Authors: Simon und Gordon

Artist: Darkthrone

Origin: Oslo, Norwegen



Genre: Black/Heavy/Speed Metal/Punk

Label: Peacevill Records

Link: http://www.myspace.com/officialdarkthrone

Band members:

Gesang, Gitarre, Bass – Nocturno Culto (Ted)
Schlagzeug, Gesang – Fenriz

Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
Since your album The Cult Is Alive you guys started to experiment to combine different styles. Also I like your recent outputs: Is there any chance, you are going to release a “Norsk Arisk Black Metal”-Album again?


Darkthrone / Fenriz: That Transilvanian Hunger album was made in two weeks completely by myself, even recorded and engineered it myself in TWO WEEKS in 1993, only Ted did vocals later.it was a Snapshot.

Is there any chance that you as a person want to return to the way you were in 1993? Or is it better these days? It’s better being in Darkthrone now than in 1993, for sure. I am not alone, for one.

But since we KIND OF returned to our late 1988 state of mind since 2005, we might as well return to our only total black metal album as a BAND; Under A Funeral Moon, right? But we don’t have the equipment we had from those days and do you know what? Psychologically AND philosophically it is clear that when you want something from the past again, you don’t want a Under A Funeral Moon nr 2, you all our there actually just want Under A Funeral Moon. Think about it. if we record with the exact same sound (impossible but this is hypothetical) only a slight change in one of the riffs would cause NOT the same feeling as you already have with Under A Funeral Moon, but EITHER: better, or most probable – worse. So what you all really want is to go back and just listen to Under A Funeral Moon[&b] again. Wanting a nr 2 is something I too want for many magic albums in past times, but after thinking more on this subject than most mortal men, the conclusion is that I only really want that same album. the same in different form IS A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS



[b] Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon: When did you decide to mix different (Metal) genres? Didn’t you fear to lose older fans and/or your (very) good reputation in the Black Metal-scene? Does the Black Metal-scene today have any meanings to you?

Darkthrone / Fenriz: When we begun in 1988. We were not actively mixing genres, just trying to make metal, exactly like now, only now we have our own primitive studio and we have better playing skills and I have hundred times bigger record collection

We already lost backing since 1994/95, an endless choir of dismay from little fingers on internet forum, I suspect. Commentary fields is your only battle field. In the 80s if you wanted to voice your opinion , you had to make a zine, make a radio show or start your own band. And mags had no commentary field or forum. Metal people became agony aunts with the internet. Luckily internet made the music scene much better, these times are the best with people who check out everything and learn every day that metal comes from punk and 70s heavy blues based rock and prog and late 60s psych, for instance. No time for losers anymore. We have a lot of new fans with large record collections and many veterans back us. Pretty much only people with 1991-1994 hang-up hate us for not playing that anymore, but that was after we already changed two times before that, I mean life is full of changes and Darkthrone is a natural band, not some artificial plastic project. It wasn’t us that made it so that the biggest zine for black metallers is called DRUM PROGRAMMER MONTHLY hahahahahahahahahaha

What give me black metal feeling is exactly the same as in 1989 or 1991. Stuff from the 80s, early Sodom and so on. So when my top ten 2012 full albums list was revealed a month ago, it was no shocker that VOMITOR was nr 1 with The Escalation album. since 1994 there were hundreds of copy bands that just copied the 91-93 style (which was largely 80s bm) but they emphasized on typical 90s rhythms and plastic production after a while (not all, maybe half of them) and became useless. half of the band has been decent and good and went in loops, always been a lot of those bands. We all know that. Shit bands and great bands in every genre. Best right now of the newer (after 1990) black metal style is the nidrosian scene perhaps with bands like MARE, One Tail One Head, Black Majesty, Vemod, Dark Sonority


Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
How do you and Nocturno Culto rehearse for the recordings? If I am right, you need to drive about 6 hours to reach his home. Do you use modern technic and send single parts via internet (like, for example, Korpiklani) or do you enjoy long driving sessions?

Darkthrone / Fenriz: No no no no n no no no no no no no no no no

He lived far away since 1992. I have to take the bus for 3.5 hours to get to a house near where he lives these days. We meet because we have a song each. We made songs on our own since after a blaze in the northern sky album summer 1991. Then I said everybody make their own stuff and all shall be respected.

So we meet when we have a song each and can find some spare time (I don’t have much time, busy busy). We don’t discuss the songs up front, no plans. Then we meet and learn for instance Ted’s song and record It IMMEDIATELY. Don’t want it to sound too tight and BORING, I hate perfectionism in music, mostly. And then my song. I do vox on my song too, he does his vox at a later point alone in his home. So we don’t rehearse. We just learn and record. CREATE.



Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
Since 25 years you and Nocturno Culto play together. What were your main influences back at the beginning of Darkthrone and what are the main influences now?

Darkthrone / Fenriz:
I think Ted’s influences are mainly the same as when we met in 1988. Various 80s styles. I didn’t have much money or knowledge about nwobhm or speed or us power in the early 80s, just the biggest bands, so I have spent my life learning more about this when I could so my influences are often from that era.

In 1988 my influences were more colored by what happened worldwide in the global underground network but also by doom metal like Candlemass, Revelation, Metallica’s more slower and epic stuff, and remember even Sepultura was underground with no distribution in 87 and 88 so that was how it was back then, I was also inspired by English DogsWhere Legend Began album back then as I am now, but as I said before I am more into early 80s speed and heavy metal and definitely since then more and more into agent steel every year until that reached critical mass and I had to try to make metal in that style myself too 



Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
I know that you have your own “blog” on MySpace, reviewing a lot of bands (“band of the week”), and – how could it be different – I never heard of them before. How much time do you spent in searching for new stuff? What are your top 10 bands (not just Metal)?

