Obliteration is a young death metal band hailing from the small southern Norwegian town of Kolbotn, noted for being the hometown of the black metal band Darkthrone.

The band consists of vocalist Sindre Solem, guitarist Arild Myren Torp, bassist Didrik Telle, and drummer Kristian Valbo. Their debut album, Perpetual Decay, was released in 2007, by Tyrant Syndicate, a sub-label of Peaceville run by Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone. 2009 saw the release of Nekropsalms, the band’s second album, on Oslo-based label Fysisk Format.

 


Heathen Harvest: Greetings, Obliteration! Your second album Nekropsalms seems to have been really well received, especially in Norway. What has the rest of the critical reaction been like?

Obliteration: Hey! Yeah, the reception has been great so far. People seem to really dig it, both those who listen to metal and death metal a lot, and those who don't. Reviews all over have also been exceptional, both in the metal and regular press. And by the way, we are nominated for Album of the Year (all genres) in the Oslo Awards, so if you can, please log on to Nattogdag, and vote for us, that would be greatly appreciated.


HH: How would you say your sound has developed from your first album? I believe you recorded and mixed Nekropsalms yourselves in your own studio.

OB: Yes, we did everything except the mastering ourselves this time. I guess you can say that we're really finding our own sound with this album. When we were writing the new songs, there was a strong need to get a more personal sound to go with the music. With Arild’s and Kick's (the drummer of Nekromantheon) studio finally being operational, it was a natural place to record our new stuff. Since we ourselves had complete control of every phase of the recording, it was also easier to get the sound just right. The last album had more of a traditional death metal sound, I guess you can say, which we were happy with then and there, but this time around it was time to do things ourselves. We are very happy with how it turned out, and it seems other people are too. It's extremely important to us to have the right sound to our music, and a production that just says FUCK OFF to modern metal.


HH: Who writes the lyrics, and where do they come in the songwriting process – do you start with the lyrics and build a song around that, or do you start with a riff and write a lyric that fits?

OB: Kristian (drummer) and Sindre (vocals) usually write the lyrics, with occasional input from Arild and Didrik. The way we write our songs really varies from time to time. We can have a complete song done with all the riffs, and then work on the lyrics to go with the music, but it can also be the other way round. But I would say the first approach is the one we use most. Our music is very riff-oriented, and to get a good combination and feel is what we concentrate on first and foremost.


HH: Your first album, Perpetual Decay, was released by Tyrant Syndicate. How come you moved to Fysisk Format for the release of Nekropsalms? It seems like you’re still pretty friendly with the Darkthrone guys – I saw a review of Nekropsalms by Fenriz, where he said, ‘Obliteration SUCCEEDED in what we in Darkthrone tried to do on our two first albums – they have here delivered a brand new old organic sounding death metal masterpiece…’

OB: Well, Fenriz's praise is awesome and humbling, as Darkthrone have been a huge source of inspiration for all of us ever since we first started playing. Those first Darkthrone records are crucial and unique, both Soulside Journey and Goatlord have a vibe and feel you can't get anywhere else.

The decision to move to Fysisk Format had to do with the fact that the Tyrant Syndicate sub-label was getting shut down by Snapper Music, who own both Peaceville and Tyrant Syndicate. This of course is related to the world economic situation, and the suits didn't find the Tyrant Syndicate label economically viable. But the move to Fysisk Format is not regretted, we are very happy with how things turned out! The guys running the label are extremely dedicated, and it's nice to be able to have a good dialog going, as we can meet and talk anytime in their record shop in downtown Oslo.

We still hang out with Fenriz now and then, drinking beer, listening to music and making bad jokes about Italian-Americans. Fugedabaaaoudit!!


HH: One thing that’s immediately striking about Nekropsalms is the cover art by Sindre Foss Skancke (who also plays in Utarm). The cover is a colourful explosion of abstract pyschedelia, surrounding a kind of headless torso reduced to a framework of blood vessels or nerve fibres. It’s very different from the cover of Perpetual Decay, and very different from most death metal releases in general. Can you tell me something about the concept behind this cover – what was the brief that you gave the cover artist, and how successful do you think the cover is as a visual interpretation of your music?

OB: Thanks, we are very psyched with how it turned out! Sindre is a tremendously talented artist, and we felt his style is very much in connection with what we're trying do convey on this album. The cover painting was actually painted before all of the songs for the album were written, and we had been in contact with Sindre about a possible cover painting being done by him for quite some time. Sindre also did the cover art for the Norwegian death metal band Diskord's last album, Doomscapes, which is how we discovered him. I recommend everyone reading this to check it out, both the music and cover art is truly insane stuff.

The Nekropsalms cover itself was a painting that Sindre had in his studio, and upon seeing it we immediately knew it was the one. The image of the nerve and fibre torso which almost looks like it’s burning is very powerful, and the whole vibe is that of an acid trip gone completely wrong. If you look closely, you can kind of make out the shape of a worm working its way out of the right side of the painting – ‘The Worm That Gnaws In The Night’!


HH: Another interesting feature of the cover is the crest of Kolbotn Thashers Union on the back of the album. What is the Kolbotn Thashers Union, and what’s the metal scene in your hometown of Kolbotn like? Are there other local bands that you’re close to?

OB: He he, that's something Arild came up with as we were designing the sleeve. It's nice to have something like that on the cover, which shows where we’re from. The sign is actually that of the Kolbotn United Sports Union, which we modified to our own, with different colours and the blood dripping.

