1. I must say I have thinkin‘ for a long time that I´ll speak to Emancer, but I always have some doubts about it (in spite of that I simply love your music). But with incoming song from forthcoming album became all different. I think you’re moving much more further and Emancer is much more powerful than ever before!
Thank you! We haven't been very public for the last year, so we felt it was time to show people one of our new songs before everyone forgot about us. It's great to hear that you think we're moving forwards and the new album is much more powerful as you say. I'm very satisfied with the recording so now we just need to find a record label to release it.
2. How is it with your members like? Has anything changed from the last album?
No, nothing has changed. I'm still making all the music and the lyrics are split 50/50 between me and Helstein. Then we all get together to work on the vocal arrangements. Gorbag is doing the screaming vocals as usual and Helstein has a few clean vocal parts, but this time he even did a few screaming parts and Gorbag has a clean vocal chorus on one song. It's all about experimentation really, we always want to do things a little different from album to album.
3. May I understand it like the new album is done and you’re waiting just for an editor? Are there any offers but deficient? I can’t explain it unlike that, Emancer is quality guarantee and in my opinion, not only one editor knows about it..
Yes, the album is done (except for the cover art) and we're actually starting to send out promo packages this week! There are a few labels who have expressed interest already, but we want to send the album out to as many labels as possible and then make a decision. Hopefully we can get the album released early in 2008 on a label with good distribution.
4. As I have indicated in first „question“, Emancer seems to be more different for me than last time. Virtually every album is moving you the way, which I can see clearly, but I can’t describe it unabiguously. How are you feeling about group-progression in spite of older, but also the new album?
I think it's very important for a band to always move ahead and not just make the same album over and over. All our albums have been unique and the new one is unique as well. The biggest transition for us came with the «Invisible» album, which was much more progressive and experimental than our previous albums. I love that kind of music, where every song has a new twist, rythm or feeling every minute. On the new album, my main focus was basically on creating stronger and more structured songs while still being just as experimental and surprising as before. The tempo is generally slower than before, but there's more energy and more interesting stuff going on all the time, and the production is much better.
5. You have an excellent sensibility of „rudeness“ melodics, you combine many influences and you often cut brutality with modernity. I’d say the base of your music is a sort of esoteric mind which is settled inside you and makes itself felt not only by words but musically also. What are you thinking about it? Are you thinking lot about your music, takes it much time till some riff you rate as done?
It takes a long time for me to make music and yes I go around thinking about songs for days and weeks sometimes. It's not possible for me to make a song in an hour or a day, sometimes I can use a month or two just to get the basics down. I push myself very hard when making songs because I always feel that I have to step up to a new level when I make something new. I always want to progress! There's always the fine balance between melodies, riffs, brutality, beauty, sadness... I want to incorporate different things in songs and it's really hard to get the balance right. As you say, I've been using modern and experimental stuff more than brutality lately because it's just more exciting to me. I love contrasts and dynamics and if you just blast away the whole time then the meaning disappears. It's a strange thing with music, you can express what's «inside» as you say even stronger than with just words.
6. Are we going to wait to see more places with clear vocal? Just the ending of „Cunning Vital Guardian“ moves Emancer much more into avant-garde patch…
Actually, we don't have so many clean vocal parts on this new album. We didn't want to be the kind of band that almost «must have» a clean vocal part for every song. By having fewer and more meaningful clean parts I think the listener will pay more attention to them and the contrast with the screaming vocals becomes much stronger. I love the ending on «Cunning Vital Guardian», it provokes so many emotions.
7. I’d say you’re still creating that black metal as ever before. Only one thing, there are many factors that make people think about that why is Emancers metal just so much powerful, energetic and why is demolishing borders between listener and you as easily. I know – maybe I’m thinking about it so much – but if you’re listening some songs like listener only not protagonist, do you think you could feel that power so strong too?
It all comes down to contrasts again. If you listen to music that is all about brutality and blastbeats and screams, it loses it's value and becomes boring. But when you can create moments of sadness or beauty and mix them with high energy and raw riffs all the emotions become so much stronger. You have to build up tension to release a lot of energy if you see what I mean. I have spent a lot of time thinking as a «listener» this time, because eventually when the album is done and released I am a listener too. It's easy to be blinded when you're creating the music and forget about the listening experience, but this time I have spent a lot of time recording the songs, then let them rest for a while and pick them up later to fine tune them or re-write them completely. As for Black Metal, I think it's still clear that our music roots are in this genre and I don't think we become less Black Metal just because we're not afraid to experiment and use contrasts. It just makes everything so much more powerful and interesting.
