1. Greetings Torgeir, I´m glad, that you devote me a part of your time. I wrote about Elite after release „Bifrost“, so it´s good that it paned out at least with that interval, hehe…Any news in Elite in the last days?

Hail!

We’re still around, hehe.. We’re writing material for our upcoming album as we speak. 4-5 new songs are ready so far. We hope to enter the studio late 2007 / Early 2008. We are also trying to find a new label since we ended our relationship with No Colours Records.

2. Some time ago you came back from tour, you also visited our neighbours Slovaks, how did all tour took effect on you? Which experiences, findings did you bring? Which concert was the best, how many people went on your concerts on the average?

The tour with Kampfar was great! Elite and Kampfar are two bands that fill each other out in many ways, and was the perfect combination of bands for a tour as far as I can see. I’m sure we will do some more cooperation with Kampfar sometime in the future. I’m not sure how many came to our shows on the average, but if I say around 150-200 that wouldn’t be too wrong. The best show was either the one in Slovakia or the last one in Leeuwarden (Netherlands). I’m having a hard time to decide, hehe.

3. You went on that tour with Kampfar, which is seasoned band. When I listen to „Bifrost“, I cannot stay by song „Vikingfjord“, I fell influence just that bands like Kampfar, and so on. You – as quitarist – have on it surely your own opinion. Do you agree on not?

I agree to some extent. I’m probably the only one in the band that was a huge fan of Kampfar before we went on tour with them. Certainly they have inspired me just as other bands have when it comes to songwriting. But then again, I’m not writing all the material and surely the influences of the other guys are just as important for the end result. I think we discovered during the tour how much we have in common when it comes to songwriting. And it is more coincidal, we are not trying to copy Kampfar or any other band.

4. On your last album you moved up to more melody conception and so you much more fell back from clearly black metal waters. Did you tell to yourselves by composing: „We´ll compose break album, something different!“ or was it nature and not planned progress? Do you think, that Elite could grow in or also experiment more?

Our progression comes natural, we don’t plan how an album is going to sound. Hundreds of different elements affect the way songs end up from we start with the first new song until the album is finished. We just follow the chaos!

5. As the most inspired song I consider „Take“, because it mixes all aspect of „Bifrost“ – agrressivity, melody, pressure and admirable catching! I confess, that if it was whole album, I wouldn´t break away from it, heh. Very good work. Do you have any favourite song?

Liveshows easily show which song is more favourable for the band than others. „Vikingfjord“ and „Berserkerens Manifest“ are by far the most encouraging song to play live, and therefore you could say that they are „favourites“.


6. Important is also, that sound goes hand in hand with instruments and vocal. Album was recorded in other place than debut – where?

That’s correct. „Kampen“ was recorded in a local amateur-studio where we did all the studio work ourselves. We felt that „Bifrost“ needed more professional work on the sound, so we went to Ballerina Audio in Sweden. Other bands such as Vintersorg and Naglfar has also used this studio. To be honest it could have been any studio for us, only coincidence made us end up with Ballerina. We’re very pleased with Nils and Ballerina and might use them some other time in the future!

7. As I said, „Kampen“ was more underground album and it took heritage of old school. Do you remember, what mood was then band in? What did you expect from your first full-lenght album?

The mood of the band was just about the same as it is today. We haven’t changed dramatically since our first album except some lieupchange and the fact that we have become a better band. Our expectations for the first album was, as I guess it is for most bands, just the fact that you can hold your own release in your hands. Didn’t care too much about how many albums sold, what people thought about it and so on. This had of course changed a bit..

