Salve… VANAHEIM seems to be quite an unknown name to me, therefore let’s start from your bio, ok?

Fred:  The glorious age of VANAHEIM was commenced in the mid-nineties upon the ruins of several smaller, local (and admittedly qualitatively disputable) bands.  Through years of hardship & travail a variable number of members worked, shaping subtle ideas and transmitting them to words and music,- and waited, in steadfast vigilance and contemplation.  And the world, in blissful oblivion, never recognized what was happening in its very core, where these patient spirits, marked by the tribulation of empty, dark years, worked their fingers off their hands, and their nails off their fingers, and the uttermost, white part of their nails off the rest of their nails, to create something of which the world had never seen resemblance.  The result was music, but more than music; it was music and lyric of such splendour and epic grandeur as yet to stand unsurpassed.  And by the end of 1997 "En Historie" was released upon the world, shattering... (about this point somebody told me to shut up)

As far as I know, you have two albums behind you. Please, introduce ‘em to our readers… Do you consider your latest CD to be a step further? What are the principal distinctions (both, music– and lyrics–wise) between “Helter Og Kongers Fall” and it’s predecessor?

Fred:  I believe we should call this a secret (instead of calling it Fred-is-too-lazy-to-answer, I mean). Suffice to say; those who buy the disks for a tiny and completely unremarkable sum of money, may see for themselves.

To say that I was impressed by the “Helter Og Kongers Fall” appearance is to say nothing! Whose idea stands behind it’s concept and what does it symbolize?

Fred: On the topic "whose idea is the Vanaheimian concept?", a widespread and generally accepted theory is that the band, or somone in the band, is responsible (!).  When we look at what it symbolizes, however, the answers has been more diverging, ranging from "glory, hope and tragedy" to "mowing the lawn" ("A dead pheasant",-  being a personal favourite,- was the theory of a an acquaintance who regrettably didn't seem to completely appreciate the music).  Furthermore, I should like to notify that the author of the quite extending poem in "En Historie" was (undeliberately) left uncredited, though his name, because of my humbleness, will not be revealed here.

All of the lyrics featured on “Helter Og Kongers Fall” are written in your native language and I wonder why? Have you ever thought about printing the English translation (like ENSLAVED did, for example)? I mean, most of your foreign fans don’t understand a fucking word…

Fred:  To print an English translation in the CD-booklet (like ENSLAVED) is a very intriguing idea; Norwegians are positively agreed that the translation of "Black Mountain Plateaus" really captures the spirit of  "Sorte Vidder".  But when it comes to VANAHEIM and English lyrics,- who knows what the future will hold? Dost thou wait, willst thou see.

As I said above, “Helter Og Kongers Fall” is packed in a brilliant way, moreover, besides splendid musicianship, it has quite excellent production, hence it seems natural to me to ask you how much did it cost? I bet, not that cheap…

Fred:  Splendid musicianship, excellent production.  Ahh, that sounds like nectar in my ears (interpret that as you like).  And no,- it wasn't really cheap.

Writing a review on “Helter Og Kongers Fall”, I compared it to EINHERJER’s “Odin Owns Ye All” CD… ‘pagan heavy metal’ – this is the way I defined it. Do you consider such a comparison / definition to be fair? By the way, what is your own determination for VANAHEIM’s style?

Fred:  Generally we call our music "music" (Though of course we use the Norwegian term), but I am aware that not everyone agrees to that. As for the comparison with EINHERJER, I could go into a lengthy discussion, but I imagine my arguments would have had greater weight if I had ever heard their music.

Your image and appearance seem to be the ones soaked with romanticism… the spirit of 19th century… Am I correct here? Be the answer “yes” or “no”, I’d like to hear your comments on my assertion…

Fred:  I really shouldn't be the one to answer this, because I am perfectly aware of it (and you can't even take the texts!). My votes for serialism, or at least minimalism, are regularly rebuffed, however, and the majority of the members seems to be happy enough about it.

Are you pleased with your status of an ‘unsigned band’? I mean, aren’t you itching to get a deal with certain label which will promote your band better than you do as well as raise the sales…?

Jon:  Course this was something we hoped hard for with the first demo CD. But now we start to relax more with the "Usigned band" thing. We would most of all like to be our own masters, dealing with economics and have control. This is much hard work and takes allot of our time. Time will show, if things stand still for us with labels, we will just continiue to release CD`s on our own. Probably we  will release a EP in early 2000 on a Norwegian label called EdgeRunner Rec. which I, Jon work with.

Going further into this subject… Is there any (serious, worthy) label interested in signing VANAHEIM?

Jon: Not at the moment, there has been much talk and little action. The response have been pretty good, exept in Norway. The Norwegian scene is hard to understand, so we really don`t care much about Norway. (In the signing way)  We would also perefer to be the headliners on a small label rather than being last priority on a big label. So we will see in the future, I personally think there is something on its way.

