With “Entity, Chapter III: A Sudden Glimpse of Clarity,” Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Håvard Lunde brings his long-running Progressive Metal project Moonscape to the culmination of an ambitious conceptual trilogy. Founded in 2015, Moonscape has built its identity around cinematic storytelling, rich instrumental textures, and a rotating cast of vocal and instrumental collaborators, reminiscent of the narrative universe of artists like Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon). This new chapter marks the emotional and musical resolution of a story that began years ago — a reflection on solitude, the inner struggle of “Man,” and the possibility of redemption through Reason, Hope, and companionship. Featuring performances by Matthew Brown, David Åkesson, and Nina Pohleven, “A Sudden Glimpse of Clarity” closes the circle with Symphonic grace and emotional resonance. We had the pleasure of speaking with Håvard Lunde about the creative process behind the new album, the evolution of Moonscape’s sound, and the future that may follow this remarkable trilogy.
Moonscape has always been a deeply conceptual project. What inspired you to bring this trilogy to its conclusion with “A Sudden Glimpse of Clarity”?
I didn’t initially plan on creating a third chapter to the story, as I felt that it came to a nice musical and lyrical conclusion on “Entity, Chapter II: Echoes from a Cognitive Dystopia”. But when I started thinking about the lyrics for this new album, after having written the music, the first idea that almost immediately came to mind was the very first vocal line you hear on the album. In my head I could already hear Matt Brown growling it, and I realized it had to be the “Demon” proclaiming its return. Plus, I also really wanted to finish the story on a brighter note, which wasn’t really the case on “Entity, Chapter II”.
Looking back to the very first “Entity” chapter, how do you feel the story and the music have evolved over time?
I still think it has a lot of great ideas and riffs, but storywise it lacks structure, and I find it very difficult to listen to now. “Entity” was my first ever proper release, and it had a lot of riffs and ideas that I had lying around, which eventually culminated in a sort of melodic/atmospheric death metal oriented album. In terms of lyrics I actually just wrote down whatever fit the music, which is a rather odd approach, to put it mildly. I knew I was writing some kind of story, but it wasn’t until quite a while after the album came out that I actually realized what it really was about, despite a storytelling that feels like it’s all over the place.
The narrative arc of “Man” — from isolation to healing — feels intensely personal. How much of your own emotional or psychological journey is reflected in this character?
I didn’t realize it at the time when I wrote “Entity”, but a few months after its release I started thinking more and more about my approach to writing the lyrics, where they came from and what they meant. It eventually dawned on me that I have a lot more in common with the protagonist than I would prefer to have, if that makes sense. Obviously I needed some time to fully understand the concept too. The story has become more relatable after that happened, so apparently the words that seemingly came from nowhere had a bit more substance to them after all. Because of that it felt only natural to write “Entity, Chapter II” from a more personal perspective, and it is in major part about when my father got sick and eventually passed away, and how I dealt with it. If “Entity” was about myself trying to recover from a difficult time in my life, the next chapter was obviously quite a setback. However, writing it like that was quite therapeutical, and it did help shape the way I have written lyrics since then.
The new album introduces key symbolic figures such as Reason, Hope, and the Demon. How did you approach the musical and lyrical characterization of these entities?
When I write music I usually get a sense of what type of voice will fit each part, so it wasn’t really that challenging.
The “Demon” has been a central character on all three “Entity” albums, and since that in my opinion requires a harsh, growling voice it would naturally work best on the heaviest parts. Lyrically it is the aggressive and destructive voice in the story, so it should be voiced accordingly, if you ask me. “Hope” is more or less the female counterpart to “Man”, as she too is marked by the same kind of loneliness, sadness, loss and grief that he is. Her name might be Hope, who knows, but most importantly that’s what she signifies to the protagonist. She becomes his guiding light and gives him courage to finally abandon his demon, so she needed a female, gentle, almost angelic type of voice to convey the emotional and loving personality I envisioned for the character. If you listen to Nina Pohleven’s performance on the parts called “A Place to Call Home” and “Revival” I would say her voice undoubtedly brings out those qualities in the “Hope” character. “Reason” was also first introduced to the story on this new album, and it’s always fighting to keep the protagonist from completely giving in to his demon, so I felt David Åkesson was best able to deliver the emotion and intensity for that particular character.
