fretless bass Archives

Jeroen Paul Thesseling about his bass and the recording of OBSCURA‘s upcoming album:

In 1993 I started playing Thumb NT basses built by Warwick. We have had a long term relationship since then. The renowned German bass luthier is famous for their high-end craftsmanship and also for being open minded towards their players. The Thumb NT series have a very particular sound character that you won’t find with any other bass guitar. Already during the early days when I worked with Pestilence I preferred to have a clear mid-frequency oriented articulation. During my musical career I never found a better sounding bass. In 2011 Warwick built a 7-string version for me, which is strung with a subcontra F#-tuning. Since that same year the [fretless] Thumb NT7 model became my main instrument and therefore will also be used to record the upcoming Obscura album.

Further information can be found at www.jeroenpaulthesseling.com/instruments.htm

Photo credit: Jurgen Heerkens

Legendary bass player Jeroen Paul Thesseling (QUADVIUM, SALAZH TRIO, ex-PESTILENCE) has rejoined the German progressive death metallers OBSCURA as a permanent member after a 9-year break. Thesseling, known for his signature fretless playing in death metal and world-fusion, joined OBSCURA in 2007 and recorded the band’s critically acclaimed full-length albums “Cosmogenesis” (2009) and “Omnivium” (2011), both released via Relapse Records.

“Perhaps fans are somewhat surprised about my comeback. After leaving OBSCURA in 2011, we stayed in touch and over the years I’ve visited some of their concerts. Since the departure my main focus has been on exploring 7-string bass guitar and playing different genres. It’s really nice to be back in the fold, being involved again in the writing process, collaborating on material for the upcoming sixth studio album and to prepare for intensive touring. We expect to announce a completion of the group’s new line-up on short notice”, says Jeroen.

Thesseling, who has been touring the world, also recorded PESTILENCE‘s fourth and sixth studio albums, “Spheres” (1993) and “Doctrine” (2011). Late 2017 he released the debut work “Circulations” with the jazz-fusion group SALAZH TRIO, featuring legendary drummer Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández. In 2019 Jeroen founded the fusion-world-metal group QUADVIUM with fellow fretless bassist Steve Di Giorgio (TESTAMENT, SADUS, DEATH). QUADVIUM is currently working on their debut album.

Further information can be found at www.jeroenpaulthesseling.com

fretless bass

OBSCURA | Jeroen Paul Thesseling and WARWICK

Fretless bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling rejoins OBSCURA