ILLNATH INTERVIEW

After having been very impressed by Danish melodic black metal band Illnath's 3rd album "Second Skin of Harlequin", Mads decided to send some questions off to vocalist Narrenschiff, who is in fact the only Norwegian member of the band ...

Website: www.illnath.dk

Interview by Mads Jeppsen

First things first; congratulations on your new album, which I believe is a breath of fresh air to Danish metal scene. Why don't you start by telling us about Illnath; some quick facts about your band. Imagine telling a person who has never heard of you before about your band.

Well, in that case I'd skip past the whole who-came-and-left-introduction and say that we play melodic metal and that we do it for the music, not to promote our ideology or personal religion. This is music, and it's for whoever wants to listen. We've been playing for ten years now and I think the songs still become more refined and elegant by each new track. We're constantly changing and constantly developing and becoming something better and more complete.

In relation to the first question I think it would be fun to hear what you define your own music as. I know most musicians hate to put a label on their own music, but if it was a matter of life and death, what would it be?

I suppose we play something like melodic metal. We've been compared to Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth quite and many see us as the middle-ground between these two bands even though, as you say, we don't really label our own music, we just play it and leave the labelling to the reviewers. It's a bit like giving a name to an artistic period that's not yet over.

What has the response been to the album been so far? Good or bad?

Most reviewers seem to like it, but most people wanted something more extreme. There have also been some reactions to the length of the album, but I daresay the quality and the intricacy of the songs weight up that issue. We've got a couple of top marks, quite a few really high ones and none have been below 4 out of 6, so altogether the release has been well received.

On a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best, how satisfied are you with the final product that is "Second Skin of Harlequin"?

As I wrote in the first question we're constantly developing, so we're already now better musicians. But it represents where we were at in that time and you have to remember that this album was recorded more than three years ago now. Looking at my own performance, I'd give myself a 3.5 compared to what I can do and write now. But that was the level I was at, and I am nothing but proud of the album.

When composing, do you have like certain procedure you go through? Does someone come into the rehearsal room with a great idea that you work on, or do you it all collectively at rehearsals?

Both. Sometimes a playful jam can trigger off the atmosphere of a new song, and suddenly it just creates itself. Other times Pete comes in with a finished rough recording of a song and we shape and perfect it from there.

What do you want to accomplish with your music? I mean, what do you want the listener to think?

I want to provoke some kind of emotions, some feeling of depth and quality that makes the listener nod along and enjoy the music. Since I am not such a big part of the song writing as the other guys, my part is to write the lyrics and put my voice to the song. I know that in metal music, very few can hear the lyrics but luckily some people take the time to read them. My job is to show people that there is a depth beyond what first meets the ear; a story or an idea that is to be told and written as eloquently as possibly, and I always use traditional rhyme systems when I write.

Your cover is pretty odd. Why did you choose to go with that cover? I mean, what does the cover symbolize? Why the cards and the weird face etc.?

Odd? Hmm… that's a new one. I find it incredibly beautiful. The title and the cover art is a symbol and almost a warning to the audience, telling them that this is not what the fans from "Cast into Fields…" might expect from the new Illnath album. Tarot cards are of course a tool of divination and often associated with side shows and the… well… "odd", I suppose, so in retrospect you might not be too far off.

What does the title mean? And who came up with the idea for it?

It's the "second skin" (a second nature) of a harlequin, a jester. So you might be surprised at what you hear. As I said, it is to tell the audience that you might not hear what you expect from the album. It makes people stop and think. I wrote the title before we started the recording, actually. After the rehearsals I realised that the songs were quite eclectic and might be hard to pull together in one title without going quite surreal with it.

In a world with thousands of new bands coming up, what makes Illnath special and makes it stand out from the crowd?

We're not working on principles, we're not afraid to use melodies that are catchy. In a world where you either have to be melodic, kill dragons and be Swedish, German or Italian or "true" and kill kittens every weekend, it seems to be a middle ground where you find bands like us. And we've been doing this for ten years now. We're not newcomers, however little people know about us.

If you had to name 2 bands you would love to tour with then which bands would it be? And why did you choose those in particular?

Alice Cooper, -because he's bright, a legend and a good laugh. And Dimmu Borgir, -because I think we could get some new fans from their crowd, and they know how to drink beer.

Do you have any touring planned?

Yes, we're going off on a European Tour with Dismember and Necrophobic in late August.

What are your thought about the current Danish metal scene? Good or bad?

Even though I'm Norwegian and don't pay too much attention to the Danish scene, I'll admit that there are some amazing bands coming forth from Denmark. Hatesphere, Mercenary and Corpus Mortale are only a few, but they also have the classics like Konkhra and King Diamond, which shows well that Denmark has been a part of the elite of metal for quite some years already.

What is the Danish band of all times? And why?

I'd say Konkhra since I've kept bumping into friends who like them for the past 10 years or so. And the tour with them in 2003 showed that they are all great guys. I wish them the best of luck on the re-recording of their new album, by the way. I heard there were some technical issues that accidentally wiped a hard drive.

What is the best Danish album of all times? And why?

Ah, I don't think I'll make any decision on that right now as I haven't heard by far enough of the stuff to make a comment.

Do you consider yourself inspired by other Danish bands?

Nah, I wouldn't say so.

Your sound is not what I consider typical Danish metal, which is pretty interesting. Is this a conscious choice or have you never thought about it?

What's with all the Danish questions?? Well, we've been moving in this direction since we started recording and I think we've had a very organic evolution towards the sound we have now. We've been sticking with Borsing Studios and he's done a better and better job each time we've recorded with him.

What are your inspirations? I mean, besides the obvious ones like Cradle of Filth and Iron Maiden.

Personally I take inspiration from a lot of things besides music. I just earned my bachelor degree in illustration and I've had a few years or traditional art, so art history both contemporary and classical are great sources of inspiration, especially for the lyrical side. I also read quite a lot, and many books have triggered of ideas that have later become lyrics or lyrical concepts. I know that the musical inspiration in the band varies from Mike Oldfield and Anggun to Death, Tidfall and Cannibal Corpse, so it is a broad influence altogether.

Concerning the future of Illnath, where do you see the band in 5 years? What are your ambitions? Goals? Dreams?

We've already finished recording the new album and it will be absolutely awesome, and I believe there are some great things in store for Illnath. We've got a new and respectable record company who believes in us, I'm done with my education in England and can focus more on the band again. We are all extremely ambitious and have great dreams for this band and we won't give up until Yog-Soggoth comes, maybe not even then.

Why should anyone buy your new album?

Because it's a great and intricate album that kicks ass and has finesse as well as a core of solid lava.

Thanks a lot for answering my questions, the last lines are yours. So you can give a shout out to your fans, to those who may want to check you out or just tell us a joke. It is up to you. I can only wish you all the best for the future.

Thank you and likewise. I want to say thanks to all the great guys who have been checking our our myspace page (myspace.com/illnathofficial), and also to all the fans world wide who know us, I hope to see you all on the tour.