In Aeternum: “…we never saw us as a compliment to Dissection”

About a month ago, VM reviewed In Aeternum’ ‘Nuclear Armageddon’. Due to the impact in changes of style and production we were anxious to hear their side of the story. Other matters will also be questioned of course concerning the past, present and futuristic developments of this Swedish band. Frontman David Larsson – being a frequent visitor to our humble website so he claims – was the ideal spokesperson to clear minor misunderstandings and rumours circulating his band.

Avé David! Fuck those who’ve never heard of In Aeternum, but would you give the ignorant a brief introduction how things got started anyway?
I can only advise people to check out http://www.inaeternum.com/ for that information. All I can say is that out of the 2 people who started the band back then it’s only me left. A long time has passed since those days.

Your band started out as Behemoth in ’92, but two years later you changed your name into In Aeternum. Was this because of the establishment of the well known Polish act – whom are still kicking serious ass today – who was took the same bandname in ’91?
We changed it because of them and also to mark the beginning of a new era for the band. All because we changed members and I was the only one left from ’92.

How did your response go when unleashing ‘Nuclear Armageddon’? Are North- and South America also big consumers of your products – from the first ’till the last release – compared to Europe and the continents close to it?
So far so good, I don’t think I’ve seen a really bad review so far. So that feels good as I didn’t have a clue of what to expect of this album. I just wish it had been released when it was planned to be out. To tell the truth I’m not exactly sure how the US market looks for this album. I know all the previous ones have had it’s share of the market in the past. Then of course we had an American label to support us. So my guess is that we sell the most in the European region. Wouldn’t mind having a proper distributor in the US though.

The new Dissection promise…-phrase. Well, that was the kind of label you guys got after the release of ‘Forever Blasphemy’. An epic album indeed and I expected that you would sit on that special throne once claimed by the talons of Jon and company. Years later you’re still an extremely good band, but your style has changed enough to undo this statement once made. Could you give us your view on this and did you hate/like the comparison with Dissection? Did you not feel supported by Necropolis back then?
Well we took that as a compliment even though we ourselves didn’t think we sounded like the mighty Dissection. Which still remain one of the best bands ever. So we didn’t mind it at all, we never saw us as a compliment to Dissection.

We got a great support from Necropolis back in those days, they sent us on tour and also arranged for us to play a few shows in the US back in 2001. That was really great to hang out with the guys and girl behind the label. We also met a lot of great guys over there such as Jim Durkin and stayed at his place. The Sadistic Intent guys was true metal brothers, hail to them.

Whatever happened to the line-up of In Aeternum’ early days? It seems that every release changes within the ranks are in order. When counting, it must be a small posse of musicians who left since the beginning of the band in ’92. Does this feature have any consequences or do you write the music and lyrics alone anyhow? Current line-up status…
Well we had a pretty stable line up between -94 and -97 then we let our bass player go. So from 94 up until 2002 we had me on guitar and vocals + the same second guitar player throughout that time. Only bass players changed for the most part. We also had the same drummer from 98 to 2002. Then we had a bunch of losers coming and going on bass. The current line up is: David / vocals, guitar, Daniel / 7 string lead guitar, Per / drums and Robert on bass. So we’ll see how long this will last.

I have always been writing the lyrics myself and will continue to do so as it looks now. Regarding the music we’re all part of that process, and I must say that Daniel is coming up with some intense riffing. Also Per does his thing on the drums, after 21 years of playing he knows the deal. Robert is the newest guy and time will tell what he’s capable of. So the changes hasn’t had any impact on the music writing at all.

In the feedback of doing an interview or not, you mentioned In Aeternum has already recorded a 7’ EP entitled ‘Poison The Holy’. Is this release still scheduled to be unleashed in March, was this piece also recorded at Abyss Studios (with Tommy Tägtgren) and is the style the same as on your latest ‘Nuclear Armageddon’?
We still haven’t decided if it’s going to be a 7’ or a MCD yet. It was recorded at Abyss with Tommy during 2 hectic days. I would say it’s more intense, a mix between ‘Forever Blasphemy’ and ‘Nuclear Armageddon’. We have some really interesting melodies and harmonies on those 2 songs + some great lead guitar work. We have also managed to make 2 more new songs, still untitled.

How did you get in touch with Agonia Records and how many releases are you contracted obliged to release after ‘Nuclear Armageddon’?
We signed on for 1 album and if things where going good we would sign for 1 more + a MCD or 7’. That’s what we have done. Many things fell through and we ended up on Agonia and they stepped up for us in a very good way. They’re a growing label so we’re in a pretty good position so far.

On your new – and already better looking than the previous – website an announcement is mentioned that rehearsals have started for the making of the next album. Did you by now finish a couple of tracks and what will their titles be? Any kind of info would be most welcome.
4 songs have been finished and we have 2 titles ready, ‘No Salvation’ and ‘Poison The Holy’. Studio time has been booked for June and we hope to have it out in August/September. So we’re working our asses off to get the 8 songs we need for it.

