Sarkom. Interview with Unsgaard and Somby

Interview by Jay Parker

Hi this is Jay reporting from Bogota Colombia. Today I’m lucky enough to be talking to the diabolical powerhouse of evil, Sarkom from Norway A well established giant of the Scandinavian scene, with a discography to die for. Today I’m talking to vocalist Unsgaard and Somby...

1 Tell us about Sarkom... when/ where/why was the band formed?

The band was formed in Lørenskog, a small suburb right outside Oslo, in 2003. The band was formed as a platform to vent anger and frustration against the weakness called humanity.

2 Describe your music in 5 words.

True fucking Norwegian black metal

3 Who is in the current line up?

Vocals: Unsgaard Lead Guitars: Galaaen (since 2016) Guitars/Bass: Somby (since 2017) Drums: Malignant (since 2020)

4 Please run us through yur very impressive discography.. album by album... where can our readers buy your stuff?

Aggravation of Mind (2006) First full length album, featuring two songs from the demo (2004). Brutal sound, fast paced black metal. Some elements of sax and trumpet. Also includes some guest vocals by Raskolnikov(RIP) Bestial Supremacy (2008) Moving more back to the roots with traditional black metal. Doomsday Elite (2013) This was the first album where we used synth, which is clearly a sign of a band that wanted to evolve. Anti-Cosmic Art (2016) Very varied album - from fast paced classic black metal to more punk-influenced parts and groovy rock. This also contains a cover of Sodom’s classic “Sodomy and lust”. In addition to the full length albums we have also released six 7” EPs between 2009 - 2021. These are for the first time ever available in digital form on most streaming platforms now.

5 Your last album from 2016, Anti-Cosmic Art is a real masterpiece... tell us about it, when/where was it recorded, what the experience was like...

It was recorded in Oslo in the time period of 2014-2015. The experience was shit and stressful as always. Things rarely happen to go as planned, but somehow we managed to pull it off in the end. Hopefully our next experience will be better, but we’ll see...

6 What inspires the lyrical content in your tracks?

Mostly personal experiences with a negative vibe.

7 Tell us about the music writing process who/ how do you do that?

We usually write the songs individually. On the last album, I (Unsgaard) wrote all the songs, but I hope this will change in the future.

8 What instruments do you use? Do you drop tunings?

The core of the band is the classical black metal instruments; guitars, bass and drums, but every once in a while we can whip out a sax, trumpet or synth to complete a song. We’ve used drop-D since the beginning.

9 What inspired you to become a Black Metal musician?

To be able to reach like-minded people around the world and to be able to express ourselves through dark art.

10 What are sarkom’s plans for the future? I understand you have more new material to come?

Our next release will be two songs on a vinyl release. More details about this will come soon. At the moment we are also working on our fifth full length album which we hopefully will start recording this summer.

11 Tell us about your best and worst experiences as a Black Metal musician.

Through touring there are many pros and cons, ups and downs. You meet a lot of great people etc. On the other hand you can get pretty exhausted and fed up, like when you’re suddenly find out that the booker fucked up and you don’t have a place to stay for the night etc.

12 Tell us about the current scene there in Norway, we all know it's infamous reputation as a spawning ground for BM and demons...

The scene has been pretty stagnant for a long time. In many ways it’s become more about fashion than the music and message. It looks like it's more important to pose on the internet than to create and experience the art of black metal.

13 Tell us a funny story from one of your shows (there is always one hahaha)

Nah... Guess you must have been there to understand the funny side of it...

14 What is your favourite all time BM album and why?

Unsgaard: I started listen to black metal when I was around 15 years old, and I guess the albums from that time still are among my favourites, like Darkthrone - Panzerfaust, Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss... Besides old classics, I don't listen to that much black metal these days. I actually rarely listen to music at all. Somby: Kvist - For kunsten maa vi evig vike. Raw black metal!

15 What is your opinion on the evolution of BM over the years and where do you think it will go in the future?

We touched upon it a couple of questions ago - overall it’s stagnant at best. We need to get the interest of the new generations in order to move forward. If that doesn’t happen the genre is going to fade into oblivion.

16 What modern bands do you listen to?

We don’t listen to many modern bands. Actually we can't think of a single one, at least not in the metal genre.

17 What words of wisdom would you give to any up and coming bands / musicians?

Don’t expect anything. Everything you achieve is just a bonus.

18 Would you like to add anything for our readers?

As mentioned we have recently released all our 7" EPs on the digital platforms, so check it out on Spotify, Youtube, Apple music etc. Thanks for reading and your support - we hope to be able to come and play in Colombia some day! -Unsgaard and Somby

Tak min bror!!! hail NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL!!!! 666