Interview with Kristoffer of V:28 2008

By Bradley Smith

So V:28 has called it a day.  What events lead to this decision and how do you feel leaving such a significant part of your life behind?  Are there any particular legacies you want V:28 to be remembered for?

There’s a few reasons why we chose to call it a day this year. The primary reason is that we finished off the trilogy rather successfully, seen from our point of view, and the whole existence of V:28 has been based on the trilogy. It has also been a part of the plan since the concept took form, but we haven’t been sure about until we finished the last album in the trilogy. I’m especially referring to the band name and the logo… the cycle is complete, and everything point as this conclusion. At the same time I’m kind of drained of ideas and energy at the moment, and have been for the last year, so there’s no point in continuing if we don’t have the energy or ability to proceed with the same quality. We have been very focused on doing things right, first and foremost artistically, and we see no point in breaking that tradition now. V:28 is not just another band, it’s something special, so we rather want to continue working with music in other bands or projects, and leave V:28 at the right point. I feel the last album was the very peak of our creativity, and from where I stand today, I have no idea how to surpass it… I rather want us to be remembered for the work we did, and the way we did it, instead of just being another band that fades away without being noticed. Let’s go down with a bang! 

So what is next for the musicians involved in V:28?  What other projects are you guys going to be involved in?  Have you been composing music since you made this decision?

Eddie and Atle’s other band, Ancestral Legacy, has just finished the recording of their debut album, and they are currently looking for label to release it. They also recorded an EP in the same recoding session that’s available now. The music differs a lot from V:28, and I guess it can be best described as dark gothic doom metal. If you imagine a mix of Opeth, Rapture, The Gathering (older stuff), etc. you kind of get the idea what they sound like. Check them out at www.ancestrallegecy.com. I’m still active in the industrial band Kristoffer Nyströms Orkester, and we are currently starting to work with some ideas for our second album. I have no idea when it might surface, but meanwhile be sure to check out www.myspace.com/knoprojekt. Even though V:28 is calling it a day this year, the guys involved in the band might continue to work together, but we have no idea when and in what form. Like I said, since the recording of the “VioLution” album I have been totally drained of ideas, so I haven’t worked much with music since then. So if we form a new band I guess we will have a different band structure. I guess you could say V:28 was like a democratic dictatorship, so maybe a different structure would span new ideas and ways of thinking music.

So how has the response to new album been over the last year or so since you released it?  I have noticed strong positive critical praise for the album in the publications that I have seen that reviewed it.

The response to the album has been great, and I think we’ve got very good response to all the albums we’ve done. I read a few reviews where the album has been said to be among the best albums released in 2007, which is a great achievement in my eyes. There were a lot of strong releases that year, so I’m really happy we get noticed. However, V:28 is still an underground band, and I guess we always will be, so there’s a limitation to how much exposure we get. I would like to use this opportunity to send a big “fuck off” to a lot of the bigger magazines and promoters out there. All they care about is the money they can suck out of every band and label, instead of focusing on their job, which I believe is spreading the word about good music. Even though we do this on an ideological level, it’s still very inspiring to get feedback and from both press and fans. After all, if it was all about a big ego trip, there wouldn’t be any point in releasing an album at all.

I read that there will be an album of remixes coming out in the near future.  How did this project come together and what artists will be involved?

We actually started to talk about this right after the release of our debut back in 2003. We have had sporadical contact with most of the bands that will be featured on this release over the years, even though the line up has changed a bit.  As a band we’ve gotten in touch with a lot of different artists, and it is very exciting to see how this project will turn out.  For the first time there is a working process that we don’t take part in and control. It’s a rather weird feeling, but very exciting.  The Artists involved are Negru Voda, Manes, Origami Galaktika, LRZ (Red Harvest), Desiderii Marginis, des Esseintes/The Protagonist, Nordvargr, Beyond Sensory Experience, Thrawn Hellspawn (Paradigma, ex-Dodheimsgard), and Shinjuku Thief.  Along with the remixes the album will also feature two cover tracks, one of Bleak, which is a side project of Lycia that released only one album, and we’re also doing a cover of Swans, the best band in the World.  

