Looks like The kovenant will start their first north american tour along
with
Amorphis as headliner and Moonspell. I don't have all the dates yet, but
i'll
put them in the tour section as soon as possible.
======================================================================================
Interview provided by trident
netzine
So why did you change your pseudonyms, Lex ?
Well, the other names that we had were too strongly related to the
black metal scene which we have actually never been a part
of. We felt restricted, confined within the boundaries of those names and
felt that the change was necessary.
To break away completely from the black metal image which has
perhaps attached itself to the band merely
because of it’s members ?
Yeah, in a way. I used to be a part of the black metal scene when I
played in Dimmu Borgir but black metal has become a kind of Frankenstein
thing – it’s taken on a life of it’s own and mutated into something that
I don’t want to be a part of. I mean, look at all those people moaning
about the scene becoming too commercial and there they are doing exactly
the same thing as those they criticise. We’re still into dark subjects
but it has nothing to do with black metal.
Let’s move onto the music side of things then. How would you describe
the music which The Kovenant create now ?
After all, you’ve distanced yourself very far from your black
metal roots with Animatronic haven’t you ?
I think it sounds like John Travolta meets The Sex Pistols.
A rather wierd comparison if you ask me !
When we did the first album we were very young and we thought we should
black metal because that was cool and tough. At that age it was wanting
to do something like dressing in black and scaring our parents.
Did it work ?
Oh yeah, it worked alright !
Anyway, we then released a black metal album . When we started working
on Nexus Polaris we thought a lot more about doing what we really wanted
but we still had this pressure on us not to completely freak out and change
completely.
There were certainly black metal elements present on Nexus Polaris.
Yeah that’s right. When we were in the studio we started arguing about
the way things should sound and tried hard not to go wild and make things
sound too disco. But on this one we just said,’fuck it’ and just did exactly
what we wanted to do.
Where did the idea for the new image come from ? I mean, it’s
pretty different to what you looked like when you
released Nexus Polaris.
Well it’s not really different at all except that we put on make up
now. If you look at the Nexus pictures you’ll see that I’m wearing the
same clothes except for the silver skirt and gold latex instead of black.
Well, maybe it’s the make up that makes such a big difference.
We never used make up before but everyone’s taking it off now so we
thought we’d have a laugh and put it back on again. I agree with people
that say that the music is the most important element within a band but
you’ve got to have fun as well. People who say that they’re playing music
for themselves first and foremost aren’t lying you know.
Well, I reckon there’s enough out there who’re just doing it for
the money and not because they really enjoy it.
That’s what we used to do Ha Ha Ha
At least you’re honest enough to admit it.
Of course I’m honest that’s why I have so many friends !?
What about the line up, is it stable now ?
Yeah, everything’s ok now. We fired all the disturbing elements !
Have you found a replacement for Astennu (Dimmu Borgir, Carpe
Tenebrum) yet or is Psy Coma going to have to
the guitars on the next album too ?
We’ve got a new guitar player now. He’s never been in any other band
before and he has an entirely different musical background and I think
he’s better than Astennu was in some ways. The new guy listens to Whitesnake,
Van Halen and stuff like that so he brings some new ideas into the band
which is very positive.
Astennu probably has too much black metal in his blood which is
what you want to get away from so it was
presumably a wise decision to go seperate ways.
Yeah, Astennu is more into Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel and his
stage appearance is totally different to us as well. I mean, we jump around
a lot, moshing and shit like that whilst he just stands there waving his
hair which doesn’t fit in with our visual concept at all. I’d like to make
it quite clear that Astennu didn’t leave the band, he was fired ! All the
members that have gone were fired due to some incompetence of sorts ! When
things don’t work out you can’t just keep saying ‘Oh no I can’t fire him
cause he’s my friend’ or shit like that. You have that kind of mentality
when you’re 14 but you can’t do that forever.
If something doesn’t work you have to rectify the situation and if
that means firing a friend then you do it. The longer you
stick with a bad situation, the more difficult it becomes and that’s
why we fired the others before it was too late.
Who did the female vocals this time ? Is she part of the band
or a session singer again ?
This time we hired a professional. She’s about 50 I think. When we
worked with Sarah from Cradle Of Filth doing the vocals it took almost
a week to get a few songs done. I don’t want to start throwing shit at
Sarah but she even though she needed so much time to do the songs she still
didn’t do exactly what we wanted her to do. We didn’t want to have that
problem again so we told our producer to fix something up for us and he
got this old woman for us who did 10 songs in one hour which was a lot
more fun for us.
