The first recordings for this Koldbrann interview took place in 2007 during the band's tour with Taake. Unfortunately the recordings got lost, don't ask how! So recently we finally found some time to try again by e-mail. 
Oh.... and if you think, this interview is quite long ... let me tell you > this is the SHORT version ... "artist's cut", so to speak! ;-)

For this year there are only 2 festival appearances for Koldbrann confirmed so far. What’s the reason for this? Can we expect more than 2 gigs in 2008? 

Well, I have really no idea. We try to play as many festivals as possible, but it seems that some festivals are not very eager to let us play. The reasons is beyond me. Our label tries to get us on as many festivals as possible, so it’s up to the festivals, really.
It will be more than two gigs this year though. A festival in Notodden, Norway and probably a tour with Kampfar in October. Hopefully some on and off gigs, too.

Your last gig was at Party San Open Air this month. Anything new or surprising in the setlist you chose?

Well, we had the same "surprise" with a guest on stage like we did at “Up From The Ground” festival two years ago. Iblis from “Endstille” on “Bestial Swarm”, as he also guest-sings on that song on the album.
We also played one track we haven’t played since the 2004 tour with Endstille, our self-titled song “Koldbrann” and of course a brand new track from the new EP.
We have also changed the set a little from the setlist on the 4 tours we did for Moribund.  
We got 40 mins at Party San, and the other guys think that it’s enough.. I always want to play longer... mainly because when the show is over, I am always so psyched up and want to play more. The other thing is that there is always some tracks I wanna play that we dont have time for. The perfect set for me would be one hour +. Then we would have time for the good old tracks that are perfect live, plus have some other tracks we can switch in playing at different shows. I have the stamina for it too, since I am in a good condition, both strengthwise and with my stamina. I guess living on a farm in the woods with always some heavy work to do keeps me in shape.

“Moribund” is out since a while. Do you have any feedback how the Black Metal scene received the album?

The reviews we have received, with a few exceptions, have been nothing but very good. Especially the vocals, as usual…. For my drumming, I get lots of good feedback, especially on the changes between parts and different tempos. People say my fills and changes between the different parts are played so you don’t notice that much that there is a change in tempo. I find that nice to hear. I also hear a lot that my drum style is unique and not like any other BM bands. Probably because I have played everything from Marching Music, Jazz, Big Bands to Rock, Heavy Metal and Prog in my 30 years as a drummer... 
For the BM crowd, I really don’t know. Some people, the old school types more into raw production, say “Nekrotisk Inkvisition” rules and “Moribund” sucks. Other people say the opposite, so it’s hard to say. Personally, I would prefer a production right in between the two albums. 

Which track on the album is most difficult to drum and why?

Well, I don’t find any tracks difficult. I have played the drumming myself, so I can basically play all the Koldbrann tracks we have played live with no problem. The tracks we have never played live, I would probably have to re-learn, especially from NI. I think all the songs on Moribund are easy for me to play for the reasons explained above.
There is one song I find difficult now though, and that is Fortapelse i Svovel og Helvetesild…, the first track of NI, simply because I play extremely fast on that song and I haven’t played that track in some time. When I listen to it now, I go like WOW, damn I played fast back then. Still remember the drumming correctly.  I just need to practice on the extremely fast stuff a little again, you know I play at the same time with both sticks fast and that’s much more difficult than the regular blast beats. I will start working on it soon, since we will probably start playing that song live again, maybe already on the next gigs. Guess that will make lots of people happy, because for many it is the ultimate Koldbrann track... or Black Metal track for that matter.

You are searching for session work at the moment. You were succesful it seems. Will Koldbrann stay your main band nevertheless? How deep are you connected to Koldbrann feelingwise actually? Can you imagine to be a fix band member for any of your session bands in the future, if they want you?

Yes, and the main reason I was searching for session work, is that the other Koldbrann guys don’t want to tour as much as I do. So, when Mannevond said we would not tour anymore until after the next album, I immediately put out ads to do some band whoring. The other Koldbrann guys have other priorities, like work and such, and that’s their choice. Ok, you have to take time off to do a tour, loose income etc., but if you really wanna play, it’s a matter of priorities and personal choices what you want to do.
I would tour and play as much as I could even if I had a regular job. If the job wouldn’t let me, I would quit and start working with something that would let me decide when to work. Touring and playing Black Metal is what I want to do and it gives me a hell lot more than any job would do. And it makes my life a lot more worth living than working 8-5 for the rest of my life and then retire and get a gold watch as thanks. Fuck that!
Koldbrann will always be my main priority. I am very connected to Koldbrann feeling wise. Koldbrann has been one of the absolute most important things in my entire life and still is.

