Invisus

Blodhemn

One-man Black Metal bands; such a thing are almost synonymous with the genre (and plenty of them Norwegian). BLODHEMN are such a band, having its beginnings in Norway; Invisus being the mastermind behind all of the band's music, playing dark and heavy Black metal; sharing the stage with bands like MAYHEM, the band has been making a name for itself. Chelsea Jenning spoke to Invisus about the benefits of running and being your own band and the symbolism behind the band's titles.

By Chelsea Jennings

• February 7, 2015

I am sure you get asked this quiet often, but what made you decide to be a one-man band in the heavy metal genre? What advantages and disadvantages have you found that there are in being a one-man band?

Back in 2004 when I started Blodhemn I lived in an isolated island with very few inhabitants and finding musicians to get a proper line up was not doable. Some years later i moved to Bergen where there probably would be opportunities to find band members but to this day I don't feel like changing Blodhemn's one man line-up.

There is of course both advantages and disadvantages with being a one man band. I cherish the complete freedom it offers with not consulting with anyone it be a question of writing or other. The disadvantage is that I have to take care of EVERYTHING myself witch is a lot of work. But this offers me complete control and therefor no fooling around or stupid mistakes.

Where did you come up with the unique name "Blodhemn" as well as the name "Invisus" which you go by? What are the histories and stories behind those names being chosen?

The word Blodhemn I heard about first in learning of Vikings. 'Blodhemn' means something like 'vengeance in blood' and I thought it would fit the bands aggressive approach well. In my opinion the band name fits the band and music even more now than when Blodhemn started up about ten years ago.

The pseudonym 'Invisus' is Latin for hateful. That name also fits well after ten years.

Blodhemn's sophomore album came out in November 2014. How has the album been received by fans thus far? Is it what you hoped the fans' reactions would be?

I have gotten really good feedback from both critics and fans on the new album. This album is the best Blodhemn album so far in my opinion and judging by the feedback I've got people do agree.

You play with three other guys live in a band. Where did you pick your live musicians from and how did you meet them?

Hauk I meet while playing drums for a trash metal band in 2008/2009, I think.

I and Aanneland are both from the same isolated island called «Fedje». So I have known him for quite a while, it felt naturally to contact him first when I needed a new live-guitarist. After our previous drummer decided to focus on his duties in Taake and leave Blodhemn, I contacted Dan who I had gotten in touch with after seeing him videos of him with his other bands.

What are the plans for touring behind the latest release of "H7" in 2015? For fans that come out to see Blodhemn perform H7 what can they get excited about that they may have not seen in on the past tours?

We did a European tour with Mayhem in November 2014. At this point we don't have any tours planned for 2015., only single shows. Blodhemn delivers an aggressive performance of every song from the «H7» album that I simply would recommend not to miss. This band gives all they got when playing live. I won't give some cheesy description like of how the satanic flames of pure evil is unleashed when we enter the stage. I'll leave that for every other newer black metal band...

Anyone who has listened to Blodhemn knows that the band is dark and heavy. What energies do Blodhemn look to bring to a live audience on this upcoming tour? How does the entire live band hope to accomplish this?

We do not have an upcoming tour, so I won't answer this one.

Beyond touring behind the latest H7 release what other plans are in store for Blodhemn in 2015?

Our plans are simply to play live as much as possible and for me to continue to write for a upcoming album.

The newest release from Blodhemn is called H7. What does H7 represent and how does that influence Blodhemn's latest release?

H7 is short for Haakon the 7th, the king in Norway during WW2. During WW2 the H7-monogram became a symbol for Norwegian patriotism and resistance against the German occupants. The lyrical theme on 'Evig Heder' and 'Veiten 3′ revolve around Norwegian resistance during WW2. 'Evig Heder' is an homage to everyone who risked their lives fighting for Norway independence.

As the creator and sole member of Blodhemn what makes you the most proud of the newest H7 record Blodhemn put out at the end of 2014?

'H7' is the album that I have been most satisfied with. In my opinion 'H7' shows great progression from the previous releases. The songs from 'H7' I am most proud of have written is 'Flammens Virke', 'Slettet av Tid', 'Evig Heder' and 'Holmengraa'.

Would you ever consider having anyone else join Blodhemn as a permanent member under any circumstances or is this permanently a one-man act? What influenced that decision, and when was that decided?

At this point I can't see that I will ever have any other permanent members in Blodhemn. I cherish the complete freedom that being the only member offers. No compromises and so forth. The decision to make Blodhemn a one man band was made back in 2004 when I started the band. The reason behind this decision back then was mostly that there was no other musicians that would fit the band at the island 'Fedje'.

What do you ultimately envision Blodhemn becoming in your most crazy dreams in the future?

My hope is that we can one day have the opportunity to do headlining tours without relying on anybody else than ourselves and get a decent pay doing so.

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