Abbath, the band led by ex-ImmortalfrontmanOlve Eikemo(a.k.a.Abbath), has begun rehearsing for its upcoming album in the group's hometown of Bergen, Norway. The follow-up to this year's self-titled debut will be released sometime next year viaSeason Of Mist.

Bass duties forAbbathare being handled by a man familiar to metal fans across the world -Tom Cato Visnes, more widely known asKing Ov Helland main composer for severalGorgorothalbums as well as his own bandsOv Hell, with singer ShagrathfromDimmu Borgir, andGod Seed, with exceptional black metal vocalistGaahl.

AbbathtoldNew Noise Magazinethat he had no intention of ever leavingImmortal. "I never thought for a minute about going solo withAbbath," he said. "I was kind of forced, forced into making other decisions about things. I thought, okay, if I'm going solo or whatever the fuck, I'd need the right guys to play with."

He added: "I don't seeAbbathas a band. That's my name. It's noSabbathorAbba, you know? I said, 'If someone could come up with a logo, then I'd consider it.' Suddenly, it was there and I said, 'Yes, let's proceed!'"

Regarding the circumstances that led to his split withImmortaland the formation of his new group,Abbathsaid: "I thought it was about fucking time [to release a new album], you know? I said to the guys inImmortal,DemonazandHorgh, 'C'mon, let's finish rehearsing, let's do this album now.' I had all my ideas, the pre-production was all there, but they! They didn't have the time. At one point, we split. We didn't socialize. We became strangers more and more. They weren't there and I felt alone. I was working, I was waiting. There was this, 'Should I go on with this new album or will no one hear it, because it was supposed to beImmortal?' No! It's my music! They're my ideas.Immortal, it's in my heart, but when I can beAbbath, I feelImmortal. If there's someone I'd really like to apologize to, it'sApollyon, [ex-Immortalbassist andAura Noirleader]. When we did that comeback thing we did, we couldn't have done that without him. If there's someone I miss, it'sApollyon."

He continued: "I was lucky to meet with the right people, and out of the fucking chaos comes something else. For me, it's the beginning of something new. Not something bigger, I don't need to be bigger. I need to be fit, fit for a fight. I want to be a survivor in this scene, I want to be up there doing my shit when I'm 72. We're on a fucking campaign now."