Interview by Vlad Shusterman. Thanks to the promoters of the upcoming Anthem Metal Festival for arranging the interview, portions of which will appear in a Jerusalem Post article promoting the event.

MI: The last albums are characterized by this very warm and massive guitar tone, quite unusual for the genre – how do you produce it? What make guitars, amps and effects does Satyr use? Is he currently endorsed by any instrument manufacturer? Is Frost?

F: On our forthcoming album the guitars will sound quite different from anything we’ve done hitherto, owing much to the fact that they are tuned down to C. To find the right sound and tone is a project that we put a lot of work into; before recording guitars in the studio this time around, we tried out numerous different set-ups and combinations to be sure to get the optimal sound. Different combinations of guitars are used on different songs on the album; on most songs the guitar lines consists of two or three different guitars and sometimes also a baritone guitar on top of that. We use hi-end ESP guitars and Mesa Boogie amps for the most part; we do also have endorsement deals with those manufacturers. Personally I am endorsed by Mapex drums, Zildjian cymbals, Evans drum heads and Vic Firth drum sticks, something that surely makes my life as a drummer a hell of a lot easier.

MI: What are your non-metal influences? You make a noticeable use of samples, loops and programming, what do you think of electronic
music? Any favorite acts?

F: As creative musicians we have a certain interest in music and sound in general – however, I don’t find there to be a significant presence
of electronic elements in our music. The samples and effects we use are important contributions, though – as are other non-conventional
sounds that we may find to integrate in order to fulfill our musical ideas.

MI: You collaborated with Anja Garbarek, famous Norwegian Jazz singer, on
two tracks off of Volcano – can you tell us about this collaboration,
how did you came up with the idea, why Anja, how it was working with
her in black metal context, your thoughts on her jazz work, etc.

F: We needed an expressful female voice for some parts on Volcano, and
Satyr actively listened to records with different prominent female
singers to find the right voice. He eventually got to hear Anja, and
thought it sounded interesting and promising. He got in touch with
her, and it turned out she was intrigued by the idea of doing some
vocal performances with Satyricon. When in studio with us, she totally
grasped our intentions and did a mindblowing perfomance that surprised
even herself. Her voice has just the perfect darkness, cold and strong
character (even while being quite fragile at times) to make the
respective parts shine.

MI: Your stuff is quite complex harmony and melody-wise, not to mention
rhythmically – do they have any formal music education? Your music
always had this slight Eastern feel, owing to their use of harmonic
minor scales – do you like Mideastern music? and world music in
general?

F: Neither Satyr nor me have any formal musical education – for good
and for bad, I suppose. When we make music we are basically guided by
our own taste and our own understanding at the time of creation. We
have no active relation to Mideastern music or world music; sometimes
it just happens that themes with some kind of eastern feel to them
sound right in our compositions.

MI: What do you think of the term “post-black metal” as applied to you
and other critically acclaimed acts (Arcturus, Soleflald, Sigh, even
later Enslaved and Ihsahn’s solo work)? What do you think of current
trends in the genre, and metal in general? What do you think of
drone/ambient metal (acts like Sunn O))), jesu, Nadja)?

F: I have no problems understanding the “post-black metal” term as
such; the black metal genre has given birth to many talented and
creative musicians that have eventually ventured in other musical
directions while still keeping some references to their BM roots.
Satyricon has nothing to do with this term or genre; we simply play
black metal. I must admit that I don’t really embrace many bands
falling into the post-BM category; in my ears most of these bands tend
to sound boring, too pompous, often even pretentious, and too much
focus lies on the strictly technical (musicality for musicality’s
sake, or technicality for technicality’s sake). Apart from that, I
don’t feel like expressing my views on particular bands or other
subgenres.

MI: Regarding Satyr’s and Daron Malakian’s friendship, any chances of
Satyricon & SOAD collaboration? This sure would be interesting…

F: In June, we actually had Daron come over to the studio where we were
recording in LA. We jammed through the whole night, and it was
refreshing and inspiring to work with an intuitive and enthusiastic
guitar player like him. We even made a recording of our session; let’s
see what might come out of it.

MI: The video to “K.I.N.G.” has a very clear humorist streak, obviously
parodying hip hop bling bling videos… can you tell us more about
this one (idea, production, etc.)? Shall we see more of your great
sense of humor?

F: We had no intensions of doing a parody with this video, and it must
be said that we let the director be in charge to a greater degree than
we initially wanted to. Things usually turn out better when we are
more actively involved in the process ourselves – the video for “The
Pentagram Burns” looks way better in my opinion.

MI: ‘How do you think the new Satyricon album will compare to “Now,
Diabolical” in terms of production and songwriting?’

F: The new album has much more size, both musically and productionwise.
It’s an intense and very, very dark album. There’s not a hint of doubt
that it’s our strongest album so far.

MI: Are you aware of the quite thriving Israeli black metal scene? Any
 comments on that? How do you feel about coming to play in Israel, and
 Israeli culture and politics in general?

F: I must admit that my knowledge about the BM scene in Israel is
 rather sparse. I do know of some bands of Israelian origin, and I
 observe that we frequently get fan mail from Israel, and that’s about
 it >>this part taken out for Jerusalem Post article< < As for Israeli
 politics and culture and its impact on the world at large, I think
 the theme goes far beyond the scope of this interview. I find it
 absurd to express views and opinions on themes of such a complex
 nature without giving any explanations or defined background. But that
 could easily fill a whole magazine or book, and would at least take up
 all space reserved for this interview.
 
