Katla is a new band featuring Guðmundur Oli Pálmason, Solstafir's former drummer, and Einar Eldur Thorberg Guðmundsson. They 've released their debut album called "Móðurástin" , on October 27th and so far the feedback seems to be excellent. Due to this release, Rock Overdose and Konstantinos Sotirelis, talked with the band about the album and the band's history. Enjoy!
Rock Overdose: Hello guys, welcome to Rock Overdose. How it's going on the band's side these days?
Katla: Going pretty well thank you.
Rock Overdose: Your debut album is coming on October 27th. How do you feel about it?
Katla: We feel great about that. It’s been getting solely great reviews, so we-re happy campers.
Rock Overdose: What should be expect to listen to this album?
Katla: Bleak soundscapes, big melodies, coldness but with a warm faint light far away. Like the winter sun slowly rising over a frozen lake. It’s not going to melt the ice, but maybe you’ll feel a slight warmth on your skin.
Rock Overdose: Guðmundur Oli Pálmason was Solstafir's drummer until 2015. So, thinking about this, does the " Móðurástin" have similar elements with Solstafir's music?
Katla: Probably to some extent. How could it not? I was in that band for 20 years and had a huge say in the way it sounded. I can only make music the way I make music, I’ll never be someone else. But while 50% of Katla. was 25% of Sólstafir, 100% of Katla. was 50% of Potentiam, so in my opinion Katla sounds a lot more like Potentiam than it does Sólstafir.
But you know, we’ve tried to give Katla. an identity of it’s own and it’s own style.
Rock Overdose: What's the feedback so far, from the press and the fans?
Katla: The feedback from press and fans has been good and nothing but good. The lowest review score so far has been 7.5 out of 10, but with a lot of 9 and even 10’s, so we’re super happy.
Rock Overdose: How did the band create? Could you tell us the story behind Katla's formation?
Katla: Einar and I have been friends for more than 20 years and I did provide some drumming for his project Hel in 1996. Later Hel developed into Potentiam and I played drums on their debut album Bálsýn in 1998, which was the first album either of us recorded, and joined the band again in 2005 when we recorded the Chameleon demo. Einar and I also recorded a whole album in 2008 that has never been released.
So you see we have a long history of friendship and co-operation.
After my split with Sólstafir I thought I would retire form music for good. But we have this constant feel to express ourselves, not just music but art in general. Once you’re used to having a creative outlet you go crazy if you loose it. Creating art is an incurable dicease. It can not be cured, but it’s symptoms can be kept in check by creating more. It’s a healthy addiction
I knew I wanted to create music for the right reasons and with the right people, so naturally I contacted Einar and our friend Atli Jarl who was supposed to be our bassplayer, but unfortunately that didn’t happen because of conflicting work schedules.
Rock Overdose: Dulsmál is the last song you released and it's a song about insomnia and strange dreams, but I think that it has something positive in the end. Is that true?
Katla: Oh definitely! I am glad you noticed that. It’s the promise that the first rays of the new day bring through your window. Even if you had a rough night. That can be a metaphor too.
Rock Overdose: In general, what's the concept of the album? What are the lyrics about?
Katla: The red thread through the album is family, and their relationships with each other, different generations and the land of contrasts that Iceland is. Contrasts in nature, but also generational contrasts, as Iceland is changing fast with every generation now. Our parents aren’t born to the same reality their parents were, nor are we born to the same reality our parents were, and let alone our children. The past is so close to us here in Iceland, a country that had no modernity until after WW2
Rock Overdose: Do you plan to tour so as to promote the album?
Katla: No. We’re too busy with real life; work and family.
Rock Overdose: What are Katla's future plans?
Katla: We have none. We take it one day at a time. Hopefully we’ll make more music in the future though.
Rock Overdose: Thank you very much for this interview, it was a great honor. The last words are yours.
Katla: Thank you very much for your support!
For the Rock Overdose webzine,
Konstantinos Sotirelis
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