SUSPERIA: ...from the deep, endless void.
Being formed in late 1999, SUSPERIA has gained a worldwide fame and popularity in the underground without even having released their debut CD. You might wonder about the reason of such a speedy growth. Firstly, it might be ex-DIMMU BORGIR and SATYRICON members' presence. Secondly, a long-term contract with Nuclear Blast. However, my opinion is that both of these factors plus exciting music influenced the ascension of these newcomers. Athera, SUSPERIA's vocalist, has got more to say. (Krasniy)
Greetings. Could you start this interview with the most important facts in SUSPERIA's biography. Tell us how it all started. By the way, how do you see SUSPERIA: is it a band or a temporary all-star project?
- Well hello there. He he, I have got thhis questions many times before and I can do nothing but repeat; SUSPERIA is NOT a project. We are a genuine band and will always be. Some might think that this is a solo-project of Tjodalv or his new project or something, but this is totally wrong. We formed as a band and Tjodalv is the drummer. But I thank you for the "all-star" compliment... (Watch out not to get that "rockstar" attitude - Ed.)
It all started when Tjodalv and Cyrus started to work together in October 1998 on some material created by Cyrus. Tjodalv was at that time still in DIMMU so there wasn`t much time left to work with Cyrus. But when Tjodalv left DIMMU in March 1999 the two of them started to concentrate fully on their creation. Neither Memnock, Elvorn or myself knew any of them at that time. It wasn`t until both Tjodalv and me was to travel with Mayhem to the Wacken Festival in Germany in August 99 that we met for the first time. Ironically we had both known Hellhammer for some years but never met eachother. Tjodalv had brought a cd with some pre-production material. He told me that Cyrus and him was looking for musicians to give life to a band. I was playing in a non-professional band with Memnock and Elvorn at that time, with no further success, so I told him I was interested in listening to the material. I borrowed the cd when we got back to Norway and I really liked what I heard. It was powerful pure to the bone METAL! They needed a vocalist, second guitarist and bass player, and this was just amazingly perfect, as I have been a vocalist for many years and my old friends Memnock and Elvorn actually also were exactly what they needed; bassist and guitarist. So I called up Tjodalv after the Festival and we decided to have a test rehearsel. So we did in September 99, and it went perfect. Susperia was born and we aimed for a demo within the end of that year. "Illusions of Evil" was recorded in December 99 at Pitfire Studio outside Oslo. In January 2000 we began sending out promo packages and after some week the respons was enormous! We received 10 solid offers from different labels, among them Avantgarde Music, Century Media and Last Episode. Nuclear Blasts offer was one of the most interesting for us so we went into negotiations with them, which resulted in a signing some months later.
Why did you guys take decision to change the previous band name to SUSPERIA. Is it just because you had found out about the existence of another band with the same name? By the way, what is the significance behind the word SUSPERIA?
-From the start of the band we used the name Seven Sins, but after we signed the deal Nuclear Blast found out that there was another band allready using that name. To avoid any misunderstandings we changed it. They actually did us a favour cause I think SUSPERIA both looks and sounds much better. The word comes from latin and means something like "deep endless void". Which is quite cool.
You have a 4-record deal with Nuclear Blast. Does this label satisfy your demands regarding the promotion? By the way, how many copies of your debut are they going to print?
-I think Nuclear Blast in my opinion is the best and biggest metal company in the world, and one of the reasons they have become so big is that they are extremely good when it comes to promotion. This is one of their best efforts if you ask me. All matters contracted for satisfy us to the full, and I am shure they will do a really good job for us. It`s very important that your music gets promoted and spread all around the world, so as many as possible get to hear your music. We are ofcourse not in this business for the money. Some might say so, but that`s not true. We are in it for the pure joy of creating and playing music. And the more people you get to play for live and such, the better and more fun it is. It would be great to earn as much money as you would in a regular job at home, so you could eventually quit that job and devote all your time to the music, this would be the best. There has been rumors of 40.000 copies in the first print, but nothing is finally confirmed as of yet.
How are things going with your full-lenght debut? When should we expect the release?
-The album was recorded through October,, we were finished recording on 31. October. The mastering took place at Cutting Room Stockholm on 1. December. So everything is just about ready! The album will be released 19. March 2001. Be shure to check it out!
Tell us about the band's concept. How do you characterize your music? Would you agree if I call it a blend of DIMMU BORGIR and CARPE TENEBRUM? No offense intended :)
-No offense taken, but you are still verry wrong. I can see why you call it that, because of Mustis playing on the demo and Tjodalv being in the band. But keep in mind that using Mustis on our demo was just an experiment for fun as he is a friend of ours. How was we supposed to know that the demo would become so very popular and widespread. People got the total wrong impression of us from the beginning. We as a band had planned from the very beginning that we would not have any synths in our music, nor a synthplayer. There is absolutely no synth on the album and the newer songs apart from the re-recorded demo songs differ from the previous material and are much more varied in between. I think the album will cause some reactions in the press as it is very different from the existing demo. So the people that have heard the demo Illusions of Evil will find the new album different. More brutal, powerful, melodic and emotional. We are much more of a metal band than Dimmu, so please listen to the album and then you will maybe understand why we feel it so unneccesary to be compared with them. Carpe Tenebrum I have no comment on, I have never heard much of it. We characterize our music as Black Trash Metal. The concept of the band is to make good and powerful Metal music, much in the vein of Testament, Slayer etc.
