Blistering.com: There’s a noticeable difference between your lyrics/songs and Nocturno’s in how “non-black metal oriented” your songs and even song titles are. When did you realize you weren’t tied to using traditional BM titles and lyrics?
Fenriz: Once he bought the studio, I knew that the actual sound we would get out of it would fit very much to what I was listening to more and more at the time, NWOBHM and speed metal and Motorhead stuff…as usual, but more now than ever, ‘cuz many freaks in the underground started sharing lots of forgotten NWOBHM-pearls from 79-85. YEAH!! I made song 1+3+5+7+9 and they’re mostly in the 1979-1985 vein Ted made song 2+4+6+8 and they got a wider scope, more like 1970-1988 perhaps.
Blistering.com: I know you’re constantly writing, so have you set in motion plans to follow-up Circle the Wagons? And if so, what do you have in mind?
Fenriz: Yes sirree Bob, first track was written in November, but changed in February, we recorded one each as usual and my song is speed metal/NWOBHM with clear vocals and Ted’s song is dirty heavy metal/speed metal punk with ugly vocals, I think, very Darkthrone-ish
Blistering.com: Has anyone suggested to you that Ravishing Grimness is perhaps your most underrated body of work? Hard to believe that was over 10 years ago now…
Fenriz: Yeah, I’ve noticed many like it but I believe it’s a generation thing. Also one has to like Ted’s typical 1996-2005 riffs. Yep, he started those riffs on Total Death and they went on for a decade, suddenly more and more gone now. Others say it sucks, but one can only check the reviews on Metal Archive and see it’s fairly balanced. Plaguewielder is unpopular there, but it’s also cuz of the album cover (people are easily lead by visuals and vocalists, that you gotta know).
Blistering.com: What’s your relationship like with Peaceville nowadays?
Fenriz: Since we got back in 2005 it was peachy, it was peachy in 1990-94 too, but I was of course too maniacal and crazy at that time to have anything to do in the “overground” ha-ha.
Blistering.com: From your perspective, how can the metal scene stay afloat with such shrinking sales numbers?
Fenriz: The fact that the metal world has magically twice expanded in size, combined with all the love for all the various genres, modern AND very old, the fight is there, the passion is there, unfortunately a lot of counterproductive gossip, but that’s the Internet’s fault, not metal people (I am a bit too gallant here now).Bottom line is many many people that don’t play are willing to use their job money and spare time to release just what THEY want to release, and that’s pretty cool. I am just hoping that records can be always easily available, that’s all I wanted with Darkthrone and a record deal, not to force my music down people’s throats, but that our music should be available.
Blistering.com: Outside of Darkthrone, you’re known for hiking. Being that the weather is changing, what’s in store for this summer?
Fenriz: I set an Oslo record of 40 singular tent trips in the forests around Oslo last season, March till October. That was without driver’s license and with a steady job, so I used pretty much all of the weekends with ok and good weather, and most of my holidays. Just took tent trip north one here this season, it’s the bee’s knees, the weather is steady here in the Boreal Fur forests!
Blistering.com: Most Americans are very much glued to their televisions/computers; could they withstand any of your hikes?
Fenriz: I gotta stay glued too, that’s why I gotta go to the gym or get out in the forest and sleep there in my tent, it’s the BEST, the great energy and totally poser-free. I choose my company, there are no people there mostly. Sure people can withstand my hikes, I took people from many countries, Italy, Australia, Germany, England, Sweden, Dennis Dread wants to tent over here too, ha-ha, cool beans, and no problems. But the tenting “culture” is different from countries to country. Here, one carries everything in a back pack for some miles, no drive-in tenting like in the USA or Australia that is frowned upon here in Oslo. But the more outback-ish you get, the less people like to walk, ha-ha
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