Line Up:Vocalist/Guitarist Begil, vocalist/bassist Inge Morten,Guitarist Kent Rune and Drummer René
Well, friends of the Aristocracy!
We are in our newsroom again. For, now in all your emotions, we will post the sixtieth interview with Norwegian Punk\Stoner band Sumerian Tusk. Vocalist and Bassist Inge Morten and Drummer René and Vocal\Guitar Begil have answered our questions. the band presents us with their second album titled as Reapers By Trade.Before that, a debut EP in 2016 titled as Mammuthus Subplanifrons, Paved Ground and Desert Sounds in 2018 a second EP and this one released digitally and its full album in 2020 titled as Save My Soul.Follow now the second full album and the interview.
A1:Talking about the composition work in Reapers By Trade?
Inge Morten: This record was mainly composed by Begil, as a creative outlet when he had to stay home from work due to covid restrictions at his workplace. I think it was really a matter of either go insane or make forty songs, and luckily, he chose the latter.
A2:How does the instinct of a band that mixes Punk and Stoner work to make a creative aggression?
Inge Morten:We’re definitely pulling in four different musical directions, which often leads to anger and irritation in the moment, but from that we seem to always end up writing good material. We all respect each other’s musical backgrounds very much.
A3:Truths always have to be told. But what truth do we see in the seventh song?
Begil: “Truth Be Told” is not really about any truth. "Truth be told" is used for saying "to be honest". The song is about not throwing life away and grabbing opportunity while you can.
A4:Can we say that this album is a tale with several separate songs and not an intricate story?
Begil: Yes, they are ten separate songs.
A5:I think organic works are excellent. But, the idea or the planning happens by requests or even orders. The whole band made that decision or playing in the rehearsal room and seeing the sounds was the best way to decide?
Inge Morten:Our two EPs and our last album Save My Soul were all written together, with songs growing organically throughout playing them both on stage and in the rehearsal room, until we eventually recorded them. For Reapers by Trade, we went a completely different route than what we’re used to.
Begil: Kent Rune and I wrote most of the songs during lockdown in 2020, but all the songs were finalized and arranged in the studio during the recording process, trying to maintain social distancing while still feeling like a band.
Inge say a little more about this:There are actually a few of the songs that we never played together before the album was released!
A6:Fucked up what?Explain four song !
Begil: «Fucked Up» is about giving it your all, but everything still turning to shit.
A7:Siberian Tusk sound was spawned so an organic roar rips through its physical and emotive lungs.What are these emotive lungs band reffer?
Rene:It’s a reference to the harsh nature of Norway that surrounds us and we can’t help to be influenced by it weather we want it or not.
A8:How is Siberian Tusk different from other projects?
Inge Morten: For me personally this band’s a lot steadier. We rehearse more or less on a weekly basis, and songs tend to come up every now and then, while in other projects I’m part of, it’s more about short growth spurts where we’ll get together a lot for a couple of months for shows and recordings, and then not see each other for months at a time.
A9:In a way, does your daily work help to influence any of your music?
Begil: I work as a tattoo artist, and I’ve always felt that one creative outlet triggers another.
A10:Why the band have this name?
Inge Morten: I watched this documentary about paleontology and fossils, where a scientist was explaining the blue sheen on some mammoth tusks and telling the viewer that this was due to the permafrost in Siberia, where this tusk was found. He then elaborated that the permafrost was also the reason why these tusks were in great shape compared to tusks and fossils found in warmer climates. He ended that segment with “in fact, the Siberian tusk is the strongest tusk there is”, and thus a great band name was born. It also doesn’t hurt that we’re all fans of Red Fang, and we all feel it’s kind of an homage to that band.
A11:Some literature or film or videogame influence the band in this album?
Begil: No, not really.
Inge Morten: Well, there’s that paleontology documentary, haha!
A12:Despite his works we will have links between Stoner and Punk, we see that it is a very smart idea. But, how to put the two styles without one being above the other?
Inge Morten: I don’t really know, I think we’ve all found a very good combination of not wanting to budge from our own individual styles, while still giving everyone else the room to elaborate their own styles.
Begil: We never really made a conscious decision to mix stoner and punk. We are primarily a heavy rock band. The stoner and punk just come from our different musical backgrounds and can’t be helped. We just try to make cool music.
A13:We compared Stoner to a cyclone. The band's style could be compared to which force of nature?
Inge Morten: The howling winds of the cold winters in the mountainous areas we call home.
A14:How band arrive to Hidden Noise Records ?
Inge:Our friends in Bokassa pointed us towards David in Viral Propaganda, a promotion company in Europe. We reached out to them, asking for a promo deal with the hopes of attracting some attention from magazines, webzines, some reviews and maybe even a label. David basically responded that if we were interested, he’d love to sign us for his own label, and we went with it!
A15:This album is conceptual? Yes or no and why?
Begil: Not really a conceptual album, but all the songs are about life and death and everything in between. Good or bad.
A16:The band feel differences between Save my soul and now in “Reapers By Trade?
Inge Morten: Definitely. Save My Soul was written in the rehearsal room over the course of probably at least two or three years, and most songs were changed and tweaked along the way. When we went into the studio for Save My Soul, we were basically all prepared to the last detail. For Reapers by Trade, several songs existed only as acoustic guitar demos by Begil’s kitchen table when we went into the studio, so we really had to write all our individual parts more or less by ourselves, and oftentimes while we were actually recording our parts. It was a fun experience, for sure!
A17:According to what you think about in your daily lives and according to the songs on your new album, is it better to think of the human being as an agony or an animal for health?
Inge Morten: I think humanity has potential of being good but looking at the world today it’s getting harder and harder to see that potential.
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