One of the finest bands the American death/thrash metal scene has ever spawned, Usurper’s latest opus "Necronemesis" saw the band reach a wider audience than ever before, and they even had King Diamond come to the studio to do some vocal tracks for them. Chanting their haunting and mysterious lyrics over tight-as-hell and brutal riffs and precise double bass drumming, it’s no surprise that the legions of Usurper fans have been growing bigger and bigger in number lately, especially since their two latest tours with the immensely popular Cradle of Filth. The mastermind behind the band, Rick ‘Scythe’, agreed to answer a few questions, and he had some trouble himself finding a suitable style of metal to label the band.

Luka 'Wrath'


We always struggled with this. We've been labeled everything: thrash, retro, black metal, death metal, etc... For lack of a better term we always called it DARK HEAVY METAL.

How long was "Necronemesis" in the making? How did it all come together?

Basically it came together pretty quick. I usually do all the writting, but I always bounce ideas around everyone else. After we did the Cradle Of Filth 1999 tour we really got a feel of what worked well live and what didn't. I think all of us wanted a really powerful riff heavy album. Something that had a lot of face value impact. Of course (as with all Usurper releases) there is still dark twisted undertones and creepy melodic elements, but on "Necronemesis" we really wanted those elements to be more in the backround enhancing the music. We really wanted to focus on songs that would have a great impact live. The lyrics are just a natural evolution of the same vision we had from day one, just reaching into some other strange realms. So basically this album came together very quick.

What aspects of the music or songwriting did you change from the previous album - "Usurper II - Skeletal Season"? Any similarities? Differences?

"Skeletal Season" was a really dark, creepy album. The initial idea with that was to make this really weird album; record everything anolog and add lots of vocal layers, guitar layers, feedback layers... basically just do something a bit more strange than we ever did. Unfortunatly some of the original vision was lost because of our drummer situation (Apocalyptic Warlord left in 1996 when most of the songs were written). So by the time we found a suitable replacement the initial vibe was kind of mixed up and tainted. However, I really love some aspects of that record. I think the artwork and layout are INCREDIBLE! And the lyics and stories behind them, with the linar notes is something that I'm very pleased with, but some of those songs were hard to pull off live. So on "Necronemesis" I wanted to keep a lot of the same themes. I wanted the lyrics in the same vein (as "Skeletal Season") with all the explainations and stories. I wanted to retain some of the haunting aspects, yet do it in a much more precise way. We wanted to record all digital to really key in on the tightness of the guitar and double bass drumming. So I guess to sum it up I think "Necronemesis" works well live and "Skeletal" should be enjoyed on the headphones.

How did you get ahold of King Diamond? What was it like working with a metal legend like him?

When we were planning on recording "Necronemesis", we really wanted to try a different studio. We analized a lot of recordings and we always seemed to come back to Nomad Studios. I think Mercyful Fate 9 was the deciding factor. We loved the way everything was clear, but not sterile. We really liked the interplay of the instruments. You can hear all the individual instruments, yet they had a good "live" feel as a unit. It is one of those albums that sounds good on a thousand dollar stero or on a shitty boom box; and that is precisly what we wanted. So we schedualed our time, but when the dates got closer we got a call from the owner. He told us that KING was finishing up "House Of God" and needed a little more time. He said if we pushed back our time a few days KING would repay us by singing on our album. This blew my mind! We of course instantly agreed. I knew exactly where I wanted him to sing... the song "Necronemesis" deals with this haunted graveyard. It is written from a 3rd person perspective until the middle where "the phantom of the graveyard rises". That is exactly where I knew it would sound cool. So basically we got to witness KING mixing "House Of God". We were in awe! Here is this metal legend treating us with the utmost respect. He actually took a lot of time to record his vocal tracks, and actually listened to everything and helped tweak out the mix. Let's just say I still get chills when I hear it!

Are you satisfied with how the album turned out? Anything you’d change?

I am 100% satisfied with the album. I feel it is our strongest album musically and lyrically. I think the cover art is incredible and overall it is our most original sounding album to date. the only thing I would change is some of the typos and little bullshit like that.

