AVA INFERI :: 11.09 :: By: Jeff
Hello and thanks for doing this interview for Realms of
Metal! So your band is Ava Inferi. Could you explain to us the sound you try to
capture with Ava Inferi and the overall meaning of the lyrics?
R: The vision I'm trying to capture with this band is basically pure honesty
from a slightly introverted perspective, Id say. In many ways both poetic and
philosophic. We have lots of gentle and sensitive parts in our music, you know,
yet also crushing and powerful doom segments to create sharp these contrasts as
life is in reality as well. I guess all in all what Ava Inferi music´s portray,
is a journey or perhaps a window into our psyche in a certain period of time. Id
say that the same goes for the lyrics really. As Carmen and myself has been a
couple for over 7 years already, we know each other very well. We both have ups
and downs as any normal thinking person/ordinary couple, and we ride the good
and the bad through together...so the lyrics are a perfect painted vision to my
wall of sound.
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Most people know you more as Blasphemer from Mayhem, which you left to focus
your energy on Ava Inferi. What motivated you from playing black metal to this
style of music or has Ava Inferi always been something you’ve wanted to do?
Where does the inspiration for Ava Inferi come from?
R: I believe I've always had this side of me inside, if you get my point. I
started out listening to the metal bands in my period of growing up aka Kiss,
Judas Priest, Motorhead etc and from there I went further and found early
Candlemass and King Diamond stuff to more extreme metal etc. So I guess its fair
to state that I've always had a huge variety in my taste of metal music, even
during the period when I did my bleaker stuff. I think the reason for me going
into the black metal thing was that it was the most extreme thing around, and
that's how I felt like basically. Troubled teenager with a lot of anger in
heart. So, as extremity attracts extremity I ended up in Mayhem...and in Mayhem
I found back to myself again...after 13 years, hehe. I was way deep into these
extremities, as it was the only thing that could calm me and ironically, in the
end, make me re-think as well I guess. However, the inspiration for starting Ava
Inferi was mainly as I wanted something that I could express more my own
feelings with, as a highly emotional and thinking man, and not the thing that
was usually associated with me and my lifestyle from the early 90s to 2005-2006.
Which was purely abuse and destructive patterns. I guess most people back from
those days remember me as totally extreme and always drunk or on drugs. That was
my escape, and I didn't let anyone in. I still have problems letting people in,
as I am perhaps a bit shy as well, but I guess people can listen to "Blood Of
Bacchus" and hear that this is a much calmer version of Rune Eriksen than they
I've grown to learn over the years....but most don't see this side of me even
today as I am located far from my native country and I rarely socialize or meet
up with people I used to hang around with. Sadly enough. In this way its also
easy to take for granted that I am the same, as I'm not around to tell them
otherwise either. Its far from my silence here in sunny Portugal to the drunken
aspects of Elm Street (Oslo)
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Even with being in the metal scene for so long, how has it been getting Ava
Inferi off the ground and running?
R: Hard. We've had our share of unfortunate events over the years as well,
making it a rough start in more than 1 way. However, it is behind us and I am
very happy that our latest album, Blood Of Bacchus turned out the way it did in
the end. The album version that is. As most people don't know there are 2
versions, 1 is the promo and 1 is the album version. The album version is
mastered by Dan Swanö and is slightly different than the promo version as I
wasn't 100% happy with the initial sound of it. The promo sound is a bit more
low-fi and possibly a bit more epic as well, yet I wanted it more in your face
this time, more clear and more "metal"...so therefore the change. However, its a
deep listen though and possibly quite fulfilling as well with the both versions.
On starting something from scratch; will continue to fight even if it takes me 5
more years to be heard the way I want to be heard. And as long as I have a
record company to support me and my band, I know there will be fruits coming out
of this sooner than later.
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The music video for “Dança Das Ondas” I think is a beautiful and amazing
video. Can you explain what the meaning of the video is and how it correlates
with the song itself? Also, in general, what is Ava Inferi's lyrical message?
