Dimmu Borgir, the legendary pioneers of the Norwegian Black Metal scene are returning to Greece for two shows in Thessaloniki (24 September, Principal Club Theater) and in Athens (25 September, Piraeus 117 Academy) after 16 years. Rock Overdose and Chris Brintzikis had the chance to chat with Silenoz, founder and guitarist of Dimmu Borgir, about the new album, “Eonian” and the upcoming shows.
Rock Overdose: Greetings Sven and welcome to Rock Overdose! It’s an honor to have you here!
Silenoz: Thanks for having me here Chris!
Rock Overdose: At the moment you must be on the road… Tour is tiring, right?
Silenoz: It’s not really that busy, as summer is usually festival season, so it’s pretty much flying in and out all the time, So it’s easy to deal and I personally think that this is more comfortable, but being on the road is difficult and you need to adjust in every situation.
Rock Overdose: How is the world tour going so far?
Silenoz: We’ve done over 50 shows so far for the world tour, we did all the “flying” shows first, Canada, USA, Australia, South America. So after almost five years without a live show, we played in a festival in Canada in front of 30,000 people, new crew, new equipment, new everything! We are not making it easy for ourselves you know, we always take on the challenge! This is actually the goal with this band, we don’t just sit on what we got, but we look for more! We just attack!
Rock Overdose: It took you seven years but you finally released “Eonian” in May 2018 , an album that in my honest opinion, is an amazing comeback and one of your best albums so far. It was worth the wait, right?
Silenoz: It’s good to hear that you liked it! Obviously we put a lot of effort in every album and every song that we do. It was a 7 year gap from the previous album but we started working on“Eonian” the last 2-3 years, that’s how it took us to compose and finalize each song of the album.
Rock Overdose: I hope we won’t have to wait another seven years…
Silenoz: I hope so too! We still have a lot of material from the last album you know, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those ideas make it to the next one! For us, when we write a new album, the challenge is not just to come up with ideas, because believe me we have a lot of them, but to make the proper arrangements for each of these ideas in order to have a nice flow and to represent the current expression of the band.
Rock Overdose: Are you composing songs while on tour or do you prefer the studio? What is your approach when it comes to songwriting?
Silenoz: Actually I don’t remember composing full songs while we tour. Of course you can come up with many ideas when you just sit with the guitar on the tour bus for example, but for me, the way I do it now, at least for the last albums,
I record an idea and I let it simmer for a week or so, then I get back to it and if I feel that it still has potential, I keep it. Usually I keep about 10% of my ideas! After so many years we all became more critical on what we do, which I think it’s normal!
I remember, on the first albums, when we were in the studio, we were just asking each other “do you have a riff?” That’s how we wrote songs back then! Things are a lot different now obviously!
Rock Overdose: The new songs that are included in your set list are standing next to legendary songs of yours, what is the reception so far?
Silenoz: We are really happy because our fans seem to receive the new songs pretty well!
Rock Overdose: Since “Abrahadabra” we’ve seen younger fans following your music as well as bigger audiences to your shows. Is it fair to say that your slight turn to your sound helped the band to expand its fan base?
Silenoz: I think it’s a mixture of many things actually. Music has grown through the years. When we started we never had the ambition to do anything more than play music and record songs together you know. Ambition comes when you turn your craft and your ideas into more than just a hobby.
I try not to think Dimmu Borgir as work, because it’s still enjoyable, every time people mention that it’s work I really get pissed! This is my whole life and I’m grateful to be able to do what I do with music. With each new album you lose some fans but you gain new ones. Fans have their favorite albums and favorite eras of the band, and it’s normal!
Rock Overdose: Each band is a living organism that evolves album by album, yet there are fans that criticize you for this turn that we’ve talked before. What is your response?
Silenoz: For us to have haters is the best promotion we could ask for! They talk so negative that they don’t realize that they help the band! And the best thing is that it’s actually free promo! You can’t reason with them, because I believe that they are negative in every aspect of their lives.
Rock Overdose: Black Metal. You were there you evolved it you still contribute. How do you see nowadays black metal?
Silenoz: I try to look for new bands. Things go in circles you know! When I listen to a new band I can totally relate with the passion and I can even recognize the song structure as it reminds me the way we use to write back at the time. Black metal nowadays is the new expression of what we used to do back in the days. It is amazing that Black and death metal is still here, stronger than ever actually. And it is surprising because it shows that it is a music genre that’s authentic and that’s why it is still here against all the odds. It’s always good to be an underdog. You have nothing to lose!
Rock Overdose: It’s your first show in Athens after 16 years! Are you exited?
Silenoz: We are very excited and I’d like to apologize, on behalf of the band, for the fact that we didn’t come sooner! If it was up to us we’d have come more often! Sometimes things fall apart with promoters, but now we are going to do our best to put up the best show possible and I feel like the current lineup of Dimmu Borgir is better than ever, the crew as well, so everything is set for two killer shows!
Rock Overdose: I’ve seen some videos from your recent shows and I was blown away. Is it fair to say that this is probably your best period as a band?
Silenoz: Absolutely! Despite the fact that we are older, we have never played better and that’s because over the years we gained experience and we just focus on our strengths. We don’t feel that there is a a weak link in the band and that’s really reassuring when you hit the stage.
Rock Overdose: Do you remember anything from the show back in 2003? It was in Rodon Club and as I recall, it was a hell of a show with a massive sound!
Silenoz: I don’t remember anything specific to be honest other than it was REALLY HOT! We had a typical warm Greek welcome from the fans! Amongst the bands, Greece is considered as the European version of South America you know and that’s why we are looking forward to the coming gigs in your country! It’s been way too long and it’s a shame because we know that we have a strong fan base there.
Rock Overdose: There was also another gig planned but it turned out as one of the biggest fiascos ever. I am talking about the infamous “Athens Open Air” in 2004. You were supposed to play before Motörhead but… Bad venue and even worse promoters…
Silenoz: I remember we didn’t play on it that’s for sure! We were ready to play but minutes before the show the promoter said that it was not safe to go up on the stage due to bad weather. Wind was blowing and sand covered our equipment! Even the stage was moving back and forth. Our tour manager called it off finally because it was not safe! We did everything we could though to make that gig happen!
Rock Overdose: Before we close this interview, Is there any message you want to send out you the Greek fans?
Silenoz: As I said, it feels great to be back for two shows and we are really looking forward to them! We wanted to inform the Greek fans as soon as possible for our return, to fill up the venues so that we can have a killer time and to celebrate both our new album and the older material, together!
Rock Overdose: Sven Thank you so much for your time! We are all counting days till your show in September!
Silenoz: Thank you Chris! See you all in Thessaloniki and Athens!
For Rock Overdose
Interview: Chris Brintzikis
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