Ulcus is a norwegian band of black metal that has released one CD "Cherish the Obscure" and a MCD "Malicious Triumph" (they recorded also a CD called "Roles" when they were called Ulcus Molle). We talked with bassist Jarle to take a deeper insight into their music.

It´s been more than 6 year since the band first formed as Ulcus Molle: Which are the main differences in your music since then?

The changes have been quite drasticly. We started out as a power trash band influenced by bands such as Sepultura, Slayer, Metallica, Death etc. We played a lot of cover songs of these bands. We were only sixteen years old when we started, and most of us were quite unexperienced with music. Since then we have evolved a lot and made our own musical style. Our music has only become more and more brutal and darker over the years, and I guess that it will continue to develope that way.

What do you think about "Yggdrasil" now, in the distance?

First of all we had only played for a year when we recorded it, and it was purely recorded for our own enjoyment. But I am still very proud of it. It represents our lifes back then. It brings back a lot of memories listening to it today. We occationly jam on some of the songs on rehersals , and that is a lot of fun.

Why do you call "Roles" your "real first recording"? Was the first time that you could put your power-thrash metal influence in music?

I call it that because it was the first time we recorded any of our material properly. "Yggdrasil" was recorded in our rehersal place, and had an extremely shitty sound. "Roles" was recorded in a real recording studio. I guess that it was when we recorded "Roles" that we first got serious with our music.

Which do you think is the main difference between the playing of Stian and that of Hektor?

Hektor was a childhood friend of me and Joern. He started the band with me, Joern and Sture. He was very dedicated to the band in the the first year. But he lost interest in our musical direction, and he didn't have the necesary skills to bring Ulcus any further. So after a mutual agreement he left Ulcus in autumn 96. We immediatly recruited Stian. He is an extremely talented guitarist. He is into all kinds of music, and has a musical degree. He is extremely good at guitar leads, and has made it possible to develope our sound a lot.

What new elements brought Gaute to the band?

Gaute joined us in 97. We wanted to get a moore moody and darker sound. He is a very competent synthist, and is skilled through playing classical piano for several years. He has also contributed to some of the material on "Cherish the obscure", and has become an important member in the creative process of our songwriting.

Which are your main musical influences? Does anyone in the band have different ones?

We listen to a lot of the same music, although we like a lot of different bands. Speaking for myself i like the following bands a lot: Death, Slayer, Satyricon, Darkthrone, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Hypocrisy, Metallica(early stuff of course), The Doors, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest(Painkiller), Helloween(in the eigthies), Windir, and a lot of classical music like Grieg, Prokofiev, Orff and Beethoven.

How would you describe an Ulcus show? How did your live act evolve through the years?

We had our first concert in over 3 years last weekend. It went really well. We try to make an energetic show as possible. But we also try to make it theatrical by using make up, and special light effects. We hope to do a lot of concerts and develop our stage show in the future.

I read that you took over the main role in composition...How do you compose the songs? Is there any interaction with the other members of the band?

The guitar is the basis when I write a song. I make a lot of riffs on guitar and put this into a computere program. Then I put on the rythm section (Bass and drums), and finally I put on the keyboards and guitar melodies. Then I give a MID with the song to the other members so they can learn it. The other members do not contribute very much to the songwriting, but do have a lot to say when it comes to arranging their respective instruments. The only other member that has written any music the last couple of years is Gaute.

Are there any plans of touring outside Norway?

We hope to do an European tour after our next recording, but it depends on the record company. I do hope it will work out, as we do love playing live, and it is about time we get to present ourselves outside Norway

What can you tell me about "Cherish the Obscure"? Is it very different than the MCD "Malicious Triumph"?

"Cherish the obscure"is a Cd with nine tracks of dark, original and moody music. It is a mixture of black, death and thrash metal. "Malicious triumph" is the Cd that gave us a record deal, and 2 of the songs from "Malicious triumph" were also rerecorded and included at "Cherish the obscure". "CTO" is a lot darker and more black metal and it sounds a lot more mature than " MT"

Are you composing new songs for a new CD?

We have written 8 new songs that will be recorded this winter (2001). Those songs plus a cover song will be our next Cd. The new material is a natural progression from "Cherish the obscure", but they will sound moore groovy, catchy and a lot harder. I guess we can label it as powerful and melodic black metal. Hopefully it will be released during next summer/autumn.

Which is the main equipment of the band in studio and on stage?

Drums:Tama, Bass: Aria Pro, Guitar:Ibanez & Jackson, Keyboard: Proteus, Amps: Marshall, Peavy and Mesa Boogie. + a lot of effectstuff that are differnt each time.

Here in Argentina black metal is really underground but has a very faithful audience. What can you say to Ulcus fans in Argentina?

I do hope that you enjoyed our debut Cd, and I can promise you that our new material will sound a lot rawer and even more metal. I hope that we one day will get the chanse to play in Argentina, but sadly I don't see that happening in the nearest future. Stay metal and support quality music. Thanx very much for the interview, and good luck in spreading metal/Ulcus in Argentina.

Ygdrassil - demo (1994) (as Ulcus Molle)