On Arcturus‘ triumphant return to the UK, we caught up with legend ICS Vortex to discuss the long-awaited reunion.
THE METALIST: So the first thing is, welcome back! It’s been far too long and we’re happy to have Arcturus back. With the statement back in 2007 that Arcturus was over, what changed to reunite the band?
ICS Vortex: Thank you! Well it’s not so much change. We did make a very bombastic statement at the last show [Melbourne, 2007] because we kind of saw that Arcturus wasn’t going anywhere and we weren’t super keen to make a new album. We were having some small, stupid quarrels – we are all just a bit fed up. We thought a good long break would be healthy for the band – I did make a big statement about the end of Arcturus but I didn’t really believe it. I thought it was just better to make a clean cut and then come back to surprise everyone. Better than just dwindling away and having people lose interest. Now it’s actually amazing how many people still remember the band!
The reunion took way longer than I expected it to, but at the point when I was kicked out of Dimmu [Borgir] there was no better time to think about old bands, and Arcturus was the first thing on my mind. I called the guys and we had a friendly dinner and chatted about old times, then we started to play and rehearse.
Everything took so long though – it took ages for us just to get together and rehearse. We booked a gig just to pretend that we were back even though we weren’t ready, but at the rehearsal place we jammed old songs and everybody [in the band] was just happy and really getting into the music. Everybody was happy to continue and we just wanted to take it slowly.
Just waiting for the click to come back over the years?
Yea, but it was already there you know? From the first rehearsal that we did it was back – we did that rehearsal just to see if we want to continue, but I was just really really happy, jumping up and down and smiling! So we took it from there, started slowly and of course putting a new record out was in the back of our minds.
Eventually we started writing new music, but that process took quite a long time with the music and myself writing the lyrics. We announced the album would be out in 2012, then 2013, 2014 and now 2015. But finally!
When the band broke up in 2007 were any of the members thinking about new music for Arcturus for the future even with the possibility of no reunion?
No, I don’t think so. There wasn’t really any music written from 2007 up until the reunion. There was a track called ‘Crashland’ which was supposed to be on the ‘Sideshow Symphonies’ album, but the guy who did the vocals before me said that this song was not Arcturus. It was on the demo tapes sent to me when I agreed to join back in 2004, but I think it’s a super catchy riff, everything was perfect for me, a very Arcturus song!
When did the band sit down and say, OK, we are definitely going to make another Arcturus album?
I don’t really remember! I think about 2011-ish, about the time I released the last ICS Vortex album. [laughs] You know I really don’t remember! Time is such a weird thing. You know with kids and family and all that, every day for me is like – well just flies! Time is just this weird mass of something.
And the next question is that with the last two Arcturus albums being so highly acclaimed, did the band feel any pressure to write the next one and have to live up to the career?
No, absolutely not! I mean we’ve done this project so long, you might say it’s a hobby for us. You know we all have day jobs so it’s not like we need to do an album to make a living or anything – it’s just pure fun. We’re quite lucky as we have our own studios – we don’t feel any pressure!
You’re free to just kind of write at will?
Yea, that’s kind of the important thing to make it stand out.
So you have the new album out now. How would you describe the new album? Is there anything new or anything more experimental than before?
Well…I think it’s a little bit of the whole history [of Arcturus]…a lot of people have said that to me as well. It wasn’t intentional but it was kind of how it took form!
So it’s a kind of album where it is what it is!
Yea [laughs]. We have a couple new elements on the album – we have this guy that plays violin for us and played on almost every song. Sometimes you don’t always hear him but he’s there, maybe in a different form – the violin might have some effects on it. I like it because it doesn’t take over and doesn’t make the album super symphonic and it’s not overkill so it doesn’t make the music shitty and just ruin stuff. That element gives the record a more organic feel I guess.
We also had a producer called Twistex, who listens to dubstep, and of course I had to Google dubstep [laughs]. I’m living in my little bubble in Norway! When I heard what he was doing I became interested and said yes, let’s see what he can do, he could bring in some new ideas that sound good. He helped us out with some new sounds, brought in his youthful dubstepish ways. It was actually really cool. He rearranged this track called ‘Demon’, he was editing vocals and turned them around by accident, but then presented it to me. At first I was a bit sceptical but then I was like…’Excellent! Great Idea!’.
I guess that’s what Arcturus have kind of built their career on is experimental stuff and different ideas in metal music?
Yes! We all try to be open-minded about that, and I just love it when it happens [stumbling across something new]! The more things like that, the better for me!
So do you think this is a full return for the band, it’s not just a one-off album and tour, and continue with Arcturus activities in the future?
I don’t know. We will do this for as long as we like it, as long as the band spirit is good! Whenever we start to get bad vibes from each other or start to get on each other’s nerves or whatever…I mean we are very different people in many ways! I think that [the diversity] is very good for a band…but you know shit can happen!
If the spirit stays as it is now, we will definitely continue into the future. We have some new riffs already, so it won’t be another 10 year wait for another album. We could continue until we are all in wheelchairs [laughs]!
And touring wise, do you have plans to tour outside of Europe for the next year, maybe couple years?
Yep. This year I think we will tour America, South America and another leg of the European tour and maybe some Asian countries – I’m not entirely sure yet.
And how have the fans received the Arcturus comeback on this tour?
It’s been overwhelming! I’ve seen a couple comments on the production of this tour and a couple things that could have been better here and there, but I was expecting that. Everyone seems to like the new songs which are the most important!
You feel good about it all?
I feel good! I do!
Well thank you so much for taking the time to interview with us today! And it’s good to have Arcturus back!
My pleasure, thank you!
