### Runemagick - Nicklas Rudolfsson

#### 15/02/08 || Kampfar

As an introduction I’ll simply serve you a definition of the word “unsung”, and here goes: ”not celebrated in song or verse; not praised or acclaimed: the unsung heroes of the war”

Global Domination: I’ll start out by congratulating the three of you for releasing one of last year’s best albums, ”Dawn of the end”. A bit more uptempo this time around, compared to your two most recent releases that is, and I wonder if it was the drummer who requested a change of pace from the excellent funeral doom (or something) you’ve been making lately?

Nicklas: Thanks! It’s was not planned to speed up. We just felt for it in some parts of the songs. Some riffs sound better with a bit more tempo and the songs get more interesting. I want it to sound Runemagick, but the songs must not have exactly the same style on every album.

Talking about your excellent drummer, are you familiar with his other bands; Relevant Few, Engel and The Project Hate MCMXCIX? The latter is fronted by the chief of this very site I’m writing for. He hates a lot, and may therefore be related to you.

Yes, Mojjo is an excellent drummer! I believe he quit Relevant Few some years ago. The music of Engel is not my cup of tea but they seem to push alot with that band, respect to them for that. Listened to TPH at their MySpace site a few weeks ago and some parts were cool, I have to listen more to full albums of them. I also checked out the Global Domination site, and yes, your chief seems to be a man of truth who says what he thinks, right from the heart. A thing you don’t see everywhere in this business.

The promo version of Deathwitch’s “Violence, blasphemy, sodomy” bore a message to all reviewers, and it wasn’t a pleasant one, but nonetheless I ask if you have checked out the response on your latest opus? I love ”VBS,” by the way, a nice slab of absolute hate it is.

Uhm?! Now we talk about another band? Don’t remember what the message was but something like fuck off to media or something? Anyway, I remember that it offended some people, and it was not written by the persons involved in the ”band”. I have not checked the response on the last release from this dead band/project. Hardly remember the songs… ”Blood Sucking Fuck” and some others…

(A fuck up on my behalf there, as I meant to ask if he’d checked what the critics thought about the latest Runemagick, but as you can see, the question is confusing. Fuck me, I’m still learning)

In most cases it would be silly to ask a band who has just released an album when the new one will arrive, but since you have released one full-length each year since 2002, I do ask what we can expect to hear from Runemagick when we write 2008?

Probably nothing. We did not record anything new during 2007 and will probably not record during 2008 either. The circle is broken or something. If we don’t have inspiration for Runemagick there will be no material. But I’m sure I will get some new inspiration later in 2008, so hopefully there will be some new stuff in 2009 or maybe it was the Dawn of the End? Time shall tell…

I’m not saying you are a dictator, at least not a mean one, but I have this feeling you are responsible for making all the music in Runemagick. So, what inspires you to make such gems of darkness? I bet talented co-workers are an inspiration in itself.

On the last albums I wrote a 100% of the riffs, but the other members helped out with arrangements and ideas. Hard to say what the inspiration comes from, but of course co-workers are an source of inspiration. I must be in the right mood when composing, and really feel for it.

I know for a fact you guys aren’t as much on the road as Willie Nelson, far from. Is this solely due to your music being too difficult to handle for the ADHD ridden masses or are you picky as fuck when it comes to where you chose to play?

Runemagick are since 2005 not available for live actions. Maybe in the future, but not now. I prefer small dark clubs with smoke machines and people into heavy and dark metal.

Was there a defining moment in your life, a point where it sort of said “bang!” and you just knew you were set to makes lots of noisy and heavy music? If so, when did it happen, and what made the change take place? If nothing of this happened at all, I would nonetheless like to know what made you pick up an instrument.

My father used to play in various bands when I was a kid, and thats probably why I started to pick up some instruments. I remember I tried to copy Black Sabbath songs with an acoustic guitar. Started my first band with some friends in early years when we were like 9-11 years old. Still remember some of the titles; ”Boiled to Death”, ”The Pink Clothed Idiot Must Die in Pink Blood” and so on… Then we discovered new bands and albums like Death’s ”Scream Bloody Gore”, Bathory, Celtic Frost and so on… And new bands were formed with new influences… The rest is history…

We have quite some musicians reading our shit and I would therefore like you to tell us, or rather them, which equipment you use, what your favorite guitars is and so on. I don’t give a flying fuck, but they do.

I have put most of my equipment at a storage room, but at home I mostly use my 70’s Ibanez Artist guitar, Line6 pre-amp, fuzz & 80’s metal mixed distortions and various effects. Recording ideas and demos on iMac with Protools Mbox.

In the past you were one of those notorious bastards playing in, pardon my French, a fuckload of bands. I noticed The Metal Archives didn’t list you as an ex-member of all those bands, so I wonder, are you still involved in any other bands/projects than Runemagick?

