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 UNITED BY HATREDOne can count on three things in life – that Darkthrone will release new album every year or so which will be brilliant, that I will give it highest marks and that we will do nice chat with Fenriz about it. So we will not betray the tradition – legendary Fenriz speaks for the third time for Metal Sound!
Hell-o, Fenriz! This is the their time we are doing the interview, so it feels like a little jubilee so, how is life treating you these days? Great, back from a tenting trip alone in the new SLATTUMRØA nature reservoir, and up to last year Ii counted that I had tented on 99 different places in MARKA; the 1600 square kilometres of forest around Oslo, so yesterday was a new place and therefore the 100th different place I have tented in these MARKA forests. I tented other places in the country too but that doesn't count on THAT list. Just traded at Neseblod records to get the ARIA/APUR LP "krov za krov" and listening to a new cool black metal/rock band from Germany that Kenneth from Neseblod gave me a promo of, OCCVLTA is the band. Sounds like a mix between VERY primitive black metal Darkthrone and Von, also some vocals that give me the vibe of Solstafirs "Black death" mini album and Dödsängel stuff. Will be band of the week soon, then! yummy „Circle the wagons“ has finally arrived to me to enjoy it, but I guess that you are already into the recording of new stuff, right? Always fast as a shark, do you guys ever take rest in creating? We do what we do, what we feel like, and when there are songs skyrocketing in my head, I have to finish them. So we made two songs, I made my in November already but changed it right before recording time in february. So we have 2 new songs. Mine is speed metal with NWOBHM middle part and only clear vocals, Ted has a dirty heavy metal song with speed metal punk ancient BM Darkthrone too in the middle  This time you have been working more as 5 out of 9 songs are yours, and you have co-written „Black mountain totem“. So out of curiosity, can you review to me Ted’s songs as one music lover you are? Also, I am interested in your opinion about his project Sarke... I only wrote the lyrics, it can be misunderstood the way it was written on the CD, I see. Hmm. Very original question, but not something I like to do, it's too close to me to REVIEW stuff like that, it would be ultimate corruption AND it feels wrong to me. I wish I could do it, though. Ted gives me no background on his influences and we never talk about our songs or musical direction amongst eachother, we are very low on communications but high on just MAKING songs. I'd day his style has a wider scope than me, I'm more 1979-1985, he is more 1970-1989 I think, it's again a freestyle mix of songs he has (and me), he makes dirty heavy metal, but also with doomier and deathier riffs, and on “Eyes burst at dawn” he even ventures into metal punk! My fave song of his is “Stylized corpse”, as its so varied and entertaining and I ADORE the last part. Total heavy metal freedom! Let us go to „I am the graves of the 80’s“ – the message of the song is more than clear to me, but I wonder are the lines "united by hatred, reborn through hate" taken from classic song titles of Destruction and Coroner? It circles the song quite nicely. Correct, I was wondering when someone would mention that. This is interview nr 54 about “Circle the wagons” and you are the first to mention this. I even have UNITED BY HATRED tattooed on my arm, in my own ugly big handwriting In connection to my previous question - you have quoted mr Gezol, „too many black, too little metal“ there. Don’t you find it ironic that Darkthrone, the band that was always firmly rooted in 80’s, is cornerstone and pillar for the 90’s scene, where bunch of fags aped your style? Like, take a clue the right way, people. Mega-ironic, but the riff style of the 90s was made and played alot by others than me and Darkthrone, also the styles we played in 91 was OFCOURSE only inspired by 80s as there were no other albums or demos to listen to. It was worse and more typical of the 90s that bands like Cradle of Filth could actually call themselves black metal AND BOTH KIDS AND PRESS ACCEPTED IT. Die in hell overground blind money people!! hahha Okay, the centerpiece of the album is for sure title track. So, „Circle the wagons“ phrase is dedicated to undergound metal indians and them sticking against modern metal. I think that I got it right, but elaborate on it here as I feel that this message is truly important to you. Original/traditional/old metal is the America before the invasion of modern man. We are the ones defending the old land/metal. The pioneers are the modern producers, those that went away from the 70s sound and incorporated what came to be the click drums, the wrong reverbs, the loudness that makes the instruments not sound like instruments