Saturday, December 22, 2012

Okkultokrati interview at The Sleeping Shaman

Alex Varley from The Sleeping Shaman asked a few questions. Here is the full interview!:


How did Okkultokrati form?
We formed in 2008. None of us were that close prior to starting the band, but we got together based on a common desire to create some fucked up tunes. Out of a common love for Rudimentary Peni, Poison Idea, Black Sabbath and Black Flag, our 11 song demo tape emerged and since then we’ve just kept on rocking.
Okkultokrati’s sound is quite hard to pin down. How would you describe the band?
Yeah, people put way too much effort into that… We’re nothing but a mighty punk band with a heavy feel to it all. No riffs, no blast beats!
How influential was the Norwegian black metal scene to you growing up?
Not influential. I was a punk rocker.
Has the music scene in Norway changed since your formation?
I never paid much attention to the overall music scene. But it’s clear to see that since we started this band we’ve been a part of a small but awesome fraction of the Norwegian rock scene along with Haust, Dark Times, Årabrot and Blackest Woods. Before that, it was only Årabrot flying the flag of weirdo heavy rock by themselves.
Okkultokrati 'Snakereigns' Artwork
Have you got any negative responses from black metal ‘elitists’ who don’t think the sub genre should be mixed with anything else?
It’s interesting how people always refer to this “mix” of genres in our music as something unique and “different”. It makes it evident that people see genres as isolated and something that should be kept within its own sphere. This is especially apparent in metal and hardcore when you consider all the “tribute” bands popping up these days. Like the “retro thrash” wave going on, where the main endeavour seems to be to recreate a certain sound/production, and doing everything by the rules. Seems like the genre has come full circle, and has nothing new to offer. It’d say it’s better to let it rest then, instead of raping the old legends. Hardcore bands today, of course, are almost defined by this urge to copy bands from the 80s, whether modern bands are trying to be SSD or Chain of Strength. I have some serious trouble seeing the appeal of ending up as nothing but a bleak image of what happened 20+ years ago.
When we started Okkultokrati, our only plan to make some hard and ugly music. And that’s always been our only guideline. Since then, people have been throwing all kinds of genres and “similar bands” at us, like they know what we’re trying to do. It’s fucked up to read stuff like “Yeah, these guys have definitely been listening to some Entombed!”, when our guitar player Snake, who writes all the songs, HATES Entombed. Kinda makes you wanna stop reading all the bullshit people type out. How the hell can you be so sure what a band is influenced by? It’s absurd. If people, be it BM elitists or other fnords, think we intend to create this perfectly mixed 50/50 hybrid of (black) metal and hardcore, then they’re seriously fucked in the head.
Where is your favourite place to gig and why?
Truckstop Alaska in Gothenburg is so great. Hafenklang in Hamburg as well. The people who work there, the food they serve and the beer you can have is top notch. You don’t need much to satisfy a band on tour (at least not us), but don’t fucking serve us water with lentils and warm Carlsberg 3,5%. Put some effort into it! Also, Spain is the place. Killer shows all over, no matter where you go.
You’ve played with a variety of both hardcore and metal bands. How would you say the two crowds differ and which do you prefer?
It’s nice to see that we can attract a crowd of a certain variety. It’s especially nice to see metal heads come to our shows even when we play the crustiest of squat holes. I’d hate to just play for the “house crowd” and be someone’s soundtrack to moshing/drug use, so knowing that people actually show up for the music makes me happy.
Okkultokrati
You’ve recently released ‘Snakereigns.’ How do you think this album fits in with the rest of your material?
It’s yet another hard hitting rock’n’roll output, so it fits in perfectly.
The artwork to ‘Snakereigns’ is quite unusual. Could you take us through how the artwork concept came about?
The artwork was originally going to be something completely different. Sebastian Rusten had been working at the intended artwork for over 6 months when we recorded and found out that lyrically, thematically and musically it ended up a little different than first planned. We found out that the artwork needed to reflect the vibe of the songs and asked Eben S. Titland who had done cool things for Haust to come up with something. We fell in love with his take on it and asked him to do the entire thing. The CD-version also has a cool take on the infamous Battle of Los Angeles UFO-picture we’ve kind of adopted as our own unofficial logo thing as well.
Finally, what does 2013 hold for Okkultokrati?
Keep on doing what we do. Tour, make new songs, record them, put them on records. Nothing special, just being a band.

