1. Greetings Sir! It has been almost 2 years since my colleague interviewed you about DEAD TO THIS WORLD. Now this interview shall focus on your very person. So at the start please tell me how are you doing and what are you exactly doing most of the time now?
Greetings to you Dufaq. These weeks we have been mostly focusing on the upcoming Amok album “Exodus Reversal Hex” which we have been mixing in Bergen. This also includes bonus tracks for a special vinyl version of the debut album which will be released by Nuclear War Now! Apart from that it’s been vacation up till now recently. It’s warm and uncomfortable for the most.
2. There are quite a lot of bands where you have played and we’ll get to them soon. I would start at the beginnings of your career now. Could you please describe each era since you held your instrument for the first time till today?
Oh man it must have been in 1985 or so when I started to learn some guitar. I was 10 years old and we learned some chords in school. Of course nothing came from this, but in 1987 I got my first drum kit which was a cheap Linko set. 5 drums with a hihat, ride and a broken crash. We started up our first band with me on drums in 1988 playing mainly covers of AC/DC, Sepultura and some Slayer stuff. We must have rehearsed 5 days a week for 3 years straight, but in 1991 we kicked out the vocalist and changed our name from Metal Heart to Enchanted. This is when I started to play bass in the line-up and also took over the vocals. By this point we were heavily into underground death metal and thrash so we did covers of Pungent Stench, Death etc. and started playing around with some riffs of our own. We had a drummer called Paal in the band up till 1996 when he left, and then for the recording of our unreleased 10” in 1997 I did drums for that session as well as bass/vocals. Apart from the drummer we kept the core of members all the way since 1988 up till 1999 when the band split up when I was asked to join Immortal on bass. Well we did not even split up, so who knows. I still work with Arvid/Divra Xul since 1988 on different studio projects so maybe we will do something to finish that chapter one day. So I did bass for Immortal in the period 1999 till I left the band in 2002 to start my own band Dead to this World. After 2002 up till now I have been mainly doing guitar/vocals in Dead to this World apart from bass in Necrophagia, Wurdulak and Amok. As of today the only bands I am involved with are Dead to this World and Amok. That was the quick version.
3. And now let’s talk about bands. I do not know which band is the dearest for you but I guess it’s fair enough to start with IMMORTAL since I’m quite sure that it was the most crucial one in your life. You played with IMMORTAL sons of northern darkness during their probably greatest period of existence. Albums “At the Heart of Winter”, “Damned in Black” and “Sons of Northern Darkness” belong to the peak of IMMORTAL. Please elaborate about this undoubtedly interesting period.
Well I do treasure my earlier years from 1988 till 1999 the most since you could slice the magic in the air with a knife, but of course the time spent in Immortal made an impact on me as a musician for sure. Now I was playing the major league and it all happened so fast within 3 weeks as well. I knew Abbath since years already then, but I never thought they would ask me to join. They had tried out a few before, but could not really find someone to fit in the way they felt was right. Anyways it was now time to step up and face the conquerors. I was really nervous I remember on the first live concert in Belgium on the first tour we did with Benediction, Hades Almighty, God Dethroned and some others. To top it all Abbath had come down hard that day with a severe ear infection which forced him to go to the hospital in total agony. He came back later and said he would have to cancel the gig. On top of that they felt it was right that I (!!!) should go out to these maniacs in the crowd, who had already been waiting 1 hour for the band to get on stage, to announce that we will not play after all! Luckily for me we ended up playing a shortened set by 30 minutes until Abbath felt that he could not do more due to the heavy medication he was on.
Anyways it was a period in my life were I learned a lot about how it all worked in terms of touring, organizing, merchandise, dealing with label A&Rs; etc etc. By the end of my time in Immortal I was taking care of all the organizing in the band and also all economics in regards to touring, festivals and offers. It was a busy time, but I am very glad I got to take care of it. Even though I did leave the band, I would never have traded that time for anything.
4. I suppose that you participated in those albums as a composer. So what was your contribution and how do you value those albums in retrospective? Every of these recordings have something unique to it and all of them are great. But one of them is definitely your favourite.
In regards to writing songs and material, I did not contribute with anything. I had my bass-lines of course, but that was it. On “Damned in Black” I had freedom to write bass lines since we had no stress, but for “Sons of Northern Darkness”, that was all Abbath. The recording of that album happened so fast I did not even get time to hear the songs until I was in the studio! I was supposed to have raw recordings of the material beforehand so I could be prepared, but it was such a haste to get started recording that by the time I went to Sweden it was too late for writing stuff. In the end me and Abbath agreed that to keep this schedule bullshit he was to track the bass. I play bass on “One by One” and the rest is him. I don’t think anybody knows this, but it’s no reason to keep it secret. This happens all the time in bands. Especially on big label corporate productions like “Sons of Northern Darkness”. So obviously I can hand on heart say that “Damned in Black” holds a special place in my heart along with the amazing cover we did of Mayhem for the Originators of Northern Darkness release.
