KAMPFAR

Scroll down!

Dolk... exhausted after the gig in Munich:

This interview was done face to face after the gig in Munich on February 2, 2007. But due to a failure of the voice recorder & lost information, this interview had to be done again by e-mail after the tour end, unfortunately. Anyway, here we go:

Sheol > Now that you’re just back from the tour, what can you tell us? How were the reactions of the crowds and what are the most memorable tour experinces? 

Dolk > Yes, we have just arrived home from the tour now and I must say that this has been the best tour so far in Kampfar’s history. Many great places and not at least many great people to meet! Especially Katowice (Poland), Bratislava (Slovakia), Italy and The Netherlands were amazing!
The whole tour was in fact purely amazing. 
Kampfar is my life! It’s as simple as that, really. And it makes me really proud to be able to travel around and doing gigs all over, and to meet people that have travelled for up to 10 hours just to see a Kampfar show. This is for me so much more real than just selling a lot of albums. This is what I live and breath for and it makes me really humble and proud in what we are doing.

Sheol > Do you have the same crazy fan crowd in Norway as you had here in Germany?

Dolk > Hehe.. well Norway is a very small country and only the metalheads here are very few indeed. Norwegians are also a bit more shy, it seems, even if others think differently about Norwegian Metal musicans etc.
So, no, Norway and Germany are not the same at all. Even if I must say that in Germany “you” have also a lot of different crowds. And in some places there is a more dead feeling than a total havoc I must say. But still….. I really enjoy playing in Germany and through the years I have made many truly great friends and brothers there. 

Sheol > Your voice was a bit hoarse after the Munich gig, which was only the 2. gig of the tour. You got honest voice problems or anything?

Dolk > Yes that’s normal. My voice is always a killing matter after each show, until “we” get to the 4^th gig or something. After that I could go forever! 

Sheol > We saw the band “Elite” (which is touring with you) here at the gig for the first time and they took our breath away. Best band of the evening I would say. Aren’t you afraid that they might take away the headliner position from you soon? ;-)

Dolk > Hehe, how great to hear you say that! Cause there is of course a reason why we had them as a support! They are a fucking great band which honestly deserves much more publicity in my opinion. So I really hope that we (Kampfar) made them a bit more known on this tour! They have become almost blood brothers to us, so nothing is better than your great words about them, really.
Hehe, well if it happens that we will be their support band in the future, well then we would have a fucking killer time and tour again at least! Hehe… 

Sheol > Your artist name is Dolk. What does it mean and why did you chose this name?

Dolk > I didn’t really choose this myself, to be honest! Cause this a name that was put on me as a little child. The word “Dolk” means translated “ a Dagger” which is a two edged knife to be precisely and as a child I always had one with me in the forest etc. ( I lived close to the forest) so therefore is this name a natural one for me, even today.

Sheol > Would you tell us your real name? Or maybe the first name at least?

Dolk > My real name is: Per-Joar. Which by Norwegian standard means: Mountain warrior! So that’s also a name I can bear with pride to be honest!

Sheol > Your first MCD “Kampfar” was released in 1995. Last year you went on tour for the first time. Before that tour you played only single gigs and festivals. Why did you wait so long with touring?

Dolk > This is a question every magazine wants to know, it seems. But unfortunately I have the same answer here as always. After our second album both me and Thomas had a very rough time and a lot of personal issues had to be solved before we could get back together and create music again. But when we got back together again we had really two options. One was to continue in the same way as before. Releasing albums and creating songs, or get a whole band at place for further evolvement and for live shows. Luckily we chose the last option.
So something special happened and a new era took place when the new members arrived in Kampfar.
But this time before this arriwall of the “new” members was for sure a hard time for me and Thomas and we just had to put Kampfar on ice for a while. But when that is said I have also to explain that me and Thomas were never enemies or anything, we have always been friends, and we also knew that when the time was right Kampfar would rise stronger than ever again. We just had personal problems in life on each side, and this had to be solved before something could happen again with Kampfar. This whole process took us almost 3 years. And to get a whole new band working as a whole unit and in a professional way took us two years more. So all in all it took us almost 5 years before something serious could start happening again with Kampfar. So there you have the reason, really. So here we are now. Back and better prepared than ever. And this is the most important thing for me now! 

Sheol > Last year your album “Kvass” was released and you were touring with this album. Why are you doing a second tour now without new material?

