INTERVIEWS
Interview with Demonaz from "Nordic Vision" magazine (# 11, spring 1998)Has Demonaz left Immortal? A question it is legitime to ask perhaps? Instead of assuming the rumors are correct we thought it would be nice to ask him that question directly, and as usual we found the opportunity to check out some other stuff as well. Here's what Demonaz had to say!
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A while ago I got a letter from one of our readers who asked if we knew anything about you leaving Immortal, and then now a little while back a Norwegian magazine published the news that you were out of the band!
Well, they have not talked to us so I don't know what they have been writing. I've heard that myself but the point here is that I don't play guitar with Immortal because it would be too hard since I got problems with my arms, so it will be too hard for me to be playing all the time and to tour. It's about one and a half year ago that I got problems and in the meanwhile Abbath has taken over the guitar and we have with us a session bassist (Ares -ed.) and he is playing in another band called Aeternus so he will at least be playing session on this tour now. I will be doing the manager job for the band and I will be working with the lyrics and the things in cooperation with Abbath. That's the way we are doing it now! And I have also started a new band where I'm doing the vocals and have with me a guitarist and then I'm searching for a drummer and a bassist but I don't have plans to do that just right now. Because I'm working with the music.
That you're not playing the guitar for Immortal, is that just on tours or is that also on your records?
As it is now I haven't started that extreme playing again, I know I will only get trouble with that! Then it is better to wait, because I am extremely much better than I have been. I can play now but it will only be complications if I start to play extremely much.
But how does it feel not to be able to do the things you've been doing with Immotal for so many years?
Nah, for me it feels okay because it goes over time. It was of course a bit annoying from the beginning but when you have gotten a wear and tear injury in both if your arms which I have, that is because of extremely much rehearsing. I probably used to play guitar 10-12 hours every day for half a year, all the time and we rehearsed almost in addition to that you know, so it became a bit too much. But I think it has been a very good time neverthless because now I am finished with that, 1996 I almost said hehe, now I have new stuff and I have bought a lot of equipment to make music on. So now I'm making myself independent of a studio, I have almost all of the equipment and I will get the remaining in about a month. And then I don't have to think about a studio and I will have really good recording equipment myself, and everything I need. That's cool!
Your new band, that means that you won't be playing guitar there at all?
No, well no and yes! I will be the vocalist in the band and I have another one that will take care of the guitarwork at least, but I will also make music in guitar as well. But live I will not be playing guitar in the near future, because it's no use to plat guitar when you don't have muscles enough to do other things.
This is a band with just as big ambitions as you have had with Immortal?
Yeah it is! But it's a bit different music, but it's perhaps a bit difficult to tell what kind of music it is, you should rather hear it!
Is it Metal?
Yes, it will at least be very special! But I have Metal in the guitars but it is not in the same way, that extreme speed or something like that, it's more atmospheric music and longer songs, more feeling. I use a lot of time to make the songs and I have created extremely much music this last year because it's a long time since I started with it. I have used a lot of the things that I never used with Immortal, things that I made on the side so it feels good to get these things out since I've has them for a long time. The songs will be quite long, I feel that I don't manage to express myself enough in a song if the song is two or three minutes. Maybe I'll make a song like that, I don't know, but right now I have songs from seven to nine minutes and I think it works out good without being heavy at all. When I manage to make a song that is nine and a half minutes long and the song isn't even a little bit boring, then I'm satisfied!
Is it still on the establishing level?
In a way but I have all the music to the album finished. We are just playing it and working on it and to work out the rest of the ideas. When we have made a song it's not finished before all the elements are included. I have almost completed all the lyrics to the songs too, so you can perhaps see the album coming out just after the Summer or that we can enter the studio... it will be produced by me and I have the equipment to do it so it's a lot better because the you can use a lot more time on things and get it perfect.
Would you say that you will perform "new" music?
I would claim that I at least add a few new things, because it's quite different from what I've done earlier and I have at least not heard anything that sounds similar. And if you're making something new it will either go this way or that way, as long as I use instruments it will sound like something else, but the music in itself is extremely special. I make quite different songs but it will nevertheless be a concept album with the same sound all the way, only a few effects on the side. But it's no Techno music, hehe, not at all!
Is there a label involved by now?
