Immortal as a black metal project were always seen as second tier. Not quite as bad as the Dimmu Borgir and Satyricon arrivists, but not as good as the true originators of the Norwegian black metal style: Burzum, Mayhem, Neraines, Darkthrone.
To add insult to injury, the Abbath versus Demonaz feud itself seems to be a never-ending, entropic drivel of washed up drama between two of its founding members, even as the Immortal brand loses more relevance day after day. After Gorgoroth and the incessant Infernus whining, the Abbath and Demonaz drama has become the most annoying and petulant syndrome of black metal man-children, making a scene for everyone to witness.
Yet, despite all these alternately hilarious and cringe-worthy shortcomings, Immortal was once a well-respected black metal band. They released two good albums, Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism and Pure Holocaust, before the disaster Battles in the North. Blizzard Beasts was okay, but not quite there. And At the Heart of Winter was the nail in the coffin of a band becoming increasingly interested in metalcore. But the first two were decent black metal albums.
More importantly, Immortal wasn't just a name thrown around because of their music. They knew people. Euronymous. Fenriz. Necrobutcher. Varg Vikernes. Hell, it was Immortal that got Varg into black metal in the first place!
The Complete Abbath Interview on Demonaz and Black Metal
While everyone has heard of Demonaz' side of story, and his repeated attacks not just against Abbath - who married in sister - and drummer Horgh, Abbath himself has been much more discrete and preserved ever since the Immortal breakup in 2015. While he had a few stints in his solo project with King ov Hell of the aforementioned Gorgoroth, he mostly kept to himself... aside from that one time he called Demonaz a "Demon's Ass" and claimed he "wasn't even good enough for an Immortal cover band". Ouch?
In a freshly published interview with the legendary Morsay, Abbath aka Olve Eikeimo, opens up on many subjects, including Demonaz aka Harald Nævdal (of course), Euronymous, Varg, and the evolution of the black metal scene since the early days of the infamous Norwegian "Inner Circle" until today. The interview is available I believe in the book "War Metal Beast" that documents the evolution of black metal from its inception to today.
Abbath on his "First Band" Old Funeral...
The first real question concerns how Abbath got into music. He mentions Venom and Motörhead, obviously, but also Metallica and Manowar, as well as Helgrind and Bathory. An interesting combo.
Abbath: Something happened when we discovered bands like METALLICA and MANOWAR and VENOM and MOTÖRHEAD. There was something happening in the music in the mid-80s. We discovered HELGRIND and BATHORY too, of course. [...] In 1988, me and a couple of friends of mine, we got money to buy instruments. I bought a bass guitar and a little amplifier and my friend bought a drumkit and another friend bought a guitar and we started rehearsing. I've been doing it ever since that day, May 17, 1988. That was my first band, Old Funeral.
And even before he could play a single note of Motörhead's songs, Abbath was already lost in what would later become the cringe black metal fantasy and canon of "Blashyrkh". He shares an interesting anecdote: as a child, he wanted to become a "demon".
Speaking of the heavy metal legends like Heinrich Aarseth, Alice Cooper and Lemmy Kilmister.
Abbath: When I was a kid I had pictures from magazines everywhere and I hadn't even heard them yet! They just looked like gods, like supermen with instruments. [...] You know what it's like when you're a kid, and you wanna be a fireman or a policeman when you grow up? Well, I wanted to be that, a f[-]cking demon!
Not a fireman. A fire beathing demon lol. Euronymous and Varg would have approved.
"Black Metal Didn't Exist When We Started Immortal..."
Eikeimo then goes on a rant about not being a trend follower. While Immortal's early output is often compared to a lesser version of Burzum's first album - indeed, they would know Varg's playing style! - and Bathory's Blood Fire Death, the Immortal members don't see it as such. If anything, Abbath claims they tried to innovate by not blindly copying the Floridian death metal scene.
He also briefly covers the killings and arsons, and other controversies associated with Norwegian black metal. The "evil side" of what they did, as he says.
Abbath: When we started IMMORTAL, black metal wasn't even thought about by anybody. The Florida death metal scene was popular at the time but that wasn't the way we wanted to go. We wanted to do something different. [...] The evil side of what we did, that's always been there. Demonaz and I just clicked together and we created our own world. Bands like MAYHEM had their thing, but we were on the west side of Norway doing our own thing.
They insist on being more than just a Mayhem copycat band. If Mayhem's music was about evil and violence, and occult rituals, Immortal's music was to be more about nature and darkness... reminiscent more of bands like Burzum, Ildjarn, Bathory (later), Graveland and Neraines. Speaking of the lyrical content of Immortal, Eikeimo is pretty direct on why he writes about mountains and landscapes.
Abbath: I'm in love with Norwegian nature, you know? I love the mountains, the fjord and everything. I grew up with that. The countryside is my place. That's what I try to write about on IMMORTAL.