Since you made the decision to end V:28 you have still decided to do live performances.  Why continue to do them as V:28?  When and where will you final concert as V:28 be held or have you even made that determination yet?

We will only continue to do live shows throughout this year, and we feel it’s the right thing to do. There are too many bands that just quit without any “warning” or anything, and I think we owe it to the fans to give them a few chances to catch one of our live shows before we call it a day for good. Unfortunately we’re not able to play in many of the places that we have many loyal fans, due to financial reasons. We would love to go on a full scale European and US tour, but being an underground band, and working with an “underground budget” simply doesn’t allow things like that. We are currently taking to a local promoter about arranging the last farewell gig. I guess it will be in our home town, Arendal in the south of Norway, some time in the end of November or beginning of December. Nothing is confirmed as of now, but I hope to have all the details confirmed soon, so we can announce it in good time. Make sure to check out our Myspace profile (www.myspace.com/v28band) or website (www.v28.com) for regular updates.

As a band that blended the metal genre with the industrial/electronic scene, what are some bands/artists from the industrial/electronic scene that metal heads should be familiar with?  What makes these artists special to you?

Hmm… too many to mention, but I’ll try to keep it short and stick to the most essential ones, hehe! The Swedish industrial band MZ.412 is among my all time favourites. They have a very unique sound and do a brilliant job mixing dark atmospheres with rhythmic passages and samples. The music is very dramatic and brutal yet beautiful, and they manage to make an atmosphere few bands could ever dream of. Megaptera is another band in the same vein as MZ.412, but has a few other trademarks that make it stand out from most of the other bands in the same genre. Very cinematic and “horror like soundtrack”. G.G.F.H. is a must! Their sound is much closer to EBM and acts like Skinny Puppy than the two other bands mentioned, and the music is pretty much based upon loops and samples. A view into the dirty backyard of America. Music for mass murder, haha! All their albums are very hard to get hold of, and they are quite legendary by now. Genocide Organ is also quite different from the other bands mentioned. They have a much more powerful and “in your face” sound, and if played at correct volume it feels like being hit by a concrete wall. I just saw them live, and that is without doubt the most brutal and powerful show I’ve ever seen. There’s also a few other bands in the “Swedish industrial society” that have a more calm sound that I would recommend people to check out. Deutsch Nepal, Beyond Sensory Experience and Raison d’Etre to name a few…

As a band focussed on the end of the world, how do you see this end coming?  Do you think you will ever see it in your lifetime?  How would the end of the world make you feel?

What’s been great working with this issue over the years we’ve been working with V:28 is the constant focus on the changes in the World. Globally the climate has changed for the worse, and I think a lot of people are walking dead end streets with their so-called sustainable solutions. The energy crisis is very interesting, and lately farmers have been encouraged to grow corn for biofuel production instead of food, which has lead to an increase in the food costs and a shortage of food globally. We have also seen tendencies of what some people consider a new Cold War, as the “old arch enemies” are escalating their military activities. More countries are getting their hands on nuclear power technology, which is a great concern for organisations like the UN and the !World Police”. So, is this the end of the World? Ethically and morally? Maybe. Physically, as in the end if the human race? No… As of now Mother Earth is over populated, but how should we deal with this problem? Should we let the rich and wealthy survive and the let the ones who don’t have the resources to get food starve to death. Should we let Mother Earth do the job, in true darwinistic manners? Getting back on the right course is definitely a tough challenge, both morally and economically!

As we talked before about your fear of the human need to understand the universe, I was wondering if you had any personal revelations in relation to that topic.  Do you prefer topics such on the “Micro” scale such as Quantum Mechanics or on the “Macro” scale such as Neutron stars and quasars?  Why?

