Norwegian black-metal
Leslava: the band has an unusual name. What does it mean?
Ravnsvartr: ‘‘Thyruz’’ is a personal name which really doesn’t mean anything special; you won’t find it in the dictionary anywhere. The name just came along while having a conversation about what the band should be called and everybody thought it sounded good.
«We use symbols and some of the lyrics to have people question the «facts» and use a bit of time to think them over and possibly come to their own conclusions.».
Leslava: what idea do You want to convey through your music?
Ravnsvartr: In Thyruz we like to challenge people to think for themselves, have their own opinion, and not blindly follow religion or belief just because others do it or they are told to think in a certain way or do so. We use symbols and some of the lyrics to have people question the «facts» and use a bit of time to think them over and possibly come to their own conclusions.
Leslava: the song «Braattsøers slag» is one of my favorite. Why is it written in Old-Norwegian?
Ravnsvartr: «Brattsjøers slag» is a song about a battle that happened in Norway during the Viking age. It should be really written in old Norse if we had enough knowledge about it, but we had to make it Norwegian with old Norse words in between written in our modern language but with a bit of the feeling of the old Norse language. The result was quite good I think and we might do something similar one day.
Leslava: you put a lot of efforts in creating video for song “Svik”. How long have You prepared this video? Which Thyruz’s video do you consider the most successful?
Ravnsvartr: When we are at rehearsal we sometimes get ideas for things we want to do in our videos. Some are very crazy and some are impossible or very hard to make but once in a while we get some ideas we can actually use and then collect them for future use.
So the ideas are there good time before the actual shoot and we sometimes need to build things or purchase stuff we need.
The actual shooting usually takes a weekend… but with some parts made before or after.
Then there are editing and discussions opinions and wanted changes which also take time. So it cannot be done in a short time.
The video I’m most satisfied with is ‘‘Ominous vocation’’ because it captures the cold winter and the feelings of dark wood in a great way, and it shows off some of the beautiful nature we have here in Norway.
Leslava: tell us how you buried Ymer in video for song “Svik”.
Ravnsvartr: It all started with the idea of having him rise from the grave so to speak. We wanted to find a way to get this shot without having to dig a massive grave.
We all had different ideas right up until the shooting day when I saw this sewage like concrete pipe sticking up from the ground with a concrete cover over it so I lifted it away and found it to be fitting with the size of Ymer. And the rest is history.
Leslava: was 2016 a successful year for the band? Tell about the concerts where you took part.
Ravnsvartr: 2016 was a great year for ‘‘Thyruz’’ with six concerts and new songs for new album. We usually don’t play so many live concerts as we never ask to play anywhere, we usually get asked.
It was also great to get to visit Russia once again as the audience there and the dedication for music is unpressured and we always have such a good time there.
We were sad because we had to turn down a concert in Ukraine because we simply could not make it fit the schedule, but there is always next time.
Also new songs are being made and a new album will probably be recorded next year if everything goes as planned.
Leslava: i know that the band members are not religious. Tell about your attitude towards religion.
Ravnsvartr: So this question is easy. We despise religion in all forms and would like all religious people to fuck off into space or go somewhere else with their pest.
Leslava: in this issue, I am interested in the theme of fear. What are you afraid of?
Ravnsvartr: These days our fear is that Islam and its followers will try to overtake or do terror in Europe. They come here in big numbers and demand money and special service just because they are Muslims. They also rape girls and behave like scum towards everyone they come in contact with. And to top it off we have to adjust our ways and culture not to provoke them or insult their beliefs all while they do nothing to adapt to our culture or ways. We wish them all back to the Muslim countries they came from where they can take care of the wife and kids they left behind.
Leslava: where do you get the skull of animals for the stage?
Ravnsvartr: Some of them we found while walking in the forest here and stumbling up on them. Others we got because we are lucky enough to have a butcher in our band with great possibilities to acquire bones of any kind. He usually puts them underground for a year or two and then digs them up again.
Leslava: do you like horror movies?
Ravnsvartr: Personally I like horror movies but mostly the ones having the smallest budget possible. The more special effects the larger chance for its getting cheesy.
Movies like «Blair witch», «paranormal activity» and the Norwegian «Villmark» are good examples of what I mean.
Leslava: on the internet, there is a video from your rehearsal. Where did you record the songs for the album?
Ravnsvartr: This time we used one studio for drums and another for guitars and bass.
The vocals however were recorded at our rehearsal site where the video was recorded.
Leslava: tell about the central plot of your new album. When will the album be finished?
Ravnsvartr: It will be about depression and anxiety... About things forcing you to take choices and we will try to make a darker album topic wise.
The album will hopefully be ready late next year.
Leslava: tell about your scenic images. For several years they have improved and changed. This is evident in your clips. What was taken as a basis?
Ravnsvartr: We like to change some things or add some things as we get the possibility. And also it depends on where we are playing since we have no possibility to bring all the things we would like.
But we do our best to give a performance worth seeing and we really like to see the audience reacts to different things in our show.
Leslava: in which countries would you like to perform?
Ravnsvartr: We would love to play in Eastern Europe countries or possibly South America, places where the audience is good and beer is cheap. And also girls are pretty :-)
Leslava: what do you think before you go on stage?
Ravnsvartr: This I have to answer personally and for me I see only black. All sounds have gone and my muscles are trembling. The focus is on the concert and nothing else is important.
Leslava: describe average image of a band fan.
Ravnsvartr: I don’t think you could spot a fan of our band that easily if he/she doesn’t wear the usual black clothes or imagery. But they may be more alike on the inside sharing our views or sharing the same favorite bands and music styles and thoughts.
Leslava: where do you plan to perform in 2017?
Ravnsvartr: For now there are no plans made yet. We just have to see what offers come along and decide from there. We hope to get to play some more shows in Russia or in Ukraine since we missed our chance there.
Leslava: a few words for your fans.
Ravnsvartr: A word to our fans would be to hold your traditions dear and keep your culture alive and well. There is Muslim who wants nothing more than to destroy everything Europe stands for and all our cultural values. Hail Europe!