A particular favorite track?

Of course 'Necronemesis'! Even without the obvious fact of King Diamonds bone chilling vocals, that song is like a mini epic. It has a lot of dynamics and melody, yet is still straight ahead tight, aggressive metal. To me that is our perfect song! I also like '1666AD' a lot. I think it is just a basic heavy song with cool Nostradamus lyrics.

How’s Necropolis treating you? Are you satisfied with the promotion and exposure?

What promotion? We've been on Necropolis for years, and we were there when they grew from a 2 man little label into Relapse Jr., we've seen it all with them, and they seen it all with us. Paul is a great guy, it just sucks that some people there are not supportive of Usurper at all. It sucks that you can't find our albums in ANY stores, it sucks that our European magazine expoure has been just about zero for "Necronemesis", and that they are really pushing this whole gore thing. I mean it used to be this cult label; but now if you don't have a toilet with gore dripping on the cover, you don't get pushed. Oh well, that's just me bitching, obviously the positives must outweigh the negatives or else we wouldn't be still signed with them... right?

Tell me more about the interesting lyrics on this album. I find them fascinating! How did you find out about all these legends and myths? Do you believe in any of them? Do you believe in super powers?

Let me just say that I believe 100% in ALL of the lyrics I write. I document everything very well, I read a lot of obscure books, and listen to Art Bell evry now and then. I am fuckin addicted to all things paranormal: UFO's, werewolves, sasquatchs, interdimmensional creatures, cryptozoological creatures, lost civilizations, men in black, time-travel, electromagnetic anomolies, mothman/winged weirdos, ghosts, shadow people, prophecies and on and on... I think it's because I find everyday life very boring; I just wonder about the bigger picture a lot. I don't consider myself evil at all, just curious about things outside the norm. I find these stories facinating. To me it is way more interesting than people who sing about politics or religion. Preaching sucks! Even if pople don't beleive in things I write about, they can view it as fantasy or science fiction and still get into it. I like to view each song almost like a little horror movie set to heavy metal music!

I understand you played with Cradle of Filth on a few U.S. festivals. What was it like? What do you think about their extensive use of keyboards and some people calling them ‘sell-outs’?

Yes Cradle Of Filth has helped Usurper tremendously over the years. They had us open for them in 1998 in NYC. Then in 1999 we did the little 7 date US/Canada tour with them which really gave us the chance to play in front of bigger audiences for the first time. Then in fall of 2000 we did the huge 30 date European tour with them. That was mind blowing! The smallest show on that tour was 600 people and the largest was nearly 3000! Basically the average was about 1000 people a night, and that was really amazing for us! So what can I say about them? I mean I don't see them as sell outs at all. They just happen to be doing something that strikes a chord with many many kids today. I honestly believe they would be doing exactly the same thing even if they were some small unknown band, they just happened to take off. We are basically the same age as them, we both formed around the same time as eachother, and believe me, we have just about the same metal influences as them. They just happened to go in one direction and we went in another, yet we meet somewhere in the middle. Their use of female vocals and keyboards suits their sound very well. I think the main reason they can pull that off is because they still have 100% metal backbone and aggressiveness to what they do, where most bands that have keyboards and female vocals get too wimpy and overly soft. Usurper will not add keyboards or female vocals to our songs ever! We just want to retain a classic metal sound. Any atmosphere or melody will always be done with accoustic guitars, feedback tones, and subtle vocal layers, but even this aspect of Usurper will always be in the backround to enhance the heaviness. For Usurper; we want every song to be headbangable and fistbangable on the surface with dark, haunting elements below the surface in certain places; as I said before, just to add dynamics and add to the heaviness!

How do you feel about extreme metal bands like Cradle if Filth becoming successful in the American mainstream market? Do you think metal is meant to stay underground?

