Interviews About Albums: SARKOM - Exceed In2 Chaos (2025)

In this new interview, we sat down with the Norwegian Black Metal band SARKOM to ask questions about their album, "Exceed In2 Chaos".

1. "Exceed In2 Chaos" marks your fifth studio album. Can you share the inspiration behind the album title and how it reflects the themes within the music? 

The title «Exceed in2 chaos» is a fine balance between my mind and the music. Artistic freedom, I guess... As stated in the lyrics of the title track; “A world of dissonant creed and some kind of organized pain”. So even though it can feel like a mess sometimes, I’m still in control of what I am doing. At least, I like to think so… Also adding “2” in the title makes it a bit «off». As far as I remember, I have never seen anyone write this in black metal before, so it was obvious that we would. I guess someone will find it stupid and not “true” enough and I’m fine with that. While many other bands seem to care what other people think about them, I don’t. So if all bands are going in one direction, I prefer going the other way. Be a leader, not a follower, so to speak. Even though I don’t consider Sarkom a leader in any way, just to have that clear… But rather than going a safe way, I prefer to do something original. And if people don’t like it, they can just keep listening to old Darkthrone.

2. How does "Exceed In2 Chaos" build upon or differ from your previous album, "Anti-Cosmic Art"?

First of all, I honestly think that this album makes our previous albums sound mediocre at their best. So that’s the first thing that differs. This album is simply much better. While I easily can pick out 2-4 songs from the other albums which are the better ones, I can’t do this on this album. That means that all songs are equally good. Or bad of course, hah! But hopefully good… I mean the last song on the album is just as good as the first one, or even better. So in other words; No fillers, pure killers! Besides that, “Anti-Cosmic Art” was actually meant as a mini album, but the label wanted to release it as a full album. So I made an additional song to what I intended in the first place and we added a cover song of Sodom to make it long enough for a full album. But I don’t know if you have noticed that both the music and lyrics are very different from each other on that album…? There’s no particular theme to the album and this makes it sort of chaotic, I think. And that’s what the opening line of Exceed In2 Chaos refers to. “Exceed in2 chaos; the present schizophrenic art” is a reference to “Anti-Cosmic art”, as well as it is meant as an introduction and welcome phrase to what you are about to hear; the next chapter, the present version of Sarkom.

3. Your music is known for pushing boundaries. What new elements or experimental approaches can fans expect to hear on this album?

Lots of riffs, tempo changes, and innovation combined with more catchy hooks, if I might say so… But basic instruments and no synth (except from one part on one song…). There are also lots of details within the music, so I hope that when you listen to the album for the 50th time, you will still discover something new. There’s no “copy/paste” on this album, so even though it is the same riff, hopefully, someone will notice minor changes here and there… For example, if you listen to Prime Time Suicide, you can hear the rhythm guitars follow the drums all the time. I’m not sure if the regular listener will notice, but the Devil is in the details, you know – and rock n’ roll is the Devil’s music!

4. Can you discuss how you balance traditional Norwegian black metal elements with your innovative sound?

I started to listen to black metal when I was about 15 years old. This was totally new for me, and I was immediately blown away. So I spent some years where I didn’t listen to anything else. Now, on the other hand, I rarely listen to black metal or metal in general. So perhaps that has something to do with it? I don’t know… But I think that in order to create something original, it can be a hard task if you are inspired by the same music that you are trying to create. I mean, if you listen to black metal 24/7, and that’s your only inspiration, how are you supposed to “think outside the box” when you are writing the same kind of music you are inspired by? So I guess I have my fundamental mindset placed in black metal, while the song structure might be different.. I’m not sure, to be honest… I usually just write music until I’m satisfied. If the riff or part doesn’t feel at least 95% right for the songs, then I will keep on trying other things until I get the right “feeling”. If it takes one hour or one week doesn’t matter. If it doesn’t feel instantly right, then I have to change it and do something better.

5. With tracks like "Enter As Fool - Exit As Beast" and "Prime Time Suicide," what stories or messages are you conveying through these songs?

I guess I really don’t have a specific message I want to spread… I mean it’s black metal, so I would probably have been more successful by handing out flyers on the street if I really wanted to reach out with a certain message. That being said, this album is really personal to me, so I won’t go too deep into the meaning of the lyrics. What the listener gets out of them is what matters, I think. However, Enter as Fool is basically how I reflect on the world today. People are shit, greedy, and want to fuck you over. So while you enter this world with an innocent mind, you must adapt to the real world and then become a beast before you turn into prey. This is not 100% literally speaking of course, but just a few words of my reflections on the matter… Prime Time Suicide on the other hand is written based on today’s society and how our lives are infected by social media especially. People are very self-centered and are posting pictures of themselves to get “likes” etc. Attention seekers. And what is even worse is when people are sharing their private problems officially. My impression is that people are laughing behind their backs, but still they are praised from every corner… The worse and more private, the better. People seem to have no filter these days(and apparently no friends they can call to open up on their health issues). So the title reflects that their next step can be to broadcast their suicide on the internet, rather than posting their problems to no one who actually cares. Then they can have their five-minute fame. I also can’t understand how people are posting pictures of their kids on social media. Like if they have ever asked to have their whole childhood smeared out on the internet… As for the title itself, I think I can recall a scene from one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies… I might be wrong, as I haven’t seen them in 20 years or so, but wasn’t it one scene where he smashed a woman’s head in the TV and said “This is your prime time, bitch!”? since she wanted to be a famous actress or something….?

