Under The Mask Of Evilness
(This interview is provided by LEGION magazine)
Oh, cruel life that lets us up
and down, and the reality surprises us a lot, and the illusions have a tendency
to breaking… I also had an illusion of my own: if there was one, the one who
was “true and evil” to the bones, then Fenriz had his name to be, he is the
leader of the band that grimly called DARKTHRONE! The interviews I read with
him, drew me the image of the “evilest” and “truest”. But poor me, for deceived
I was by cruel whims of fortune! There are no words to picture my regret and
never ending sorrow! So, let it be: you read this interview, and let you weep,
oh poor true believers!
How are you doing Fenriz?
Umm… I am still drunk after
the night show.
Oops, sorry for disturbing you
in the wrong time!
It’s OK!
One of the main reasons of our
calling you, is the tribute album to DARKTHRONE. What do you think of this
“memorial to the still alive band”?
Personally I don’t have
tribute albums in my collection. I always prefer the originals. But the idea to
make such a tribute was to mark that the band has been existing for ten years. I
was thinking about the tribute album for five days and then I called to Moonfog
and said “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” But they thought it was a good idea,
and I am not the one who’s taking the decisions in DARKTHRONE right now,
Nocturno Culto is taking the decisions right now. It was in the mid-90s when I
took the decisions. But, anyway, I am very glad that the Norwegian bands do
this tribute.
Why did you let Nocturno Culto
take all the decisions?
Because I did it before and
now it’s his turn. We have a sort of split dictatorship in the band: if
Nocturno has a song, I can’t say anything about it. I just have to accept it. And
if I make anything, he has to accept it.
Don’t you think that such a
dictatorship spoils the atmosphere of creativity within the band?
Haha! There’s so much great
music out there in the world that’s been made by one person. This can go both
ways: working together can bring more creativity or less creativity in the same
way. But the greatest ideas people are making for themselves. And also I would
like to emphasize that DARKTHRONE is not big in creativity. We never said we
were original or anything like that. I give a fuck about the creativity, if I
wanted something creative, I wouldn’t listed to black metal.
You haven’t released anything
within the last two years. What are you thinking about, man?
Well, all this about bands
releasing albums every year – all this is bullshit. It was IRON MAIDEN that
started this thing in metal scene. But you can see that even IRON MAIDEN need a
break! It took them two years to release “Seven Son of the Seven Son” album. Why
wouldn’t we need a break? We haven’t recorded anything since 1995 actually. When
we record the new album this summer, it will be four years since we last
released the album. But we don’t want to be musicians all the time. We don’t
want to earn money on this. Because we are from the ‘80s, the time when there
was no scene for that music and you couldn’t live from it. We don’t need to
come up with something new to feed ourselves, and when we want to take a break
– we take it!
So, you are going to record a
new album this summer at last. What is it going to be like?
I don’t know yet! Me and
Nocturno live far away from each other and he’s made twenty minutes of the
material but I haven’t heard it yet. I just hope that it will not be fast
because I really like the fast stuff like IMMORTAL, but I don’t want to play
fast myself anymore.
Did you have any meetings with
Nocturno to discuss at least some basic points of the album?
You see, when you meet a
person two times a year, it’s a different sort of relationship. This means that
distance is always a good thing! And I don’t use the word “to meet” someone,
fuck that, it sounds like a Christian thing, ha!
The first album you released
as DARK THRONE was a death metal album, do you remember that?
WHAT?! We released a death
metal album?! Oh yeah, I remember! I like it now, but it was really important
to hate it back then. The point is that we were sick with the death metal
trend, and we just understood that we contributed to that trend ourselves as
well. Black metal now may not be a serious thing, but then – back in 1990 - it
was a serious thing. We had to look away from anything else and concentrate on
black metal. Because if we thought (with the voice of mentally retarded) “Black
me-e-tal is gre-eat, we can do-o-o black metal” it wouldn’t be a strong scene. It
would have turned out into an ugly thing, look at the bands like ATROSITY! Oh,
it’s not good to say that!
You can say whatever you want,
we are a free magazine!
Yeah, and you don’t have a gun
pointing to my head!
No I don’t!
But I guess the pen is sharper
than the sword!
The first black metal album
you recorded was a big shock to all your fans…
I can’t remember that we had
any fans! We never had any feedback from the “Soulside Journey” album! We
thought the album sold eight hundred copies and we didn’t care.
