After the release of Storm`s debut album "Nordavind" there have been published a couple of articles about it in the norwegian music newspaper "PULS". It all started when Kari Rueslåtten went to "PULS" and complained about the content and reactions on "Nordavind". I thought these articles was interesting and believe that all of you who happens to like Storm`s music should know about what is going on. Therefore I have translated two of the articles/interviews, one with Kari Rueslåtten and one with Satyr. You should also know that I have sent some questions regarding these things to both Kari and Satyr, but they have failed to answer them, so I believe that which stands in these articles/interviews are true due to the fact that either persons had anything to add.
Here is the one with Kari Rueslåtten: "I don`t think I really have understood completely the range of what I have been taken part in. Now I can`t do anything but regret", says Kari. The former vocalist of The 3rd abd the Mortal fears that her planned soloproject will go down the drain because of her participation on Storm`s album "Nordavind", a release which gives you a nationalistic feeling (as we know by now this didn`t have any effect on the release of her demo CD. -ED!)
Kari left The
3rd and the Mortal in the end of 1994 because of personal matters. Together
they recorded the "sorrow EP and "Tears Laid In Earth" full
length album. Her goal is to get a record deal with the soloproject. "I
have taken my moods from The 3rd and the Mortal with me, but what I make
now is more sensitive because it`s written in a more personal way. I use
several elements from folkmusic and it`s more based on vocals, and has
nothing to do with metal", she says. The music is based on piano, synth
and bass. Now she`s afraid that her participation in Storm is going to
destroy all her future plans, because the music is very nationalistic (What`s
so wrong about that? -ED!). "I was sceptical to begin with, but were
promised that this should only be folkmusic", says Kari Rueslåtten.
She was very surprised when she heard the content in the lyrics on the
album when it was finished. The people behind Storm are Fenriz from Darkthrone
and Satyr from Satyricon, two of the best black metal bands from Norway:
The songs on the album are norwegian folksongs dressed in a metalsuit.
"I assured myself that this album shouldn`t 
contain any extreme lyrics, but later there have been written a new end
to "Oppi Fjellet"", says Kari. The rewritten lyric contains such as:
"...en grusom død til hver en mann/som ikke hyller v†rt faderland..."(...a
horrifying death to every man/who doesn`t hail his fatherland...) and "...om
du noengang lukter kristenmannsblod/oppi fjellet, oppi fjellet/så
hent ›ksa og hugg dem ned/oppi fjellet, oppi fjellet"(..if you ever
smell the christan mans blood/up in the mountains, up in the mountains/then
get your axe and chop them down/up in the mountains, up in the mountains).
"I reacted very strongly when I heard that they had changed the lyric,
but I weren`t strong enough to say no. Now I want that people shall forget
this. I feel totally crushed, and I feel that I have lost everything but
people must accept that I have made a mistake. And they have to see me
as the person I am, as the artist I am. I don`t want to be punished more
than I already have been punished through this", says Kari. "I believe
in the best within people until the opposite is proven. Now I can only
wonder where I was when I said yes to take part in this. Done is done,
but it`s going to be hard to trust people in the future", says Kari
Rueslåtten in the end. Here is the one with Satyr:
"Kari Rueslåtten knew about the content of "Oppi Fjellet" all
the way", says Satyr. Rueslåtten claimed that this lyric was
changed after she had put her vocals 
on it. "I think it`s strange to sing on the album and thereafter claim
that you don`t know what the lyrics are about. I think it`s a result of
her getting cold feet. The lyrics aren`t ment to be nationalistic or racistic",
says Satyr. Do you understand that Storm can be seen as nationalistic?
"I understand it now, but regret that I did it in such a way. I wanted
to dress the norwegian culture inheritance in metal. Just because nazis
and racists misuses the norwegian flag and Norse symbols, it doesn`t mean
the same as it shouldn`t be legal to use these symbols. Norway belongs
to people who loves Norway and the norwegian nature". What do you mean
by "lighten the national feeling"? "The same as when I for the
first time heard black metal, or Folk`s album, or Tone Hulbekmo - it fills
my norwegian heart with a strong nationalfeeling, but I never wanted to
spread racistic feelings to people". What about the content of the
lyric "Oppi Fjellet"? "Fenriz have written this lyric. It`s a
extreme way of expression, which I have strengthened with my vocals. It`s
a opposition against the christians. Against the stately racism which christianity
is. The only reason why we have christianity in Norway is that the christians
forced it in. Norway is a heathen land, and our roots are 100% pure heathen.
Christians hails Israel. Norway is Vikingland". Would you say that
Israel is less worth than Norway? "Yes, it`s my personal opinion. Israel
is less worth than Norway. It`s a typical christian land". Do you also
mean that people from Israel are less worth than norwegian people? "No!
You can`t let this view harm the people who live there. They are as much
worth as people in Norway".
This is NOT done by me (Björn Sundberg), I found it somewhere on the
net. I would be very glad if the author
or anyone that knows where this comes from could contact me. Thanks!