It's raining like hell at the moment.
Excepted from your new album what is the news from SVARTSYN's camp ?
At the moment there is nothing going on. Try to make new material.
SVARTSYN started with a first rehearsal tape that contained 4 tracks which latter featured on the early official demo "A Night Created By the Shadows". Yet, your style was a crushing Black Metal a bit aside from the conventional materials and was brilliant through strong guitar lines. How do you see your debut and how were recorded these two materials ?
We recorded 9 songs for the demo on a home studio. Only 5 were released as the demo. The debut album wasn't so good because of the lack of studio experience but the material is good.
Could we consider the very beginning
of SVARSTYN as Chalice ? I've never heard any songs from Chalice but how
did it sound back in 1993 ?
Chalice should be considered as the start of SVARTSYN as this was the
direction of the band were set. Some Chalice's song have been released
on albums. On "True legend" and on the split CD with Arckanum.
I have had in mind to record more old Chalice's songs on perhaps the next
album. The old materials are as good as the new materials later years
by SVARTSYN.
The first full length came through
Folter Records and offered once again 8 blackened tracks with a fucking
gloomy touch. How did you get in touch with Folter records and do you
think the label did his work through promotion and gig ?
Folter Records got in touch with us during the summer 1996 the contact
come out we released an album with them. Folter took us on tour with Behemoth
and Desaster back in 1997. Our co-operation ended during the recording
of the second album. The promotion was not that good. I think Folter could
have done more.
In 2000 you wrote one of your best album
"…His Majesty" that is simply gorgeous. Everything is
close to perfection, the result was probably due to the best line up you
had so far with Kolgrim as guitarist, Draugen as drummer and you as bassist/vocalist…don't
you think so ? Could you remember how was the recording process and did
you feel a specific atmosphere while recording these songs ?
This was the first recording we did completely by ourselves and it turned
out great. We had all the time in the world with it. We made the recording
completely in light of black candles and the atmosphere was total. The
line-up on that album is what people could consider as the real SVARTSYN
line-up. But the core is Draugen/ Ornias. Kolgrim leaving the band was
more lack of time from his side. He is a great musician.
"Bloodline" was recorded in 97-98 and was unreleased. We played at the Under The Black Sun festival in Germany and a guy from EAL saw us there and he contacted us to ask what was up with the band and what the long silence from the band depended on. We agreed to release a DLP as we just recording our "His Majesty" album.
How does it come you didn't record
your new release with EAL records ? Was it only a deal to reprint "Bloodline"
and "His Majesty" ?
Our deal with them was only for the DLP. At the same time we signed with
Sound riot records.
Later
you decided to ally your forces with Arckanum for a diabolic split through
Carnal Records, who got the idea of this split ? I guess that Arcknum
are long time friends ? On this split you re-recorded an old song "A
Night Created By The Shadows" than featured in your early discography,
why did you give a second life to this tune ?
At the time I was working on to finish the material for Destruction of
man album when Shamaate wrote me to ask about an unreleased recording
we made which he obtained. That's why we used some old songs for it. It
was originally recorded to be a split CD with Krieg, but they decided
to jump off the project.
We are very satisfied with the album and we chose a real studio for this album. We felt we wanted to work in a real studio this time. The material have been written during a period of 4 years. People will notice us more with this album.
How was difficult to create new songs for "Timeless Reign" ? Where did you find inspiration for this opus ?
The songs have more depths and atmosphere. The inspiration is of course the forbidden knowledge, black magic.
Could
you explain the title album ? Do you refer to Satan as a timeless reign
or do you refer to yourself as immortal ?
Satan is the most destrucitve force; chaos. It needs countless of symbols
and names to describe it's seperates aspects and its form. It's the ultimate
destroyer of life and time. And his kingdom is timeless.
Excepted me being wrong SVARSTYN played
few gigs here and there with Kolgrim and Mork as session musicians, is
that right and how were these gigs ?
