By Bradley Smith
Can you give us a little background information on the band seeing as there aren’t any English interviews out there with Diskord?
I surely will! Hans Jørgen, our beloved drummer and “throat-wrencher”, contacted me (I’m the guitarist, by the way) back in the year of somebody’s lord 1999. He asked me if I wanted to jam out some classic death metal tunes. By doing so he stimulated my glands and I immediately responded positively. After about a year of maniacal rehearsals and non-sobriety, a twisted friend of mine introduced me to Eyvind. He was able to produce low, rumbling frequencies with his instrument, which was precisely what we were looking for to become a real band. As the years went by, we played some gigs and recorded a couple of demos, and most recently an EP, which brings me to your next question …
You have a 7” coming out on an Italian label. Can you tell us a little about this and how the deal came about? How come it is only for a 7” and not a complete album? And what does the title of it (HDFH) mean?
Actually, there are some uncertainties surrounding the 7” release. I cannot at this point go into any details – all I can say is that nobody’s sure if it will be released by the specific label or not. Only time will tell! Concerning the title: It shall remain cryptic until the release!
I must say that I am highly impressed with both the Demo and the advance tracks you sent me for the HDFH 7”. You guys possess a high degree of musicianship yet you temper it somewhat to your style of songwriting. Is it hard to tone down what you are capable of as musicians?
I’m pleased to hear that you’re exposing yourself as a sickened individual by admitting to liking our insalubrious form of music! To linguistically tone things down a bit; I would not say that we’re extraordinary musicians, technically speaking. But we are perhaps able to come up with some original and unconventional ideas within the stagnant (death) metal genre. In my opinion this is not necessarily a good thing if it goes too far out in the blue, but to this point I think we’ve managed to somewhat have one foot firmly attached on the ground, and the other foot dangling in the open air. We’re not setting out to become just another clone. People are often preaching about individuality in metal, but practicing what you preach is obviously not a high goal for many.
The lyrics for your Aural Abjection demo are totally insane. You guys use English words that most people who actually speak English as a first language never use. Was this a calculated move or did it just develop kind of on its own?
Eyvind is the one who’s the master of such a vast vocabulary. I guess he takes it from the inner sanctum of his mind! As far as I’m aware of, this has not been a calculated move from his side. Neither has it been for me. We write what we’re capable of, and if this means we could emit our expressions through insane lyrics (and music), so be it! Hans Jørgen has not yet contributed lyrically, reason he is a mongoloid dyslectic (no wonder since he has joined Endwarfment)! Fortunately, his musical contributions are of a much higher standard than what to expect from such a person’s written output!
I have heard rumor that after your stellar Aural Abjection demo you have gotten some label interest. Can you tell us who it is? What kind of deal are they looking to get from you?
As tumors, rumors are most often negative when positive! In this case, I am the spawn of the spreading tumor, so it can be considered negative. In clearer words: Yes, there is a Norwegian label which has shown interest in dealing with us. In the talks are a re-mastered version of Aural Abjection and also a digital release (CD) of HDFH. I won’t speak more of it at this moment, because ink has not been spilled yet.
How does it feel to play death metal in a country whose main musical output is black metal? Does this make you feel more isolated or stronger since you are going your own way rather than following the herd?
I see more and more bands playing death metal the last few years. The problem is that the majority of these bands have nothing interesting to come up with, in my opinion. Since we’re neither playing mainstream death metal nor black metal, I guess we feel that we’re more or less outsiders. We’re not part of the prominent black metal scene, but at the same time I get the idea that people appreciate us for this.
Also I have noticed in the few pictures I have seen of you guys you kind of stay away from the “typical image” that most extreme bands kind of adhere to. Do you feel that this is more suited to your identity or is this just another way to swim against the stream?
I have never had the urge to dye my hair black or wear black clothes or anything like that. As long as you have some personality in your style, that’s what matters. But, metal, as punk in the late 70’s, has often conformed to uniformity. This was not really the original idea. I guess most human beings are afraid of being different from other people, feeling safer blending into the mass. I don’t like being conspicuous myself, but at the same time I try to preserve my identity to some degree, at least.
