After a little misunderstanding (I supposed the vocalist of Khold to be the organisator of the gig) I did my first live interview ever … Isn't it amazing how often one person can use the phrase 'you know' in about fifteen minutes?

How has touring been yet and the relationship between the bands?
Relationship between the bands had been really good, had some problems in the beginning but now everything is cool, we're getting along, not too much guys on the bus, so everybody is happy about touring now.

Do you love to see many countries?
Yeah, that's cool, that's cool, you know, seeing whole of Europe, it's great.

Anything you specially miss while being on tour?
My children of course and my wife.

So it's hard for you?
Naaah, you know it's only three weeks, so I'll get over it.

What was the greatest show yet?
Oh yeah that would be Croatia, so hopefully people here will rock the house, so to speak. Last time I was here in 97 with Old Man's Child, here, this was the best place in 97, so we'll see.

You're looking forward to this show?
Of course, everytime.

How do people react on you? Because you're members from well-known bands but Khold is a very new band?
Yeah …

So how do people react on you? Are there many people who don't know you yet?
You said what?

Are there many people who don't know you yet?
Of course, yeah, yeah, sure. Now, they know Tulus. And they know that some of us have been playing in Old Man's Child as session members. In Croatia the crowd was wild, in Germany the crowd is a little quiet, they seem to absorb what we were trying to put out to them.

I've heard that the gig in Vienna yesterday was very cool…
Yeah it was good, it was good, great … so yeah.

Your music makes me feel very cold inside, it's very strong music. Can you feel that the audience is feeling this too while you're playing?
Yeah, you know .. our music is made to move, so it's easy groovy feeling in our music and I can see people are moving but if they're just standing there or if they're going mad, whatever, they have to move something, that's good.

What does your band name mean? Is there any connection between the English word COLD and KHOLD?
Yes, it's an hybrid name from the English word and an old Norwegian word.

What does MASTERPISS OF PAIN mean? What it means? The title? Yes, my interpretation is that you're maybe pissed off by people who turn arrogant after they created a so-called masterpiece.
The title came along .. we changed the word a little bit from Norwegian into English, just to get people thinking, you know, reacting to the name and they do. Everybody is wondering about the name and that's the only reason. Just to get publicity.

It's provocation …
Yes, it works.

I read your interview in German Lecacy zine and there was something you said - Money is my god. Don't you think because you create a very strong and cold music connected to the - let me say - old feeling of Black Metal … don't you think maybe many 'true' Black Metallers will be pissed off by this because the only thing which counts is the attitude?
Well, it's just the wrong attitude, don't you think? So no, I don't care about what people think. I don't have a god, except money. It runs everything. I'm not in the music FOR the money, I wouldn't do black metal, if I was in the music just to earn money cause I don't earn a lot of money on this music. So maybe they misunderstand what I was saying about money is my god, but I want more money, of course, everybody does and if they said the don't want more money they would be lying, so whatever people want to think about that statement …

Just because there are many bands who try to stay in underground very hard …
Well, that's just stupid.

Because of this underground-attitude your statement is something very special, very different …
Yeah we try to be different.

What does Black Metal mean to you?
You know, it's a feeling, it's music, it's just a genre of music which has to be cold and dark, sinister and there's a lot of feeling in it. That's what Black Metal is to me.

What do you think about nowadays scene (don't know how it is in Norway) ?
As I said I don't really care what other people think, I don't pay very much attention to what other people do, what other bands do, you know. I never heard Behemoth before this tour, I never heard .. well, I heard Carpathian Forest once at a gig in Norway, warming-up for Mayhem, and you know, I don't see much new bands or old bands like Behemoth, it's been around a long time, but I use to stick to the old, you know, Darkthrone, Mayhem, and Celtic Frost, yes, great band, great band …

Many people also say that there is a stagnation in Black Metal and therefore it won't be able to survive …
Well, I don't know. It's kind of what happened to Death Metal in early ninetees when Black Metal was to cover … What's gonna happen now, I don't know. I think it's too much production now on these records, be about money, as Dimmu Borgir, very good band, but they're on the top as they're the biggest black metal band around .. this is because they produce their albums so well and have such a great sound, it collects a bigger crowd, but for me, it's overproduced. I want the feeling in the music come out more, so we don't produce our records as much as they do. A lot of these bands, Mayhem has done the same thing, although I like Mayhem a lot, so we try to keep it true. To keep a feeling within the music and not this big sound, we always try to keep the things spontaneous.

