Fatal Fusion may come from Norway but they are into progressive rock music of the 60s & the 70s. They only exist for 5 years but the band’s members are experienced musicians who have participated in various bands in the past. We caught up with the band’s drummer Audun Engebretsen, due to their sophomore album, “The Ancient Tale”, and talked about the band, the new album, the music and several other interesting things…
Hi Audun, your new second release is already out as we speak. So, how do you feel about it?
A: Hi Thanos, that’s correct, it’s out as we speak. We are feeling really positive about it. The album is getting many positive reviews already, and that’s really satisfying. A real reward for all the hard work we’ve put into making it.
I bet this 3-year period, since your debut in 2010, had been full of anxiety as well as progression and creativity. Isn’t it so?
A: Well, not so much anxiety I guess, but it did lead to a lot of progression and creativity. We really wanted to push harder on the progressive button on this one, and expand our sound and scope even further. That gradually and naturally developed over a 2-3 year period, since the making of our first album.
When did you start working on your second album and what did you have in mind to do musically?
A: We started to record about mid 2011. Some of the songs had been laying around for a while. We already had parts of “City of Zerych” back in 2008, but it was really just a skeleton, it wasn’t complete, just a few ideas. So we decided to revisit those ideas and develop it in full for this record. “Halls of Amenti” and “The Ancient Tale” were tracks we developed during 2010-11, and both “Tears I’ve Cried” and “The Divine Comedy” during 2011-12. We tried most of them out during concerts before recording them. We did not have a concept in mind at first, but half way through the song writing process I really felt there was a strong theme present, so I decided to write lyrics with a concept in mind. I presented the concept and lyrics to the band, and we all agreed to make this a concept album. Musically we wanted to experiment more, and to expand the sound and scope, as I said before.
In “The Ancient Tale” we found various influences from many music genres such as: prog rock, rock, jazz-fusion, atmospheric, classic rock, blues-rock, ambient, space rock, symphonic and so on. How would you define the band’s sound?
A: Maybe you described our sound right there, with those words. I guess our sound is eclectic and based on a mixture of many styles. I think one of the key elements to our sound is Knut’s voice, which is a little different than most progressive rock bands, and another key element is our love for the vintage analogue keyboard sounds.
What is “The Ancient Tale” that the album’s title talks about?
A: Good question. For me the ancient tale is the most ancient tale of them all: The dualistic concept of the primordial Chaos v/s Order, and this is being mythologized in every single mythology on the planet. That is the theme of the record, and it can be found as a backdrop in all the songs’ lyrics. On the album we are exploring fairy tales, religions, mythologies, and these forces at work on a personal and a social level also.
Can you tell us a bit about the cover artwork? If I’m not mistaken, this painting was done by your guitarist, Stig Selnes.
A: I had the idea for the artwork very early on, that the cover art should be based on the title track “The Ancient Tale”, and for it to supplement the album theme and concept. We all agreed that this would make a really good album cover. I wanted to use Greek mythological characters, and presented these to Stig, our guitarist. He then hand painted the artwork, same as he did with the artwork on our debut album “Land of the Sun”.
I think it’s compulsory you give us more info about each track and the sub-tracks…
A: Well, I don’t want to say too much about them. That would spoil everything. I really want people to find out for themselves what they mean. I always put allegories and multiple layers of interpretation into my lyrics to make it more interesting. But I guess I can tell you a little bit about each track.
“City of Zerych” is a fairy tale about a traveller who encounters a city in the woods, named Zerych. Soon the city is being taken over by an evil wizard, who puts the inhabitants into deep sleep, making mindless zombies out of them. The traveller is taken to a white temple in the woods, where a shaman breaks the spell. The shaman convinces him that he is the one that shall confront and overthrow the evil wizard, and to save the city and its inhabitants.
“Halls of Amenti” is about a personal journey through faith and doubt, inner conflict and a yearning for answers and truth. We find a person wandering in a desert looking for answers, and ends up having a religious experience and an answer and solution to his questions and thirst for truth. Or maybe he just went insane because of the desert heat, you decide for yourself.
“The Divine Comedy” is based on the religious epic poem written by Dante Alighieri in the 12th century. It’s a journey where Dante is traveling through Hell and Purgatory, ending up in the heavenly city. Or it’s an allegory for an inner journey, you decide...
“Tears I’ve Cried” is about forbidden love between a rich girl and a poor boy. The secret is broken eventually, and the love affair ends, all because of society dogma and social status. The boy gets angered, and yearns for revenge.
“The Ancient Tale” is about the dualistic concept, and portrays this through mythological characters representing nature and its laws and forces. We are caught in the battle of four Gods, fighting an eternal and everlasting battle between day and night.
Where did you record the album and who did the production, the mixing and the mastering? I do fancy its clear & full sound.