Metal should have no limits. If you happen to "make it big" playing metal it's totally cool, as long as you don't sell your soul to do it. Look at Iron Maiden or Judas Priest; they were always arena bands, but they did it with a "no comprimise" attitude and with a lot of integrity. Of course with metal, that should never be the goal. The goal should just be playing music from the heart, with all the traditions of the metal pioneers, yet with your own original take on it. bands should NEVER back down from doing interviews in fanzines, or take an attitude like they are better than any of their fans. I hate bullshit ROCK STAR attitudes! I hate industry weasels! The underground is very special to us. We'll never turn our back on it. We're die-hard fans of metal, just like kids that go to shows. Just like people who run fanzines. Big magazines are great because the give bands maximum exposure, but to be honest, most people who write for big glossies are arrogant assholes who think THEY are rock-stars. They are more impressed with kissing ass and seeing their name in print, and using big flowery words than they are fans of metal. I think it's safe to say USURPER will ALWAYS remain underground!

What’s your opinion on the current death metal scene in the U.S. Are there any bands you’re particularly into?

To be honest, I don't think I bought a death metal record since like 1992 or something. I get to hear a lot of stuff, but I really don't pay too much attention. I'm not saying that to be an asshole, but let's face it, I write all the music for Usurper, I practice with the band 3-4 days a week, I spend a lot of time demo-ing songs on my 4 track... the last thing I want to do in my free time is add more ringing noise to my ears. When I listen to music I like a lot of classic metal and early thrash, or just like rock music like Journey or Ted Nugent. When it's Friday night and I'm at the practice spot with all the gang, I'll listen to whatever new black, death metal anyone brings out, but just as backround music. Just for curiosity. Not that there isn't some great new bands; actually there is some stuff like Krisiun, Nifelheim, ABSU, and Nocturnal Fear that really blow my mind!

What bands or albums would you consider your personal and professional inspirations? What did you grow up listening, what bands influenced the sound of Usurper?

Oh man. I know the list would be slightly different for each member, but here is some of my personal favorites. when I first started listening to heavy music I liked: Scorpions, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, early Def Leppard, Ted Nugent... years later I got into like: Iron Maiden and Dio, which lead into early thrash like Mercyful Fate, old Slayer, Possessed, Kreator, Sodom... I was always looking for the heaviest or most extreme bands. Then I got into stuff like DRI, early Voivod, Bathory, just stuff with neckbreaking speed and aggression. I was also discovering dark slow heavy music at the same time like: Samhain, St. Vitus, Celtic Frost... So I think early on I realised great aspects of bands who played with precision tightness, and with over-the-top violent extremities as well as bands who played with slow heaviness and a loose "feeling" approach. So obviously you can say any and all of these bands had some influence on the Usurper sound. How can it not? Any band you listen to over and over will have some affect on your sound wether you like it or not. I think now what I listen for more than anything is bands with dynamics. Mainly metal, but take a band like Goblin for example. That is a band who did many classic horror movie soundtracks, so obviously they had to add dynamics to fit their music with particular scenes. I think that is what many bands are missing in extreme metal. Sounds should explode into a peak. Things should build in a climax, fall and rise again. Albums should have peaks a valleys. So I think the old metal is in our veins yet sometimes other bands who aren't metal at all can also have an indirect influence... but the end result is always DARK HEAVY METAL!

Any particular band you’d wish to do a tour with?

I'd love the chance to do like an arena tour, just to do it, I think Iron Maiden would be the ultimate.

What festivals are you guys doing this year? Any plans for heading over to Europe?

We already did a big EUROPEAN tour for "Necronemesis" with Cradle Of Filth, so I think if we go back again for this album, we'd like to do a small underground headlining or co-headlining tour. Other than that we'd really like to do a big US tour.

What are the future plans for the mighty Usurper? Coming tours, releases we should know about?

Right now we have a few tour opportunities, but nothing definate, so we will just continue to write and rehearse for our next album. Look for a re-release of "Threshold Of The Usurper" with 4 bonus tracks later this year, and a new album by summer/fall 2002.

Any closing remarks?

Visit us at www.usurper-necrocult.com.