I haven't started messing with that yet, I am preparing those things now and I will make a CD with three songs on it that I will only use for the promo material. It shouldn't be a problem but it depends what I want, right! I want something better than what I'm offered, so therefore I also have to go some other ways to see where I can come. It's not interesting to be on a small underground label which can't give you anything, one needs people where you will get some priority and that you get money enough to be able to do your things. Okay, you have to start somewhere anyway!
Do you have a name?
Perfect Visions! That should be describing. I felt that I should use something that I can refer to when I'm thinking about the music and I felt that Perfect Visions fitted. There is really no profound reason behind it, and I also think it stands out a bit. We have a song on the first Immortal album that is called "A Perfect Vision Of The Rising Northland" and we were really going to call an album of Immortal for "Perfect Visions", a compilation that is coming out now with songs from all the four albums as a double picture disc. With pictures that we have never published officially before, some special things from years back. There will be a picture from the time around "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism" that we have never showed before and it will be a picture from "Pure Holocaust" that we have never showed before from the same session in the studio. We were going to call that album for "Perfect Visions" but that name is something I will have for my band instead!
Do you think in a very different way when you do the music for Perfect Visions than what was the case with Immortal?
Yes I do! I feel that I manage to do more from this, because now I do everything myself, now it's only me who control everything. I know what I want, I am not musically frustrated at all, I know exactly what I want and then it's nice you know. But when I started I thought that it could be difficult, but it's working out much better than what I thought. I know immediately what I want, and what I can throw away and not use. It feels very good to be able to decide everything yourself, to have full control. Me and Abbath worked very good together too, but it's more freedom to do it like this.
When is the next Immortal album going to be recorded?
Immortal will head for Abyss Studios in November to record their next album. Osmose Productions have been nagging us for one year if we didn't want to go to that studio because he knew Peter (Tägtgren) through Marduk or something and we said yes to that quite a while ago actually. We have scheduled time in there a couple of months ago. It's interesting to try something new, as long as we have the time enough to do things good.
You'll have a bit different live profile this time!
Yeah, on this tour for instance then there will be lots of smokemachines, windmachines, snowmachines, it will be two people who will control the lights which Osmose Productions have rented from France, people who have worked with quite big bands. They are really good and they will be doing some quite extreme effects so that will be really cool. It's great to have something extra! The scenecostumes will be a lot different than what they have been earlier. The makeup will remain the same but the other things will be a bit more professional.
Well, they have not talked to us so I don't know what they have been writing. I've heard that myself but the point here is that I don't play guitar with Immortal because it would be too hard since I got problems with my arms, so it will be too hard for me to be playing all the time and to tour. It's about one and a half year ago that I got problems and in the meanwhile Abbath has taken over the guitar and we have with us a session bassist (Ares -ed.) and he is playing in another band called Aeternus so he will at least be playing session on this tour now. I will be doing the manager job for the band and I will be working with the lyrics and the things in cooperation with Abbath. That's the way we are doing it now! And I have also started a new band where I'm doing the vocals and have with me a guitarist and then I'm searching for a drummer and a bassist but I don't have plans to do that just right now. Because I'm working with the music.
That you're not playing the guitar for Immortal, is that just on tours or is that also on your records?
As it is now I haven't started that extreme playing again, I know I will only get trouble with that! Then it is better to wait, because I am extremely much better than I have been. I can play now but it will only be complications if I start to play extremely much.
But how does it feel not to be able to do the things you've been doing with Immotal for so many years?
Nah, for me it feels okay because it goes over time. It was of course a bit annoying from the beginning but when you have gotten a wear and tear injury in both if your arms which I have, that is because of extremely much rehearsing. I probably used to play guitar 10-12 hours every day for half a year, all the time and we rehearsed almost in addition to that you know, so it became a bit too much. But I think it has been a very good time neverthless because now I am finished with that, 1996 I almost said hehe, now I have new stuff and I have bought a lot of equipment to make music on. So now I'm making myself independent of a studio, I have almost all of the equipment and I will get the remaining in about a month. And then I don't have to think about a studio and I will have really good recording equipment myself, and everything I need. That's cool!
Your new band, that means that you won't be playing guitar there at all?
No, well no and yes! I will be the vocalist in the band and I have another one that will take care of the guitarwork at least, but I will also make music in guitar as well. But live I will not be playing guitar in the near future, because it's no use to plat guitar when you don't have muscles enough to do other things.