A: Thanks, I think the sound is very clear also, as we intended. We recorded the album ourselves, in our own studio. Stig and myself then mixed the album at his house. The record company Karisma Records brought in Herbrand Larsen from the band Enslaved to master it, and clean up the sound somewhat. The results were really good.
I do not know if you’re planning to release any video but I think the most easygoing & shortest (!!!) track is ‘Tears I’ve Cried’. It would make a great video really!
A: You think so? We haven’t really thought about it. Now that you mention it, I guess that track would fit nicely with a video.
What are your expectations from this album? What’s the next step for the band? Are you planning to give any live shows or what?
A: We don’t really expect anything, other than it’s great if some people like and appreciate the music. We just had a release concert over here in Norway that went down great. We don’t have any other plans for more gigs this year, but next year we are planning a few gigs. We would also love to play in other countries around the globe, but it really depends on the demand for us to do so. We are also planning to record a third album, sometime in the near future. We have a lot of new ideas for new material laying around.
Do you think that a progressive album with long tracks like yours is challenging for today’s listeners? It does need time and concentration though… things that are mostly “missing” from today’s people.
A: That of course, depends on the listener. Today’s generation may have problems listening to long and complex tracks, because of today’s music situation. Radio stations are constantly pumping out plastic hits that are easy listening. If you get used to that, progressive rock songs may be a turn-off and mindblowing to some. But to artists and art-loving people, this music is just another piece of art to appreciate. Today’s society is a fast-consumer society, so maybe it’s true most people don’t find the time to listen to and appreciate long songs anymore... But that won’t stop us from making them, haha. Someone’s gotta do it.
A: Hi Thanos, that’s correct, it’s out as we speak. We are feeling really positive about it. The album is getting many positive reviews already, and that’s really satisfying. A real reward for all the hard work we’ve put into making it.
I bet this 3-year period, since your debut in 2010, had been full of anxiety as well as progression and creativity. Isn’t it so?
A: Well, not so much anxiety I guess, but it did lead to a lot of progression and creativity. We really wanted to push harder on the progressive button on this one, and expand our sound and scope even further. That gradually and naturally developed over a 2-3 year period, since the making of our first album.
When did you start working on your second album and what did you have in mind to do musically?
A: We started to record about mid 2011. Some of the songs had been laying around for a while. We already had parts of “City of Zerych” back in 2008, but it was really just a skeleton, it wasn’t complete, just a few ideas. So we decided to revisit those ideas and develop it in full for this record. “Halls of Amenti” and “The Ancient Tale” were tracks we developed during 2010-11, and both “Tears I’ve Cried” and “The Divine Comedy” during 2011-12. We tried most of them out during concerts before recording them. We did not have a concept in mind at first, but half way through the song writing process I really felt there was a strong theme present, so I decided to write lyrics with a concept in mind. I presented the concept and lyrics to the band, and we all agreed to make this a concept album. Musically we wanted to experiment more, and to expand the sound and scope, as I said before.
In “The Ancient Tale” we found various influences from many music genres such as: prog rock, rock, jazz-fusion, atmospheric, classic rock, blues-rock, ambient, space rock, symphonic and so on. How would you define the band’s sound?
A: Maybe you described our sound right there, with those words. I guess our sound is eclectic and based on a mixture of many styles. I think one of the key elements to our sound is Knut’s voice, which is a little different than most progressive rock bands, and another key element is our love for the vintage analogue keyboard sounds.
What is “The Ancient Tale” that the album’s title talks about?
A: Good question. For me the ancient tale is the most ancient tale of them all: The dualistic concept of the primordial Chaos v/s Order, and this is being mythologized in every single mythology on the planet. That is the theme of the record, and it can be found as a backdrop in all the songs’ lyrics. On the album we are exploring fairy tales, religions, mythologies, and these forces at work on a personal and a social level also.
Can you tell us a bit about the cover artwork? If I’m not mistaken, this painting was done by your guitarist, Stig Selnes.
A: I had the idea for the artwork very early on, that the cover art should be based on the title track “The Ancient Tale”, and for it to supplement the album theme and concept. We all agreed that this would make a really good album cover. I wanted to use Greek mythological characters, and presented these to Stig, our guitarist. He then hand painted the artwork, same as he did with the artwork on our debut album “Land of the Sun”.
I think it’s compulsory you give us more info about each track and the sub-tracks…
A: Well, I don’t want to say too much about them. That would spoil everything. I really want people to find out for themselves what they mean. I always put allegories and multiple layers of interpretation into my lyrics to make it more interesting. But I guess I can tell you a little bit about each track.