Dolk > As mentioned before is Kampfar my life and to be able to go on tour and travel around and to meet all this great people that have traveled for many hours etc, just to see us , is more than reason enough for me to go on tour once again. We also use this opportunity to get more in shape for the summer festivals etc that are coming up, too. 

Sheol > Are you working on new material? Do you wanna tell us anything about what to expect?

Dolk > Hmm… well I will not tell too much of course! But I can tell that we are working on new material for sure and we have already some songs almost 100% finished, so…
Anyway it has always been of big importance for us to stick to our roots. And so is the case  now of course. So I don’t think anyone has nothing to “fear” really!

Sheol > All your lyrics are in Norwegian except two songs (“Norse” and “Ravenheart”). Why are those in English? How’s the concent for the lyrical language for future albums?

Dolk > When it comes to the lyrics I must say that first of all , I am Norwegian and therefore I do of course  also express myself best in my own language. And yes…there has always been an idea about this, cause a lot of the topics my lyrics are dealing about is northern topics, northern nature, mythology and superstitions that’s lies in the Norwegian nature and in the northern nature and heathendom. These are very important issues in Kampfar’s music and aura, and therefore also best expressed in Norwegian I think. But we have done 2 different songs in English up to now, that’s correct,  “Norse” and “Ravenheart”. This is done more in way to try to explain to the non speaking Norwegian listeners out there, what our lyrics and music are really about. These songs could of course also have been done in Norwegian, but we decided to do this in English for our foreigner listeners.
Ravenheart is the English song on « Kvass » and it’s really the whole essence in both Kampfar and this whole heathendom and Pagan/ Black Metal movement, so to speak .
But don’t misunderstand me, this is not about any laws and organisations! Fuck that! This is more about freedom and free thinking under one banner heading in the same direction! But no fucking organisation or group. More  in a free thinking, heathen thinking, heading for a goal and in a true way towards yourself.... Follow the ravenheart !
The content for the lyrical aspect further will still be mainly Norwegian. But I can not say  in this moment whether there will be more English songs or not.

Sheol > Does the word “Kampfar” have a special meaning to you or does it just stand for the band?

Dolk > First of all is Kampfar my life, so you can say that in every aspect is this a much “bigger” thing to me than just an ordinary band, that’s for sure!
The word Kampfar itself does also mean a lot more than just the word!
Directly translated Kampfar means : “Wotan” or “Odin”. But it’s the warrior name of “him” and it’s indeed a powerful word. This was a word that the Vikings/ warriors used to scream out in the air just before they entered battle etc, just to get the extra power to fight.
So as you see, this word “Kampfar” means a lot more in every aspect and I really think it fits our music and philosophy very good.

Sheol > You have a nice Kampfar tattoo on your stomach. I know that you didn’t have it from the beginning of the band, because in the booklet of the “Mellom skogkledde Aaser” CD is a picture of you without the tattoo. When did you get it and why did you chose the band name for a tattoo? Aren’t you afraid you will regret that one day?

Dolk > I have always said that there are two things you should never tattoo on your body: that’s a girl’s name, and a band name. And for me I have still not done that. Cause to me Kampfar is so much more. It’s not just my band, it’s my life , philosophy,  Wotan or Odin. And not at least it’s me 100% and that’s the most important thing about it though!
No, I can guarantee you, that I have no regrets about this and I will not have this in the future either! Kampfar is my life and will always be a huge part of my soul!
This tattoo will have no effect whatsoever on my privat or musical life in the future and I will for sure not tattoo just another band logo on my body in the future! Kampfar is something special and will always be, no matter what !
The tattoo took not place place before the 10th year anniversiry of Kampfar.

Sheol > In the beginning Kampfar was just your project, soon Thomas joined. But it took several years for Kampfar to become a real band. Didn’t you want to have other musicians around you when you started or did you just have problems to find the right people?

Dolk > In the beginning we really didn’t want to involve anyone else than just me and Thomas. So for many years this was the situation.
But during time we received so many offers to play live and I got something like 10 mails each week for the last 4 years or so, only from people asking about the whole situation and about the live situation of Kampfar. So when me and Thomas finally got back together again after the “chaotic period” we really wanted to do something more than just release albums over and over.
So due to the massive great feedback during the years from people all over we at last made the decision to make a full band!

