Thundra pour l'album "Worshipped By Chaos"

1. Hi! At first, could you present the band and sum up your carrier so far for those who don't know you yet?

Hello! Well, THUNDRA started as a project band between me (Stein Sund), when I played in Einherjer, and Harald M. Revheim when he played drums for Enslaved in 1998. We joined forces with Rune Fredriksen (Guitar), Steven Grindhaug (Growl/clean voc), Nils Johansen (Synth) and Thor Erik Helgesen (Guitar/Scream voc). We released our debut album, "Blood Of Your Soul" on Spinefarm in late 2000. When we parted from our former bands (Einherjer and Enslaved) and Spinefarm, we wanted to fully concentrate on Thundra, and we released a well-reviewed demo in late 2003. In 2004 we decided to begin recording "Worshipped By Chaos" in our own studio. We signed up with Karmageddon Media, and the album should have been out early last year. But they could not follow up the contract, so we parted ways. And then we got signed with Black Lotus, to release "Worshipped By Chaos".


2. How would you define your music and what are your influences?

I really don`t know..heheh! I personally would just define us as a metal band. All of the members have their different influences, no one is into the same music styles. I think that is good for us, as we try to incorporate all of the member's music styles into our music. So we have put everything in our music, from classic metal to black metal.


3. You're about to release your second album "Worshipped By Chaos", 6 years after the first one "Blood Of Your Soul" !!! Can you tell us more about this first album and why so many times between these 2 albums?

Hehe…yeah, it`s been a long time since the debut album.
There was some factors that played a huge role in that delay. Our drummer went working in Poland a long time, and we decided to work a lot with how we wanted Thundra to sound. We was not completely happy with " Blood Of Your Soul", it was done in a hurry. And we did not collaborate together that good at that time. We was a fairly new band, and was not sure where we stood.
Another thing was that, we lost our rehearsal place, and had to find a new place to practice. If that was not enough, I decided to build a studio facility in our new rehearsal place. And after some practice recordings, we decided to record "Worshipped By Chaos" ourselves.
So you see, this took some time. But I can assure you that it won't take so long time before we record a new album.


4. What can we expect from "Worshipped By Chaos"? Can it be compared to your previous release and why?

"Worshipped By Chaos" is a totally different album from our last album, "Blood Of Your Soul". It`s darker and more complex album, and we have written the songs differently. So you can say THUNDRA is a another band now.


5. What do you like in it? Do you have a favorite song?

Personally I like all the different beat changes and breaks we have, so it ain`t a straight forward record. My favourite song on the album must be "Worshipped By Chaos", that one has it all.


6. How spent the writing process and how long did it last?

The writing process of the album was slow. We wanted the album to be different from the debut, and we tried a lot of new stuff. Some worked, some didn`t. But I think that, now we have found the sound we wanted, and we will try to expand that further on the next release. But I must say that we have started writing new songs, and they will be much harder than on "Worshipped By Chaos"


7. Was it hard to lead this album to an end? How spent the collaboration with Black Lotus Records?

No actually, it was really easy. All members were out for the same thing. And since we did the album in our own studio, we experimented with many new things. So all I can say, it was a enjoyable album recording.
We are real happy to be signed with Black Lotus, and the collaboration so far has been great. As for us, I feel that they really follow up their bands, and treat them with respect. Many labels are just focusing on their biggest bands, and give a shit in the smaller bands.


8. Is there a tour planed to promote your new album?

Right now we don`t have any real plans for a full tour, but we hope to do a full European tour in near future. We are at the moment working on doing some gigs in Norway. Some gigs and festivals are already confirmed.


9. What do you do for a living apart from the band?

All of the band members have normal jobs apart from the band. I for my part also work in my own studio, doing demos and albums for other bands.


10. What are you listening to these days? Any good metal (or not metal) albums to recommend?

These days I listen to Emperor, Throne Of Katarsis, Kreator, Arcturus, Anorexia Nervosa and many more.
Hmmm…Albums I would recommend : All Emperor, Kreator-Enemy of God, Anorexia Nervosa-Redemption Process.


11. What is your opinion concerning the metal webzines? Are you a reader of them? How do you evaluate the impact of such magazines, compared to "real" magazines?

There are many shitty metal webzines out there, but also some good ones. I tend to read some of them when I have the chance. I think that the serious webzines have the same, and maybe more impact compared to real magazines, because everybody can find a serious metal webzine on the web.


12. What is your position about downloading? Do you think it' a chance or a curse for a band like yours?

Personally I don`t mind people downloading. It has come to stay, we can`t stop it. But I think it can be a good way to promote your band. Ok, for a small band, it also means that you loose sales. But there is both for and cons in this debate.


13. Thanx for the interview. The last words are yours!

Alright……Get out there, and buy THUNDRA - "Worshipped By Chaos"!!!!