Lazare: Solefald never really played black metal as such

When there is a possibility to have a doctor in philosophy as your interlocutor, who also happens to speak 7 languages fluently, any webzine editor with some common sense would have to pay more attention than usual. In the end, although my interlocutor was Lazare Nedland (and not Cornelius Jakhelln, as I was hoping), the discussion proved to be a very interesting one and managed to confirm that, even if they seem hopelessly misanthropic, the Norwegians are very open minded and talkative people. Very open minded, in fact (if I take into consideration my previous interviews with Green Carnation and Winds). Read on to see that I'm right!

Lazare Nedland

For those about to rock, we salute thee, Solefald!
For those already rocking, Solefald salutes thee back.

How are you these days and how's life like in Norway? Did Hell freeze over?
Well, Norway sure as hell did freeze over. I'm losing fingers to the cold here.

Do you think that Norway's present is worth of its past?
I'd rather turn that question around: Do you think Norway's past is worthy of its present? Answer: Yes!

What were the reactions form the public and the fans to your latest studio release, Black for Death?
It's been great. Both "Red for Fire" and "Black for Death" have seen raving reviews and a lot of good feedback from our fans. And as usual we have managed to piss some people off as well. If we didn't, we wouldn't be Solefald.

An artist must be perpetually seeking perfection in everything he creates. How close to perfection are your works?
I'm always as close as the situation and my abilities let me.

Related to the question above and looking back, are you satisfied with how Black for Death has turned out? Is there anything you might want to do differently about it?
Yes I am. I would never change anything when it comes to my albums. It doesn't mean that I find all my albums to be perfect, but that I like the way they all represent the state of mind I was in when I made them. Changing them would be like photoshoping the pictures of an old photo album.

There are many persons saying that one cannot love his homeland without being pathetic. Let us talk a little about this concept. What is your opinion about this kind of statements?
That's a strange statement. It's like saying that you can't love your mother without being pathetic. I just can't take comments like that seriously.

Red for Fire and then Black for Death. Will there be another sequel to that and if yes, what color for what symbol?
No, "Red for Fire" and "Black for Death" were written as a two album concept, so the next album will not have anything to do with the thematics and symbolism of these albums.

What is more important to you, the music or the lyrics? Could you talk a little about your latest two records? Are they conceptually related in any ways?
They are equally important. "Red for Fire" and "Black for Death" were written as one concept, so they are very much conceptually related. They tell two parts of one story. Read them together and you will see what I mean.

Cornelius Jakhelln

Norwegian artists are very creative and very versatile. If we make a comparison between some middle 90's and middle 00's albums (for exemplification - Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and Chimera, Satyricon's Nemesis Divina and Volcano, Solefald's The Linear Scaffold and Black for Death), the differences are obvious. Besides evolution, is there any other logical explanation for those quite radical musical changes?
In Norway, I think this has to do with the fact that we want to be in the very front of the avant-garde when it comes to developing the music. In many respects Norwegians see the genre of black metal as their property, and hence feel obliged to continue developing it. That's why you see bands evolve and push the boundaries of the genre all the time; we want to move forward and control our musical treasures.

Has the "black metal" label become restrictive for the music Solefald plays now?
It always was. Solefald never really played black metal as such. We were inspired by and grew out of that genre, but we never really followed the basic ideals and hence can not call our self a black metal band in the old sense of the word.

Non-American actors dream of going to Hollywood. Where do non-American metal bands dream of going to?
Some dream of Valhalla, others of Hell. I just dream of somewhere warm. The snow and freezing weather is killing me up here.

Do you believe that performing live in the U.S.A. is an important accomplishment for a European metal band?
Well, it all depends on what markets are important to you. I mean, you can have huge success without selling a single album in the states, but then again the US is a really big market if you can break into it. In Flames are working the US like hell, and it clearly pays off for them.

Thinking about the actual metal scene and the direction metal music is heading to these days, are you more like disappointed, ok or happy with it?
Metal is progressing, and that's a good thing. I may not like all the new styles or ideas, but I like the fact that it's going somewhere. If we stand still, we die!

Do you find the time to listen to music? If the answer is yes, are there any metal and non-metal albums that drew your attention lately?
Yes I do. Lately I've been listening a lot to "Rossz Csillag Alatt Születet" by Venetian Snares. Absolutely mind-blowing stuff. Actually, I find all Venetian Snares albums to be very intriguing. When it comes to metal, I've regressed into nineties death metal lately. "Clandestine" by Entombed still kicks ass!

How about movies? Do you rather prefer watching underground/low budget movies or hollywoodian monster productions like, forget my being idiotic, Titanic? Could you please recommend me some movies worth seeing?
I love Asian movies, especially those directed by Takashi Miike like "Ichi the killer" and the mini series "MPD Psycho". Also try "Kairo", "The Audition" and "Uzumaki". Weird and wonderful.

Cornelius Jakhelln

Related to that, I don't know if you heard that Martin Scorsese's The Departed has got the Oscar for the best motion picture. Did you see it? Any opinions?
No, sorry, I didn't. I like Scorcese as a director, though, so I'm sure it's a good film.

What are your future plans?
Make music, record albums, have fun, go mad.

Is there anything you might want to ask me about my country, Romania?
I went to Romania some years back, so I actually know quite a lot about your country already. It's a marvelous place with an incredibly multi-faceted history. Very fascinating.

There is a little mind game that our readers seem to appreciate very much. A kind of a short quiz. I usually asked the bands and they chose the best option from 2 possible answer variants. I would like to do it quite differently now, meaning that you ask and I answer. I will give you the first example and you will continue with the questions:

• Mayhem or Emperor? Emperor
• Boxers or briefs? Boxers
• Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill? Notting Hill
• James Joyce or Dan Brown? Joyce, obviously
• Freddy Kruger or Leatherface? Kruger
• Republic or monarchy? I like the idea of monarchy more
• Sardines or herring? No fish for me, thank you
• Cash or credit card? Hard to say, but I'd go for the credit card
• Pestilence or cholera? Better not

Thank you very much for your time and patience. Maybe a final thought for the Romanian metalheads?
Thanks a lot for your interest. I hope I'll come visit your country again soon. Could some of you guys show me around?