There seems to have been a split, even back in the early 1990s, about those bands who wanted to write about nature - the Burzum school - and those who wanted to write about stereotypical "occult" stuff - the Mayhem school. And then there's Carpathian Forest, who write about fascistic BDSM... they are their own thing.
"The reason why Pure Holocaust has survived this long..."
Speaking of fascistic tendencies, on the Pure Holocaust controversy - the only time Immortal deviated from the cliché "frostkvlt" lyrical themes - Abbath once again stands firm against any criticism. Immortal never much cared for playing it safe, and their second record certainly proved it beyond a doubt. They wanted to drop something as raw and in-your-face as Mayhem's early demos, and the music was apparently solid enough that none of the NS associated controversies could ever touch or taint it.
Abbath: [About Pure Holocaust and its lyrics] That's how IMMORTAL has always been. All our records are very honest. They represent exactly where we were at that point in time. [...] MAYHEM had Pure F[-]cking Armageddon, and we wanted to make a bold statement like them. But, I'll tell you this: the reason why Pure Holocaust has survived this long is because of its great songs.
This is somewhat similar to Nocturno Culto's comments related to Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger album "Norsk Arisk" fallout. The music above all else.
"Demonaz and Horgh aren't good enough to play in Immortal..."
On Demonaz and Horgh teaming up to kick Abbath out of Immortal, and eventually Demonaz turning on Horgh himself, Abbath has since then come to terms with it. No longer is he motivated by revenge, and the desire for retribution.
Abbath: I just think they [Demonaz and Horgh, tn.] ended up being in it for the wrong reasons. They weren't showing any passion for what we were doing. They weren't very good even when they were playing in IMMORTAL.
Leaving Immortal also gave Eikeimo the opportunity to focus on his own band, the eponymous Abbath - in which he briefly played with King ov Hell. He seems it as "more real" than even Immortal.
Abbath: Even though my new band is called ABBATH, it finally feels like I'm in a real band. Part of a group of musicians who have a great dialogue and share a passion for the music. It didn't feel like that in IMMORTAL for a long time.
Immortal has certainly lost relevance in recent years. The commercial aspects of At the Heart of Winters and subsequent albums, called "Dimmu Borgir with even less T" by Metalious, only cemented their legacy as a heavy metal has been. Despite their initial potential.
Abbath on Varg Vikernes joining Old Funeral
The most interesting part of the interview is certainly when Abbath starts talking about the "old days" of the Norwegian black metal scene. It's during that time when most of the mystique was built. He comments on Varg Vikernes joining Old Funeral, even before he became a full-time Mayhem bassist. He mentions an incident where Varg invaded Demonaz's parents' basement.
Abbath: I remember when he [Varg Vikernes] joined Old Funeral. He was already very committed and he took it very seriously. [...] I remember before that, when Demonaz lived in his parents' house in the basement, there was this window and one night he was sleeping and there was this knocking on his window. It was raining and it was the middle of the night and he opened it up and it was Varg.
It has been noted, by others, that "opening it up to Varg" in the middle of the night isn't always such a great idea. Ask Euronymous. And speaking of the "godfather" of black metal.
"It was extra bad that Varg killed Euronymous..."
While the bad blood between Mayhem, Euronymous specifically, and Immortal is legendary - with Aarseth threatening to "end" Immortal if they used the name "black metal" on their albums, and forcing the band to call their music "Holocaust metal" instead -, Abbath gives a more nuanced picture. He claims that he, and supposedly the others members of Immortal, were not in fact bullied by the Mayhem guitarist.
Abbath: Euronymous was very supportive of IMMORTAL and we really liked and appreciated that. He meant a lot for IMMORTAL in our early stage. And that he got killed... I just wished... it was just so extra bad that Varg was involved in that murder, because Varg is also a friend of ours.
Eikeimo, like Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell and Harald "Demonaz" Nævdal, has been the target of extended scrutiny throughout the years due to his prolonged friendship with Varg Vikernes. Unlike Fenriz (and Demonaz), Abbath claims that he "isn't friends" with Varg anymore. They broke up?
Abbath: I liked him at first and I had no problems with Varg. I liked him until all this shit all started to happen and he started killing everyone, but in the beginning I really liked the guy.
What is the song in Burzumination called? "A Very Old Funeral for Vegárd Sméagol Mount Doom Occultard"? Fitting?
At any rate, whatever you think of the evolution of the band Immortal, and the perpetual teenage girl scouts drama surrounding its two main members Abbath and Demonaz, it's always good to hear different viewpoints from various members of the scene. Particularly when we're talking about members who were there during the early days of the Norwegian black metal "Inner Circle", and that is certainly the case with Immortal... one of the bands closest to Euronymous, after the "big four" of Burzum, Darkthrone, Neraines and Mayhem.
As for Abbath's solo career with King ov Hell... well, they also got into a feud. They broke up, again.
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