1. Your band has just released a new album and is soon embarking on a tour. So you have quite a lot of things going on. But I’m especially interested in how you spent time between both full-length albums of VULTURE INDUSTRIES?

We spent the first period promoting our first album “The Dystopia Journals” and trying to establish a foundation for growing as a band. We did 4 tours of various sizes together with bands like Taake, Dark Fortress, Helheim, Cor Scorpii and Atrox. We had a great time on the way and amongst others we were lucky enough to visit your lovely country.
The following period we spent finding what way we wanted to take with the new album. We didn’t want to make the same album again, so we spent a lot of time working out the ideas, staking out the road for what was to be.

2. On a promotional site for “The Malefactor’s Bloody Register” you stated that debut was strongly appreciated by both critics and fans. Do you had any aims prior the recording of the album? Were you sure about leaving a strong impression among the European / worldwide metal community? And most importantly, have you succeeded in it?

So far the feedback has been very good. We set out to make the best album we possibly could given our current skills and limitations. An album we could be really proud of. I think we have succeeded in this effort and most people seem to agree. We may do better albums in the future, but that’s the point of growing. I’ve noticed that a couple of fans and critics still have a preference to our first album, but that’s a natural consequence of a band evolving.

3. Let us now focus on the new album. I remember very well VI being compared with Arcturus by just everyone. Do you find this comparison valid? In other words, where did you want to take the music of “The Malefactor’s Bloody Register”?

I have a similarity of voice with their first singer and we operate within the same genre territory. Still I feel the similarities tend to be overstated and superficial similarities being mistaken for essence.
We write very intuitively being driven by impulse, inspiration and mood. It wasn’t so much us wanting to take our music anywhere as our music and the creative process leading us to “The Malefactor’s Bloody Register”.

4. Personally I think that now in 2010 is VI much more progressive band. Do you agree that your new album uses more complicated composing techniques and therefore left out the catchiness of the debut?

I don’t agree that it leaves out the catchiness of the debut. Many of the hooks are still there. It’s just a more complex and layered total. There is more space for details making it a more demanding album to get into. On TDJ the main arrangement lines were more dominant with the details lying more subtly in the background whilst on TMBR there is more texture visible at first glance.
We still focus on making good songs though. There is no point in making difficult music for the sake of being difficult. Music is supposed to be heard. It’s not sports.

5. Again you have recorded and mixed your album in Bergen’s Conclave & Earshot studio which proves that you are completely satisfied with it. And again you took a charge of everything. Is it just better for VI to work alone without no one’s intrusion?

For the time being we are very happy with this modus operandi. It’s near, got the equipment we need and we can take the time we need to get the results we want. We also have good ears around in a couple of the Enslaved guys running the studio together with me and Ivar (Enslaved) having an office down the hall. So if we’re stuck on something there is always competent feedback around. For the next album we’ll where the way takes us. We haven’t thought about if we will do things the same way, or work with an external producer for the first time.


6. What have you changed in comparison to the debut album? Where did you aim with the production of “The Malefactor’s…” ?

It’s been three years, so quite a bit. Three of us (myself and Øyvind excluded) have become fathers. We have learned a lot, and we have changed as humans. The audible differences of the two albums reflects these changes.
For The Malefactor’s Bloody Register we wanted a more dynamic and organic but big sound. This vouched for thinking a bit differently, especially considering the drums and guitars. We didn’t want to use any ordinary triggers, but needed some of its advantages for the faster parts. This was solved by combining the snare and bass drum sounds with other drums sampled in the same room. This preserved the organic feel of the drums, but added the required push.
For the guitars we used 6 different amp & cabinet combinations to get the size, clarity and spectre of sounds we needed. To further ad to the perception of width, the guitars were never overdubbed with the same sound as the initial take.
For the bass we used three different lines. The first was just ordinary DI signal, then a heavily distorted signal run through a small amp and the final one being a punchy well sounding bass amp as the basis of the sound. This provided a full bass sound that can be loud but still fit well in the mix.
For vocals I basically just went with the flow and did whatever I felt the songs needed. This resulted in the use of a wider spectre of vocals. This was fun as it offered me new challenges. The other guys have also improved on their vocal skills since 2007, so we included the other guys on backing vocals on a much larger scale this time.