5. What is your opinion on the reunion of the band and how do you like “All Shall Fall”?
We all knew they would come back. Just as much as I knew they would also need a break. All the touring and lifestyle which follows with it was starting to tear on them at the end and the magic was taken out of the equation. It was all about money and to top it off they got in some German hotshot manager after I left who probably put the final nail in the coffin together with that Swedish cunt of a bass-player Saroth. Shortly after that they disbanded and announced they would take a break. I am confident that if they did not do that, it would have been the death of Immortal.
I bought “All shall Fall” when it came out and the songs are really strong and trademark Immortal as we all know and love...it was less thrash, which I was happy about, but I am not really fond of that big production to be honest. I think what Demonaz did with “March of the Norse” is something he should also have pushed into Immortal. That I would have liked to see, and that would not be stagnation and whatnot, it would simply be a more sound with a pulse and regular dynamics. That’s the magic for you right there. Magic must start from core, through production and outwards. It’s not a coat of paint.
6. You left IMMORTAL because you felt that you do not fit into the line-up. How should I understand that? Could you explain it?
Well that is not entirely true. It was not so much me not fitting into the line-up. I got along great with Abbath and Horgh, but it was much more what it was becoming which I had a problem with. The main reason I left there and then was that I felt I had to due to my studies which was under government funding. They really wanted to go on this tour with Manowar in the US, which would have ended with me missing my exams for no valid reason and because of that owing the government about 150.000 euros. So I felt it was better they found someone who could commit to them 100% since they really wanted to do this tour no matter what.
In retrospect I think why it was such a clean and easy cut for me there and then is the fact they did not offer an alternative solution and try to look for a stand-in for that tour in order for me to stay with the band and at the same time pass my exams. Also secondly I did have a growing need for writing music again like I did for all those years before I joined. During my stay in Immortal I did not feel inspired to write and I knew I would have to distance myself to be able to create something...
7. What is the cooperation with Abbath like? Is he demanding when it concerns the functioning of the band? And what is he personally like?
Abbath is a very inspired artist. One of the very few I think out there who are truly unique in what they do and how they do it. He drained me unintentionally. Some of you might be familiar with the term psychic vampires. People who feed off other peoples energies without even knowing it. They don’t mean bad and they can’t help it. It doesn’t even make them bad. When they find a host with a lot of energies they feed on it. I must stress though that this does not at all affect what I think of him. I have a lot of respect for him and I consider him a dear friend even though we do not get to hang out so much now due to geographical distances. I never for one second thought negatively of Abbath. He has always been honest and a good friend.
8. As soon as you left IMMORTAL you probably weren’t satisfied with playing only in WURDULAK so you started another project. But before we get to it I would like to ask you about WURDULAK. This band is not hugely known even though many interesting musicians played there. So how did you enjoy your time with the band and what is its current state?
Wurdulak was a project which meant you record demos separately, send them out, learn the tracks and meet up in studio in Trondheim and record it. Usually under heavy intoxication. I have some good memories from it and I enjoyed it, but it is not like it was a priority for anyone involved.
9. WURDULAK recorded two albums and it was rumoured that the third one entitled “Entrails of a Virgin” was supposed to be released sometimes during 2003. But this didn’t happen. Why?
As far as I know I received a CD with 13 new demoed songs years ago, and after that nothing happened. I really honestly don’t know what happened with that or if anything will happen. I have not spoken to them guys in years.
10. What was the cooperation with Maniac like? Is he really like his pseudonym? :)
Usually he came up to Trondheim to do his contribution after I had gone home so I honestly can’t say. He did do vocals on a track I wrote “Son of Man” which I really like, but I never really got to talk to him much about Wurdulak. Sometimes I speak to him when I am in Oslo or we meet at a festival, but we don’t really talk about Wurdulak. Maniac seems to me a very intelligent person who is very interesting to speak to. Next time I will run into him, I will have to ask about Wurdulak now.
11. 5 years has passed since the birth of Death To This World till the release of the debut album. What took you so long? Did you have some problems or the composing and recording with this band wasn’t your priority?
The first years were very busy with Necrophagia and also I did Amok amidst all that, so only few tracks were written up till 1995 when I recorded a 3-track demo which was later released as “Dominions of Death” by Iron Pegasus Records. Also we recorded a split EP with Audiopain before the debut album, so something was done for sure. It took some time as well though since I had some line-up problems up towards the recording of the debut, so it was delayed due to that as well. Also I promised myself long time ago I will not stress a release ever again. It will happen when it allows itself to happen.
12. We talked about DTTW in detail in our previous interview. What has changed since then? Some news? Perhaps something about a new material?
Well we have now recorded and completed our next release “Sacrifice” which we now are negotiating with some labels about releasing. All is ready for it including amazing artworks by Adam Zaars of Repugnant/Tribulation. This time we recorded mixed and mastered everything ourselves in our own studios, so what you get is a total honest release they way WE want it to sound. The band consists of the following full-time members:
Myself - Vocals/Guitars
Skyggen – Guitars
mA:Fog – Drums
Thurzur – Bass
We also headlined a night at the Hole in the Sky Festival in Bergen last year and did a gig with Nocturnal Graves. Apart from that we are preparing a few split EPs with Morbosidad and Black Flame, which is all ready to go from our side. Also some gigs should be set up now but I don’t want to confirm anything at this point since it not set in stone yet. When the new release comes out we will do lots of gigs hopefully.
