1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the recording of the new album?
Not much. I finished working on the album as late as April, and the only activity since then has been a rehersal or two, and writing a few riffs.
2.You have a new album coming out during the end of August, what are some of the things you feel you have done different musically with this recording that you where not able to do with your previous releases?
Its not so much about what I have been able to do, except learning from mistakes from each past record, and trying to fix those weaknesses that I saw on previous efforts. Other than that it has more been about changing focus a little, which I something I do for every new album. This one was more riff dense, obscure and varied in structures and tempos, and that was completely by design.
3.This is your first album in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
Nothing exiting. Just life. I had two children in between the album, which together with a job that requires a lot of traveling has taken all the spare time needed to put together an album, a very large undertaking for me, taking upwards of 1000 hours of work when all is said and done.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as a songwriter over the years?
As usual it is a fair bit about horror, both litterary and cinematic, and I also revisit the topic of whisky in The Devils Share, a Faustcoven song that has been around for more or less 10 years now. I applaud anyone who can catch all the references in both those categories (I think, 4 movies, 2 short stories and 9 whisky destilleries). Other subjects are the typical doom and gloom, as in the title track which offers a very bleak outlook on existence, and death from the point of view of an unbeliever as explored in As White As She Was Pale. As a songwriter, I may have a few more tools in the toolbox than before, and have developed my sense of dynamics for example, but when I started Faustcoven I was already quite far along, having played guitar in bands for a decade already, and written music since 94. So I knew how to put together riffs into a song, and when I felt the inspiration then as now, the whole process of writing a new song was very natural and easy. That is more important than being «clever» with new songs; to be able to listen to the inner voice and having good instincts. Maybe that is why many artists burn out as they grow older and release more and more music, they start listening to their stock of past knowledge and ego too much, and are not able to listen to what their instincts tell them.
5.In one interview you had said that you where interested in reading the classics, horror, history and science, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these subjects and also do they have an infleunce on your song writing?
Horror litterature and movies are a very near and dear subject to me, and provide a lot of inspiration toward topics for songs, but also to the songwriting itself. As the type of movies I like are mostly the classics from the 1920s to the 1970s from Hammer, Amicus and Universal, and in litterature, many Victorian- and Edwardian-era authors such as Blackwood, Machen and MR James to mention a few. This focus on building a slow burn atmosphere of creeping dread is something that I want to infuse my music with. Not the type of modern horror, shock laced and fast paced jump scare rollercoaster type of experience, which just does not stay with you beyond the elevated pulse of a few seconds. History and science also interest me, especially science as I work in the field of research and engineering, so there is a professional aspect to that, and keeping up to date on what is happening, but it also informs my outlook of life. And currently I am disguested with the decline in scientific litteracy that seems to be going on in the world. The «I will do my own research to fit my particular bias» movement that are becoming more and more visible. Read some books that agree with you, see some youtube videos, and you are immediatly qualified to disagree with scientists that have dedicated their life to increasingly narrow areas of expertice. A path that requires extraordinary discipline and hard mental work, beyond what most people can imagine. And they were probably far smarter than you to begin with. So maybe this makes me more cynical and pissed off, and that carries over to the songs.
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Faustcoven'?
No major intellectual process. It was a case of stringing together two names into something that sounded good, sort of like Celtic Frost, and was not already taken. But by lucky coincidence, I found that it is a good name in that it can be interpreted in few ways. Although it seems straighforward enough. A coven that has taken a Faustian oath, or a roundabout way of saying that the band has made a pact with the devil, or entered into some other dark dealing for our own nefarious reasons. It both makes sense and give the right aura for the music.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
It is by John Atkinson Grimshaw, a Victorian painter that made these extraordinary sceneries (often nighttime) dominated by ill omened green colours and shadows. I first saw this painting 2-3 years ago, and became very attached to it as it very much evoked a fitting atmosphere, and it seemed to connect strongly with the song Quis Es Iste Qui Venit, «Who is this who is coming». Which for those that understand the connection and reference, clearly is a question that you really do not want to have answered.