Your choice of guest vocalists is always remarkable. How did you select Matthew Brown, David Åkesson and Nina Pohleven for these specific roles, and what qualities did they bring to the story?
All of them have been part of Moonscape releases prior to the new album, so I was already well familiar with their voices and what they would bring into it. As I mentioned, I think they added a lot of the right emotions that I felt were needed for the story to be told the right way.
The album blends Progressive Metal complexity with lush Symphonic arrangements. How do you manage to maintain narrative flow while balancing technical precision and emotional weight?
I’m not sure just how complex the album is musically, but I wanted to focus on writing the best music that I could come up with before I even thought about the words to it. During that process I’m not really thinking about narrative flow, but more about creating variation, dynamics and atmosphere. Maybe a couple lines of lyrics pop up in my head
along the way, but I don’t give it much thought at all. After the music is all written it’s easier to come up with lyrical themes that will work with each part of the composition. Having prepared at least the contours of a storyline is also helpful.
Conceptually, the trilogy deals with human fragility, introspection, and recovery. Did you ever feel that this story mirrored the evolution of Moonscape itself as an artistic project?
More than anything else it has mirrored my own personal evolution, I would say, and that in turn has contributed to how I have written it. Although it has never been an entirely biographical concept, it has become easier to write and develop it after the aforementioned moment when I became more aware of how personally relevant it was, as strange as that may seem.
Many listeners compare your work to projects like Ayreon or Coldbound, yet Moonscape retains its own identity. How do you define that unique “Moonscape” signature?
I’m not sure what Moonscape has in common with Coldbound, other than Pauli Souka doing lead vocals on “Entity, Chapter II”, but I’ll definitely take it as a huge compliment if someone is making that comparison. Ayreon on the other hand is probably Moonscape’s biggest inspiration in terms of how the project works, and one of the main musical
inspirations as well. “Entity” was mainly inspired by Edge of Sanity’s 1996 classic “Crimson”, which was also one forty minute composition, but the more recent recordings Moonscape has made have been more Ayreon influenced, I think. I have my heroes and they certainly have been inspirational. I try to make the best music that I can, make the most out of every idea, create good melodies, and I try my best to improve with each release, both musically and productionwise. If there is such a thing as a Moonscape signature, I think it has to be a culmination of that.
As the sole composer, performer, and producer, how do you handle the creative solitude behind such an elaborate and multi-layered work?
It’s a very liberating thing, actually. Writing music isn’t always an easy process, but I love being in control of creating it. That way it becomes a greater part of me, and vice versa.
The production of this album is exceptionally cinematic. Could you describe your workflow in the studio — from the first sketches to the final mix?
It all starts with a riff, a chord sequence or a melody line, and then you build on to it. One example is the intro to the “Relapse” part on the new album, which initially sounded very different. The basic chords were there all along, but the guitar melody didn’t work, so I had to think differently. That’s when you very often get that “wow” moment and things just fall into place. In this particular case I changed the melody slightly, turned it into a string arrangement, and it made all the difference. I also had a number of riffs and ideas lying around for years before I finally got around to use them on the new album, so on occasion I try to dig out some older ideas as well. The acoustic guitar part on “A Guiding Light” is one example, which in turn becomes the main theme of “A Place to Call Home”. The acoustic riff on “The Light of Day” is one I have had for at least six or seven years, and that in particular is one of many personal
favorite moments on “Entity, Chapter III”. I am always nitpicking and tweaking the mix as I go along, so that’s a bit of a tedious process on my part. The drum sound was a big improvement this time, which is always a crucial element when you’re mixing. I don’t think I’ll ever get to feel that I have accomplished a perfect mix, but I’m trying to learn and hopefully improving with every release.
