Inferno Magazine 2006 by Inferno Metal Festival

ROCKEFELLER

/ JOHN DEE, OSLO – APRIL 13-15 2006

THE OFFICIAL FESTIVAL MAGAZINE

10 golden rules

for surviving the music business

Obliteration: young lust

Blackpacker’s guide - a mapless guide to Oslo and much more...

“En thriller som får det til å gå kaldt nedover ryggen på deg” “Så intens som bare en grøsser kan bli” Robert Rodriguez

On c

Darren Bousman, regissøren av SAW II

p u e

tim a n

e, in a king dom far, far way... a ...there was an enchanted festival called Inferno... At least so it seems – never before have we had so many visitors from abroad, this year over 30% of you will be guests from other countries. Traveling from countries like Japan, Mexico, India, Canada, Ireland, Australia... the list goes on. And we are impressed! Impressed at the fact that so many of you find Inferno interesting and enchanting (huhhuh) enough to travel all the way to Norway to participate in our festival. It costs. It costs time, effort and (sadly) a lot of money – so we will do our best to make it worth your while! We see that Inferno has become an important networking place for people in and around the metal scene, for a festival this small (yes we recognize the fact that there are only so many people we can fit between these walls) the diversity of people you meet here is truly amazing! We welcome you with open, tattooed arms and hope you will enjoy your stay! Pick up a free map at the airport, train station or tourist office and try out the places and sights in the ‘guide’ sections in this magazine – Oslo has a lot to offer even outside of Rockefeller ;)

“En av de beste grøsserne de siste 25 årene” Quentin Tarantino

Finally, in our sixth year, we can proudly present the almighty Emperor on our bill - if anyone sheds tears at Inferno, it will be during their set. Yes, I saw it happen when Emperor played their surprise gig at the Scream Magazine party last year... I am not ashamed to say that I have let the tears escape me twice the last ﬁve years; said Emperor performance and when I saw King Kong (I was REALLY hung over). ”How to get a gig at Inferno – Gro with Thomas of Red Harvest and Waklevören”

We also have some new friends this year – the Norwegian Musicians Union (MFO) will have a stand at Rockefeller where they will offer advice and help for musicians (free of charge, of course!) – MFOs Anders Odden (Cadaver, Apoptygma Berzerk) also contributed an article to this magazine that you should check out if you’re in a band. And ﬁnally we found someone to do an Inferno DVD properly – we have now engaged in a partnership with Plastichead Records, and should see a DVD release sometime later this year. See you all at Inferno! Gro Narvestad

KOMMER PÅ KINO I MARS!

entertainment

Editorette: Gro Narvestad Writers: Gunnar Sauermann, Håkon Grav, Andre Aaslie, Bjørn Nørsterud, Frode Øien, Patrizia Mazzuocollo, Noëlle Poppe, Anders Odden, Gro Narvestad, Cato Bekkevold Photos: Wenche Snoen, Sebastian Ludvigsen Inferno design, logos and illustrations: Asgeir Mickelson - www.monoment.no Magazine layout: Anja Sofie Haugen Print: Molvik Grafisk AS - www.mgrafisk.no Advertising: Jan Erik Bløe Hanssen / turbine agency DA Torje Norén / turbine agency DA www.turbine.no Publisher: Inferno Metal Festival AS – www.infernofestival.net Humongous thank you’s to: All the bands that have played, will play and should’ve played at Inferno, Metalion, Samoth, Heidi Remmen, the contributors to this year’s magazine, Anja Sofie Haugen (you will get your reward in HELL! hehe), Anders Odden, the boys of Scream Magazine, all the fantastic guys who organized andplayed at our kickoffparty (and who will dominate the VIP-area if I am not mistaken), Rockefeller and all our wonderful partners!

“En thriller som får det til å gå kaldt nedover ryggen på deg” “Så intens som bare en grøsser kan bli” Robert Rodriguez

On c

Darren Bousman, regissøren av SAW II

p u e

tim a n

“En av de beste grøsserne de siste 25 årene” Quentin Tarantino

KOMMER PÅ KINO I MARS!

entertainment

A HEADBANGER NEEDS REST The ofﬁcial festival hotel is the Scandic Hotel Edderkoppen – not only is it close to the venue, they also serve breakfast (included in the room price) until noon every day during the festival! If you are the sporty type, they can offer a spa, sauna and steam bath – something we believe will sooth many sore headbanger-necks…

INFERNO KICKOFF PARTY It’s been three years since the idea was first realized. The first “metal allstars”-kickoff for The Infernofestival saw the light of day, or night. Back then it was 24 musicians who played 12 different songs. After that the idea lay to rest for a couple of years until I once again got a phonecall from the organizers. This time I was far too busy with recording the new Enslaved-album, but Tjodalv of Susperia was willing to step in as leader of the pack. With that kind of insurance we were given green light. After dozens of phonecalls and loads of e-mails we had wstarted to rig the drumkit. After a while more and more musicians turned up, and finally the dooor opened for the soldout night. I played the two first songs, and after that I spent the rest of the

evening making sure all the changeovers went smooth and that everybody was ready and had tuned their guitars. In the pause Gunnar Sauermann from Metal Hammer Germany was handed over a snare drum head signed by all the musicians that contributed, and Master of Ceremony Geir Kolden presented the Inferno lineup. Then it was time for the last eight songs. Luckily everything went ﬁne, and after the 16th and last song “Over the wall” with Testament it was all over. Time to rig down the drumkit and grab a beer! Cheers! Cato Bekkevold

Facts: Scandic Edderkoppen is the Ofﬁcial Festival Hotel for 2006. The hotel is brand new! Walking distance to Rockefeller – a 5 minute walk. Enjoy!! Prices: Doubleroom: 795 NOK Single room: 595 NOK Extra bed: 200 NOK Facilities: Breakfast is served until 12.00 every day during the festival Free internet access Free sauna, ﬁtness room and steam bath Hotel parking house Booking: When you book, please give the code “Inferno” Telephone: +47 2315 5600

INDIE DISTRIBUTION PRESENTERER MÅNEDENS ANBEFALINGER

BLOODTHORN

KATAKLYSM

ABORYM

SAHG

Nuclear Blast

Season Of Mist

Regain Records

Fet Stoner Doom av ypperste klasse!

Genocide

In The Arms Of Devestation

Hard og brutal, kompromissløs death metal.

Et monster av et death metal album! Dødelig produksjon av Tue Madsen i Antfarm.

Et av de mest spennende black metal banda på over 20 år.

“Kataklysm er deﬁnitivt tilbake i eliten”. 5/6- Scream Magazine

“...en total black metal opplevelse”. 5/6- Scream Magazine

(Bjørn Nørsterud)

(André Aaslie)

Live på Inferno 2006

Ltd Ed inkl. bonus DVD

Feat. Attila (Mayhem) & Faust (Ex-Emperor, Scum)

Morningstar Records

“Så mye blod har det ikke ﬂytt i Nidaros siden Olav den Hellige’s tid!” 5/6- Scream Magazine

Generator

Sahg 1

Sahg viderebringer arven etter Black Sabbath… Medlemmer fra Audrey Horne og Gorgoroth. Live på Inferno 2006 NB! Slippes i april

7 INDIE DISTRIBUTION AS • SINSENVEIEN 4 • 0572 OSLO • NORWAY • +4723121780 • +4723121781 • INFO@INDIEDIST.NO • WWW.INDIEDIST.NO

INDIE DISTRIBUTION PRESENTERER MÅNEDENS ANBEFALINGER

BLOODTHORN

KATAKLYSM

ABORYM

SAHG

Nuclear Blast

Season Of Mist

Regain Records

Fet Stoner Doom av ypperste klasse!

Genocide

In The Arms Of Devestation

Hard og brutal, kompromissløs death metal.

Et monster av et death metal album! Dødelig produksjon av Tue Madsen i Antfarm.

Et av de mest spennende black metal banda på over 20 år.

