How many times have we heard the same story…? the Satan-praising sons of bitches that turn out to be pussies or mere poseurs, obsessed with the aesthetics and cliché’s of a music genre that a lot of people claim to be as dead as faith in humanity itself??
SARKOM from Norway are a band that pay no attention to the trends, and in their own have created a ground-breaking 1st release, entitled Aggravation Of Mind that really makes you wonder if you’ve been ripped-off for the last 4 of 5 years with watered-down so-called BM.
Now, Mayolo aka Terrorbiozer faces the crude answers of Sagstad, in a brief but revealing interview.

Mayolo: Aggravation Of Mind was a killer first release in my opinion, I had the chance to review it and it really kicked my ass. Now, did you have any kind of particular intentions or parameters to match for this 1st release?
Sagstad: No, not at all.

Mayolo: The Black Metal scene has never been easy as some people think how was the process of creation and growth of SARKOM as a band?
Sagstad: SARKOM has been like a “studio-project” until recently. We recorded a demo in 2004 and spent the next year making songs for Aggravation Of Mind. We did all of this in the studio and did not rehears at all. But we now have intentions of completing the line-up and start doing some gigs.

Mayolo: Many new bands with 1st releases suffer of severe and sometimes even bad-intentioned criticism, regarding the using (or better said) or abusing of their influences, have you experienced any of this with Aggravation Of Mind?
Sagstad: Not that I am aware of…

Mayolo: Do you have a specific way to develop and compose your songs? Are they planned? How is the SARKOM factory producing their artwork?
Sagstad: Every single note on Aggravation Of Mind is thoroughly planned. Nothing is done by accident. The music is developed and composed by Renton and Unsgaard. Regarding the artwork, we asked an acquaintance of Unsgaard to help us out, which he did. I think the result enhances the overall feeling of the album.

Mayolo: What are the main themes that inspire SARKOMs music, and what’s your perspective on the current trends of the Black Metal movement, regarding lyrics?
Sagstad: I think Unsgaard can answer on that: I think we’re most inspired by black metal in genereral, and not by specific bands... About the current trends of black metal regarding lyrics, I don’t know… Actually, I almost never read the lyrics, black metal or not…

Mayolo: What’s the main force behind SARKOM’s power?
Sagstad: To be honest, I have no idea…

Mayolo: Do you have any touring plans for this year?
Sagstad: No, at the moment we only have one gig planned, which is at Barther metal fest in Germany.

Mayolo: If you could play in a particular place, name it country or festival or whatever, where would it be?
Sagstad: My big dream is to play at “REMA 1000” at Pilestredet Park here in Oslo. But frankly, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen so I would say a tour in Japan would be awesome, since I am really fascinated by their culture and their women.

Mayolo: Most bands befriend other bands and musicians, and sometimes they even end up joining forces participate with each other or even to create new side-projects.
Sagstad: Ok? Cool.

Mayolo: Any of the members of SARKOM have any plans involving musicians from other bands? What’s the number one priority for SARKOM right now?
Sagstad: Well, both Renton and I are involved in numerous other projects, but there are no reasons in mentioning them. Number one priority for SARKOM at the moment is to prepare for live gigs and make new songs to the next album.

Mayolo: Have you started composing material for a future release? And if so, what are the differences between the new stuff and the old stuff?
Sagstad: We have a couple of riffs here and there, but it is too early to see where we are going musically compared to Aggravation Of Mind.

Mayolo: What’s your opinion on those bands that praise the “old-school” of Black Metal without actually reflecting it in any sense?
Sagstad: Couldn’t care less…

Mayolo: As musicians, you are exposed to some technical (sound engineering) problems from time to time when playing live. So far, have you had any kind of problems of this nature?
Sagstad: Since we haven’t played live with SARKOM yet, we haven’t encountered this problem. But yeah, I have been exposed to that problem several times with other bands I am playing in.

Mayolo: Speaking of sound engineering, but changing the subject a bit as well, are you completely satisfied with the results in Aggravation Of Mind? Is there anything in the sound production you would change now if you could?
Sagstad: No, we are really satisfied with the result. Since we did everything ourselves (recording and mixing), we got the desired sound we though would fit the cold and harsh music of SARKOM.

Mayolo: What should we expect from SARKOM in the years to come?
Sagstad: Hopefully a new album, and some live gigs maybe??

Mayolo: Thanks for the time spent on this interview. Hail SARKOM!