Updated: 05/09/03

One of the most compelling gothic rock bands to come out of Norway in quite some time, Crowhead feature two members from Shadow Dancers, one of which also appears in the underground Black Metal band Ragnarok. Their debut album Frozen is filled with chilly anthems that will haunt the listener for ages. Let lead guitarist Rym lead you through the dark world and magnificent art of Crowhead.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Crowhead, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Øyvind Trinborg. My artist name is Rym, and that goes back to the beginning of Ragnarok in the early nineties. I write music and lyrics, but my band member status is lead guitarist. We have existed since the year 2000, and I hope it will last for ages.

What did Rym and Jo-I do in Shadow Dancers and what made you guys decide to leave the band?
I played rhythm guitars, and Jo-I played bass guitar, in Shadow Dancers. We also did some song writing every now and then. We left the band because of some disagreements within the band while being in studio. The plan was to record the second Shadow Dancers album, but suddenly the band was no more. Jo-I took his songs with him and we started Crowhead and made the demo called Love Letter. After this, My Kingdom Music offered us a deal and here we are now with our debut album Frozen, a concentrate of melancholy, abrasive guitars and great melodies.

Where did you get the idea to call your band Crowhead?
We used the occultist Skarning (ex-Equinox guitarist from Norway) to name the band project. It was “Fallen Angels” against “Crowhead”. After some days using tarot cards and rites, we named the project Crowhead. The name sound good, and we just like it. He also made some guest guitar stuff inside the demo Love Letter (on the song Lost angel).

Describe your music to someone who has never heard it before.
Our music is a kind of mood amplifier. It suits every mood, you will ever get into through your life. It will draw you into the rhythm and carry you through our message until you get it. Sadness isn’t always bad, and metal isn’t always fast and ugly. Crowhead is the fifth season, and in some way you will accept it, whether you like it or not. That is my description.

When writing the lyrics for the songs on Frozen, where did you get your ideas and inspirations from?
I get my ideas and my inspiration from everyday happenings that suddenly make an unexpected turn. The result sometimes turns into a sentence that I can build my song upon. Sometimes a landscape or just a shadow can activate my fantasy and give me a story. Some lyrics are based on true stories, and some are just a thought that stuck me at a special moment. I will not speak for Jo-I in this matter.

Is Rym still in Ragnarok and with his Black Metal background, what does he bring to the unique Crowhead sound?
Yes I am still in Ragnarok. We (Ragnarok) have just been to Abyss studio in Sweden, recording our next album. But let’s not get lost. I don’t think my guitar playing in Crowhead is influenced by me being in Ragnarok as well. You could probably say that I am two different persons in one. And none of them affects the other. I love making music for both sides, and I don’t have a favourite band that I consider the most important.

Would Crowhead and Ragnarok dare to ever play a show together?
I don’t think that we will do a show together, unless we appear at the same festival or something like that. I would not feel comfortable with having two complete different rolls at the one night. Then I guess the situation would make me do a poor job in both gigs. I hope that won’t happen.

What is a live Crowhead show like and is there any chance of your band ever coming over to the States to play?
We have never played live with Crowhead so far. Being only two members isn’t easy. But we have managed to scrape together a gang that seems to go well together, and we will start playing live as soon as we get comfortable with us playing together. And I sure hope we will go and play for you guys way over in the states. I have never been there before, so that would be a huge step for me personally.

What do you think of the current Black Metal and Gothic Metal scenes in Norway and has does Crowhead fit into the scheme of things?
I don’t really know where to put us really. But I guess we skip into the Goth rock scene – somehow with our sad riffs and destructive lyrics. But the only thing I can say for sure, is that our music is real, and nothing is otherwise than it seems. And I’m very pleased with the black metal scene in Norway today. A lot of bands are doing it great throughout the world, and this looks like a scene that is still growing. The Gothic metal scenes in Norway... I’m not that familiar with that. But I know that the evolution has made it more electronic and synthesized. I guess it is starting to climb out of the dark dungeon it has been stuck in till now. The people today need destructive music, so it is good that it is more out in the light and possible to get without being especially looking for it. WE MUST RECRUIT!!

With your music being so dark and depressive, are you guys any fun to hang out with at parties? Can Rym drink Jo-I under the table or is it the other way around? Or can Jontho from Ragnarok beat both of you in a drinking contest?
We are almost like everybody else, and like to party and have a good time with friends and alcohol, but I must admit that at some points during a moist evening, I can get quiet and then suddenly disappear. I get these strange thoughts and feel like I don’t fit in anywhere, so its better I don’t drink that much. Socially we haven’t really tried to drink ourselves or others under the table, but I say we keep pretty close in that matter. Maybe I’m the poorest one if I drink whiskey, he he . Tasty, but lethal.

If there were one thing you'd like a listener to remember after hearing your music, what would it be?
I would like that the listener got a reminding feeling of owning the music, through actual episodes and grief’s in his/ hers life that can be linked together with our music.

Do you have any messages for gothic metal fans here in the States?
Don’t be gothic because it looks cool. Be gothic through your heart and your mind. It’s not the image that counts. It’s the tears that are spilled in grief that make words and lyrics into songs you remember and treasure. The gothic is inside you!!!

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