“Kataklysm er deﬁnitivt tilbake i eliten”. 5/6- Scream Magazine

“...en total black metal opplevelse”. 5/6- Scream Magazine

(Bjørn Nørsterud)

(André Aaslie)

Live på Inferno 2006

Ltd Ed inkl. bonus DVD

Feat. Attila (Mayhem) & Faust (Ex-Emperor, Scum)

Morningstar Records

“Så mye blod har det ikke ﬂytt i Nidaros siden Olav den Hellige’s tid!” 5/6- Scream Magazine

Generator

Sahg 1

Sahg viderebringer arven etter Black Sabbath… Medlemmer fra Audrey Horne og Gorgoroth. Live på Inferno 2006 NB! Slippes i april

7 INDIE DISTRIBUTION AS • SINSENVEIEN 4 • 0572 OSLO • NORWAY • +4723121780 • +4723121781 • INFO@INDIEDIST.NO • WWW.INDIEDIST.NO

BRAVE NEW WORLD Satan, Satana, Beelzebub and Mephisto. Jaded by people using the name of the dark lord in vain, I have contemplated joining the other side since I have lived here in Norway. Proclaiming to be a Satanist in this day and age feels rather antiquated. You are so “yesterday”, darling. It wouldn’t amaze me if Satan were at his wits’ end because of today’s queue outside his army barracks. After all, how could he keep up with the thrilling existence of a gentleman of leisure at a time when so many souls are amassing to get a slice of his time? At this point some of you would want to ring 999 and half of you, Pizza Hut. That’s the beauty of human nature. Whilst half of us deal with situations by seeking solutions, others feel the need to shut off and swallow. If you have read ‘The Da Vinci Code’, a novel with a fairly intriguing conspiracy theory against the Roman Catholic Church, you’re probably grappling to comprehend a subject that has kept historians busy for years. Fascinating and inspiring, I’d taken on the mission to carry out my own research on the issue in the early ninenties. So, whilst some Norwegians were busy incinerating chunks of their cultural heritage, I was spending my holidays visiting the key places holding the hidden traces of this intriguing phenomenon – the Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland for one. Anti-Christian feelings have also been put to music by bands like TOOL, who adopted a more subtle approach than the Norwegians, dropping hints about the subject whenever they had the chance. Whilst a handful of listeners picked up on the band’s hidden lyrical codes, the others were busy solving a different kind of dilemma: do I want extra mushrooms or pepperoni on my pizza tonight? As a rock and metal journalist, it is important to be inspired by a certain scene to deliver emotions on paper whilst taking it with a pinch of salt to maintain editorial integrity. It makes us cynical and humourless at times but live events like Inferno remind us the reasons we got into it in the ﬁrst place – music. Should music be mindless fun or should it convey substance? That is the question! Music to stretch the imagination and intellect is what it’s about here and Norway seems to have produced a bunch of bands that fall under that category. So what is it really like to live in the black metal Mecca of the world? What makes someone leave such a cosmopolitan capital as London with its multi-faceted opportunities and bubbling live music cauldron for a cosier environment? I had certainly not expected to experience culture shock. A real syndrome, culture shock is an adjustment period that people travelling to another country to work or study for a signiﬁcant period of time go through. Culture shock is brought on by anxiety that results from losing all the familiar signs and symbols of social interaction and it’s accompanied by feelings of disorientation and isolation. The bottom line is, get out and get yourself a hobby instead of popping “soma”. Having been nurtured in Italy (a country so culturally and religiously pregnant that you don’t need a uterus to be fecundated) could have predisposed me for culture shock when just barely of age, I moved to the epicentre of all that has rocked the world in the last 40 years - London. However, the land of THE ROLLING STONES, THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, VENOM and anything that was worth listening to (apart from SOFT CELL) was an instant hit and it had nothing to do with Marc Almond’s memorable antics involving a pint of semen (I don’t think he gargled with it). At that time, culture shock was only a lingual expression.

Patrizia Mazzuocolo has worked as a freelance music journalist for over ten years, writing for the UK’s leading extreme metal magazines. She is currently based in Oslo and writes for Metal Hammer, Rhythm (UK), Metal Maniacs (US), freelances for the BBC’s Radio One Rock Show and produces radio metal show, TINITUS on Norwegian national radio, P3 (www.nrk.no/tinitus)

Fast-forward to 2003. Lured by a professional opportunity involving a musical undercurrent better known for its questioning attitude and anti-Christian ideology than its crystal clear productions, I left the epicentre of the rock world and moved to Europe’s second oldest capital - Oslo. The UK music scene, saturated with the end tail of nu metal and plastic grunge bands, had lost its appeal by the end of the ninenties. Plus, with one of the most inspiring business study cases having become too busy for music itself - MARILYN MANSON and with TOOL’s ‘Lateralus’ having reached the end of its promotional cycle, it was really time to ﬁnd pastures new. Or fresh. One of the ﬁrst people I met when I arrived in Oslo was a drummer without a drumkit (Fenriz), a blond chick whose commitment to metal was gorier than a Cannibal Corpse album (Gro Narvestad), a bunch of Alphas, Betas and Omegas with more pride than sense (you know who you are) and a music scene bursting to be honoured. Enough to make me pack my bags and move over. Have I experienced that stretch of the imagination and intellect that I referred to earlier, since I moved to Oslo? Sometimes. I mean, this is no Tibet. And even Tibet is not Tibet anymore. I certainly met heads full of extravagant ideas and bumped into creatures with eccentric dispositions but the only thing that so far has got a good stretch has been my wallet. When you live in a country where something as fundamental as a litre of milk costs you the equivalent of £1, then you know that love is not in the air. Then again, I didn’t move here for love. I did it for HATE. And that’s still the most eminent reason for me to stay a little longer.

Norges beste alternative nettbutikk og klesbutikk www.manillusion.no

20% rabatt ut april 2006 ved å oppgi kode “inferno”

Metal

- Punk - Goth - Fetish - Sexy - Rock

Manillusion - Professor Dahls gt 5 vis a vis Microbryggeriet - 41 41 46 61

Norges beste alternative nettbutikk og klesbutikk www.manillusion.no

20% rabatt ut april 2006 ved å oppgi kode “inferno”

Metal

- Punk - Goth - Fetish - Sexy - Rock

Manillusion - Professor Dahls gt 5 vis a vis Microbryggeriet - 41 41 46 61

Thursday April 13th

And now over to something completely different... THE LINEUP!

ROCKEFELLER

JOHN DEE

18.15 Keep of Kalessin

17.45 Imbalance

Written by Håkon Grav, Andre Aaslie, Bjørn Nørsterud and Frode Øien / Scream Magazine

19.45 Nightrage

19.15 Waklewören

21.15 Khold

20.45 Demonizer

23.00 Carpathian Forest

22.15 The Deviant

01.00 Usurper

00.00 Sahg

THURSDAY IMBALANCE

CARPATHIAN FOREST This is the band that has achieved a cult following as being one of the Norwegian old school-bands, even though they didn’t release their ofﬁcial debut album until 1998! The “Bloodlust and Perversion” demo from 1992 is one of the main reasons for this, a sought-after collector’s item for black metal connoisseurs all over the world. After ﬁnally having released the long awaited “Black Shining Leather”, things sped up quite a bit for this perverted gang of freaks. Two albums were recorded simultaneously in 2000, yet released with a one year break in between. Both these albums are excellent examples of grim and cold, Norwegian black metal. Suddenly the band took a detour from this style, presenting the surprisingly warm-sounding and well produced “Defending The Throne Of Evil”, with more symphonic creepy moods as its platform. In other words- CARPATHIAN FOREST might serve you a night of different kinds of wrath at this year’s Inferno, and don’t get too surprised if singer Nattefrost is up to some crazy stuff during the show – be it vomit or droppings from other parts of the human body…

DEMONIZER Belgium’s DEMONIZER have visited Oslo earlier, as part of Inferno Festival’s Gro Narvestad’s departure from the Norwegian broadcasting company, and her funeral-concert for the radio show “Ambolt”. The band has toured with Nocturnal Breed, and with their mix of old school black- and thrash metal, they have convinced most people crossing their path. The new album. “Thrashing Force…Attack” is out these days, and the title says it all – this is metal in your face! Just what the doctor ordered for a festival like Inferno!

THE DEVIANT The Norwegian extreme metal-scene has given birth to many famous bands, and as a result of this – just as many famous personalities. This is resulting in new and exciting collaborations, like THE DEVIANT, for example. With members from Gehenna and 122 Stabwounds they delivered a great debut album last year, gaining lots of brilliant reviews in the international metal press. “Ravenous Deathworship” consists of intelligently structured extreme metal tracks, emphasizing the death metal, but also moody stuff that will ﬁnd acceptance among the black metal fans. THE DEVIANT – a new band, but experienced musicians. An exciting combination!

A mandatory part of every Inferno Festival, is that a couple of up and coming demo-bands get their shot. Who can ever forget how brilliant Taakeferd performed at last year’s festival? This year, Trondheim’s IMBALANCE will hit the stage at John Dee. The guys are now based in Oslo, and was actually founded already in 1996 under the name of Frost, but prior to recording the demo “Burial of Consciousness”, they changed their name to the more original IMBALANCE. Musically, you can expect a mixture of thrash- and death metal, with original and progressive elements. In other words: Well worth checking out!

