IMMOLATION – IV/IV – Words of wisdom

Eternal Terror og Imhotep gir denne uken sine trofaste death metal lesere en uke med IMMOLATION. Mandag til fredag! Dere får et intervju fra 2005 i tillegg til ett 3 delt fra 2008. Bli med på en ugudelig reise i Immolations verden!

But do you feel that a certain worldview is expressed in the lyrics?

Ross: I think the first five albums, was more or less a view of religion. I think people get it. (Laughs) Now it is more a worldview, not specific to religion. Some political touches, but very subtle. We are not a political band. I think that if you read the lyrics, you will still see what is going on.

Robert: People may interpret it in many ways. But definitely the last album deals with what is going on in the world today, with the war on terrorism, and everything. It is a little bit broader than what we have done in the past, it is more relative. 

Ross: It is actually much darker. The extreme side of religion, as we see it today, is much darker than what we have written about previously.

Because it is more real?

Ross: Exactly. It is something that is there, now.

At least on the last album, when you talk about religion, you do not specify it to be only about Christianity, it could also be Islam, right?

Robert: Yeah. Religion in general. It is abused in different ways. It all stems from that extremism stuff, so yes.

Ross: Religions need to feed on people who are weakminded, and that goes on pretty much over the board, no matter what religion you prescribe to…

When you use the word spirit, what does it mean?

Ross: It is in the catholic sense. It does not mean anything to me, it is just what we grew up with. If anything, it is used in a sarcastic way.

Would you say you are atheist, that you do not believe in anything spiritual or anything beyond the body?

Ross: I would like to think there is something beyond, but I do not think there is.

Just physics?

Ross: Pretty much. I think anything else is something we create in our heads. It is just a biological mess!

It seems as if you also pity religious people.

Ross: Totally

It is not like you say "We want to kill you", it is rather that you show empathy?

Ross: Sure. I.e. the song "I Feel Nothing" is not about hate, it is more a pity. You guys are so foolish, you know, look at how far we've come and yet how far we haven't come in other ways, it is retarded.

All of you guys have a religious background? Is that where the lyrics come from?

Ross: yeah, pretty much. Some of us were more than others. Our old guitarist, Tom, his mother was a born again Christian. That added a lot of fuel to the fire in the early days, he had a lot of cool ideas.

When it comes to metal, or at least your kind of metal, would you say that it has more in common with classical music or jazz, and it is not so much directly related to rock music? It is not jambased, but more about putting things together more carefully?

Robert: A lot of my influences are non-metal. Jazz etc. of course metal is part of it.

Steve: I always look at a lot of metal stuff as being a classical kind of thing. The drumming etc, it is more than just rocking out. Metal to me has rock roots, but it has classical roots too. It is drums all over the riffs, something really powerful, that you do not get in rock. It is more orchestrated. You are free to do whatever the fuck you want in death metal songs.

It is more dramatic?

Steve: Very much. Speed changes, breaks…

The guy at anus.com says that basically all metal is nihilistic. Does that make any sense to you? Do you see your lyrics as portraying nihilism?

Ross: Not in a premeditated manner. It is not something we have thought of beforehand… I do not think it is possible to prove that all metal falls under one umbrella like that. Especially with the lyrical diversity it is meaningless to say.
It is too broad a generalization.

With your lyrics, does it make any sense? Nihilism, in the sense that there is no inherent value to anything?

Ross: No, then there would not be any of that empathy or sympathy.

In "I Feel Nothing" there is a line…

Ross: "Those who chase the spirit" – it means the Holy Spirit. They are chasing a dream.

The song simple nature – does it reflect your own views, or does it reflect the Christian views?

Ross: It is how I see mankind.

Especially the title seems to fit with the Christian view of humans being sinful.

Ross: Yeah, it is kind of like that, but also how I see how people are – how fucked up people are.

Steve: Realistically… human behaviour.

Ross: yeah, pretty much.

Is there any possibility of going beyond this, or is it inherent and nothing we can do?

Ross: Well.. not everybody is bad or terrible.

Steve: Not everybody is a corrupt bastard.

Ross: I think we all have it within us, and I think it is our upbringing, society's rules, which keep us in line. If it was not for that, we would all be a bunch of fucking animal monsters. I all think we have the potential to be good or bad, and that is the bottom line. Deep within us. And of course we have compassion and love, but we also have bitterness, hatred, resentment. Jealousy. We have all that within us, and it is how the individual controls that. Some people do not control it that well, that is why we have prisons, murders, and nuts. And world leaders who have no regard for the "small people" – us.

Steve: It takes a conscious mind to discipline yourself.

It seems that in this song, you see the human being as being a slave to all the urges and drives.

Ross: True.

What kind of work you do?

Ross: I am a truck driver.

Steve: Currently fired, but I am working with motorcycles.

Robert: Stage lighting, sound etc.

Something you want to add?

Ross: it is great to be in Norway. Nice to be back in Scandinavia.

Steve: When we went to Bergen (last year), it was beautiful! The first time we had sun in 6 months.

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