Updated: 10/01/04

One of the most stunning albums you’ll hear this year, Peccatum is the work of Ihsahn, formerly of Emperor, and Ihriel, who is also in Star Of Ash. Even more subversive than their previous releases, Lost In Reverie is a moody affair, featuring gentle passages that lull the listener into a state of sheer bliss, followed by jarring extreme metal interludes that are a violent assault to the senses. We spoke with Ihriel to find out more about this unique collaboration.

Why the long wait since the last Peccatum album? It seems ages since Amor Fati.
It has actually been four years, which is quite a long time between albums. Still, we have been occupied with other projects, I with the Star of Ash album and Ihsahn with the last Emperor album. In addition to this we have spent one and a half year making Lost in Reverie, probably throwing away material for two albums in the process. We wanted to seek out a new direction, and needed time to experiment. That part is often the most fun one as well, so it’s easy to get caught in that phase of a recording!

As leader of both Peccatum and Star Of Ash, how do you determine which band a song will be written and recorded for?
If it was only this well… He, he – I am perhaps the leader of my own solo-project (would have been quite pathetic if I wasn’t), but in Peccatum I only have my fair share of say! Further on, when creating musical material, the direction of the theme/idea/song often finds its own way into either project.

Tell me about the haunting picture on the cover of Lost In Reverie. Whose idea was it and who is the photographer?
This idea developed from a brainstorming with the fashion/art photographer Siren Lauvdal. Most photos are taken far into the woods of Telemark by and on a lake.

Was it hard for you to keep a straight face when you posed next to the skeleton for the one picture inside the booklet? Is the skeleton anyone you know?
No, that went fairly well. He’s a nice chap who’s very easy to work with, he, he! And no, I did not know him while he was still walking the earth, he left long before my time :o)

What changes have you made with the Peccatum sound over the last four years?
On Lost in Reverie we’ve aimed to explore the themes themselves, express them accordingly and weave them into new themes and patterns. By taking the musical themes from their pure, simplistic forms over to their outer boundaries of the extreme, we’ve created songs like Black Star. . However, not all the songs are taken to the extreme, but rather kept in a pure form. Production-wise we’ve tried to treat each song individually, giving it the arrangement and instrumentation called for. By using dark elements and techniques from other genres, we’ve moved away from the more “riff” after “riff” based structure in extreme metal. In addition to this we wanted to approach the writing process with even more diversity than before, so some of the material we have taken from a purely acoustic point of view, either just building it from piano or acoustic guitar, and other songs have (been created by) bringing in purely electronic equipment.

What non-musical influences inspire you to write lyrics and music, especially on Lost In Reverie?
There are mainly three aspects that had a great influence on this record; the dreamy and ruthless movement of water, Theodor Kittilsen’s Svartedauen (The Black Plague) and French Surrealism. All felt well suited to underline as well as build the claustrophobic and unpredictable atmosphere we wished to create with Lost in Reverie.

Why did PZ decide to leave the band and is it difficult not having him involved this time around?
PZ left Peccatum in order to devote himself fully to Source of Tide. Both Ihsahn and myself can perhaps be labelled as “studio musicians” while PZ prefers the good old band constellation. With Peccatum not doing much rehearsals or live performances, the collaboration with PZ came to a natural stop. We’ve used him as a session vocalist on a couple of tracks, and will surely work more with him in the future.

Tell me your impressions of Los Angeles when you toured over here with Peccatum a few years ago.
To be quite honest, I cannot recall that particular show well, but it was rather pleasurable to tour the States in general. LA is a beautiful city though :o)

Any chance of a Peccatum tour for this new album?
Peccatum is not following up this release with live performances. This decision was made previous to the recording mainly due to lack of time with building a new label and constantly creating new music. On the practical side we would need to hire quite a few session musicians in order to get this show on the road, and that in itself is quite a big project. However, the demand and opportunity for such performances seems to be there, so we hope to follow it up at a later point.

Does Ihsahn miss doing Emperor at all, and is he involved with any other projects outside of Peccatum?
According to Ihsahn, Emperor came musically to a natural stop; hence he was quite happy leaving it in order to pursue new musical challenges. However, he is working with an Ihsahn solo-album at the moment, which will definitely have its roots in his way of doing extreme metal. If everything goes according to plan it will be out sometime next year.

Will there be any other Star Of Ash recordings in the near future?
At present I’m having quite a workload with both Peccatum and Mnemosyne Productions, so Star of Ash will have to be kept on hold for now. I have some material for this outlet already, but will need more time and inspiration to see it through the final stages.

Tell me about Mnemosyne Records. Is that your label? Will you be signing other acts on the label or just focusing on Peccatum?
Mnemosyne Productions is our own label, and Lost in Reverie our first release. We’ve a deal with the Norwegian company Voices Music & Entertainment, and they are handling the worldwide distribution for all Mnemosyne releases for now. Lost in Reverie is also licensed to The End Records in the US, and they will handle the North-American distribution and promotion. Mnemosyne Productions is not just an outlet for our own projects, so we look forward to try and find new talent and start working with other artists as well. It will take some time to build an extended catalogue, but a couple of releases are already set for next year.

What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most after hearing Lost In Reverie?
Nothing in particular really. The album speaks whatever the listener would like to hear. All music is also about communication, though we do not pick the counterpart (listener) in advance. Our wish is mainly to link with the listener in one way or another. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it does not, but it is nonetheless an important analysis for any artist to make in retrospect – what did you give to who and why?

Do you have any messages for metal fans here in the States?
It has been a pleasure to be interviewed by Highwire Daze again, so thank you for that as well as your support! Our regards to all fans of dark music in the US!

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