Practice makes perfect I guess and if the woman’s been singing
for many years it’s probably easier for her to adapt
to a bands’ needs.
Yeah, I guess so.
When Sarah did the vocals she didn’t do what we wanted her to do, she
did her own thing instead which was a compromise for us and we don’t want
to compromise anymore. We want things to be exactly as we envision them
so that’s why we hired
a professional this time.
What can you tell me about the lyrical concept of Animatronic
?
They’re straight to the point and none of that ‘walking through scary
dragon and elf populated forests’ bullshit. Take ‘Mirrors Paradise’ for
instance which was written under the influence of some strange things or
‘Jihad’ which is more of a political song, a sarcastic glorification of
the fundamentalist Muslims and their holy war (Jihad). We had problems
with that song in Germany actually because people thought we were screaming
‘Sieg Heil’ which is ridiculous ofcourse. Our older material was based
on poetry and now we concentrate more on emotions and feelings which makes
everything more honest.
How did the recent Nuclear Blast Festival Tour go for The Kovenant
?
It was pretty strange actually cause a lot of people came to hear the
old songs and played mainly new material. We got a better reaction to the
new stuff than to the Nexus songs though. It was wierd playing with bands
like Gardenian, Hypocrisy and Brimstone because the audience consisted
mainly of death metal fans, typical headbangin Germans but we were also
surprised at the difference in audience response at different venues. In
Leipzig there were even Nazi’spresent who were shouting ‘Sieg Heil’ ! I
mean, some of our songs are a bit militant but that was shit ! But the
whole thing was just wierd ‘cause the other
bands were all pretty much death metal orientated and we have disco
and trip hop parts which is just a totally different thing and I think
that stood against us at some venues. People stood with their mouths open
thinking ‘what the hell is that ? That guy’s wearing a skirt and looks
like a woman ! Can I bang to this without becoming gay ?’ That’s probably
what they thought. No doubt after a few more beers, they would turn into
one. THE KOVENANT MAKES YOU GAY !!!! Ha Ha Ha
Hmmh, interesting slogan for your next advertising campaign.
Even we’re doubting ourselves these days !
Oh come on, be serious.
Actually, that’s just kind of an internal joke !
Ok, let’s move away from the gay thing now. Why did you choose
to cover the Babylon Zoo song,’Spaceman’ ?
To try to get famous with someone else’s song (giggles) after all,
it worked for some bands. Seriously though, we just wanted to do a cover
song which people wouldn’t expect us to do. We could have done an Iron
Maiden or Accept song but that wouldn’t fit in with the other tracks. We’re
doing some other cool tracks now as well.
Like what ?
We’re doing a Marilyn Munroe song.
Excuse me ? Did I hear that right ? Which song are you planning
to do ?
‘My Heart Belongs To Daddy’.
I mean, if you’re going to do a cover song you should try and do something
different and turn it into your own song if you know what I mean. What’s
the point in doing a version of a song and trying to sound exactly like
the original ?
Allow me to take you for a little trip down memory lane. The first
time we did an interview together (for Dimmu
Borgir) you told me that black metal was like sex. Do you get
the same feeling out of The Kovenant ?
Yeah, I look at music as being more of a sex thing. I think it’s more
like sex than black metal because of the rhythm. I haven’t tried it out
yet but I think it’s great music to have sex to.
Hmmh, maybe I should do a kind of consumer test and see if you’re
right !
Ok, then let me know.
I think we better get off this subject before the conversation turns
into a service you should be paying for tee hee!
What are your plans now that the album is on the market ?
We’re not doing anything actually, just sitting around.
You’re not doing anything at all ?
We’ve had some interesting tour offers but we haven’t confirmed anything
yet. We’re looking at doing some big tours next year and hopefully being
on the road for the best part of 2000 but that remains to be seen. We certainly
want to do more this time than we did after Nexus Polaris was released
and we’ve had offers form bands like Type O Negative, Danzig and Rammstein
but like I said, there’s nothing confirmed. We’re really going for it this
time !!
======================================================================================
Interview with Psy Coma December 99. Provided by IN
DEPTH Magazine
Psy Coma: Hello. This is Psy Coma from Kovenant
calling.
Meilani: Hey! What's up?
PC: I'm calling you for an interview.
M: Cool, ready?
M: Is this your full time band or do you have any side project bands?
PC: Nope, this is definitely my full time band.
M: What about the other members in the band?
