KOLDBRANN

Northern black metal gangrene

This horde is not probably a type of band, wanting to be on the tops with the others of metal gods, selling the tons of their albums and following by the trends, that can to guarantee (but mustn’t naturally…) a success and living by the life in glory. KOLDBRANN is like the enemy of everything, this band is against the all of things that are nice, beautiful and good to following. KOLDBRANN is like a real sickness, very difficult to heal, having this “something” within – something like the bacterium of gangrene, making the infected body disgusting and ugly. Exactly just the same as we wish to imagine ourselves the true black metal. Manevond, the leader of this horde convinced me during this talk very effectively among the other things about a few things regards of black metal creativity, the impulses of founding his band, not forgetting too about meaning of the name, that’s not absolutely the pure accidental concurrence of circumstances.

-Firstly a few words about the beginnings. In which kind of circumstances was formed your band and from whom came the idea to name it as KOLDBRANN? As I know, this word means in Norwegian language more or less “a gangrene”, isn’t it?
Yes, that’s true. Well, the band was formed by me in 2001 and I had a strong wish to make some raw and ugly black metal. That’s why I wanted to start with this band, because at that time there was too many shitty symphonic keyboard bands, so it was a little like the old school bands. Later I have in 2003 and 2004 forth as has come more and more old school bands, but at the time there was not so many around, so I wanted to bring back this raw style. Of course there was some bands around there, but generally…yeah. It was my wish, so the name that sounding on the word in Norwegian is really harsh and ugly, it’s a strong word and you can… Well. You can see our band and our music, our view as sore of sickness that’s spreading. We want to spread this sickness. KOLDBRANN is… you know, if you get KOLDBRANN, you have to amputate, cut it off and just spread it up, you know, it’s our goal (laugh)… Yeah!

-As you said, the music of KOLDBRANN presents itself as a raw and simply black metal. Could you tell me which bands had the biggest influence on your creativity, remembering about the fact, that for many of black metal bands as the biggest inspirations mentions the works of VENOM, HELLHAMMER, CELTIC FROST, not forgetting of course about the BM bands of early 90’s like for example DARK THRONE?
Yeah, well, all those bands are classic mandatory bands, so to say and of course stayed in a big influence to us as well, but… Well, it would be wrong to say about the influences of Norwegian scene in the early 90’s, especially about the first DODHEIMSGARD album and DARK THRONE stuff of course, “Pentagram” and “Antichrist” by GORGOROTH and then kind of stuff like MYSTICUM and… Ah, that’s mostly I wanted to listen at that time, but of course the old bands you have mentioned were also playing a big role over the years. Well, I am listening to all kinds of music really, even rock, punk music like crossed punk and this kind of stuff. Everything has the influence, but at the time it was mostly the Norwegian bands of early 90’s.

-What could you say about the bands, beginning their adventure as the black metal bands and changing later their style like for example DIMMU BORGIR or SATYRICON? How estimates you their development or rather – evolution? Would you name them still as the black metal bands?
As for development – every, everyone, everything develops I think they should do, whatever they want, that’s the main lost of everything, but… As for what’s black metal and what is not at the time – I leave it up to the internet forums, I have my opinion of what’s black metal is, but there are so many discussions about this. I don’t really care as much as long. As the music and everything is good, they can make whatever they want. We in KOLDBRANN have a view as black metal band, but some might not agree to that, but… Well, I don’t care.

-The discography of KOLDBRANN includes except of many releases like demos or EP’s only two full-length albums. What can you say about, comparing both of them?
On the first one we were inexperienced and young. We recorded everything at home, the sounding is quite… well, unique, I would say and it’s perhaps more raw and straight forward than on our later material. The “Moribund” album is more developed and more focused on writing a good riffs and a… Yeah, well, you can hear the development, it sounds a little bit modern, but I guess modern is a bad word for many people. But still it’s ugly and disharmonic way, the way that we wanted, so...

-Which kinds of themes have the lyrics of KOLDBRANN? Are you typical antichristian band or maybe are singing sometimes about something else?
Yeah, we are against all kinds of religion, but we are not as focused and the antichristian stuff, there are more sides of our lyrics. So, it’s how we view the world, how things effects us. We don’t have any limits for our lyrics, they can be taken by a different aspects of life and sickness.

-I asked about that’s why, cause remembering yet the activity of Black Metal Circle Of Norway in 90’s, which is your opinion about all of those actions? What do you think especially about burning the churches in Norway?
What I think about this? Well, it’s was a strong statement, it’s a strong thing to do, but the guys doing these works were young and rebellious. Maybe not knowing exactly about what they are doing, but most of them had later said this. I don’t think this is a right way to go. In Norway if you burn the church the government will just take a twice as much money from us, normal tax payer and the rebel make better a church, so I don’t know.

-And what could you say about Euronymous? Were you in contact with him maybe? Was he like for you a big personality of black metal scene?
Well, I can’t really answer this question, because most of us in this time was too young to have a contact with him. Of course, we remember all the articles and the posts about it, but I can’t say anything about him as a person. It would be wrong to say anything about him just judging by all those interviews, all of those rumours and so long… Yeah.

-Which kinds of awaiting do you have in due of much reunions that we have to do last time? Would you be satisfied if the almighty bands of Norwegian scene – like for example EMPEROR – would record their new albums?
No, not really, I don’t care much about EMPEROR. I think they have made a job, so to say. I am really entire a first couple of albums “Wrath Of Tyrants” and “In The Nightside Eclipse”, as I know our guitarist and drummer are the big fans, but I don’t really need EMPEROR’s reunion and we don’t really care about it. I want of course their shoot, but for me personally I don’t care about so much.

-Which only one album would you mention as the best black metal work in the history of the world?
(laugh) Well, perhaps the album, that has influenced me at the most – DARK THRONE “Under A Funeral Moon”. It’s hard to mention only one album, but this is definitely one album that had big effected on us as about.

-Last time I had an occasion to watch your excellent gig during Party San Open Air in Bad Berka. Would you like to repeat it, playing somewhere on the other of festivals like Under The Black Sun or maybe even on almighty Wacken? For the end a few words about the concert plans of KOLDBRANN, please…
We are going to play on Summer Breeze this year, that’s going to be interesting, then playing and travelling with URGEHAL, but as the biggest festival we have a few more underground festivals like Barther Open Air on the north of Germany and one open air festival in eastern Germany, where SHINING will also play there. So, that’s all for KOLDBRANN for this summer at least.



www.koldbrann.net
www.myspace.com/koldbrann

Line Up:
Mannevond - vocals, guitars
Kvass - guitars
G. (Geir) Antonsen - guitars
S.(Stian) Johnskareng - bass
Fordervelse - drums

Discography:
Nekrotisk Inkvisition (2003)
Skamslaadte Engler / Fredlos (split 2004)
Atomvinter (EP 2006)
Moribund (2006)
Koldbrann/Faustcoven (split 2006)
"Live at Ragnarök Festival 2007" (DVD 2007)
Stigma: Pa kant med livet (EP 2008)