1. Hails to the band which accompanies me for a years...
It´s intriguing when someone looks on your whole discography and subsequently listens to your fundamental albums. When I look upon the Ancient´s discography I would say that you are limited by nothing as a band and you create music only by your inner feelings am I right? No barriers, no poses...

Yeah, I think you're right, through the years the sound of the band got a sort of natural evolution, from Svartalvheim to Night Visit everyone can hear a big difference, but also many years passed, there are many thing to consider, first we never wrote any song thinking "it should be like this or that" we always let us free to get into different solutions... I could say probably all the albums would be different if just recorded some months before or after, I think all the records are the picture of the band for a particular period of the career... I haven't been in the band from the beginning but I've spent about 9 years with Ancient so I think I know enough about... probably if you listen from the first to the last album, you'll hear the differences, about the sound, the riffing, also the production and the arrangements... but I also think all the albums sounds typically Ancient, there are some particul stuff in the background of the band, usually mixed with some new things, different solutions used... and also from our feeling that try some experiments or new directions can't be bad!

2. One could think that progression can lead to a clime when the Ancient will lose their love for an old sounding and influences. But in other way you are progressing as the musicians so the view on evil etc. can be expressed in totally different musical way.

The changes can't be planned, or better, you can plan to get more catchy or commercial, and I don't think Night Visit or Proxima Centaury sound more commercial or trendy then the first releases! As I said beforer the natural feeling rying to make some experiments together with the new influences, brought from the new members during all these years and also the fact that the band started in Bergen more then 15 years ago and during the years all the members moved in different countries, cities or region, from Norway to USA, then back to Europe etc... life could be very different even few months later, especially when you've a new location a new landscape, people areound you are different and your experiences are different day after day, this could make a big influence on the songwriting.

3. From the year 1992 you have experienced many line-up changes and it has for sure an impact on how are the albums sounding. Can you tell in which period with which people you have cooperated the best? Or are you flexible person?

The beginning was first a solo project of Aphazel and a short after Grim joined him, then during the American years some new members played and also wrote for the the band, usually a new member brings something new and often this is good, but isn't always very easy to work together, if you think that after The Halls of Eternity until almost now the line up was the same, for God Loves the Dead, Proxima Centauri and Night Visit, we had great time working for the vrious albums and also on tour, of course some arguings always could happen but I think after many years a musician is quite flexible, able to play with different musicians, in different situations, just need to look behind and find out the wrong things and then concentrate to do better in the future.

4. Personally the demo and EP aren´t important substantial...Ancient era started with a release of "Svartalvheim" and I would say that you´ve got into the recognition of the majority of norwegian black metal fans. Maybe I would call it as a most black metal release of Ancient... also with satanic themes etc...

Svartalvheim is for sure a masterpiece, is not me to say that, but all the people that after so long time still love the album and enjoy the songs we play live. I wasn't in the band yet but I remeber when i first heard it... also for the Trolltaar Ep... I was really hoocked about the sound and the athmosphere of this records, probably is not correct to say that Svartalvheim is the most black metal album of Ancient but for sure is the one with the most typical Norwegian sound, the old school, but it was so long ago... almost all the bands from Norway releasing the debut album during those period had a similar "cold" sound, then after some years bands like Emperor, Enslaved, Satyricon, Borknagar, Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir changed, as it's natural, having the evulution and playing on a different way... probably only Dark Throne and few others still played as the beginning and I think it's good... but life is life, so some bands tried differen solutions and I can say noone of the band I told you before seems to have the same sound of the beginning and also seems to clone the sound of another band.


5. 2 years after... „The Cainan Chronicle“ - I think that there isn´t many listeners who knows this title, For me it is one of the most essential piece of norwegian and I can say of whole world scene. How do you recall the time when you composed and recorded this album and what were the responses?

The Cainian Chronicles is actually the most famous Ancient album ever, also the seelings were very good the highest for Ancient, we can't go on stage without playing Lilith's Embrace or Homage to Pan for example! This album was a big change comparing with Svartalvheim... also was the fist album recorded with the new line up after Grim left... with the "American" Line up and a genius as Dan Swanö producing it, Metal Blade released it and the band had a Europen tour with Dark Funeral and Bal Sagoth, it's funny somethimes before or after the concerts there are some fans arguining if Svartalvheim or Cainian Chronicles is the best or also about Mad Grandiose Blodfiends which was also another album that helped Ancient to get bigger in the scene.

6. 11 years..long time isn´t it? But I would say that it is not so long for you when the „The Cainan Chronicle“ came out. Do you feel nostalgic? How do you look on that album now?

Well I can tell you excatly what the others guys (mambers or ex members) could feel now... but if I think that was recorded 11 years ago, the first idea is to realize that I'm not 20 anymore... hehe...

7. Album´s main theme were Vampires and similar Black metal stuff of that time. "Lillith´s Embrace" video meets with smile of my friends but the music is great. Were the lyrics your own personal and dominant commision, have you tried to take influence from yourself or from the usual influences or you wrote according to what the fans wanted?