We did a tour in 1997 with Kolgrim and the former member Surth. But SVARTSYN
haven't played live for 8 years. Our music reeks of isolation and represents
something hidden and eternal. Our albums are our monuments of our existence.
Let's keep on this topic, do you attend
to Black Metal gigs and do you think live is a worth media to spread Black
Metal ? I mean many Black Metal gigs turn awful as most of the time the
sound sucks, the mix between instrument is a real mess, thence the result
is more disappointing than anything else…do you agree with me ?
I don't go much to concert as I don't like many bands and find it boring.
If you do it well it's a good media to play live but for us it doesn't
fit what SVARTSYN represents.
Excepted for "The True Legend"
all SVARTSYN's cover albums are alike and very Gustave Doré like,
could you explain this point ? Are you fan of his art and do you think
that only black and white cover could fit to SVARTSYN ?
I like having colourless pics on our albums. Dirty and old looking. Gustav
Doré artwork are in same ways dreamy and gloomy.
SVARTSYN was never meant to be mainstream. Our music is eternal and only works for evil. SVARTSYN will always remain in the shadow of the scene.
As you were involved since the early days of Swedish Black Metal, how was the rising of this music for you ? What were your feeling back then and who were the most influential people in this scene ? And how did you discover Black
Metal ?
I discovered Black Metal in 1991 or earlier, the music was so much more atmospheric and reeked of isolation and very destructive. Bands like Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal, Dark Throne inspired me a lot. Churches were burning and the times were great. Our music grow from that.
What
do you think the actual Black Metal scene and what are the main differences
between 1990 and now ? What are your 10 timeless Black Metal releases
and your 5 jewel albums all Metal style included ?
In the early stage everything was more real with churches burning and
Black Metal had a very destructive aura. Nowadays we don't see much of
that. But there are great band today as Arckanum, Antaeus, Watain, Ondskapt,
Ofermod, Funeral Mist. I will always hold the first Burzum's album as
a timeless classic, and of course Mayhem's "De Mysteries Dom Sathanas".
I hold Immotal's "Pure Holocaust" high as well. Wasp's "Kill
Fuck Die" album is a killer together with Kiss "Alive 1 &
2" and Pestilence's 2 first albums.
Don't you think that in the beginning
of this scene people had ideologies and a real anger against religions
while now musicians more or less just want to record their B.M album ?
There are very few bands in any time that are very serious with their
ideology and of course some band just in for the music.
Our music must inspire into destructive thinking and action and perhaps lights up the way. SVARTSYN have always uphold the apocalypse and the destruction of man. Satanism should be approach with same devotion as monk.
I read in an interview that you admire Blackie Lawless as he was a great source of inspiration. I've to admit it's pretty original from Black Metal combo as everyone is stating Cronos, Dead, Tom G Warrior or Eurnomous. Than, how was/is Heavy Metal music important in your life ? What were your favourite combos from the 80's ? As WASP is more or less considered as a Glam band, are you fan of other Glam combos ?
Blackie is a great musician. I think his passion and his ideas for his music that make him a great musician. And in my early age I listen a lot to Wasp, Motley Crue, Kiss which I grew up with. Music in general are not important in my life since there are very few bands arround that are good.
Is there one
or more books that changed your way of thinking about life and existence,
if so which ones ? Have you ever wondered why you were born and if there's
any goal in your existence ? Do you feel like living all your life til
you're eighty ?
I can name a few books "12th Planet" by Zecharia Sitchin and
his books "End Of Days", "Gods Of The Dawn", "Black
Magic", "Quabbala", "Klifftot". Books that have
opened my mind and make me think where we come from and what's out there.
Beyond this world, beyond the universe. I will live till I die doesn't
matter for me when.
Thanks a lot for time answering all
these questions, end the meeting giving us the latest available merchandising…
Check out for upcoming T-Shirts and thanks for showing interest in SVARTSYN