PC: Well, they used to have. There have been
connections to other bands and stuff. The only member now that is in several
bands is Hellhammer, our drummer, which is of course in Kovenant and Mayhem.
Besides that, we have cut the cord with all other projects.
M: I read that you had to change the "C" in Covenant to "K." I was just
wondering, why did you do that instead of changing the name completely?
PC: Well, that was our conflict too, but we felt
that changing the name would mean losing your identity as a band, towards
yourself and towards your fans. We felt that if you terminate our identity,
you sort of have to start from scratch, at least on a mental level in a
way. So, we didn't want to do that. We chose to keep the same band and
the same band name. We just gave the letter K instead of C. In America,
we had to have Covenant of Norway everywhere. That pretty much sucked.
People actually thought the band was called Covenant of Norway.
M: It wasn't a big deal though, was it?
PC: No, not really. We were kind of freaking
out because even though we knew about it for like two years we had to do
a last minute decision. We got a phone call saying, "You have to change
the name within one hour or they are going to sue you." We all made up
our minds to change. It's not cool that someone can rob you of your own
power. Actually now we thought of countersuing for copying our name. Everything
is ok as long as you don't meet these people in a dark room. (laughing)
M: Why did you decide upon the name Animatronic for the latest album?
PC: Basically because we felt it was a title
that represented the album. It says a little bit about our ideals and our
futuristic approach and our obsession with space and technology. Also,
I think it says a little about social criticism or criticism of the current
state. Sort of like animatronic, robotic people working around being sucked
dry from their heads. It also has implications of doomsday, like a mental
doomsday.
M: I know this is a beat subject, but do you see any impending doom
with the change of the century?
PC: Not really. I thought it was an interesting
thing a couple of years ago, but now it's like hyped up and I think that
it has such a strong point of symbolism to so many people. If people walk
around thinking that everything is going to stop and explode, then maybe
it will. Let's just put it this way, I'm not going to be up in an airplane
when the time comes. But I don't see it as anything else than a date on
the calendar really.
M: Do you guys have any upcoming tours?
PC: We have a lot of tours and tour planning.
We are going to a do a full European tour first sometime around the beginning
of next year. Our longtime goal with this album is to do a proper full
American tour. We have the possibility to attract new listeners in America.
So we are definitely working towards a full American tour within the next
six or seven months. We even have an American management company now who
works really hard for us to reach that. We just have to find the right
tour. We heard a lot of stories from other European bands who toured America
that things can really suck if not done properly. We are going to wait
until things are right. Our goal is to go out with a bigger band in the
same market or category.
M: Can you describe a Kovenant show for fans who have yet to witness
you live?
PC: Depending a little on where we are and how
much we can do, it's pretty much a combination of weird technology, space,
pyro effects, and a little S+M thrown in there and a lot of insanity I
guess. We really push it and work it hard these days. We try to get the
crowd on their feet and make a strong unit with the music and appearance.
The bigger we get, the more effects we're getting. We are really interested
in having a spectacular live show. I think people deserve real entertainment
when they come to your live show. If you want to listen to the music, you
might as well stay home listening to the CD. Coming to a show you deserve
to have so much more.
M: What is your take on the present metal scene?
PC: In Europe it is quite strange. One part of
Europe is picking up the leftovers from America. The other part is embracing
the 80s heavy metal ballads or whatever. Traditional 80s stuff is really
big in Germany. There's so many segregated groups when it comes to metal
in Europe. You have your back metallers, you have your death metallers,
you have your gothic metallers and your doom metallers. Everyone sort of
has their own groups. I get the impression that the states is more like
an open metal audience. I have the feeling that in Europe it's like we're
80s metallers and we hate you black metallers and the black metallers hate
the gothic metallers and blah, blah, blah. I have the feeling somewhat
that that is the difference from Europe to America.
M: But there's so many more metal bands in Europe than there are in
America.
PC: Of course, the market is more saturated in
Europe than in America right now. Basically there's too much. Every record
company is putting out like two hundred releases every month and it's really
so much. Also, there's like five big metal shows within ten miles from
each other. It's really difficult in many ways. It's so overexposed. Things
are going good for us and I think we are crossing over between a lot of
categories. Hopefully we'll attract a little bit of people from different
scenes. We don't want to be stuck with the same audience for ten years.
It gets kinda of stagnating having the same people coming to your every
show. We're definitely looking forward to coming over to the states. I
have never been there and it's going to be quite fascinating to see how
things are. I'm appealed by the big urban cities. I'm attracted to really
modern architecture of the cities. So that is going to be quite interesting.