Interviewed by: Alex Varley

http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/interviews/g-q/okkultokrati-an-interview-with-drummer-night-spurs/

Sunday, December 16, 2012


haust are doing two shows right at the end of the year.

december 28th in kongsberg (energimølla), with haraball.
december 29th in oslo (blå).

photo by marius eriksen.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Monday, November 12, 2012

Friday, November 2, 2012

Okkultokrati European Tour November 2012


Sat. 03.11.2012 NOR - Bergen - Club Alrek
Fri. 09.11.2012 NOR - Oslo - The Crossroad Club
Sat. 10.11.2012 NOR - Stavanger - Cementen
Tue. 20.11.2012 DEN - Aalborg - 1000 Fryd
Wed. 21.11.2012 GER - Hamburg - Hafenklang
Thu. 22.11.2012 GER - Berlin - Koma F
Fri. 23.11.2012 GER - Halle - Reilstr.78
Sat. 24.11.2012 GER - Leipzig - Zoro
Sun. 25.11.2012 CHZ - Prague - Cafe Na Pul Cesty
Mon. 26.11.2012 ??? - HELP NEEDED
Tue. 27.11.2012 FRA - Paris - La Miroiterie
Wed. 28.11.2012 BEL - Kortrijk - The Pits
Thu. 29.11.2012 NED - Leiden - Sub071
Fri. 30.11.2012 ??? HELP NEEDED
Sat. 01.12.2012 DEN - Copenhagen - BumZen

Get in touch if you can help us with a show for the 26th of November.
We can also do a show in Sweden (Gøteborg/Malmø) for Monday the 19th. Zup!
Let us play your party!

GET STOKED FOR THE SNAKEREIGNS HITS LIVE AND IN YOUR FACE!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

DARK TIMES - Girl Hate EP out soon!!!

 Photo by Fredrik Bjerkenes
Cover by Maren Karlson.

Track list:
Side A:
1. Girl Hate
2. Kiss My Fist
Side B:
3. Waste
4. Worst Things

Comes out November 16th on Fysisk Format.
Release party on Last Train, November 20th.
Preorder it HERE

Saturday, October 27, 2012

SNAKEREIGNS release shows in Norway

Okkultokrati's second LP "Snakereigns" is out now on Fysisk Format. Here are the shows we will do in Norway:

Bergen:
Saturday November 3rd
Club Alrek

Oslo:
Friday November 9th
The Crossroad Club

Stavanger:
Saturday November 10th
Cementen

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

OKKULTOKRATI interview in the new Rock-A-Rolla

There is a short interview with OKKULTOKRATI in the new issue of Rock-a-rolla.

 You can read it in all its unedited glory here:

Can you fill us in on the background of Okkultokrati – how, when and where did the band start?

Tarblack: Back in 2008 Erik Svarte wanted to put together a bl'asting thrash metal band with some hardcore punk energy with Night Jerk on drums and Virgintaker on bass (RIP). And they were talking to some other guy to maybe do some vocals, but then I talked my way into the band and we made some 10 songs in a few weeks and recorded and releases a demo for our first show a few months later. But it immediately turned into something else than trash metal. More punk, more dirty and crushing.

Night Jerk: The early Okkultokrati stuff (the demo tape + the Knarkskog 7") is some of my favorite material to listen to. Purely a result of Erik Svarte and I going together without having a distinct plan for the band and just ending up with some heavy, crazy sounding punk tunes. Then Tarblack came and took us all of guard with some great vocals and lyrics that really defined the band from those very first recordings.

 Erik Svarte: I would never start a trash metal band.

The band shares members with other bands from the Norwegian underground. Can you fill us in on the band members and which other bands they are involved in?

Tarblack: Snake is also in Haust, Night, Blackest Woods and a few more not so active bands. Night Jerk is also in Problems and Night and a few other unnamed bands. Boris is in Hombre Malo and I am also in Night alongside Woody from Haust and Blackest Woods. then you have friends and affiliated projects like Sumar, Necrolust, Dark Times, Drugged SS etc etc. We need to keep busy or else we'll climb the walls!

Your Facebook page states your current location is “Ugly Fucking Oslo”. What’s that all about?

Tarblack: "Ugly Fucking Oslo" is a hit song by Haust on their first album ride The Relapse. It is a song about coming into the big city, being alienated and being content with being a freak, a misfit and a failure.

