No problem! Very glad to hear you like the album. Thanks for the attention :).

It developed naturally. We never had any conscious plan for what we were doing. The sound changed in pace with our skills, musical knowledge and aesthetic preferences, I guess. We've all been quite busy with music these last years, so we have all learned a thing or two along the way influencing our sound. To be honest I didn't like too much of the >DRG material, so when I got more and more involved with the songwriting, a change in direction was more or less inevitable.

Partly. I wasn't the only new member at the time, though I've been the one most involved with the songwriting and thus had the biggest influence, I guess. First and foremost he was looking for a new singer. That was basically my role to begin with. At first I simply made new vocal lines for songs from the DRG era. My involvement escalated gradually and my role changed in the band. After a year, I had started writing material, and now, at least for The Dystopia Journals, I am the one writing the most material. I think Øyvind was also looking for a new start for the band, so the fresh musical perspective was welcomed, anyway.

That would be "Soulcage." I wrote that one with Øyvind. About half the song each. That was perhaps the defining moment of the direction the band took, with the other songs from the first demo being more like intermediary songs floating around in the limbo between the two periods.

We were a bit uncertain whether or not to include it, but decided to record it anyway. After taking a bit of a new perspective to it, it worked out nicely, I think.

We have no clearly defined lines nor boundaries. It's more or less based on the feeling of what fits into the entity we have created. First and foremost we are a metal band. Secondly the theatrical and proggy elements must remain. At least that's what we feel is correct at this point. Still, it might change in the future. We wish to make music we enjoy ourselves.

We hope to enter the studio sometime after the summer this year and hopefully have a new album out early next year. The next album will follow the path we set with TDJ, and I guess fans of that one will also enjoy the next one. It will probably be a bit more homogeneous, though, as the songs are written within a shorter period of time. Vocally it will also be a bit more challenging and varied, as I now am a more experienced singer than when we wrote much of the stuff for TDJ.

He he! Thanks! I'm not completely sure how I do this. I guess it is because I try to detach myself from the suroundings when I sing and more or less become the lyrics. Thus, singing about apocalyptic visions with BHG makes me sound rather evil, I hope. He he! One technique I use for BHG that sounds quite "evil" is singing inwards. I don't think there are very many people doing that these days. He he! Instead of inhaling you exhale.

Thanks. I guess so, yes. The fact that I exclusively played deluded madmen while acting also helps, I guess ;).

It seems to be my thing!

I like keys in general, but prefer the ones having an expression of their own, like the Mellotron, the Hammond B4, the piano, etc. I'm not that fond of synthesizers trying to replicate other instruments, except for when they do it poorly or with a twist. I'm very fond of the Mellotron, which is basically an old-school sampler. Its beauty is in its flaws. It is a poor sampler by modern standards but sounds extremely melancholic. In general, vintage synthesizers and keyboards have a lot of personality. That is why I like them.

Definitely! It is a world of difference between the synth strings and those played by people. We will definitely continue using real strings where we need it.

He he! Very accurate!

I'm not much for whining and complaining, so I guess frustration and melancholy are better channeled through music on my part.

Thanks! It was never intended to be a concept album, really, though as the album started taking shape, I realized there was a clear thread going through all the lyrics. Thus it could best be described as an unintended concept album.

More of a personal representation. I guess he represents myself in some ways, relating somewhat to my darker moods, though in a much more extreme way.

I've always been quite fascinated by the duality of man and the darker sides of the mind, through literature, movies and real life. So yes.

I think the pressure to conform often turns against the individual, creating inner turbulence as the individual is pressured into a role [he/she] does not necessarily fit, resulting in inner conflict and in some cases what is categorized as insanity.

We jiggled the songs around a bit and eventually wound up with the sequence on the record. We felt it was very important to get the right dynamic and intensity on the album, and I feel we succeeded in making an album where every track is in its rightful place. The only problem we had was a ninth song that we didn't really know where to place. It was never really intended to be a VI song, but we wanted to try it out. It doesn't quite fit into the album, so we hid it as a small treat to those who wish to look for it.

Definitely. Many of us are lucky to work with very talented musicians in other settings. This give us more arenas to play, try out ideas, and learn from others, thus expanding our musical horizons. On my own part I benefit tremendously from producing other bands.

The guys at Dark Essence Records have long been friends of ours, so there is a mutual trust between us. Thus, it was easy to sign with them, as we know they will come through on their promises. It's also good to have a local label, as this eases comunication. We were in contact with a couple of other labels, but of the ones who made us an offer, Dark Essence was an easy choice. These days I've also been helping them out with running things, so it is easy to maintain control over what is happening with the record.

So far we are very happy at DE, and I guess our next record will be out on the same label.

I'm in charge of the backline as well as helping out with other stuff, logistics, etc. I'm very much looking forward to the festival, so lets hope the turn-up is good!

Thanks! We are very excited about doing our first proper tour. It will be great to get to do [so] many gigs and perform for audiences in different countries. We all love to play live, and this enthusiasm reflects when [we] are performing, so I guess we are pretty entertaining. I'm actualy visiting a tailor tomorrow who is sponsoring us with suits for the tour. We've received quite a lot of requests from fans who want to see us live, so I guess there will be a couple showing up to watch us :).

[The suits are] slightly retro style. I'm not completely sure, really. I'll probably know more tomorrow. The shows are intense, theatrical and energetic, like our music ;).

I think we would hire the staff from A Nightmare Before Christmas to work on it for us. Lots of props and retro-horror-theatre like.

We will one day!

I have a project called Dr. Rigomortus Tivoli Bizarre, which is much less metal and more Tom Waits, Devil Doll, Danny Elfman style. One day I will put up a retro horror musical with it including lots of musicians, actors and props in a big theatre!

The films I've scored have been short horror movies. It's all been low-budget stuff with no proper distribution, so I don't think they are very available. Some of the DRTB stuff has been used for that purpose.

Sometime next week. We are booking the bill these days.

Thanks! Good luck yourself! I think we have most of our activities covered.

Thank you for the attention :).