8.In the studio with an exception of a drummer you have recorded most of the music by yourself, do you feel that working with a full band would ruin the vision of this musical project?
Well, the vision is mine, and the ideas that formed Faustcoven are mine, so I do not see how I could let anyone else write anything that would keep that essence. And just bringing in a full band to record, while obviously having the advantage of spreading the workload, has other drawbacks. First and foremost you must keep a band together and playing together in the years of inactivity between albums, and then you suddenly have a pressure to do release something every so often that you didnt have before. Then there are the geographical issues, the scheduling conflicts, etc etc. Then when it comes to basslines, I would spend about the same time as they are very important to me, and I just feel I need to write myself to have the proper balance between countermelody and rythmic underlining, and usually I just write them and record at the same time, so there is no time save. And if want to control everything, I might as well do everything. Well, except drums that I really cant play.
9.What are some of the best shows that you have played with the live line up and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Very meat and potatoes. No incense, gongs or gregorian choirs on stage. Luckily we have a great front man live that helps keep up the energy on stage, but I am no showman myself. I am more comfortable in the shadows of the stage, soaking up the energy of the riffs and crowd. But there are just some songs that deserve to be played live, so that was my reasoning for taking Faustcoven to the stage. It is a type of music that mostly translates very well to the live environment. However, we have not played a lot of live shows just due to time constraints, so favorite performance would probably be Hell in Hammaburg in 2014 I think.
10.Besides the 'Never Surrender' fest in Germany during November do you have any touring or show plans for 2018-19?
Hell in Hammaburg again. In 2019. Apart from that, nothing is planned, but I do want to do a few more gigs in 2019, before shifting the focus again toward songwriting.
11.The last 2 album came out on 'Nuclear War Now! Productions', how would you compare working with this label to your previous label 'Barbarian Wrath'?
Well, both are run by enthusiasts, and Hartmuth was an underground hero in promoting that type of dirty, DIY, crypt dwelling metal that put me on the scene at a time when more or less noone else was doing that stuff. He is dearly missed. But it was a much smaller operation than NWN. Everything in NWN in contrast is more organised, and streamlined with better distribution and a more options for me. It has been a very good experience working with Yosuke, and I cannot begin to understand how he manages to run the label with the amount of output, and the amount of work in organising festivals and the distro itself in addition to being a full time working family man. That is crazy work ethics.
12.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your recordings by fans of black and doom metal?
Faustcoven listeners are a special breed of enthusiasts, of which the world do not hold a great many. This is a type of music that never will be destined for mass consumption, but those who do find redemptive qualities in it are very positive and gracious to me and my creations. So far I have been overwhelmed by the reviews and the positive comments that I have gotten for all my albums. When I first recorded my first demo, I was more or less convinced that this type of music would be enjoyed by one person alone. Myself. And that is still who I write for.
13.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
Around in circles. Black Doom metal inspired by Sabbath, Hellhammer, Pentagram, Bathory, etc. I do not plan to move away from that, just vary the mix of ingredients from release to release, and write new, good riffs that are my own. I do not see myself going far away from my original idea here, but there is so much to explore in the boundries between oldschool doom and black, and not many are doing anything similar, so the ground is still fertile.
14.Are there any current musical influences that you have brought onto the new album that you where not able to do with past releases and also what are you listening to currently?
I may have grown to include more influences from the Mercyful Fate school of black metal as represented by themselves, Root, Negative Plane etc, meaning a more riff dense and frenetic experiences in addition the the heavy, more static Sabbath/Hellhammer type of riffing that Faustcoven grew up with, but that is not such a current thing, just a gradual development and realisation of what works. Curse of the Voodoo Priest off my second album in 2008 was already very Fate inspired. Just these last few days, weeks and months I have been listening to Malokarpatan and Nachash, two really good, newer bands. Nordkarpatenland is such a monster record, and its great to hear folk horror influenced music. Also the finnish madness known as Misantropical Painforests latest output, Firm Grip of the Roots, have been kicking my ass. Crushing stuff.
15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
No, not at this time in the morning. Thank you for the questions, and thank you for the review of the album.
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