Susperia may have their roots in Norway's black metal scene, but it is merely a starting point for a band that describes their music as "extreme metal with melodic twists". Norway famous extreme metallers recently had produced their newest,"number" 5th album.

Although obstacles and non easy times, the band is proceed to produce quality with truly perfection, full of aggression sound. I have an opportunity with Band's front man-Athera+

 

Hello Athera, first of all allow me to ask how do you feel currently after the heart attack you had ?! E)1

-A) Hi there!! Well, I certainly feel different, in mind and soul. but physically my body is all fixed and feels good again. I have a new lifestyle so never been better! It was a heavy period in my life going through all this but I managed to come out of it much stronger.

E)2) At my personal opinion, you're newest chapter, the "ATTITUDE" album showed world how much Susperia is really establish all together. As long as I remember you're current line up never changed within 10 years!? With so famous members whom used to play in well known bands such as: Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon and Old Man's Child-What`s the key for such a Spartan loyalty for the band?

- A) That`s right, we are still the same five guys that started the band back in 1999! And that is a really cool and good thing. We have become not only a band but a family, like brothers. Hard to explain really why we work so well together. Most bands change members from time to time coz of disagreements or arguments, and some people just grow tired and leave. But we have always had such a good chemistry and have become so good and close friends over the years that it is just unnatural to leave the band, no matter how many obstacles you meet along the way. It would almost be like telling someone you love one day; "hey, I am leaving you and I don`t want to be your friend anymore...." It just wont happen. It`s the five of us or there is no band at all. Susperia is this unit and no one else. Doesn`t matter if some people played in other famous bands before, we have a strong bond no one can brake. Tjodalv actually said no to joining dimmu again in 2004... That says it all, the commitment and passion for what you do.

E)3) Recently you had changed a musical label. How's to work with British Candlelight records. During the years this all known musical company had produce great albums for you Norwegian musical collegues such as: Zyklon, Isahn (X Empror) and the list goes on

How ever I had never the chance to talk with this label personally. Perhaps you'll be so kind to make a straight opinion about the Britain's?

- A) So far so good with Candlelight. I mean they have been our distributors in America since we started releasing albums on TABU here in Norway, so we have had good relations to the office over there for some years. Now we are signed to Candlelight worldwide and that`s a good thing. I immediately got concerned mails from both offices, England and USA, when I got sick and was hospitalized, so it only shows they are a professional organisation taking care of their artists and worrying about them. We had just recently signed with them. That`s a good feeling for sure. We`re happy to have joined them.

E)4) Athera! Man I want to know something which bother me alot! At you're past live activates you had supported bands such as W.A.S.P and Testament!!! I guess that every single musician and rock's roll youngster have the same dream-to be the next Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P),I never been an exception))).How's the feeling to play live on the same stage with the living legends?

- A) It`s a quite surreal feeling actually. Especially for me and the boys. Testament and WASP are two of my absolute favourite bands from the time I grew up. So when you are asked by both of them to be main support on huge tours it is just an amazing feeling. I will admit I felt like a young boy again when I got the call about Testament bringing their original line up back together and that they wanted Susperia to be the guests on the tour, I almost fell off my chair! The guys of Testament are extremely cool guys and since then we have become good friends and hang out whenever we get the chance. The WASP tour was even bigger and we played for huge crowds in the U.K. and Norway. The old man kept to himself most of the time but it was a really cool experience.

E)5) I remember the time I saw you're Chemistry video first time. It was great idea. I even played it once, at one of our events)))! A little bird whispered to my ears, that you have recently been working on a new video. Would you tell the readers what they shall be waiting for?

- A)Yeah, the black and white contrasts of the Chemistry worked out just fine, I like that video too! It`s true we are working on a new video. It`s for the track Character Flaw off the new album. We shot the close ups in a green screen studio in Oslo, and animators in the USA are working on it right now, to create the environment in the video, the backgrounds and atmospheres. A couple of the animators actually worked on Terminator 2 so we are quite anxious to see the finished result. It`s the first time we have done a video with so much computer graphics imaging, but it`s really exciting. I know it will be very cool! A real apocalyptic surrounding in the vein of the front cover of the new album.

E)6) Speaking about you're Norwegian collegues. Once I saw that Thomas (Samoth) and Gylve (Fenriz) are fascinated about Israeli Electronic music, I saw they are much into Israeli Trance stuff?! I would like to ask you a classical question-What do you know or perhaps heard about the Israeli scene?!

A) I will just be really honest with you and confess i don`t know anything at all. I have no experience with your country`s music whatsoever and can`t name a single band, ha ha, sorry! ;) But I can`t follow anything new that happens anywhere these days. I am too focused on my own projects and bands to manage any kind of trends or new stuff. I am honestly mostly into my own music and don`t listen all that much too other bands, apart from the old classics I grew up with of course, so there you have it!

E)7) Athera.Thank you very much for this great interview. Send my greetings to the rest of the crew. May the stars smile upon you. Some last words for the Israeli crowd?

- A) Thank you right back!! Thanx for taking interest in us and supporting the band. I will let the guys know you said hello! And I wanna say thanx to the Israeli crowd and followers as well!! I hope you enjoy the new album and will rock out to it whenever you can! It would be so damn cool to come down and do a gig some day and who knows what the future will bring, maybe we can make it happen. I trust and hope you would welcome us and take good care of us!! Thanx for your attention and support. Eternal greetings from me and the boys.

Cheers

Athera

Band contacts available at :

Official band wbsite: http://www.susperia.net

Official band mspace: www.myspace.com/susperiafans

E-Erik/ A-Athera

Interview by Erik