Interview

Hehe, what can I tell you? We´re definitely a band that like to make things happen, and don´t waste any time ;) The progress in Triosphere has been pretty rapid ever since the very beginning. We started off by recording our first demo after only one week of rehearsing together as a full band in 2004, and we´ve just kept pushing both ourselves and our label to make as much as possible happen for this band in as little time as possible. The last results of this work has been the upcoming European tours with Kotipelto, Chris Caffery, W.A.S.P and Kamelot so its definitely worth the hard work we´ve put into it! As for labels, Face Front Records showed a genuine interest in us from the very beginning, and when we presented the demo "Deadly Decadence" in late ´05, they left no doubt that they wanted to sign us. At the same time Marcus Silver signed with the japanese label Spiritual Beast for the Asian release, and Candlelight Records bought the rights to release "Onwards" in the US.

Have you had the material for your debut almost ready in the drawer, or was recording a rather spontaneous act?

We did pre productions of all the songs prior to entering the studio to record the actual album, so we had a good idea of were we wanted to go with "Onwards". The first song we ever wrote was "Spitfire", which was written around the end of 2004, and the last one was "Onwards pt3" that was finished just in time for the recording. But there was still room for spontaneity in the recording process, and some of the guitar solos and vocal lines were made in the studio. Its always good to leave room for creativity in the studio, but we´re a band that will always do pre productions and have the song structures ready before we enter the studio. Its really expensive to hire a studio, so its definitely not the right place for rehearsing or discussing arrangements of songs

Where does your name Triosphere come from and what does it stand for?

Triosphere is a concept created by Marcus Silver which he presented to me in the beginning, and that I really loved! In a way it is based on the same principles as "the third eye",- a pathway to a higher state of perception, but the triosphere is a more individual and creative inner sphere. It is a place within your mind, your heart or your soul that you find yourself in whenever you search for inspiration, strength or pure energy. Marcus lined out his thoughts on this when he was composing and working on music, either alone or toghether with the band, and the creative nerve was so alive, vibrant and strong that you feel you´re in a unique state of mind that can´t be compared to anything or be invoked randomly. It´s your own sphere where you are the best that you can be, and creativity takes control.

Are you following a concept on "Onwards", or what are your lyrical inspirations?

"Onwards" is very tightly strung around a theme throughout all of the lyrics which focus on our inner strenght through "love and war", to put it in a bit pompous way :) The record was created during a period when quite a bit was going on in our lives that required that one kept ones focus and kept moving onwards in spite of all the set-backs! Especially the title-tracks on "Onwards" reflect this! The rest of the lyrics are built on the same basic idea, and some from perhaps a more philosofical angle than from actual events and experience. You have to believe in yourself and what you know within your heart. I´m a great fan of the thought concerning the connection between all events and that you are solely responsible for the final outcome of them, so this also makes its influence on my writing. Especially in our time where you witness a constant decay of human values, you need to know what you stands for, and maintain your stronghold. Of course, a couple of the lyrics are more based on attitude than philosophy, but the idea remains the same: "Always believe! Never give in!", hehe ;)

You are currently touring with Chris Caffery and Kotipelto - is this your first tour?

The tour with Kotipelto and Caffery starts April 16th and runs for two weeks. After that we have one day off before we hit the road with W.A.S.P for some shows in Denmark, Germany, Belgium and France. Then we have one day off again before we go to Finland with Kamelot, so there is a lot happening the next month or so for Triosphere! This tour will be our first time outside Norway, so we´re really excited!! Marcus has toured Europe before with Alexi Laiho´s Sinergy and Dark Tranquility, so from what he has told us about touring we really can´t wait to get on that bus!! :) We did a Norwegian tour with W.A.S.P in september last year, so we´ve gotten a little taste of how great touring can be!

How are things working out for you? Is everybody cool or do you suffer from the "First Opener Disease"?

I think this tour is gonna be really cool, no "first openers disease" ( We met Timo Kotipelto and his bassist Lauri Porra at the Finnish Metal Expo in february so we know they are really great guys! And when we toured Norway with W.A.S.P. last fall, we were treated absolutely amazing by both the W.A.S.P. management and the guys in the band! Based on this we don´t think (or fear) we will suffer too much from "first openers disease", hehe ;) But we do keep in mind that since we don´t have our own sound technichian with us who knows our music in and out we might not get the optimal sound for our material. No matter what happens,- those who comes to see us won´t be left with a doubt in their minds that we gave it all on stage, and that we live to play live! :)

Your website looks pretty professional - did you outsorce tha hosting or is one of you a crazy internet maniac?

Haha! You might say that we managed to oursorce a drummer who also happened to be a crazy internet ninja maniac! Drums and computer are the two main things in his life, and he has an exceptional talent for both! Of course, this leads to a little problem whenever we are going out on the road and he can´t satisfy his daily need for fibbling and hammering on the digital screen, but I try to bring my lap-top whenever we go somewhere, haha ;) He really is a great webdesigner, and we are very grateful to have such a resource within the band!

And finally - what in your eyes would be the best choice to become for someone who was born and raised in Norway and does NOT want to become a metal musician?

Wow, that´s a difficult question.. I have always known that music is my whole life and purpose on this planet, so I cant imagine life any other way. One thing that Norway has to offer though, is an amazing nature and a fascinating wildlife. So I guess I would choose to go the Ted Nugent way. You know, he has two things in his life, music and hunting. He is a crazy wildlife maniac who don´t ever eat anything unless he has shot it himself ( Hunting is not for me cause I could never kill an animal, so my version of the Nugent way would probably be to open a wildlife recreation centre way up in the Norwegian mountains, far away from the civilisation. Or maybe it should be a rehab for aging rock stars, that way I´d have a chance to get my daily shot of heavy metal too

Enjoy you guys - and keep on rockin´! Oliver / Heavy www.metal-inside.de

I can promise you that we will, Oliver! And thank you so much for the interview,- we hope to see you and all of Metal-Inside´s readers on the tour, and you can check out www.thetriosphere.com or www.noisegateproductions.com for a full list of tourdates and venues! Cheers ;)
(heavy)