SOURCE – Winter Thrice is described as almost the music culmination of Borknagar’s musical evolution and growth over the years. Can you explain this please?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – This being our 10th album and since we have been around for 20 years, we wanted to do something special with this album. So one of the ideas that I had when starting to write the album was to capture the spirit of our musical history as a whole. Not by copy and paste riff by riff or anything like that, but in a way extract the soul of the band. Atleast that is what we tried.
SOURCE – Which of the songs on the new album (Winter Thrice) has the most emotional meaning for you?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – Most definitely “the Rhymes of the Mountain” in which is a very personal song to me. Lyrically speaking it’s simply a hymn to the mountains, but to me it’s also a song to my father. He is the one who has passionately thought me to love nature, to rove the mountains and so forth. I owe him everything, this is my way to thank him for that.
SOURCE – Over the years Borknagar developed a style of its own which the fans cherish. How do you manage to find a way to meet their expectations and fulfill your own artistic ambitions at the same time?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – Let the creativity flow as always I guess. I have been doing this, writing music, almost all my life so I really don’t think too much about such things. It’s such an integrated part of my life. I never compromise on my music though, so I always follow my own heart and that is the only subject I account for while writing the songs. So writing music is a very egocentric part of my life in many ways- but when it is done I share it with the rest of the world.
SOURCE – Borknagar have been going for over two decades with no real breaks, can you see Borknagar continuing indefinitely?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – Yes, BORKNAGAR will be rolling no matter what as long as I am alive. There might be times when we downpace the activity, things change, different line up. Who knows, nobody can predict the distant future. But BORK is such a huge part of me in which I can’t just cut off.
SOURCE – The band is based in Bergen, one the cultural centers in Norway. How does the city, its history and all the cultural things going on influence you as a musician and as a human being?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – You know, I am 40 years old now. Growing older I really have a hard time to pinpoint what and how much things really influence me. Really, I find inspirations in all facettes of life, the good times and the bad. But ofcourse, the environment you grow in definitely shapes you. That includes me. To me the most important thing is to be able to live close to nature, which I have been doing almost all my life. Bergen city per say doesn’t really give me anything other than a small depression when being there. I have never liked cities, there is just too much noise, dirt and activity for a simple country boy… haha.
SOURCE – Seeing the way the music industry has changed with digital platforms and especially the rise of illegal downloading, how has that affected you as a band, as that is something that wasn’t there the first time.
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – Honestly, haven’t noticed much really. The sales of physical album has ofcourse declined drastically since the nineties and so forth. But we as a band don’t earn anything on the album sales anyway, so it really don’t make much difference in that perspective. But on the other hand the digital “revolution” has made life as a musician much easier. Everything from studio facilities to communication- and ofcourse the potential to reach out to people. So bottomline, I am positive to the recent evolution of the music business.
SOURCE – Do you see anything of yourself in some of the younger bands?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – Maybe so, if I followed up on that. But I don’t. Actually I listen very rarely to music at all. I spend so much time thinking, making and producing music, so when I leave my studio I prefer silence.
SOURCE – Recording albums, promoting and touring take up a lot of your time. What helps you unwind when your home?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – First and foremost my wife and kids. I also love to build things, so this summer I have started to build a new studio facility in my backyard. Doing everything myself. Hard physical work is to me one of the best ways to unwind, so to speak.
SOURCE – So 2016, Borknagar have a new album right out of the gate, what’s the plan for the rest of the year?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – We’re planning a small European tour this spring. Not nailed yet, but let’s see how that goes. We are also doing some major festivals this summer like Wacken, With Full Force and Graspop. And a few others I don’t remember. Next autumn we are also considering a US or South American tour.
SOURCE – Well thank you so much for taking the time today to do this interview, and congrats on the new album. Do you have anything else you’d like to say to the diehard fans or to the people who might be selecting Winter Thrice to be their first Borknagar listening experience?
Øystein G. Brun (Guitar) – Well, we have laid our hearts in this new album so we appreciate every single one who check out and listen to the album. Prepare for a rare musical adventure! Thanx for the support!
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