Chad Bowar: Was the writing/recording process for Axioma Ethica Odini the same as usual, or were there differences from the norm?
Grutle Kjellson: This time we suddenly got almost 6 months extra time. We were supposed to do another tour in the states last autumn, but that got canceled. So, we figured what better is there to do then use the time to write and arrange new songs?! Brilliant really, cause this time we didn´t have to stress anything and were able to work properly with all the arrangements, as well as trying out different solutions. I think, all together including the recordings and the mixing, we spent approximately 9 months on the album.
How would you describe the sound of this album compared to your last couple of releases?
Ivar Bjornson: First and foremost it is the perfect sound for this album, and the sound is somewhat different from the couple of previous releases. To me it sounds perhaps even a bit more “metal” and more direct than before. I would say it is a natural continuation of the absolutely killer mix Joe Baresi made for our previous album Vertebrae. The sound on that album is different, but so are the songs, exactly how it should be! For me these two last albums represent Enslaved having found its real sound.
Where did the album title come from?
Grutle: The album name comes from the Latin translation of “Haavamaal”, an old Norse poem from the 800-900. When it was translated into Latin in 1665, it was called “Ethica Odini”. This poem consists of 164 small verses that deal with old wisdom and ethics, such as how a person shall act towards other human beings, towards nature and towards spirituality. These verses are great advice, and one can find a lot of common sense things that have been lost after centuries of extreme monotheism, but they are still very transformable to modern day life. To us “Ethica Odini” is the biggest philosophical axiom, therefore Axioma Ethica Odini. The lyrics are spun around interpretations of various verses in this poem.
What inspired the lyrics on this album?
Grutle: Lyrics can come out of practically everything, from all kinds of themes and situations really. From movies, books, people you meet, people you see, etc. It is all about getting the necessary spark that starts a thinking process. That process can take 10 minutes or a year, it really depends. For example, I had the idea for the “Ethica Odini” lyric stored in the back of my head for at least 15 years. Now it was time to use the ideas that have been spinning around up there for a while. This time it was suitable.
Did you struggle with song order?
Ivar: This time it was actually not that hard. Normally we spend quite a while working out the song order, but this time it was quite easy for some reason. Grutle immediately said he wanted “Ethica Odini” to open, we knew “Raidho” would follow that song, and I knew “Axioma” would be the middle intermezzo – then it all the remaining songs just fell naturally into place. It is usually Grutle and Ice Dale (lead guitar) who are most in charge of setting up the song order, while the rest of us contribute to the final polishing.
Describe the collaboration process between you and the artist in creating the album art.
Grutle: Truls Espedal hails from Stavanger, where I used to live for a while. I was introduced to him by my ex-girlfriend at some pub in 1998 or something. After that I met him occasionally and we would discuss music and art while pouring down beers. Once in 2001, on a late night, I asked him if he would be interested to do some artwork for us and to my surprise he called me the next day. Since then he´s been with us.
We are obviously very satisfied with his work, so he´ll be with us in the future as well. The moral here is; good things can happen when you drink too. Truls has been doing every album cover for us since Monumension in 2001, and we are always completely stunned by his work. He transforms our ideas for the cover art in a way that never ceases to surprise us. We know each other pretty well after all these years, so we see no reason to stop now. He is just a fantastic artist, very talented. If you are interested in his work, you can visit his web-page: www.truls-espedal.com
How does the artwork tie in with your music and lyrics on this album?
Ivar: Well, the artwork is the artist’s (Truls Espedal) – partly in cooperation with me and Grutle – visual interpretation of our music, lyrics and concepts. I have my feelings on how it ties in with the music and lyrics, and other have theirs. I don’t want to go too much in depth on Truls’ art as I think his wish is for people to make their own interpretations.
What are your expectations for the CD, both in Europe and in North America?
Ivar: The primary goal is always the same simple goal: to do better than we have done before. That doesn’t mean playing more technical and so on, but more about getting closer to realize our visions; be it in a more simplistic or a more complicated manner. Already the album has done better on both mentioned continents than the previous albums; so we’re already extremely happy with how it is going!
What are your upcoming tour plans?
Grutle: We´ll continue our tour with Dimmu Borgir in Worchester MA, US at the 5th of November. From there we´ll play 32 shows together with them in US and Canada. Right after this tour, we´ll go straight to India and play three shows in Dehli, Bangalore and Pune. Then we´ll go home for the Jól celebrations with our families. That´s all so far. But, we´ll have a busy year in 2011, too. Summer festivals, upcoming European tour etc.
Do you notice a difference between fans in different countries and continents, or are they pretty universal?
Grutle: There are some differences, definitely. It is pretty easy really, when you play a city that has four metal shows during a week, people are kind of calm. If you play a city where they have one show per year, people go crazy! That´s the general difference. There are, of course, some geographical ones, too. People in the US are more into classical stuff from the '70s, while the Europeans have a love for '80s metal. The most universal thing is that they love metal, and that´s the most important.
What are your favorite and least favorite things about touring in the U.S.?
Ivar: My favorite thing is meeting with the fans, as it is wherever I am touring; but the fans in the US are particularly welcoming and enthusiastic when they like a band. They put so much of themselves into their relationship to their favorite bands, and it is really inspiring to see how much albums and concerts can mean. Then there is the fact that we get to experience so many different cities and states. We love to explore the places we go to play; to find exciting new microbreweries, see historical buildings and sites and so on.
The least favorite thing I guess can be some of the long distances we have to cover while touring the US. The worst hauls of 20 hours and more can be excruciating and cause quite harsh cabin fever.
