully present with my experience, understand it a deeper way and take wise action to make sure my actions were in alignmemt with my core values in regards to how I want to be in this world. I’m currently designing a course teaching people about emotional regulation and excited to be able to share something that I feel is so helpful to people. As I often say, I am best at teaching what I struggled most with in the past.

Ne Obliviscaris have been using Patreon to help manage the band’s financial challenges. Using Patreon to solve some of your financial issues sounds like a smart move. How’s the support going on Patreon?

TIM: It’s been amazing. NeO was actually the first band in the world to use Patreon successfully as a monthly subscription service. Before NeO it was mostly used by Youtubers as a way to collect payments per new video being uploaded. We launched it back in March, 2016 as a solution to what i felt was an issue of poor monetisation of bands supports within the music industry. It didn’t make sense to me that we had tens of thousands of fans at the time and losing money everywhre. Our Patreon caused quite a bit of controversy at the time, and yet now fast fowards a few years so many bands do it and many modelled their Patreon membership tiers on the model we created. For NeO it was a lifeline that enabled us to keep touring and begin to get paid a part time wage so that we could continue to invest our time and energy in the band.

This question is highly anticipated. Your song ‘And Plague Flowers The Kaleidoscope’ is being studied and analyzed by composition students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.  I think that’s a huge deal. In Turkey, when Ne Obliviscaris is mentioned, people often say, “Man, these guys are taught in universities!” How did this make you feel? It must be incredible feedback proving that your music is truly top-notch. I’d love to hear more details if you’d like to share.

TIM: Yes this was definitely something quite special. It feels like almost an urban myth that gets passed around the internet with people saying “Did that really happen”? But yes it surely did haha. The head of composition at the Sydney Convservatorium of Music, Professor Matthew Hindson, included our song as part of an assignment for composition students, inviting them to study a range of different elements of the composition alongside pieces by Bach, Beethoven and others. With my background in classical violin and knowing that world very closely it definitely felt quite vindicating to be recognised in that way. A proud occasion for NeO.

Due to Xen’s illness, his place has been taken by James Dorton, who we know from amazing bands like Black Crown Initiate and The Faceless.

First of all, I wish Xen a speedy recovery. Is he able to make good use of this time? Is he feeling any better?

TIM: Xen has been doing better this year, though his family circumstances mean he’s still unable to tour in 2024. But we’re happy to see his return in 2025 and in the meantime we’re grateful to be working with James Dorton as he’s one of my absolute favourite vocalists without a doubt. He offers such a great energy in his live performance and we really think the band has been sounding better than ever on this album cycle.

How have the Exul shows been so far? I had the chance to watch one of your concerts with James on YouTube from audience videos, and it was truly mesmerizing. I’m curious about the reactions you’ve received from the listeners.

TIM: It has been really quite incredible. All of the tours since EXUL was released have been our best ever. Bigger crowds, bigger responses… this new album has been a big success for us in every way.

I’ve also had a short interview with James Dorton about 2 years ago and we talked about Black Crown Initiate. I really admire Dorton’s personality and vocal performance. He is definitely one of a kind.

Given the significant role that Xen’s vocals play in defining Ne Obliviscaris’s unique sound, can you share how the band approached integrating James Dorton into the vocal duties for the latest EU tour? What were some of the biggest challenges and considerations in ensuring that the performances would maintain the high emotional and technical standards that fans expect? Additionally, how has this temporary lineup change affected the band’s dynamic and your approach to live performances?

TIM: Honestly we were quite nervous about what the fan reaction would be seeing everyone loves Xen so much (and with good reason), but in the end the response to James has been overwhelmingly positive which was a big relief. My instructions to James were not to try and mimic Xen, but instead find his own voice within the music and stay true to the energy of what is within the composition. Music is really about energy in so many ways, and what James has been able to do is communicate the emotions of the vocal parts in a wonderful way, and so even though it is a bit different to Xen (seeing no two vocalists are the same) the quality is incredibly high, and the audience has been recognising the songs and live shows match what they fell in love with.

It has changed the live dynamic slightly as James is a more aggressive personality on stage compared to Xen who is more reserved in his performance style. Not better or worse per se, but just a twist in energy that has been received very well.

