Interview mit HaaN von Svarttjern

SVARTTJERN has been around for 21 years now – and apart from a few changes on bass, your core line-up has always remained the same. What is your secret, what is the stability of your band based on?
Yes, we’ve been standing around like a sore thumb for some time! Have no secret sauce in terms of the band sticking together. We have known each other since we were more or less kids. Knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Respecting the members in the band, ups and downs in this elusive thing called life! Always pushed on in unity, never compromising the individuals which all in all make up the band.

Four years and a pandemic have passed since your last album. How have you spent this time, when did you start working on your new album?
Been pretty busy! As for the tracks on “Draw Blood” had some small ideas lying around since maybe 2022, but we didn’t really start piecing the puzzle until around September/October 2023. I think we smelt some blood when the band travelled to perform at Messe Des Morts in Montreal around that time, which kind of really sparked the fire. Since then, it has been the sole priority musically of all the members. Besides that, during this time, building the band brick by brick, doing a few shows here and there when we felt the need and saw it beneficial.

How is a SVARTTJERN album created – individually at home, in jam sessions in the rehearsal room – or in a completely different way?
For the most part Fjellnord and me sketch up a few ideas in my studio, then we rehearse the tracks in with the full band – often changing the structures of the songs to fit the lyrics/and vocal line – sometimes also to alter and enhance the structure all in general based on how it “feels” when playing the tracks more back to back. Usually when five creative minds meet up at the rehearsal space, the best of the songs appear. Hence, nothing is carved in stone when it comes to the process of writing new music in SVARTTJERN.

The album is called “Draw Blood” and begins with a spoken passage – who do you want to bleed, and what exactly is the album about?
From a musical point of view, in the degree one can pinpoint anything exactly speaking on art – I would say “Draw Blood” in many ways marks a new beginning. Not that we needed one, but this album unified the band on so many levels that I am almost lost for words. The way everyone in the band pulled their weight and then some – Marks and should be heard on this album. Without being too pretentious. From a more thematic and lyrical point of view HansFyrste and the rest of us keeps exploring the obscene, perverse, the filth, deviant – Just in general the down spiral of the human mind. And exploring the more dark thoughts we all to some extent feel. We all deserve to be punished and bleed. Especially if you follow the doctrine of modern society. As for the title itself – as simple as drain yourself of blood, become fatigue, step into death.

Your cover features a woodcut or something similar – what do we see here? Was it specifically about the motif or just the “black metal aesthetic”?
The motive is portraying in some sense the “Prince of Disgust” which was a singer and featured on our previous release “Shame Is Just A Word” and he is „featured“ on the track “Chop, Slit, Flay” on the upcoming album “Draw Blood”. The whole “prince of disgust” have become a sort of „mantra“, an internal “mascot” if you will – which is present in several aspects of the band, and the band members as well – both musically and privately. So no, not by coincidence at all. And if you look at the band’s catalog, we have often tried to connect the albums in some sort of way. For instance, the first album connects in the titles and thematics.

How would you complete the sentence: Compared to the previous album, “Drawn Blood” is … ?
… a bit more back to the basics of the band, infused with thrash and black metal!

You’ve also covered a song this time – why is it important to you to include your own interpretation of other people’s songs on your albums?
It is not particularly important per se, but we enjoyed doing the Exodus cover on the previous album, and we thought why not. Furthermore, as many bands do, SVARTTJERN also started out doing (often poor) covers of other bands and artists. It is a way of somehow paying homage to the work of others, which is appealing to me. On this track it took “a bit” more work than “Bonded By Blood” musically to say it mildly. It is a challenge we welcome in this stage of the band.

Yes, indeed – the choice fell on a Rolling Stones song … not necessarily what you would expect. Why this song?
We dabbled and discussed a few options, and this felt like a natural song to cover. On multiple dimensions, first off, the lyrics. The lyrics on “Under My Thumb” felt like something SVARTTJERN could do, but not in the context of 2024 with its moral high ground. Furthermore, from a musical perspective, it has a dark vibe or aura over it – Which we felt compelling and wanting to explore further.

Often cover songs are bonus tracks at the end or only on certain editions – you have placed it as the penultimate song. Why was it important to you that it was in the context of the album?
Because it shows to some extent what is important to the band. We are not some wannabe high and mighty pretentious pricks. When we recorded it, we obviously understood that some people in the scene would frown upon it and not get it at all, but who the hell cares. We sure do not. We will just “own” the living shit out of this cover. Try us.

Your bassist Malphas did the mixing and mastering again. What are the advantages, but perhaps also disadvantages, of producing an album yourself as a band?
Can’t see any disadvantages in us producing and mastering the album ourselves. Keeping in mind the sonic quality Malphas is able to conclude. Why should we. If we are missing out on anything from a more producer side of thing – then so be it. We are content.

You’re going on tour in Europe in December – if I’m not mistaken, that’s your first proper tour since 2014. Why haven’t you been on tour for so long?
Yes, the band hasn’t toured since 2014, back then in connection with “Ultimatum Necrophilia” album. As to why … several reasons. Most of the members have been and to some extent still are preoccupied with other bands, which are more active live. Carpathian Forest and Urgehal to name a few. Furthermore, the pandemic robbed us to tour with the previous release back in 2020. As for the „Dødsskrik“ release back in 2016 we did not tour, but prioritized more festivals such as Maryland Deathfest and Party San Open Air to name a few. Last, but not least, we finally got a proper offer and timing-wise perfect with the upcoming release of “Draw Blood”.

Are you also worried about whether everything will go smoothly, what to expect, or is it just anticipation?
Not worried at all – This will be the band’s third European tour, and besides that tons of live-experience with both SVARTTJERN and other bands. At least for me, it is just anticipation and looking forward to getting on the road!

I have the feeling that it has become more difficult to bring people to concerts in the Black Metal Underground today. Is that something you experience as well?
As mentioned in one of the previous questions, SVARTTJERN has been particular with which shows we agree to do – keeping it somewhat “exclusive”, and at least never doing too many shows in one region. Playing a bit hard to get! So never felt that has been an issue for the band, not attracting a crowd. On a more general note, in terms of underground black metal. Perhaps? At least tons of bands out there doing extensive touring and playing shows. Guess it does not help the more old and bigger black metal bands are still out there playing the same festivals year after year, it seems.

Finally, our traditional brainstorming session:
Urgehal: Top three best black metal band.
Slayer reunion: Not on my radar
Fake Blood: Nah, poor substitute for the real deal!
Metal cruises: Couldn’t care less.
SVARTTJERN in 10 years: Probably still firmly rooted in the underground.

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Publiziert am 10. Dezember 2024 von Moritz Grütz