I know in my review I compared you guys somewhat to early Carbonized. What bands do you think had a great impact on your development? Are there any bands that helped steer you down the path of extreme metal?
Carbonized is a band I enjoy and I can very much see the parallel you’re drawing between them and us. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t say they have been a direct influence on my compositional work. In the name of namedropping Autopsy and Death were amongst the bands that made me subject my wretched self to extremely devastating music!
It seems there is a lot of uncertainty and fear in the world today. Does that sense of foreboding penetrate Norwegian society at all? How does living in this quiet country affect your songwriting (if at all)?
You may be right about the current state of the world. Many places have been plagued with terror. I don’t get the feeling that this affects Norwegians much in what they do or how they lead their lives. People stay calm and do what they usually do. I think today’s younger generations are more concerned, confused or frustrated about the society that is in our immediate vicinity, but that’s another story. Our surroundings sometimes affect songwriting, but what does so the most is our detrimental inner world!
Do you feel that a person’s philosophy has any place in their musical compositions? I feel it should play an integral role in their musical output since it is a facet of their life that has a direct impact on their artistic expressions. But then again that’s just my opinion. Where do you stand on the issue?
It depends. I mean, I’m not listening to punk if I want to philosophize. That’s pure aggression and energy. This goes for much of metal, too. Our musical philosophy should of course play an integral role in what we do, to maintain musical integrity. Our personal philosophies concerning life and death do not necessarily influence the way of composing. Rather the lyrics, which are also an important part of our artistic expression as a whole.
All bands seem to be setting up websites to promote their bands. Do you think that it is essential in this era to have a website? What do you think of technology and humanity’s interaction with it?
I think a web of spiders is more essential than a website. If you get my drift? Probably not. Well, seriously, it seems having a website is more or less essential these days. Everybody’s online, so to speak. I don’t see any problems with having an informative and austere website. As long as we have control over technology, and not vice versa, the human aspect will not deteriorate.
Most people try to have their music progress. How do you see your music evolving in the future? What significant differences do you feel you made from Aural Abjection to HDFH?
It’s hard to predict the evolution of the band because there has been and will be musical and artistic conflicts along the way. We all have strong opinions about things, and often we’re on the opposite poles. This is healthy to some extent, but not if it overshadows productiveness and motivation. Personally I think Aural Abjection has a darker feel to it, altogether. The lyrics paint a quite pessimistic and grim future, while maybe the sound and production adds to this. In this respect, at least at larger percentage of HDFH is a bit more straight forward death metal aggressiveness than anything else.
Petter Berntsen from Audiopain turned me on to your music. Do you guys have any special relationship with Audiopain? What about any other bands in your community? I have noticed in my experience that bands in the same location can form a spirited bond.
Credit to Petter for spreading the tumor! I have actually never met him in person, only corresponded with him electronically. Sverre of Audiopain arranged a concert with us the place where he lives, which was great of course, but other than this we have no special bond to Audiopain. They do make some killer thrash metal, though! We’re friends with many people within the local metal scene, and some of them play in different bands. Other than the occasional drinking orgies and gig goings, we stay for the most part with our own clique.
What else can we expect from you guys in the future? Any touring or new albums to assault us with? And speaking of touring, is there any place outside of Norway that you would like to see? Why?
At this time there are no plans for any type of recording; we’re concentrating on decomposing new songs these days. Which is the most important thing, really. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, there will be a full-length album. We have been discussing a small Norwegian tour together with fellow metalheads noplacetohide, in the beginning of next year. I believe there are many crazy parts of the world where touring would be an utmost experience. Asia and South America, for instance. I imagine they are less reluctant in letting out the wild beast!
Any parting thoughts or advice for us aimless wanderers?
Thank you, Brad, for showing dedicated interest in Diskord! Aim at the heart, because the beams will go wild. And remember, stay aberrant!
For more info check out Diskord's website at www.diskord.net