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 FEELS LIKE THE WINTER AND MOONAlready since their debut opus '' Mellom Skogkledde Aaser'' I have noticed Kampfar. But after their 2nd effort ''Fra Underverdenen'' there was one indeed long pause and to be honest I thought that they will never return on stage. However, they did it and they are stronger than before. I don't think that their latest effort ''Mare'' is the strongest record that they ever did, but this new material definitely is one of the most interesting ones. They have added some more details in the music, giving some symphonic approach to songs. This is definitely the most fresh element in their music and it suits them perfectly! Therefore, this time I had a chance to make one interview with Ask and you can find the result below!
Hail! How is going out there in Norway? Are you preparing yourself for the next tour dates with Vreid? It's indeed pity since you are only going to visit Western EU countries... Yes, most definitely getting prepared here. Spent the last few days practicing with our new live guitarist, and it’s sounding very good. We don’t see each other too often as we all live in different places and even countries, but when we get together the focus is 100% as always. I agree that we should play more in the East, but this time it didn’t work out that way. We will most definitely be back, we love playing over there! Well, you have just released your latest offering entitled ''Mare''. This album definitely has some new and interesting details to offer. The first thing that I have noticed is the keyboards, which are playing more important role this time. The final result sounds really great. So, why did you decide to add more keyboards and made music even symphonic alike in few tracks? In the past we have always composed with keyboards, as Thomas is more of a pianist than a guitarist. In fact the reason he has his distinct playing style is that he thinks like a pianist. But we have often chosen to strip down and make things sound more primal, and therefore removed the keyboard tracks on the final albums. This time we said “fuck it” and decided to just go for everything. That also why we used the producer we used and did the artwork in the way that we did.  From the opening track the new record brings indeed epic, monumental and even dramatic atmosphere. How did you get the inspiration and the ideas to make such intensive work? From where did you get the inspiration? The inspiration comes from ourselves. Every song is written as a reflection of where we are as individuals and as a band at that time. To make the album as intense as it is was part of this “fuck it” attitude, where everything was okay, we just wanted to see what happened when we just went by instinct and just allowed everything to develop naturally. I think that we’ve played a bit too safe in the past, especially with “Heimgang”, and now it was time to just pile on the ideas and see where we ended up. Do you agree with my point of view that ''Mare'' is one of the best efforts composed by Kampfar so far, perhaps even the best one? Is it hard to write such a great and original material after so many years spent in music? “Best” is a word I’m not comfortable with, as every album has its own expression and its own voice. But personally it’s the musical work I am the most proud of, considering the effort that went into it, and how good I feel about the outcome. I think the other guys would say the same, it’s been a hard but very rewarding process writing and recording this album. Aside of more symphonic songs you have also some tracks which are rawer, for example ''Volvevers''. But, although that this track is different from others it perfectly suits as a break in the album. So, do you agree with me if I say that Kampfar still need raw and cold Norwegian atmosphere even if you develop your style? Yes, absolutely. And I think we will always have that atmosphere, as it’s just a part of us as musicians and human beings. I think that we have opened up some new doors with this album, but songs like “Volvevers” and “Altergang” have elements that were used in the past, even on the first album. Everything is about circles, and the beginning and the end are never far apart. As matter of fact most of the songs are very intensive, written in furious manner, but still, here and there, one could find some slower moments. But, it seems that these moments are giving even some special feeling to the entire new material...any comment about this? Contrast is essential to intense music. There are few albums that can just be intense all through, and I think you lose so much of the feeling unless you use different energies in the expression. What is maybe different this time is that those parts are not folky but have a new form, a more “witchy” expression. This came in quite early and definitely helped shape the complete expression of the album, also visually. Could you compare your newest album with your previous albums? What is the main difference and what is the main link between your new and previous full-lengths? I think this album is a lot more compact and powerful than in the past. Previously the folk element was more present, though that has disappeared more and more. Also, the song writing has changed massively, which we notice clearly when we play the old songs. There is much more structure to the new songs, but that doesn’t mean they are better than in the past, just different. I thoroughly enjoy playing old numbers like “Troll, Død og Trolldom” live, for instance. Most of the lyrics are written in Norwegian, but the opening title ''Mare'' is in English. Why/was there any particular reason? Dolk some times feels that English is the right language for the feel of a song, and he had that with “Mare” and “Blitzwitch”. I think he’s always spot on with the English language songs, and I know that he puts perhaps even more care into how he writes the lyrics for those songs, as they work as summaries of what we do, in a sense. Most of our music still works best in Norwegian, the sound of the language just fits better, and I expect that to be the case in the future, too. What could you tell us about the lyrical background of the new album? I found on metal Archives this note: ''Mare is dedicated to the women who chose to walk their own path''. So, please could you comment it? The album is about the word “Mare”, which has different meanings in Norwegian, English and Latin. The main part of it is about witchery or what through history has been perceived as such, but there are hints of the different meanings of the word all through the album. Dolk is a master smith of the Norwegian language, regularly using words and terms that is no longer commonly used, and he also knows a lot of stories from many different periods in time that fit well with our music. I also had the chance to write lyrics and perform them on one song on the album, and followed in the Kampfar style by using old style verses in our language. What can you say us now about the cover artwork done for ''Mare''? What did you try to express with this cover and with is the hooded person? The artwork will be understood by those who want to understand it. I don’t mean to sound pretentious or arrogant about it, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to describe it in my own words. The lyrics for the title track already reveal some of it, and the artist, Robert Høyem, has done a magnificent job in interpreting our music through imagery. I recommend to anyone to check out his other work and you will definitely see a lot more of this man’s work in the future. He has a refreshing view on things and wants to do truly original work. I think he’s well on his way. Since the new album comes in different packages, please could you say something about the different versions of the album? One version has one bonus track ''Bergtatt (In D Major)’’, is this for LP or for digi-pack bonus song? This bonus track is only on the digipack and is one of those label related ideas. We had written and recorded two versions of the song anyway, but the D Minor version worked best on the record. The D Major version will not be available once he digipack sells out, which by the look of things is quite soon. The album has also been released in black, red and white gatefold vinyl, and now a jewelcase version is coming out. So, I would like to thank you for your time and answers this time! Do you have any message for the end of interview for your loyal fanbase? First of all, thanks for an interview with well thought out questions. It doesn’t happen all the time, you know. Secondly, we definitely want to visit your country soon, it’s one of the last ones we haven’t made it to in Europe. Until then, listen to quality metal! Life is too short for crap. Answered by Ask |
PUBLISHED ISSUESMETAL SOUND #mpu vorbereitung |
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