About the lyrics you should ask Kaipahas or Aphazel... for sure I know noone in the band was thinking to do things only for the fans... this is typical of pop music, where you should find the way to make the listeners happy... in the metal scene, especially the extreme one, is more about create something that you really feel! About the Video, well, i know nowadays it looks quite funny or weird, but at the time it was considered a good one, but remember that the budget was very small and also was ironically shoted.. a bit of irony isn't a bad thing especially in a world of posers!

8. „Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends“ cames a year after so some drastic ups and downs weren´t expected. Anyhow Ancient presented themselves with different sound, more hauting themes and different style of compositions. What can you tell us about this album?

The same thing I said before, the band felt good to fill the sound with some new influences, darker but also aggressive, Jesus Christ and Lord Kahiapas where in the band since more time and their influences were bigger during the songwriting. Unluckily the sound is not powerful as the band deserved, it seems some mistakes during the mixing and the mastering fucked the final result... I like a lot the songs, but the sound wasn't the best ever.

9. We´ll skip the "Halls of eternity" and move to „Proxima Centauri“. I was never sure what is the main concept of this album, it acts on me quite confusingly and differently compared to your works.

Ok, let's Skip "the Halls" another album with good songs and bad recordings sound (sometimes I'm quite surprise to hear some fans saying that this is their fave Ancient album...of course, not as many of the Svartalvheim or the Cainian Chronicles...) Proxima Centauri is definatelly a strange album, the concept was an idea of Grom and well, he's a messy guy so that's why maybe the concept is messy too... once again I can't tell you so much about the lyrics, also because i think a good lyric is not the one that everyone can easyly understand... I prefer that people could read them and get a personal idea of it.

10. Would you agree that this album is one of the most melodic you ever created and it moved Ancient´s style more afar from Black metal?

Well, for sure this is the most "heavy" influenced album, with some black metal, some doom also a mix of many things, an album that could considered original and various not something that from the beginning to the end sounds in the same way, but yes this is probably the less Black Metal one...


11. With "Night visit" tour you also came to Czech republic and I remember that concert in Brno very well... really pleasant gig. For me this album is an outfall of Ancient´s progression and the "provocation", brutality and other signs of the band are showed quite differently.

I remember very well the concert in Brno at the Metal Swamp Festival, like I also remember very well all the times we played in Czech rep or in Slovakia, Ostrava, Bratislava, Kosice, Brutal Assault etc... I love Czech and Slovakian fans, the crowd there is wild and aggressive and we always had a great feeling being on stage playing for you guys!
About Night Visit, this album it's "the picture" of Ancient between 2003 and 2004... I really like this record but as I said before if I had to record it right now I would change many of my riffs... the sound is probably the best one Ancient ever got, brutal and powerfull...the only things I don't like is the absense of blast beats, but this was beacuse Grom didn't want to play blast beats and in the end some things were changed a short before to record it!
Night Visit probably is also the most "professional and technical" album of the band, not that we're interested in play technical stuff, we're no Dream Theater (or at least I don't care to play technical with Ancient, I've some other bands to do it) but there is a different approach of the sound and the riffing comparing with the previous releases.

12. Well we are near to a question what awaits Ancient in the future? Three years without signs of activity or news. So I hope that you will use next space to entice fans for the future of Ancient. Is it interesting and contributing for Ancient?

This is an easy question, but the answer isn't so eas... the band toured quite a lot in 2005, then 2006 was a bad year and during 2007 Ancient just played in South America, the songwriting was stopped already some months ago, I spoke with the other guys and it seems all of us are still thinking about the band and we've lots of cool ideas about te new album... but, there is a "but"... we're not 20 anymore, I use to say when you're 20 you just want to play and get drunk, after 30 things are different, there are more problems like a family, a work or a personal business to run... we haven't met since months already just met online on chats or Emailed eachother, this is the main problem: all of us are living actually in different countries, with our private, personal life... we're trying to plan things for the next year, the new album, some tours before and after the release of it but first we've to find the way to deal with our life! As I told you it wasn't easy for me to reply to this interview, many things happened in the last period in my life, I move to another country, I'm starting with new business, I'm working with other bands and also about some new side projects... I really hope to be able to solve all the things in the next weeks and to have some good news before the end of the year or at the beginning of the next one... so, stay tuned!

13. According to what you choose your cover art? Do you ever had your permanent artist or you are changing them?

No, all the Ancient albums got a different artist for the cover and the booklet, except for The Halls of Eternity, Proxima Centauri and God Loves 'the Dead picture disk) I don't know yet who'll be the next one working about the next cover... maybe even one of us, really don't know yet!

14. In the end... Are you anxious about Ancient´s future or do you see it positively? Honestly...

Of course I am... I really wanna to go back on stage with Ancient, to see the crowd screaming and singing with us all our songs... hope to solve things soon and bring back to life, especially on the road, Ancient... so, watch out for the next year... Ancient won't miss to play in your country as soon as possible!

15. From my side, that is all... thanks for you time. Good luck for the future! ...last words are yours...

Firzst of all thanks to you and to Mortem 'zine stuff and readers, also thanks to all the fans around there in Czech Rep. and Slovakia and also to some cool friends and good bands there! You're great and always showed it to us, I'd also tell you that I really like your country, I've been there many times, for vacation and concerts, always enjoyed the landscapes, the nature, the cool people, all the fucking great metalheads around there and last but least I think Czech beer is just awesome!

Stay Evil!