UN: I was curious to start by asking what prompted the move from Moonfog to Candlelight? Was it a matter of wanting to take the band further then you previously had?

Sarke: We all agreed that it was better if Candlelight released our new album. Best for all parts.

UN: Would you consider Morke Gravers Kammer the next logical step in the progression of Khold? Do you think that this album really shows that Khold is an original band, and isn’t just following the same black metal formulas that are being followed by so many bands?

Sarke: Yes, this is the natural progression of Khold. Its in the same vein as before, but a new one. I feel we have our own style within the black metal scene. I don't think so much about what other bands do or what people think are cool at the moment. In Khold we do our own thing and we like to keep it that way.

UN: I was wondering if you could possibly give us a translation for what the album name means. I know that people have been getting it wrong, so I’m curious to know straight from the band what it truly means.

Sarke: Yes, its not a gravedigger.. Its a place you get when you die. Your corpse lie there an await for the demons to come and collect your soul.

UN: Would you say that the bands lyrics will always be in Norwegian? I think that some people might be curious to know what the songs are about, yet at the same time your native tongue definitely seems to fit the cold nature of the bands sound perfectly.

Sarke: We will keep our lyrics in Norwegian in the future also. First of all we do this for our own sake and we like it in Norwegian. It fits us much better and gives us much more inspiration to make dark music. Our album deals much about death...

UN: Would you say that it’s a conscious decision for the band to keep things stripped down and fairly simple? You manage to keep things cold and heavy yet don’t rely on the same melodies that have been done before. I’d almost say that some of the riffs have almost a rock feel to them.

Sarke: I like music to be primitive, simple and raw. Im not into the fancy stuff. Guitar solos, much effects, lots of drum fills and stuff like that. Hear what I can do kind og things.. usually they do it over and over again in the studio anyway. Fix things on the PC and so on. I know many people like that kind of music, that's ok. For me I like it simple and true. I understand what you mean by rock feel.

UN: Was the album recorded in the same way as Phantom was? I read that you guys work fast in the studio yet at the same time you don’t practice much before going in and also improvise in the studio as well. Does this mean that your songs aren’t set in stone before they are put to tape?

Sarke: The same way as last time. We are known with the songs when we enter the studio. Everything is recorded after a week or so. We don`t practice much before the studio. Our songs it not so difficult anyway. We just play the whole song through, so new things can come up. I like it fresh...if you understand me.

UN: Did you guys put a lot of thought into what type of production you wanted for Morke Gravers Kammer? I think it’s just a phenomenal sounding album. It’s one of the few black metal albums that has a thick guitar sound and natural sounding drums. I also love the fact that there aren’t millions of layers and overdubs. Just the bare bones essentials.

Sarke: Thanks, seems like you understand our music. We wanted a raw sound, but also a clear sound. We think about how we want it. My drums are 100% acoustic. We try to do the same sound in the studio as we do live.

UN: Khold has always had a very interesting visual side. The album covers especially have always been very different then the usual black metal cover. For instance the Phantom cover especially is unique. What would you say influences this side of the band? Is being a unique band something you guys take very seriously?

Sarke: We are not trying to be unique. We just know how we want things to be with Khold. We think the visual side is important. To get the right feeling of the music, you also need some images to compare it to. The Phantom booklet is very good. It was long and hard work behind that one. The new booklet has less photos and so on, but it’s also good and effective. We was also lucky to be able to work with Marcel Lelienhof on our new album. He is a very good and famous photographer here in Norway.

UN: I’m curious to ask about the bands approach to songwriting. The main core of the band is guitar driven, yet if you listen underneath you’ll hear that the bass guitar doesn’t follow the guitar exactly and adds quite a few little fills and nuances to help the bass line stand out. This is basically my question, is the entire band involved with the process, or are the songs written and then everyone gets to basically add their stamp of approval?

Sarke: I make the songs and the guitar players do their thing around that. They have a bit different styles when it comes to play guitar. The bass player make all the bass lines him selves. I like a thick and varied bass line. And I do my drum thing. I make the songs when I am alone. Easier to get in the mood then.

UN: I was reading in the bio that you guys take influence from movies. I was wondering if you could possibly go into a bit more detail about this. What about movies in particular would you say influences the band? What movies as well?

Sarke: I must say I get my inspiration from paintings and lyrics much more than movies. If there is a movie is just a few seconds of a scene. My favorite painter is Kittelsen. I like the pictures to be dark, cold and ugly. Just like I want our music to be.

UN: Would you say that you’ve achieved a lot of the goals you set out to do with the band when it first started? Do you think that Candlelight will make the name Khold even more known within the metal community? It success something you even think about?

Sarke: Our goal with Khold was to first get a record deal and we did after a demo in 2000. I remember back in 1996 when we recorded our first cd "Pure Black Energy". I was satisfied if we sold 1.000x. We sold a lot more, so we reach our goal back then. The good thing about selling a lot of records is that you can be able to record your songs on a cd in a good studio, get a good cover and so on for free. And to be able to tour around the world and meet people that are into what you do. I know that Candlelight will make the Khold name more known. Already we have double our sale for the new album compare to Phantom here in Norway. I feel we are quite successful now even if we don't sell a million records.