Anyway, how did you come to
black metal stuff?
It was not a decision. It was
not a band meeting like “OK, we are all together in the meeting room and I want
to say something. Don’t you guys think that black metal is becoming…” No, it
wasn’t like this! The music I listened to back then led me to the total
blackification of everything. I had BATHORY albums but I never understood them
until 1990. I also hear a compilation tape, there was TORMENTHOR from Hungary. I
listened to it and thought “Oh-ho! I can feel something, I can feel something
here! A-a-ar! This is black metal again!” That opened my eyes and my ears. This
changed everything in my musical life. Black metal was less technical, more
primitive, but it gave the opportunity to create an atmosphere rather than
musicianship.
That’s why you refused any
musical development for the band?
Ha! I think the best death
metal is not the most technical one! The best black metal is not the most
technical either. And thrash metal – I like more EXODUS than CORONER!
So, what is the best black
metal then?
Of course, BATHORY.
What do you think about
DARKTHRONE?
I am proud of it! We have
always had that row sound, and I am proud of all the decisions we took. But for
us it’s easy to take unconventional decisions because we are working men, and
we can do whatever we want.
How did you become a Satanist?
Ha!…ha! I became a Satanist
through MERCYFUL FATE. And, of course, I didn’t become a Satanist like in one
day. The same thing like with black metal. I don’t like KING DIAMOND’s stuff so
much, but MERCIFUL FATE was great. So, I started to read more about that, got
interested in it. Suddenly I got possessed.
Are you still a Satanist?
You always have this thing
with you. But it might not be so strong now. It depends on if it is the biggest
thing in your life. Being a Satanist you can choose more than being a
Christian.
What do you think about those
musicians who say that there’s no black metal without Satanic ideology?
If you are a musician, and you
are really into music, then music is the most important thing. But if you write
a song about Satanism, there is always a person who is more into Satanism,
because you just write a song. Music is you life, and Satanism is life for the
person you sing your song. So, music is the most important thing.
In one of the interviews you
said that you still hadn’t decided yet what is better: to spread Satanism all
around the globe or to make it an underground secret. Are you still blowing
cold and hot?
I don’t know. But the point
is, that even my grandmother, who is actually dead, knew that black metal was
underground! Now black metal has more press than Tom Hanks has! So it is a
utopia to discuss whether it is an underground secret or not. But some part of
black metal is dead. And I hope that people will remember us, and they will
think of MAYHEM instead of CRADLE OF FILTH. I don’t want to talk much shit
about CRADLE OF FILTH, but these guys are fucking killing me, ha!
You don’t like CRADLE OF
FILTH, do you?
Ha…ha! Hmmm…Not as black metal
musicians. It’s like Bonny Tylor singing “I am a punk rocker!” It’s not
correct. Oh shit, I have told even more shit about CRADLE OF FILTH, man! I’m
gonna die with it! You know. We’re all gonna die, and I’m gonna burn in hell! I
doubt these guys will, haha!
What is “true and evil” for
you, a “true and evil” black metal musician?
You just turn to “Return”
album of BATHORY. I understand everything there, a lot of people don’t. Shit,
when they listen to the album they say (with a German accent) “Fot is dis shit,
people I’m wonterin’? Fot is dis stupid
zound?” But
for me the “Return” album is fucking great! If you don’t understand this album,
you have problems with discussing black metal with me.
What do you, the
representative of the black metal of the ‘80s, think of the modern black metal
movement?
Well, just think about the
people who invented rock ‘n roll, when people like Elvis and Little Richard
took all the money and all the fame. Who are those people from the ‘50s, do you
know them? You just think “Hmm, E-e-elvis, Little Richard…”. I just hope that
we will be remembered for creating this thing!
Don’t you feel sorry for not
being known?
I don’t really care if some
fucking forty-year-old guy used to like DOKKEN and now he likes black metal. I
don’t want him to know about DARKTHRONE at all, you know. I am perfectly safe
and sound being an underground band. But I listen to things that were important
for DARKTHRONE back then in the ‘90s, and modern things don’t bother me a lot.