I was a bit successful in my search for session work yes. 
The somewhat ironic part, and pretty frustrating to me, is that Norway has dozens of well established bands and smaller bands, and I have all the time in the world to go on tour etc. at  any time, but still I have to search in other countries for session work. That is somewhat frustrating.

With the exception of Koldbrann, I think there is some curse on me when it comes to the Norwegian scene and of course the fact that 2-3 drummers seems to have monopoly on all the available spots in the established bands. Nothing wrong with those drummers, it’s just boring that so many bands use the same drummers and the same awful trigger sound, hehe. Lots of Norwegian drummers are as good as they IMO.

About the session jobs, I got in touch with a band called “Høst” from North Dakota. I liked what I heard, since it was a little different than the regular BM bands you hear all the time, and with influences from other genres than just BM, just like my drumming, so we decided that I travel over and do a tour with them. I went over to the US and stayed over a month. Rehearsed for two weeks in North Dakota and then we did a US tour playing 16 gigs. I would definitely like to play more with Høst, both live and studio, but I don’t know yet, since it’s not up to me and we haven’t talked about it. 

I love adding drums on riffs and songs, but unfortunately, most people that have made the music, already know how the drumming should be. Give me free hands, and I can add some helluva drumming on riffs and songs, but too bad I rarely get a chance to do that. Even in Koldbrann they usually have ideas about how the basic drumming should be. I do add my own style and fills though.

I am still on the lookout for more to do though, since I need and want to play a lot. The perfect would be a permanent drummer in a band that would tour as much as me and a band I could pretty much do my things when making the drum tracks. Traveling would be no problem either I think. Lots of places in Norway you can apply for funds and financial support when it comes to artists and musicians.

The other band I will do session work for is “Frostwork” from England. A side project of Dagon from Heathen Deity. Another dedicated musician. Nothing has happened yet, but I will play on his next demo and hopefully a full length album after that. The drums will probably be recorded here at my farm. If he wants to take Frostwork live, I am all up for it.

Are Koldbrann working on new material actually? If yes, what can you tell us already about the stuff written so far?

3 new songs are written and recorded. It was released as an EP on August 15. The EP is called “Stigma” and it also contains a Bathory cover and a re-recording of an old song "Fredløs" which is released only on vinyl before on the split with Ljå. We were never happy with the recording of that song and in addition, the vinyl pressing plant fucked up the sound entirely. I am happy we recorded that song again, because it is absolutely one of my absolute favorite Koldbrann tracks ever. Both to listen to and play. I consider it Kvass on his best. He writes the more complex and melodic tracks, and the last part of Fredløs is Kvass at some of his best. He always manages to make riffs that get me chilling down my spine when I hear it.
Two of the new tracks are more thrashy than anything we have done before, but it still have some of the typical Kvass complexity in the way he writes tracks. The 3rd new track is a typical Mannevond song. More straight foreward and plain and very experimental.
On this recording, we did it the good old Koldbrann way. Recorded it ourselves with borrowed recording equipment and help from friends who are sound engineers, who also did “Nekrotisk Invisition” with us. 
The drums for the EP were actually recorded in the barn at my farm in the deep woods of eastern Norway, the last weekend before I went to the US to play with Høst.
We have recorded every Koldbrann stuff ourselves, except Moribund, and we will probably continue recording ourselves in the future instead of using high class studios, and now that I am in the process of building a small recording studio in my barn, I think much future Koldbrann stuff will be recorded there. It got a special atmosphere here, since it’s an old barn and you cannot see anything but deep woods around. 
We will work hard on new material this autumn, so hopefully a new full length album will be out early next year, but you never know. We don’t release albums often. I think that is good, since with so many bands and new releases out there, lots of people can’t keep track when bands release albums every year. 
2-3 years is for me perfect between studio albums, both with Koldbrann and bands I like. Then the albums have time to grow and people have time to purchase and enjoy the album before an new release and the product tends to be better than rushing out albums all the time... Small releases between albums are OK though. Like splits, live stuff and EP's. 

Why was the release of the split with Faustcoven delayed so many times? 

Well, it was the label who kept postponing the release again and again.
It finally got out though. Haven’t heard many mention it, so I assume not many managed to grab a copy. Personally, what annoys me most about this release is that the song “Pogrom Pestilent“ is the song we used. One of my favorite Koldbrann tracks, so I would really wish it made the album rather than just a limited vinyl few people get to hear. It’s also one of the few songs we have with English lyrics. We played it live on the last gigs and also on some of the tours for Moribund.