Sheol > How did you get together with Jon and II13? Is your drummer dutch? Isn’t it difficult to rehearse when he lives in Holland?

Dolk > Within this period with all the personal troubles I joined a local band called “Gruesome”.  This was just something I did to help out some friends with the vocals, I was just a session vocalist here. Cause they are a really great band and the way they made this old school Death/Black Metal  music was really something special I think. 
Nevertheless…. this was maybe something that helped me to get back on track in some way and I meet Jon (the bass player) there! 
1113 is more like a lucky shot! He moved here and started to play with us! I still can’t believe how important that was for Kampfar! He is a fucking amazing drummer and he is now my blood brother so to speak!
Hehe… and no, he is not Dutch. He is as Norwegian as one can get.
The thing is that he moved to The Netherlands one year ago and he is now living there with his soon-to-be-wife!
We rehearse together (all of us) one weekend in each month now. Then 1113 is flying here to Norway and we lock ourselves into the rehearsal place and breath Kampfar for  3 days and nights. Not even our „friend“ whiskey is allowed then, hehe..  This works really great for us and even better than before, I think.

Sheol > In the first CDs I found your contact address in Gressvik. I guess it was your home adress. Was it normal behavior back then to give this information? Nowadays no one would make his home address public (only the label address maybe). Have you moved to a bigger city meanwhile?

Dolk > Gressvik was my old address, that’s correct! This was a small place just outside the city “Fredrikstad” where I grew up. Back in the early nineties there was of course a different situation than the situation is now. Anyway, I have now moved to the total opposite than a bigger city, really. I do now leave in a small city (by Norwegian standard) more west called Larvik. And it couldn’t have been better, to be honest.
Here is life “slow” and the best forests, lakes and fjords can be found here! Totally Kampfarish!

Sheol > Gressvik is a small town. Many of the Norwegian Metal bands come from Oslo or Bergen. Was it more difficult for you to get in touch with other guys from the Black- or Pagan- scene in the beginning?

Dolk > The Metal scene in Norway has changed a bit since the early 90ies, that’s for sure. But when that is said, the Norwegian scene has never been a very open one either and it makes me really sick when I hear those fuckers that glorify this early period with such big words, even if most of them even didn’t experience it themselves!
It was not such a huge and great brotherhood towards each other in the scene as some brag about etc. To me it seemed like the total opposite sometimes. A lot of people like to brag about this period and to tell things about the “black circle” etc. Well, yes I do myself also think that in some way the true basic was more at present at that time but then on the other hand there was also even more jealousy and trendy followers at that time than it is now. People who said things just because it was the right thing to say etc etc due to the “law”, if you know what I mean.
In that manner I guess you can say that I appreciate the scene more these days.
But it is of course a two headed monster, this one. Because the scene nowadays is much more lousy and pittyful, so to speak. So I really don’t know, to be honest! But it’s just that I’m so fucking tired of all those fuckers that use this period to push their band and music forward to the media. All this makes me really sick!
Well, anyway…. due to that I lived in “Gressvik” during the early nineties I had the opportunity and freedom to be more into my own world and I’m really grateful for that , to be honest, cause in my mind I both guess and hope you can hear that even from the early works of Kampfar.
Nevertheless, I have of course deep roots in the Norwegian Black Metal “society” so to speak. I mean I have been into this since 1991. So I have of course made many “friends” and brothers here during the years. But of course is went a bit more slow in the very beginning.  

Sheol > I few weeks ago there was a report in TV about the Norwegian music scene. It was told, that bands from Norway get money from the state as support for their music. Have you ever gotten something like that or is it just for bands playing pop music?

Dolk > Haha…. No I have never seen any money from the Norwegian state, that’s for sure! But yes, there is something that is called “state support” for artists here in Norway. But I can tell that after Emperor got this kind of support back in 1992 (before the church burnings took place) this kind of support of Black Metal bands became a bit “smaller” , so to speak, hehe…

Sheol > Now thanks for your time & we’re looking forward to seeing you at the Ragnarök festival again! 

Dolk.> It’s fucking great to be back after almost 7 years in the shadows now. And I can assure anyone that it will definitely not take 7 more years before the next album is out. We are on the run now and this time I will not let it go so easily!
Thanx a million for the support and keep the flame burning!
Ragnarök is upon us!!!

<<<back to the INTERVIEWS

XStat.de