What was your initial intention behind Okkultokrati? Are you making any kind of political/social/etc statement, or is it music for the sake of music?

Tarblack: There is no political agenda with anything Okkultokrati does. That does not mean that we are oblivious to politics or have no views on social matters. I just feel that a band is a poor vehicle for social change and justice, and preaching to the choir is boring as hell. I'd rather fuck with your mind and rip out your soul with some well crafted rock songs!

Which bands made you want to start Okkultokrati?

Tarblack: From early on I would have to say local maniac bands in my home town like Skarnspage and Smorgasboard. Just fucked up obscure experimental punk with all the wrong solutions. Like early Am-Rep noisy punk rock mixed with a solid sense of DIY ethics and youthful hubris. Later I'd say Black Flag and Black Sabbath.

 Erik Svarte: Rudimentary Peni, Poison Idea and Sleep.

How has the Norwegian scene changed since the early black metal days, in your opinion? Where is it headed these days?

Tarblack: Black metal has turned into two things it seems. Tourism, museums, nostalgia and rehashing the glory days in a embarrassing way. And the other part has gone underground again and are content releasing tapes and playing close knitted festivals. Must say i prefer the second solution. I don't really care what happens to black metal. This isn't 1993 anymore.

What can you tell us about your choice of band name?

Tarblack: Okkultokrati is a made up word. But in essence is means occult rule, or occult upper class. Which is as good a name as any if you are to conquer the world with some classy, furious punk rock!

What can you tell us about your second album, Snakereigns?

Snakereigns as a whole is about everything coming to a bleak end. End of all life in every aspect. Severing the ties to the world, to people, to the past/present/future of history, to thought, space and time. With no possibility of reincarnation or rebirth. No ouroboros. Just null, void, blank and emptiness. Blow everything up and get rid of it all!

As far as the musical content is concerned, how would you compare it to your debut?

Erik Svarte: It`s just much better played and with a lot more feel to it. And a hell of a lot more angry.

How did the writing and recording process of Snakereigns compare to the experience of putting together the debut album?

Night Jerk: I'd say the process was more focus in the way that (contrary to the debut) we knew what label was gonna put it out, when it was gonna be released and so on. We knew that these songs were gonna end up on this album. More importantly, Snake and Tarblack really focused their efforts as far as song writing goes, and worked hard on every single song.
Finally, what’s next for Okkultokrati?

Night Jerk: Still being a band. Touring, releasing records, doing what we know best.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

SNAKEREIGNS // MUSIC VIDEO

Shot and directed by Ildfar. Graphics and editing by Hai from Next Life. Snakereigns LP/CD out October 26th.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Okkultokrati - On Mouth of Hells - live at Dortmund Bodega.

Nothing Awaits In The New World

There is a new OKKULTOKRATI song unveiled from the upcoming "Snakereigns" album up at Invisible Oranges and a small interview as well:

What does Okkultokrati mean exactly? Why did you choose it as your band’s name?
I guess roughly translated it would mean something like Occultocracy. Meaning occult rule, or occult upper class. We wanted a powerful and elite sounding name, and something that a hundred bands weren’t already named.

What motivated you to play a combination of black metal and hardcore? Which artists from each genre inspire you?

From punk, it’s mostly really classic bands like the Ramones, the Stooges, Black Flag, Misfits, Rudimentary Peni and Poison Idea. From metal, Black Sabbath, Ildjarn, Emperor and Judas Priest. I mean, there is just tons and tons more, and not limited to those narrow genres that inspire us. But those are the big ones we keep coming back to. I know there is seemingly a black metal/hardcore hybrid genre or a “blackened hardcore” style or whatever you want to call it that is popular out there, but we never intended to make anything that could fit in that category. We don’t sit around trying to make the guitars sound like “Wolverine Blues” or that whole schtick. We’re on an entirely different trip. “Feel the Darkness” sounds so much more bleak and menacing to us (to be clear, I like early Entombed/Nihilist fine, I just don’t see the point in any more bands sounding like that). We’re driven by another set of demons.