anymore but a soulless wall of sound. We tell those traitors to CIRCLE THEIR WAGONS, as we are not the only ones that fight against them. WE ARE LEGION---FOR WE ARE MANY! Thanks to Lord Weird Slough Feg for taking early steps with their 1998 album, a task that must have seemed hopeless but VERY NECESSARY. Also, the cover depicts mr Necro as an Indian, standing by the black mountain totem. I see that he is sporting Morne logo, and I think that I can see Teitanblood one on his leg. Is pierced white dove on his head symbol of dead peace and "non serviam" to your enemies? Also, explain to me the meaning of rune on the ground. We are not control freaks, so the artist, Dennis Dread, incorporates a lot of details by himself. There are many things I can't explain, but the bands are always discussed and agreed on, it is usually our requests (as before with NOCTURNAL and DEATHHAMMER) and this time we wanted MORNE, and Dennis wanted TEITANBLOOD, fortunately both Ted and me love their seven chalices album, so it was more than ok. After those pointers, like we would like it to have a totem and being on a mountain (that didn't really happen) we know nothing of the art until we see the final thing, we are always as surprised as you all are, almost!! Don’t you think than mr Necro totally looks like Maiden’s Eddie on the inside cover (big picture of his face)? Also, are you planning to make your colaboration with Dennis Dread permanent? I can see the resemblance, yes. The whole Mr Necro figure was some sort of collaboration between Dennis, Ted and me. But now Ted said he wants some change, so the next album will have hand drawn art by someone else, who will be revealed at a later point. I could easily have had Dennis art for many more albums, though. I cannot see why some people are crying that this album is too punk (like it actually matters), as I feel that „Circle the wagons“ is totaly in Heavy vein. Agent Steel influences you talked about in the booklet are fairly obvious, but I think that I spotted lots of Manilla Road in the refrains. Elaborate on this... Ahh, that would be a total coincidence, as I never made ONE riff that sounds anything like a typical Manilla Road riff. Maybe my voice breaks abit nasally like Mark Shelton here and there, but I don't think I made anything that sound like Manilla Road - but I love that many people think so, it's a great thing to me!! It's almost no punk on this album, maybe a bit more than KILLERS with Iron Maiden or “Chasing the storm” album by TRÖJAN, but not much, anyway, when I am angry and the lyrics are angry, I am bound to sound very punky, I listen to all kinds of punk and alot of NYHC and SxE too, so refrain on I AM THE WORKING CLASS is sometimes a bit like CRO MAGS/POISON IDEA/NO FOR AN ANSWER/JUDGE/YOUTH OF TODAY etc. but other lyrics when I am teching from my own experience in life, like first verse on the first song (“Those treasures can never befall you") I tend to sing more like Lemmy or INEPSY vocals..then I have all the different clear vocal vocals, and also some vocals where I feel betrayed and take revenge, there I sound more desperate and ..well , betrayed and vengeful. No one can say that I sing soulless and flat like all those 90s wannabee "bm" vocals anyway, that's the low point. I mean, I adore 2 first Gorgoroth albums for the melodies, not the vocals, haha..on the other hand is Burzum, where you can easily FEEL that Varg FEELS what he is singing, and most of all good vocalists sound great because they MEAN what they sing, ok? Not just writing some lyrics that doesn't matter to the person singing it, that CAN sound good but it rarely does. And I mean A LOT and I am very angry. That means my vocals will MATTER and there will be NERVE in them, perfection isn't for me, I need it raw Can you please explain / translate to me the „quote of the year“ from the booklet? It's impossible, a classic case of "lost in translation", that's why I never translate mynorwegian lyrics to english, there is a REASON why they were in norwegian in the first place, it doesn't work in english. I don’t have myspace account but I regularly visit Darkthrone’s one as it has become the place for music lovers with your „band of the weak“ actions (latest discovery for me – Ghost, they kill!). Also, you were recently given front page and lots of space in Terrorizer where you did the same with promoting the bands you love. It seems to me that the underground really started to "circle their wagons", so to say... How do you keep up with all these stuff? I have a job where I can listen to music, people stand in line in the underground to give me free stuff, but it isn't free - it is stealing my time, I can almost never listen to what I bought myself and WANT to listen to, so I usually say no or don't answer all those that want to give me freebies. How I manage? Because I actually care and love metal, I am wondering why all