I had the opportunity to interview Vortex at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, just a few days after In Sorte Diaboli was released. He was a really nice guy, and had some interesting things to say about the new album, why Dimmu is such a polarizing band, his favorite Dimmu albums, how he played in the school band with Mayhem’s original drummer, and much more.
Chad Bowar: What is the proper pronunciation of the album title?
Vortex: It’s (in SOR-tuh dee-AH-bo-lay)
What has the response been to the album so far?
All the critics are over the top. We just heard from the top Norwegian tabloid, and they gave it 6 out of 6. It’s amazing. I can’t believe it. The reviews have been very good so far.
When did you decide you wanted to do a concept album?
It was something we started toying with during Ozzfest in 2004. Silenoz sat down and wrote the main storyline and it grew from there.
Is it any different writing the music for a concept album?
It hasn’t been for us. The riffs are written individually. We present riffs at the rehearsal space. If the riff survives we jam it together and make songs. Then we arrange it together to make an album. So when we go into the studio we have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen.
You must have been happy with Fredrik Nordstrom’s work on the last album to use him as producer again.
Yes, absolutely. He’s almost like family now. It’s been great working with him and the people that work for him. They give us tips on what to do. They are great producers and really fun to work with.
Your last original studio album, Death Cult Armageddon, sold over 100,000 copies in North America. Do you expect In Sorte Diaboli to surpass that?
We don’t have the support of Ozzfest this time around, but the venues we have been playing lately have been larger, so it might happen. It’s an exciting time for us. The album is just out and we’ll see if we can make the Billboard chart again. We did last time, and that was a milestone for Norwegian metal. Nobody had ever done that. **(Editor’s note: In Sorte Diaboli did make the Billboard chart its first week out, selling 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at number 43. This is more than double the 6,400 first-week tally achieved by its predecessor, Death Cult Armageddon, which debuted at number 169 in September 2003.)**
You’ve spent a lot of time touring the U.S. What are your most and least favorite things about our country?
I like that you can use the same currency everywhere. That’s nice. The people are really friendly, that’s for sure. You also have fantastic scenery. We really enjoy it here. The negative is that you have too many McDonalds type restaurants.
Is there anywhere that band hasn’t played live that you would like to go to?
Iceland, actually. We tried to do a release party there once, but couldn’t. The origin of our name Dimmu Borgir is from the lava and rock formations there. In folklore it’s said to be one of the gateways to hell. It’s also a tourist attraction. It would be nice to have a concert there.
You’ve played most of the European festivals as well. Are there any that are your favorites?
Yes, Wacken. It’s great. Last time we headlined there were something like 50,000 people there. It’s pretty cool to see those masses of people. Metal festivals in Europe are a very chilled vibe. You see people passed out, lying there in the mud, but nobody messes with them. Everybody gets along and there’s a really friendly vibe.
It seems like there’s no middle ground when it comes to Dimmu Borgir. They either love you or hate you. Why do you think the band is so polarizing?
Maybe it’s because of our background in black metal. That was an extreme genre. But we don’t call ourselves black metal anymore. We certainly come from a black metal background, and there’s a controversy around that. There are a lot of people who define black metal in a very specific way, and if you don’t do it a certain way you’re a sellout. That’s why some kids send us hate mail. People who have been listening to metal for only a couple of years are questioning our integrity.
I suppose it’s a good thing that the band creates such strong emotions one way or the other.
Absolutely. It creates press.
Do you have rivalries with other bands, or is that something created by the media?
The media loves that stuff, because it creates headlines. That sells more magazines.
What do you think is the most underrated Dimmu Borgir album?
None of them, really. It’s been going steadily upwards for Dimmu. The metal channel that we are in is pretty narrow, so I think it’s amazing we sell as many records as we do.
What are your favorite Dimmu Borgir albums?
I love the Spiritual Black Dimensions album (1999). I love the Enthrone Darkness Triumphant album (1997), too. It started to take off with that album, even though it didn’t sell that many records worldwide, in that genre we were in at the time it was pretty good.