When reading your interviews
or looking at your images, one can guess that you are a grim person, what is
definitely a mistake…
(with a gay voice) O-o-oh,
thank you, thank you! Well, sorry ‘bout that! You see, I don’t have a split
personality, I have a shatter personality. When you grow older, your
personality changes with you… Do you think Jesus was a more humorous guy than
the Son of Satan? I don’t think so. Is it funny to be grim? I think the most
part of population doesn’t even know the whole idea of grimness! It’s like
(with a Mickey Mouse voice) “Gri-im? Ooh! May be-e I sood be-e gri-im?” What
the fuck is it? You don’t have to be grim all the time. But the point is, why
should I be grim with my own people? I’d rather be grim towards people who I
don’t want to talk with.
Why aren’t you grim with me? Do
you have a pleasure talking to me?
Errr. You are not the sort of
guy who always turns to small talk. I like to talk to people who has something
to say, you know. If I were grim during this interview, I wouldn’t be
interesting!
Do you still dislike live
concerts?
Always this question! The last
live gig I did, I rehearsed a lot and then I ended up sitting till half past
eleven from one o’clock in the backstage. I wanted to do a great gig, so drank
only a half of a beer. You know how it’s to sit in the backstage from one
o’clock till half past eleven? OK, and then suddenly you are out there and the
sound is like “who’s-the-fucking-sound-engineer-is?” And the point is also that
the drum kit is not your own and you have to readjust to these things. And
generally, I didn’t feel good on stage. I hate, Hate, HATE IT! A lot of people
say “Hey, rock ‘n roll is being on the stage!” But live is not for me, man. Understand
me, you put me in a bad mood, I am getting aggressive, haha!
Another “problem” with your
band, is that you are not photo friendly guys. Are you afraid of cameras?
We are not the band that goes
to studio to take photos. You might know that people are different, and the
point is that we don’t HAVE to do anything. And I am not that sort of guy that
sits and analyses, “Why don’t I like this sort of ice cream? Why don’t I like
to take photos?” When I don’t like anything, I don’t ask myself why. I don’t
have time to ask myself why! But I haven’t asked Nocturno Culto during last
five years (with the voice of the mentally retarded) “Why-y-y shouldn’t we
ma-a-ke photos?” This is not an issue in DARKTHRONE. We haven’t even discussed
it for five or six years. But the truth is that now we are extremely fat and we
will look ridiculous, haha! We can’t get all our spikes and stuff, haha! No,
that’s just bullshit!
You also don’t like to give
interviews? Too fat for that?
From ’87 to ’92 I was writing
tree letters a day. And I also did
written interviews. So, it was so FUCKING boring after all those years! I mean
my hands are still crippled, I barely hold the phone! So, I don’t do interviews
like that anymore. It has to be an incredibly interesting written interview so
that I could do it. But if sitting and bubble like this – no problems! It’s
just my ear aches a lot from holding the phoner. And my arm got really sore.
Thank
you for your pain!
Yeah,
(in a voice of a small and angry dwarf) doing interviews is pain! Especially
when they are lo-o-ong and ha-a-ard!
I
heard you are about to start a project with Phill Anselmo from PANTERA. Is it
justified?
Why
everybody’s asking about Anselmo? The most important thing is that there are
Killjoy from NECROPHAGIA and Maniac from MAYHEM! I called Maniac yesterday to
get any information, but he was drunk as he had his thirty’s birthday.
What was the reason of your
drinking last night?
It was a thrash show. You
know, people think that if there are so many bands coming out from Norway,
there must be a lot of clubs where they play black metal. But there is not a single club where they play black
metal, or thrash metal, of grind core! There are may be five pubs in the entire
country that might play some hard Gary Moore. It’s a fucking wimpy place!
You
told me a couple of times that you are a working man. May I ask you where do
you work?
Yeah,
you may ask me but I may not answer, haha! I started to work in 1988 to earn
money for DARK THRONE. I worked five years with normal people and I had to
listen to commercial radio everyday. And it was hell. But then, last five and a
half years I have been working in the postal system. I am not talking about
post office, I am in the system. And I don’t need to talk to anyone, it’s
great! What do I have in front of me here now? I have got eighteen CDs from the
editor of Nordic Vision. And what am I going to do with them? I will LISTEN to
them! See? I got paid for listening to music! It’s great! Can you hear the
sound of these promo discs (I hear as Fenriz is beating them on the table)? I
got paid for sitting on my ass and listening to CDs! It’s unbelievable! And the
best thing is that I don’t have to talk to anyone!