R: The meaning of the video is basically about loosing someone you love, which
in the end makes it unbearable to live, roughly told. But that is also the main
essence in the Fado, the national folk music here in Portugal in which the song
"Dança Das Ondas" itself dwells in. Regarding the lyrics, I believe I touched
the subject a bit earlier on as well but its mainly reflective and/or poetic
utterings about the hard face of reality. Its all about emotions Id say, and not
so much about creating a vision, merely releasing excess. Let it be mentioned
though that we have occasional songs dealing with the more "magical" subjects
also, e.g Pulse Of The Earth which is closer to a possible Wiccan way of
thinking. We actually use a lot of things related to "nature" in our lyrics, but
its mainly used as metaphors and symbolism. Portraying state of minds etc.
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You yourself are from Norway if I’m correct, but the rest of the band is from
Portugal. How did this come about?
R: Vacation, hehe. I first encountered Carmen here on vacation actually, with
some Norwegian friends of mine. My friends were friends with Carmen before I met
her as they (my Norwegian friends) had been on vacation in Portugal a lot and
bumped into her years prior my first visit here. Anyways, I had talked to her a
couple of times on the phone while partying at my friends house in Oslo, but it
was not until I was invited on vacation to Lisboa that I actually met her in
person. From that moment we were kinda inseparable, and despite the major
distance between us we somehow managed to keep it together. I went frequently
down here to Lisbon for short trips just to be with Carmen as well, so after
almost 2 years doing that we decided to move together. This was in 2004 and I
had just finished recording "Chimera" with Mayhem. From there on, things
slowly started to change drastically. I had some kind of new start and I got
away from most problems related to "excess", if you get my point...and
inspiration came back. I think the first riffs for Ava Inferi was made after the
return from the "Rape Europe With Pride" tour Mayhem did in 2004, perhaps in
need to put on the breaks and actually think instead of working on some sort of
negative auto-pilot. Right then we made the foundation for Ava Inferi, Carmen
and myself. Being introduced to some friends of Carmen shortly after, I got in
touch with Jaime, our bass player. He was playing in some sort of neo-classical
band around here at the time and I guess he was in need of doing something more
heavy... With him came Bandido along as they had played together back in the
days in a band called Ramshackles or something....the circle was complete.
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You recently did a tour with Tiamat and The 69 Eyes across Europe. How did
that go for the band and how were the crowd reactions?
R: The tour with Tiamat was a fortunate thing for us I'd say. We got the chance
to show ourselves for way bigger audiences than we would normally do, and it was
also extremely satisfying to see people in front rows singing along to our
stuff. Especially Poland (and the rest of the eastern countries) was great to
us, performing killer shows to a 1000 people every night.
However, it also had a dark side, as we were by far the doomiest band on the
bill, and warming up the Goth crowd for The 69 Eyes was also a bit tough. I read
a couple of reviews about the tour and it seemed we were better off in a
"closing" situation than warming up. Obviously related to our more introverted
music and downright emotional performance. It was also very geographically
related I'd say, e.g in Germany it was harder due to their Goth culture of old,
but in eastern Europe things went a lot smoother. But all in all, it was a
pleasure and a much needed kick for us. Now we just have to get our peculiar
gothic Doom over to the states, to convince you guys, hehe.
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Money aside, would you like to see Ava Inferi start running on a lot of tours
or will the band remain one of those bands that only tours every so often?
R: We would love to tour as much as possible actually as I know we are a
fantastic live band and if we got the chances to prove it, the merrier. Also, in
this day and age it is a necessity in doing tours. The scene is totally over
flooded and you need to show your presence in order to achieve some buzz, well
in most cases anyway. Its not enough with a few adds in a metal mag and a good
looking MySpace running...neither with a good looking, semi-famous,
wine-drinking x-black metaller in the band, haha.
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How close or far do you think until we see Ava Inferi doing their first U.S.
shows? Perhaps a tour with fellow Portuguese based band Moonspell?
