The Band: Harm
Country: Norway
Answers by: Kevin Kvaale (drums)
If you wanna clean
your ears after listening to some commercial stuff all day, or you wanna forget
a terrible day in the office, if you wanna burn out some adrenalin, or simply
enjoy great, dark and powerful thrash metal, we just got the perfect prescription
for you: HARM! They have released their third album, intense and furious,
diverse and full of fun, just as Thrash should be. Kevin Kvaale guides us
through it all to get a closer picture at one of the best thrash metal albums
of the year.
Hello Kevin, how was
the band created and how were the beginnings of Harm?
Steffan and his schoolmates just really loved metal and
wanted to start a band in the 90s I am not a founding member but it is really
great that Steffan has always been the driving force behind Harm I didn’t join
the band until 2011.
Although the band was
created in 1997 you didn’t release your first album until 2006, almost ten
years later, what happened in the middle?
That I really cant say since I didn’t play in the band at
the time but as always things take time and being from a small town in Norway there
isn’t any “open doors” and you have to make the most of what you’ve got. But
there is a lot of demo recordings from that time but nothing really solid
happened until Devil came out! You can hear a lot of the demo material on the
re-release of Devil out now on Battlegod Production
In this 2016 we get
your third full length, how long did you work on it?
We have been working on this album for a couple of years and
we are really pleased with the result. We really feel that we had to work a
while to get both the sound and the feel that we wanted for this album and the
end result is more darker and brutal than ever before
What differences are
we gonna find between “October Fire” and your previous albums?
I really feel that all albums should be different. This time
we wanted to go much deeper in the music and make it reflect the lyrics. We
wanted a bit of a “live” approach and we did that by recording without a click
track! In the studio the drums was recorded live while I was jamming with
Steffan so that we really got that personal feel. I was very active in the
writing process and we worked out a lot of ideas as a band this time around. we
wanted it to be a bit more oldschool but without getting that “retro thrash
metal” sound that a lot of bands are going for these days. We wanted to mix the
old with the new and have our own twist on the thrash metal genre. We went
deeper on this album, with a more gritty, bluesy and dark feel but keeping the
brutal and aggresive elements that Harm is known for
What are the lyrics
about in your new album?
They are very personal and honest, which is something that I
really think helps Harm stand out in the genre. Having a vocalist that have a
great voice but also a personal style of writing lyrics is one of the things that
makes this band a force to be reckoned with ! The lyrics are somethimes really
darkand when really worked on trying to make the sound fit with the themes of
the lyrics.
I like the cover art
of this “October Fire”, it fits very well with your music, how did you get it?
It was Steffan that worked very closely with Pär Olafsson
who made it to the great artwork that it is today! We have worked a lot with
Pär before and he always seem to get the vibe of the albums. Steffan told him
what themes and emotions he wanted to come across and then Pär took it from
there! Not only is the cover really nice but the layout of the album looks
amazing as well. its wonderful to work with fantastic artists that really makes
an effort to make this album truly special.
Another reason to buy
the album. One of the things I most like of your music is the aggressivness you
deliver throughout the album, no trace of commercial sounds
The aggressiveness is just the way we feel that this music
should be played. It is supposed to hurt and make the blood pump in your veins!
Also the production is really raw and gives the whole album more edge to it. We
worked a lot on making the guitar and bass mix well together with the drums so
that it never sounded too compressed or too fake. We really wanted the album to
sound like us and not like every other metal band out there.
It sounds like a
thunder in fact. We get thrash metal, very powerful, but also amazing mid
tempos as Shadow and the Slave
Music should be varied. If you are just playing the same
tempos and having the same feel in every song then what is the point of making
an album? You have to let music breathe at times to make for a better musical
experience. In the slower songs on this album there is more room for the lyrics
and atmosphere.
When we made these songs, we didn’t use the same feelings
and emotions and we wanted the music to reflect that. It’s a darker step this
time and I really feel Harm is more versatile than ever before.
Well thank you! I can understand people playing music that
they grew up listening to and respect and that they want to capture and emulate
that sound, but EVERY band should not do it. We worked really hard on getting
the vibe right for this album and we really feel Harm has a place and a sound
in the thrash metal scene.
It should be that
way, sure. It’s hard to pick up just one song, because all of them offer a
great level, but do you have any favorite?
I really like Executioner since there is so much going on in
that song! Also a lot of groove on that track and a lot of great riffs! It was
a blast to make that song and record it since it just has a nice live feel to
it and a lot of heavy parts! Also Trying to Grow Wings has a great hook and a
strong verse with the drums and guitars playing of each other. But you are
right it’salways hard to choose a song since they are all so different
If I had to choose a
song maybe it would be In These Moments, dark, primitiv and raw thrash metal,
so intense...
This is a great track and is featuring some of Steffans best
vocals ever! That scream at the last riff is just unbelievable. Also the lyrics
for this song is really great and gives the song a special vibe. Its really
cool that you liked this track!
It’s you guys who
deserve all recognition. Kevin, who is in charge of the composition tasks
inside the band?
We worked so much as a unit this time with arranging the
songs the three of us. But mainly Steffan makes the most of the riffs, and also
all of the lyrics! I had a couple of songs that are made out of drum ideas. we
worked really hard as a unit to make the album have more personality this time
around. In the studio we were very creative together and pushed ourselves to
make great music together and really solidified this trio as a band!
The result is clear
as water... What bands have influenced your sound?
When we made this album, we took more inspiration
fromdifferent genres. Me and Steffan really love delta blues, so this album is
more influenced by Robert Johnson, Son House or Howling Wolf than any metal
band! We don’t really compare ourselves, but strive more for having a personal
and interesting sound within the genre and not just play thrash metal. We
focused a lot more on groove and atmosphere yet somehow thrashing it up with
bone crushing metal riffs!
Cool! As a band from
Mandal (Norway), how do you see the metal scene in your country?
Norway is known from having a great metal scene. There is a
lot of bands here! But that doesn’t necessary mean that everyone goes to every
show. There are not that many gigs on weekdays but in the weekend there is a
lot of shows in many cities in Norway. And we have great festivals here in
Norway that are just getting better and better!
What are the most
important bands you have been touring with and what live shows you have
scheduled for this year? Have you ever played in Spain?
Harm has played with many great bands! We have played shows
with Overkill, Entombed, Malevolent Creation, Rotting Christ, Blood Red Throne,
Nidingr and many, many more!
We have a few shows soon with the great Wyruz from Norway!
We really love to play shows with those guys! After that there is a few UK
dates and Germany dates and working on more.
We haven’t played in Spain yet unfortunately but if there is
an opportunity we will take it immediately!
I hope it’s true Kevin,
and you guys don’t make as wait until the end of time hahaha. What are your
projects for the future?
Just supporting this album with shows both in Europe and
Scandinavia. After that we want to go to other countries as well. Playing shows
is what we love to do!
we are really feeling the fire burning within us, and we
want to make you feel it too
Thanks Kevin for this
interesting conversation and congratulations for your fantastic album!
Thank you so much for this interview! If there is anything,
please contact us via Facebook or talk to our awesome label Battlegod
production from Australia. You cannot find a more supportive label!
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