Interview for DEATHTHRASHER MAGAZINE by ARMANDO MUTILATOR & ARTURO JORDAN :

DT: Tell me about "Quintessence", CD/Digi/LP/PicDisc 2000.
Asgeir Mickelson: Well, what do you want to know? It was the first album I did with BORKNAGAR after joining the band 2-3 months earlier. We recorded it in ABYSS studio in Sweden with PETER TÄGTGREN and LARS SZÖKE as Engineers. I did the cover for it as well. The drum sound (except for the overheads recording cymbals) was actually pretty good but unfortunately they were buried in the mix.

DT: ASGEIR, talk me about your SCREAM MAGAZINE please.
Asgeir Mickelson: It is Norway's most selling Metal Magazine, and longest running Music Magazine - no matter genre. I started it with 2 other maniacs in the fall of 1990. I don't write for it any longer since I'm first of all a musician and don't want to sit on both sides of the fence. The "only" thing I do is go over the editor's layout and fix it before it's being sent to the printer. I also do a lot of brainstorming coming up with new ideas and things that can improve the Magazine.

DT: Tell us about your famous drumming matemathical equations.
Asgeir Mickelson: Ouch! I guess there's only one: Do normal things but hit something else to make it sound cool. Like hitting a cymbal with your left hand (off beat) in the middle of a drum roll. Easy. Drummers should always take some minutes off from the playing in order to think creative. Map out the whole song - make structures that work. Things can always be better!

DT: How does the writing in BORKNAGAR?. How about lyrics?.
Asgeir Mickelson: BORKNAGAR IS ØYSTEIN G. BRUN so obviously he writes 90% of the music. We rehearsed a couple of weeks for both "Quintessence" and "Empiricism" but "Epic" was a 100% studio project (at least for my part). Most songs end up with the structures they were made but the final result has a lot more than the demos had - like way too much drumming and too much synth, haha! I haven't written much lyrics since the 2 songs I did for "Quintessence" but we normally just write a lot of lyrics and then hand them over to Vintersorg who find which songs the fit.

DT: ASGEIR, what can you talk me about your label FACE FRONT and MULTI MONO?.
Asgeir Mickelson: FaceFront is a small Metal Record label the SCREAM Editor, FRODE ØIEN, and I started in 1995. The basic idea is to release good albums by bands who for some strange reason have a difficulty landing a good deal. We help the bands releasing their already recorded albums in order to get attention from the big companies. During the years we expanded to sign bands "for real" too and we're now close to 30 releases. We don't earn anything on the label - all money is invested in new releases. Bands on our label are/were BACKSTREET GIRLS, PAGAN'S MIND, MINAS TIRITH, DIAMONDOG, ARCH NEMESIS, THE CARBURATORS, GUARDIANS OF TIME, TRIVIAL ACT, KEEP OF KALESSIN, GRIFFIN, HIGLAND GLORY, PHOENIX RIZING, SCARIOT, ROOSTER, SENSA ANIMA, THUNDERBOLT, TULUS, CARNIVORA, ARK and EXPOSED.
MultiMono is my own company. "Mono" means me (since I'm alone), and "multi" reflects on me doing a lot of different things (URL is www.multimo.no). All income I have except my day job is MultiMono. I mainly do design, Macintosh (computer) support, studio (currently being built), drum sessions, SCREAM MAGAZINE...

DT: Macintosh rules !!!.

DT: Tell me about "Empiricism", CD/Digi/LP 2001 how much have you sold it and what kind of response have you gotten?.
Asgeir Mickelson: The response has been overwhelming! I know we did a good album but I was surprised people liked it as much as they did. I believe we've sold about 30.000 copies. Not bad.

DT: What kind of things inspire you the most, when making a song?.
Asgeir Mickelson: I guess most people don't know that I was a Thrash guitarist for 6-7 years before switching to drums. 1.5 years ago I finally bought a DA-converter for my Mac so I picked up my dusty old Gibson Explorer and started writing songs again. I've played a lot more guitar than drums the last year and have about half an album ready. I'm starting up a new band for the music I write since it doesn't fit for SPIRAL ARCHITECT or BORKNAGAR. It's kind of Extreme Metal with inspirations from SLAYER, EMPEROR, IMMORTAL, (old) ANNIHILATOR, NEVERMORE, TESTAMENT, JUDAS PRIEST, FORBIDDEN... It's going to be METAL with neck-breaking riffs all the way. Some times when I write certain parts I try to use the feeling of something I've heard before - I don't want anything to be a blueprint of something else. I'm also half way writing a Doom Metal album. I love old CANDLEMASS and since they broke up again I guess I'll have to write their new album myself, haha! Someone tell MESSIAH he has to sing on it!

DT: MESSIAH MARCOLIN !!!!

DT: Where did you get the name BORKNAGAR from?.
Asgeir Mickelson: It's something ØYSTEIN came up with. I think he just rewrote Lochnagar - the name of a lake in Scotland.

DT: What do you think about other Norwegian bands?... have you some names to recommend?.
Asgeir Mickelson: The Norwegian Metal scene has become very strong the last 5-10 years and I like the fact that Black Metal kind of IS Norway. I like the well-known bands, such as DIMMU BORGIR, SATYRICON, EMPEROR, IMMORTAL, ARCTURUS and MAYHEM. Other bands worth mentioning are RED HARVEST, MYRKSKOG, KEEP OF KALESSIN, ZYKLON, BLOOD RED THRONE, EXTOL, SUSPERIA, CADAVER, ENSLAVED, DEVIANT...

