norwegian-bands

"If it weren’t obvious enough from album titles and covers such as The Archaic Course, Winter Thrice and True North, Borknagar specialize in bringing frosty vibes and Nordic themes of tribalism, folklore and paganism to the stylistic landscape. Like Enslaved, they got going with Viking metal but soon transitioned into English-spoken progressive black metal with folk accentuations, and they’ve persevered through many lineup changes since 1995 to fine-tune their sound. Their winning aesthetic was present right out of the gate, with the sharp riffs, acoustic strums, clannish bellows and/or towering clean singing of “Nord naagauk” and “The Eye of Oden” establishing Borknagar’s gratifying brand. Admittedly, their music became lusher and better produced over time – which goes against black metal’s fundamental griminess – but they never abandoned what made them unique (“The Black Canvas,” “Fleshflower,” “Erodent,” “Unraveling”). 30 years on, Borknagar still reign supreme in terms of creating exhilarating rallying cries and heartfelt reflections built upon triumphant singing, devilish screams, wintry environments and richly intense music."

"That’s why we started to wear our hair all black. We were singing about Satan and sadism, and everything that was wrong like torture and stuff like that — the opposite of hanging around at the beach [...] We were looking for perversity and craziness."

"[Euronymous] had the belief, the more extreme the better, the more unbelievable the better. [...] Then you have someone like Vikernes who comes in and starts taking it at face value, saying, ‘We can’t just talk about this stuff. We’ve got to do it.’ It was the combination of the two of them meeting that pushed things over the edge."

"Mayhem is arguably the most infamous part of the early Norwegian black metal scene, and although they’re largely known for their violent history, they’ve also produced some bona fide black metal bangers. Case in point: the immensely popular “Freezing Moon” from 1994’s seminal De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas."

"One can only imagine the look on the faces of Peaceville Records’ staff as they hit ‘play’ on Darkthrone’s A Blaze In The Northern Sky album for the first time and the razorblade riff that opens Kathaarian Life Code bled out. They had signed the Norwegian band as a death metal outfit, and their Soulside Journey debut had seen them doing decent numbers and gathering a good level of respect for their technical heaviness. And then, drummer Fenriz recalled later, “They called me up and said, ‘What the fuck is this?’ And I said, ‘That’s fuckin’ black metal, man.’” Harsh, dark, cold and primitive, it was unexpected. More to the point, it was unlike anything else you could hear at the time. Fenriz will split hairs that there’s still death metal riffs in there, but it’s like saying there’s chicken in a nugget – it’s there somewhere, but only nominally. It has the distinction of being the first ‘true’ Norwegian black metal album from the country’s notorious ‘Black Circle'."

"The arrival of Mayhem draws, for many people, a historical line in the sand for black metal. As arguably the first band of the genre’s second wave, here was an outfit who saw black metal as a genre in itself. Where forebears like Bathory, Venom, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost were separate bands doing their thing with very little contact or common ground, Mayhem pulled all these parts together to create something whole."

"Not many people will argue against the case that Emperor are the greatest black metal band of all time, or that they raised the genre into new realms of art. In The Nightside Eclipse amplified black metal’s invocation of otherness as it imprinted the inhuman on an immeasurably vast and majestic canvas. [...] Emperor tore open new spaces that drew in innumerable voyagers in their wake."

""Where would your ideal place be to listen to one of your own songs?". "I think, in a blimp. Over Antarctica"."

"I get angry when I have to read...Like if you put a DVD into a DVD player, and you actually have to read, that thingy, where it has the copyright control. And if that's on for like half a minute and there's no button that you can press that gets you through it. That fills me with double rage."

"I had this bow and arrow that my uncle had given me, and I found a knife and sharpened the arrows. It was a deadly weapon. And I killed birds, I killed a lot of polar bears. I went on a killing spree for days, killing every animal I could see in Northern Norway."

"The most annoying [pop star]? Well, that's gotta be 50 Cent. Why? I mean, because of the story that goes with him. This story, the story that sold him to a lot of newspapers. I just imagine a reader who's like 50 years old and who's really not into hip-hop... "But this guy, he's been shot 7 times then he must be good", and that story is just so crap so I instantly had a dislike of the whole package."

"When you do interviews it's not like you're a politician that people are going to say "Ahh, he didn't really answer the question". If you're an artist it's good to just not answer the question sometimes."

""What's next for you? We are going to start a farm where we trying to make nothing grow. that's really difficult. That's gonna be a heavy work."

"On asked by KCRW about things that influence their creative process:"

"On their album The Understanding:"

"On being asked about their favourite album in Röyksopp's discography:"

"Tromsø is a city with crime and dope, and with the nature right beside. You can sit by the sea, eat ecstasy, surf on the internet and eat seagull eggs. We have a half-naive love relation to the midnight sun and the nature in Northern Norway. Old people aren't the only ones who can claim that."

""What first caused you to think to yourself, man, this is a great fucking job?" "When me, Han Solo and RoboCop had our first gig on top of the Great Pyramid of Khufu in front of 6 billion people. I was in the middle of my guitar solo when Wolverine shouted to me from behind his drum kit, “Man, this is a great fucking job!”"

"This is the one that puts them firmly and officially up there in the top tier of the dance-music crossover-album crowd, up with the Daft Punks and, umm, Basement Jaxxes. Really: Good for them."

"This is genius – it is no wonder they are laughing."