This is a band with just as big ambitions as you have had with Immortal?
Yeah it is! But it's a bit different music, but it's perhaps a bit difficult to tell what kind of music it is, you should rather hear it!
Is it Metal?
Yes, it will at least be very special! But I have Metal in the guitars but it is not in the same way, that extreme speed or something like that, it's more atmospheric music and longer songs, more feeling. I use a lot of time to make the songs and I have created extremely much music this last year because it's a long time since I started with it. I have used a lot of the things that I never used with Immortal, things that I made on the side so it feels good to get these things out since I've has them for a long time. The songs will be quite long, I feel that I don't manage to express myself enough in a song if the song is two or three minutes. Maybe I'll make a song like that, I don't know, but right now I have songs from seven to nine minutes and I think it works out good without being heavy at all. When I manage to make a song that is nine and a half minutes long and the song isn't even a little bit boring, then I'm satisfied!
Is it still on the establishing level?
In a way but I have all the music to the album finished. We are just playing it and working on it and to work out the rest of the ideas. When we have made a song it's not finished before all the elements are included. I have almost completed all the lyrics to the songs too, so you can perhaps see the album coming out just after the Summer or that we can enter the studio... it will be produced by me and I have the equipment to do it so it's a lot better because the you can use a lot more time on things and get it perfect.
Would you say that you will perform "new" music?
I would claim that I at least add a few new things, because it's quite different from what I've done earlier and I have at least not heard anything that sounds similar. And if you're making something new it will either go this way or that way, as long as I use instruments it will sound like something else, but the music in itself is extremely special. I make quite different songs but it will nevertheless be a concept album with the same sound all the way, only a few effects on the side. But it's no Techno music, hehe, not at all!
Is there a label involved by now?
I haven't started messing with that yet, I am preparing those things now and I will make a CD with three songs on it that I will only use for the promo material. It shouldn't be a problem but it depends what I want, right! I want something better than what I'm offered, so therefore I also have to go some other ways to see where I can come. It's not interesting to be on a small underground label which can't give you anything, one needs people where you will get some priority and that you get money enough to be able to do your things. Okay, you have to start somewhere anyway!
Do you have a name?
Perfect Visions! That should be describing. I felt that I should use something that I can refer to when I'm thinking about the music and I felt that Perfect Visions fitted. There is really no profound reason behind it, and I also think it stands out a bit. We have a song on the first Immortal album that is called "A Perfect Vision Of The Rising Northland" and we were really going to call an album of Immortal for "Perfect Visions", a compilation that is coming out now with songs from all the four albums as a double picture disc. With pictures that we have never published officially before, some special things from years back. There will be a picture from the time around "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism" that we have never showed before and it will be a picture from "Pure Holocaust" that we have never showed before from the same session in the studio. We were going to call that album for "Perfect Visions" but that name is something I will have for my band instead!
Do you think in a very different way when you do the music for Perfect Visions than what was the case with Immortal?
Yes I do! I feel that I manage to do more from this, because now I do everything myself, now it's only me who control everything. I know what I want, I am not musically frustrated at all, I know exactly what I want and then it's nice you know. But when I started I thought that it could be difficult, but it's working out much better than what I thought. I know immediately what I want, and what I can throw away and not use. It feels very good to be able to decide everything yourself, to have full control. Me and Abbath worked very good together too, but it's more freedom to do it like this.
When is the next Immortal album going to be recorded?
Immortal will head for Abyss Studios in November to record their next album. Osmose Productions have been nagging us for one year if we didn't want to go to that studio because he knew Peter (Tägtgren) through Marduk or something and we said yes to that quite a while ago actually. We have scheduled time in there a couple of months ago. It's interesting to try something new, as long as we have the time enough to do things good.
You'll have a bit different live profile this time!
Yeah, on this tour for instance then there will be lots of smokemachines, windmachines, snowmachines, it will be two people who will control the lights which Osmose Productions have rented from France, people who have worked with quite big bands. They are really good and they will be doing some quite extreme effects so that will be really cool. It's great to have something extra! The scenecostumes will be a lot different than what they have been earlier. The makeup will remain the same but the other things will be a bit more professional.
© 1998 "Nordic Vision" Magazine