Fenriz (DARKTHRONE): the interviews stand in the way of next album

BANDS : Darkthrone

In late winter of 2013, Darkthrone released the monster from the basement. Their new album, The Underground Resistence, enjoyed the metalheads everywhere by its quality, which is considered the most metal achievment of the new Darkthrone era. Fenriz told us some things about making this album, adding some other stories about music and his insights. Thus, we find out that the interviews obstruct Fenriz in composing more music, but further you’ll see if this is a negative fact or not.

Metalfan: What’s up mister Fenriz? How’s life treating you in Norway?
Fenriz: Interview nr. 99 for TUR. Getting ready for soccer practice, the band tournament KemboCup that Valhalla guys started in 1991 is next week. What people don’t know is that I am a very decent goal keeper and technical midfield as well. Practicing with O.J. from Aura Noir at Sofiemyr Kolbotn in two hours from now, he is even better technical player than me, I had 754 tricks as record as a kid but he had well over a thousand. Soccer is metal!!! Hail Iron Maiden. I never played with them but O.J. and many others including my friend Kenneth from Neseblod records played agains Iron Maiden when they gigged here, this has happened on several occations.

Metalfan: Are you listening something right now? Or, tell me about a cool band that you discovered lately.
Fenriz: Deathwish from UK ‘87, it’s basically US power ’83-'85 style… but it’s from England in ‘87! Haha! Nuts! Other bands you can all see on the Band of the Week blog on the web or Facebook… but if people like death metal Darkthrone of the '89-'90 style they should listen to a band called Abyssous.

Metalfan: Did someone turn some crosses upside down, or is it too early to joke about this? Back to the actual things, how satisfied are you concerning Darkthrone’s latest release?
Fenriz: It was turning Crocs upside down but it got misspelled! I am satisfied that more and more people are into the heavy metal Darkthrone and not only the early '90s period. If people would have used THAT much time to get used to something new back in 88/89 we would have never gotten away from answering questions about our first demo, hahahaha!

Metalfan: From several points of view, The Underground Resistance brings a new approach. Can you please tell me the entire story of drawing the Valkyrie song? I’m asking you this because that song is a fuckin’ deep one and it has a huge spell upon it, this is my main feeling.
Fenriz: I got the refrain in spring 2010, sounded to me a bit like How Many Tears by Helloween 1985. Then nothing! Lyrics came in 2010 October. Still no music! Not until September 2011 the opening of the song was in my head when I woke up. It sounded too much like the Ides of March by Iron Maiden 1981 so I re-arranged it until it had that underlying Gypsy Uriah Heep 1970 groove to it, and so it didn’t sound like any of them. Then I needed to make a verse riff to fit with the refrain and I went for generic speed metal early 80s style to enable a free styling vocal line for it.

Metalfan: Do you like Triptykon?
Fenriz: I don’t think I heard it. Last I heard was Into the Pandemonium '87, well I tried Cold Lake back then but I couldn’t listen more than a minute perhaps.

Metalfan: When it comes about writing music – I’m talking about the period after 2006, of course - do you have in mind that the product must cover all that is best in metal/punk? Or is it just a natural process?
Fenriz: Not at all, I am not making songs like that at all, I make the song when I get inspiration, it is just finding riffs and writing stuff that will hopefully fit. It’s not calculated at all. As usual it is pure coincidence almost, whatever happens, happens.

Metalfan: Are the northern forests dangerous? I mean, if you are alone in the woods at night would you go to sleep immediately, or would you enjoy the silence? Or maybe would you rather play with some tormenting thoughts?
Fenriz: Nah, not much! People usually die at sea here and it’s because when people travel for something they lose respect of the local situation. This is apparent in almost anything but especially about weather. If someone travels from Peru wanting to talk to you, they won’t take no for an answer even though a meeting was never set up. Haha!

Nah, on camping trips I just drink beer and then I go to sleep. It would be boring to just eat and drink water. I am there to relax.

Metalfan: I think the cities are bullshit, and they have to burn, to be destroyed in order to reborn the natural human condition. Besides the human mind predilection for useless submissions, the urban society smashed other values. Do you agree or not? Tell me something about that, about the fact that all which is false in this world came once with the first city built.
Fenriz: Not possible, the smallest ecological footsteps are made by people like me who live in blocks of flats, only riding with public transport and it’s the future of the planet. Living rurally is hailed here, but if everyone did it the state of the earth would deteriorate even faster.

Ted probably has an opposite opinion. I think the music before the cities came were mostly daft. In rural areas people that have cultivated taste often need to move in to cities to find others with same and better taste.