What does it mean to you to be included in Norway’s “Black Hole Crew”?
Black Hole Crew is our very informal, small circle of people drawn to each other for a somewhat similar musical philosophy and tastes to hang out and be creative and destructive. We weren’t happy with a lot of music coming out in our town so we felt we had to do something about it. So far the other active bands are Haust, Dark Times and Problems. Then you have smaller side-projects like Night, Blackest Woods, Sumar, etc. who might suddenly become more active and release more stuff. And then you have smaller, even more obscure things like Necrolust, Drugged SS, and other unnamed affiliated things that we have no control over and don’t even know what they’re going to come up with next. All I know is that it’s all an outlet. We need to keep busy or else we’ll go stir crazy!

What are your thoughts on Norway’s metal scene? Likes/dislikes? How has your music been perceived there?

I have no idea how we are perceived. People can love or hate us, it makes no difference. Norway has a great legacy of excellent metal bands. But it seems everything is pretty settled and established. I hate it when people reduce a genre to simply being a musical export or a tourist attraction. It just completely kills any hint of mystique or danger. That kind of attention has a tendency to bring a lot of lame cultural aspects on the side: you know, the industry types that cater to the lowest common denominator of metal stereotypes. That stuff annoys me to no end, and it never seems to go away. But I do like a lot of Norwegian metal and I get excited about younger bands like Töxik Death, Nekromantheon, and Obliteration who just throw out all the distracting bullshit and go straight for the jugular and just kill it every time!

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2012/10/io-exclusive-track-premiere-okkultokratis-nothing-awaits/

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Okkultokrati November/December Euro tour in progress

Okkultokrati are planning a European tour in late november/early December. (From november 19th). Please get in touch with Trapdoor Tourz if you wanna do a show in central Europe (no UK this time):

info(@)trapdoor-tourz(.)de

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Thursday, September 20, 2012

haust, live at last train

bunch of new songs + new dudes.

Friday, September 7, 2012

OKKULTOKRATI - SNAKEREIGNS (New LP out October 26th)


Okkultokrati's second album, entitled Snakereigns, will be out on Fysisk Format October 22nd.


Check out the first track entitled No Ouroboros:
Musically, Snakereigns is a great leap for the band. Building their anthems on straightforward punk beats with the filth of unholy rock n’ roll running through their veins, Okkultokrati proudly let their influences from the masters of the genre bleed through, yet their spine-crushing anthems speak for themselves with unique guitar atmospheres and a mix of high/low-end riffage busting through the thunderous percussion and gnarled vocals.

The lyrical themes deal with the great end on three levels: The end of the universe, the end of the world and the end of self.

Artwork by Esben Titland.

Tracklist:
01: No Ouroboros
02: Snakereigns
03: Invisible Ley
04: I Thought Of Demons
05: Acid Eagle One
06: Unconscious Mind
07: We So Heavy
08: Let the Sun Receive Her King
09: Nothing Awaits

Thursday, September 6, 2012

dark times + urbanoia


Dark Times and Urbanoia are hitting the Norwegian west coast this weekend.

Friday September 7th: Bergen @ Fabrikken
Saturday September 8th: Stavanger @ K-lab


HAUST 2012

Haust are playing at Last Train, Oslo September 18th. New songs, new dudes.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

ormeyngel reigns

ceremony // problems // dark times // okkultokrati // ormeyngel // dortmund bodega aug. 11th 2012 /////.






Friday, August 3, 2012

SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH

Ormeyngel after party for the Øya Festival! Starts at 23:00. Dortmund Bodega. Grønlandsleiret 55 (Politihuset). Rip up the streets!

OKKULTOKRATI
DARK TIMES
PROBLEMS
100 KRONER

Monday, July 23, 2012

Friday, July 20, 2012

OSLO, JULY 24th

This Tuesday in Oslo. We've got some new shirts. Urbanoia from Stavanger are playing with us: http://urbanoia.bandcamp.com/

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Okkultokrati Euro tour starts tomorrow! Opening show in Groningen Saturday

All right, we're leaving. Below is the final tour dates. Okkultokrati will kick off the tour in Groningen, NL on Saturday July 7th at Vera (Downstage). Show at 23:00 and it's free.

See you in Europe. We've got some new shirts and what's left of our records. And a bunch of kick ass new songs.