Hailing from the grim and frosty tundra’s of Norway, Khold are a band who will not submit to the huge amounts of commercial bullshit being produced around them. “Phantom” is their latest record and it stands as an ethereal, and to many a refreshing and translucent record, untouchable by the masses. I caught up with Gard and had a natter to him about “Phantom”, his son’s awful taste in music and how much he cares (or doesn’t care) about any other band in the world.

Jack ‘Odel’


I would like to take the opportunity to thank you Gard for taking the time out to answer these questions I have. Firstly, what does the word “Khold” mean? And with the pronunciation of “Khold” is it said like our English word ‘cold’?

Yeah! Khold is pronounced “cold”. And it means “cold” too.

The lyrics behind “Phantom” seem to follow a pattern that seems to take place in the medieval landscape of old. Song titles such as ‘Witchcraft in Loom’ and ‘Butcher’s Oak’ remind me greatly of medieval coined phrases/titles that I would have heard of in history. Could you please explain some of the lyrics behind your new album?

The lyrics deal with different topics as people, nature, time, feelings and myths. We always try to write from a different point of view than the most obvious. In “Phantom”, we’re trying to comprehend what it would be like for a father to loose his daughter, and how the memory of the daughter comes back to haunt him. ‘Fra Grav til Mørke’ is about a dead person’s life after he or she drowned, and how he/she is buried in the cold and dark ground when found, to rest in peace?

‘Slaktereika’ (‘Butcher’s Oak’) is a story about a mad man who actually lived a few kilometres from here. He lived in an old house under a oak. And he killed anybody who came to his house and hung them up in the oak. The whole oak, with victims and all, was a shrine to him.
And so on. All of these different views make Hildr’s lyrics more interesting.

Speaking of lyrics, why write in 18th Century Norwegian? If you were to write in present day Norwegian, as it stands, would you lyrics loose much impact that they do now, would the end result not be as satisfying as in 18th Century Norwegian?

Our lyrics are written in present Norwegian, but the sentences have old-fashioned structures.
So, that’s why Moonfog and other people who have read our lyrics call them 18th century language. The lyrics fit our music perfectly.

“Phantom” seemed to suddenly creep out of the black metal market. Was it deliberately kept quiet, promotions wise?

Moonfog did not want to promote “Phantom” just with spots in magazines, but mainly by getting reviews and interviews in radio and magazines. And so far, we have sold a lot more of “Phantom” than we have done of “Masterpiss of Pain” already. So, things are looking good so far.

Are you satisfied with your performance as a vocalist and guitarist on “Phantom”? Looking at “Phantom” is there any things you would change?

There is nothing I would change on this album. The sound is cold and primitive. Our performance as musicians is excellent. We did everything the way we use to do it. Not to much rehearsals before we enter the studio and a lot of improvisation. And we always work fast.

“Phantom” and to the same extent Khold are the cold, dark Norwegian side of black metal. Could we ever expect a Khold release in the future where keyboards are used to provide a synthetic feel?

No, I wouldn’t bet on it! Up until now I have never been a big fan of keys in black metal. But as we are opened minded people, we don’t want to say we’ll never use them. But my guess is that it will never be a significant part of our music.

I think “Phantom” is a much more fulfilling and wholesome album than what “Masterpiss of Pain” is/was. If I could use eating analogies... I would say that “Masterpiss of Pain” is the snack that you eat to make hunger go away for a limited time, “Phantom” on the other hand is a main course that completely satisfies your appetite. Any thoughts?

That’s a good analogy! I’ve never been compared to food before!?! (Is this a common thing in America?) But it seems to be the overall thought in the black metal scene. And I would agree with you all. “Phantom” is a more complete album than “Masterpiss of Pain”. But musically there is not a big difference. Our music has and will evolve as time passes by and we get older and more experienced. So, our next record will be even better. Cold and heartless!

I am pleased to see that you have kept up the rather short lengths of Khold albums. With all the elongated and pompous 60 minute plus albums, it is refreshing to have an album that does not beat around the bush, but delivers a short and punchy impact. It certainly gives you a different scope and edge to work with.

