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I N T E R V I E W S
Sigtyr guitar player for exmortem by 1EVIL1 - 02.24.03 --NEW
 Here it is--my first interview for Maximum Metal. It didn't take me long to decide that I wanted to interview a band that was pushing the limits of metal, a band that would be a strong presence in the metal scene for years to come and a band that has not been over exposed to the point no ones gives a shit. So I give to you this present "EXMORTEM"! Trust me when I tell you that this band is going to continually change the sound of extreme metal. The following interview is with guitarist Sigtyr who graciously devoted some of his free time to answer these questions. To start off can you give us a little background and history of Exmortem? Yeah sure, the band was started way back in '92 and we have since then released three full length albums, one 7" and a dosen promos. We have played live in countries like: Sweden, Norway, Germany, Holland, Austria, Czech Rep. and of course Denmark! There are no original members in the band any longer, since Kolle left last year, so I'm the longest standing member now and have been in the band since '95. I joined right before the debut was released. The band has changes a lot during the years, we have become much better musicians and have improved our song writing with each release! But one thing has always remained the same, namely to produce extreme Death Metal! What are your main influences and the influences for the band? The main influence is metal of course, this is the kind of music we all listen to daily, so it has a huge influence on our music and lives. But there is a lot of inspirations, you know, it can be films, books and the news in the television, all kinds of stuff. Talking about music, it's not only my "favourite" bands, it can also be other bands that inspire through their concept, lyrics, visual aspects and so on. Bands that I personally think have had an impact on me is bands like: Morbid Angel, Slayer, Immolation, Kreator, Dark Angel, Dark Throne, Angel Corpse, Satyricon, Autopsy, Emperor, Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, Ripping Corpse, Thorns, Exmortem (!), Death, Suffocation, Deicide, Mayhem and others of course!! "Bezerker legions" was a bone crusher and a must have for any death metal collection. Now you return to pummel us to death with "Pestilence Empire". This album seems more brutal and dark than the previous outing was that the intention? Did you want to come out and devour the world with this release? That was absolutely the intention yes! We knew exactly what we wanted when we entered the studio, a darker, more organic and powerful sound. We wanted to get away from the very clinical and triggered sound that I think a lot of bands are using now, we wanted something a bit rawer! We want to show the world that the best kind of Death Metal can also come from Denmark! I know you had some line up problems before "Bezerker Legions" and with "Pestilence Empire" you've replaced guitarist Kolle and drummer Reno. Did this influence the sound of the new album? And how are Michael and Andreas filling the shoes of their predecessors? It has influenced the sound, because Michael is a different kind of drummer than Reno was. Michael is more a classic drummer so to speak, it's not only about speed you know, he is very influenced by for example Iron Maiden and also black metal, so his style is different. It has also changed the bass position in the band that we now have a bass player, instead of doing it ourselves. I think that this is by far the best line up, because we are having a much better time in the band now and are being more creative I think, no arguments just music!!
It's was definitely the best studio experience I have had!! We also did things a bit different actually. Normally we do all the drum tracks, then all guitar, then all bass and in the end all the vocals. This time we made all the drum tracks and then just worked on a few songs at the time and pretty much finished a few at the time, this way we could see it grow from the beginning and we were close to the final result from the beginning, so we could change things in the process, you know..?! We also worked more on the vocals this time, making up to three or four different version of some parts, so in the mix, we had something to choose from. What is your favourite track off the new album? I think that it's "Funerary Sculpture" right now, it's a really great track to play, it has a great flow and lots of energy, but I'm also very hooked on tracks like "Pestifer", "Icecold Ugliness" and "A Tyrants Hunger"!! What direction is the band headed in the future? More tours and more releases hehe!! Well, I think that we will soon start to work on some new material, I got some ideas for some really fast and crazy stuff as well as some more "experimental" and maybe even a bit slower stuff, but it's hard to say because we always tend to set up the speed when we work with the numbers haha! What are your touring plans to support "Pestilence Empire"? Are you coming to the US? I really hope that we could come to the US that would be a dream come through you know, but it's always economics and stuff like that, so it's hard to say, we would definitely love to get over there and play a huge fucking tour!! We are right now working on two European tours, but we haven't got contract on anything yet, so I better not say too much at this point What are you currently listening to? Right now I listen to stuff like the new albums from: Spawn Of Possession, Revenge, Immolation, Craft and all the old stuff of course. What do you think of the metal music scene today? I think that it looks pretty healthy in some areas, it sucks here in Denmark as always, but I hope that we can help change that a bit..!! Anyway, I think that there is a lot of interesting bands around and it seems like people have started to come to shows again and support extreme music, so it's pretty good I guess. I don't see the so called NU "metal" thing as a part of the metal scene, it's closer to the pop scene in my eyes! Any last thoughts for us? Yeah thanks a lot for the interview and your support, if people want further information on the band, then see our website (www.exmortem.com) there is MP3's from the new album and shit like that. On another note, I have just started a new Danish distribution (Superion.dk) and label (Pestifer.com) and I'm looking for extreme metal bands to sign, so send your shit now!!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and time with us Sigtyr. I wish nothing but great success for Exmortem and 'Pestilence Empire' !!!!!! 1EVIL1 Maximum Metal ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: EXMORTEM
ALL REVIEWS FOR: EXMORTEM
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