Interview with II13 of Kampfar 2007

By Bradley Smith

Kvass has been out for awhile now.  How has the reaction been to it?  What has this album done for the legacy of Kampfar?   How much of Norway’s Mood and atmosphere did you incorporate into its sound?

II13: I think we with this album showed that nothing has changed with the essence of Kampfar.  Sure, time has passed and changes have occurred in all people involved with this band, but still everything that Kampfar was in 1997 is there in 2007.  There’s just more of everything.  As for mood and atmosphere it’s not about our nationality, but our surroundings, our world.  The murmur of the underground as heard in the opening and ending of the album, the wind that sweeps through the forests and over the mountain tops, and the feel of the ocean washing in over the land are just a few of many elements that we take with us from our world and into our music.

How is your new label Napalm Records working out for you? How did you get the rights to all your old material for re-release? 

II13: Napalm Records have done what they’re supposed to so far: Release the album and promote it worldwide.  As far as we can see there is nothing to complain about, and we’re ready to do the next album with them too.  As for the old albums we already had the rights for them as Malicious doesn’t exist and Hammerheart settled their business with us by not making any problems about the albums they released.  The only release that we don’t have the rights for in that sense is the first MCD that Season Of Mist own the rights too, but it seems like they’re doing their part of the job on that one too.

There have been so many years between albums.  Why did you take such a long break?  How does it feel to be active again?  Is the excitement and energy there?

II13: The band was never inactive, there was just a load of personal shit that needed to be dealt with.  Some times one just needs to disappear from the surface for a while in order to get balance back in the system.  Also the fact that we were two guys joining 4-5 years ago (shit, time passes quickly…) and also starting to play live took time. Excitement and energy there is now, absolutely.  Hitting the stage all over Europe for the last 3 years has been such an immense experience, and we constantly get to go to new places and play for new people, while still having a lot of loyal people show up too.

I think you have a unique view on the Philosophy of Norse mythology and nature.  You have stated that Kampfar plays “Norse Pagan Folklore Metal.”  Can you expand on your views on these topics and how it affects your artistic expression through Kampfar?

II13: Dolk’s lyrics represent a mindset shared by all members of Kampfar, the song Ravenheart being the best example of this.  The choice of going one’s own way and following one’s one heart is essential to all of us.  Also, Dolk is very good at digging up these old stories about all different kinds of interesting subjects, like the men of the underworld in “Lyktemenn” or the reason behind the first witch burning in Norway on “Hat og Avind”.  He’s also very good at using the Norwegian language and uses a mixture of our modern day tongue and a more arcane style of speech.

I have a friend in another Norwegian band who said he had a problem with your album titled Mellom skogkledde åser (Between forested hills)?  He said that album has no trees or hills on the album cover and therefore couldn’t respect it.  What do you have to say to him?

II13: Whether someone bases their respect on a picture and three words, that has to be up to the person behind it. But as for that album the story is that a French guy did the cover and he mixed it up a bit, and just found a picture that he thought fit the music. When it was out it was too late and there it stands today. One learns through one’s life when to keep in control oneself, and this is a case like that.

It seems that your relationship with Norway as a country and a concept is very unique and special.  What sort of emotions and feelings does Norway evoke in you?

II13: Again, it’s not about nationality, but surroundings. Growing up in Norway, and not in an urban environment, you become coloured by what’s around you. The summers are spent near the ocean, the winters are spent more in the mountains, and springs/autumns are for walks in the forest. For me I always had the ocean on one side and the forest on the other, and I would grow up in pact with nature. We had TV, Nintendo and computers, but we spent more time hanging out in the forest than inside. As soon as the snow came it was natural to put on the skis and run off and make a crazy jump in the nearest hill, you know. For someone who doesn’t know this first hand it can sound weird, but the voice of nature grabs you and keeps you coming back.

A really deep and dark mood permeates the music you create and I feel like I am lost in deep dark woods sometimes.  What sort of mental images do you try to conjure in the listener when you are composing your songs? 

II13: It’s not about the images in the listener but the images in ourselves. For me music is perceived visually, and I see different things in our music. Some times dark, rolling rays of colour, other times clear pictures. The end of “Til Siste Mann” is a strong picture to me, and I still have a special feeling for that part. Watching Dolk scream his heart out in the studio there, while knowing the story, was strong shit! But every song has it’s own story, it’s own feeling and I guess what ties them together is a sense of darkness.

Since we are on the topic of Norway what is your impression of the State of Norwegian metal scene?  It seems that some of it has lost its way from its original roots.  But there are some out there still carrying the flame of integrity. 

II13: The Norwegian scene is as healthy as ever, and more diverse than ever. The problem, I guess, is that some of the most unique music from that “scene” came out in the ‘90s. But still there is some fantastic bands and albums coming out of Norway. DHG did a very good last album, the latest Mayhem album was their strongest since the ‘90s, and bands like Nidingr, Elite, Alverg, Furze, Iskald, Manngard, etc. bring out some very good stuff. But there is also a lot of good stuff coming out from other countries, bands like Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist (and the last Marduk album), Celtic Frost (back and strong as fuck!), Urfaust, Anaal Nathrakh and The Shining all do very interesting stuff.

Playing live seems like it would go against the ethics of the band but I guess that it must translate well musically to the stage.  How do you convey the atmosphere of the music to the audience?

II13: We just play the songs, he, he. We’re aware of the sound when we play live, but aside from that these are our songs and therefore the atmosphere is there. And it does not go against any of our ethics to be on a stage, it’s actually very much a part of what we stand for to go out there and be a part of something bigger than just the four of us.

What are your views on spirituality?  What are your thoughts on the organized religions that are eating away at the fabric of humanity?

II13: Organized religion can be the solution for some, while for many it’s just the lazy solution, to do what someone else tells you. For some, unfortunately, it crosses the border into fanatics and bad shit comes out of it. For me I don’t waste my time on that and focus on what’s important to me instead. As for spirituality, I come back to nature again. Go out there, take your time, and listen to the voice of nature. Feel the presence of the wind and follow your instincts, your intuition. There are powers beyond us, but we need to define them individually.

It is a brutal world out there.  With all the natural disasters that have come around lately with the Tsunami in Malaysia and the Hurricane in the US and now Mexico, how do you feel that nature is responding to the human infestation on earth?  Do you see the future being worse when it comes to natural catastrophes?

II13: Natural catastrophes have been having their way long before human kind existed and will continue to roam this planet long after we’re gone. But I’m no scientist and I’m not gonna attempt some quasi philosophical outburst on the effect of whatever environmental trend is passing through town this week.

What does the future hold for Kampfar?  Any new material being recorded or any new concerts planned?

II13: We’re writing the next album now, with hopes of recording early 2008. Then we’ll be doing some festivals in the summer before touring our asses off the rest of the year. We’re hoping to do more than Europe this time, but time will tell exactly what happens.

Any last tales of epic Folklore to impart upon us?

II13: Just go out and find ‘Voluspå’, read it, read it again, and take in the wisdom.