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The Norwegian black metal band Drottnar was our guests on the Art For The Ears Interview Message-Board! Result is quite a lengthy article that will be a perfect introduction to this band. Below you can find the results of this online interview. *********
mpomusic: I know the band just a little bit but many don't. So, can you first tell a little bit of the band history, how it all began and why? Drottnar: In the beginning the quartet consisted of Sven-Erik Lind, Glenn-David Lind, Bjarne Peder Lind and Karl Fredrik Lind. 1996 was the year we first established musical relations in the veins of death/doom metal. We chose the name Vitality, and released our first five songs on a demo in May 1997. Musical skills and development in music made Vitality experiment with black metal, infiltrating it in our way of creating music. We turned out to become a pure black metal band. This showed on our second recording A White Realm, which contained three tracks of pure black metal in a bit folk/Viking vein. This development carried also a new band-name along, as we chose to be recognized as Drottnar. The Drottnar demo was never released; it was only meant for promotional reasons. A record company that showed interest in this material was Plankton Records from the U.K. The first full-length album of Drottnar, Spiritual Battle, is now released by this company. It consists the two recorded demos of the band, both the Vitality and early Drottnar demo. As Drottnar we never stopped to develop and create new ways of expressing ourselves through extremeness. In late 1999 and early 2000 we entered the studio of Black Woods Productions to record new material. This time only one song called Trellebaand Maa Briste. A song that can be found on Endtime Productions’ compilation In The Shadow Of Death. The song is more in the veins of traditional Norwegian black metal, showing brutality and fast black metal along with atmosphere and melody. This song came to be an important brick to Drottnar, as it brought Drottnar's music to new and undiscovered levels. Another thing that makes this recording special, is that this was the last material Drottnar's bassist Bjarne Peder Lind participated on. The band suffered the loss of him in the mid of 2000. Anyway, we kept producing music and focused stronger than ever on the future. Bengt Olsson joined as another guitarist in late 2000, and again as a quartet we will create the Art the audience has yet to experience. Drottnar shows black metal at its finest, expressing what inspires and creates the blazes within our hearts and in the depths of our beings. The lyrics show our beliefs, and tell that we fully dedicate our music and lives to our Master Jesus Christ.
Headbanger: About the cover photo. I think it's rather ugly, and I was wondering why you chose it. Drottnar: First of all we didn't actually choose it. The label came up with it after 'hundreds' of delays, and we were glad they managed to come up with something. Not to get another delay of the release of the CD, we went for this cover. But anyway, we think it is a decent cover for Spiritual Battle since this is a mix of old demos. The cover states that this isn't a 'real album', just a demo. Rogoth: I noticed that the band started with four Lind guys. Are you from the same family or is it like Smith and Brown, the most common names in the UK? Drottnar: As a matter of fact, the three members with the last name Lind are cousins. Bjarne Peder Lind (our former bass player) is the brother of Karl Fredrik. ToddPope: Do you feel, that a lot of the bands that, though are Christian in nature, saying that they're just Christians in a band, is a way of them showing they're ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, and ashamed of Christ himself? And do you think that such bands ought not be on Christian labels? Drottnar: If you play in a band that has a clearly Christian message, and is Christian officially, we believe that the members of this band have to be Christians too. Not only saying they are Christian when they are in the band, but also when they are among friends and other people. Some Christian bands have members who are not Christian. We can't see how these persons can represent a band with a Christian message. This is an important part of being a Christian: To show and tell others about what you believe in. If you deny Christ in daily life, then how can you present Christ on stage? If you are ashamed of Christ and what you believe in, then you have to receive Christ in you heart once again. Bands that are on Christian labels should in our opinion have members that are 100% aware of who they are and what they believe in, and a message in accordance to what they say they are and what the label say they are. Jarhead: You have a song on the Endtime Compilation Album. How did you get involved with this comp as I understand you recorded that song for the comp? Were you asked by the record company to join and did they give you a budget or was it the band's own initiative in hopes to get on the record. And what are you expectations? Maybe to strike a record deal with Endtime? Drottnar: Actually, when we recorded the song (in the cellar-studio of a friend) we did it because we just wanted to, not for any particular reason. But the strangest thing was, in the middle of the recording we were contacted by Endtime and Mr. Durling informed about the compilation, and asked if we had recorded any new material so he could listen to it. We were excited, and kept on recording the song. When we were finished, we sent the result to Sweden and Durling liked it, so we joined the compilation. At the moment we are making material for a future album and hope to get signed to a decent label when we are ready. Which one we don't know yet, certainly a serious one. Rogoth: On that Endtime sampler you have the song Trellebaand Maa Briste. What does it mean and what is that song about? And what sort of subjects do inspire you for writing texts? Drottnar: Trellebaand Maa Briste is
Norwegian and means "chains of Jan: I know your music only from the Compilation CD. I liked the typical sound. It gives a great suitable atmosphere to the song. I've read a while ago that you guys don't listen to secular bands. I do listen to some secular bands like Opeth and In Flames. I'm finding it hard to get inspiration only from Christian bands. What's your idea on this? Drottnar: Thanks for liking our song! No, we don't listen to bands with Anti-Christian messages. This is because we do believe that music has a really strong impact on people. This is a great reason why Drottnar bother to play music as well- we think it is a powerful tool! To get filled with crap and destructive atmosphere from some bands we don't want. Also, to get inspired from music dedicated to evil (if so) contradicts with wanting to bring a Christian message. But there are much classy Christian metal bands though, the best I think! Jan: What bands inspire you? Drottnar: Musically there are not any particular bands that influence us in any way. But we of course are being inspired by all the great bands that are out there. One of the bands that inspired us most in the beginning was Stryper. Jan: What gear do you guys use? Drottnar: Karl Fredrik plays on a Jackson
Performer guitar with a Fender amp. WOLF: Of the songs you've written, which one is your favorite and why? Drottnar: So far our favorite Drottnar song is a quite new song called The Individual Complex. This is a great song with a lot of power in it, both musically and lyrically. Fast and aggressive, with many different elements. It's a song that kind of covers what Drottnar is musically at the moment. ToddPope: Will Drottnar ever make it to Minnesota, USA? You could play First Avenue with a bunch of other Christian Black & Death metal styled bands. Drottnar: We would love to play in Minnesota one day! Hopefully we'll do some shows in USA some time, and Minnesota would be a great place to do a show!! WOLF: Are you guys going to be at Cornerstone this year? Drottnar: We will not be playing at Cornerstone this year, but we would love to do so one day. Maybe next year. Some of us may take the trip to Cornerstone this year though. We've never been there before, so it would be a great experience. Jan: What are your future plans? Drottnar: Our future plans are to keep on making new songs, and release these songs on a new album. We'll try to sign a deal with a label, and record our new material. We are also hoping to do more shows in the future. Melankolum: Have you guys made much new material at the moment and how long do we have to wait until we can listen to a brand new Drottnar CD? Drottnar: Since Trellebaand Maa Briste we have made much new material, but not all of it will ever be released. The time from Trellebaand to now has been a period where we have tested things out and found 'our' style of music (and lyrics). It's quite different from the Drottnar you know, but the same Spirit and feeling though. From our present repertoire we have four songs at the moment. A lot more complex and interesting material than before. The CD will probably come in one or two years. |
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