Zamoth: I met him due to my friendship with Master V. of Myrkskog, who's been a good friend of mine for many years now. Later on, Myrkskog used to share a rehearsing room with Emperor for a while, so I met him quite often then.

Do you see irony in the black metal bands today as opposed to the original ideals of black metal?

Zamoth: Sure, but I don't really give much thought on it. I don't necessarily think all the original black metal ideas were so great, either. A lot of it has been so misunderstood and misused that it all became pretty pathetic in the end. Musically though, black metal in its pure form was so much stronger in the past. Today, it's all watered out and anybody can start a black metal band on the same basis as any other bands really. There's not much left of that dark, unique feeling.

You and Trym (Emperor) are quite close. How long have you known each other? You seem to meld so well with him that it sometimes seems like you two are of the same mind. Are you close friends or just incredibly compatible musically?

Zamoth: We are friends for sure, but we not definitely not of the "same mind," as I think we are quite different in many ways. We've been playing together for five years or so, and for the most part we work well together.

I understand Zyklon is contributing a track to a Morbid Angel tribute. Not that I don't like Morbid Angel, but I really hate tribute albums, they seem utterly unnecessary and usually are quite dull. Why would you be involved with something so unoriginal and overdone?

Zamoth: I agree, but it's fun doing cover tracks. We had an offer, so we recorded the track during the World ov Worms session. Morbid Angel is a band we respect, so it felt like an okay thing to do.

Zamoth: I have great respect for Garm's work with Ulver and I wanted to invite a guest vocalist for the album. He was the one who, in the end, joined us in the studio. It was cool having him doing it. He did the clean vocals on "Transcendental War - Battle Between Gods" as well as some spoken words on "Chaos Deathcult." I've had some brief contact with Persephone due to Emperor and I invited her to do some spoken voice samples for us and she agreed. I thought it would be a cool thing having a strong-minded fetish model involved in American sub-culture taking part in it. Simple as that!

Just for reference, Dani Filth (from Cradle of Filth) has admitted to Martin Popoff in Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles #45 to softening some of the elements of his music after the birth of his child as has Glen Benton from Deicide. Like children don't alter a life just a little? I can just imagine Benton trying to explain the inverted cross seared into his forehead to a small child. Mika Maniak (of Impaled Nazarene) has stated in Issue #16 of Nordic Vision that, after the post-millennium non-apocalypse that his beliefs have been shattered and feels let down. In the future, Mika has promised he will be even wilder because he now feels nothing, hence Nihil the last disc by Impaled Nazarene.

Has the progression of time and age dulled your enthusiasm towards demonic beliefs or were you never that much into the satanic end of black metal? Do you attribute the sudden rise of war and death metal to be a reaction to the lack of destruction at the millennium and the need to purge the violence lurking inside since they didn't get to play apocalypse...yet?

Zamoth: I still have interest in these topics and I think I understand Satanism better today and have a much more serious opinions on Christianity and religion. The progression of time and age has made me serious in some ways and possibly more unserious in other ways. But many people don't see it that way. They find it more important to slag me off--or comrades in the scene--because we don't necessarily agree with a banal statement made by us ten years ago.

I'm amazed by the stupidity we sometimes have to face. I find it funny if the lack of destruction at the millennium is a cause for people to create more extreme concepts. I'm fascinated by "apocalyptic madness" and a kind of dark post-apocalyptic visions, but I'm not waiting for the "Hand of God" to strike down and destroy the earth. Sooner or later, I think mankind will manage to destroy itself with its stupidity. I'm not particularly happy about this, but it is most likely a reality.

For me it's about creating a strong artistic expression, not about causing physical violence, though that would be nice at times as well.

I've read that Emperor has stated that they won't play live any longer. Are you all just burned out on touring or is it just certain members don't feel like traveling all over the planet, or is there another reason for stopping? You guys aren't going to do The Who thing where you do "one last tour" every five to ten years? I guess you could just tell the fans who miss Emperor live to watch the DVD of Emperial Live Ceremonies.

Is the Emperial Live Ceremony performance the best gig that Emperor ever performed?

Zamoth: No, I don' think so, but it was a good show though. Keep in mind it was taped professionally, so obviously the recording has been mixed in a studio and it has been mastered.

Is it difficult to stand by while Ihsahn pens the tunes for the next Emperor disc? I always thought you shared songwriting?

Zamoth: We've always worked together on the writing Emperor material, but for this album I didn't have strong enough material in time, mainly due to the fact that Zyklon became quite time consuming during 2000. Anyway I'm, of course, a part of the production of the album as whole and so is Trym.

I've heard band members tell me that they feel that side projects and solo albums tear bands apart. It sure hasn't worked that way with Emperor. How do you all hold it together so well?

Zamoth: We have a secret liquid that makes us strong and holds us together!

There are a few former members of Emperor kicking around this planet like Mortiis and Bård Faust Eithun. What are your thoughts on Mortiis' new plane of music and do you still see him at all? Was he always this into trolls?

Zamoth: Mortiis is kicking around just down the street, so I see him rather often, yes. Trolls?

I guess you've been quite busy with Zyklon to miss Mortiis' new troll rock gig. He's on Earache and presents atmospheric metal that's been dubbed "troll metal. " He wears a troll costume and donated the ears and nose to the Earache Time Capsule at the turn of the century. I'm not sure how easy it would be to miss Mortiis.

I've heard that Zyklon will tour Europe, will you cross the seas to America for a tour?

Zamoth: It's too early to say. The album is just about to be released in the U.S. We're mainly focused on the European tour with Morbid Angel now.

What a double feature for European fans. Hope to see Zyklon roll across the seas to American shores!

On the web:
Zyklon

Inside Earpollution:
World ov Worms album review