Heavy Metal Tribune: Interview with Tsjuder

Interview with Tsjuder

Author: Clarence | Filed under: Black Metal, Norway, Tsjuder

Tsjuder surprised fans of the band with their announcement of the return from Hiatus in 2010. With the band going on hiatus after the release of the brilliant 2004 album Desert Northern Hell, and the high quality releases of the respective bands of Nag and Draugluin, Krypt and Tyrann, Tsjuder's latest offering, Legion Helvete was certainly an album that longtime fans looked forward to. We catch up with Nag to find out the circumstances of the reunion and more.

HMT: Greetings Nag! Thank you for taking the time for this interview, how are things going for the band so far?

Nag: things are going fine.

After the release of 2004’s Desert Northern Hell, the band was put on hiatus, with yourself focusing on Krypt and Draugluin and AntiChristian on Tyrann. What was it that made the band decide to play together again in 2010?

Nag: I think we all were longing to play in Tsjuder. Tsjuder has been a great part of our lifes, so something was missing. Also I think we all knew that there was a great possibility that we would get back together.

Also, what was it that made the band decide to go on hiatus in 2004, and was the reactivation of the band in 2010 expected?

Nag: Tsjuder goes way back to 1993. After so many years of playing together, a couple of years with the band on ice are not exactly astonishing. There was no particular cause for the split. We just needed a break. In the meantime we all played in other bands, but in 2009 we decided to reignite Tsjuder.

With the reactivation of the band in 2010, the band has released the first full length in 7 years in the form of last year’s Legion Helvete. How has response been for the album so far, and is the band satisfied with the results?

Nag: The general response has been good. Of course there are people who don’t like it compared to the older stuff, and there are those who think it’s the best Black Metal album ever. Yes, all of us are pretty satisfied with it. We learned a lot during the recording process of it, so for the next album I think we’ll be more prepared, and the result will be even better.

This album, being the first new material that the band has put out in 7 years and after the reactivation of the band, what was the songwriting process like, and is it any different from how the band functioned before the hiatus?

Nag: Well, first of all I think the process of creating Legion Helvete was very good. We went more back to the way we made the music on the earlier recordings; Draugluin and myself sitting together and arranging everything. Desert Northern Hell was created a little different since I was living in Australia while much of the music was created.

Legion Helvete sees the music of Tsjuder continue in the direction that previous albums has set out with, but with a markedly rawer production quality compared to, say, Desert Northern Hell. Was this an intentional move on the part of the band, and if so, why?

Nag: We have never compared our sound to any of our previous recordings, and trying to improve or copy it. We have a few reference albums we like to use, and we start from scratch. I don’t agree that the production is rawer. I think it’s about the same, but still the overall sound is quite different.

The songtitles and lyrics on Legion Helvete are also sung in the band’s native Norwegian language. Were there any particular reasons behind this?

Nag: Actually when it comes to the lyrics on Legion Helvete, they were all written by myself and Draugluin between 93-95. By coincidence I found and old folder with Tsjuder stuff some time before we reunited, and it contained 12-13 lyrics, and some songs which were never recorded. We decided to use those lyrics because we have a strong feeling for the early 90s, and the lyrics are pure and back to the roots when we started the band. At first we decided to use some of them, but we quickly decided to only use lyrics from that folder on the album.

Compared to past albums as well, the album artwork of Legion Helvete is stylistically different. Are there any underlying concepts that lie beneath the album artwork, and how did the album artwork come about?

Nag: Our initial though was just to use a photo, like we’ve done on Demonic Possession and Desert Northern Hell, but somewhere along the line we changed our minds. “Legion Helvete” was actually the title of a T-shirt we designed a long time ago, but which was never printed. Draugluin and I have talked about this title from time to time, and we decided to use it now. The demon/devil is designed with inputs from Tsjuder. It’s somewhat a demonic version of the Norwegian Crown Symbol.

The limited edition digipak version also comes with a metal medallion with it. What is the significance behind this, and what made the band decide to include this memorabilia along with the album?

Nag: Yes, we did this because we thought it would be a special thing. The idea/inspiration for doing this was from Marduk - Panzer Division Marduk.

2012 will be a busy year for the band, with Tsjuder playing in festivals like the Maryland Deathfest, Inferno Metal Festival and King of Black Metal Festival. How are preparations going so far for the band?

Nag: Well, we’ve put together a set of approx 1 hour 10 mins, and we rehearse it 1-2 times a week. Unfortunately we can’t play that long on most of the concerts, but we will on some of the smaller gigs we’re going to do.

Nag, with Tsjuder now being active again, what are the plans ahead for Krypt? Will fans of the band get to hear any new material anytime soon?

Nag: After Tsjuder reformed, we haven’t worked much with Krypt, or at least I haven’t. Desecrator has made much new music, and the next album is already planned. Because of Tsjuder the music will primarily be made by Desecrator, together with Paal. The line-up will consist of Desecrator, Paal and myself. I’m not sure who will play what yet, but I think Desecrator and Paal will do all the guitar, and maybe bass, Desecrator on drums and myself on vocals.