At the moment I’m involved in 3 more or less active projects: The Funeral Orchestra, Runemagick and Domedag. Nothing more.

What is the worst band you have ever played in?

Crusaders of Death in 88-89 or Grave Desecrator in 90 or Bells of Doom in 2001.

Do you have any idea why so many of the women found in metal do the bass? Talking about women, be sure to check out Moonshine (shitty name, I know) to hear one of the best (not only female) growlers there is.

Don’t know… maybe women into metal like to play bass more than guitar… Never heard of Moonshine (home made booze?), will check them out soon!

I know you are a multi talented individual and therefore it wouldn’t surprise me if ya took care of producing your own shit. If I’m right, I’d like to know whether you do work for others or not. If I’m wrong, please tell who’s responsible, simply because they deserve a mention for doing a great job.

I helped Andy at Los Angered Recording (now Sonic Train Studios) from time to time some years ago. Worked as an recording engineer with various bands like Melechesh, Lord Belial, Funeral and many more…

It’s a common fact most sites on the retardnet looks like utter shite, Runemagick’s doesn’t. I therefore did some research to promote the ones responsible for its making and I ended my investigation with the conclusion that you guys are responsible for it yourselves, so congratulations with yet another talent. And while we are at it, have you done pages for other bands?

Thanks, we like to keep it clean and easy to browse. I also help other bands, like Candlemass and others. As you probably can see, using almost the same style..

Are you able to live of your creative talents or do you have an ordinary day job? I have, and I fucking hate it, not because I’m afraid to work, but because working for a society I don’t believe in makes it very fucking hard to find the motivation necessary to put in a decent effort.

Yes… maybe it’s the ordinary job thats eats my inspiration at the moment… I have a full time job at an ISP in Sweden working in Gothenburg and Stockholm. Emma is busy with studies at the moment and Daniel is working with porn and all his other bands.

Since you obviously got a grip, I would like you to hear your verdict on the GD layout. It is a Finn ”named” Statik Majik who’s responsible, and I think it looks pretty neat.

Yes, it’s nice. Dark and tasteful design, based on the opensource textpattern scripts. Great!!

How involved are you in the metal scene nowadays? On a more general level, do you still check out records and have like favorite bands? If so, what is your favorite band of Norwegian heritage?

I’m not very involved in the scene everyday but I still have alot of contacts with musicians, fans and people over the world, thanks to e-mail. I also check out new bands from time to time, and of course I still have my ”old” favourite bands. Hmm, my favourite Norwegian band, maybe Darkthrone, the first two albums.

Talking about Norway, yer label is Norwegian (Aftermath for those who care) and has been so for a while. You don’t strike me as a person who tolerates much bullshit, so tell us what makes this label better than the ones you have been on in the past?

Aftermath likes our music and we like them, they do what we want, artistic freedom and so on. Small underground label that suits Runemagick very well. We don’t have any success goals of fame, videos and radio hits.

Since you are a Swede, I reckon you drive either a Volvo or a Saab. Now, which one is it? The only Saab I’m interested in, by the way, goes under the name Gripen and has bombs attached to its wings. Holler if you stumble over a bargain with live ammunition.

Hahaha, I drive Volvo v40, easy to load it with some guitars and stuff.

Talking about cars makes it in context to ask if you’ve ever seen a programmed called Top Gear? If not, what do you watch on the telly? I use mine almost exclusively for playing, though the last couple of years there has been little of that too. Are you by any chance into gaming of any sort?

Never seen Top Gear. Mostly watching movies a few times in month and yes my son got a ps3 and of course I use to game also, at the moment some war game I don’t remember the name of.

Are you a religious person?

No.

Do you think humanity will have erased itself, or the planet erased them, from the surface of earth before, allegedly, the sun swallows it whole?

Humanity will probably erase by itself and the planet at the same time. The sun will just swallow a piece of crap called the Earth.

What is your favorite weapon? And also, name the three greatest wars of all time.

I used to compete in Mauser shooting when I was like 15 years old. So it’s my favourite weapon.

1. 1521–1523 Swedish War of Liberation 2. 1598–1599 War against Sigismund 3. 1700–1721 Great Northern War

If ya had a time-machine, which era would first and foremost like to visit? Me? I would have visited Harald The Hardruler in 1066 and told him to wait up a couple days before launching his attack against England, and then, maybe, that very island could have been under Norwegian rule. But, as a wise man said, if time travels had been possible, people from the future would’ve been here already.

The age of the dinosaurs would be interesting to visit. But also the Middle Ages and so on… but it will never happen so I focus on today and the nearest future.

That’s it, I won’t pester you with any more of my questions. Thanks for the effort, and thanks for making shitty lots of excellent music. Oh, and congratulations on yer marriage.

Thanks for the interview!! Check our website www.runemagick.se for the latest news! and thanks for the congratulations, 1 year since marriage of doom in the land of dragons…