by Citizen X

Your previous band, Zyklon, finally announced they were officially splitting up at the start of this year after going on hiatus in 2007, when and why did you decide to wrap that up and start fresh?
Samoth: It’s not so drastic really. Basically it came to a point where I felt that Zyklon didn’t have that creative fire needed to keep up the motivation. Not only that but it was also a bunch of practical factors involved, both with the band and on a personal level. I think the time had come to change path.

The Wretched End sees Samoth and Cosmocrator (MindGrinder) finally working together on another project having previously worked together in supergroup Scum. How did this come about?
Cosmo: The idea of working together has been there for many years. Scum was the first thing where we worked together on an even level artisticly, but we have been working together for years before that; most of the Zyklon material has been through my studio, Cosmoprod, for pre-Productions and such. The Wretched End is the result of us wanting to do something on our own, feeling quite inspired by the Scum sessions which was a very fun and interesting experience that got us even closer together on a professional level I guess.

Getting together to do an extreme metal project is something you’ve both wanted to do for a while, was it good to finally get together after talking about it for so long?
Cosmo: Yepp, as mentioned there’s been a seed there for a while that we now got to nurture, thus unleashing The Wretched End and “Ominous” upon the world.

You’ve had a long and productive relationship with Candlelight Records, starting way back when you were in Emperor, has that helped along the way, having a well respected extreme label give you constant backing?
Samoth: Yeah, it’s soon 20 years since I signed my first contract with Candlelight Records. I guess you could say that they are sort of like family. It will always be ups and downs, but altogether a good run. My label Nocturnal Art is also an imprint with Candlelight Records, so it made sense for me to do The Wretched End album under the Nocturnal Art banner.

The album, Ominous, came out 25th October, do you have particularly high hopes for its reception, with it being the debut album and the first step in a new chapter of your career?
Samoth: I’m very pleased with the final outcome of the album, and I actually this it’s my best release since Emperor’s “Anthems…” or “IX Equilibrium”. I hope and think it will be well received by the fans. So far the feedback great!

Are there any lyrical themes running through the album?
Samoth: Yes, it’s all pretty much based around social decay and doomsday rhetoric. Some are quite critical towards modern man and many of his weird ways, talking about so called modern world bliss, self destructive ways of human nature, lack of connection to nature, etc. And of course there are some more anti religious lyrics, like “Fleshbomb”, which is about the religious extremists, and party seen from inside the mind of a suicide bomber, and “Last Judgement” is written sort of in a biblical way, but with a very atheistic conclusion at the end. This time I wrote most of the lyrics myself actually, with some help from my wife, who contributed with one lyric, and old comrade Bård Faust, who wrote a few.

The band’s logo is pretty cool, does it tie in to the themes of the album?
Cosmo: The logo idea is Samoth’s, and ultimately done by Swedish designer Johan Hammarman and is very much linked to our concept. I feel it radiates the opposites in nature and civilization, life and death and calls upon the viewer to notice that contrast. Apart from that it’s a strong symbol and it looks really cool, he he!

Ominous sees you take a more thrash oriented direction to Death Metal than when you were with Zyklon and you’re well known for consistently changing and adapting your style over the years, do you think it’s important for musicians to constantly be pushing themselves in different musical directions?
Samoth: Yeah, it’s a good way to keep motivated. I don’t feel I need to be stuck doing just one straightforward style really. But havening said that, I feel that both Emperor, Zyklon and The Wretched End are all within the realm of extreme metal.

You had written and demoed most of the album by the spring of 2009, so how was it that Nils came to join the band?
Cosmo: Adding Nils to the mix was a thought through decision, he just had what we felt it would take to get this whole thing sound the way we wanted. Samoth had some encounters with him some years ago and his performance simply made an impression that stuck.

The album was recording through 2009 and the first half of 2010, how did that go? Any problems along the way, or stories worth sharing?
Cosmo: Ah, you want the juicy stuff, ha ha?!? It all went real smooth I must say, no major problems at all really. We worked at Strand Studio with Marius Strand, a great engineer and a great guy. At Strand Studio Nils was quickly done tracking his drums and we got an amazing guitar sound and nailed some real tight guitars. I did the bass and vocals in my studio and brought the tracks back to the studio where we had it all mixed. And we all got addicted to the burgers at the local grill. Damn good burgers!

Do you have any current touring plans for once the album is released?
Cosmo: No, not at the moment.

In regards to touring, do you have a live line-up sorted, or is that something you’re still working on?
Cosmo: Nope, we have been focused on working on a new album and that is going real well. It was the plan really so; everything is going as planned at the moment. And yes, we dont see the current recording lineup as a full live lineup and Nils is currently in Australia. But we we’ll see, doing The Wretched End live is not excluded, but not our focus at the moment.

Back in 2006-2007, you and Ihsahn reformed Emperor to do a few one off gigs and festivals. Do you reckon you'll ever do that again?
Samoth: There are no such plans, but it for sure would be fun. The Emperor live reunion was a great experience.

2005 saw you guys release a widely regarded album as part of supergroup Scum, with Casey Chaos. Are we likely to ever see another record from Scum?
Cosmo: Hmm, I don’t see it as very likely at the moment, but one never knows. We never officially disbanded the band, yet there has been no talks or work connected to it since 2005.

Do you ever regret any of the things you did during your youth, back in the burgeoning days of the Norwegian Black Metal scene?
Samoth: Nah, I’m sure there are things that could have been done and said differently, but that’s life. I don’t look so much into the past, I rather try to focus on the present and where I’m heading.

Have there ever been times in your career when you’ve considered giving it all up and going to work in an office or get a “normal” job?
Samoth: No, I never thought of giving up! I think there would be a big void in my life without the music. I’ve during the years taken a bit of schooling on the side though, and today I also work part time as a graphic designer for an outdoor company.

Throughout the course of your career, you’ve been an inspiration to many young musicians and other bands, are there any bands out there at the moment that are an influence on you?
Samoth: I’m a metalhead and love the classic metal that I grew up with, be it heavy metal death, black or thrash metal. It’s my musical foundation and this is what always influenced me throughout the years.

Anything else you’d like to add/say to our readers?
Samoth: Thanks for the interview! To all the readers, show your support and check out our debut album, I think you’ll enjoy it!!! Also check out our official webstore, at www.omerch.com