Arcturus is back with a new album "Sideshow Symhonies", the first album on their new label Season Of Mist. They have a DVD in the works and a European tour is scheduled for this autumn, Arcturus calender is fully booked. It's in Norway in August, in magnificent and trollish surroundings, during the Mølla Festival in Gjerstad, where the band's studio is located, where Patricia and I met Knut Magne Valle and Steinar "Sverd" Johnsen, to talk about the future of the legendary band. And the future looks as bright as the constellation that represents them.

The new album Sideshows Symphonies will soon be released, can you tell me where and how you recorded it?

Knut: We recorded it mostly in the Mølla studio and as Sverd wasn't always here, he worked on his parts at his apartment as well.

Sverd: We started recording it in mid-february, it took 14 days to record the drums in Mølla studio. Then I took the tape with me home to sit in my own flat, I spent a month doing the synthesizers. Then I gave the tape back to Knut. And then Tore and Knut and Hugh laid down the guitars and bass at the Mølla studio.

Knut: and as the last thing the vocals was recorded.

What's the name of your new  studio?

Knut: It's actually the Mølla studio.

You produced the album here and at home, but is Mølla studio Arcturus' own studio or can anyone else come and record here?

Sverd: It's an open studio. So everybody can come and schedule a time with Knut, and get him as a technican. It's a very nice location here, very inspiring. I was here last autumn in November last year, and I wrote the two last tracks for the new album and it felt excellent.
    
I was sitting here in the evening, it was completely dark outside, and cold. I was feeling alone up here. I wrote some really good tunes that evening and sat there and played and played for some hours and suddenly I got a kind of warm feeling rising from behind. There was somebody in the room. As it is an old mill from the 1700s, the guy from the old mill was walking out there. It was not a scary feeling, it was a kind and warm feeling, he was around me and I played to him for a while, and then he disappeared.

You had Garm, then Øyvind Hægeland, now Simen Hestnæs on vocals, how's the line-up now, do you think it will stay like that?

Sverd: I really hope this line-up is going to stay. I think I got the best musicians I can get.

Do you have any news from Øyvind, who played live with you last year?

Sverd: He's living in Stockholm now. He moved there because of his work.

Do you know if he's working on a new Spiral Architect album?

Sverd: I don't have any news from Spiral Architect, but they always plan to do something.

Who wrote the lyrics for "Sideshow Symphonies"?

Sverd: Simen has written all the lyrics.

Is it in the same vein as the previous albums or slightly different?

Sverd: I think that Simen got all the Arcturus vibes. That's the reason why he's in Arcturus of course. He's been around since '95. He was around for "La Masquerade Infernale", so he's very familiar with the music. He writes very good lyrics.

A question that goes out from other musicians. Is it possible to find any music sheets? Do you write the notes?

Sverd: I got some notes written for "La Masquerade Infernale". We used a four piece string orchestra, I wrote all the notes. It was very exciting writing down the notes. I didn't know if it was correct and when the four musicians started to play the notes, it felt really good. It sounded good, everything was perfect, but so far that is the only thing I have written down.

Will you publish it?

Sverd: There are no plans to publish it.

Why have you now decided to tour more than before?

Sverd: After Garm left the band, we started playing live. Everybody wanted to play live to get this band going on. It feels very good to have Arcturus on stage now. It's good to to be able to get on stage and to meet people and not just being a studio band. So we will keep on playing live.

Who did the cover artowrk for "Sideshow Symphonies"?

Sverd : It is the same guy who has done "The Sham Mirrors" and "Disguised Masters". And he has also done the cover for the re-release of "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" and "Constellation". His name is Kim Sølve.

How many tracks will "Sideshow Symphonies" have?

Sverd: We have 9 songs on the new album, it's 52 minutes long and it is our longest album so far.

Did you write the album together or did you Sverd, write the most of the album?

Sverd: I made the most of the material, I like to sit at home and write music. They others came with some riffs and stuff to fill up the empty holes.

Has Tore, your new guitarist, if I can say so, composed something for the new album?

Sverd: Yeah, Tore has made some riffs on one track. I asked him to make some riffs and he did it.

Will he compose more for the next album?

Sverd: Yeah, maybe. He is at every rehearsal, but I think I'm going to make the next album, it will be the same principle that we have used before, where I make the most of the material.

What about a DVD release? Are you going to release one? Will it be done at the Sonic Solstice Festival this year?

Sverd: Yes, the Rockefeller gig (Oslo) in September, will be filmed for a live release.

Is it going to be only an Arcturus DVD or will all the bands (Red Harvest, Confessor and Tsjuder) from the festival be on that one?

Sverd: I'm not sure. Maybe Michael from Season Of Mist will do a label thing, we'll have to wait and see.

What happened with the DVD recording you made at the Inferno Festival this year?

Sverd: shhh! Forget about it! (Sverd laughs).

What inspires you when you write music?

Sverd: It's mostly classical music, and I'm very much an organ lover. I played a lot of Tchakovsky music before, and J. S. Bach organ pieces. In a way, Bach has learned me to play, when I started playing his notes, I played that for 4 hours each day, for a long time. Other expressions I like are Tchakovsky's, symphonies Nr 4, 5 and 6. And I always got this "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme which is hanging in the back of my head.

Do you have any guest this time on the new album?

Sverd: Yes, we have Silje Wergeland, from Octavia Sperati, the girl band. She is singing on two tracks, it sounds very good. She has a very nice voice. It melts cool together with Simen's voice, so it's really good.

Do you have any side projects going on?

Sverd: No, not at this moment, I fully concentrate on Arcturus.

And the others?

Sverd: Knut and Hugh do not have any for the moment. Jan (Hellhammer) is kind of a prostitute (laughs), he plays with everyone, and get paid for it too.

And what about Tore? Is he recording something new with his band Carnivora?

Sverd: Yes, right now they are recording vocals for the next album I think. And he always got his cover bands like Ozzmosis, and another which pays tribute to AC/DC.
And for my part, I do not have any side-project now, but if a very good band shows up, I could do it.

Have you heard something new that you like in the metal scene?

Sverd: These days I'm listening mostly to Muse, I get a real kick out of Muse. But no metal bands right now.

How long will you be on tour?

Sverd: The whole  of October, a little bit of stress but it's going to be fine. I'm glad to have Arcturus on the road, and looking forward to it. It has been a dream for a very long time.

You will tour with Red Harvest, do you like them?

Sverd: Yeah, I really like them. And there are always a lot of partying going on when we are together with them. We hang out at the same places here in Norway so we know them well.

Do you know the band from France, Kill The Thrill, that will tour with you as well?

Sverd: Yeah, I've heard of them.

Thanks a lot for the interview.

Sverd: No problem, it's always nice to see you here in Norway.

Read 'Sideshow Symphonies' review
Arcturus website

This interview was conducted for Nocturnal Horde and Transit Magazine (september issue), a swiss magazine in french.