13. What is definitely interesting for our readers is the tribute project TWILIGHT OF THE GODS. How was the idea of forming this band created? Could you tell us something from behind the scenes?
TWILIGHT OF THE GODS comprises from very important people coming not only from the black metal scene. How do you enjoy cooperation with other members? I guess it is quite an atypical conjunction which might be very inspiring in the future.
Ok just to clear the matter, I was asked by Alan to join Twilight of the Gods in its early stages, but I was forced to decline the offer after some time due to busy/unclear schedule. So in fear of them having to cancel their festivals in the last minute because of me, I told them to find someone else. My name was announced on the festival dates, but I never attended these festivals. They were performed by the Frode from Einherjer which was offered the slot after me.
Its a shame though. I really would have loved to have been included on this since I am a very big fan of Quorthons music of course. I hold Bathory very close to my heart. Also I have tremendous respect towards my friends in Twilight of the Gods.
14. We can’t focus on every individual band of yours that would take too long. So instead I’ll just leave you same space to tell anything you want about those bands which wasn’t mentioned. It’s up to you.
Well I did mention some of them initially but here follows more in depth information:
Enchanted: This was the first proper band we did. We were very inspired by early Death and Thrash metal scene. Maybe especially the Swedish scene the most with band slike Entombed/Nihilist, Dismember, At the Gates and we performed a melodic hybrid of Death and Dark metal with a Nordic sound. Of course we were also inspired by Black Metal but not many bands were considered Black Metal back then. Of course we loved early stuff from Rotting Christ, Necromantia, Mayhem, Immortal etc but they were not a conscious inspiration for us. We recorded a rehearsal demo in 1994, a demo entitled “Breed my Sorrows” in 1995 and an unreleased 10” vinyl which we recorded in Grieghallen with Pytten behind the desk in 1997. We later stopped playing together since I got too busy with Immortal in 1999. However tons of material still left in the vault. We will see if we can get that sorted once and for all one day. We feel it does deserve a proper release. We have some interest in this so we will see.
Amok: I joined Amok in the early 00s when it was still more of a grind/death band. I have been friends with Lava for many years through the 90s, so when he asked me to join I accepted, but only the second time haha. We have done some fine releases which includes the debut album called “Necrospiritual Deathcore” which was released by Planet Satan Revolution run by guys from Mysticum on CD. On this release we had Prime Evil from Mysticum doing vocals and also some guest appearances from others. This release will be released by Nuclear War Now! on vinyl sometime in the future with a bonus LP with exclusive material no one has heard before. We are now in process of finishing our 2nd album entitled “Exodus Reversal Hex” which has turned into an entity of its own. A strange and foul beast indeed.
15. Let’s go back to your person. Except bass you also play guitar and do vocals. When did you start with those instruments? Do you have some idols who inspire and motivate you in your playing?
No not really. I was never one striving to be at best or at peer with an idol of sorts, but I would more say bands inspired me in the early days like Iron Maiden for example in the sense that I wanted to write music. I always had it in me from the moment I picked up my guitar back in 1985 to write songs. Me and my sister used to make these stupid songs and record them to tape when we were small. From the moment I learned D, G, A chords I immediately started creating little songs. I still have those tapes to this day!
16. With whom have you worked best till now? Is there anyone you admire and would like to join forces in creating something new and interesting?
Now this might sound like a cliché but I’m going to go with my current line-up. We work really well together and it feels really natural. In the past we always were a bit all over the place and immature so obviously there was tension and childish selfishness, so as years go by and you grow older, you adapt better and the fog clears around you sort of.
Hm...who would I like to work with...that’s hard to say. Obviously someone like Quorthon would be a dream, but that’s going to be a bit tricky now. I have tremendous respect and awe for the universe that is Tom Waits, so I am going to say him. Yes, Tom Waits would be someone I would lock up in a room with, close the blinds and just feed drugs to. Together we would write the recipe to the end of the world. He has the keys and together we would unlock Pandora’s Box.
17. Not sure how much I can ask you about your privacy, but readers are always interested in lives of their favourite musicians. So could you tell us something personal about you? Grutle from Enslaved told us for example that he loves fishing.
My life these latest years don’t see much of the public eye and I even rarely meet anyone outside my band, close friends and family. I live with three children, two cats and a wife in the countryside far away from pubs and wildlife in the city. The days of running wild in the streets of Bergen are far stretched but they do occur still sometimes.
I do like to drink beers and stand in front of my turntables spinning records and bang my head till the early hours of the morning. I collect records quite a lot and it’s a real passion of mine for many years. I just recently insured my collection so finally I got around doing that. Apart from that we bought a new big house some years ago which needs a lot of maintenance. Also I work offshore in the north sea so I spend a lot of time away from home, so obviously when I’m home I try to stay home.
18. If there is something you would like to add and I didn’t ask you feel free to do so now. Thank you very much for this extensive interview. I wish you a lot of strength and ideas for future.
Well I think this all sums up for now. I thank you for this interview and once again for the undying support from Mortem Zine. Hail Satan!!