DT: Please describe your stage performance. What songs do you play on stage and do you play any cover songs?.
Asgeir Mickelson: The plan is as simple as go out and tear the place up! I always get the adrenaline kick and try not to headbang so much my head snaps off my shoulders... There's been close to 2 years since the last BORKNAGAR show so I don't remember all the songs we used to do, but some of them are "Colossus", "AD Noctum", "The Black Token" (my favorite), "Black Canvas", "Ocean's Rise", "A Tale Of Pagan Tongue", "Dawn Of The End"... Last year I did 15 shows with TESTAMENT and the songs I remember right now that we played were "DNR", "Low", "Burnt Offerings", "Disciples Of The Watch", "Down For Life", "Into The Pit", "Trial By Fire"...

DT: Please what is your opinion on Norwegian Underground Metal Scene, if compared to the foreign countries?.
Asgeir Mickelson: I have absolutely no idea since I'm not very updated on that front, but my guess is 98% of all underground bands suck. I wrote Demo reviews many years in SCREAM MAGAZINE and after receiving hundreds of Demos I think only 10 of them were actually worth listening to. I've been through the underground phase myself and, yes, I stank too.

DT: Your 10 faves albums from all the times?.
Asgeir Mickelson: That's impossible to find out since it depends on my mood, but it would probably include SLAYER "Reign In Blood", FATES WARNING "Awaken The Guardian", CYNIC "Focus", WATCHTOWER "Control & Resistance"... Other all time favorites are METALLICA "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets", CRIMSON GLORY "Transcendence", DREAM THEATER "When Dream And Day Unite", KING DIAMOND "Abigail", NASTY SAVAGE "Nasty Savage", SATYRICON "Nemesis Divina", EMPEROR "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk", QUEENSRŸCHE "Warning' and "Rage For Order", CANDLEMASS "Nightfall"... The list goes on...

DT: In your opinion, the best Norwegian band from all times?.
Asgeir Mickelson: To be honest; SPIRAL ARCHITECT. Not just because I play in the band but because the music is original and interesting. It's just my taste. We finally just started writing music for the next album and - to use a cliche - it will blow the debut.

DT: "Epic" is your best gem?.
Asgeir Mickelson: My all time BORKNAGAR favorite is "The Archaic Course". It got the best feeling!

DT: How long do you think BORKNAGAR will be around?... do you think you could keep on playing this kind of music when your 50 of age or over?.
Asgeir Mickelson: BORKNAGAR will exist as long as ØYSTEIN doesn't get tired of it. I don't see high age being a reason not to play any kind of music. It's totally up to yourself what you want to play - regardless of age. I will certainly be playing as long as I enjoy it.

DT: Who design the "Epic" cover?.
Asgeir Mickelson: I did. Last minute thing - as always... I froze down BORKNAGAR logos and symbols and then took pictures of it. I got our webmaster to make some 3D-objects and laid them on top of the Photoshop-collage. I also used pictures I took of an old book and a big oak in Norway, a butterfly in Grand Canion, lizards in Mexico and a skull of a deer in Norway.

DT: Tell me about your last Tour?.
Asgeir Mickelson: The last BORKNAGAR tour was in Norway 2 years ago. We rented a superb nightliner (bus) and did some shows around southern Norway.

DT: Do you listen to anything apart from Metal?.
Asgeir Mickelson: Definitely. I don't care what I'm listening to as long as I like it. The last albums I listened to that wasn't metal was the newest Mars Volta, Destiny's Child (!) and Portishead.

DT: Talk me about your friendship with STEVE DI GIORGIO and CHUCK BILLY.
Asgeir Mickelson: I've been emailing with STEVE a couple of years and got the TESTAMENT-gig through him. He's actually a fan of SPIRAL ARCHITECT and the first time I met him was when he came down to Atlanta to see us at Prog Power in 2001 or 2002 (don't remember...). The only time I met CHUCK before playing with him was when I got his autograph when they played in Oslo 15 years ago, haha! I stayed at both houses when I rehearsed with them last year and the guys are down to earth cool guys. It's of course an honor to have played with the mighty TESTAMENT!

DT: What is your musical direction now days?. Do you pay much attention on your old tracks and old musical style?.
Asgeir Mickelson: We don't analyze the music business and then go in a specific direction. We do whatever feels natural. BORKNAGAR definitely has its own kind of style so we don't have to invent the wheel every time we make an album. I guess we're safe as long as we focus on making good songs and make sure we don't copy ourselves. It's a different story with my new project since it's totally metal. I have to make sure I don't steal a riff from any of the other zillion Thrash / Extreme Metal bands out there... Yes, an impossible task...

DT: What can you talk me about "Epic" is your best work?
Asgeir Mickelson: Although I'm very proud of "Epic" I'm not going to claim it is our best album, but it is the best we could do at the time it was done. Same with the other albums. They were made as good as possible in the time frame we had and within the given budget, but in retrospect we always see that there were things we should have done differently. It's always like that. "Epic" became a very intense process for me since I took on the job recording bass as well as doing the cover. I did the drums in May 2003 and it took half a year to finally know that TYR was not able to do the bass. From then on it was a total work-around-the-clock to get it done. I still need some time to get "fresh" ears and not end up listening to all the things I would do different (for instance I'm fed up listening to myself being all over the drums). I guess most musicians have a period like that that after a new album. BORKNAGAR is a democratic band and that means it's impossible for anyone to be 100% satisfied. We all like the album (duh!) but we would end up with 4 slightly different versions if we decided on our own.

DT: Your last comment for DEATHTHRASHER readers?.
Asgeir Mickelson: Remember that each time you download an album and don't buy it you slowly kill the Metal Scene. Feel free to download an album in order to check it out but please support the bands by buying the albums you like! If no-one buy our albums then I won't have the privilege of making them.

Asgeir Mickelson
Borknagar/Spiral Architect