Summon: How did the band get started?
Heljarmaðr: The band started back in ’98 as a solo project. I was playing in black/death band Diabolic Lust back then and wanted to do something different.
Summon: What kind of music do you play?
Heljarmaðr: Fuck I hate to categorize but I’d describe Cursed 13 as Swedish Black Metal with influences from Doom, Rock and Blues. Heavy, aggressive and in your fucking face!
Summon: How has the fan response been?
Heljarmaðr: It has been great, when you are 100% proud of what you do and let loose the fire, it shines through.
Summon: Where did the band name come from?
Heljarmaðr: Years of bad lock, cursing and letting all Hell loose. A curse for somebody is a blessing for somebody else so that word is very dynamic. As is the number 13, it has a lot of history and is numerologically interesting.
Summon: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
Heljarmaðr: Dimman is the drummer, he also writes most of the digital parts (for example the intro to Vrede). Maugrim plays lead guitar, he’s also a very good bass player so he contributes with some bass lines here and there. Niantiel is our most recent member and he replaces Isengrim on guitar from now on. Niantiel is a hell of a good guitarist and will be playing lead guitar together with Maugrim. I am the vocalist and I also play some guitar and bass on the latest album. When on stage I do vocals and bass.
Summon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Heljarmaðr: I write most of the music and lyrics, with some contributions from Dimman.
Summon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Heljarmaðr: It comes from observations in life, spiritual studies and from the urge to spit on everything and everyone.
Summon: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism?
Heljarmaðr: I am a satanist. What else do you want to know? You’ll have to be more specific. There are as many definitions of those words as there are shapes of snow flakes.
Summon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Heljarmaðr: One split album in 2009 and now the debut album. Prior to that there was a bunch of EP’s and demos only.
Summon: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Heljarmaðr: Anyone in particular you are curious about?
Summon: Do you have any side projects?
Heljarmaðr: Yes, I am also a member of Domgård. Dimman is the drummer of Spazmosity, Niantiel has Grafvitnir and we all also have Grá in common.
Summon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Heljarmaðr: Bathory, Mayhem, Dødheimsgard, The Doors, Johnny Cash to mention a few.
Summon: What is the band like when you play live?
Heljarmaðr: Like a freight train, aiming at your general direction!
Summon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Heljarmaðr: No not with Cursed 13, not yet. We have just recently released the album after many years of struggle and silence so we only have one show under our belt yet.
Summon: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
Heljarmaðr: That will be interesting to find out, we have two shows coming up in early 2014 here in Sweden.
Summon: How is the crowd response when you play?
Heljarmaðr: For the one show that we have done we got splendid reviews, as I said, it will be interesting to find out.
Summon: What do you think of the US Black Metal/Death Metal scene?
Heljarmaðr: I am not very updated about the US scene. I did a mastering job for Gnosis of the Witch just recently though. Those guys deserve some attention.
Summon: What do you think of the Overseas scenes?
Heljarmaðr: If by overseas you mean Europe, I don’t know. It really doesn’t matter where you come from, idiots are idiots and good bands are good bands regardless of geography.
Summon: What are some of new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
Heljarmaðr: I rarely listen to new music so I’ll have to go for Gnosis of the Witch, best new band I’ve heard in a while.
Summon: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
Heljarmaðr: I’m already writing and planning for the next release, stay tuned and you will find out more.
Summon: What does the future hold for the band??
Heljarmaðr: More music, more live shows, more decadence, more chaos.
Thank you for your time!
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cursed-13-Official/478871268804066?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://myspace.com/thecursed13
https://soundcloud.com/cursed-13-official
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCccUAhlj0XRw2bUwXATe0w
