Interview: Bizarrekult (2026)
Bizarrekult’s Interview. Mastermind Roman discusses the project's evolution, personal authenticity, and upcoming festival slots. Read more!
Latest album: Alt Som Finnes
Released: February 20th
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Norway
Label: Season Of Mist Productions
Hey mate! thanks heaps for joining me today, whereabout’s are you in the world right now?
Thanks! Just came back home, it is a beautiful snowy day in Trondheim. All good.
How did Bizarrekult as a project start back in the day, I'm curious where the name comes from?
Right. It was autumn 2005 when I decided that I was to start my own project (I have been in bands with others prior to that) and the name was just the idea I had in mind, partially based on the internet nickname that I had used for some years back then (Bizarre)
How has the project changed since you started alone back in the early 2000s? I’d have to imagine the full lineup aspect would of changed it yeah?
I haven’t been very active in the first years. Two demo records in early 2006 and 2007 and then I got a line up in Bergen in 2009 but we did not make it to recording or playing live. Life has been too demanding to do music at that time. So I haven’t done anything music related for roughly 10 years! And still, it was a home-based project until I got a live band at the end of 2021 already after the first LP “Vi Overlevde” came out and we have been playing in different cities in Norway and abroad since then!
What can fans expect from your new release in terms of sound/vibe? The couple of tracks that have been released so far sound great
Thank you! I think the new album is more “black metal” than the previous one. Faster tracks, some cool guitar riffs, raging vocals. But of course with my personal approach - art (and music is art) has to be beautiful, regardless of what shape it takes. So there are quite many emotional moments, very personal.
How did you tee up the guest vocals from dodheimsgard/predatory void? Are these bands you’d played with or was this just you making friends with people online? And eitherway how do you feel about the collaboration that happens more often nowadays with guest vocalists/guitarists popping up on albums?
Yusaf from DHG and Kim from MØL I know personally and met a number of times, but with Lina from Predatory Void I have only been interacting online. I think it is all about organic interaction. For me it has to feel right and appropriate. I can’t really comment on other bands, some do it with friends, some probably with commercial aims in mind, but I guess it is anyway easier to make something with someone you have never met in real life these days thanks to the internet and so on.
What are you trying to achieve with new albums do you think? In terms of pushing boundaries of your writing or trying to nail down your sound. What goals did you have going into this latest album?
To be honest I had no goals. It just had to sound right. I had to be done because words have to be said and things have to happen. I am not writing for a purpose and don’t have any plan for X amount of songs or gigs per year. It has to be at the right moment of time when it feels good.
Whats your take on the landscape of black metal (and music in general) in 2026?
Oh, I think there are many bands that make interesting music, but of course the number of releases is overwhelming.
One thing i really like about your project is that it seems way more invested in self discovery and reflecting on how fucked people are rather than just dealing in cliches. How do you find it trying to strike the balance between being authentic vs paying homage to the black metal that came before you?
There is no trying. As long as you want to be your true self everything would be authentic and organic. Homage could be present in terms of sound or atmosphere, but when it comes to lyrics I am not sure why I should copy something or someone because I would like to express myself first and foremost. So there is no struggle at all. And if I am crafting music and feel that something sounds too close to another band I discard it. But then…the world is much larger than “black metal” so for sure there is something that could be “inspired” by something else, be it classic music or a folkish melody, old literature or modern day philosophy. Humans are very good at processing information and make improvements, developments to already existing things.
What are your guys plans after the new album drops? Do you have much touring planned?
At the moment we are booked for two large festivals - Inferno in Norway and Summer Breeze in Germany. We would love to go on tour again, but no specific plans yet, unfortunately.
Thanks heaps for your time today , as a last question, have you guys been listening to anything cool lately you want to recommend?
Yellow Eyes had an album a few months ago and this made me dive back into their discography, so their “Immersion Trench Reverie” from 2017 has been on rotation. Otherwise Mass IV from Amenra and great death/grind from Terror Corpse.
Purchase tickets for Inferno and Summer Breeze Fest here:
Join the Bizarrekult here:
Jesus Popcornius
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