07.07.12 The Netherlands: Groningen @ Vera (Downstage) *Okkultokrati only
08.07.12 Germany: Köln @ MTC
09.07.12 Belgium: Gent @ Decadance
10.07.12 UK: Manchester @ Star & Garter
11.07.12 UK: London @ Underworld
12.07.12 The Netherlands: Amsterdam @ Winston
13.07.12 Germany: Stuttgart @ Juha West
14.07.12 Germany: München @ 59 to 1
15.07.12 Germany: Berlin @ Cassiopeia
16.07.12 Czech Republic: Prague @ 007
17.07.12 TBC
18.07.12 Germany: Hamburg @ Hafenklang
19.07.12 Sweden: Gothenburg @ Truckstop Alaska
20.07.12 Norway: Tonsberg @ Slottsfjell Fest *Black Tusk only





Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Okkultokrati European tour with Black Tusk in July


We've got shitloads of new, killer songs. See you there.

BLACK TUSK
OKKULTOKRATI

07.07.12 The Netherlands: Groningen @ Vera (Downstage) *Okkultokrati only
08.07.12 Germany: Köln @ MTC
09.07.12 Belgium: Gent @ Decadance
10.07.12 UK: Manchester @ Star & Garter
11.07.12 UK: London @ Underworld
12.07.12 The Netherlands: Amsterdam @ Winston
13.07.12 Germany: Stuttgart @ Juha West
14.07.12 Germany: München @ 59 to 1
15.07.12 Germany: Berlin @ Cassiopeia
16.07.12 Czech Republic: Prague @ 007
17.07.12 TBC
18.07.12 Germany: Hamburg @ Hafenklang
19.07.12 Sweden: Gothenburg @ Truckstop Alaska
20.07.12 Norway: Tonsberg @ Slottsfjell Fest (Black Tusk only)

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

crimson leather

The final copies of Blackest Woods' debut release can be purchased here. All other Ormeyngel tapes are out of print. Thanks.

Bis Auf's Messer (EUR)
Solar Funeral (US)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Snake reigns

Dark Times + Okkultokrati at Einar Granum.

Henrik Andersen:





hkristen:

Monday, April 23, 2012

BLACKEST FLORA/BLACKEST FAUNA

Brand new excellent BLACKEST WOODS song called BLACKEST FLORA/BLACKEST FAUNA. Video by Ildfar.


Thursday, April 19, 2012

OKKULTOKRATI + DARK TIMES - Live in Oslo


OKKULTOKRATI will team up with DARK TIMES for an exclusive show may 12th at the GRANUMFESTIVAL. Expect lots of new material, and for it to be louder than hells and heavy as fuckxx! Cost is 50 kr. Doors open at 19:00.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

BIS AUF'S MESSER / ORMEYNGEL

Bis Auf's Messer are now the number one distro for Ormeyngel releases! We will NOT re-open the Ormeyngel web store, so Big Auf's Messer in Berlin is now the (only) place to go. This allows you to get your stuff at reasonable shipping rates and way quicker than when us lazy dudes took care of the distro.

Check out their Ormeyngel products here. We gave them the very last copies of all the tapes we have. Both the Blackest Woods and Problems tapes are close to sold out, and we even found some copies of the long out of print No Light for Mass cassette! Get on it! The Knarkskog 7" is also available (grey vinyl), and they've also got the Dark Times 7".

Happy shopping. Their distro is huge and packed with great shit, so go crazy and support Germany's finest record store!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

max rock


Dark Times are interviewed in the April issue of Maximum Rocknroll.
Get it from your local punk distributor, or here.

Friday, March 16, 2012

dark times are better times



Dark Times live:

Oslo: March 16th, Betong/Novafest
Trondheim: March 23rd, BrukBar/Supa
Bergen: April 12th, Landmark
Berlin: April 14th, Bei Roy.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Enfants Terribles

Årabrot
Haust

Tromsø, Bastard Bar
Saturday March 2nd

Dark Times' self titled 7" is now available for full stream here.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Some shows


Dark Times:
January 28th: Revolver, Oslo. With The Men (US)
February 16-18th: Oslo, By:larm.

Haust:
March 3rd: Bastard Bar, Tromsø. With Årabrot.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Fuck Posten

I know you all love Fenriz, but the Norwegian Postal Service is horrible. Their stupid way of calculating shipping fees have been frustrating for us for a long time, but the additions they introduced for 2012 was the final drop. This makes it impossible for us to estimate shipping fees for the products in the Ormeyngel Webstore and these few weeks we've lost money on shipping out orders.

Therefore, the webstore will be closed until we figure out a way to work with this shit. It will probably be down for at least a months time. Until then, get your stuff from other distributors (links to your right).

Sunday, January 8, 2012