Interview with Sjukdom done by Patrick
1.Hails how are things going with you and the band this week?Please introduce yourself to the readerss? Sjukdom: Hails! I suppose proper introductions are in order. We are Sjukdom, a Black metal band from Northern Norway, way up in the Arctic region. We play a style of black metal that is rooted in the traditional Norwegian vein, but we're not afraid of doing things a little bit different from time to time so to speak.
2.When did you first discover black metal and who were the first bands you listened to?Who are some of your current favorite bands? Sjukdom: Depending on who you ask in the band, it would be either early or mid 2000. We started out with the classics of course and would eventually over the years explore more and more of the genre. There is really a lot of cool stuff happening in black metal these days, a lot of contemporary bands are really good. The current era of black metal is probably the most interesting one since perhaps the mid 90's.
3.When did you first meet the other members of the band and was it long before you all started Sjukdom? Does Sjukdom have a special meaning and how did you all choose Sjukdom as the name of the band? Sjukdom: Founding members Natt and Avsky first met at the end of July 2011 and I didn't take very long before we formed the idea of starting our own black metal band. A couple of months later we got in contact with Hul and our first rehearsals were had in September of that year. The name Sjukdom orriginated from one of those very early rehearsals. We were basically just brainstorming ideas, throwing names around until someone said "Sjukdom" and the name has stuck with us since. For those not aware, "Sjukdom" is a northern Norwegian spelling of the Norwegian word "Sykdom" (Disease/sickness).
4.What is the current line up of the band?And who do you feel is the bands biggest influences? Sjukdom: The band currently consists of 'Avsky' on vocals, 'Natt' on drums, 'Nekrosis' on guitar and bass and finally 'Aske' on guitar, contributing from Stockholm on a session basis. As for influence, we all contribute in our own ways.
5.Stridshymner Og Dodssalmer is the bands second full length release how long did it take the band to write the music for the new release? Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member write everything? Sjukdom: The writing of 'Stridshymner og Døssalmer' started immediately after our debut was released in late 2013. Back then guitarist 'Hul' did most of the work when it came to song writing, writing 5 out of the 7 tracks. The remaining two were done by 'Aske'. Of course, during the writing process everyone gets to have their say in things, everyone gets to input their opinion on how to best exploit their instruments.
6.Who usually handles writing the lyrics for the music and what are some subjects written about on the debut? Sjukdom: Lyrics are almost exclusively done by Avsky, with Natt having done the lyrics for two of the songs for the debut. The lyrical subjects on the first album were pretty diverse, covering a range of subjects from nuclear war to plagues and death, from anti-religious themes to themes about Norwegian nature and landscapes. With 'Stridshymner og Dødssalmer' the lyrics are mostly focused around the concepts of death and war, hence the name of the album which translates into "War hymns & Death psalms".
7.Besides the new release does the band have any copies of the debut still available for the readers to buy?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise available if yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?
Sjukdom: We have a very small stockpile of our debut album left, possibly as little as 10 CD's left. Our inventory of merch is also pretty slim at the moment, but we're working on changing that very soon. Orders can be placed via email or via our facebook profile.
8.Does Sjukdom play live very often or do you prefer working in the studio? What have been some of the bands most memorable shows over the years? Sjukdom: We try playing live as often as possible, but we haven't appeared on stage now since 2017. We've had some vacant slots in our live line-up and that has prevented us from being as active on the stage as we would have preffered to be. There has been quite a few memorable shows over the years, but I think our last one back in March of
2017 was our best one. We had a 12 or 13 track set-list and played for almost an hour and twenty minutes.
9.Are their any tours or shows coming up in support of Stridshymner Og Dodssalmer if yes where will the band be playing and who are some bands you will be sharing the stage with? Sjukdom: Nothing is set in stone just yet, but we are working on doing something. It's too early to reveal any details though.
10. Sjukdom comes out of the legendary Norweigan black metal scene what is your opinion of Norway's black metal scene over the decades? Sjukdom: The Norwegian Black metal scene has had it's ups and downs over the years. Of course it started out very strongly in the late 80's and early 90's. It kept a good momentum going into the early 2000's, but after that it kinda stagnated a little bit. Things have been looking up though, Black metal is very much alive in the current decade, both in Norway and internationally.
11.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Norway's black metal scene?And are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
Sjukdom: The obvious answer would of course be Burzum. Or would it be Mayhem? Maybe Darkthrone...
12.Besides playing in Sjukdom do you or any of the members currently play in any other bands or solo projects? Sjukdom: Nekrosis has a solo poject that has yet to be named. Aske some projects of his own as well, one of which is called 'Voider', chaotic and dissonant black metal, something worth keeping an eye on in the future. Natt played drums for Northern Norwegian Blackthrash band 'Black Sputum' for around about three years. Avsky appears as guest vocalist on the album 'Vituperate' by 'Black Sputum'.
13.What does black metal mean to you?
Sjukdom: Music for those passionate about the dark and macabre. If you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze right back at you... And we have been gazing for a long time now indeed.
14.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers? Sjukdom: Keep an eye on our facebook page for news regarding merch and future releases. Sjukdom doesn't end with 'Stridshymner og dødssalmer', there will be more to come!
Band Contacts
https://www.facebook.com/Sjukdomband
https://www.sjukdom.net/
Label Contacts
http://www.osmoseproductions.com/
https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/https://twitter.com/OsmoseProd
https://www.facebook.com/osmoseproductions/
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