With:	Frost
Conducted by:	nikarg (e-mail)
Published:	09.11.2017
Band profile:	Satyricon

Black metal pioneers Satyricon recently released their ninth album, Deep Calleth Upon Deep, and are currently on a European Tour to support it. The band's legendary drummer, Frost (Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad), agreed to do an e-mail interview and answer questions about the details of the new record, his relationship with Satyr, the group's live performances and a bit more.

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nikarg: Congratulations on the new album! Are you satisfied with how it has been received so far? Media and fans alike.

Frost: We are very content. Reactions from fans, colleagues, friends and journalists have over all been highly positive, and the songs from Deep Calleth Upon Deep work incredibly well live.

nikarg: What did you intend to achieve with this release and do you believe you've accomplished what you were after?

Frost: We set out to make an expressful, soulful, creative and inspired album, and we feel that the album has become just that.

nikarg: Can you describe the songwriting process you followed? Did you try something different this time?

Frost: We did jam and rehearse a lot, recorded all of our sessions and generally facilitated an inspiring and creative working environment. Never have we had such a dynamic way of making an album.

nikarg: Is there something in particular that will remain in your memory from the writing/recording process? Do you have a story to share?

Frost: Those magical and exciting moments where songs truly opened up and came alive is what stands out to me. We could set up a band camp out at the country side and work undisturbed through a day and night, and suddenly we would find ourselves playing wonderful themes and songs that didn't exist up until that point. There were several happenings of that kind over the period leading up to Deep Calleth Upon Deep.

nikarg: Do you have a favourite song from Deep Calleth Upon Deep?

Frost: No, I like all of them a lot and feel that every song has come fully alive like a strong individual with a lot of character and spirit.

nikarg: You used a relatively unknown drawing by Edvard Munch as cover art. How come you didn't go for a more famous painting of his and why did you choose this particular drawing?

Frost: When Satyr got to see "The Kiss Of Death" by Munch, he found himself to be staring at the cover for Deep Calleth Upon Deep. It just connected with him on a personal level, and it also connected beautifully with the album itself as it is like a perfect visual representation of the content. If the picture had been very known, that would have been a great disadvantage and luckily was not the case.

nikarg: Satyr's health issues must have influenced both of you personally and as a band. If so, in what way do you think this is shown in the new record?

Frost: If anything, it compelled us to dig deeper and work harder. Satyricon has always been profoundly important to us, but the health issues brought an even greater seriousness to our work.




nikarg: There must be advantages and disadvantages when two musicians work together for a very long time. How does it feel to be in the same band with Satyr after so many years?

Frost: My respect for him, his compositions and his relentless visionary work with Satyricon has just kept on growing. Like the band itself.

nikarg: You are currently on a European Tour. Do you have a special city that you always look forward to performing in live and what should the fans expect from you this time around?

Frost: The large capital cities (like London and Paris) and the greater cities of Eastern Europe (like Warsaw and Prague) have typically been fantastic places for us to play, but what we have observed is that more and more places work well for us. Fans that come out to see us meet a very inspired band touring with an album that we are truly proud and fond of.

nikarg: I watched the Facebook live event where you performed Deep Calleth Upon Deep in its entirety on the day of release in Oslo. Did you enjoy the experience and what was the most difficult song to play live?

Frost: That was an exciting and enjoyable experience indeed. Songs that vary significantly in intensity from theme to theme, like "Dissonant" and "Blood Cracks Open The Ground" are a little extra challenging performance-wise at least as far as the drums are concerned.




nikarg: Which is your favourite Satyricon album apart from Deep Calleth Upon Deep and is there one that you feel it could have come out somewhat better?

Frost: I rank the self-titled album as our second best. We haven't made the perfect album yet, but we keep getting closer.

nikarg: What kind of music do you like listening to nowadays and what is your opinion on the current black metal scene? Is there a new band you would suggest?

Frost: I listen to lots of different kinds of music, and more and more to rock and hard rock from the sixties and seventies. And the black metal classics will always have a special place in my heart. I don't have any opinion on the current scene that I wish to share.

nikarg: Are there any young drummers, not necessarily within the metal scene, that have caught your attention?

Frost: Over the later years, my attention has actually been drawn more and more to great drummers of past eras.

nikarg: Do you have a special wish for the future of Satyricon? And something you wish for yourself personally?

Frost: I wish, and work for a future of further progress. That goes for both parts of your question.

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Big thanks to Frost for taking the time for this interview.