8. In respect of presentation (visual) you’re proceeding somewhere „ I can’t my eye keep on“ – thus – it’s like that you’re style is much more different and un common. I’d say you haven’t any borders in this – and I appreciate that. Still, my question is this way – does the visual presentation playing an important role – for you? If we’re looking at lyrics, what is Emancer deal with? Say something more about it to me… Are you trying to adapt the visual side to verbal?
I think we had a really good cover and booklet for «The Menace Within». The whole theme of that album was the inner insecurity of individuals, the struggle between being a true self and fitting in with the world and that constant battle between being a unique individual and an anonymous figure in the masses. As for being different, yes we try to do things a little different than other bands because I think most bands are very single-minded. Emancer is all about diversity, experimentation, contrasts. All these things have to be reflected in the visual aspect as well as the music. For the new album we're once again going to work with PC Grov (who also did the new Vreid album) and I think we're going to make some really nice and scary visuals this time!
9. I like asking if group has some concept albums - not otherwise in your case – have Emancers albums always one idea, one base which somehow evolves and by which considered? Or are you spontaneous about it?
We are actually quite open about themes and ideas. Me and Helstein think in the same way about many things and write stuff that often represent the same ideas, but we normally don't discuss it before we write our separate lyrics. I want to make a concept album at some point, though, but it would have to be something really interesting or it would just turn out boring. In fact, our second album «The Human Experiment» was somewhat of a concept album – describing the earth and the human race as a giant experiment. It was just a way to change the angle of input to describe certain things. On the new album, however, we have been completely «free» in our writings and go into several themes.
10. You have made a video for „Pallid Eyes“. Has it any concept or have you just interconnect ideas than hits you - in such a beautiful place - where it was undoubtely made? Are you planning to make something in the future?
We made that video close to our home village where we usually meet to record vocals and finish our albums. I don't know why, but we started talking about making a video since that song («Pallid Eyes») was so short and structured and we thought it could turn out really good. So we started scouting a few locations and had a few ideas on what to do and how the video should look. We tried to represent the lyrics to some extent, but it's first of all a presentation of the band, Emancer, since we hadn't done any videos before. I think it turned out good actually and it may help some people to get to know us a little easier. It's not a typical Emancer song and we don't have any immediate plans to do more videos, but if we get the chance it would be cool.
11. I have never recognized if you’re having any concerts. If ever not, are you planning to change that?
We have played very few concerts, six or seven I think. One problem is that we live in different parts of Norway so there's like 8 hours of driving between us. It's also a bit difficult to find a good drummer. Basically, it's very time-consuming to put together a live act, lot's of traveling, lot's of rehearsing, lot's of planning... But I'm hoping that when we get the new album out we can put together a strong live line-up because it's something that I really want to do.
12. I prefer shorter but more intesive conversation so that I’m going to give you the last question. What do you wish to future? What do you want to accomplish – both Emancer and overall, as for you?
That's hard to answer! I don't like to think very long ahead to be honest. I try to take one day, week or year at a time and it's the same with Emancer really, I try to take one album at a time and then see how it goes. Of course, a main goal for us would be to get signed on a bigger label with better distribution so that we can maybe get to play gigs in other countries. But then again, I only want to create better music – music that intrigues me and amazes me and that I can look back at and be proud of. Everything else just has to come naturally and maybe that's the biggest problem I have: I don't like all the other stuff in the music business, promotion, building networks, advertisement, managers, etc etc. Emancer should always be about the music, so maybe that's what I'm hoping for in the future – that Emancer will never stop making experimental and interesting music without any external influences.
13. At the hands of me it’s all. It’s clearly enough this interview sounds like bum-sucking, but I’m not ashamed of it. You belong to one of the few that I cordially respect, so that’s why I’m glad for you have afford. Have a good time.
Thanks Fastred, I'm flattered! It's always great to hear from people who really like our music on a deep level. That's why I keep doing this in the first place.
