OBLITERATION (Eng.)
– Hello, lots of thanks for answering our interview. What’s everything going right now into the OBLITERATION’s camp?
Hi. All is going well, we just got back from the states, which was an amazing experience, and we are heading for Roadburn in Tilburg tomorrow. It will be great.
– You are currently touring USA, and last February you even played in India. How was the experience like? And how’s going around the USA?
The India experience was insane, it was really great to play there, we had a lot of expectations, and India runs at a different pace than europeans, but it wasn’t that different, concert-wise. They were into metal as fuck. The USA was great, I love playing there, even though the conditions are pretty shitty compared to playing in Europe.
– Your second full-length album, «Nekropsalms», came out back in 2009, and last 2013 your released your third opus. What were you up to during that time? I guess the activity with your other bands have something to do with this? You are playing in other bands, and some really active on a live scenario, as AURA NOIR for instance; is it easy to deal with the activity of all your bands?
Well, at first we played a lot live, and me and Arild wrote and released the second NEKROMANTHEON LP, «Rise, Vulcan Spectre». Kristian joined AURA NOIR and played a lot with them. Didrik did stuff with ALTAAR. And we had a period were we were lacking inspiration, so it took some time before BLACK DEATH HORIZON emerged. It’s not easy, every band and project takes time from another, but I think it enriches and inspires you when you have variety and other impulses in your creative life, so it is a good thing I think, not to be stuck with just one band, one idea and one vision all the time.
– And how could you say has this gap of time affected the final output on your latest opus, «Black Death Horizon»? How have you matured and evolved as a band?
Absolutely. I think we have grown older, darker, yet way more ferocious. The new album is a much darker path than our two other albums, and it seems like this is the way it’s heading, further into darkness.
– Anyway during that time you also released the «Goat Skull Crown» EP and the «Oslo We Rot» split album. On the EP you included two cover tracks, for VON’s «Devil’s Pig» and NECROPHAGIA’s «Reincarnation». How did everything arise and why did you decide to cover those tracks?
We wanted to release a 7» singel as a promo for BDH, and it had to be ready before we played at the Beyond the Gates festival last august. So we decided to take a track from the album and just cover a song or two. we wanted to cover something that reflected the vibe of the album and I felt like the feeling of the VON recordings had a spiritual connection to the stuff we were doing. We soon found out that we wanted to do two songs as we had time, and the creepy 
atmosphere of the first Necrophagia album had also been important for us, so it wasn’t a very though choice.
– And if you had to pick any other 3 tunes to cover; which ones would you choose?
Misfits – Death Comes Ripping, Darkthrone – Paragon Belial, Lynn Cornell- Demon Lover.
– Going back to your newest full-length, «Black Death Horizon», you recorded it by yourselves, and you also produced it by yourselves so, how was the whole process like?
Fast, raw dirty and dark. A lot of arguing, errors and death metal. I think it shows on the album.
– I personally think here you have had a bigger focus on atmospheres. Was something planned or do you just let tings flow naturally?
We let it flow naturally, and I completely agree with you. We tried to not focus on our inspiration sources and influences, we wanted to create songs that were cold, dark, esoteric and just plain fucking evil. The atmosphere within the band were pretty negative and dark in a way we never experienced before also, and I think that shows in the music also..We also created songs around lyrics and feeling in the words, which is pretty new for us.
– In fact the whole sound and ambience is colder than ever before so, where do you draw inspiration from to create that overall atmosphere/mood?
So many different sources, but the cold Norwegian mindset and attitude shines through even more on this album.
– It’s also more personal, there are less references to external influences I think. I guess this is just a natural evolution but, is sounding unique and having an own sound something you actually focus on?
THANK YOU, that is something we gave a lot of thought, to try and break the chains of our «roots» and just create something of our own. To look into ourselves, and not on a Autopsy album for instance. I want to create something that sounds like OBLITERATION. Which is something to strive for, and we are not quite there yet. It is a goal on the horizon, to create something that is somewhat unique and our own, but at the same time sounds cool. haha.
– Anyway here I notice more influences from Crust and Hardcore. How of an influence have these genres been for your new album? And not only European Crust, but American HC I would dare say.
I think this has always been there for us, there were a lot of punk on Nekropsalms also. We listen a lot to punk and hardcore, especially Arild and I. Poison Idea, Rudimentary Peni, Dead Boys, Misfits, Doom, Detestation, Cro Mags, Zero Boys, Amebix, discharge and so much more are stuff we really appreciate.
– Afgrundsprofet, from ONE TAIL ONE HEAD, did some guest vocals on the song «Goat Skull Crown». How did this cooperation born? And what could you say he brought with his vocals?
The first time we preformed the song live, before it was 100 per cent finished, he was in the crowd and completely loved the song. I think it was he who
wanted to sing a part of the track actually, so we said why not.. We have been great friends of the OTOH guys, and several key people from the Nidrosian black metal scene for a long time, so it felt more than natural to include him in the process . He brought further depth and took us to the brink of insanity with his vocal contribution. That man was forged in hell.
– All this about «Black Death Horizon» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Cold, raw and hatefull.
– You are hailing from Kolbotn, a city that has always had several interesting bands, DARKTHRONE among them of course. Fenriz is a man truly involved with the underground, and if I’m not mistaken he has supported you since your early days. How does it feel like? Has this helped to open new doors for OBLITERATION?
Sure. He is a great guy. But we are not gonna use his name to get ahead anymore, but he has meant a lot for us as a band and as people. We owe him a lot.
– Anyway Norway in general lately has a lot of good bands coming up into different genres: Black Magic, Condor, Deathhammer, Mabuse… With so many interesting bands, is easier to get attention from the crowd o is it harder to standout among the competence? In case it has any effect at all.
Not sure, we just do our thing, as we always have. But it’s without any doubt a good thing that the quality of the underground is peaking.
– And finally, what are your near-future musical plans?
New album with Nekromantheon, playing more live with Obliteration and starting to focus on our forth album.
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Thank you. Keep supporting the underground and never forget that Satan rules supreme.