I haven’t had any personal revelations regarding this topic, but I kind of wish I had, hehe! It’s definitely an interesting topic, and I guess what fascinates me, is the fact that this is one of the questions that we will never get a singular answer to. There are so many theories, and as times goes by, it seems like more and more questions arise. At the same time as it’s kind of frustrating not knowing the “secrets of the universe”, I think it’s a healthy thing. If mankind was omnipotent, what more would there be to explore? I really never thought of the topic on a micro or macro scale… hmm, good question! On an existential level I guess the micro scale is more interesting than the macro scale, but when it comes to the downfall of mankind and the planet Earth I guess the macro scale applies pretty well. We know for sure that the Earth will incinerate to ashes as the sun will grow and eventually burst… For me the question isn’t whether or not we will be alive to witness this event, when the temperature and climate becomes unbearable for human life on this planet. I think there are a lot of other existential challenges that we will face way sooner than this. Even today there are a lot of conflicts that might escalate up to a level where human existence is a question of “to be or not to be”.   

Do you think in this age of Science and reason that there is really any role for religion left?  Do you see a new religion rising in the future to replace our current ones and if so what do you think it will be based on?

It certain parts of the world I think religion still has a major role, at least the “authority” and “power” it gives certain group leaders. Whether or not the group members or followers have any religious believes is another question… I think most of the spirituality is long gone. Religion is the way I see it a very powerful weapon for leaders to recruit and control members to their groups. Most terrorists claim to have deep religious believes but I’m quite sure most of them are just familiar with the written word, and have never had any spiritual or metaphysical revelations. Regarding new religions I don’t think there will be any, talking fundamental values and the way people picturing a living god. However, it seems to be more subspecies of existing religions, and some of these directions seem to be very “fascist” and “discriminating”. In the modern and to some degree economically independent world, I think most people are materialists and don’t have the need for a religious belief. I think hard times such as poverty, hunger and suppression makes people believe and hope for better times to come. In many cases, like we’ve seen lately, the big cultural and economical diversity will spawn fundamentalism.

Looking back on the long years of V:28’s existence, tell me how things grew for both the band and yourself.  What would you have liked to do differently and what moments are you most proud of?

It’s been some great years, and looking back at it makes everything worthwhile. The band has become more and more personal over the years, and even though I have a different approach to the concept today than what I had when we started out, I feel both the band and I have grown closer. I know it might sound silly, but that’s just how I feel it, haha! Everything changes over the years, and it would be silly not to adapt changes around you or in your life to your art. Creativity and inspiration changes, and so does the outcome unless you stick to a certain formula, but that has never been an option for either myself or V:28. I try not to look back at things thinking I could have done this or that to make things better, and even if I did it wouldn’t help much. I’m very proud of what we achieved with V:28, but there are of course some things that stick out. Recording the first album, and being a part of the whole process was very interesting and we learned a lot from it, and of course coming home from school lat at night seeing there’s a package from Vendlus Records in the mail with the first edition of the album. Magical moment! Other moments that are worth mentioning are the debut gig we did as support for Enslaved, the gig at the Hole In The Sky Metal Festival in 2003 prior to the release of the debut album and the release party for the “SoulSaviour” album. The latter one probably being the best concert we’ve ever done. Not technically but the atmosphere was just awesome and the crowd was crazy!  

Will you state on the record right here and now whether or not there will ever be a possibility of a V:28 reunion. Why or why not?

Personally I’m not a big fan of reunions, and in most cases I think it’s the economical aspect that is the main reason why bands reunite. The qualities of the performances or records are often a result of that as well. However, I cannot say with 100 % guarantee that it will never happen with V:28, but the chances are very slim…as close to zero as it gets. Over the years I’ve had a burning desire to work with V:28 and to put all my energy into it to make it as good as possible. V:28 will always be something very special to me, and I guess it would be hard to start over again from where we’re leaving now. Every era in ones life has its moments, and one should always be careful before starting an old machine that has been standing still for years...

I will leave the Final words for you as this is a moment of actual finality for V:28.

Thanks to Nocturnal Cult and its readers for the interest in V:28 over the years. Make sure to catch the limited trilogy box set. We have a few copies left… this is the ultimate V:28 collectors item. The end is nigh!