To The Point
Atmospheric Norwegian art-rockers Dim Gray have made a welcome return with their third studio album, Shards. Vocalist and keyboardist Oskar Holldorff and guitarist Håkon Høiberg discuss finding their musical home, writing about difficult subjects, and their close relationship with Big Big Train.
Words: Dave Ling Images: Anne-Marie Forker
L-R: Milad Amouzegar, Tom Ian Klungland, Oskar Holldorff, Håkon Høiberg, Kristian Kvaksrud.
“It’s been hard to find our tribe. It would be uninteresting to sound like someone else. Our whole reason for doing music is to find a form of expression that is unique.”
Oskar Holldorff
The shade of colour known as ‘dim gray’ is a muted and desaturated intermediary fusion of black and white. It’s versatile and understated, perfect for creating a subtle and sophisticated ambiance. Identical qualities are shared by the Norwegian group of the same name, a band that, over the course of two critically acclaimed albums (a 2020 debut, Flown, followed by Firmament two years later), fused individual backgrounds in cinematic sounds, blues, prog, art-rock, folk, classical, chamber pop and even black metal to weave an ethereal style all their own.
Growing interest in Dim Gray, who recently expanded to a five-piece, took a further upturn in 2023 when, after touring with the band for a year, singer and keyboard player Oskar Holldorff was invited to become a full-time member of Big Big Train.