I love how you connect with the audience. I’m sure you plan a lot for stage presence and image as well. Can you share how you approach this and guide the band in this aspect?

TIM: In this regards we don’t really plan too much, but what we definitely do is communicate with each other from show to show and make sure we are always getting to know how each of us like to perform. I tell the guys which parts I plan to speak, but then sometimes I might change my mind mid show haha, and if so I will motion to the band to hold up, or push on to the next song and we’ve become very good and reading such things on the fly. I’m always thinking about which parts I should we be moving into a different space on stage, or taking charge of the audience, or letting the music do the talking. It is a natural organic thing that has evolved from show to show and tour to tour. Here in 2024 the result is that I think the band is very much the best we’ve ever been live.

I think your favorite track on the album is “Misericorde II – Anatomy of Quiescence.” It’s got such a layered and intricate structure. From what I understand, “Misericorde I” and “II” are really significant tracks on the Exul album because they showcase everyone’s contributions in a unique way. Can you share what the writing process for the “Misericorde” duo was like? How were you feeling during the creation? I’d love to hear a deep dive into it.

TIM: This is definitely a very special song I think, and one that seems to have been a favourite for many fans which has been nice to hear. A big song like this generally comes together in steps. Part 1 was initially written the guitars by Benji and Martino, with me then adding vocals/strings etc. The song was considered to be complete. However after a while I started hearing a quiet piano section in my head after I would listen to the demo of the original track. I played around with a few ideas, and then in collaboration with the band I wrote Part 2. Quite a bit of part 2 developed when we had a jam session whilst in Australia on a tour in 2019, and then I took the recordings we made of that session and put together the best bits, added all the strings, and then from there is was almost complete quite quickly.       

During this period I was actually going through a lot. I had recently found out my Mum had terminal cancer and I was burnt out from years of touring and struggling to cope with it all. This was what I wrote right in the middle of that period. A challenging time, but I was happy to capture the energy and emotion in this music for all to hear.

A lot of your fans are curious about who the special guests will be on your next EU/UK tour. Can you tell us if these guests have been decided yet? And will we get to see them in every country on the tour?

TIM: I can’t say at the moment i write this, but I can say they will be announced very soon! I will note that one of the bands is an incredible Australian band that we’re bringing to Europe for their first time.

You might know about the “Breathe” of Moonspell who collaborated with Turkish string orchestra called Mumin Sesler. If you don’t, I definitely recommend checking the song out. Ne Obliviscaris has always enjoyed experimenting with different sounds. Do you think Ne Obliviscaris would consider integrating a Turkish-Arabic style string section into their music? I’m sure it would create an incredibly emotional moment for Turkish fans haha.

TIM: We’re definitely always experimenting with different styles and have a few different ideas for combining different styles and sounds that we haven’t got around to using yet. There is so much beautiful Turkish music and it adds such a different emotional element compared to stuff we have done before I think. So you never know!

If you had the chance, which bands would you like to share the stage with for your first concert in Türkiye? I think Persefone might be one of them. You have a powerful synergy with some bands like Persefone and Beyond Creation. I can’t wait to listen to them here. What causes you have to achieve this harmony with them?

TIM: Neither of those bands are joining us this time around, but are both bands that I love listening to and touring with without a doubt. I think both of those bands create a great blend of extreme metal with some more melodic elements and making it their own sound. I definitely appreciate bands that do their own thing.

Lastly, should we expect a new album or single anytime soon? Or maybe a collaboration? How are things going on the fresh production side for Ne Obliviscaris?

TIM: Nothing on the horizon quite yet, but we have started doing a bit of writing. Next year the focus will definitely swap a bit more towards new album! We have so many ideas already, so it’s very exciting.

Before we wrap up the interview, I just want to say how thrilled I am to have had this conversation with you. I hope we get the chance to meet in person someday. What would you like to say to the Surge Türkiye team and your fans in Türkiye?

TIM: Thank you so much for having me! And to all the fans in Turkey, thanks for your patience! We have wanted to come for so many years and we are going to give you a great show. See you in October!