Metalfan: How’s Ted? When did you see him last time?
Fenriz: Hmm... When we did the first interview for this album, which was in December. Yeah he says he is fine now, he can drive big motorcycles now if he wants.

Metalfan: I suppose you saw the northern lights many times in your life. What was in your mind when you saw such things?
Fenriz: Never saw it, only on postcards and TV! I never went further north that RØROS and that was because Ted needed to go to the liquor store there. I just stayed in the car, haha! And that’s not even further north than almost half the way, haha!

Metalfan: One thing is certain: I won’t ask you about your tastes in electro music. But do you think it’s a bad thing that right now we are not talking about vinyl or tape collections, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer and all that stuff related?
Fenriz: I talk about that all the time, I am looking at my vinyl and cassette shelves as we speak… Ordered my last vinyl yesterday, High Power from France, 1983... Killer album, except song 3.

Metalfan: But, of course, it’s hard not to ask you: regarding the music and its image, which is the most beautiful vinyl from your collection?
Fenriz: Most beautiful… never gave that much thought, I think the album front cover of the first Cirith Ungol and also the second is very beautiful. Killers (1981) by Iron Maiden is a perfect cover.

Metalfan: Do you think that bands like Celtic Frost, Possessed, or other monsters were damned to be so good, or it just happened?
Fenriz: Well, as you could see, they faded rather quickly, but they surely had it, it was a magic time when styles weren’t clichéd out yet, it was a melting pot of insanity and possibility and it has been our responsibility to hail the right bands from the era.

Metalfan: Do you believe in after life theories? What do you think about theories?
Fenriz: I don’t like contra-factual history writing, as mentioned in a lyric of mine in early '00’s…Hate Them (2003) album maybe…hmmm or the Cult is Alive (2006)... Anyways, the thing I have least of in this life is TIME, so I don’t dabble much in theories, I want to smell fresh moved lawn or smell of winter of skiis. I need to BE. That’s why I like to LISTEN to music instead of reading or writing about it.

But I often say that in next life I will be anonymous and not a public person.

Metalfan: Do you believe in magic? What means magic?
Fenriz: Magic is getting goose bumps from music. I got that a lot before but now it’s more and more pressure and it’s like I have to listen to music ‘cuz I get it sent from people…there’s little time to play just what I want to play for myself. Maybe just one album a day I can listen to ‘cuz I just really want it. Other stuff feels a bit like work too, not just listen to enjoy. I need to clone myself.

Metalfan: Do you like Dracula’s stories?
Fenriz: If you don’t like them as a kid…well, it’s different now with all the stupid series about vampires. Everything is cool up to a certain point, then INFLATION hits, and I was always wary about that, so when the party gets daft it’s time for me to leave. It was great vibes until the '00s with all that, I think.

Metalfan: So, is it true that you guys have already a plan concerning a new Darkthrone material? What would be the next direction?
Fenriz: I have had two songs for some time now, but when we finally go to the studio again I will probably just throw them away and make a new one. I like a fresh feel when I create a song and record it. So I have no idea. But every time I make riffs in my head, usually at work, it’s more speed metal stuff. But the song’s I made so far is both speed and doom metal. But I’d want to stick to speed. But I don’t know it until I make it. And now I have done interviews since December and I don’t want to go through all this again for many years. So the interviews stand in the way of next album. If all we could do was just to record we would probably have the next album ready already. But I have to do all the interviews myself and it’s just too much work. Also, I feel VERY content with delivering The Underground Resistance and feel no need RIGHT NOW at least to rush into the studio. If I had a studio around me like I kinda had in '92-'95, I would have made stuff non-stop. But since my burn out in ‘96 I realized that it’s not good for me to pour out too much music out of me. So we have to keep it in control. I’d say we would probably just continue where we left off and small changes may occur. But it’s impossible to say. I mean, take Ted’s songs – how much do they really change from 2003 till 2013? A lot or not?! So I think it’s usually me who goes all LOOSE CANNON and make changes. But then again, it was Ted who made the Too Old Too Cold song, so also he can suddenly change. But I believe it will be little changes. We’ll see.

Metalfan: It is a real pleasure to have your words here. In the end I would like you to tell me anything that you want regarding everything.
Fenriz: Don’t forget to listen to Hour of 13 and also Dream Death just made the best comeback any metal band has ever made. Talk about underground attitude from a band that already sounded old school on their 1987 debut!

Autor: Gina S.

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June 29, 2013 | 0 Comments | 14587 Views « BACK