Koldbrann was founded in 2001. That’s ten years later than most of the other Norwegian BM bands were founded. What have you done before? Played in other BM bands?

Yeah, after the second wave that so many call it... Personally, I dont give a fuck about first wave, second wave, blah blah or the history of BM or Metal or music in general. I just like what I like without a need to know the history behind it. Mannevond started Koldbrann because he wanted to play Black Metal and I joined because it was just the kind of band I was looking for.

If people still want to worship the handful of great Norwegian BM albums that were released in the early 90's and nothing else, it’s their loss. With a few exceptions, I think as many good albums have been released after the mid 90's as before.

For myself, what I played before I played Metal, is explained above.... But to be short, I have the usual story for people my age... got into Metal in the late 70's... with Kiss. Then Maiden, Dio, Ozzy etc, and my mom bought me the Venom- 7 Gates of Hell VHS for x-mas in ‘85 or around that time. That was my first taste for more extreme stuff, and I was totally hooked, even though I have to add that I was much into the LA scene in the mid 80's too and then Bay Area Thrash in the late 80's. 

I got my first drum kit in ‘85 and played in various garage Metal bands until the early 90's and was in a Black Metal band a short time in '92. Got tired of music, since I got nowhere and didn’t see the point of playing just for fun... so took a break from drumming and tried the "normal life" with a regular job. What a fuckin waste.... Got tired of it and started drumming again in ‘98... even though I listened to extreme Metal through the 90's, I  missed the BM media sensation period as a drummer, but I don’t care. I played in various bands in the late 90‘s, but I really wanted to play Black Metal, so I got in touch with this young dedicated guy called Mannevond in 2002 and the rest you know.

The other guys, well Mannevond had a band called Carnifex before Koldbrann.. with the first original Koldbrann guitarist, Dragev (who wrote the “Koldbrann” track btw). Kvass has never played in any other bands. Antonzen, nothing special I believe. Stian "Goremeister" Johnskareng was a Death Metal vocalist before he joined Koldbrann and did some recordings with a few bands. He also plays in a Rock’n’roll band beside Koldbrann and it seems to me he is more comfortable playing that style.

Are you still following your Anti-Trigger idea? What do you think why other musicians use the trigger? Since when does this excist anyway? Any idea? Why do you personally hate it so much? How about drum machines? Don’t you hate them even more, maybe?

Definitely. I like drums that sounds like drums!! I just think the sound of triggered drums, Casio sound as I call it, is annoying and it got no dynamics or feeling so that’s the main reason I don’t like it. Especially the bass drums. Nothing sounds better than acoustic bass drums, so  you feel them “hit” your chest as much as you hear them, instead of those “klakk klakk klakk”. The worst example of triggered drums to me, is the bass drums on Immortal’s “Battles in the North” and Mayhem’s “Live in Marseille” CD/DVD. The drums on those releases sound just horrible! 
No offence to all the great drummers who use triggers, I just don’t like the sound of it myself, it’s just my own personal opinion. Guess it’s also a matter of taste.
Listen to Gorgoroth’s “Antichrist” and “Incipit Satan”, Emperor’s “Nightside” or the first Satyricon albums for that matter, now that’s real drum sound!!! But now, unfortunately, the old genius Gorgoroth tracks, in “both the current versions of Gorgoroth”, will be ruined, IMO, by some certain drummers use of triggers when they have joined those bands.

Why people use them? Well, it’s easier to play. Much easier. Since triggers are some sort of sensors attached to the drumheads, you don’t have to worry about how hard you hit or where you hit, cause the sound will have the same volume out through the speakers anyway and the sound is not from the drums, but from synthetic drum sounds stored in the trigger module. 
The first bigger bands I can think of that set the standard of triggered bass drums must have been Metallica “… and Justice for All” and the first Pantera album.
Triggers fit better in genres like Death Metal, but then again I don’t like or listen to Death Metal (except Morbid Angel and Death), so there you go!
I don’t like drum machines or any sampled instruments either. Not polishing in studio either like so many bands do. One of the reasons I am so into Black Metal, is that it’s real!!!! So I prefer instruments to be played by actual musicians.

Since when are you playing drums anyway? Learned since childhood? How often do you rehearse?

I started playing drums in 1978 I believe or maybe it was 79. In a marching band actually and I stayed there for 10 years. That’s actually the last thing I'll regret, since I learned the right stick techniques, theory and such from an early age. 

