Isvind, a Norwegian Black Metal band which should be well known by all fans of the scene. Already a couple of years ago they released their one and only album up till now called “Dark Waters Stir”. For a very long time I thought Isvind didn’t exist anymore but I was very pleased to read they were about to release a new 7″ EP very shortly. They are also on the vote list for this years Legions of the North festival in Hamar Norway.
Reason enough for me to get in touch with Arak and to have a small talk about the happenings in the Isvind camp at the moment.
Greetings Arak, how are you doing?
Hello Marcel! I’m fine thanks, you? Nice to hear someone still remembers us..
First of all,why is there such al long silence since the last (and first) album?
There are many reasons to that. After the tour in ’97 was finished we moved away from Oslo at different times making it difficult to maintain the band, but we kept on making music by ourselves. In 2002 we were both back in Oslo and we decided it was time to resurrect Isvind and work towards a new release.
As far as I know the only tour you ever did was the “Knights of Revelation” tour in march ’97 together with Hades, Helheim and Aeternus. Have you played gigs ever since or was there a complete live stop?
We played gigs in Oslo, Berlin and Bitterfeld earlier this year but apart from that the Nights of Revelation tour was the last one.
Your debut album was released on Solistium Records. Have you had the same problems as almost all other bands on that label? They should be unreliable and not trustworthy and is that the reason why there hasn’t been a follow-up after the “Dark Water Stir” album?
Well, after the tour in ’97 we were told that the only way Isvind could stay on the label was if I was kicked out of the band. Obviously totally ridiculous, as there is no band without me (or Goblin for that matter). If the word is that Solistitium/Millenium is an unreliable label I can’t say I’m sorry about it…
Your debut album has got a very simple white cover with just the Isvind logo in black. Was that the way it was supposed to be or did you had other things in mind regarding the cover and lay out?
Yeah that was excatly how we wanted it. We wanted the same design for the vinyl as well, but Solistitium didn’t have the guts to do it and insisted on a painting. The idea was to focus on the music and not fashion. We’re so pleased with the way it turned out, making the cover for the next album will be difficult.
Are there any labels interested at the moment and can we expect a new Isvind album in the future?
We are in touch with some labels concerning 7″ releases and have gotten some offers for a fullenght. After our last experience with labels we would really like to release it on our own label. Whatever happens, we are in the process of recording new tracks this winter. There will be a new album for sure.
How far are you with writing new songs and will there be a change in the musical style or can we expect icecold music in the vein of your debut album?
We have enough tracks for an album more or less. We will be working on them while recording like we did last time. The production will be different this time, more raw and demo-like… The riffs are still unmistakeably Isvind and the sound has (d)evolved to even more primitive and straight ahead Black Metal.
How do you look upon the fact that Isvind is now mentioned as one of the cult bands in Norwegian Black Metal?
I guess it took a couple of years before people realized how killer we are at playing Black Metal.
Did any of you had any side projects going on in the long and silent period after the debut album and if yes, which projects/other bands?
Yes. Goblin started making heavy metal oriented stuff and is currently in a band called Hogtide. I played in Tsjuder in 1999, and I’ve been doing different types of electronic music for quite a while.
How do you look upon the Black Metal scene nowadays and are there any good newcomer bands which you like?
I don’t know. The Black Metal scene has become very diverse and open to the public which in my opinion sucks. There’s a lot of great new bands but very few actually play Black Metal. I’m more into rediscovering older bands these days, like Ildjarn. Killer stuff…
What are your future plans with Isvind?
Play Black Metal the way it should be played. Release 7″es, demos, a cd perhaps..
Are there any other interesting things which are worth to talk about and if not the last words are completely yours!!! Thanks for the interview!!!
Thanks for the support Marcel, good luck with your zine. We are releasing a split 7″ with Orcrist in a couple of weeks. Check our website…
And to all interested ones, the website address is www.isvind.com
You’ll also find a link to the Legion of the North festival in Hamar Norway. Isvind is one of the bands you can vote on for playing the festival this year. So all fans out there vote for Isvind!
