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Interview with Sigtyr - Exmortem
Exmortem is a Danish band playing extreme death metal - their new album Pestilence Empire is out, following up on the last album Berzerker Legions from 2001. Guitarist Sigtyr called me to make this interview. It was a pretty weird experience speaking in English with another Dane - but hey, it saved me a lot of work not having to translate.
Hello, how are you doing today Sigtyr?
Very well. I am doing great - I am doing some interviews, and just promoting the new record actually.
So you've been doing a lot of interviews today?
Yes, well not as many today as some of the other days, but it is pretty heavy right now with the amount of interviews. But it's a pleasure since, you know - it's promoting our band.
Yes, of course..
And it shows that there is a lot of interest in the band, so that is always positive.
Ok, Exmortem has been a name in the Danish metal scene for some time now. Could you give a description of the highlights of the band's history?
Yes, well you know it is always interesting, a relief and something really great when you release an album. So each release has been a positive experience, and even when you've made promo tapes and the one 7" we've done - you know it is all highlights, because each time you can hear how the development has been within the band. So it is always interesting to see how that is.
Ok..
And you know we've had a few really great times playing in other countries as well. So that is always nice - especially when everything goes good without any problems. That's the main things I would say, and then there has been some positive line-up changes as well. So that is always a good thing.
You are out with a new album called Pestilence Empire - how has the album been received so far?
Well it has been received extremely well you know. There have been shifted members out from the last album and we have shifted company, so people have been a bit worried about if we could follow up on the last album.
Live up to it..
Yes exactly, but so far everyone seems to agree, that we've made an even better album - and taken it a step further. It has been great, and as I started saying we've had more interviews now than ever before, and in even bigger magazines as "RockHard", "Hard Rock", "MetalHammer" and stuff like that. We haven't done that before as far as I remember, so it is a step in the right direction - and it is more main stream. Even though it sounds kind of strange with this kind of music.
Yes, the genre is not quite main stream.
No definitely not.
You mentioned the line-up changes. There has been some line-up changes in the band, and I know you've gotten a new drummer (Michael) and a new bass guitar player (Andreas).
That's right.
How has this influenced the band?
I think it has influenced in a really positive way - we are really having a great time in the band right now, and we are playing better together as a band. There are no more bad discussions and arguments between the band members with this line-up. We've always had that before, so this is a great relief not having to worry about all that shit. I think we all have the same goal pretty much and we know exactly what style we want to play in the band, and where we want to take it. So it has been really great, and luckily I've been able to find some members that could live up to the standard we set with the last album.
How do you see the new album compared to your last album Berzerker Legions? How have you evolved as a band?
I think the most important thing people will notice when they hear the new one is that the sound has changed. We've gone to a darker and more organic sound.
And more powerful.
Yes exactly. After the release of the last album we were all very satisfied with the production of that one. But in the two last years it has become more and more the norm for extreme death metal that you have to have a very clinical and triggered sound. So we wanted to get away from that, because I am getting quite bored with that sound. We wanted to go back to the roots so to speak - and get a bit more raw and powerful. Apart from that I think Simon has made his best vocal performance ever - that is a really important thing for us. I think too many extreme death metal bands have boring singers - it is just those typical deep growls. I think compared to the early bands or something like that - back then every band tried to be more unique and more personal in the vocal style. I don't think many bands think about that these days, and that is a shame.
I agree..
The last thing I want to say is that we've got a bit more variation on this album as well. We've tried to incorporate more mid-tempo .. I don't know if you could call it slow parts, but at least mid-tempo parts. The contribution from Michael and Andreas has changed a few things, because Michael is a different kind of drummer than Reno was. Reno was more the machine-kind of drummer, and Michael has his background in black metal - so he is a bit more loose, and a bit more raw.
One of the trademarks of Exmortem is its high technical level and the brutal sound. Where do you get the inspiration for your music? Any particular bands?
Well, I get inspired by the stuff I listen to every day - it also has to do with when I am rehearsing with my guitar, or when we are rehearsing with the band. We are working to push ourselves, and to get even better. We try to use some new techniques, and get some new elements into the music. That is also something we will do with the next album - definitely. So that is pretty much how we develop the style, and about the riffing - I've made the most of it on the last two albums. It is something very personal for me to try not to repeat myself.
And evolve..
Yes. If I make a riff, and I think it sounds like something I've made before - then I'll try to twist it in any way possible. And if something good comes out of it we will use it, and otherwise we will throw it away. That's a bit about the development, but the bands that have influenced us have been around for a long time. You know Morbid Angel, Immolation and Angel Corpse. I don't think this inspiration can be heard much, but I think we are a bit inspired by the black metal scene as well, because we've been listening a lot to that too you know. It has a lot to do with the techniques - it is not like we are trying to create something simple and black metal-like. It is more about taking some techniques and some feeling from that style as well - so it is a combination of a lot of things.
On your last album there was a song called Icecold ugliness, and on the new album there is a song called Icecold Ugliness part 2. What is the connection between these two songs?
