GW Destruction.
ABBATH Didn’t I say Destruction! Whoa. Sorry. [laughs] We also couldn’t have been anywhere without German thrash, but it didn’t specifically influence me on this album. Actually, the main riff from “At the Heart of Winter” is “Hells Bells” from AC/DC.
DEMONAZ That’s definitely not German thrash. [laughs]
ABBATH And maybe the next riff I make will be influenced by the Rolling Stones. You never know.
GW You’re a Stones fan?
ABBATH One of my favorite riffs is “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” I like the simple, not-too-technical stuff that’s played in a fast, hard way. That’s much cooler to me. What do you need a million notes for? Like Gene Simmons said, “You don’t play with your mind…you play with your dick!” [laughs] I like that.
GW The summer after you released Sons of Northern Darkness, in 2003, you split citing “personal reasons.” What were the circumstances surrounding that decision?
ABBATH Of course, it was for personal reasons. The band is personal. We are a family. We are brothers. It’s like a marriage. When you marry someone, you believe in it. You want to continue it, but sometimes you need a break. A lot of bands just milk it. We could’ve continued and made a lot of money, but I’ve never done this for the money or the fame. All that stuff means nothing if you don’t have the spirit inside. And we were starting to lose it a little. We’re not stupid. We are very smart when it comes to our shit. We think long term. To quote Paul Stanley, “Kiss is not the latest trend, it’s a lifestyle.” Same thing with Immortal. It’s our life.
GW Speaking of families, you guys are actually brothers-in-law, right?
ABBATH Yes, I was married to Demonaz’ sister, and I have a 13-year-old son with her. She’s still one of my best friends. So Demonaz and I are really like a family. There’s no fucking around. Demonaz is my brother. I’m an only child. He has two sisters but no brother. But we have each other. Family is important. We have strong bonds.
GW Abbath, has your guitar setup changed much since the band first broke up?
ABBATH I used to go through a Mesa/Boogie until I tried Engle amps. Now I use the Engle Ritchie Blackmore Signature E 650 amp. But when I want to make riffs at home, I like the Peavey Bandit. That’s the ultimate home black metal amplifier. The Bandit rules!
GW What’s your main guitar?
ABBATH I’ve always played on Demonaz’ old guitar. It’s a shark-finshaped Jackson copy GHL from the mid Eighties, which we enhanced. We made it into the ultimate Immortal guitar. But now I’ve got an endorsement with ESP. I actually use the Dave Mustaine signature model. I love its V shape, and it sounds great.
GW What effects are you using?
ABBATH I get all my distortion from the amp. Other than that, I use a flanger sometimes and the blue Boss CH-1 Super Chorus. My motto is “The simpler, the better” when it comes to effects.
GW Now that Immortal’s back and the tour has been going well, do you plan to record a new album?
ABBATH Yes, but we don’t have the whole picture yet. We have some arrangements, and Demonaz has a lot of lyrics, but that’s as far as we are at the moment. But Demonaz is back, and I’m fucking back! His masterpiece is coming up, and so is mine.
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