6. The album features varied rhythmic structures and dissonances. How did you approach the songwriting and production process to achieve this intricate sound? 

Before I started writing the album, I had already a plan on how I wanted it to sound, which was basically long songs with lots of riffs and things going on. I think tempo changes can make a song more interesting, so this is also something I often do when I write Sarkom’s music. However, it’s not always that easy to make it “float” naturally when the pace changes, but I’ve done my best, and I think it sounds pretty complete. My impression is that black metal nowadays is going more and more back to basic, where bands are trying to copy the 90ies as much as possible. At least many bands do so…. So it was important to me to try to think the opposite way. You can also see this in our cover artwork, as it is very untraditional for a black metal album cover. However, the songwriting happened as usual; Myself in front of a computer where I played the drums and played guitar…

7. "Commit To Total Genocide" is listed as an LP exclusive. What makes this track stand out, and why did you choose to include it exclusively on the vinyl release? 

We have always included a bonus track for our vinyl releases, and we still want to keep that tradition alive. This is because I think that those who pay for a physical copy of a limited vinyl should be treated with something extra. We could easily have included the song on the regular release, as it is just as good as any of the other songs, but unfortunately one had to be cut…

8. Can you give us some insight into the creative process behind standout tracks like "Spectral Prophet In A Demonized Dream" and "Chasing Ghosts"?

Spectral Prophet was the last song I wrote. I needed a song that would function as a sort of intermission to complete the album. So even though it works very well on its own, you can easily hear that this song stands out from the rest… Apart from all the other tracks, which have taken a long time to write, this song was written in one night, if I remember correctly… But unlike the other songs, this has only 3 riffs and a simple structure, so no wonder that it didn’t take much time… As for the creative process, there was nothing more to it than that I had some beers, set the pace, programmed the drums, and let the creativity be set free… As for the whispering vocals, these were mostly adapted in the studio. I think they really fit the song and together with the disharmonic guitars, it makes the whole thing sound even more creepy.

Chasing Ghosts, on the other hand, is one of the first songs I wrote, and several of the riffs date back more than 15 years ago. It is one out of two songs on the album that are sort of “easy listening” in my opinion (Together with Enter as Fool – Exit as Beast). Around 135-145 bpm if I remember correctly, lots of straightforward double bass and with a catchy chorus. This was also intentional from the start. I didn’t want to make it too complicated and I wanted it would stick out from the rest. I think it is important to have variations on an album if you want to keep the listener interested. But in order to not make it too simple and generic I added the unexpecting trash part in the middle. I think this improves the song in a way that it makes it a bit more original than if it wasn’t there…

9. SARKOM has been a significant part of the black metal scene for two decades. How do you see your evolution as a band, and what keeps your creative spirit alive?

Not sure about the evolution, but what has changed from the start until now is that I write all the music. I mean, if you want to have something done, do it yourself. You can’t wait for others to do the job for you. However, I’m really satisfied with this album, so perhaps it is ok that way, I don’t know… What keeps the creative spirit alive is not that easy to answer actually… Unlike what many might like to think, I’m fed up with music. So it is more an internal fight and hassle rather than a “creative spirit”. I rarely enjoy trying to write something new anymore, but I feel that it is something I “have to do”. As said, if I don’t do it, then who will? And as Sarkom has been a large part of my identity for half my life, it would feel weird and uncomfortable to quit and give up. So I will probably keep going for years to come, even if I like it or not….

10. Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of SARKOM, and how do you see your role in the evolving landscape of black metal?

I’ve learned to have zero expectations, but you can always hope, as you say… I feel that I’ve been walking uphill for 20 years now, so hopefully we will see the downhill soon… But I don’t expect that. With so many releases coming out all the time, it is hard to keep track of everything. It also comes down to how much money is spent on promotion, what label you’re signed to etc. And no matter how great your album is, people will still listen to old Mayhem at the end of the day. Someone said that you can’t compete with nostalgia and that is absolutely true. But I hope that 20 years in the scene will help us so that people actually will check out the album, rather than if we were a new unknown band releasing our debut album.

11. What can fans expect from your upcoming live performances of "Exceed In2 Chaos"?

We haven’t played live in 7 years, so I guess it’s about time to do some concerts again… And perhaps festivals are getting tired of booking the same bands year after year… Who knows? So far we have turned down the offers we have gotten over the last years, but with a new album out, we are ready to hit the stage again!

12. With the album releasing on February 21, 2025, what are your expectations for its reception both in Norway and internationally?

It depends on how many who will give it a chance… And this has also a lot to do with how much it will be promoted. How many zines will review the album (and of course, will the reviews be any good?) how many interviews will be done, etc. So it is not easy to predict anything. I hope for the best but expect the worst. With all the music in the world just a “click” away on your phone, it is very hard to get enough attention to have people give your music a chance. So let’s just wait and see and cross our fingers... And I appreciate your time for an interview! Keep spreading the disease! And I will also add that we can be found on Instagram. I just created an account (15 years later than everyone else), so please follow us for the latest updates and pics! (sarkom_official)