Sarke's 7th album Allsighr is coming out on Soulseller Records on November 5th. While this 'supergroup' has some great names in their ranks, it all started with Sarke, who started this as a one-man project in 2008. It is now a band with members of the live band of Satyricon, an ex-member of Enslaved and of course Nocturno Culto, the guitarist and vocalist in classic black metal band Darkthrone. A black metal overload? No, absolutely not. Allsighr is a record with shadows and mist, but right at the centre are the classic metal and rock bands we all love. A small conversation with Sarke may shed some light on mastermind Sarke.
Your new album is called Allsighr. What does that word mean, what language is it and
why/how did it become the album title?
Allsighr is a Norse goddess that brings the dead back to life in a new world. Her world. It is the name of the goddess and it was meant to be the album title since the beginning.
How did you meet artist Kjell Åge Meland and what makes him the perfect artist for
completing the art of Sarke’s new album?
He is a great painter and also a fan of our music. It was Asgeir Mickelson (Sarke's drummer from 2011-2014) that told me about his work. He understands the music and the dark art we want to project through our music. We will also work with him on the next album.
What is the story behind the song ‘Beheading Of The Circus Director’?
The lyrics deal with people who want to control other people. That person can be found
anywhere. From the people around you to the king. Many of those are too greedy and just mental. People should not just accept this. So off with their heads.
This is your 7th album. In earlier interviews, you said that you are someone who must make music. When and how did you realize that and what do you get out of it?
I do make a lot of music. I think it is satisfying to create music. To be creative. To see how a song comes together from just a small idea to a full song. I have done it since the late 80s. It is also a bonus to get positive feedback from other people. When you get the final product home it's a good feeling. Many hours of work are now all in my hands.
Some of your inspiration comes from nature and the paintings of
Theodor Kittelsen. What painting made you fall in love with his art and why?
His art brings a lot of inspiration. It fits Norwegian dark metal so perfectly. Especially his
Svartedauen collection (an illustration book from 1900 with pencil drawings). It is so dark, pure, simple, black and white.
As a multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader, how do you transfer your vision or creativity to your band members?
I do bring them in to also be creative and have their ideas and thoughts on the songs. I have the riffs, and ideas and the skeleton of the song. But we finish the song together. There are always changes from the song I present to the finished product. They contribute to all the songs.
You draw inspiration from different kinds of music, is there any non-metal artist or album that inspired a song or a passage on this album?
David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Terje Rypdal (Norwegian jazz guitarist), Popol Ace (a 1970's Norwegian progressive rock band), Depeche Mode, punk music, rock n roll, Movie music and much more.
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