“City of Zerych” is a fairy tale about a traveller who encounters a city in the woods, named Zerych. Soon the city is being taken over by an evil wizard, who puts the inhabitants into deep sleep, making mindless zombies out of them. The traveller is taken to a white temple in the woods, where a shaman breaks the spell. The shaman convinces him that he is the one that shall confront and overthrow the evil wizard, and to save the city and its inhabitants.
“Halls of Amenti” is about a personal journey through faith and doubt, inner conflict and a yearning for answers and truth. We find a person wandering in a desert looking for answers, and ends up having a religious experience and an answer and solution to his questions and thirst for truth. Or maybe he just went insane because of the desert heat, you decide for yourself.
“The Divine Comedy” is based on the religious epic poem written by Dante Alighieri in the 12th century. It’s a journey where Dante is traveling through Hell and Purgatory, ending up in the heavenly city. Or it’s an allegory for an inner journey, you decide...
“Tears I’ve Cried” is about forbidden love between a rich girl and a poor boy. The secret is broken eventually, and the love affair ends, all because of society dogma and social status. The boy gets angered, and yearns for revenge.
“The Ancient Tale” is about the dualistic concept, and portrays this through mythological characters representing nature and its laws and forces. We are caught in the battle of four Gods, fighting an eternal and everlasting battle between day and night.
Where did you record the album and who did the production, the mixing and the mastering? I do fancy its clear & full sound.
A: Thanks, I think the sound is very clear also, as we intended. We recorded the album ourselves, in our own studio. Stig and myself then mixed the album at his house. The record company Karisma Records brought in Herbrand Larsen from the band Enslaved to master it, and clean up the sound somewhat. The results were really good.
I do not know if you’re planning to release any video but I think the most easygoing & shortest (!!!) track is ‘Tears I’ve Cried’. It would make a great video really!
A: You think so? We haven’t really thought about it. Now that you mention it, I guess that track would fit nicely with a video.
What are your expectations from this album? What’s the next step for the band? Are you planning to give any live shows or what?
A: We don’t really expect anything, other than it’s great if some people like and appreciate the music. We just had a release concert over here in Norway that went down great. We don’t have any other plans for more gigs this year, but next year we are planning a few gigs. We would also love to play in other countries around the globe, but it really depends on the demand for us to do so. We are also planning to record a third album, sometime in the near future. We have a lot of new ideas for new material laying around.
Do you think that a progressive album with long tracks like yours is challenging for today’s listeners? It does need time and concentration though… things that are mostly “missing” from today’s people.
A: That of course, depends on the listener. Today’s generation may have problems listening to long and complex tracks, because of today’s music situation. Radio stations are constantly pumping out plastic hits that are easy listening. If you get used to that, progressive rock songs may be a turn-off and mindblowing to some. But to artists and art-loving people, this music is just another piece of art to appreciate. Today’s society is a fast-consumer society, so maybe it’s true most people don’t find the time to listen to and appreciate long songs anymore... But that won’t stop us from making them, haha. Someone’s gotta do it.
We see lots of new progressive rock bands… mostly inspired by the 70s prog rock bands and some “borrow ideas & themes” from them. Why do you think this is happening? Does progressive music rely on going back to take some things so as to progress eventually?
A: I don’t think the progressive rock music of today relies on looking backward, but it’s very tempting to do so because of the quality of the bands and music that was made back in the prog heydays. You just can’t help getting inspired by them. It’s kind of a lost Utopia, a sunken Atlantis that you can only catch a glimpse of still. I guess some people are longing for an era when there was total artistic freedom, that todays music scene is lacking almost completely...
Time for our “weird questions”!!! How did you come up with the name “Fatal Fusion?
A: Well, I wanted to have a name similar to names like “Foo Fighters” and “Lynyrd Skynyrd”, and for the words to reflect and catch the attitude and essence of the music. So I came up with the name Fatal Fusion, and that seemed to fit very well, because of the eclectic sound, that fused many styles together. Everybody agreed that would be a good name for the group.
Since you have been active since the 80s, what do you think about those incidents which occurred in the early 90s, in the Norwegian black metal scene? Did they help the whole Norwegian music scene or not?
A: I remember that era and incidents happening, but I wasn’t at all interested in that scene, I was more into bands like Guns n’ Roses and Iron Maiden back in those days. I don’t know if those events helped the music scene, but it certainly was shocking and put Norway on the map, so in a way maybe it helped, sales-wise...
What do you think of the Internet as a means of promotion & distribution? Conversely, it is also a way for people to get music free & illegally. What’s the right way to control it so as not to lose time & money as a musician/band?
A: Tough one. It certainly makes things easier, but as you say: it’s also a means for people to get music free and illegally. Maybe it’s true what some say: all press is good press? I understand the artists who want to make a living by doing their art, and that this new situation is a threat to that. I would very much like that also, but I think it’s a lost game anyway. There are no real ways to fight this new trend. So it’s both a blessing and a curse I guess.
