__Darkthrone Interview

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Photo by Fenriz

With its corpse paint, candelabra, upside down crosses, and a face of howling anguish, the cover of Darkthrone's 1994 album, Transilvanian Hunger, is as iconic an image as any in black metal. What's more, Transilvanian Hunger is one in a string of early 1990s albums by the Norwegian band that helped define the classic second wave of black metal. A blitz of overloaded microphones and underwhelming production, it still sounds as mean as almost anything by any band in the genre in the last 15 years.

But Darkthrone hasn't sounded like that in a long time: Now just the project of Nocturno Culto and Fenriz (familiar for many more these days thanks to his leading role in the excellent documentary Until the Light Takes Us), Darkthrone are more of a crusty punk band now.

Several weeks before the release of Circle the Wagons, Darkthrone's latest and best effort as a crossover punk band to date, we caught up with Fenriz via e-mail. With references to Napoleon Dynamite and Mr. T, he talked about the band's new music and what he thinks of those who wish Darkthrone sounded the same as it ever did.

Darkthrone: "Eyes Burst at Dawn"

Eyes Burst At Dawn by Darkthrone

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Pitchfork:__ The Frostland Tapes makes it clear that Darkthrone weren't always black metal, with its elements of doom and death metal and, to a point, punk and stoner rock. Yet people still seem surprised at the current crossover/punk-and-metal direction of the band. What's your reaction to their surprise?

Fenriz: My reaction to this question is yes yes yes. Someone finally noticed! Actually, a lot of people know all this, but the ones who asked-- the wannabe 90s followers-- they seem to be, in spite of otherwise pimply WWW skills, unable to gather this piece of info: That we, before going into more black metal style in 1991, had been playing since 1987, and had recorded six entities of music!!! To quote the immortal Napoleon Dynamite, "Gosh!"

Pitchfork: Instead of just staying true to a black metal ideal and sound, like Immortal, Darkthrone keeps pushing to new places. How important has it been for you to evolve Darkthrone through the years?

Fenriz: Not important. What is important is "to follow your bliss" (B-52's quote) and do what you must. There is a direction. The road is more important than the goal. We knew that by heart, so we never had a goal at all, other than getting a record deal, but that was in the 80s. Undoubtedly, Immortal changed as well, as do all. However, there are exceptions to any rule. Some bands never stop... sucking. Haha. Other bands that tried to always sound the same simply imploded (Ramones et al.). How the folly of man strikes, trying to defy nature. NATURE IS CHANGE.

Pitchfork: What song is the most interesting to you on Circle the Wagons? That is, which feels the most fresh to you?

Fenriz: I seldom speak on songs, as in when people ask me for fave songs. I really have only fave parts. I'd say that the title track points in the direction of my new stuff for the next album, I should think. But I never know. Suddenly my new song that I am currently writing took on a way more epic proportion than I've had for ages, being also more NWOBHM than speed metal or metal punk. The one already recorded on my behalf is heavy/ NWOBHM speed metal, too, only clear vocals, etc. Ted has a rougher song recorded. I'd say the final riff of "Stylized Corse" is very fresh Darkthrone.

Pitchfork: "I Am the Working Class" is really interesting to me. Lyrically, and in terms of riffs, it's like the perfect punk anthem. But it's sort of psychedelic, too, with that long outro and reprise. Hw did that song structure come about?

Fenriz: Shit. Well, the two first riffs were pegged from the get go, I guess. I had those for some months, pondering over the tempo of the final part a lot. Music is decisions, and I decide for me what are brilliant decisions. I often like having only one tempo. I mean, I like those songs best, but when I make the songs now (takes two–four months of mulling, usually) I tend to think, "Variation, Gylve!!" So I'm torn: The more spastic song structure I have, the more I hate it afterwards, like some track on our Total Death album. But I often think it's unfair to the listener and "too easy" to just choose one tempo while I make and decide the songs.

Pitchfork: So much of Circle the Wagons seems to be about overcoming past glories, or seeing what's history as essentially dead-- "Stylized Corpse" and "I Am the Graves of the '80s." How much of it is a mission for you and Nocturno Culto to keep this band evolving?