Darkthrone / Fenriz: I am not reviewing them, I don’t like to write about music although people want me to all the time. I just want the music to speak for itself so there has been around 170 BAND OF THE WEEK bands and most of them I just put out the link so people can hear for themselves or I just write something real short, often not about the music much at all, just like my record reviews in german ROCK HARD or the band of the month thing in Swedens CLOSE-UP mag for instance. The band of the week blog also created it’s own festival in England (LIVE EVIL) and own vinyl line.

Top ten bands is futile. So many good bands turned daft. And many bands just released one album. which was good but how do I know if they were really a good band that could last when they just did one album, right? So it’s impossible. Top ten bands is what you ask a 10 year old, I think.

And a lot of music I like isn’t even made by BANDS per se.

Also If I just write ten bands people can start searching and if I write KREATOR they might think I like the stuff they did after 1986 which is ridiculous to me and that would just give people wrong info and wrong ideas

I like The B 52’s the most. And Vazelina Bilopphøggers. In metal early Celtic Frost comes to mind. I like too much stuff to answer this question.


Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
What do you think would a younger version of Fenriz, for example after the release of “Panzerfaust”, think about the actual Darkthrone? Would he like it or would he call himself a “traitor”?

Darkthrone / Fenriz:
I already thought it felt a bit TRAITOR like to just include two songs in Transilvanian style on Panzerfaust. Should never have done that. No, I already did the kind of metal I do today in lost project in 92 or 93, complete with us power castrato vocals, and my heart was in it but that kind of metal was IMPOSSIBLE at that time, I just continued listening to Trouble and Crimson Glory and the Warning Album by Queensryche (for instance) and decided to join valhall again. Why do people think I joined valhall again in 1993? 80s metal ofcourse.

So the conclusion is that I would be proud as hell that I finally broke the chains.It was a long way and I never knew what would meet me around the next corner but we released every album on vinyl even though it was the dark times for vinyl and we did all albums with organic old sound instead of the metal world around us being plastic and modern and soulless. There were many others with us, luckily, in this underground resistance. Hail AURA NOIR, for instance.


Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
A few months ago I watched Until The Light Takes Us, of course without knowing, what the movie is going to deal with and was kind of surprised seeing you as the main character, I just followed a recommendation. Are you happy about the movie? And, more important, does all the cities look so… sad in Norway as it could be seen in the movie?

Darkthrone / Fenriz:
Haven’t seen it. yes yes, I know it sounds strange that I shouldn’t have seen the only documentary I said yes to (I honestly said no to around 25-30 other film projects), but no – haven’t seen it.

What, sad town? Atleast small towns (there are only small towns in Norway, hahaha) look real flowery here, pittoresque, and we have so much forest and nature surrounding the cities. So it must have been a mistak in the movie, perhaps? But anyone can make a BLEAK filming about almost anything, I think. Just a wall can be ..sad.


Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
Your recent output fits perfectly to the last outputs since 2006, but you changed a few things. I really enjoyed the new ideas, for example the great variety in Nocturno Cultos singing. One of my favorite songs is Valkyrie,
featuring an almost complete “clean” sung song. I cannot remember you did it before. Are you going to repeat it on future records, or is it a special feature just for The Underground Resistance?

Darkthrone / Fenriz:
well, last album covers have been very clear on who is singing who, and the last couple of album I sang my own songs ofcourse, also this time with a castrato scream, last time I did that was on DOMMEDAGSSALME by Isengard on the first Isengard album. but this time I did it FULL ON, hehe.

So I sing my songs and Ted sings his. Also finally Ted writes all his own lyrics on this album and I think that makes his vocals even more valid than before, it is almost scary when I hear it. my vocals are this time more clear vocals than ever before, typical early 80s style ofcourse, like John Cyriis and so on.

Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
I was surprised (again, I know) when I listened to the first song you released officially, Leave No Cross Unturned. In combination with the rest of The Underground Resistance, the song is a perfect enrichment and a good
“outro”. But I think, if the song would be the first song of Darkthrone I would have listened to since three years, I would be shocked. Why did you choose this song and do you release another song before the CD will be released on February 25th - for example Dead Early?

Darkthrone / Fenriz: it wasn’t our decision, one day I woke up to my HANDY being full of overwhelming response about the new song LEAVE NO CROSS UNTURNED as half of it was put out online. Half a day later it had 14000 listens on soundcloud, 3 days later it was 60 000 there and a lot on youtube etc. and all the emails and further sms I got, I have never in my life, COMBINED, got so much great feedback for one of my songs as the rest of the songs I made in my life combined!! Finally people are opening up to REAL METAL.


Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
When I listened to The Underground Resistance, I was remembered of your solo-project Isengard. Do you plan to release a new release with Isengard in near future?

Darkthrone / Fenriz: No, I do what I would do with Isengard in Darkthrone mainly these days, so I am very pleased with the situation.


Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
How much money would we have to pay you to create a Darkthrone output with plastic sound and Breakdowns? Or for a live session?

Darkthrone / Fenriz: Why would people pay money to hear plastic sound and modern metal? Oh wait, they do that all the time!!! HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA overground suckers.

Time For Metal /Simon und Gordon:
Let’s come to the final question: You can answer a question you would like to. Feel free to create your own question. Thank you for your time!

Darkthrone / Fenriz:
Free north Mali. If our metal world was there all heavy metal would be banned. Horrible!!!