:Crowhead:
Once hosted in the "New Breaths" section, it is now time to give the proper space to Crowhead here...a good chance to discover more details about their Debut Album "Frozen"...No way men, this is PURE Melancholy!
Jo-Inge survives the tortures of the BlackRose...
Simona


Simona: Hey, I didn’t know you used the help of an occultist to choose the Band Name…. Is there any special reason behind that choice??
Jo-Inge: We needed a name bcs we had a deal with one song on a comp cd here in Norway, and we just needed the name really fast. This occultist, who use to play with us, he worked some days on the two different band names we had, and he came up with Crowhead. There are deeper meanings behind that choiche, and we will see if it works out.
Simona: Wow…personally I find the new version of “Mad Man” wonderful! How did u reach its “evolution”?
Jo-Inge: We wanted to go back to the original versions on the Frozen album, and the demo version has a totally different sound; it is also important to remember that the demo Love Letter was “just“ was a demo, and we will always change the songs like we also did here. When we record a cd-version, we tried with different versions, and we came up with this last version.
Simona: Well, now that the debut album has been released it’s time to work on new material..I heard rumours about a new MCD, can u reveal more details to our readers?
Jo-Inge: We want to release a mcd , maybe before the summer, or short after, I guess Sebastian Komor from Icon of coil will do produce some of the songs, but its to early to say . We do like his remix version of kill you on the album, and we would like to work with some more songs with him. Right now Icon of coil is on a European tour, but we will see when he is back from the tour.
Simona: In which direction will the new compositions lead? I mean, different influences are present in your sound but the main difference between the demo and the album is, according to me, the heavy use of guitar…do we have to expect that in the new material as well?
Jo-Inge: We will see, I guess Rym would get really mad, if he could not get his heavy guitars on the new songs ;), on Frozen also Ted and Rico did guitars, and it all was heavy. I guess we can find maybe some more electro sound on this next thing, but we will see, but for sure, we cannot leave the heavy guitars behind. It also depends of the songs we will use on the mcd, or maybe we do a full length, am really not sure at the moment.
Simona: The Production of “Frozen” is brilliant! ‘guess you won’t change the “winning team “in recording new material, right? And, ‘Gonna try again that remix-stuff? Will Crowhead hit the Goth dance-floors in the future?
Jo-Inge: I think its important to use different „teams“ for recording material, we are really satisfied with the work Rico and Ted did on the frozen cd, but at the moment they have a lot of other producer jobs, so I guess we will try to use Seb only. It will be interesting to see how the cooperation with Seb runs, and we also need to know that he has his roots in a black metal band! So maybe it will change into brutal songs…about the dance floor, if you want to dance, but dance slowly..
Simona: Personally I find a huge contrast between the two remixes and the outro that ends “Frozen”…why such a choice?
Jo-Inge: Hm..to get down after a „remix“ part could be okay..I had another Outro song, but we did not finish it before the dead line. You will find the „original outro on the next release. I think I make a full song out of it, bcs the melody spinning around in my head all the time, and that means that it needs to be a „real“ song. I know you will like it ;-) so, its still here on my pc..i guess u will like it when its all done...but you need to wait some weeks
Simona: It seems you don’t like to talk about your “past” as Shadow Dancers member…by the way, do you feel to have reached your “artistic freedom” with Crowhead?
Jo-Inge: Yes, here in Crowhead I have no negative vibrations like we had in SD, the sd past is buried for me. (And for Rym as well) Crowhead is a project I run, and I like to do it this way. Rym has his other band Ragnarok, where he spends most of his time. I am happy he also joins me in Crowhead bcs he often shows up with some really good melodies!
Simona: I know you are a big fan of the 80’s goth scene, especially of Bands such as The Cure, Cult, and especially Joy Division…how did u feel when I told you that the statue featured in your cover artwork belongs to the same cemetery of the statues present on “Closer” and “Love will tear us apart”?
Jo-Inge: Well, that could be the answer why I like your art and photos ;)I remember I had some t-shirts with this joy division covers, it was looking so good & dark but I never knew it was from a cemetery in Italy! When you told me, I was really surprised, and I think it‘s really a special thing for me. It would not have the same effect on me, if you told me before I choose the cover. Then I maybe would say, no we cannot use it; bcs the statues on this cemetery „belong“ to another band. I love the cover on Frozen, and am happy to know a cover designer with name Simona, thanks!!! ( :-) thanks to you Jo-engel! Ndr)
Simona: A part the “passion” for the 80’s, regarding influences, if I name “old school Doom”, what’s your reaction?
Jo-Inge: well, maybe you can find some ..but i have never been into old doom bands, might be Rym...
Simona: I read you and Rym usually work separately on the songs but…what about the process of composing the lyrics?
Jo-Inge: We do work separately, and until now we feel it‚s the right way. We simply make the songs, and do the recording after the demo songs. we do work on the songs in studio, also do the lyrix separate, the lyrix on frozen are old lyrix , and we wrote them years ago..some are from 1998...In these days it's terribly hard to write lyrix for the crowhead songs, I‘am „too“ happy...and it‘s not the same and cannot be , to have a happy crowhead song...or maybe i will change the theme on the next crowheaqd songs ;)
...but i guess i will try to see some mowies to get some lyrix inspiration
Simona: I see...here I can compare what you say to my personal philosophy: without "pain" artists cannot create...'agree?
Jo-Inge: yes thats true, but in some way the melodies are here still!
Some of the new songs are songs we left out from the frozen album (bcs they was too different from the ones we got on the frozen cd, too "dark" or too heavy)
Simona: From the Poem “Let not” by C. Bukowski: “ let not people be your foundation. Rather build on sand, build on landfills, build on cesspools, build over graveyards, build even over water, but don’t build on the people. They are a bad bet, the worst bet you can make. Anything, compared to people, is a foundation worth searching for!” Well, may these verses fit Crowhead lyrical approach&life philosophy?
Jo-Inge: Yes , that‘s true...you go right: never trust a human..most of human beings often wear masks...
Simona: A dream to achieve in the 2003?
Jo-Inge: No dreams, just existing! I think we need to work on, with songs, and see what‚s showing up. We got good rewievs in different magazines of the Frozen album, and I really hope also people like the album. I know the Frozen cd fits in all cd players, and I hope the sound will enter the minds of the listeners.
Simona: Last thoughts?
Jo-Inge: Thank you for your help, and for making the best Cd cover in 2002! Crowhead loves the Black Rose...
Simona: And the BlackRose loves Crowhead ;-) Best of luck!

Contacts:
CROWHEAD official website
crowhead@c2i.net