Within these same writings In Aeternum said they’re auditioning for bass players at the moment. Surely global maniacs have replied thus far, but did you’ve had your eye on one particular musician in your country? I mean there must be more than half a dozen whom can handle the bass duties and qualify as (extremely) right persons, since some major bands are rooted in Sweden.
We got a bass player now that we’re working with to try and find out if he’s the right guy for the job. We are all different characters so it’s hard to fit together on a personal level as well as on the band level.

When will this new website (www.InAeternum.com) be fully operational and globally accessible for metalheads? Will you personally add various info to the site and navigation options to prevent false rumors, avoid misconceptions etc.
I don’t know when it will be completely ready, it takes time. So far the news, biography and photo page is up and running. More will follow ASAP. I will provide all the news as well as other information on the site. My brother is handling all programming for the site so he’s doing that when time allows it.

David, you’ve said that the main difference between old and the new acts within the black metal scene is the image. Nowadays bands have to try to be as evil as possible, but the oldies didn’t have to try as hard as they were evil by themselves. Is this something disturbing for you? Don’t you like to play with (most) newer acts. Could you give some examples of the newer and older bands who fit in your answer? I would say King Diamond as a person is one of those older acts who has that kind of evil aura around him.
I totally agree about the King, also Darkthrone still has a special aura around them. We’ll play with anybody as long as they’re not Christian. I don’t give a rats ass about that. It was just a reflection I made with that statement. I’m sure a lot of people will agree on that, as well as disagree with me. I don’t care.

You’ve been intrigued by death and all what concerns this subject. Besides this morbid fascination, you mentioned that you’re also interested in cultures of your own heritage – namely Vikings (Go Andy Fordham!) – and the Maya people. Though I can relate death and destruction being a Viking theme, it’s not so obvious at first to understand the link to the once majestic culture located in Central America. Would you explain this?
Regarding the Maya culture I just find it interesting reading about it. That is something personal and not something I put into the band in some way. I also don’t use the Viking thing in the band which is quite obvious. It’s all about learning some history and heritage.

If you need a cover for a tribute, call In Aeternum! The band actually did a lot of covers, such as King Diamond’ ‘Abigail’, Morbid Angel’ ‘Maze Of Torment’ and don’t forget your participation for ‘In Conspiracy With Satan – Bathory tribute’. Which bands or songs do you still want to cover?
No more covers for a while is what we decided last time we rehearsed. There has been to many to mention. We did talk about Dark Angel and Possessed before, so we might do it sometime. Now we concentrate on the next album instead.

David…admit it! You Sir, are a vinylfreak! When it comes to good old vinyl everyone talks about the sound and cover artwork. Tell us your story about vinyl and which items are your precious ones? Your prrrrrrecious!!! Is there an item that you still regret you didn’t bought back then?
I sure am, still buying vinyl when I have the chance. They are not practical at all but it has that special feeling when you hold that big cover in your hands. I still remember me and a friend going to town to buy Twisted Sister, W.A.S.P. and Motörhead albums. The very first LP I bought was a compilation with bands such as Saxon, Rage, Dokken and Rose Tattoo. That was awesome listening to that record, I still have it and listens to it from time to time. I don’t think I ever regretted not buying a record. The only regret is probably not having enough money back then to buy every damn thing that got out.

P-LP or CD; which artwork or artist do you think is stunning and worth mentioning? This question popped-up since Necrolord has done some astonishing detailed work for you.
‘Don’t Break The Oath’ is a really good cover also ‘Orgasmatron’ is stunning artwork. Necrolord, Petagno, Jacec Wisniewski and Chris Moyen are doing really good stuff. they all do their own different style.

Okay, here are two frequently asked questions concerning other bands. Dark Funeral has done a split-CD with Infernal and they included a nasty looking Impious. Why aren’t you among these bastards anymore?
To put it simple, I didn’t have enough time for it. Infernal has done some really good songs, but that is all in the past.

How is War doing – assuming David still participates in this band – and what’s in store in the near future?
Same goes for War, no time. I also think that band is dead and buried by now.

I trust we’re going to see In Aeternum touring and blaspheme Europe in due time. Do you already know some interesting gigs and dates where you’re going to perform destruction?
We will for sure tour this year throughout Europe, look for info on our website. For now we’re only concentrating on the next album. Gigs are of course always welcome, so drop us a line if you got something coming up and need a good band to perform.

Final blaspheme propaganda is yours man! Thanks for your time!
Thanks a lot for the honour of being on the VM site. Check out http://www.inaeternum.com/ for the latest news about In Aeternum. Nuclear Armageddon is upon us all!!!