Yeah, we don’t put to many themes in our songs. We’re always trying to keep things simple and raw, and we’ve found out that by putting too many ideas in the music you will have, in most cases; chaos! You would have to listen to the songs a million times before you could set them apart. When you listen to a Khold album you would know instantly which song it is. Even if you’ve only heard it once! Our philosophy is that the less you put in, the more you could get out of it.

The prominent figurehead emblazoned on "Masterpiss of Pain" and now “Phantom” has certainly become a Khold icon, certainly press photos have done nothing to deter such sentiments too. Whenever I see a painted bald head, I automatically think of Khold. Could you tell me the story behind the idea of the heads?

It’s my head and there isn’t a story behind it!

Joke aside, we use this head (my head) as the face of Khold. It works like a logo. When you see the face you know it is Khold! No doubt about it!

You asked earlier if I wanted to change anything. And if there was something it would be the booklet. Although I love it the way it is now, but there are no pictures of the other guys in the band. So, it might look like a one-man band. And that was not our intention. But the booklet and the pictures tells many stories from the lyrics. Be sure to catch those stories when you buy the album.

Do you feel that metal has lost its way temporarily? I just get the feeling with the latest releases from Soilwork and Hypocrisy for instance, that the original hardness that some of these bands possessed have been brushed/swept aside in favour for a more melodic and dare I say ‘accessible’ edge. “Phantom” is anything but accessible, but still contains a strong sense of identity and melody that help it stand out in a crowd.

I don’t care what other bands think or do about music, or any other thing for that matter. So, if people want to write their music one way or another way, it is totally uninteresting to me. Only interesting music is something that I want to listen to. There are a few bands, but most bands are not interesting. That means I care for “good” music (my opinion) and not for “bad” music (my opinion, again). So, I don’t care if it is metal, pop, jazz, folk, classical or whatever. I can’t explain what makes music interesting. It could be a melody, a cord, big arrangements, small arrangements or just a single note. As long as it is interesting.

In terms of contemporary metal, do you guys as a collective, listen to much metal? Dealing with metal constantly would probably get tedious. What are some metal CDs you are listening to at the moment?

We differ a lot within the band on musical preferences. Sarke listen to a lot, old or new. Rinn listen to mostly new metal I think, and techno. I have no idea what Sir Graanug listens to. I listen to Celtic Frost and Soundgarden by choice these days. And I’m forced to listen to Linkin Park by my son. (I’m listening to them right now. And every fucking time we’re in the car). I guess it could have been worse, but anyway...

You guys are now being distributed by The End Records in the United States, how is that faring so far? Metal and black metal from Europe in particular has always had a certain problem in being distributed and recognised in America. Hopefully The End Records can help bridge the gap for Moonfog Productions.

I don’t know much about sales right now, and especially not in America. But of course I hope our music will be a success over there. And every success story in America is bigger than anywhere else in the world. So, be sure to get a hold of “Phantom” all of you readers out there. It’s definitely a record which stands out from the rest as a groovy and un-commercial record. Be sure to buy one now at a record-store near you! Thank you!

Growing up as youngster (and presently) who would your musical influences be? Vocally who are/is the main inspiration for you? You have a rather uniquely venomous form of black metal rasp. More ‘grunty’ than a lot of similar artists in your field of metal.

Death, Slayer, Celtic Frost, Mayhem, Kreator, Led Zepplin, Deep Purple and, of course, BLACK SABBATH! And a few others I guess. I don’t have any bands, which give me musical influence today. But all of these bands have of course formed me as a musician, so the influences are still in me. Musical inspiration comes from everything around us. Nature, news, thoughts, people, art, literature, TV, music and so on. Everything!

In the early days, it was Tom Warrior (Celtic Frost) and Chuck Schuldiner (Death). But now, I’m my only inspiration. (And Sarke gives me inputs). And what do you mean by “grunty”? Is that a positive thing!?

‘Grunty’ is a good thing, if the metal scene was more ‘grunty’, it would be a much better place. Again, I would like to say thanks, Gard, for doing this great interview for Metalbite.com, and may Khold continue to keep churning out filthy, raw and frosty black metal. Good luck with everything!