"Apparently the original title of this striking debut was For Kids and Elderly People, and you can hear why: cornerstone hit Eple is likely to beguile any age."

"“I always listen to new music. I get new CDs every week from England and America. I prefer listening to new things rather than old, and so at the moment I’m really enjoying listening to the band Röyksopp.”"

"There's a new Röyksopp record out which is called Senior which I'm really looking forward to hearing."

"Hello? Yeah it's me I wanna give you some good frequencies 170, 2.6, 2245... Yeah 3032, 400 Four hundred? Yeah. I'm coming over. Do that. Hehe. I'll be there in two seconds."

"No matter gray or grim It's those tiny little sparks Daily life that makes me Forget my wounded heart It doesn't matter when It may rain or it may shine Blurry memories of us Come back from time to time No matter gray or grim It's those tiny little sparks Daily life that makes me Forget my wounded heart It doesn't matter when It may rain or it may shine Blurry memories of us Come back from time to time No matter gray or grim It's those tiny little sparks Daily life that makes me Forget my sulky heart It doesn't matter when It may rain or it may shine But you will always be here Stored inside my mind Can I give you all my love Suck some air Tell me what I'm dreaming of Oh, whoa, oh... Maybe within a thousand years You'll be here Maybe within a thousand tears Oh, whoa, oh... Can I be so alone? Can I be so alone? Oh, whoa.. La la la la..."

"Only this moment Holds us together Close to perfection Nothing else out there No one to guide us Lost in our senses Deep down inside I know our love will die Only this moment Holds us together Lost in confusion Feelings are out there Scared of devotion Doubting intentions Deep down inside I know our love will die Stay or forever go Play or you’ll never know What heaven decided You can't deny it’s All you’ve been waiting for Stay or forever go Play or you’ll never know Your spirit’s divided You will decide if I’m All you’ve been waiting for Clouds in my head have been parted with grace By the voice of an angel revealing her face And her words they make sense and I do understand Falling in love isn’t part of a plan Forces within me mix reason with lust, but I’ll try to accept it and not make it worse 'Cause I know I might lose it by taking the chance, (But) love without pain isn’t really romance Only this moment Holds us together Close to perfection Nothing else out there Always beside her Trusting my senses Deep down inside I know love will survive Only this moment Holds us together Close to perfection Nothing else out there Always beside her Trusting my senses Deep down inside I know love will survive"

"Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing I won't try to dent your night Or stop your flight I've known our plight You know I'm right I know about your little fling How you hide your ring You senseless thing I'll cut this string The heat has simmered for a while It's not my style So versatile and with a smile At anytime, I could explode When you kissed your toad You killed your princely episode Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing Bit off more than one could bite And the taste is slight It leaves this dullish appetite About time I've finally seen the light And said goodnight For the sling is tight We'll lose this fight In a corner painted white As you fly your kite I shun the sight, i've seen the light And now i've got to say goodnight You know I'm right Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing I won't try to stop you flight Or chage your night or nothing Less than half Why won't you try To make this damage better Math and imagery Equates cacophony Multiplies muteness A sum better disturbed For silence subtracts And shadows divide light Less than half is slight Math and imagery Equates cacophony Multiplies muteness A sum better disturbed For silence subtracts And shadows divide light Less than half is slight The heat has simmered for a while The heat has simmered for a while The heat has simmered for a while The heat has simmered for a while The heat has simmered for a while Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing I won't try to stop you flight Or chage your night or nothing Less than half Why won't you try To make this damage better Forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing Oh forty-nine percent One percent short of half And less than half Ain't really much of nothing, yeah The heat has simmered for a while The heat has simmered for a while The heat has simmered for a while"

"It was me on that road But you couldn`t see me Too many lights out, but nowhere near here It was me on that road Still you couldn`t see me And then flashlights and explosions Roads end getting nearer We cover distance, but not together I am the storm and I am the wonder And the flashlights, nightmares And sudden explosions I don't know what more to ask for I was given just one wish It`s about you and the sun A morning run The story of my maker What I have and what I ache for I`ve got a golden ear I cut and I spear But what else is there? Roads end getting nearer We cover distance, still not together If I am the storm, if I am the wonder Will I have flashlights, nightmares And sudden explosion? There's no room where I can go and You`ve got secrets too I don`t know what more to ask for I was given just one wish (Why)"

"Röyksopp's album Melody A.M. is one of the best records ever made"

"I think someone should make a pair of jeans made of banana peel; that’s what I’m thinking. Instead of washing them, you just throw them away and they will decompose. Ideally, it shouldn’t be lots of banana peels – you should be able to make it in one piece so it’s one big seamless thing. They would be yellow, which is the colour of the insane"

"You see, it's part of the process you go through: the longer the hair and the beard, the more Beaujolais you drink. It's stage three of the seven stages of songwriting."

""I feel so unattractively enthusiastic about the new album"."

"People have certain expectations of how a festival concert will be, with a vocalist, bassist, drummer and two guitarists. When the singer screams "Woaaaaaaaa", the audience must respond "YEAAAA". When we play live, we try not to be too clever and "arty". There shall be an element of party in what we do."

"Seriously, who was supposed to add the pressure? The record buying public? I don't think so. The critics? We're not afraid of them. Our mindset, even on Melody A.M., has always been to do our own thing."

"Röyksopp is more than a band. It's also a transport system."