The metal scene here in Kolbotn is something unique. People here often start playing in bands when they're ten or 11 years old, and a lot them are really dedicated! An Oslo-based journalist put it this way: ‘There must be something in the water!’ When we started out, however, which was like 2000-2001, there wasn't a whole lot going on. The last bands to hail from the Kolbotn area had left here about ten years ago, so there was kind of a hiatus band-wise. The bands I'm talking about include Darkthrone, Lamented Souls, and to a lesser extent Mayhem and Dimmu Borgir (some of the members are from around here). Nowadays however, things have changed. Like I mentioned, a lot of very young people play, and the community is VERY supportive in providing places to practice etc. And it seems that most of those starting out now are very into old metal and punk/hardcore, which is insanely cool.  


HH: Sindre and Arlid also play in the thrash metal band Nekromantheon. Is that taking a back seat at the moment while you concentrate on Obliteration?

OB: Well, we try to make sure both bands play gigs and write music, and so far it's working out alright. A lot of the gigs we'll be doing this spring and summer include Nekromantheon on a support slot, so it works out fine, except Sindre and Arild have to play two sets a night. But they don't complain about it too much, at least not Arild, ha ha! The Nekromantheon full-length is now recorded, and we hope to have it released sometime early 2010.


HH: Norway is, of course, famous for its black metal, but not so much for death metal, which has tended to be more of a Swedish thing. What made you decide to play death metal in Obliteration, and who were your main inspirations when you first started the band?

OB: We started out as a punk outfit actually, playing a lot of NOFX , Misfits, and some Slayer. As we listened to more and more new (old) stuff, we were influenced a lot by both the black, thrash and death metal we discovered, but as the band progressed it seemed natural to be playing music which was somewhat rooted in what you would call death metal. Some of the main bands we listened to growing up would be the usual suspects like Black Sabbath, Slayer, Metallica, Death, Cannibal Corpse, Destruction, Kreator... and then a bit later Sadus, Voivod, Repulsion and Autopsy of course, then discovering the likes of English Dogs... well, too many bands to mention here! But like I said, we were, and still are, very much influenced by a lot of different music styles, not just metal, but everything from acid jazz to Zeuhl.


HH: What is it that attracts you to the 80s style of death metal – after all, you’re pretty young guys, but it seems like a lot of the music you’re referencing must be older than you are. What was the best period for death metal, in your opinion? And how about these days – which bands of today do you really admire?

OB: The 80s was what it was all about, man. Listening to all this old stuff now, what's really striking is that no band sounds like any other. Every band was doing their own thing, and not a trigger in sight! At least very few. Which is what sucks about today, just a few bands have a real personal sound, and a lot of musicians and producers seem to focus on getting things sounding as plastic-fantastic as possible, with no personality or soul whatsoever. This is why most of what is released today is forgotten tomorrow, you know? Only the old stuff lives on. Well, that is to say, there are a few bands today that are doing things right. I'd like to mention Bastard Priest, Abscess, Death Breath, the new Darkthrone stuff (insane!), Diskord (Norway), Execration (Norway), and also The Devils Blood among others. The sickness will never die.


HH: How about 80s hardcore and crust-punk? It seems like that’s been a big influence on Obliteration as well.

OB: Definitely! Cro-Mags, Black Flag and Agnostic Front are very cool, and also Judge. The crust punk scene is brilliant and huge, and they truly care about having the right, honest, organic sound to their music, to keep the intensity and aggression in their music intact on their records. There are loads of bands I'd like to mention, but off the top of my head, these bands particularly influenced us in the development of Obliteration: (World Burns To Death) World Burns To Death, Disrupt, Summon The Crows, Talk Is Poison, Detestation, State Of Fear, Amebix (gods!), Severed Head Of State, and the list goes on. Just recently discovered Murderess, an insanely great band. And we're of course also into regular punk like Zero Boys, (Testors) Testors and so on.


HH: What’s next for Obliteration? Are you writing new songs yet? When might we expect the third album?

OB: Work is slowly starting on another record, yes. But we also have some other stuff lined up, including a couple of split 7-inches with a few bands, and perhaps a bonus 7-inch to go with the vinyl version of Nekropsalms. So as you can see, there might be some time before we release another full length, but we're hard at work at writing new Obliteration stuff all the time, so keep your ears and eyes open!


HH: What were your most memorable live shows in 2009? Do you have any tours or festival appearances planned for 2010 yet?

OB: Actually there haven't been a lot of concerts this year, but we did a gig with Pentagram (Chile) in July, which was very cool indeed! And the release party for Nekropsalms was also a memorable one, with an insane after-party! Next year however, things look a lot brighter gig-wise, as we got several dates here in Norway in January and February, Italy in March, and Maryland Deathfest in May, opening for the legendary Autopsy. That will be one for the books, if that's what you call it. We're trying to get back to the UK, and we want to go out to violate the rest of Europe while we're at it. So just book us, and we will deliver a sick ritual of twisted psychedeathic horror. Uh!
 

HH: That’s all of the questions I have for you, but here’s one from my friends’ son Louis, who’s eight years old and a big death metal fan! Louis wants to know – how do you do those growling voices?

OB: He he he – warm up, keep training, and you have to mean it, if not it will not work. And some just have it in them. As for me, I'm getting a bit tired of regular growling, so I'm venturing into more just sick aggressive sounds of death.  Thanks for the interview! UH! Beware of more Obliteration in the dark ages ahead!

This interview with Obliteration was conducted by email during December 2009.