Fenriz: I thought those songs was just slagging of modern metallers! Anyway, evolving is one way to put it-- regressing slowly back into time is another. Ted's [Ted Skjellum, Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone -ed.] four songs are scoping 1970-1987 styles. My five are more 1979-1985. Maybe in 30 years we'll finally sound like old Saxon. I Wish!!

Pitchfork: Whenever Darkthrone is discussed, they're almost uniformly labeled first as a black metal band-- e.g., "the Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone." Are you satisfied by this, or had you rather just be known as a rock band or a punk band or a loud band?

Fenriz: MODERATE HEAVY METAL-- that's us!!

Of course, it's annoying as we are a band that mostly attracted black metallers, death metallers, thrashers, punks, old NWOBHM freaks and general old-timer heavy metal fans nowadays. Anyway, I like punks who also like Saxon. I guess I am one.

Pitchfork: Does it make it easier to experiment with what your sound is when, at the end of the day, you'll always be known for defining a black metal sound that people are still trying to play 20 years later?

Fenriz: You sure got the point. It just gets us massive amounts of hate mails from pimply "BMers," which again just energizes me to regress further into the 70s sound-- and early 80s.

Pitchfork: What do you like about Dennis Dread's art, and why is it appropriate for Darkthrone? Was this cover commissioned?

Fenriz: I am not a businessman by choice, so I'm not sure what commissioned means, but it feels like King Leopold-ish business. As usual, we had only vague ideas for Dennis, as he is perfectly capable of making a full cover himself. So we know nothing about the cover until we see it, and it was like that for those three albums. Hail Dennis for doing it so greatly. Ted liked his style massively since he worked on releasing Abscess on Tyrant Syndicate.

Pitchfork: When you started playing music, did you think you'd still be doing it in 2010?

Fenriz: Very good question because-- hahaha-- this is so great. When we were kids in early 80s, we didn't know of anyone playing metal that was older than 35. We thought Dio was like 30-years-old. There was no Internet or info around those times, but we still rocked. We had no role models for our distant future. Anyway, after I started my more destructive lifestyle in the 90s, I didn't think I would last so long. Then out of the shit in the early 00s, I could see that only sports people's careers need end at 40. Old-timers can rock on until the end because it's more about old attitude than new technique and fast playing skills. Fast is just a temporary phase. A slow band can be great. A slow 100-metres runner is just obsolete

Pitchfork: Speaking of a veteran, have you heard the new music from Burzum? Are you interested in hearing it?

Fenriz: Listening to Belus right now and pretty much loving it. It's only the second time I got 'round to hearing it, but it's really damn good to hear it. How about that nod towards Destruction in song four, huh? Many people just miss out on those details because many of the fans didn't live in the 80s. Pity. Pity the fool!

Pitchfork: I know you became close with Audrey and Aaron during the making of Until the Light Takes Us, but I believe you told them you'd never watch it. Have you stayed in touch, and what have people told you about the film?

Fenriz: People didn't tell me much. I try to withdraw, and what should I make from just idle remarks through MySpace? Yeah, Aaron and Audrey rule, but I still haven't seen the movie. (By choice-- I do not usually enjoy seeing me on film, interviews, TV.)

Pitchfork: I hear you're curating a festival. What can you tell about that?

Fenriz: Some call it curating-- curating schmurating!! I do the Band of the Week blog as usual. A guy, Mark Lewis, asks to do a festival with only Band of the Week bands. I say, "Ok, as long as I am not expected to show up." However, I love when one of my ideas of promoting others' music really takes off on its own like this!!! Thank you all for caring about real metal.

Pitchfork: I wanted to ask about the photos on the back of Circle the Wagons: What's the longest you've ever stood in the snow in a sleeveless T-shirt?

Fenriz: Haha, the longest? Well, once, I got lost during a photo shoot and... Now I just stand around until I don't. Usually, [it] just takes some minutes. But I am not freezing that easily. I had 40 tent trips (Oslo record) last season, and there's a lot of cold to be endured there.

*--GC

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