KEEP OF KALESSIN This band hails from Trondheim, and has basically existed since 1994, but the ﬁrst demo as KEEP OF KALESSIN, ”Skygger av Sorg”, was released in 1996. Already the following year, the band had gained their ﬁrst record deal, and published their modern black metal classic, “Through Times Of War”. Another album, “Agnen – A Journey Through The Dark”, followed in 1999, only to see the band fall apart the year after. However, composer and driving force behind the band, Obsidian C, continued to make new music, and after a four year break, another collection of KEEP OF KALESSIN-songs surfaced, as the EP “Reclaim”, featuring Attila (Mayhem, Aborym) and Frost (1349, Satyricon). This line-up also blasted audiences with some ferocious live performances, but due to Attila and Frost’s schedules, it was clear that this line-up could not continue.Which brings us to present day, where Obsidian C has once again teamed up with original drummer Vyl, and two new members in Wizziac (bass) and Thebon (vocals), and recorded the new KEEP OF KALESSIN album, which is entitled “Armada”. This edition of the band has already toured with Exodus and Hypocrisy, and the guys have no plans whatsoever to take any prisoners during their set on Thursday. Inferno couldn’t have wished for a more powerful start than KEEP OF KALESSIN.

KHOLD KHOLD is one of few Norwegian bands who manage to make music with Norwegian lyrics, and actually pulling it off in a convincing manner. The band has been around since 2000, and detonated four full length albums upon mankind, whereas “Krek” (2005) is the band’s latest offering. KHOLD’s frontman Gard is a one of a kind, unique guy, and the band’s black metal is hard to deﬁne – this is simply a band that

needs to be seen to be believed. KHOLD is not giving anything easily, but if you invest a little time in figuring out their musical magic, you will have a hard time finding yourself disappointed. The band consists of members from Sensa Anima, Winds, Old Man’s Child and Tulus, and is definitely a highlight you won’t miss at the festival.

NIGHTRAGE As a strange supergroup from Greece and Sweden, NIGHTRAGE is set to enlighten the Inferno audience with their special death metal. The band was founded in Greece about ﬁve years ago, by the driving force Marios Iliopuolos and his former colleague and bud Gus G. Their debut album, ”Sweet Vengeance”, was recorded at famous Studio Fredman in Gothenburg during the winter of 2003, as the guys now were residing in the same town anyway. The album was strong, but the lineup was even stronger, featuring Tomas Lindberg (ex- At The Gates), Tom Englund (Evergrey) and Per Englund (The Haunted). The band’s latest album, ”Decent Into Chaos”, has received even stronger reviews than its predecessor, and has been welcomed as album of the month in many European metal magazines. NIGHTRAGE are one of the leading providers of the melodic death metal trademarks we know so well from Swedish bands, and their new lineup, including Fotis Benardo (x-Septic Flesh) and the young and talented basser Henrik Carlsson, promise an unforgettable performance at Inferno.

Thursday - DJ Proxy One of the few female metal DJ’s around may surprise you with music you haven’t heard in a while. Anything from Burzum to Sarcofágo - Oldschool up yer ass!

the darker side of metal, without being the baddest boys in school. USURPER have had their dose of bad luck and problems, which has resulted in changes of record labels and some members, but they’re back- stronger than ever, and ready to kick your ass. Spikes and smelly clothing is mandatory to label yourself a worthy fan of USURPER, and this might very well become a semi-legendary concert at this year’s Inferno. All hail the Yanks!

WAKLEVÖREN Supergroups are mighty fun! Especially when people from Red Harvest, Aura Noir and Trashcan Darlings team up and make an album sounding like Exodus during their ﬁrst rehearsal in 1982, in a wild and loose mating game with Napalm Death in one of their more controlled moments. Yes, baby – WAKLEWÖREN is thrashpunk, and has already tons of cred among fellow musicians and their audience. The debut album “Brutal Agenda” is a must, and if you’re having trouble ﬁnding it, you might try at Oslo’s Neseblod Records. To describe “Wæklis”, I want to provide you with to quotes from prominent Norwegian musicians: “WAKLEWÖREN gives me a thirst for beer!” and “Listen to the convincing way he yells the word “pledd” (Norwegian for “blanket”) in that lyric!” Nuff said – be early at John Dee Thursday night – it will be crowded, it will be loud, and it will be a gig to remember.

SAHG Musicians from Bergen are restless, and born with an overdose of creativity. SAHG consists of musicians from Manngard, Audrey Horne and Gorgoroth, and musically they provide a slow brew inspired by Black Sabbath, Kyuss and Pentagram. Call it stonerrock, call it doom, call it heavy metal – it’s nevertheless dark, heavy and slow as frozen concrete. The band is not more than a year in existence, but has already managed to play some shows live, and working with their debut “Sahg 1”, soon to be released by Regain Records.

USURPER This chaotic gang hails from Chicago, Illinois, and has actually existed since 1993. Their debut album, “Diabolosis” was released in 1995, and since then, seven records have seen the light of day. Their latest work is “Cryptobeast” through Earache, and maybe more than ever, USURPER is a band building a bridge between the classic thrash and Sahg

Deviant

Imbalance

Waklavoren

Keep of Kalessin

Usurper

Vesen

Khold

Carpathian Forest

Nightrage

Thursday April 13th

And now over to something completely different... THE LINEUP!

ROCKEFELLER

JOHN DEE

18.15 Keep of Kalessin

17.45 Imbalance

Written by Håkon Grav, Andre Aaslie, Bjørn Nørsterud and Frode Øien / Scream Magazine

19.45 Nightrage

19.15 Waklewören

21.15 Khold

20.45 Demonizer

23.00 Carpathian Forest

22.15 The Deviant

01.00 Usurper

00.00 Sahg

THURSDAY IMBALANCE

Thursday - DJ Proxy One of the few female metal DJ’s around may surprise you with music you haven’t heard in a while. Anything from Burzum to Sarcofágo - Oldschool up yer ass!

Deviant

Imbalance

Waklavoren

Keep of Kalessin

Usurper

Vesen

Khold

Carpathian Forest

Nightrage

Friday April 14th

FRIDAY BLOODTHORN The original BLOODTHORN was created already in 1992, but at the time it was just a solo project from the band’s former guitar player Tom. Krell (vocals) joined shortly after, and this resulted in the “Natteskyggen” demo, released in 1996. The debut album, entitled “In The Shadow Of Your Black Wings”, followed the year after, and the band did a short Norwegian tour with Keep of Kalessin. The epic metal, fronted by two singers – Krell and Christine, gained lots of positive feedback, and after the second album, “Onwards Into Battle”, the band hit the road in Europe together with Aggressor and …And Oceans. Following the release of “Under The Reign of Terror” in 2001, Tom decided to leave the band, and things got quiet. After lots of obstacles and delays, BLOODTHORN are ready to strike again, and in 2006, the band’s mixture of thrash and death metal sounds more brutal and extreme than ever. The band’s fourth album, “Genocide” was just released through Morningstar Records, and has the potential to become a modern classic within the Norwegian extreme metal scene.

BORKNAGAR The musical brainchild of Øystein Brun is not easy to understand, and that is probably the closest you’ll ever get to a description that the bandmembers themselves will applaud. From being a pure black metal project in 1995, consisting of members from Enslaved, Ulver and Gorgoroth, BORKNAGAR has made a complete transformation, both when it comes to members and musical development. In spite of more melodic and progressive touches, the band has never left its black and grim roots, and after 11 years, the band’s signature is still just as unique. Today, the members are spread all over Norway, adding a Swedish singer who refuses to become a fulltime Norwegian. For the Inferno-show, the band reunites with Tyr (bass) and Jens Rydland (guitar), as they did for the Scream 15th anniversary party, so get ready to watch the complete lineup behind the mighty “Empiricism”album perform once more. Another BORKNAGAR tour will more than likely never happen, so enjoy this exclusive performance at this year’s Inferno festival!

DISMEMBER Allright – finally another visit from the Swedish grand old men of death metal! The band was founded already in 1988, and their glorious debut, “Like An Ever Flowing Stream” (1991) was subject to a lot of media exposure due to the band photo portraying five young men with bare stomachs and drenched in pig’s blood. The fact that the album was a major fist in the face of most aspects of life might have contributed to the hype as well! The EP “Pieces” that was released the following year, resulted in even more hysteria, banning the band from several countries and causing court cases, mostly due to the classic track “Skin Her Alive”. The band toured their asses off with Cannibal

Corpse, Death, Napalm Death and Obituary, and gave the world yet another classic in 1993, with their “Indecent And Obscene” album. DISMEMBER continued to publish albums and hit the road, but after “Death Metal” (1997), the band’s line-up cracked, and the trio of Matti Kärki (vocals), David Blomqvist (guitars) and Fred Estby (drums) were left as question marks for a while. With session members, the ﬁght continued with “Hate Campaign”, leading up to a ﬁve year break before the next album, “Where Ironcrosses Grow”, was to see the light of day. In 2006, the band is due with another grenade of classic Swedish death metal, “The God That Never Was” – and as always, you can expect 100 % death metal guaranteed. No trends, no hype, no bullshit – Rockefeller will be packed with fans, awaiting to get their skull split with a stream of indecent and obscene music!