Well the thing is that on the last album we wanted an intro, and we wanted to give it a name. I had this title and some ideas for lyrics - we thought it was a good sounding title, and we thought it fit fine with the cold and obscure intro we had on the album. So then we got the idea to use the lyrics on the next album. The idea was then to create a song with inspiration taken from the intro and continue the intro into a song.
Yes, the start of Icecold Ugliness Part 2 is somewhat the same as the intro from the last album.
Yes exactly, and we've just built upon it.
I know the new album was recorded in "Antfarm Studios" (Aarhus, Denmark) - what else can you tell about the production?
We made it with a guy called Tue - this guy has been known for many years since he is from the area, and he has worked with some old bands here. I've seen how he has developed as a technician, and I know he is very well respected by other technicians in the country. We thought it would be an idea to use his studio - he had just finished building the studio a bit bigger, so we thought it would be a cool thing to try that out. We knew he would be really great to work with, because he really understands what you tell him. And we knew exactly what we wanted - so we thought it would be the perfect combination. That is pretty much what I can tell you about the production - and it is absolutely the best studio time I've had ever. We were prepared and we actually relaxed with it.
You have changed from Hammerheart to Osmose records - how have you experienced this change?
It has been an extremely positive thing. The reason why we left Hammerheart was obviously because of problems, and we don't have those problems anymore. So it has been great to get going with a new label now, because we didn't want to be held back by empty promises.
And that was what you experienced with Hammerheart?
Yes exactly. There were several things, but as you might know we didn't get a tour with their support. They didn't make a US release of the album, and they didn't make an LP version as they had promised - that was actually three of the most important things for us. So it was all kind of ridiculous.
That sucked.
Yeah!
My favorite track on Pestilence Empire is Grand Dome Of Destruction - do you have a personal favorite?
Well, it is shifting a bit I would say. Sometimes I just like the really fast technical ones, but I am very much into Icecold Ugliness and Pestifier. I think there is a really good atmosphere in those tracks, and that is probably the two tracks where we try to do things different from how we usually do them. That is probably why they are a bit more of interest for me as for right now. I also enjoy tracks as Funerary Sculpture and Tyrants Hunger.
So it is basically all of them?
Yes, pretty much.
You mentioned Pestifier. I heard you are going to make a video for that one.
Yes we got the script, and all things are pretty much ready for it. But as usual we are in a bit of money problems, because it is not exactly something that is going to pay back, you know? It is purely a matter of wanting to experiment with visual aspects as well - because it is becoming more and more important to develop that part of it also. But we need a bit of money and the right location, and we are still hoping for it to happen really soon, but we'll have to wait and see.
What can you tell about the cover artwork of the new album?
Well, I don't know - you got a promo version of the album right?
Yes. I've seen the cover on your website though.
Yes OK. But apart from the actual cover there is actually two extra kind of covers inside the booklet. It is all worked through, and not two pages are alike - but it is still in the same style all the way. That's what I was talking about with the video as well - it is very important for us to develop the visual part, and try to create some atmosphere with that as well. Then the listener and those who read the lyrics can really get an experience. I've pretty much made the whole thing myself - except for a few black and white paintings here and there.
There has been a lot of talk about the Danish metal scene being weak at the moment. Do you think that all the good stuff only comes from the States these days?
Not only the States - I think Norway, Sweden, Holland has a lot to offer - and even countries as Poland.
Vader.
Yes for example. But no, I don't think the Danish scene is doing too well - especially the extreme part of it. Right now there are some things happening with these kinds of nu-metal bands signing with the bigger labels and so on. I don't really care about that style, because I don't listen to it myself. So I wouldn't say the scene has become stronger because of that - it is still just as weak I think. I really hope a band as Exmortem could influence some of the younger bands to go in a more extreme direction. We have proved that it is possible to get a foreign label - you don't always have to sign with Die Hard and Mighty Music. So I am still hoping it will go in a better direction - but you know only time will tell. I think it has a lot to do with motivation - and not all are willing to put the work into it, as it demands.
Yes, and the technical level is supposed to be high in extreme metal, and not all musicians have the necessary skills.
Yes, and that kind of reflects in some of the so-called extreme Danish bands - it is a few years behind the international scene. It is still not high enough - and that is a shame, because it is possible.
Do you have any plans for touring?
Well, I haven't got any exact dates, but Osmose is working really hard at it right now. We should have been on tour here in late January, but unfortunately it was cancelled by some of the other parties. But they are working hard right now to get us on a European tour - I hope it will be in about a month or something like that. Apart from that we are working on some stuff ourselves.
Are you going to tour in Denmark?
Yes of course - it is our home country. So even though it looks bad, we are going to give the fans something here as well. I don't know when it will happen, but I guess it could happen pretty soon - we are ready for it so we just have to arrange something with some other bands. Were going to a few festivals this year, so I think a lot things are going to happen. I hope that when we prove ourselves we will hopefully get some more jobs.
Yes, I guess that's about it - do you have any closing comments?
I want people to check out the album, and if they got any further questions and enquiries they can always check out our website http://www.exmortem.com - we try to update it pretty often. Well apart from that you should look out, because I am working on some stuff with a distribution company and a record company and some other stuff. So look out for that shit. | |
Written by Anders - 1/15/2003 |
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