1. At what point did you decide to create Liksminke? Why did you choose the name Liksminke and what does it refer to? Did it always clear from the beginning that Liksminke would be a one-man band?
Actually, the band originated from a wish to create stereotypical Norwegian black metal, with lyrics about woods, mountains and general evilness. The name Liksminke basically means “corpse paint”, from Norwegian lik (corpse), and sminke (make-up). Originally, I intended to name the band Vrengt Kadaver, which would be something like Twisted Cadaver in English, but I thought that name sounded too death metal, and I wanted a name that was very stereotypical black metal, and what’s more black metal than corpse paint? Furthermore, what is more black metal than creating music alone? I never intended to play live with Liksminke, and I like to be in total control of everything from writing and composition to recording and mixing, so being a one-man band always made sense to me.
2. Although in the 2013-14 period you released your first two demos, it was not until 2018-19 that Liksminke started fully with the release of your first two albums. In your first stage of the demos, how was the recording and composition of the demos? Why that long period of silence between 2014-18?
My first two demos are terrible. Really, they are both huge piles of shit. I recorded only one drum track for each demo and used the same track for all the songs. And the riffs are pretty much improvised. In fact, I think some of the lyrics on the first demo are improvised as well. Hell, I think some if it is just plain non-sense screaming. I wish I could tell you a cool story to explain the period of silence between 2014 and 2018, but the truth is that I had other priorities, such as work, studies and other bands.
3. In 2019 you released your first full-length “Det onde tjernet” which was surprising from the beginning due to a direct proposal rooted in the purest tradition of Scandinavian black metal. How do you face the recording of “Det onde tjernet” with respect to demos? In what aspect do you think your sound evolves?
With Det onde tjernet, I started to care a bit more, not only in terms of music and lyrics, but also in terms of sound quality. I did not put any effort in the first two demos, and they were indeed dreadful, but a handful of people seemed to actually like them. So I thought “Hey, what if I actually put some time and effort into this recording? It might even end up sounding halfway decent!” I had already written the lyrics to Det onde tjernet back in 2014, so they still needed some work, but when it came to writing the music itself, I thought I might experience with the idea of more than two riffs per song and more than one drum pattern per song. So yeah, that is kind of how that record came to be. I think my sound evolves around the idea of not really evolving, just by putting a little bit more time and effort into it.
4. With the arrival of 2020, you published your second album "Landet av frost" that maintains the line of your previous work but from my point of view it shows a somewhat more polished sound, with so little space of time between both albums as it is? Have you carried out the composition and recording of them? Having to deal with the entire musical and vocal plane, is it very difficult for you to develop all these facets?
Does Landet av frost really sound more polished than Det onde tjernet? More organic, maybe. I certainly did not intend for Landet av frost to sound more polished, but I definitely wanted it to sound a bit warmer and more organic. When I am writing music, I am always trying to keep the big picture in mind, how the entire song will sound when it is finished, how every instrument should work together, how the drumbeats and fills will sound, how the bass and guitars will sound, and so on. So no, it is not very difficult to keep all that in mind when writing music. In fact, I prefer to work that way.
5. In Liksminke's sound there is room for a classic-sounding black metal within the Norwegian scene but it could also covers everything that has to do with Scandinavian black, with some Viking influences and a successful incorporation of atmospheric elements, How would you define the sound of Liksminke for those who have not yet heard it? Do you think that the one-man band achieve a proposal, let's say more "special" or "own", as a result of the vision of a single musician and this can be a point to favour of the sound of Liksminke?
Well, I guess I would describe the sound of Liksminke to a continuation of the true Norwegian black metal sound of the early 90s. I am not trying, in any way, to be original or progressive, and I am just writing the kind of music which feels right at that particular moment. At the time of writing Det onde tjernet or Landet av frost, those albums felt right at that particular moment, but I would not want to write something similar to any of those albums now. It is more or less like this: I have an idea or two, write them down, record them, and get on with it. After that, it is time to move on to write a different album. That would never work if I were to create music with other musicians, because playing in a band requires a great deal of compromise, and compromise is something which I simply do not do.
6. On the other hand and especially speaking of his first album "Det onde tjernet" in which a clear influence is reflected in the sound of Burzum, although I suppose that you will not want to close to a single influence, what bands and sounds have influenced you in shaping Liksminke's proposal?
My main influence is, and has always been, Darkthrone. I know that Burzum also used art from the great Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen for their artwork, and I guess that is why some have this hang-up on Liksminke being influenced by Burzum, but to be honest, I am not. Some of his albums are alright, I guess, but I prefer artists that have an entire catalogue of great material, and within the black metal genre, there are only a handful of bands that do that. Darkthrone, Taake and Kampfar are three of those bands.
7. Returning to the theme of Buzum, some of Liksminke's covers coincide with those of Burzum, such as “Det onde tjernet” and “Thulêan Mysteries”, however, investigating a little, we discover that these works of art belong to the artist Theodor Kittelsen (1857-1914), is this a vindication of your Norwegian roots? What themes does your lyrics address?