R: We are in talks these days about doing a support job for some respected
Swedes over there early next year. We will see what happens with that, but it
would undoubtedly be a much needed next step. The tour would then cover all of
the US and also Canada. Lets hope it turns to gold.
Touring with Moonspell is also something we've been thinking and talking about a
lot, as we know those guys well. Would be a fitting package me thinks, and they
could also perform with Carmen each night, as she is doing all Moonspell shows
here in PT due to her participations on the Under Satanae and Night Eternal
albums. It would def. be a win/win situation.
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If you could put on a concert where the expense was of no worry and the crowd
would be there, what would you envision the ultimate stage set-up for Ava Inferi
to be?
R: We have some very strong ideas for the visual subjects really, but I wouldn't
say them here, hehe. You never know...
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Kristoffer Rygg did guest vocals on the latest album “Blood of Bacchus” which
is always awesome to hear him sing on something. Are there any people,
regardless of the likelihood of it actually happening, that you'd like to work
with on Ava Inferi?
R: Yeah, Id love to have some guest appearances from Glenn Danzig, Tony Martin
or Ronnie James Dio. Also Ian Gillan and Rob Halford would be immense. The ones
who has both the personality and the pipes to go along with it.
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If you yourself could put together a tour package of 4 current bands
including Ava Inferi, what other 3 bands would you like to share the road with?
R: Don't know, but obviously the bigger the bands the better the exposure. Id
say something alongside Danzig, Paradise Lost and Opeth actually. A bit of all
the things we can relate to as well..
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How would you like to see Ava Inferi evolve in the future or is the current
route all you see as of now?
R: We are currently working hard on our next album so I trust things will
follow up "Blood Of Bacchus" quite naturally. Just plain hard work and
dedication and we will see where it goes. I am however highly confident that
things will move in the right direction for us soon. Call me a naive optimistic,
but I am still a firm believer of that one can achieve whatever it might be, as
long as there is faith. And faith and dedication certainly don't lack in this
band, and if by any chance there was a bad seed or some weak link, it had to be
expelled immediately. That's how we work. Its crucial to have the good flow in
between members I think, and that's something we cant be without. To deliver
something beautiful, as in my opinion Ava Inferi is, it has to be a fundamental
understanding and communication to make it function right. Any wrong current
within the circle brings the spark of divinity down...
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Some people say metal has grown stale and is doing nothing but repeating
itself. Personally, I disagree as albums still regularly come out that wow me.
What are your opinions on the metal scene in general?
R: I tend to think that all the best metal (with some good exceptions) actually
got released between mid 70s to mid/late 90s, so I guess its safe to say that
the "wow"s for me comes hard.
But then again, I am not really following the scene either, as in terms of
checking out new bands etc so...
However, if I'm chilling out, having a few beers or 3-4 bottles of Cava or
Champagne, then I see where my musical mind is at. Usually mid 80s Sabbath (Tyr,
Headless Cross), Dead Can Dance, Lycia, old Priest, Metallica, Danzig, Opeth
etc. That's me and my taste right there. A slight digression here, but take the
calm vocal part in "The Dual Keys" from The Silhouette as an example, and you'll
hear the 80s vibe in it..reminds me something from "Defenders Of The Faith"
(Night comes Down?) album by Judas Priest. Awesome album and indeed it had its
mark on me back then...and apparently still has.
However, its not intentional, believe me. Just a fun similarity and a fun fact
in that I'm still linked back to those glory days.
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Any words to the countless Americans who have no clue who Ava Inferi is?
Yes, please do check out our myspace/avainferi if you like clever and passionate
"Gothic" Doom with a few twists to it...and hopefully we will be able to see
some fans out there when we come over in support of either "Blood Of Bacchus" or
an entirely new album sometime next year!
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Thanks for taking your time with these questions and hope to hear more from
the band soon!
Thanks for the interview, and good luck with your zine! I'm going out for a
beer...
R/AI