8. What responses did „Kampen“ obtain – in Norway and also in rest of world? If you should compare it with „Bifrost“, which album is admited more positive? There are surely fans, who abuse on „Kampen“, but also those, who welcome some style´s changes. Are you person, who bring anything from listener´s reactions? Sincerely, I´m bored of words like: „I play for myself, fuck of others!“. I don´t understand, why that bands play live performances and go halves of records with fans. But I wouldn´t polemize…

I’m not sure if I ever saw any norwegian review for „Kampen“. Norway isn’t the best place for our music since thrash is the „big thing“ nowadays.. Sure, we live in Norway, but our music is better appreciated in other parts of the world. I’ve seen more reviews in general for Bifrost, but I don’t have any strong opinion on which album was better reciewed than the other. Of course we care what other people think of our music! Why would we otherwise release anything or play live? We release albums because we know there are other people that appreciate the music as much as we do. And we don’t play liveshows for ourselves, we hope as many will come since we do it for the people that show up! I totally agree with you, how stupid it sounds when bands that release albums and play live claim that they don’t care what other people think of them.

9. I know, that you have problems with your debut with Agonia records. Label is often blamed, that it praies bands and doesn´t care of basic things. What they concretely did you? Otherweise Torgeir, I think, that you must feel very good by No Colours rec….

We’ve parted from No Colours, but for completely different reasons than the split with Agonia. Steffen is a great guy and No Colours is a great label! We just figured it was time for us to move on.

Now Agonia..... that’s one hell of a shitlabel! Me and Taf (we were the ones that started Elite in 2001) met Filip during holidays in Poland. Taf started to write some articles for Agonia War’zine in 2002. We became good friends and it all ended up with Elite releasing the two split 7“ (with Carbon and Seeds of Hate) and our debut, „Kampen“. In the start everything seemed perfect. We met Filip at several occations and he even came to visit us in Mo i Rana, Norway around chrismas 2003.

But after that things started to happen... We wanted the promised royalties for „Kampen“ as agreed upon. The deadline was overdue for the first payment, and we started to get empty promises. Since the start of 2004 up until about half a year ago we have struggled with empty promises and lies about polish banks that mess things up. We eventually came to a point where this wasn’t funny anymore and cut all further discussions with Filip.

We are now talking to the numerous other bands that have been ripped off by Agonia to find a solution to the problem in Poland.

In addition to the royalties we haven’t got, we also suspect Agonia of pressing more copies of „Kampen“ without our permission. Doesn’t suprise me actually....

10. Currently you look on new label, are there any potential?

We are doing a lot of work at the moment that we feel is necessary before landing a deal with any label. We are working on a new logo new songs for a possible demo if that should be necessary and so on. We’ve had quite a few offers from various labels, but nothing is decided yet.


11. At last we get to question of future. Does Elite have any plans on next record, any visions about that, how should it sound?

Well, as stated in one of the earlier questions, we have no defined plan on how anything should sound on the end-product. Sure we have ideas, but we just work focused and let our next album be influenced by whatever comes along. We are writing new songs as we speak, and hopefully we will be able to enter the studio in the beginning of 2008. But that of course depends if we get a deal with any label....

12. Do you think, that very continual line-up helps you to quality? Are you that person, who likes stereotype, or you are rather for changes?

We had one lineupchange, and that was when Taf moved to USA. Since then, we’ve been the same members in Elite. I prefer a steady lineup, especially when we are talking about 5 people who understand each other and have the same goals.

13. You also played in the Czech Republic, it was after the album „Kampen“. I know, that you were missing on Open Hell fest, why was it? I hope, that you again visit our country, not only overpass it like not long ago, hehe…

I had my first son the day after Open Hell in 2004, hehe. That’s the reason why I stayed at home. We will come back for sure, once the opportunity is there!

14. In the end it strikes me one more nostalgic question: when you remember that times, when you created Elite and band was only formed, you recorded your first songs, rehearsed…, what feelings evokes it in you? What was good and what bad on that time?

First of all, we were only two members in the beginning, and that was a bad thing, hehe It’s difficult to act as a whole band with only two members. On the other side it was easier to create music since you only need to persons opinions. A lot of the music for the first releases was created as a duo. We soon became a „real band“ with drummer and all that and things started to stabilize. Our ambition in the beginning was nothing more than to gather in the rehearsal room and make music for ourselves. That has changed a bit over the years, hehe

15. I´m glad, that you aren´t only that band, which hold od classic black metal process and you go your way. So, I wish the band just the best to next years and I hope in meeting, maybe somethimes…Have a good time.

Thank you!

Hail Odin!