7. And if you would mix and master “The Dystopie Journals” just now would you change anything?

We’d probably do lots of things differently as we are not the same persons now than we were while recording TDJ in 2006/2007. This doesn’t mean that I’m dissatisfied with TDJ. In my view an album is a document of a certain period in the lifespan of an artist so there is not much point worrying about what one could have done differently. The album is what was. From there one has to see forward and spend ones energy on what is to come.

8. Talking about production. Recently there is a hot discussion going on about the so-called “Loudness War” which according to many fans had stricken especially Swedish black metal legends Marduk, Dark Funeral and Setherial. What do you personally think about it? And how much important is the pressure from label enacting in this?

There is definitely a loudness war going on, with the loudest sounding production being the current norm for good sound as it stands out on the radio/TV/whatever. This seriously affects the dynamic potential music and a lot of detail and texture vanish. We’re not in a genre that’s so heavily affected by it as the mainstream radio friendly music though and I don’t really know about the examples you mention as I haven’t heard these bands for a long time. I’ve seen examples of metal records being so compressed that they are in my view destroyed though. The last Metallica album being a noteworthy example. Still.... I don’t think the material on that album had much “classic” potential anyway.

9. You are also involved in Dark Essence records. What do you require from you interprets? Do bands have to accept your requirements when it comes to recording and production or you simply leave them to do anything they want?

The bands decide for themselves. It’s not my role to dictate what expression they should choose. I still speak my meaning when I think something looks or sounds bad though.

10. It has been 4 years since the release of Black Hole Generator EP. You informed about a work on the new album some time ago on myspace but there is still no sign of it. What is the current status of the band? Can we someday expect the new material?

My main focus is VI and I’ve been a quite busy man the last couple of years. BHG has been suffering a lot under this since we’re only two band members and I do all the writing. At least we’ve found some free time to work on the BHG full length the last year. Now I only need to finish the bass, vocals and mix. It will come out eventually, but I dare not say when.


11. Let’s go back to VI. I know that lyrics are very important for you. What themes you decided to cover on “The Malefactor’s…” ? Where did you take the inspiration? .

Lyrics are important for me and they are also quite personal. They are not about me, but I still feel like I leave big parts of myself in them. They require a lot of work and I would never use lyrics for VI that I’m not satisfied with. If I don’t feel the lyrics can justify their own existence also outside the context of the music, they are not worth their ink and I wouldn’t use them.
The theme of TMBR is humanity seen through the justice system. It’s about who we are and how we treat each other.
My main sources of inspiration are books, movies, music and basically everything around me. A good creative stimuli, I find, is to walk. My cell phone is always full with recorded ideas I get when walking from place to place.

12. Soon you will go on the tour with Taake, Helheim and Sulphur. In the course of the tour you shall also play in Pilsen. Last time you praised Pilsen’s gig very much on your blog. How do you look forward to the city of beer this year? .

We are looking very much forward to it. Plzen is one of our favourite places to perform, and we made many good friends there the last time. I also must admit that you have very good beer and goulash.

. 13. Do you have some special different choreography ready for this year’s performance? Is it somehow different from the last year? .

This time we will bring a new show including both new and old songs. It will be more spontaneous than choreographed, but I can promise it will be more dramatic and intense than the last time.

14. How much is a visual aspect of live performance important for you? Which bands do you respect most for their stage performance? .

We feel it is very important to deliver a total package when we perform live. The visual show has to reflect the music. Therefore we include stage outfits, theatrics and props to complement the manic atmosphere of the music as well as to reflect the lyrics. When you get all these things working together combined with a good two way communication with the audience you can move into the territory where a gig is more than the sum of its parts.

15. That’s all from me right now. I would like to wish you a great response on the new material and also great attendance at tour. See you at Pilsen! .

Thanks! Looking forward to seeing you there!