INTERVIEW: Silenoz – Dimmu Borgir
2018 marks a titan year for symphonic black metal band DIMMU BORGIR. They have been making their mark since 1993, and of course they have set another bar to hit on their 25th anniversary with their latest offering, Eonian (read our review here). We managed to have a chat with guitarist Silenoz about the eight year wait for the record, the band’s anniversary, fan loyalty and more.
Your new record Eonian has just been released, how is the reception so far?
Silenoz: It’s been overwhelming to be honest, we are the type of band that whenever we release a new album there is always going to be some people who are going to hate it and some who will love it, it’s a thing that will happen now, but I feel like it’s an overwhelming positive feedback, so it feels good, it feels really good.
This one comes eight years after Abrahadabra, did you feel clearer headed going into it?
Silenoz: The thing with this release, we made it because we made it because we wanted to and not because we had to. We also didn’t have a particular deadline which can also sometimes be a negative but this time it was a positive thing, it enabled us to go back to older songs and change details here and there. That can be a bit challenging because it’s hard sometimes to figure out when to say enough is enough. I think since we’ve gotten a lot more experience, especially from an arrangement point of view I think that has helped us to be able to look at our own work in a more objective perspective. Since we are the producers of the music as well, we have to go outside of the song and look back into it from an objective point of view. The older you get, the easier it becomes I think. This album is a result of a lot of hard work, but I feel that we have used inspiration times that we’ve had very well.
Did you see a progression because you took so much time in between as a band?
Silenoz: Yeah, totally. We try not to analyse our work too much when we are in the writing session because then it opens up for more spontaneity and that’s very important when you are creative. I feel with all the experience we have gained over the course of the 25 years we have been in existence, even though we don’t have a set formula, we know what we don’t want and that’s always a good way to go about it.
The album is meant to be based around the illusion of time, that sort of philosophy However, you’ve previously said you didn’t want it to be too heavy on a theme. Was that hard to balance?
Silenoz: It’s a good question. I think that we have decided not to elaborate too much on the lyrical aspect this time around because I feel like it would be totally against the whole idea of what’s behind it. Illusion of time is just one thing that can be described about it, but if people read the words with an open and curious mind, there is going to be a conscious or sub-conscious acceptance of the fact that reality and time is not limited to the perception that we have traditionally used. With the album title, I feel it describes our energies everlasting. Imagination, curiosity and wonder are probably the most intriguing aspects that we inhabit as human beings. To me or the band, it would be a shame if we would give our side, our subjective take on thematics on the album.
You’ve said about it being everlasting, that sort of ties in with you guys celebrating your 25th anniversary. Congratulations! Is that something you see DIMMU BORGIR as being, carrying on and being everlasting?
Silenoz: Yeah, I think as long as we feel we have something relevant to come up with then we will continue as a band. There’s no conclusive or absolute about being an artist and we all strive for perfection, but we know that will never happen and that’s why you always make a new album. I think we will continue to do this as long as we feel we can be creative in our own environment.
Going back to the album, you wanted to regain some of the mysteriousness about the band, so you didn’t really release much information. Can that be hard when everyone is so reliant on the internet?
Silenoz: Yeah, it is actually. Since our last album that came out in 2010, imagine all the hundreds of millions of new social media users that have connected to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter since 2010. Of course, if we were to be more on the ball on social media and stuff of course we would probably gain a lot more followers by now, but I still feel it’s important to gain some form of mystique and we have deliberately kept a low profile just to try and regain some of that atmospheric feeling that we grew up with in the early 90s. Although that’s impossible to do, we want people to still wonder and keep people a little in the dark.
If you were more active on social media, as you said you would have more followers etc. now. Can it be difficult when you have people drumming it into you to stay active when you don’t want to?
Silenoz: Of course. It’s a two-edged sword the social media thing, if you let negative comments get to you then you’re basically fucked. We try not to focus on that, but we are actually really lucky to have such a strong hardcore fan base that supports us. A lot of them are critical thinkers and they give feedback from a constructive point of view which we really like. I just see that the social media thing with a band of this level just needs to have it.
You’ve just mentioned your fan base and their loyalty. Going back to the 25th anniversary, how huge is that to you and was you ever expecting to gain such a loyal fan base back in 1993?
Silenoz: No, absolutely not. I think we started out just like any other band, basically just jamming together and we met with like-minded people and we started to create stuff on our own. Ambitions didn’t come until later, I don’t think bands when they start out have any ambition besides just having a good time and playing together. It’s been an amazing ride and we have experienced so much in these 25 years that most people don’t experience in their lifetime, I’m really grateful for where we have come so far. What’s not shown is all the sacrifice, the blood, sweat and tears and stuff behind the scenes, but that’s what you have to do to get to this type of level I think. The band has gotten priority number one, even before family and stuff like that. I’m not saying that’s the right thing to do but that has been one of the key ingredients to our success.
What is next for DIMMU BORGIR now the album has been released?
Silenoz: We have a lot of touring lined up for the rest of this year, we’re gonna start in June in Canada at a festival there and then we’re going to do a few more festivals in Europe before we go to Latin America, Russia, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Then our European headline tour is going to start at the end of November I think.
DIMMU BORGIR are classed as symphonic black metal. In different parts of the world, black metal can be perceived differently. Have you ever experienced negativity towards you guys in countries that may not understand the genre as much?
Silenoz: Yeah, it has happened a few times over the years. In the south in the US, there have been protesters outside the bus, but we just look at it as extra publicity, they help to get the band name out there, we are grateful for that.
I have to ask because I’ve seen news coming out lately about bands in the black metal genres being stopped at shows and being tarred in publications. It’s felt more-so lately than it has in the past couple of years, obviously it’s always been that way, but you as a band have a different perspective than what I do.
Silenoz: I think that’s a sign of the times, as long as we can remember people have always feared what they don’t understand. It would be weird if it didn’t happen, but I’ve also noticed that lately, especially Russia has been difficult in that sense. I hope that people can think for themselves and the witch hunts were over many years ago. We’ll see!
Hopefully it’s not as nerve-wrecking for you guys when you see it go on now though compared to a good few years ago.
Silenoz: When we started in the early 90s, especially when there was so many church fires happening, we could get stopped just walking down the street for wearing bullet belt or black clothes, the police would stop us and search us. That’s harassment, that’s racism. I think that just strengthen our mentality, back then we were really young but felt invincible, felt immortal in a way, nothing could touch you. I think that’s something we’ve taken with us in the back of our minds and it makes for a good platform for standing against injustice.
Eonian is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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