EMPEROR This year’s ticket-seller is without a doubt the mighty EMPEROR. Last year, one could witness a sensational visit from the band at the Scream Magazine 15th anniversary, where they performed three songs to an audience of starved and shocked fans. And after those songs, Scream Magazine’s Håkon Grav announced that EMPEROR were going to headline the Inferno and Wacken festivals in 2006! EMPEROR headlining the festival is probably the biggest achievement for the Inferno Festival so far. Old fans can finally see their favorite band live again, and younger fans, who until now, only could explore these genius compositions through their loudspeakers or headphones, will finally get the possibility to experience this mighty band live on stage. The history of EMPEROR is long, and quite heavy. “In the Nightside Eclipse” is probably the band’s most known and beloved release, and was extremely delayed, due to reasons there are no reason to start looking into again. The successor, “Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk” (1997) was released shortly after “..Eclipse”, and is probably one of the most acclaimed releases in the history of black metal. The number of fans having this album pole positioning their list of favorite albums is huge! EMPEROR live is a magnificent experience, which they proved over and over again during the 90s. This year’s Inferno is transformed into another dimension, having the legendary Notodden boys alive and ready.

ENDSTILLE Are you ready for a dose of unpolished, fucking mischief duing this year’s Inferno, you should invest a few minutes in watching these evil Germans. The band is performing their old school black metal with no compromises whatsoever, and with four acclaimed albums during three years, the band has gained a solid reputation and a healthy setlist of magniﬁcent songs to choose from. The band’s latest album, “Navigator”, was released in the autumn of 2005, and has gained a lot of attention at the Scream Magazine online message board.

ROCKEFELLER

JOHN DEE

18.15 System:Obscure

17.45 Rimfrost

19.45 Dismember

19.15 Funeral

21.15 Susperia

20.45 Manngard

23.00 Borknagar

22.15 Endstille

01.00 Emperor

00.00 Bloodthorn

Friday - DJ Max Necro This forest-dweller creeps out occasionally – and this easter he does just that to serve you music in the changeovers at Rockefeller. He promises gems from the 70’s, black from the 80’s and death from the 80’s and 90’s.

SUSPERIA

FUNERAL When it comes to Norwegian doom, there is no one that can match FUNERAL. Already during the early 90s, the band was a force to be reckoned with. Their “Tragedies” album is still a doom classic, regardless of country and band. Ironically enough, tragedy has struck this band, as their member Einar Fredriksen committed suicide a few years ago, and this has of course taken its toll on the band. Still – the remaining members have fought on, both with the monstrous band The Fallen and FUNERAL. These days, Minas Tirith’s Frode Korsmo is handling the band’s vocals, and a new album is just around the corner. Awaiting that, make sure you experience this legendary band during this year’s Inferno. Doom or be doomed!

MANNGARD This four piece from Bergen has already been leaving their mark in form of brilliant shows, festival appearances and positive feedback from the audience and press. The band is described as an intense variation over Slayer, with some doses of prog, thrash and metalcore. Visually and thematically, the band can seem familiar with the works of Macabre, as the guys seem to love the same morbid humor and digging tools. MANNGARD released their self ﬁnanced EP in 2002, and this year, the guys are ready with their debut full length album, “Circling Buzzards”, through Nocturnal Art. Be there when MANNGARD unleash their foul smelling extreme metal, and witness a band that surely will be discussed in the future.

RIMFROST These Swedes must have a little wish deep within to become Norwegian, there is no doubt whatsoever that the early works of Immortal and Enslaved have inspired these guys quite a bit. The trio was started as late as 2002, and consists of Hravn (vocals, guitar), Throlly (bass) and Frosthirw (drums), and have published a few demos and the EP “A Journey To A Greater End” (2005). Thematically, winter, coldness and snow are a focus for RIMFROST, and you’re not dead wrong if you label them as old school black metal served by the youngest guys in class. Be there to check out some Norwegian heritage, distilled by inspired Swedes!

Death metal? Thrash? Yes, please, both! SUSPERIA was born in 1999, when Tjodalv decided that being drummer in Dimmu Borgir wasn’t enough. Together with guitarist and songwriter Cyris and singer Athera, the core of the new band was quickly established, and it didn’t last long until the band was completed with Memnock (bass) and Elvhorn (guitar). After a mega launch in 2000 with their debut album and a European tour with Dimmu Borgir and Destruction, SUSPERIA got to feel the downside of the music business, in spite of their brilliant second album, “Vindication”. “There’s no place like home” was the thought of Norwegian record label Tabu Recordings, and secured the band a new deal, resulting in the phenomenal “Unlimited” (2004). Powerful riffs, intense melody lines without getting soft edges, and a singer who can growl most living creatures scared shitless. The band’s latest effort was the EP “Devil May Care”, and a new album might very well be released this year. After massive touring in Europe, SUSPERIA are ready to blast Rockefeller to kingdom come with their thrash metal, which is still keeping Chuck Billy and his bandmates sleepless at night.

SYSTEM:OBSCURE Ripping, intense and truly innovative. These are all trademarks of SYSTEM:OBSCURE, a new band to spring out of the ever active Norwegian metal scene. Now, less than a year after formation, SYSTEM:OBSCURE is about to record an album which will not go by unnoticed. A testimony to that is a three-track demo recorded to pave the way for the coming onslaught. The ﬁerce soundscapes of this demo recording should be of no surprise given the band’s constellation, as it is being made up exclusively by members from prominent contemporary extreme metal acts like Lunaris, Spiral Architect and Nile. Further - supplementing this torrent - the expertise of world famous jazz/fusion mastermind Bugge Wesseltoft is utilized, thus adding further sophistication to the music without compromising brutality. The result is astounding. This is music that deﬁes categorization, but nevertheless will appeal to any fan of blistering metal. This is music for the future.

Manngard

Endstille

Emperor

Bloodthorn

Susperia

Funeral

Dismember

Friday April 14th

ROCKEFELLER

JOHN DEE

18.15 System:Obscure

17.45 Rimfrost

19.45 Dismember

19.15 Funeral

21.15 Susperia

20.45 Manngard

23.00 Borknagar

22.15 Endstille

01.00 Emperor

00.00 Bloodthorn

SUSPERIA

Manngard

Endstille

Emperor

Bloodthorn

Susperia

Funeral

Dismember

Saturday April 15th

SATURDAY BOLT THROWER The British working class deathmetallers can be traced all the way back to 1986, when Garry Thomson and Gavin Ward met, and realized they shared the same musical taste. At the time, bands like Sacrilege, Slayer and Candlemass were the thing. However, it may not be so easy to hear these inspirations in today’s BOLT THROWER, which is a force of death metal the old fashioned way, with a focus on brutality and groove. BOLT THROWER just realized their 13th album, and this time they reunited with singer Karl Willets, thus making the band’s original lineup almost complete. BOLT THROWER is a band that doesn’t let itself become controlled by trends, and they do the work themselves: merchandise, booking etc. And even though they now are signed to Metal Blade, there is still no way this band is doing a music video or a DVD, being the purists they are. BOLT THROWER have never played Norway before, so get prepared for one helluva show, where you deﬁnitely will get to know the true meaning of death metal!

CATHEDRAL The English doomsters’n’gloomsters CATHEDRAL have delivered their catchy brew with an unbelievable groove since 1989, when they started their career in the heaviest, moodiest and slowest way you can imagine, with the classic “Forest of Equilibrium”. With this album, ex-Napalm Death shouter Lee Dorrian managed to show what he was looking for – distancing himself as far as possible from the speed and grindcore stuff he had done up to then. The mission was accomplished flawlessly, and CATHEDRAL haven’t looked back ever since. The band has included some more speed over the years, but the main ingredient has still always been DOOM. Progressive 70s rock is also a flavor that Lee Dorrian and his mates never can get enough of - just listen to last year’s “The Garden Of Unearthly Delights”. The title track lasts 27 minutes, and it will be a true pleasure indeed to hear this live – let’s cross our fingers that Lee is including this in the setlist! CATHEDRAL have played in Norway at several other occasions earlier, and always delivered mighty fine performances. Enjoy, folks!

not a newcomer in the metal game. The guy was a driving force in the excellent debut album of Myrkskog back in the days, a release that harvested a full score in Norway’s Scream Magazine. Up to now, DISIPLIN have given us two albums, of which “Anti-Life” is their latest offering, and this album showcases the band with faster and more thrashing stuff, but still with the typical riffs that work so well live. And these riffs are here for you to experience this Easter!

FACE DOWN Swedish bands are always more than welcome at Inferno, and since FACE DOWN can claim the 10th anniversary since the release of their debut album ”Mindﬁeld”, why not invite them to this year’s festival? The band has been inactive since 1999, after a lot of struggles and obstacles. “Mindﬁeld” (1996) and “The Twisted Rule The Wicked” (1997) showcased a band that had just as much to offer as related acts like Crowbar, Machine Head and Pantera, but when singer Marco Aro switched to The Haunted, Face Down hit rock bottom with a broken back. Now the boys are back, and they have their third full length album ready as well, “The Will To Power”. The guys are still pissed off as hell, and have brought enough riffs to convince you that their modern and technical aggro-thrash has a right to live.

