Fawkes: You do PECCATUM together with your wife Ihriel. I don't really know, but I imagine it's tough. I mean, all the troubles you face making music end up spilling into your private life. How do you deal with that?
Ihsahn: There's no problem at all. I mean, there's a reason we work together, and that's our common musical goal. So there's absolutely no conflict or whatsoever. I must say that this is a very constructive collaboration.
Fawkes: Some journalists still can't figure out who is whose wife. They say that PECCATUM is a project of yours and your wife's, and that HAGALAZ' RUNEDANCE is your wife's project too…
Ihsahn: That's not the case. There's a mix-up. That's Samoth's ex-wife (Andrea 'Nebel' Haugen — F.) who does that project. I can understand why people confuse us. There are two guys from EMPEROR and people don't know for sure who is who. I think that's why it happens...
Fawkes: Your town Notodden is very small. You and Ihriel must be the most well-known couple there…
Ihsahn: I wouldn't say so. It's really small — about 12,000 inhabitants. It's so local. You'll never become a prophet in your own country, they say. And especially not in your own town. We're more or less left alone and just do our own thing.
Fawkes: You say! Try an ICQ search and you'll certainly find about fifteen young 'ihsahns' between 15 and 17 years old, all from Notodden…
Ihsahn: (chuckles) That's probably true. You mean like email addresses and nicknames on chat portals, that kind of stuff? I mean, I'm not sure what you're getting at (laughs)...
Fawkes: Never mind! Stream of consciousness, you know. Let's talk about the newest PECCATUM album, "Lost In Reverie." Is it a concept album as usual?
Ihsahn: Not really. It's strongly contrasted musically. Lyrically we tried to create a common thread running through the whole album, but there's no concrete logical concept. In that sense, "Lost In Reverie" is a gathering of the surreal atmosphere we tried to express on this album. There's actually very little that's concrete — nothing is debated or confirmed. It's more subtle and impressionist.
Fawkes: I haven't heard it yet, but I imagine it's both beautiful and complex…
Ihsahn: (chuckles) Oh, thank you!
Fawkes: The two previous albums were released in a short period from 1999 to 2000. Why did the recording take so long this time?
Ihsahn: We've been rather busy, you know. While I was working on this album, Ihriel was doing her solo album in STAR OF ASH. I don't know if you've heard anything about it in russia...
Fawkes: Yes, I've heard about STAR OF ASH (ambient project — F.)!
Ihsahn: Yeah? So she did that. Meanwhile I wrote the last EMPEROR album. At the same time, we've been building up our own record label (Mnemosyne — F.). And we've also been heavily focused on studio work in our own studio. It took quite a long time with this album also because we wanted to go in a new direction. We needed some time to distance ourselves from the previous two PECCATUM albums. We experimented a lot. We threw away enough material for probably two albums, you know, in the process of arriving at the songs that are on "Lost In Reverie." We were very thorough with everything during the making of "Lost In Reverie," and maybe that's why it took such a long time.
Fawkes: You've done great work, but there's even more still to be done, isn't there?
Ihsahn: Yes. Every time an album is released we have to deal a lot with press, but this time we're responsible for our own label too. It's the business side of things. It's quite time-consuming.
Fawkes: OK. But I mean, you're going on tour now, maybe?
Ihsahn: Er, well, we've been getting questions and offers for doing live shows already, but due to the complexity of the arrangements, this isn't the type of music you could just bring out with a regular band. I can't imagine us going on a full two-month European tour playing every day. If we do play live, which we're seriously considering, that would have to be a very big project on its own, and probably fewer shows. There would need to be a big ensemble. Don't misunderstand me — I mean a large band with keyboardists and other people playing different instruments to be able to make it work.
Fawkes: So you're saying that PECCATUM is a studio project now?
Ihsahn: More or less. We're very occupied with studio work. But we are definitely looking for opportunities to perform this live.
Fawkes: Previously you played all the instruments yourself. But now it's said that Ihriel plays some instruments too. Which ones does she actually play?
Ihsahn: She's always been doing the keyboard parts and vocals. Also programming and digital patchwork. She plays piano and guitar as well. We work together on everything!
Fawkes: But maybe there are some exotic instruments on "Lost In Reverie"?
Ihsahn: Originally, when we were writing the material, we used different samplers. We brought in all kinds of percussive stuff, we played some flute and distorted it afterwards. The album sounds very electronic, and the most exotic parts are maybe the drum parts from Knut Aalefjaer, the jazz drummer. He played on some songs. He's an excellent percussionist!
Fawkes: What words applied to your music would be the best compliment for you?
Ihsahn: Oh, it's really hard to say. I suppose the acknowledgments from fans are... Or are you talking about something concrete, like awards?
Fawkes: No, no, you understand me right!
Ihsahn: Yeah? (chuckles) In fact, we're very proud of all the achievements we've made, but of course they wouldn't have happened if people weren't interested...