What are those bands that left their mark on the progressive rock movement?
A: To me it’s bands like Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Rainbow, King Crimson, Camel, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pink Floyd, Yes, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple etc. but also earlier bands and artists from the psychedelic era like The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Moody Blues, Procol Harum etc.
I believe that quality is what our music is missing nowadays. Everything is so similar and so easy-going that most of the fans are truly confused. Which is this “force” that will bring back things to what they used to be… to a time period that music was art…?
A: Difficult to say. I believe that everything moves in circles and cycles, so eventually people will get tired of the easy-listening and plastic hits, and look for something genuine again. This shift in focus has happened many times before through history, and not only in music, so I think it must happen again. Maybe it’s the old primordial dualistic forces at work that dictates which side of the pendulum the focus will shift? I like to think so...
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
A: Wow, I don’t even think I can answer this one, there are SO many great albums made by great bands. If I had to choose one right now, I’d probably choose “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd. A perfect record!
Who is your favorite philosopher and why?
A: From the past or present? It would probably be Pythagoras, because he travelled a great deal, and collected so many different stuff from so many different great cultures, like the ones in Greece, Egypt, India, Babylon etc. and put them all together in a great package he used as a manual for his own mystery school. He was a true genius.
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
A: This one is easy, I would make her sell the ring, get my collection back, and then ditch her, haha.
That’s all for now Audun. Thanks for the music, please leave a note to Grande Rock readers… Take care!
A: Thank you for this interview! Peace and progress to all you readers out there, from Audun, Fatal Fusion.
A: I don’t think the progressive rock music of today relies on looking backward, but it’s very tempting to do so because of the quality of the bands and music that was made back in the prog heydays. You just can’t help getting inspired by them. It’s kind of a lost Utopia, a sunken Atlantis that you can only catch a glimpse of still. I guess some people are longing for an era when there was total artistic freedom, that todays music scene is lacking almost completely...
Time for our “weird questions”!!! How did you come up with the name “Fatal Fusion?
A: Well, I wanted to have a name similar to names like “Foo Fighters” and “Lynyrd Skynyrd”, and for the words to reflect and catch the attitude and essence of the music. So I came up with the name Fatal Fusion, and that seemed to fit very well, because of the eclectic sound, that fused many styles together. Everybody agreed that would be a good name for the group.
Since you have been active since the 80s, what do you think about those incidents which occurred in the early 90s, in the Norwegian black metal scene? Did they help the whole Norwegian music scene or not?
A: I remember that era and incidents happening, but I wasn’t at all interested in that scene, I was more into bands like Guns n’ Roses and Iron Maiden back in those days. I don’t know if those events helped the music scene, but it certainly was shocking and put Norway on the map, so in a way maybe it helped, sales-wise...
What do you think of the Internet as a means of promotion & distribution? Conversely, it is also a way for people to get music free & illegally. What’s the right way to control it so as not to lose time & money as a musician/band?
A: Tough one. It certainly makes things easier, but as you say: it’s also a means for people to get music free and illegally. Maybe it’s true what some say: all press is good press? I understand the artists who want to make a living by doing their art, and that this new situation is a threat to that. I would very much like that also, but I think it’s a lost game anyway. There are no real ways to fight this new trend. So it’s both a blessing and a curse I guess.
What are those bands that left their mark on the progressive rock movement?
A: To me it’s bands like Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Rainbow, King Crimson, Camel, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pink Floyd, Yes, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple etc. but also earlier bands and artists from the psychedelic era like The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Moody Blues, Procol Harum etc.
I believe that quality is what our music is missing nowadays. Everything is so similar and so easy-going that most of the fans are truly confused. Which is this “force” that will bring back things to what they used to be… to a time period that music was art…?
A: Difficult to say. I believe that everything moves in circles and cycles, so eventually people will get tired of the easy-listening and plastic hits, and look for something genuine again. This shift in focus has happened many times before through history, and not only in music, so I think it must happen again. Maybe it’s the old primordial dualistic forces at work that dictates which side of the pendulum the focus will shift? I like to think so...
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
A: Wow, I don’t even think I can answer this one, there are SO many great albums made by great bands. If I had to choose one right now, I’d probably choose “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd. A perfect record!
Who is your favorite philosopher and why?
A: From the past or present? It would probably be Pythagoras, because he travelled a great deal, and collected so many different stuff from so many different great cultures, like the ones in Greece, Egypt, India, Babylon etc. and put them all together in a great package he used as a manual for his own mystery school. He was a true genius.
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
A: This one is easy, I would make her sell the ring, get my collection back, and then ditch her, haha.
That’s all for now Audun. Thanks for the music, please leave a note to Grande Rock readers… Take care!
A: Thank you for this interview! Peace and progress to all you readers out there, from Audun, Fatal Fusion.