New Carpathian Forest album coming in 2021! Bassist Vragsinn talks to ZT about what to expect…

Carpathian Forest bassist, Vragsinn, took time out during the current pandemic to have a quick chat with ZT’s Harvey Radford about the long-awaited new Carpathian Forest album, the current band lineup and an insight into his upcoming solo projects.

ZT: Carpathian Forest are considered to be one of the most well known and perhaps controversial Norwegian black metal bands but do you feel that the band may not have always been given the credit that you rightly deserve over the years?

Vragsinn: Yes and no. It is very much our own fault for not doing so much the past decade. The band is and has always been a cult band and after all these years, we are still sort of underground. We do not release albums often, but when we do it’s quality.

ZT: Carpathian Forest are one of the few black metal bands who have stuck to the “TNBM” ethics and culture. How do you feel about some bands venturing away from this and becoming a more polished finished article, and do you feel that some bands may have lost the sense of individuality that exists with the “TNBM” culture?

Vragsinn: Bands and their music evolve….It’s natural. As long as they are doing what they want and are happy with their own music then I don’t really care. I like the bands I like and we do what we want. If you get stuck doing the same thing over and over, that’s also a way to lose individuality, originality and any point of doing music. There are only two kinds of music: good music and bad music and it’s up to you to decide what is good and bad.

ZT: Fuck you all!!!! Caput tuum in ano est was the last full-length album released by Carpathian Forest back in 2006. When can we finally expect to hear a new album from the band, as it was originally expected to be released not far behind 2018’s Likeim EP?

Vragsinn: We have a full album recorded, mixed and ready to go. The whole pandemic thing has made it a little hard to do the last parts as we are stuck in different countries, but I do expect it to be out early 2021. It definitely sounds like Carpathian Forest and as always with a Carpathian Forest album….expect the unexpected.

If you get stuck doing the same thing over and over, that’s also a way to lose individuality, originality and any point of doing music. There are only two kinds of music: good music and bad music and it’s up to you to decide what is good and bad.

ZT: It was previously announced that the new album would be entitled Likskue. Have these plans changed for the upcoming album title and what has forced the delay to the new release?

Vragsinn: The album title is Likskue/Dødens arkitektur. Why this album took so much time….because we’re the fuckups we are.

ZT: Will the new album carry on from 2018’s EP Likeim which obviously had elements of and sounded like Carpathian Forest but perhaps with an even catchier punk edge?

Vragsinn: Yes, and more. Expect a few soon to be classic Carpathian Forest songs alongside more adventurous songs. If you look at the band’s history of releases, they all contain punk elements, black ‘n’ roll and various styles. That hasn’t changed. Carpathian Forest always loved to experiment like that. All in all, I would say this is a grown-up album with serious themes.

ZT: Obviously the band now has new members since you’ve returned to the fold, what different things do you feel that Malphas, Erik and Audun bring to the band and what kind of direction can we expect the band to take now?

Vragsinn: They bring a lot of energy to the band. They’re great guys and I love working with them. They fit in the band really well. Expect Carpathian Forest to continue evolving but still remaining the same.

ZT: For me personally, the first three Carpathian Forest albums for which you were a part of two of them, are very iconic black metal albums. Do you feel that the band can return to the levels reached by these albums?

Vragsinn: Absolutely. We have started working on a lot of new material and I think it has potential. A lot of bands create a few iconic albums and then keep trying to repeat those. That’s not Carpathian Forest. We keep evolving and I expect more iconic classics in the future.

ZT: You have many other projects and interests apart from your involvement in Carpathian Forest. What new and exciting things have you been working on during this pandemic, or have you had to put some things on the back burner?

Vragsinn: I have been quite busy working with music. I have written a lot of material for future Carpathian Forest releases during this period and I’ve also started putting together new songs for my project Vrangsinn And The Arsonists. I have been so lucky to get a bunch of talented musicians to join me in that project and I am having so much fun writing with them. I also seem to have become fanatically interested in vintage guitars and have built myself quite the collection over the past year. That’s going to bring new and interesting sounds to my music. We were supposed to have a big comeback concert as headliners on Skien Metalfest last April but that never happened so we are working on new material instead.

ZT: I can’t thank you enough for taking the time out to talk to me in these strange times that we are living in and it will be a pleasure to see you back with the band on stage in the near future.

Vragsinn: Thanks for having me and it most certainly will be a pleasure to get back on stage when all of this is over.