So you don't produce an album just for many people to like it ..?
No..

Just for the feeling ..?
Yeah.

And it's of course great if people like it…
Yes, but you know, that statement with that you know - money is my god , you know. Now you know what I mean.

Yes, that's good cause I really thought you play Black Metal for money.
No, it's no money in the Black Metal, I would do pop or whatever …

What's the difference between your other bands and Khold?
Big difference? Different writers and total different vocals.

I thought you maybe created Khold to do something other you couldn't do in your other bands?
What we do different?

I thought that you maybe founded Khold to do something different you couldn't do in your other bands.
Yes, that's correct. But we're doing this music since 91, I guess. You know us as Tulus, and early this year we wanted to be a band, you know. We wanted to be ourselves. We've always been a studio band before, just me and the drummer. Now we wanted to be a band and got this two guys to join us, that's why we changed the name into Khold, because Tulus was a chapter we wanted to close.

I read on your homepage that you released a demo tape, can you maybe tell me a little about it.
No, we never released it, no, no, that's not true. We just recorded some demos as Tulus, actually, in the beginning. Do you know Satyr of Satyricon?

Yes, sure ..
Yeah? He wanted to listen to it so we sent him a copy. So he wanted to sign it, so we decided to change the name, become a whole band, so that's the demo. Actually we just recorded three songs or something, sent it to Satyr and he wanted to some get more so we recorded two more songs and three more songs, and .. you know .. suddenly we had an album.

Great album ..
Thank you.

What was your main inspiration? Were there any artists you'd like to pay tribute to or something?
Well, inspiration comes from many many things, you know .. Nature, people, thoughts, our lyrics, of course music has it's inspiration, it will always be that way. Some people say they don't have any inspirations from other bands but of course they do. They wouldn't do this music if they weren't .. you know .. they can say they never heard Black Metal before but that would be bullshit.

Is it very hard to do something new, something different? Because everything has been done before in some way …
Well, that depends on how you look at it. If you think we are doing something different, it's not very hard, if you think we are doing something that has been done before .. Yes it would be hard to do something different. So, I'm not trying to do what other people have done before but if people think that it sounds like Darkthrone or Bathory, or whatever, well that's too bad.

They mean that you sound like old school Black Metal …
Yes, I think we sound like a modern old Black Metal band, so to speak. So yes, Darkthrone has been one of our inspirations. In the beginning Isengard .. that would be Fenriz twice .. and Bathory ..no, not really, but people are comparing us to Bathory. I heard one album, ten years ago. Can't really say it's an great inspiration. Celtic Frost would be another one.

I think you also mentioned once that your lyrics are not about typical black metal stuff but more about something from everyday life, is that right?
Yes, so to speak, you know, feelings and emotions that you have when you experience different things in your lyrics, trying to put in two aspects about in one lyric you can see different directions.

Unfortunately I don't know your lyrics because they're written in Norwegian ..
Yes, I'm sorry about it but that's the way we do it.

I also read on your homepage that you write your lyrics in a very special dialect out of the 18th century?
Well, that was our record company who wrote this.

So it's not true?
Naaah, no, it's typical Norwegian but it's written in an old fashioned way how the old poets wrote, it's not how we write today but .. dialect .. no, it's no special dialect.

How will you spend today's evening? Do you know any places here in Ljublana?
No .. not really. We suppose to do the gig at 9,30 I guess after that we just wait for the other bands to do their job and then we'll get into the bus and leave, that's the way it is.

Well, I thank you for this interview (and for your patience with my nervous self - comment of the author) .. any last statements you want to add?
Well, I hope everybody likes our album and of course the gig tonight .. so .. Bye everything ---- (growls)

And money is my god (laughs) …
Yes, money is my god (growls again)

November 2001, Julia "Decay" Tomaschitz