Fawkes: OK. You've mentioned your own label at least twice now. Tell me, what does a band need to be like in order to get signed to Mnemosyne?
Ihsahn: We aren't necessarily set on specific genres. There are plenty of labels already that deal with average black metal or death metal. We want to focus on things that happen on the borderline of all that. There's crossover between metal influences and electronic stuff. Or industrial stuff, you know. Generally, it could be described as innovative, dark, and high-quality.
Fawkes: You mean bands like ULVER?
Ihsahn: Not necessarily like ULVER. That's more of an indie electronic thing, I would say. We're trying to aim at something in between that...
Fawkes: Well, is there an already existing and well-known band you would sign with great pleasure?
Ihsahn: (laughs) I wouldn't put it that way. We're hoping to get some demos soon. We already have people who've sent us their stuff. We're just looking out for whatever good comes our way. So I couldn't name a particular band we'd like to have. (chuckles)
Fawkes: I think that a golden age has begun for Norwegian black metal. SATYRICON signed a deal with EMI, DIMMU BORGIR won the Spellemannprisen, ULVER are the most sought-after soundtrack composers in both Norway and Sweden. It looks like the media have finally acknowledged your efforts…
Ihsahn: To some extent, I would say. I suppose that's more or less true. In many ways, original black metal has been the biggest cultural explosion to come out of Norway. Norwegian media is picking up on it and giving it more publicity than before. But I believe that extreme black metal bands from Norway still have to do fifty times more than regular rock and pop artists in Norway to get the same kind of publicity. We have some bands in Norway, more in the rock/pop genres, that easily get a two-page spread in our national newspapers for playing a concert for two hundred people. Most of the original black metal bands did that very early. (chuckles) We played for two hundred people in London in 1993, after the first EP with EMPEROR. There's no fairness to it. It's also a matter of market, since the actual sales happen outside of Norway. So obviously the general public in Norway is not that interested in black metal.
Fawkes: C'est la vie… I read somewhere that you grew up on a farm…
Ihsahn: Yes, that's true.
Fawkes: Was it a cozy little house you called a farm, or a real big farm with pigs and geese?
Ihsahn: It's actually a big farm. It never had pigs or geese. Mainly cows...
Fawkes: Cows? Er… Do you like animals?
Ihsahn: If I like animals? Yes, of course!
Fawkes: Do you have any?
Ihsahn: Yes, we have a dog.
Fawkes: A dog? A big one or a small one?
Ihsahn: She's rather big. It's an akita. Do you know the breed?
Fawkes: I think so…
Ihsahn: It's quite similar to a sled dog. But not exactly the same. I think it was the Japanese national breed or something. She's a female and she's about the size of a grown shepherd, I think.
Fawkes: I know that every parent dreams of their child becoming a lawyer, a dentist, or at least a president. What did your parents want you to become?
Ihsahn: I don't think there were any particular expectations in that regard. I started playing guitar at a very early age. I was 10 or 12. By the time I was 15, I'd decided that this was what I wanted to do. And from then on I think they expected me to become a musician...
Fawkes: Imagine that things turn out in such a way that you have to teach children at a regular school in Notodden. What subject would you choose to teach?
Ihsahn: I actually teach guitar at a music school!
Fawkes: Do you?!
Ihsahn: Yes, I do. My students are primarily into IRON MAIDEN and KING DIAMOND stuff, so we basically only teach metal...
Fawkes: Wow! Here in russia, if you go to a music school, there's a very slim chance you'll get a teacher who can teach you how to play heavy metal…
Ihsahn: (chuckles) ...Or even black metal, you know?
Fawkes: I wouldn't even dream of black metal!!!
Ihsahn: I should say though that this is a bit of a coincidence. If you think that in every Norwegian music school the children learn to play heavy metal, that's not how things actually work...
Fawkes: Have you heard about the catastrophe in Korea?
Ihsahn: The train accident?
Fawkes: Yes, the train accident. Could you comment on that?
Ihsahn: Er… but nobody really knows anything about it yet...
Fawkes: What do you mean, sorry?
Ihsahn: I mean that nobody knows how many people were hurt...
Fawkes: Our media says it's about three thousand people!
Ihsahn: Yes? That's terrible...
Fawkes: And what makes it even more terrible is that Korean politicians are trying to conceal the facts.
Ihsahn: Yes.
Fawkes: Imagine that you've been granted the omnipotence of God for just five minutes. What would you rush to do?
Ihsahn: That's a very hard question. I don't think I could answer it. There would be a lot of things that would spring to mind, you know. There's so much wrong in the world, so much I disagree with. I don't think I'm right about everything. All people justify themselves. And even given both the opportunity and the responsibility, it would be hard for me to make a big decision on behalf of everybody...
Fawkes: What do you know about russia?
Ihsahn: Far too little. It's actually very close but so far away...