The artwork and tracklist suggest a strong conceptual continuity. How important is visual and structural coherence in your albums?
In my opinion I think it’s vital in giving the listener the right experience and understanding of what is happening storywise. Music and words will help get their imagination going for sure, but I feel there should always be a visual aid if you want them to better understand your own vision.
Let’s talk about the musicianship: how do you approach the integration of guest instrumentalists within your compositions, ensuring they enhance rather than disrupt your vision?
On “Entity” it was a bit challenging, since it was the first time I worked with any of them, and in part also on “Entity, Chapter II” there was a bit of trial and error before I felt it worked out. Throughout the making of these four albums that I have done I have worked with quite a few guest musicians, so when I’m working on a part that needs either a guitar or keyboard solo it has become easier to hear whose sound will fit the part the best. That approach seems to be working really well as far as I’m concerned.
Given the trilogy’s conclusion, do you already envision a future Moonscape project — perhaps a new concept or a different direction?
I am about halfway into writing the next album already, and I do have a different concept in mind, but it’s too early to go into detail at this point. I have had to put it on hold while I’ve been working on the CD version of the new album, as well as promotional stuff, but I’m looking forward to resuming the writing process and see what happens.
Has Moonscape ever been presented live, or do you plan to bring this material to the stage in some form?
There has never been, and I highly doubt there will ever be a live presentation of this project. Logistically it would be an absolute nightmare to pull through with 14-15 people on stage, and playing live was never something I was comfortable with, so I can’t really see it happening.
If live performances were to happen, how would you imagine translating such a rich, layered story into a concert experience? Maybe a full performance of all three “Entity” albums?
It might be a fun thing to do, and it would certainly be crowded on stage, that’s for sure. I think the lowest amount of people appearing on a Moonscape album is fifteen, so it would require quite a few performers to do it properly. But again, I don’t see it happening.
Norway has produced some of the most distinctive Progressive and Extreme Metal artists. How do you perceive Moonscape’s place within this broader national scene?
I don’t think Moonscape is a too familiar name out there, but it doesn’t really matter. Reaching new listeners is always a good feeling, of course, and I really appreciate the ones that want to buy the albums and support what I do. I really love it when they reach out to tell me that they liked a song or an album too. I’m making the music that I enjoy with all the artistic freedom I can possibly have, and I’m fortunate enough to be able to hold a physical copy of my album in my hands after it’s done. Anything beyond that is really just a bonus.
Finally, what message or feeling would you like listeners to take away after experiencing “A Sudden Glimpse of Clarity” from beginning to end?
There is no denying that it is part of a very personal story, and I have worked hard creating it. The way I see it, it is a story about hitting rock bottom and overcoming the obstacles that life throws at you while you’re trying to find your way back to life. It’s a human thing, and I think it’s something that a lot of people can probably relate to. If they listen to the album and feel that it’s personally relevant to them, or if it touches them on an emotional level, that just means I created something meaningful and important, and as a musician I can’t imagine a more rewarding feeling than that.
With “Entity, Chapter III: A Sudden Glimpse of Clarity,” Håvard Lunde closes one of the most compelling narrative arcs in modern Progressive Metal — a saga that intertwines musical virtuosity, emotional vulnerability, and philosophical reflection. For those who value depth, continuity, and a clear artistic voice, Moonscape stands as a reminder that Progressive music can still explore the human condition in ways both intimate and epic. Discover and purchase the album on Bandcamp, and immerse yourself in the final act of this extraordinary conceptual journey.
Purchase “Chapter III: A Sudden Glimpse Of Clarity” on Bandcamp: https://moonscape.bandcamp.com/album/entity-chapter-iii-a-sudden-glimpse-of-clarity