A few days ago I received Stillhet’s debut demo ‘Gjemt I Skyggene’ and from the start on it completely blew me away. Stillhet is a Norwegian Black Metal band playing in the vein of old Burzum, and just like on the older albums of Burzum, also here on this demo from Stillhet there is that macabre and sinister aura surrounding the music. Nowadays I receive more and more high quality demos but at this point Stillhet tops them all. Really interesting and to the core Black Metal the way it should be. I decided to ask Jan Inge some questions regarding Stillhet and this is the result of our conversation.
Hello Jan Inge, how are you doing?
Hello Marcel! Can’t complain at all. Right now I’m just relaxing as it’s finally weekend for me.
Can you first of all tell the complete history of Stillhet as I guess not many people out there are familiar with your band?
Stillhet started with my first attempts at creating my own music after I had been playing guitar for about half a year. That was around December 2003. A month or two later I had made my first song which is the title track of the demo. The first version of that song sounded kind of crappy. It was recorded with my old computer and I had no experience with mixing. My guitars and vocal skills also sucked. In the early summer of 2003 I started playing in a band with Martin Søby, Erik Pettersen and Kristoffer Lukasssen. We weren’t very serious and most of the time went to jamming and playing covers. After a break we decided to start rehearsing my material and the rest of the guys have since then been full-time members of Stillhet. In the meantime I started recording the first Stillhet demo entitled ‘Gjemt I Skyggene’. The rest is history.
And what does Stillhet mean and why have you chosen this name as band-name? Does it somehow reflect the lyrics?
Stillhet means silence in English. I guess you can say it reflects the theme of the lyrics. Sometimes pure silence is the ultimate therapy for my soul. Also, it’s always funny when people who’re not into Black Metal comes up with jokes like ‘this music doesn’s sound very silent to me, haha’…
Now we’re talking about the lyrics, what are they about and are they important to you? Do you have a message you want to spread with your lyrics? And where do you get your influences from when writing lyrics?
Writing lyrics is for me the hardest part of songwriting. My lyrics are mainly about depression, darkness and insanity. They are influenced by my own experiences and imagination. I also try to write something that fits the atmosphere of the music. I mean, you can’t play an utterly destructive and depressing song and at the same time sing about flowers and love.
Musically speaking I would say your biggest influence must be Burzum, am I right here? And why have you chosen to cover ‘Spell of destruction’ for on the demo? I have to say the cover is well done and it captures the same aura as the original version.
I guess you can say Burzum is one of my main influences, but I also try to create something unique with my music. The reason why I covered ‘Spell of destruction’ is because it’s one of my all-time favourites and it’s the song which got me interested in Burzum. I also chose that song because it had potential for me to add my own personal touch to the recording.
Furthermore there is a track written by Akira Yamaoka on your demo. What can you say about this track and who is Akira Yamaoka?
That track is also taken from the Silent Hill videogame. Akira Yamaoka is the composer of all music and sound effects in the Silent Hill series and I really admire his work. No one else can create such an eerie and horrifying atmosphere. I’m really fascinated by the occult themes of these games. I guess people could say it’s kind of nerdy to have stuff from a videogame in a Black Metal release, but I don’t care, Silent Hill is evil as fuck!
‘Gjemt I Skyggene’ is recorded all by yourself but in the meantime Stillhet grew out to a ‘real’ band. So can you introduce the new members to us and in which other bands have they played before? And will you still be the one responsible for the music and lyrics or have you started to work more like a ‘real’ band now in which all members have equally much to say?
We are all very young (I’m eighteen, Erik and Kristoffer are seventeen and Martin is only sixteen) so none of us has played in any other serious bands. Erik and Kristoffer are the ones with most experience since they have been playing together for some years now. A few others have been rehearsing with them before Martin and I joined. At the moment we are trying to rehearse enough songs to play a short live set, so we haven’t been able to create something together yet, but I think we will cooperate more in the songwriting-process in the future.
‘Gjemt I Skyggene’ is only out since a short time but how are the reactions so far from the press? And are you satisfied yourself with ‘Gjemt I Skyggene’? And why have you decided to release it in such a small number? I mean, 150 copies is not much for such a high quality demo.
I haven’t done much promotion yet, but the feedback I have gotten has been really good. I’m quite happy with the result as ‘Gjemt I Skyggene’ was recorded with very bad equipment. I really didn’t think there was a reason to release more than 150 copies, but now I’ve sold out almost half of the copies, most of them to various distros. So if you want a copy of the original demo you have to move fast!
Have you already written new songs for an upcoming demo/ album and what is there to expect in the near future from Stillhet?
Right now I’m working with a record company for a possible re-release of the demo on cd and vinyl. It will include a new layout and a bonus track. I’ve also started writing new songs for a full-length album. You haven’t heard the last of Stillhet, that’s for sure.
The year 2004 is history now so time for the annual year-lists. What are your personal favourite albums from last year and why?
Well, I haven’t heard too many albums that have been released in 2004, but there are a few which are definitely worth mentioning.
Darkthrone – Sardonic Wrath: These guys are still going strong and this release is in my opinion their best since Panzerfaust.
Enslaved – Isa: Enslaved is known for pushing boundaries, and this albums is no exeption.
Leviathan – Tentacles of Whorror: There are so many great Black Metal bands from US these days, and this is in my opinion one of the best. Very original and disturbing music.
Audiopain – The Traumatizer: Crushing Thrash Metal!
My Dying Bride – Songs of Darkness, Words of Light: Nicely executed Doom Metal. Guaranteed to increase the suicide rate.
Thanks for the interview. Is there anything else worth mentioning which is forgotten? The last words are completely yours now!
Thanks for your interest in Stillhet! I guess all I have to say is: Kids! Do drugs, drink beer, worship Satan and end your pathetic lives! Happy new year by the way!
And a happy new year to you too!