 MI: Any comments on NBSM (National Socialist Black metal)? What is your
 own political ideology (if any)? Do you think political ideology has a
 place in music at all?
 
 F: As for what I'm concerned, NSBM doesn't exist; it's an empty term. I
 am not particularly interested in politics myself, but if I were, I
 wouldn't bring the interest into my musical works. Black metal is a
 kind of extreme artform that should be a purpose in itself, rather
 than being a tool for expressing political or even religious views.
 There are other types of music that may fit political purposes - rap
 and hardcore, to give a couple of examples, have certain political
 traditions and I also believe that the nature of those music styles
 make them fit for being simply a mean for expressing personal views on
 society or social structures. Black metal is nothing like that.
 
 MI: Following Satyr's well-known statement about black metal not having
 to be Satanic as long as it's dark, do you consider yourself following
 any religion/belief system (Satanism included)? Could you explain the
 occult symbols featured as a recurrent theme in your visuals?
 
 F: Satyricon as a band is not tied up to any religious beliefs or
 philosophic directions. On a personal level I consider myself a
 Satanist, but then I understand that there are numerous definitions,
 conceptions and misconceptions of the term, so I might not provide
 much information by saying that. Furthermore, as I've stated earlier,
 BM should never be reduced to a vehicle for advocating a particular
 school or direction of thought. Black metal is about darkness and
 extremity, not about satanism (even if that's the same thing to
 certain people that don't know better).
 Symbols may be seen as holders of very densely packed information;
 pretty much like the pieces of music (and sometimes lyrics) that we
 create. The use and function of symbols are interesting subjects
 indeed, and we feel that they are very linked to our own work. To find
 good, effectful graphical representations of what we express musically
 contributes to the wholeness of our works, appeals to our aestethic
 sense and give further depth to our art.
 
 MI: As a black metal band, how do you feel about coming to perform in the
 birthplace of monotheism and the cradle of the three most annoying
 faiths to black metal?
 
 F: I have a rather pragmatic angle on it. First and foremost we are coming because we have fans in Israel, which is why the festival in Tel Aviv booked us. We don't come to Israel primarily because it's the cradle of three large religious denominations! When that is said, I hope that we will get to feel a certain air of history while being in the country and that it won't be like just visiting another country or city. Getting to visit places with a prominent place in history is always interesting, even if they are connected with something perceived as negative. MI: Have you heard any metal from Israel?
 
 F: Hardly. I heard Salem an age ago, I think, but can't really
 remember. Still haven't heard Melechesh or any other band belonging to
 the temporary scene.
 
 MI: You were one of the first BM acts experimenting with remixing, and
 Nemesis Divina title track was famously remixed by Apophtygma Berzerk
 - if you could choose any other act/artist to remix one of your songs,
 which artist would it be and which song? What are your thoughts on the
 remix phenomenon - in general, and in extreme metal context?
 F: Remixes are quite uncommon in the world of metal music; it was
 interesting and exciting in '97 to hear what Stefan from Apoptygma
 Berzerk could do with one of our tracks as a basis (he remixed "The
 Dawn of a New Age" and not the title track, by the way). It ended up
 becoming a very different sort of darkness and a very different song.
 "The remix phenomenon", as you call it, is part of a music scene in
 which I totally lack references, so I can not comment upon that. I
 hardly expect remixing to ever become common in extreme metal - but
 who knows? I have no thoughts upon Satyricon songs that I would like
 to hear in a remixed version; when Stefan did his remix it was a
 result of his own ideas and burning desire to do so, and therefore we
 gave it thumbs up as a fascinating experiment. I doubt that we will
 repeat the project now that we've done it, even if I don't rule it
 out. Come to think of it; if Diamanda Galàs were to approach us and
 say that she wanted to do an interpretation of one of our songs, I
 believe we would actually be more than positive.
 MI: On a more personal note, what are Frost's and Satyr's other
 interests? Favorite books, movies, foods, sports, countries? Having
 read that Frost teaches mathematics at college, it'd be fascinating to
 hear more about his academic career.
 F: Hmm. I did study a bit of mathematics once, but it wasn't my main
 subject. I do have a certain interest in science, perhaps mostly
 because it's a key to understanding mechanisms in nature, in life and
 in the universe. As for favourite books, countries etc., I think I'll
 drop that subject and rather state that I am very fond of nature in
 general; I enjoy gourmet food and have a passion for wine. I am open
 to any display of splendour, be it art, architecture, literature or
 movies, and I'm extremely bored by the mediocre. Unlike Satyr, I have
 very little interest in sports, though.
 
 MI: Finally, if we could break some of the traditional BM mystique, I'd
 love to hear about the origin of the band name. What was the main
 inspiration - Greek myth or the infamous Latin classic by Petronius
 Arbiter? Certainly not the Fellini movie (LOL)?
 
 F: Our former guitar player Lemarchand came up with the name, and he
 refused to reveal his intentions. The name felt right, anyway, and we
 have later given it our own interpretation and meaning. Satyricon is
 OUR world of power, darkness and decadence now!