What is your view on this so-called “revival” affecting death and heavy metal? Furthermore, some foretell the decline of black metal as a genre in the nearest time to come (which is total bullshit in my view)… are they right?

Fred:  You must beware that I am not speaking on behalf of the rest of VANAHEIM when I am saying that I couldn't care less about heavy metal.  Black metal may or may not decline, but the highquality black metal (like DARK THRONE or MAYHEM) better not disappear as long as I am alive!

There’re plenty of opinions regarding human decline… i.e. death… the Reaper. Some say that we just cease to exist, while such term as “soul” is nothing but a sweet fairytale; christians believe in our further existence either in hell or in heaven, while others adhere to the multidimensional theory of death. Whose point of view is closer to your inner self? Moreover, do you believe in the afterlife?

Fred:  Not to sound harsh, but you could spare me with such pop-philosofical questions (polite, indeed :( - ED).  I'll give the brief outline for a prelude to an answer anyway.  In the discipline of epistemology and metaphysics (the latter cannot, I believe, make any sense without the former,- and probably vice versa) I will have to characterize myself as an anti-realism, relying, amongst others, on Quine, Nietzsche and especially Wittgenstein (though with a twist, as follows from my anti-realism).  If I should give a common, realist answer to your question, I would deny the possibility of a human soul, the existence of God or the free will (all of these, with the possible exception of the last, being evidence-transcendent).  As an anti-realist I furthermore deny any meaning to the linguistic term "reference", something which renders such terms as "existence / non-existence", time and space, correctness and mistakenness, past and future, objective / subjective etc. without any truth-value, except in the sense of Wittgenstein's "sprachspiel".  But these are my personal opinions; other members of the band might disagree.

Perhaps, I seem to be some regular interviewer to you, the one escaping to ask any thought-provoking and non-typical questions, however… here’s one more of a kind: what about reading? Unfortunately, I know too many people who prefer TV or video games over buying one more book by Zweig or, if talking about modern writers, Stephen King – are you one of them (I hope not)??? Also, what about Knut Hamsun? He strikes as the best Norwegian writer I’ve ever read!

Fred:  As for your opinion on Hamsun, I totally agree.  That said, I must admit that I prefer nonprosaic literature; again, I cannot speak for the band, but for myself, I have just finished Heidegger's "Einf?hrung in die Metaphysik" and is just delving into Ayer's "Language, Truth and Logic" (though I can't understand that the readers of your magazine should be interested in knowing that).

Talking about your motherland – are you proud to be Norwegian? What are the most serious advantages and disadvantages of living in Norway? Speaking plainer; if there was a chance of moving to some place else, would you agree? By the way, what’s the weather in your hometown today, in mid-June? If talking about Russia (and Moscow, in particular), it’s fucking hot as hell over here at the moment!

Fred:  Being in some agreement with Stirner and, though to a lesser degree, your own Bakunin, I am only able to thrive in the Norwegian society to a certain degree.  In fact, Norwegian "puritanism" is worse than most's, but when I say I can't live anywhere else, it is because of the Norwegian climate and nature (I believe I'll wither without the pines), with temperatures only rarely above 20 (which is still a trifle high) or below -20... (at this point somebody else told me to shut up)

What do you know (and think) about Russia as well as it’s people? What about the metal acts coming from our lands, have you heard any?

Fred:  If you want to know something specific about Russia, I would advise you to look into an encyclopedia.  As for music, I am not acquainted with any Russian metal acts (discounting Mossolov), but speaking of this topic, I deem it appropriate to offer my condolations for the still relatively late Alfred Schnittke, of whom I have recently acquired the third symphony (SPO / Mannberg / BIS).  I cannot say for sure, but I don't believe there to be many metal acts (Russian or otherwise) who can beat that one.

Would you share with us your future place when it comes to VANAHEIM?

Fred: I don't know…
Jon: Well, as mentioned earlier we are releasing a new 5 tracks EP in the beginning of 2000. Play lots of concerts in Sweden and rest of Europe (hopefully). Get drunk like you guys and having hell of a good time!!!!!

If you wish to say (wish, hail, curse) anything (anyone) in the end, do it here! Cheers!

Fred:  You ought to buy RINGNEVOND: "La Pesten Herje", which is to be released about October,- a black metal act bordering to true spiritual minimalism. The next VANAHEIM is expected during coming year, and look out for a pleasant surprise this time!!  And furthermore: if Svetlana is reading this interview, it isn't I who am writing it.
Jon: Hope the people of Russia get the chance to listen to VANAHEIM, and have a pure fucking great summer. I know I will!!!!! Cheersssss!!!!

VANAHEIM contact –
Email: jon.rasmussen@ark-aamb.no