LEGION The Swedes LEGION has kept their ﬂag of hate held since 1999, and their demo ”Bloodaeons” quickly gained them some serious attention in the underground scene. The guys play cold and ugly black metal without any kind of gravy, and David Svartz and his mates show no sign of acquiring softer edges, another proof of this being their latest album, ”Revocation”. The band has had some lineup problems, and as of today, they are using a session bass player. Their new singer is Kjetil Hektoen (Enthral, Crest Of Darkness), and we’re all looking forward to seeing the band in this new formation.

MARDUK

DISIPLIN If you have been to a metal show in Norway the last couple of years, there is a huge possibility that you have given your neck muscles a solid work out with DISIPLIN as a helping factor. This Norwegian band has from day one been a major live act, and as a result of their roadwork, a lot of people felt familiar with the band already when their debut album was released in 2004. Heavy, gripping riffs are often a winning formula in a live situation, and DISIPLIN knows the work. The army is led by General K (now known was Drakul 218), a man who is

What needs to be said about these guys? Right you are – nothing! Along with Emperor, MARDUK is without a doubt one of the bands making this year’s festival a sold out one. MARDUK’s ability to put a demanding black metal audience under a complete spell is unquestionable and the band has been one of Swedish black metal’s ﬂagships for many years. Actually, 16 years have passed since a young fellow named Morgan Håkansson decided to found the most blasphemous band ever. Their debut album, ”Dark Endless”, was released in 1992, and since then, the band has constantly been ﬁring their guns towards their audience with

ROCKEFELLER

JOHN DEE

18.15 Disiplin

17.45 Legion

19.45 Bolt Thrower

19.15 Vesen

21.15 Scum

20.45 Face Down

23.00 Marduk

22.15 Yattering

01.00 Cathedral

00.00 Witchcraft

Saturday - DJ Nebel Known for his boyish good looks and Slayer-guarantee at his arrangements at Oslo’s Betong, this young man will serve you well between bands at the main stage.

WITCHCRAFT quality releases. Towards the end of the nineties, MARDUK decided to give their fans another sonic shock, and detonated the ”Panzer Division Marduk” album, which still holds its ground as one of the most violent and extreme metal albums ever. Just as surprising – the successor ”La Grande Dance Macabre”, with more downtuned stuff. This is exactly why MARDUK is such an exciting band, be it on an album or on a stage – you never know what you get served! MARDUK is probably the strongest and most experienced liveact on this year’s Inferno billing, and after Easter is done, you’ll realize why!

SCUM Supergroups are a phenomenon that has existed since the dawn of mankind (well, almost), and when people from Zyklon, Emperor, Mindgrinder, Turbonegro and Amen join forces to make some heavy brew, massive interest is imminent. The British have gone mental by SCUM’s metalized punk, and the guys are doing their thing so mercilessly and without any kind of compromises, that the reactions in general have been divided in pure love or ditto amounts of hate. SCUM is a band you simply cannot shrug your shoulders to, and they will surely become a discussion topic before, during and after the festival. The band published their debut album “Gospels For The Sick” last year, an album where also Nocturno Culto, Mortiis and Euroboy are contributing. SCUM has already played live and received rave reviews for their energy, and now it’s Inferno’s turn to get their nuts kicked in by a band who doesn’t take any prisoners – get ready for deathpunkscumfuck!

Sweden’s WITCHCRAFT was a breath of fresh air in the metal scene two years ago, with their self titled debut album. However, this fresh air could just have been recorded in 1970. Yes, we’re talking total retro-attitude here, inspired by the likes of Pentagram and Black Sabbath. Many bands have attempted this approach, few has succeeded. 2005 gave us an album-snack named “Firewood”, which sees the band keeping the same musical style, yet adding more width and originality to the ﬂavor. Who said 70s rock was impossible in the 2000s? Not WITCHCRAFT for sure, this band should be tempting for both old hippies and curious freshlings, and this year’s Inferno gives you the possibility to check them out. Deﬁnitely one of the most exciting doom/retro-bands around at the moment!

YATTERING Ever since the debut in 1998, the now classic ”Human’s Pain”, Poland’s YATTERING have been a synonym for crushing death metal. Albums like “Murder’s Concept” and “Genocide” have just enhanced their reputation, and endless touring with some of the biggest bands in the genre have turned the Polish guys to a sheer killing machine on a stage. In other words: get ready to be seduced by the sonic attack from these brutal Poles!

VESEN This band was originally named ”Svarte Faen”, and in their early days of babysteps, they tried to make it work playing black metal. This failed attempt, according to the bandmembers themselves, ended when they changed the name of the band, made a few demos and further down the road found themselves in more successful landscapes based upon thrash metal. Last year, the guys ﬁnally were able to release their debut album, “Ugly”, and they also made a video for the song “See You In Hell”. Some members have come and gone, but the last years have seen VESEN keeping a solid lineup, consisting of Thomas Ljosåk (guitars, vocals), Ronny Østli (guitar, vocals), Kenneth Solbø Andersen (bass) and Dag Olav Husås (drums).

Cathedral

Whitchcraft

Bolt Thrower

Face Down

Vesen

Marduk

Scum

Saturday April 15th

MARDUK

ROCKEFELLER

JOHN DEE

18.15 Disiplin

17.45 Legion

19.45 Bolt Thrower

19.15 Vesen

21.15 Scum

20.45 Face Down

23.00 Marduk

22.15 Yattering

01.00 Cathedral

00.00 Witchcraft

Saturday - DJ Nebel Known for his boyish good looks and Slayer-guarantee at his arrangements at Oslo’s Betong, this young man will serve you well between bands at the main stage.

Cathedral

Whitchcraft

Bolt Thrower

Face Down

Vesen

Marduk

Scum

Every year we invite unsigned and/or lesser known bands to play the first two slots at John Dee each day of the festival. This year we wanted to follow up one of last year’s – youngsters Obliteration. They made their mark not only because they were the first band in Inferno history that had to be escorted in and out of the venue due to alcohol regulations but also because of their oldschool-inyourface-deathmetal approach. Now then boys, what makes strapping young men like yourselves make this kind of music? Wouldn’t it be easier to follow in the footsteps of such giants as Korn, Limp Bizkit and that other band….what’s the name…. eh…the one with that guy….never mind. You know what I’m going for here. Eh? Why follow in the footsteps of shitty bands just to make money, when you can make the music you are really in to and the music you listen to everyday, instead? We are into extreme metal in Obliteration, and that’s the only reason we are doing this shit! We care more about music than money and glamour, and that is why we don’t make music for some asshole Korn or Limp Bixit(Bizkit? Biskti? Biksztis?) fan who just listens to that kind of music because he is your typical teenage “rebel”. We don’t give a fuck about trends or money. Typical answer, but as mentioned, we don’t give a flying fuck! We play extreme music because that’s what we’re born to do, baby. Yeah. Since playing at Inferno you’ve signed a deal, released more stuff… Can we brag that the slot at Inferno did anything to further your musical career? Of course! The Inferno festival was what really started it all for us. Before Inferno we only had a demo out and not that many people knew about us. And having our name on the Inferno flyers and posters, having the status it has in the metal scene, was a fucking surreal experience. Especially to be on the same bill as Morbid fuckin’ Angel! We also think that the whole experience gave a lot more confidence as a band, since it went really well. The response was overwhelming and the reviews of the show were all great. A good advice to all you demo bands out there; send your demo to Inferno! We didn’t think that our demo was that great, but it gave us a spot at the Inferno festival, right? After the festival and our show at Elm Street later that year we were given a unique chance to release a 7” on Duplicate Records, owned by NecroDevil from Lamented Souls and Inferö, having not heard us before except live that night and at the Inferno festival. We are still really proud and thankful for being given the chance to play at the festival. It was fucking awesome! You’re from Kolbotn (coal bottom), the home of Fenriz (one of your biggest advocates and fans) and other prominent Norwegian musicians – did that have any impact on your choice of musical direction? When we first started out, we didn’t know that much about the old Kolbotn metal scene. But, then again, we were small kids playing punk rock. But our drummer, Kristian, and our bassist, Didrik (Did Squid) were