You know, using mainly your fingers when playing fast on the snare drum instead of your entire arm and such. When people ask me to teach them that, I have a hard time doing it, since I don’t really know how to explain or show it. I have always played like that and it’s just in my blood.

I also learned a lot of musical theory in the marching band. I actually can write drum notes and play a drum kit after notes. Both single snare drum and the entire kit. One of these days I will write down complete note sheets for the drumming of a couple of Koldbrann tracks. Just for the fun of it, since I believe no one will ever have the need for it. Another funny fact is that right before I quit the marching band,  the instructors recommended me for the drum corps in the Royal Norwegian Kings Guard and I was accepted after a test... but at the time, cutting my hair short and give up Metal for two years, was not an option for me. This was in 1988 or 89 I believe.

Since I started play in Koldbrann, I have rarely rehearsed beside band rehearsals. Mainly due to not being able to have a kit at home and play, but now that I live on a farm and are making a sound proof rehearsal place/studio, I will try play a couple of hours each day. Got some stuff, especially bass drum techniques, I need to practice on...

When I learn new stuff with Koldbrann, I just listen to rehearsal recordings over and over... or if the other guys have recorded the guitars at home. Then it just get stuck in my mind after a few dozen listens and I remember it, I also write down the notes if there are especially complex riffs. That works out great, so new songs come together pretty quick at rehearsals. Of course they have to approve my ideas for the drumming. Often they have ideas for drumbeats to their riffs and we work from their. Sometimes we come up with the drums and riffs at rehearsals, and then I write down the notes to remember it.

Before traveling to the US to play with Høst, I listened to the album several times everyday for weeks, but mainly since I had not made that drumming myself, and it had some complex parts, it was much harder to learn than I had expected, so I had to write down notes witch I played after on the rehearsals and gigs.

Do you use special equipment? I heared the cymbals are extremely expensive, 500,- EUR upwards. Do you have a sponsor? 

I don’t use any special equipment, except brands. I have always used TAMA drums. They make good drums at decent prices. And they last! The kit I have now, is a TAMA Rockstar kit I bought in 2001. They have been on several tours, flights and they are very durable. No particular experience with other brands, except Pearl and I don’t like them. They way the toms are mounted and more such things... for sound, I guess most brands can sound good if tuned well and the right heads. 

For cymbals I have always used Sabian's Hand Hammered cymbals. They last. I am known for hitting very hard live, and the set I use now are finally starting to break… after ten years! So time to change the cymbals.

I use Evans Hydraulic drum heads, simply because I love the sound of those. I tried some new Evans types I might switch too, because they sounded even better. Don’t remember what type in the moment.

I am only endorsed by Pro-mark. I have been using Pro-mark exclusively since the early 80's, since that’s the only brand that produce wood sticks I have tried that don’t break easily....  I was introduced to them at some summer drum schools I went to in the mid 80's. I went to such 3 years in a row. They lasted a month each time and full day like a job. It was fun, because I learned how to play Vibraphone, Timbales and lots of other melodic percussion instruments.

Have you heared about the unbreakable drumsticks from carbon (I think it was)? Ever tried them? Know something if they sound better or worse?

Heard about something like that, but I have never tried and I will not consider it either. I don’t care if they last long, for me drumsticks made of American hickory wood is the only way to go. Beside, I prefer real heavy sticks and I guess those sticks you are talking about are pretty lightweight. I need heavy sticks, otherwise I drop them all the time and I cannot play fast. Need the weight to get the stick going on blast beats.

Let’s talk about “Bestial swarm”, the duet with Iblis of Endstille. Whose idea was it to have him joining? How did you record it? Sending tapes around or how? 

Well, we recorded Moribund in the same studio as Endstille uses in Kiel. We hang out with the guys all the time during the time we where down there, and 3 of us stayed at their place during the entire recording that took a few weeks, so I guess it just came up at some point. No rehearsal, except him being in the studio listening to the track before recording his vocals. Wachfels also has some guest appearance on Moribund. It’s just a line though, but cool anyhow.

You also were on tour with Endstille when you were at the same label. I believe you became really good friends during this time? 

Yeah, that was the first Koldbrann tour that was booked and organized by a booking agency and not me as on the previous tour... The organizer needed another band, and Endstille wanted us to come along. Lots of funny memories.
We are still good friends!!! Beside online contact, and the Moribund recording session in Kiel, we only hang out at concerts we play together, or if they play in Norway or we in Hamburg etc., so we hung out with them again a lot at Party San!

What are the Norwegians in general (or you in particular) thinking about the Black Metal scene in Germany? Could you actually tell some good German BM bands (except Endstille)?