those other BIG names just seemed to quit following many bands when they become big themselves. A lot of this has to do with all the shallow touring, being addicted to applause, not really addicted to METAL. You tell me who is rooted in the metal, me or someone that has Trivium with them on tour. Some other big names that also has been there from the 80s is CHRIS REIFERT, DAN LILKER and KATON DE PENA. There are more too, but most I could see it already in the 80s how they just drifted away into their own protected startdom...maybe it's their right, but you mustn't listen to what bands these high rolllers decide to bring with them on tour, as they are CLUELESS in their ivory towers. As you are one rabid music hunter, I am interested in your opinion about Eastern European scene, and especially on former Yugoslavia and Serbia. Have you heard about any bands form here? Do you know that Nifelheim and Koldbrann are part of upcoming tribute to our ancient speed tyrants Bombarder? No, I am hopeless, I only know Mörkhimmel, and from Serbia I have only one 80s demo, but it's GREAT, it’s a 2 track demo from Serbian BLOODBATH. Now I will take you back in time, and try to explain: In 1988 and 1989, 19 out of 20 letters that would come from the Eastern block was from POLAND. it was almost amazing that TORMENTOR and MASTERS HAMMER could reach us from other Eastern Europe, they were seen by us as very EXOTIC. The Polish bands were well known at least in the Scandinavian and European scene, but I think everyone that was there in the west in the 80s (where are you guys?) knew that this is the way it was – a lot of Polish contact, contact with other Eastern block countries was rare. Also one more, maybe touchy, music question. One and only Varg has returned with killer release „Belus“. He has stated that only the people from Darkthrone and Mayhem are his true friends from Norwegian scene. Are you in contant with him again and do you like his new stuff? Yes, he emailed me in June and established friendly contact once again. And "Belus” is great, for many levels to me, as I kind of know him a bit from the past. What is weird for me is that everyone has an opinion about him, I hear people say things and I read things being said all those years, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW HIM. I always just thought - let them talk their little blabbermouths, atleast they don't know me OR him. It's strange either way, if they say good things or bad things, it's the same strange feeling of..that they don't know what they're talking about.“Belus” continued just where he left off as a free man, he even hints at one of the bands he loves from the 80s, Destruction, in one song. But mainly, it's those archetypical Burzum riffs that carry the world and can hold you forever. That would all for now, Fenriz. I would like to thank you for everythink; if you guys ever decide to come down to Serbia, drop me a line and we can go hiking ;). All the best, your last words / recommendations... I finsish off with a VERY useful list, people: OUR MUSIC FITS MORE IN WITH CURRENT BANDS LIKE THESE NOW, PERHAPS.and by CURRENT, i mean 90s, 00s, 10s. the 60s 70s 80s list will be listed at the bottom here. GEHENNAH sweden - METALUCIFER - BLIZZARD germany - THE LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG - WOLF - ALPHA CENTAURI - METAL INQUISITOR - PORTRAIT - IN SOLITUDE - HELVETETS PORT - SPEED TRAP - ATLANTEAN KODEX - CHRISTIAN MISTRESS - DEMONS GATE - DOOMED BEAST - SONIC RITUAL - AURA NOIR - HARBINGER - ENFORCER - BLACKHOLICUS - NATUR - HIGH SPIRITS - WHIP STRIKER - NOIA italy - OLD - ARIA/APUR - TRENCH HELL - SHACKLES, ZÖLDÏER NOÏZ, NOIA, BUNKER 66, WASTELANDER, BLACK MAGIC ---------------------------------CRYSTAL VIPER - LONEWOLF - RÉSISTANCE - GHOST - SATINBLACK - IRON KOBRA - ARGUS -FUNERAL CIRCLE etc THE OLD BANDS, mainly 70s 80s that we may or may not be influenced by; MOTORHEAD, DIAMOND HEAD, HEAD HEAD HEAD (JUST KIDDING!), 1ST METAL CHURCH, AGENT STEEL 84-86, MANILLA ROAD, FINGERNAILS '88, FATES WARNING 2ND AND 3RD, ANTHRAX 83-85, ACCEPT up to '83, SAVAGE GRACE master of disguise, GRIFFIN protectors of the lair, ENGLISH DOGS, METALLICA 3 first, SATAN court in the act, JAGUAR power games, early SAXON, OZZY '80-'86, HELLOWEEN 2 first, IRON MAIDEN, TRÖJAN, BLACK SABBATH '70-'82, EXCITER heavy metal maniac, QUEENSRYCHE first EP and THE WARNING, GOTHAM CITY, WITCH CROSS, MERCYFUL FATE, THOR, HEAVY LOAD, ADX, HOLY TERROR, OVERKILL, TYRANT'S REIGN, BROCAS HELM, CIRITH UNGOL, ANGEL WITCH, WITCHFINDER GENERAL, CELTIC FROST, BATHORY, OSTROGOTH, TANK, SCORPIONS 70S, URIAH HEEP, RUSH, PENTAGRAM usa,BARON ROJO, TRUST, SAMSON, AC/DC, KISS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM doomsday for the deceiver, OMEN '84-'86, DEAF/DEATH DEALER 1st, DEATHSIDE, ASTA KASK, PUKE Questions by Slobodan Trifunović |
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