into some harder music at that time, also. After a while our musical interest grew and we started exploring different styles, which resulted in our love for extreme music. And Kolbotn, having spawned the musical mad men (Apollyon and Fenriz, especially) that it, has been very inspirational for us and for our music in Obliteration, indeed. We have learned a lot from the old Kolbotn scene, and we wouldn’t be the same band without it. Definitively. What would you say are your major influences? Ugh, a tricky question! Well, we listen to a lot of music, and all of the music has inspired us in some way or another. I can mention Slayer, the first real extreme band we listened to, which clearly is one of our main influences (our guitar player got a Slayer tattoo on his left arm! Hell yeah! ). The American extreme metal scene is very inspiring to us; I can mention bands like Morbid Angel, Possessed, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Death, Obituary, The bay area thrash, and so on. The Kolbotn scene is important, which includes bands like Darkthrone, Aura Noir and Infernö among others. The Norwegian extreme metal scene has of course inspired us. And lots of other bands, we all listen to a bunch of music individual that inspires us, here I can mention artists like Pantera, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, some grid core bands, Johnny Cash, Motörhead and many more. I’m really sorry we had to kick you out of the venue because of your age, but rules are rules – you are however all old enough to join in the Inferno festivities this year. How do you imagine your first Inferno experience (from the audience standpoint) will be? It totally sucked to be “thrown out” last year, and we were pretty mad when we heard that we didn’t get to see Morbid Angel after all! But we got over it and did our best when it was out turn to “hit the stage”. But it wasn’t cool going home 21.30 that night, hehe. We don’t really know what to expect of this years festival, the only thing I can say is that we can’t wait to see all the great bands!(I haven’t seen the entire line up yet, but if it’s as good as last year’s, it’s going to kill!) The old masters in Blot Thrower are playing this year for fuck sake! That’s going to be awesome! And Emperor is having a reunion show at the festival this year, woho! As I said, we can’t wait to drink beer, be with friends and hear great music. Finally I want to ask if you have any advice to other young and/or inexperienced bands that want to play Inferno – and thanks for your time! Advice? Fuck, we are so young that we need all our advices for ourselves, HAHA! Just send in your demo to the festival, don’t give a fuck what other people says, just play your music, stay focused and brutal, then perhaps you get the play at this amazing festival! We didn’t think the world about our old demo, but it got us a spot, didn’t it? Another advice: Never do businesses with people you don’t trust. Especially with a guy called Morten(Last name censored), you are a fucking RAT! Any time Gro! Inferno kicks ass!

At the time Ihsahn, Samoth and Trym of Emperor announced the abandonment of the band shortly after releasing their breathtaking ﬁnal chapter “Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise” in the year 2001 the Norwegians left a huge gap in the Black Metal scene never to be ﬁlled again. For a long time there seemed to be no hope for their numerous followers ever to see the band play live again, when Emperor suddenly staged a short surprise appearance in Oslo last year, promising a few reunion shows. The resounding press-echo around the globe highlights the exceptional status which Emperor has gained in their active as well as inactive years. It is clearly no exaggeration, when singer Ihsahn claims: ‘Emperor is linked to the myth and mystery of Norwegian Black Metal and as an entity carries so much weight in expectation and rumour.’

Rising Flames

Return of a Legend Emperor will play the Inferno Festival 2006! Just the rumour that this Black Metal legend was going to headline Norway’s most prestigious festival send shockwaves around the globe. It needed no prophet to predict that the ofﬁcial conﬁrmation of Emperor’s return would cause a wild rush for tickets, which it did. Gunnar Sauermann of Germany’s Metal Hammer investigates this dark phenomenon.

Even an Inferno needs a tiny spark to start the flames. ‘I was thirteen years old, when Samoth and I started to play music together’, recalls Ihsahn his early days in the rural Norwegian region of Telemark. The spark was lit. In spring 1991 Emperor started out as a three-piece: Ihsahn (guitar/ vocals), Samoth (drums), and Mortiis (bass) recorded their first demo “Wrath of the Tyrant” demo and a young English label saw the smoke rising, quickly offering a contract. With Samoth changing to guitar a new drummer had to be recruited and Bård “Faust” Eithun joined for the recording of the now famous “Emperor/Enslaved” split CD, which was released in 1993 and gained both bands instant recognition. The fire had started to burn. Meanwhile Mortiis was later

“‘The Inferno festival has become the strongest Metal festival in Norway and to be there on top of the bill will be a great event. It is also a rare chance to catch Emperor live as many people never had a chance to see us on stage before” – Samoth

replaced by Tchort (Green Carnation/Blood Red Throne) and Emperor forged their acclaimed debut-album “In The Nightside Eclipse”. ‘Right from the start our expression was very pompous, theatrical and big and remained so until the end’, says Ihsahn being far too modest about the massive impact of their band. Emperor created their own symphonic branch within the furiously rising Norwegian Black Metal scene of the early nineties, that they shared with musically quite diverse bands like Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal and the today largely shunned Burzum. “In The Nightside Eclipse” stood out, mixing the genre-defining sound of frost-biting guitars and the repeating hypnotic drone of the rhythm-section with epic melodies and classical elements. With “Inno A Satana” the final song of their debut, Emperor left a key to their complex compositions for their quickly growing following. The fire had grown to a blaze - in more than one respect. When “In the Nightside Eclipse” was released in 2004 the Norwegian scene was making different headlines than just the deserved musical acclaim. As a result Tchort had to be replaced on bass by Alver and Trym left Enslaved for good to join Emperor. It is a persistent misconception that Emperor has profited from those events. While they obviously helped to spread the name at first, they have shifted the focus away from Emperor’s musical merits for too long. Yet after their enforced break Emperor returned in 1997 to amaze the world at first with the “Reverence” EP closely followed by their second album “Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk”. Featuring extremely dark, yet at the same time beautifully majestic songs this output saw Emperor’s symphonic Black Metal

“Whatever happens, we will never soil the name of Emperor no matter how ﬁnancially lucrative the offers will be” – Ihsahn

Rising Flames

“Whatever happens, we will never soil the name of Emperor no matter how ﬁnancially lucrative the offers will be” – Ihsahn

coming to maturity. Raving reviews and widespread recognition by the relevant media came to a peak when the work was termed “album of the year” by many fans and journalists alike. ‘When you start playing Black Metal it is a heartfelt thing and not because you want to create Pop music’, insists Ihsahn. ‘It is very important to maintain that integrity, regardless of the level that you operate on.’ From now on Emperor was in fact operating on an increasingly higher level. The Norwegians went on tours and appeared on major festivals both in Europe and the United States. By now the spark had become a widespread wildfire. Not even the departure off bass player Alver could extinguish the flame. His duties were simply taken over by Ihsahn in studio, when the band was working on their third album. “IX Equilibrium” went public in 1999 and surprised the world with a slight but by many acutely felt change of course. Emperor were adding new aspects to their music like elements derived from Death Metal. This drew some criticism for almost the first time in the steep career of the band. ‘Black Metal has become a very conservative scene’, observes Ihsahn. “The genre is supposed to be rebellious and progressive, build on the ideals of individualism, personal strength and will. It could be no more ironic, that there has always been a strong undercurrent in the scene, which demands everybody to follow the correct dress code, to do only what is considered true, have a very bad sound on an albums, and nothing can be better than the first demo.’ Ignoring the murmuring from the orthodox ranks “IX Equilibrium” became another celebrated triumph. More touring and festival appearances followed, but when the year was over, nobody knew that it had been the last chance to see Emperor perform on stage for a long time apart from the live album and DVD “Emperial Live Ceremony” released in the year 2000. The flames were beginning to get out of hand. ‘I was starting to feel the restraints of playing in Emperor quite

another good reason for returning to that stage now: ‘We have to do it now or never’, declares Ihsahn. ‘No way could we come back ten years later as a parody of ourselves. Obviously the offer to headline important metal-festivals like Inferno or Wacken works as quite a carrot for any musician.’ With Emperor returning to the stage the burning question arises, whether there is enough heat in the embers left to spark another album. ‘A new Emperor album is not on my mind at all’, Ihsahn makes it absolutely clear - echoing Samoth’s thoughts on the matter of new material. ‘We never excluded anything, but is very unlikely that it will happen. Who knows, it was likewise not very likely that we would play live with again. Whatever happens, we will never soil the name of Emperor no matter how ﬁnancially lucrative the offers will be.’ With Ihsahn’s solo-album to be released in spring and Zyklon’s next assault to follow soon, nobody should get their hopes up too high. So for the moment, let us enjoy the legends returning to stage for a few historical concerts, which could as well prove to be ﬁnal as they maybe the start of a new era. Samoth sums it all up, when he says: ‘The Inferno festival has become the strongest Metal festival in Norway and to be there on top of the bill will be a great event. It is also a rare chance to catch Emperor live as many people never had a chance to see us on stage before’.

“It was simply sad when Emperor split. ‘We were at a point in our career where we had a lot of opportunities.” –Trym

hard’, admits Ihsahn. ‘Everybody wanted a piece of the band or the phenomenon Emperor had become. Many people wanted to have a say in what we should do or be about. As a rebelling artist I will always defy such pressure. I will not suffer anyone to tell me where to direct my music, my art, and my expression.’ True to his words Ihsahn composed all by himself yet another masterpiece, that went beyond all boundaries. “Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire And Demise” burned the world in 2001. Titanic compositions growing to mountainous proportions and yet defying gravity with a light ease stunned many a listener. A ﬁnal blast as Emperor’s more progressive course was not only splitting the public opinion.

