This is your first big tour after a mini-tour last year with EMPEROR, what do you think of that? Do you have some apprehension?
Well, it's...what should I say? It's a little bit exhausting. At least now, we've been travelling for 30 hours, and it's nice to know that we're gonna go on stage and play. It's fun to be on such a big tour! Personnally, I don't think I'd like to go on a larger tour later because it's much stress, running everywhere...So, it's kind of a thing that makes you know that your band is growing, because half a year ago, I wouldn't even have thought about going on tour with MORBID ANGEL.
And you can just get some more popularity!
Yeah! We have nothing to lose on this tour, so it's positive for us as a band in every way. The only thing I see as a little bit negative is that when you're down on priorities, you don't have that much time to soundcheck ! I have no idea of how it's gonna sound like. I have...it could be good, like it could not be good! Because we have time like, plug in the guitar, make a noise, and "OK, it's working". And that's it!
You also have session members...
It just goes the same way as when we rehearse, and there won't be any drummer or bass player, and everything is just as down to the chorus as possible, and that gets the same as on the CD.
So, you use a drum machine?
Yes, we don't lose anything from the CD, it will be impossible to have like...we would need 12-15 session players to do it properly! And as long as it's not playback, it's actually machines working on stage, then I don't see a problem with it! If I just put the CD and play it, that would be fake! (laughs) But there's always people that hang up on the drum machine thing, and I think it's just something that people need to get used to. And of course, I can't say that everyone will eventually like drum machines if they go to enough concerts, but if they don't like it, then fuck! Go somewhere else!
Samoth, your label manager is on tour with you. How do you feel having your boss right on your back?
(laughs) We have a very relaxed relation with our "boss", so...When we're on tour and everything, we just do what we do, and there are always people coming to Samoth and asking for interviews, and he says "He's there! Talk to him!". We run everything ourselves as far as on tour...He's a nice guy, and he's not a problem (laughs)! He's very good at his work, never late with something. He always keeps his promises, I think he does what he would like to have for his band.
You released 'Epitome of illusions'...Why didn't you release these tracks sooner??
I think that first of all, we were pretty bored with the songs we had been playing for a very long amount of time, and we had done the 'Moon in the scorpio' album, and we didn't want really to be, like one these bands who record an album, and then press new copies of the demo material. I think, we were a little bit fed up with the songs and so on...We wanted to think about new things, and just like , put it in a box, away...And after the 'In abhorrence dementia' album, we started to look a little bit back on the old...not the old demo songs, but the old material that we had, like riffs and so on. And then, we just started to play a couple of the songs, and were "it's a cool song", and then we thought about rereleasing 'em and I felt that the quality of the sound was so bad, like...I think that when you release something publically, officially, it should be something that you are able to stand for! The songs are good enough, but the sound was like terrible! I came to the idea that I didn't want to be like those bands who just press 'em , put 'em out and get a lot of money! So, we decided to rerecord them to get a little bit better sound. Also, we had the ability to rearrange the songs a little bit better, and, it's still the same songs, but maybe as they should have been. I'm like a guy...my songs are never finished! I can record a song, and yet go on stage a year later and play the guitars a little bit different, because I feel "it's a cool way to play it". So we decided to rearrange it a little bit, put some more lyrics on. Daemon wasn't quite satisfied with all his lyrics, so he rewrote some of it. By 'Epitome of illusions', you can see how we developed, because that was the first material we started to play together!
The artistic side seems to be very important for you, especially the artwork and the drawings...
Yes, I think it should be totally complete. Everything should be complete and you can't record an album and be completely satisfied with the pencils on the cover. Also, in a market point of view, you don't buy an album that looks like shit! You know, I probably missed several good albums, because they have lousy covers! You search and search and search...and "OK, this looks good", and you listen to it. Else, "crap, crap, crap!" You don't pay attention to something that doesn't look good. So I think that's the main reason why I did the covers myself, because I have total control, and what it's gonna look like! And that's very important for us to...I wouldn't say I get it perfect, but then I know that if I fuck up, then it's me that fucks up, and not somebody else! Then I have only myself to blame, and not the fucking guy in the studio who didn't pay attention to what I said! So, I had some fuck-ups, and I know that. OK, I won't do that again...
At the beginning, LIMBONIC ART was presented as Samoth's own band...Did you know that, and did that help your career in any way?
Yeah, I know that...Of course...I don't think it was an help, but of course, Samoth being our manager has been an help! There's no way to deny that, but it's a little bit funny how rumors spread around, because there are so many things that are said about so many things! There were some rumors that Samoth was dead, and Hellhammer was taking over Nocturnal Art Productions...
And there comes Ihsahn, saying Morfeus that he's having souncheck in a few minutes...So we have to end the interview with one last question...
So, would you have one last word for all the readers?
Well, my final words are ususally "I have no last word", because they are always too fantastic words, so...that's boring!
Taken from "Sweet suffering e-zine"