What do your lyrics deal with?
My lyrics deal with different emotions and feelings, and my views upon certain themes. I do not write satanic lyrics but I tend to critisize and use sarcasm on the morals of christiandom as I find christianity a worthless belief. Other lyrics are stories that I make up whilst in the right mood, different fantasy poems. I at least never write about politics, which is a stupid topic and has no place in music at all. There is no certain message I wish to forward with my lyrics, at least not on this album. I also try to adjust my lyrics to the music of Cyrus. I recognize many of his feelings that he has put into his music, therefor I like to make it all complete by putting my own feelings into his work.
How has been your collaboration with Peter and Lars in Abyss studio? Are you pleased with the job they do?
We are very pleased with the guys. Tjodalv knew them from before but it was the first time the rest of us met them, and I have to say that it was a crazy time we had in the studio. They are both very professional and it is a pure joy watching Peter working in his own 3 big studios. Lars was our recording engineer and he was just so comfortable to work with as he is so relaxed and funny as hell! And him and Peter together is a comic duo. Peter did not function as our producer, as we produced the album ourselves, but he was always around helping and adjusting the sounds and different details. It was also quite comfortable to live in Peter`s 2 floor band house as well, though it is tough living so close and intense for a whole month.
Have you done any touring already or just some occasional shows? By the way, are you going to play at Wacken 2001 and alike fests?
-We have only done 2 shows so far in ourr first year together. The first was at John Dee, Oslo when we had our presentation show and introduced ourselves to the Norwegian scene. Quite successful really with about 350 paying people and fully packed! The second was when we were asked by Scream Magazine to play at their 10th anniversary party at Rockefeller, Oslo. This was just after we came home from the studio and we played together with Gamma Ray, Evergrey and Spiral Architect. We don`t know anything yet as of now, concerning the festivals coming this year. It`s hard to say which festivals we get to play at, cause this is our first album and we`ll have to see if it sells or not before booking agencies want to have us. But Wacken would be fucking great if we could go there.
Are there any side-projects that SUSPERIA members adhere to?
-Cyrus is still playing in his old band Sensa Anima to which he writes the music also, but this is a different style and cannot be compared to Susperia. He has so many ideas that this is not a problem. We never notice that he plays with them or writes music for them. He has had this band for over 8 years so this is close to him and he keeps on playing with them from time to time on a non-professional basis. We are all fully dedicated to Susperia and exept from Cyrus no one is doing anything else. The coming year would not allow much time for side-projects anyway.
Could you cite each of the band members' age? Please, name some of the non-musical occupations of yours and your band-mates.
- We are all in our mid-twenties. Memnocck and me practice Kickboxing and Ju-Jitsu twice a week. Elvorn is an exceptionally good educated cook with a fine taste for unhealthy food and many kinds of red-wine, he he. Tjodalv is always busy with something, be it anything, but he is everywhere always. And Cyrus spends so many hours at home in his little mini-studio creating music that I find it unbelievable, I`m impressed with his abillities.
What are your plans for the future?
- Well, the album will be released 19. MMarch and from 28. March until 10. April we are doing the "2001 Metal Odyssey" with Dimmu Borgir, In Flames and Nevermore. It`s a festival tour of 14 dates through 8 countries. We will play in Italy, England, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Germany and either Sweden or Denmark. Not all dates or venues are confirmed yet, but check out www.susperia.net for frequent updates and all the info you need!
When we return from that tour we will play at the Inferno Festival in Oslo on the 13-14. April. It`s a big festival for the first time gathering most of the Norwegian bands on the same stages in their own country, a sort of a salute to the faithful crowd and the lack of gigs like this up here. A chance for foreign people to see the bands at their own homefield so to speak. There will be bussrides to Norway from Germany. The bill will be official 25. January but some confirmed bands are; Mayhem, Immortal, Enslaved, Susperia, Bloodthorn, Crest of Darkness, Keep of Kalessin, Zeromancer, Borknagar, Cadaver Inc and special guests Hypocrisy, Pain & Witchery. Check out www.infernofestival.net
-In late April we will support Dimmu on their official European Tour along with Nevermore for several weeks.
After hopefully playing at some festivals through the summer, we will start to concentrate on the second album when the autumn comes.
Any last comments?
-I would like to say thanx for your inteerest in us and for this interview. We appreciate any support we can get. Stay ugly and brutal and we hope to see you all somewhere in the world when travelling. Don`t know if we ever get to play in Moldova, but who knows? Stay supportive and time will show. Hope you like the album, at least give it a try!
On behalf of all the guys,
Susperian regards
Athera
Official SUSPERIA Homepage
Interview taken by KRASNIY.
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