From the Ashes

“It only now feels right to do those last shows. The spirit is there again. We have to enjoy doing it. This has always been the way for Emperor.” –Samoth

‘It was simply sad when Emperor split’, drummer Trym speaks the heart of their fans. ‘We were at a point in our career, where we had a lot of opportunities.’ Shortly after the release of “Prometheus” the band simply ceased to exist without much of an explanation. ‘We were pulling in different directions and it was better to leave the band while it was still good rather than to continue for the wrong reasons’, states Ihsahn and Samoth adds: ‘Ihsahn was striving for more complexity and leaning towards the progressive side, while I was looking for a more primitive and brutal course. This reﬂects in both of our projects after Emperor quit. We left as a strong unity rather than making compromises.’ In another demonstration of integrity Emperor left the scene with nearly half a million albums sold. Instead of cashing in on their well earned reputation, Ihsahn continued with Peccatum while Samoth and Trym started anew with Zyklon. While there was some talk of one ore more farewell concerts in 2001, nothing happened until 2005. ‘It only now feels right to do those last shows’, announces Samoth. ‘The spirit is there again. We have to enjoy doing it. This has always been the way for Emperor.’ His band mate has

Discography 1991 - Wrath Of The Tyrants (Demo) 1993 - Emperor (Split-CD with Enslaved) 1994 - In The Nightside Eclipse 1997 - Reverence (EP) 1997 - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk 1999 - IX Equilibrium 2000 - Emperial Live Ceremony (Live) 2001 - Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire And Demise 2003 - Scattered Ashes - A Decade Of Emperial Wrath (Compilation) www.emperorhorde.com

“It was simply sad when Emperor split. ‘We were at a point in our career where we had a lot of opportunities.” –Trym

From the Ashes

“It only now feels right to do those last shows. The spirit is there again. We have to enjoy doing it. This has always been the way for Emperor.” –Samoth

IF METAL IS YOUR BUSINESS – 10 RULES FOR A BAND

Is it a real band? Make sure your band is in it for blood and honour ﬁrst – fame second. You don’t need anyone in the band taking off to think this is the way to become a rock star in a hurry. The same goes for the band members who only want to be in the band as a side project. If your band is serious sack them ASAP.

Find your own sound. There is a million bands out there (actually more...) that is in a constant battle to become the next Metallica or AC/DC by sounding like them. They suck ass of course. If you think you are the next AC/DC, then go start an AC/DC cover band.

Never sign the ﬁrst deal anyone gives you. All the bands think their ﬁrst offer is their last offer and are always very anxious to sign any deal thrown at them. This is of course never true, and if you have marked yourself in such a way that a record label is interested, then seek professional help to read through the deal.

4: 5:

Never start your own record label without distribution. If you want to release the record at your own risk with your own label it will be smart to check out if you get a distribution deal ﬁrst. Many bands own 926 Cds of the 1000 copies they pressed when they started their own label.

Never go on tour without a guarantee of payment. If you want to do the punk rock route in a van in Germany good luck. If you have set up someone who is booking your tour they should be able to guarantee an advance so you can go down and home again without too big of a loss in case of total disaster.

THE INFERNO CREW WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ROCKEFELLER MUSIC HALL ON THEIR 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY – MAY THERE BE THOUSANDS MORE! 26

Never sign with “Bedroom in Blood Records”. With the tools to make impressive websites as cheap as they are anyone can start something that looks like a big record label? The less known a label is the less trustworthy they are. No-one get anywhere on the mini labels around the globe. Check their distribution and general network if you really want to sign there.

Never sign with a “manager” that is going to take care of the business unless he is the real deal. Metal managers in Norway are rare if existing at all. The laws of the music business are however the same in metal as in other kinds of music. A good manager can do a great job if he has the right motivation and know-how. A good manager should know the people you have no idea exists in the business and basically ﬁnd ways of doing business for you.

Learn your own way. Learn what is best for your band and how things work out for you. This business is hard and demanding and you need to re-invent yourself all the time to make it work. Some bands end up being studio bands and others tour all year. There is many ways to make it even as a metal band, but the main job is LIVE LIVE LIVE.

Watch Spinal Tap. All bands have Spinal Tap moments in their career. All tours are disasters waiting to happen, Record labels suck etc. The music business is in it self a joke about itself. It is no way you can be in a band for more than 1 year without any kind of cliché happening. It is how it is set up and how everyone involved keep it alive.

10:

Don’t forget that is used to be your hobby. You turned into music to escape from the real world and to be your own master. If you are fortunate enough to live from music it is very much likely that you should remind yourself that this used to be your dream. Some dreams turn into nightmares, and others you wake up from. Remember to have fun and always work like if it was your very last chance!!!

By Anders Odden

IF METAL IS YOUR BUSINESS – 10 RULES FOR A BAND

4: 5:

THE INFERNO CREW WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ROCKEFELLER MUSIC HALL ON THEIR 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY – MAY THERE BE THOUSANDS MORE! 26

10:

By Anders Odden

IN THE DOME OF HEAVY METAL We are preparing ourselves to welcome metal fans from all over the world. At Rockefeller, the Inferno Festival is one of our dearest events.Despite a high number of metal concerts all year round, we especially appreciate the gathering of metal these three days each Easter. This year will be extra special, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2006. Rockefeller opened its doors as a concert venue for the ﬁrst time on March 14th 1986. The former public bath was totally renewed. A swimming pool once was where the stage and danceﬂoor is now, and we still call the construction behind the stage “the diving board”. If you look carefully, there are still a few traces of the public bath left in the building. But mainly this venue serves as a rather neutral, black setting around a variety of concerts and cultural happenings. The wide range of events is one of the reasons why Rockefeller has managed to survive this long. Another reason is the professional and experienced staff. The management has remained more or less unchanged over the years, and their experience is invaluable. Financially, we consider each concert as an individual event that should be capable of survival on its own. Metal concerts always do. In 2005, we had 25 concerts in the genre of metal. Out of these, 12 were more or less sold out. The prognosis for 2006 is similar. Like it or not, but metal is good business! “Rockefeller is the obvious place to host the Inferno Festival”, stated the organizer of the festival, Gro Narvestad, in our anniversary magazine (look for it at the venue). We happily reverse that statement and say: “The Inferno Festival is the obvious arrangement to host each Easter”. We would not miss it for the world. Metalheads leave their

imprint on the whole city during these three days. Everybody talks about it. “Where are these pale, long haired people in black outfits going?” To the Inferno Festival at Rockefeller, of course! During Easter, all roads lead to Rockefeller. We have only good things to say about the audience on these nights. Even though we sometimes are striked by their aggressive and scary outfits, we are no longer surprised by their kindness and politeness, and most of all; their genuine interest in the music. That is, after all, why we are all here. The same must be said about the bands and their crews. Also, the metal press are always accurate, on time and reliable. If all journalists were like them, my job would be superfluous. There are never any problems, only professionalism all way through. It is nothing but a pleasure to work with you all. Rockefeller also wants to complement the organizers of the festival: You make the job easy and fun for us. Thank you for being so cooperative. Have an excellent festival. See you all here. And remember, after Inferno, there are always King Diamond (22.4), Theatre Of Tragedy (27.4), Nile (4.5), Blind Guardian (23.9) and more to come. Noëlle Poppe, Head of marketing at Rockefeller and John DEE

René M. Hamel aka. Spacebrain – Norwegian cybertrash artist pioneer – goes berzerk at Inferno 2006!!!! Spacebrain �s sculptures have been seen before at Inferno Festival and in connection with various Norwegian black metal/hardcore bands (Mayhem, Red Harvest, Dimmu Borgir...) At this year �s Inferno, Spacebrain will deliver a full terror-package of audiovisual nightmares, in an exhibition on the roof of the venue (Rockefeller). Not for the fainthearted or careless, Spacebrain �s work has proved to be as dangerous as it looks, on occasion causing injury to unwary members of the public. Look out – these monsters are armed, and they �re evil! This is truly art from hell! For more information check out: www.spacebrain.no

SIGHTSEEING, GOD DAMN IT!

HANGOUTS / BARS / EATERIES

VIKINGSKIPHUSET Huk Aveny 35, Bygdøy The Viking Ship Museum is well worth seeing, if you’re interested in history. Here they have 2 full-sized excavated Viking Ships from the 9th century - the Gokstad ship and the Oseberg ship - besides other ﬁndings from the same era. Open mon-thurs. 11 am 4 pm. To get there; Bus number 30, tell the bus driver where you want to go

ROCKEFELLER MUSIC HALL Torggata bad Originally an indoor pool, Rockefeller opened as a music venue in 1986 – and 20 years after opening the venue is better than it’s ever been. There are 2 stages – Rockefeller, the main stage, has a capacity of about 1500, and downstairs you’ll ﬁnd John Dee with a 400+ capacity.