I can only speak for myself, since I am not a social person who is out a lot, except when touring, so I don’t keep so much attention to what others think. Personally, I don’t have the time to check out lots of new stuff, beside there is so many bands so I find it impossible since there are as many bands as there as musicians these days. I am also very picky. I need real drums and I basically hate sampled stuff. I also need very good drumming if a band has to appeal to me, and that is something I find quite rare. 
I also think the internet has somewhat ruined Black Metal. Now everyone starts a band and promote it through MySpace etc. Internet bands is what I call them. I liked it much better before when people actually had to work hard to get their stuff spread. So when I discover new bands, it’s usually by coincidence… when I am on tour getting CD’s or playing with bands I haven’t heard or if I get presented something from my band mates and so.
German bands, Norwegian bands... I don’t care what country a band is from... its the music that matters to me.

What about new and fresh BM bands from Norway? Can you recommend any band? Or do join the group of old-fashioned people who think, that only the old and “true” bands can deliver the “real thing”?

Lots of good new bands comming from Norway these days. But as I said, I don’t have time to follow up everything that is released these days, and it’s way to much! But there are a few good newer bands. The best newer band I can recommend, is Sarkom, which we toured with in 2006. Their first album is excellent… except the drum sound though..., but it contains some of the best riffs I have heard in years. Riffs that would make Satan himself proud.
I don’t care about what part of time a band is from and “true” is an expression I think is lame. What is a “true“ band? To some people Manowar is true Metal, to others, Darkthrone... So I don’t really get that “true” thing. I like what I like and ignore what I don't like without labeling everything or worry if its “true” or not.
Talking about new Norwegian bands, Satyr actually went out in the biggest Norwegian tabloid press saying his label will only release old bands, since all new bands basically suck and have nothing to deliver. Kinda sad reading such things, since guys like him should be supporting new good bands instead of not even bother to even listen to any newer bands.

You played two gigs with the German band “Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult” as your support. They have female vocals. How did you like the band? What about females in BM? Would you like to see more of, or do you think BM is a men’s domain?

It was 3 or 4 gigs... They also played with us after Taake had to cancel the rest of the tour after the sensitive German incident. Hehe. Anyway, I have big respect for the girl vocalist in that band. I was stunned when I saw them live in Berlin on the fist gig on that tour. A girl growling and playing at the same time. Wow. I think they are a great band and I would love to play more gigs with them in the future. BM a men’s domain? Common. Gimme a break… This is the 21^st century. I don’t care as long as the music is good.

Koldbrann seem to be very close to Taake, you have partly the same members. How do you remember the last tour with Taake? How did the fact that Taake were cancelled from the tour after the Essen-Gig affect Koldbrann? Do you think Koldbrann lost fans because of this as well?

Close and close. Personally, I am not close to any persons, except my family. About Taake, we toured with them and say hi and hang out if we meet. I remember the tour well. The only person I have hung out with after the gig is Skagg. The gigs went well, we had fun and it was of course lots of scandals. I don’t think it affected us at all. The rest of the gigs went as well as they did before Taake went home. Actually the biggest crowd we had was at one of the last gigs. Lost fans? I don’t know and I don’t care. If people want to judge us because of something someone else did, and a thing  that has nothing to do with the music itself, common let them go ahead.

You have a DVD out. Can you tell us what to expect when getting hold of it? Heared something of live recordings. What kind of quality are the recordings? YouTube-handcamera-quality? 

Yeah, we decided to release a DVD ourselves. It’s just a self released total nekro bootleg DVD thing. Not something for people who have not heard us before, but people who are familiar with our songs, will enjoy it. Not like YouTube, because most of those are poor soundwise because they film too close to the stage, and cell phones and camcorders can’t get decent sound when it’s loud as close to the stage. This DVD is filmed from far behind so the sound is decent, even though it’s a camcorder, and it really captures the Koldbrann live feeling on a bigger stage. 
It’s filmed at Ragnarok festival last year and the tracklist is:
Alt er Befengt
Steinet til Jorden
Kaosmanifest
Pogrom Pestilent
Djevelens Treskeverk
Inkvisitor Renegat
The DVD is very cheap, about 5 Euros and can be purchased by going to koldbrann.net or contact me directly at booking@koldbrann.net

Ragnarok festival have also released an official combined CD/DVD release and “Djevelens Treskeverk” is also included there, but filmed with different cameras and better sound... To bad I fucked up one part on that particular song on that particular concert. Hehe… but who the fuck cares... Absolutt Nekro!!!