There's not too many cities like that in Europe. There's usually more culture
and tradition and stuff. Of course New York is my first destination. I
have a feeling it is going to be fucking cool.
M: I can't wait to see you guys, I hope you guys do get a good tour
when you come here.
PC: I hope so too. We have good people with their
heads in the right places working, so it's interesting to see what we come
up with.
M: Why did you change your names from the past names (Nagash, Blackheart,
Hellhammer) to your current names (Lex Icon, Psy Coma, Von Blomberg)?
PC: What can I say. It's not change just for
the sake of change. It just felt like we had to start out new. Personally,
I felt that I had to have an artistic alter ego that I can relate to and
that symbolizes something for me as a person and as well as in the band.
I just felt distance from my old name and wanted to further distance myself
from the connections and implications. A lot of conservative black metal
fans tend to call you by your last [old] name. It's like, "Well, that was
two years ago. Excuse me?" It's quite strange. I guess some people will
never change.
M: Who does the background female vocals?
PC: On this album we hired a professional opera
singer from a German opera. We had some experience with another female
singer int he past and it was more of an amateur. We just felt like we
had to work with someone a little more professional this time. That was
great to have someone that could utilize their voice like she could. Almost
like an instrument. She had great control of her voice, that was really
amazing. A great experience for sure.
M: Was she a little scared off by your music?
PC: Well, not really. She told us she never did
rock music or pop music even. So, she's singing on this song, "Spaceman,"
she was like, "Ooh, I've never heard this song." She enjoyed it actually.
It was very cool.
M: I wasn't quite clear if you were both nominated for the Grammy and
won or just nominated. Ddi you in fact win?
PC: Yeah, we did. It was the first or second
year they actually had this category in Norway. I never really thought
they would vote to the extent of bands like us because they are a very
conservative country and a lot of people fear what we represent or whatever.
I was really taken by surprise about the whole thing. It was really cool.
It was a great motivation and achievement being acknowledged by getting
a Grammy. At the same time it's kind of ridiculous because for some reason
they also included some of the bands in particular for the media attraction.
They tried to get more people to watch the fucking show. In the end, we
got it and it's a great accomplishment and we're proud of it but in many
ways it's ridiculous. I don't think we'll go there again though.
M: Any last comments?
PC: (laughing) America must be destroyed. The
great words of Gwar.
========================================================================================
(November 99)
THE KOVENANT, scheduled to appear on the prestigious Tonight With Thomas
Giertsam Show, (Norway's answer to
the David Letterman show) were forbidden recently by the show's producers
to make their slated appearance. Originally
scheduled for taping Monday morning, November 15th in Oslo to be shown
on T.V. Norway Monday, November
22nd at 9:30 P.M, this would have been the first time a metal act had
ever been asked to perform on the national talk show
in Norway. The band received a phone call late Friday evening from
producers of the show explaining that THE
KOVENANT's appearance would be cancelled seeing the band as "Too violent"
and generally unfit for the show's
breed of TV viewers. According to guitarist, Psy Coma, "This is a perfect
example of the Norwegian media being
afraid of what we represent. This just proves that we need to continue
what we are doing."
=======================================================================================
(october 99)
Well i haven't updated the site for a while, i didn't know if I would
go on dooing this. I tought Covenant might be over...
heres all the news i didn't wright.
-Astennu left Covenant to concentrate on Dimmu Borgir
-The line up is: Lex icon (formely known as Nagash)
: Psy Coma (formely known as Blackheart)
:Von Blomberg (formely know as hellhammer)
-The new album will be out in the midle of october And it's called
Animatronics.
-They gave up their cool logo, and now they are called Kovenant because
of a swedish techno band who had the same name.
-You can download a song from Animatronic entitled New world order.
The sound quality of this mp3 ain't verry good
sorry :(....
-I have added the album cover for animatronics
-top 5 covenant songs updated
=======================================================================================
(April 99)The winner of the Spellmannsprisen Award (that's how the
Norwegian Grammy is called), the Norwegian band is set to release their
long-awaited sophomore album, Prophecies of Fire. Recorded in Woodhouse
Studios, the album finds the band making a lot of changes to their sound.
Additional changes come in two of the members names - with Nagash now going
under Lex Icon and Blackheart now Psy Coma.
=======================================================================================
(JUNE) they have fired their female singer Sarah and are currently
looking
for a replacement. So, if you think youÕre up to it, go and
record a song and send it
(together with a photo) to the Nuclear Blast Germany address.
=======================================================================================
=======================================================================================