NORSK FOLKEMUSEUM Museumsveien 10, Bygdøy At the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History you can get a glimpse of traditional Norwegian culture and history. The Open-Air Museum features 150 authentic buildings from different regions. See one of the country’s oldest structures, Gol Stave Church, from the 13th century. The Open-Air Museum is also the site of a restored pharmacy, bank, post office, dentist office and a newly restored Oslo apartment building from 1865. Open all days 11 am 3 pm. To get there: Bus number 30 - tell the bus driver where you want to go VIGELANDSPARKEN Kirkeveien THE VIGELAND PARK covers an area of 80 acres. The 212 sculptures are all modeled in full size by Gustav Vigeland. He also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds. The sculptures are placed on an 850 meter long axis divided into 5 main units: Main Entrance, The Bridge with the children’s playground, The Fountain, The Monolith Plateau and The Wheel of Life. Here you will also find Sinnataggen, the little Angry Boy. Open 24hrs a day year round, and its FREE! How to get there: Bus 20 and tram 12 and 15 to Vigeland Park stop. Underground: All westbound lines to Majorstuen station. AKERSHUS CASTLE / NORWEGIAN RESISTANCE MUSEUM Built in 1299, this magnificent castle was the stronghold of defense against naval warfare during the middle ages. It has stood proudly overlooking Oslo’s harbour for over 700 years so far, and here the Norwegian Resistance Museum is also housed. If you’re into history, and maybe especially WWII, this is worth a visit. A wonderful old fortress with an amazing view of the Oslo fjord. Open 11 am 4 pm. How to get there: Smack dab in the middle of Oslo, on the waterfront by the City Hall. THE MUNCH MUSEUM Tøyengata 53 A museum dedicated to Norway’s most internationally acclaimed and famed painter, Edvard Munch the artist most known for his painting Skrik (The Scream). Located next to the beautiful Botanical Gardens, make a day of it and walk through the parks after visiting the museum. Open: weekdays 10 am 4 pm, sat./sundays 11 am 5 pm. How to get there: All eastbound metro trains from the city to Tøyen station. Bus no. 20 to the Munch Museum. HOLMENKOLLEN / FROGNERSETEREN A ten-minute tram ride from downtown Oslo you’ll find yourself surrounded by vast nature and maybe even snow – as I write this in February, there is snow in abundance. Take some hours to experience this part of our city too, the view of the city and fjord is really quite breathtaking! If you got the money for it, stop in at the ski jump’s museum or just try to climb the jump all the way up (it’s a long way to the top...) - and finish off with hot chocolate and apple pie at Frognerseteren, an old ski lodge nearby. You get there by taking the tram from any of the subway (T-bane) stations west to Frognerseteren. For more tourist and practical info on Oslo, go to www.visitoslo.

ELM STREET Dronningens gate 32 Sadly this once so fun hangout for metal heads turned into a “normal” soft rock pub. The food is still worth the trip though, and the management might let the bartenders play some metal during the Inferno week. Not the hottest place if you want to hear metal all the time, but still a place where the hardcore metal guys and tourists hang out. ROCK IN Øvre Slottsgate 10 In this dark sub-level club you can hear metal all the time, no matter who is working. Rock In plays more traditional heavy metal and loads of stuff from the 80s, so if you want to stroll down memory lane while enjoying your refreshments, this is your place. NY-LON Arbeidergata A bar for the musically open-minded. You might hear anything from reggae to metal during your stay there. Fantastic bartenders, and DJs like Fenriz of Darkthrone and Happy-Tom of Turbonegro, makes this an alternative if you get sick of “just“ beer. Just a word of caution; money runs out REAL fast at this place! TEDDYS SOFT BAR Brugata This place has kept its original decor from when it first opened in 1958, and here you can meet anybody. Rockabilly’s, media personalities, musicians they all enjoy the milieu and great food Teddy’s offer. Put some money on the Wurlitzer and breathe in the atmosphere! And it’s only a 2-minute walk from the festival venue. MØLLERS CAFÉ Mariboes gate Situated on the corner one block away from the festival venue, this place will be packed throughout the weekend. Not only is it close to the venue - the beer is cold and cheap. Just be aware of the fact that this is not the classiest pub in downtown Oslo…They do have some decent stuff in their jukebox though! GLORIA FLAMES Grønland 18 About 5 minutes by foot away from Rockefeller you will find this rock/ metal hangout. If the weather is pleasant they will open the outdoor area, probably the best place in downtown Oslo to drink beer in the sun. BAR ROBINET Mariboes gate Literally next door to the main entrance at Rockefeller you will find this tiny bar that serves plenty of rock’n roll to go with your fancy drinks. LAST TRAIN Universitetsgata The only rock hangout in Oslo where people have learned that they will NOT get music by request. One of Oslo’s rock scene’s oldest watering holes. GARAGE Grensen 9 The rock place previously known as So What! – now one of the best rock pubs close to Rockefeller. A little hard to find, but remember you can always ask people in the street. Garage also have an outdoor area for enjoyment of refreshments – weather permitting. This is where we will be exchanging festival tickets for armbands Wednesday the 12th.

UNDERDOG Kirkegata 34 Can surprise us with metal dj’s occasionally – and the beer is pretty cheap. SKURET Christian Kroghs gate 2 Reasonably priced refreshments and action all easter (see other arrangements) TUT & KJØR Fred Olsens gate 11 Cheap beer and dodgy clientèle. Go for the beer, stay for the beer. LILLE AMIR Torggata This little Persian fast-food place next to Rockefeller will feed hungry metallers. Not a place to stay, but great for a quick bite. CAFÉ SAIGON Bernt Ankers gate Just around the corner from the venue you will ﬁnd this extremely good and cheap Vietnamese restaurant. ARAKATAKA Mariboes gate Oslo’s most inexpensive gourmet restaurant. If you can get a table, go for it - the food is great!! On the block next to Rockefeller.

RECORD SHOPS

As usual we will give you the opportunity of easy ’check-in’ – we will be at Garage Oslo Wednesday april 12th from 5-9 pm to exchange your 3-day ticket (or 3 single-day tickets) for the festival bracelet. This will make your entry into the venue Thursday a LOT faster and easier. Come in, have some brew and enjoy metal on the PA while you wait! You can also do the ticket/bracelet exchange at BODYMAP (located in Arkaden right by Elm Street) between 3-7 pm Wednesday. www.bodymap.no Wednesday april 12 5-9 pm Remember: Those of you who already have gotten your festival bracelets will be able to get into the venue earlier (and avoid the loooong queue) when the festival opens Thursday! NEVER REMOVE YOUR BRACELET! ANYONE WITH A BROKEN BRACELET WILL NOT BE ADMITTED BACK IN TO THE VENUE!!

SOUND OF NOISE Henrik Ibsens gate Situated right across the street from Rockefeller, this is a good place to purchase music. Open every day during the festival! RÅKK & RÅLLS Torggata Second-hand shop where you can find rarities and maybe a bargain but mostly the prices here are a bit steep. Also very close to Rockefeller. SHADOWLAND Universitetsgata 2 Specialty shop for Gothic / EBM / Industrial / Synth. You can find some gems here. NESEBLOD Rathes gate 7 The newest addition to Oslo’s metal shops – the owners Ruben and Kenneth (the latter will also be seen on stage this year, as the front man of Wacklevören) really knows what people want; here you can find rare demos, first editions etc. Of course, it ain’t cheap but well worth it if you want off-the shelf stuff.

OTHER ARRANGEMENTS From 4 pm to 9 pm Thursday - Saturday, there will be beer, tits and DJ’s at Skuret Kulturpub located in Christian Kroghs gate 2, just a piss and a stroll from Rockefeller and other central points in Oslo. This years programme will include the DJ’ing of local heroes Nebel (of South of Heaven) and Fenriz (of Darkthrone) amongst others. New this year is also every day live shows with at least two bands every afternoon. Endwarfment, infamous grindcore-act will be stationed at Skuret for three days, playing at least one set every day... • She Said Destroy will have a release party / gig at Elm Street Wednesday April 12 with special guests Nidingr. • Devil’s Night Out (The arrangement formerly known as Überthrash): OLD, Warbastard and Obliteration will play at Garage Oslo Wednesday April 12. • Vreid, Battered and Benea Reach will play at Rock In Wednesday April 12.

SIGHTSEEING, GOD DAMN IT!

HANGOUTS / BARS / EATERIES

RECORD SHOPS

INSTRUMENTFORSIKRING

REISEFORSIKRING

INKASSOTJENESTE

RÅDGIVNING

FRI ADVOKAT

OG MYE MER

www.musikerorg.no

Foto: Sebastian Ludvigsen

CARNET-GARANTI

Vegard «Ihsahn» Tveitan, Emperor

– De beste rådene får jeg av MFO.