When I grew up, my parents had copies of some of Kittelsen’s paintings hanging on the walls in our house, including “Nøkken” (English translation: “The Water Sprite”) from 1904. The painting that Burzum used for Thulêan Mysteries is an older version of “Nøkken” than the one I used for Det onde tjernet, but I always liked the newest version better, to be honest. The use of Kittelsen paintings for my artwork is definitely a vindication of my Norwegian roots, and I do consider Theodor Kittelsen to be the very first Norwegian black metal artist. No, he did not produce black metal music per se, but his art was definitely black metal at heart. My lyrics address different themes, such as Norse sagas, old Norwegian folklore, and anti-Christianity from a pagan point of view, in addition to the traditional tropes such as darkness and evil.
8. Your 2018 EP “Kyrkjebrann” shows on its cover an image of a church on fire, which looks like a veiled tribute to the inner circle movement of the 90s in Norway, do you think that black metal has lost some of its essence as it was gaining “popularity” within extreme metal - how do you think the scene has evolved from the 90s to the present day?
Every music genre loses something, let us call it its heart and soul, on its journey to gain popularity, including black metal. Just take a quick look at the punk rock movement for crying out loud! How can bands like the Clash and Discharge be put into the same music genre as Blink 182 and Good Charlotte? It is ridiculous! I think a lot of the same mechanisms have developed within the black metal genre, where some bands have become extremely popular (and bland!), while other bands have stayed true to their roots and remained underground.
9. You come from a relatively small city in Norway (Sandnes) with just over seventy thousand inhabitants, is there a major black metal scene in your area?
I do not know, to be honest. I do not really pay attention to the scenes of any music genre.
10. How were your beginnings in music: first albums you bought, first concerts you attended, etc... What made you want to be a musician?
Ok, this is going to be embarrassing. The first CD I bought was actually a Meat Loaf CD back in the early 90s. I remember liking that one song (“I Would Do Anything for Love” or something that), and the cover had a guy on a motorcycle flying into this giant bat on it, which looked cool and evil. I cannot remember the very first concert I attended, but one of the first was when British punk band G.B.H played in Stavanger in 2002. They have been a major inspiration to me since then. And I do not think I ever wanted to become a musician; I simply became one by mistake! Originally, I wanted to play bass in a punk band, just standing there in the background looking like I did not give a fuck, but after while I realised that if you want to do it right, you have to do it yourself. So I taught myself how to play both bass and guitar, and eventually drums, and the rest is history, I guess.
11. Due to Covid-19 many bands have been deprived of the income generated through concerts, this is not your case, however, in what way do you think it has been affected in terms of sales and promotion? Do you consider that in some way you have perhaps been benefited by that group of people who have bothered to look for new groups on the internet after having had more time?
I do not know, to be honest. Because I have a steady day job, income from music has never been a concern to me, nor have sales and promotion. And people looking for new groups on the Internet do not really concern me, either.
12. Which album represents to you the essence of black metal? What recent albums have you recently bought?
It is extremely difficult to name just one, but A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Under a Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger by Darkthrone are up there for sure, together with In the Nightside Eclipse by Emperor and Bergtatt by Ulver. And the first three albums by Bathory are pretty dope too. The last album I bought was Immortal’s At the Heart of Winter on vinyl.
13. The CD edition of your latest album has been carried out by Non Posse Mori Records, how did you come up with the possibility of working with them? Are you satisfied with the editing and promotion work carried out by the record label?
If I remember correctly, they sent me an e-mail asking to put out Det onde tjernet on CD. I said “yes”, and when I was done recording Landet av frost, I sent them an e-mail asking if they were interested in releasing that album too. I am very satisfied with them, but then again, I do not pay too much attention to the whole process.
14. Is there a possibility that Liksminke's line-up will increase, with a view to the possibility of offering a concert? Are you already working on new songs for a future release?
No way. I will never increase the line-up in order to play live. No fucking way. I am always working on new songs in my head, and I have a couple of ideas written down somewhere. It’s too early to be too specific about them, but musically there will be lots of 80s metal influences, such as Slayer, Bathory and Celtic Frost, in addition to punk influences from Discharge and G.B.H. I am kind of a language nerd, so I have also played around with the idea of writing all the lyrics in Old Norse, or maybe base them off Old Norse poems or sagas.
15. Thank you very much for the time dedicated to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Liksminke fans this is the place. I hope the questions have been to your liking.
Thank you for your interest in my shitty little band. If you like Liksminke’s music, just remember: there are probably better bands out there that you can waste your time listening to. Nevertheless, I am eternally grateful for every so-called fan out there. Do not forget to worship Rallaskrømten, as he is the sole ruler of everything dark and everything evil!
With love and rage,
Mannedaud
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Lantern – Dimensions (Vinyl, Silver with Black Splatter) 24,99 €
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