Your most recent album Hexaeon, seems to be the most powerful album of your career. Did you reach your goals for the album? How did you get such a different sound with it even though you used Grieghallen once again? What aspect of your worldview does it represent at this point in your career?
Yeah, we were quite happy with HeXaeon. We got totally things to sound the way we wanted and we felt musically we had a bunch of songs that truly spoke of new steps within our style and so forth!

I managed to catch you guys on your Recent tour with Devilish Impressions, Darkshine and Arum. I was mightily impressed. I know you guys had Problems on this tour with the tour management. What happened there? And why was Arum arrested/detained?
Arum had no work permits so they got stopped during the passport control at the harbor as we were getting ready to get on the boat for London. It sucked, the agency (IMA) should have told them this, but as they are n00bs in my opinion, they didn’t so Arum got detained or whatever you say! It totally sucked.

One thing I noticed when I saw you perform was that were having a good time on stage and seemed to have a very active sense of humor. Do you think that it is important to have a sense of humor? And do you prefer large or small audiences?
I never try to be a clown or Mr. Funny while I perform a show with Aeternus, but some humor to break the Ice or whatever impression or expectation anyone might have is good in my opinion. Brutal Metal is to us a serious thing and it’s a lifestyle. Extreme, dark music is what I create within Aeternus and I mentally feed on its emotional divinity. I loose myself every now and then while performing live shows and I travel maybe sometimes really deep into my own mind…aggression and hate dwells back and forth and thoughts are more darkened and so forth. Then again, I drop out of these moments and then one has the fun aspects. The joy of fun, playing for the crowd, the party feeling….the drinking, being together…celebrating the most awesome style of music and etc etc. So, some humor in between the songs is then to me just normal and totally ok. We’re not trying to make people feel they’ve watched some Demonic, Satanic shit when we play. We simply share our way of Metal and as serious as we are, we’re also 4 guys with good humor and great moods so why not be humorous?!

On your website you guys let your Fans create the set list for this tour. How do you feel they did with the set list? Were there any songs you would have preferred they chosen?
Nah, we were pretty ready for whatever. We knew there would be songs that we simply couldn’t or wouldn’t do…, but some people had their wishes granted. We let people wish some songs, not make the whole list! Hehe, that would have been too much!

Of course you continue to label your music as “Dark Metal.” What exactly is your description when it comes to Dark Metal? Do you feel this is a way to keep people from stereotyping Aeternus unfairly as black or death metal?
Our music is best defined as being Dark! That is why we call it Dark Metal!

You guys have had a much longer career than a lot of other bands with higher levels of fame. Do you feel you have received the Recognition you deserve after such a long career? Does it ever bother you that you are not on a level that you should be?
One always feels one could sell better and that shows here and there could do better or be better performed and that zines or folk around the world knew more about your bands existence! This won’t ever change! I feel ok and happy and content and proud when I create music for an album, when I get to record it and when I get to release it! I don’t need more! Well, ok…not true, I need then some gigs. Doesn’t have to be a tour, just some gigs here and there! Then I can start again, working on new songs! We don’t do this for worldwide fame or LOADS of money! That can’t be done and it’s clear to us. We love extreme music and we make it, play it and record it and share it! Then we every now and then perform it to show people what we’re all about! We are quite satisfied with that!

I see that you feel a strong indebtedness to the Florida death metal scene. What bands do you think stand above the others from that scene and how have they influenced you in regards to your own musical development.
Morbid Angel!

You have chosen Ares as your stage name. I have read that you feel this is an important embodiment of your persona. What exactly does this name mean to you and how does it apply to in regards to Aeternus and how do you feel it separates you from your every day existence?
What I feel on stage and perhaps every now and then when I make music or MAYBE when I write some words for lyrics can be related to something more than “just me”. So I choose to name it with something that can be related to the essence of it, it’s aspects on an emotional level! Ares, the God of War from the Greek mythology suits these emotions and so forth! So I still use that artistic name as it appeals to me on an emotional, spiritual level!

As with a lot of people involved in the extreme metal scene it seems that mythologies hold a strong appeal. What sorts of mythological themes do you enjoy and what culture's mythological stories interest you the most and why?
Oh…it was more on the older days really. Irish and Greek mostly for me, don’t know why. It was just the way it was. It all appealed to me, it sunk into me and I just fucking digged that shit. Yes sir!

I know you have frustrations with Xtianity and they manifest themselves in your lyrics. I think it is interesting that you manage to steer clear of making your lyrics satanic in nature while still attacking Xtianity. What problems do you have with that religion? How do you go about affecting change?
That religion is simply in my opinion weak and it’s not overall a good one. So I don’t like it!

Throughout your career you have been involved with several other bands/projects such as Gorgoroth and Immortal among others. How do you manage to distribute your musical abilities across so many projects without diluting your investment into Aeternus? What musical projects are you currently involved with?
I just have Aeternus right now and I think that’s enough! I will help one of the bands my guitarists is involved in with some live stuff in a while. That’s it though, nothing more.

Time, we seem to have to little of it these days. What do you like to do in your spare time? I know answering interviews is not one of them. Heh heh.
Interviews are ok, like this…cuz this is one interview. When I get the bigger storms…like 5 a day for weeks, it sux a bit. It gets too much if ya don’t keep up and answer them fast!

When can we expect the 7 Curse of Aeternus?  Anymore tours coming up in the near future?
Expect more Metal Gigs?  Sure, but I cannot promise shit right now!  Hehehe!

With your last words please tell us What you Crave!
Right now???? More coffee and THAT craving won’t last long! HooaH!