The Inquisition: 077.FJØRT (answered by Chris)

1. How did you came up with the name of the band? 

When we met in early 2012, we wrote the song “Demontage” in our first rehearsal session. Frank, our drummer, immediately thought of Norwegian Fjords when playing this song. It just sounded so cold and huge. We liked it, so we fixed this word as our band name really quickly – after making some changes to make it a little bit rougher and more unique. 

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it? 

There is always an initial idea, riff or even a rough sketch of a song which one of us brings to the rehearsal room. But we always have to play a song together to know if it’s really good. We rely on our guts there, and we know quite quickly if it is good or not. Only if all three of us have this feeling of “This is awesome”, we keep on working on that idea and it eventually becomes a song on a record. 

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home? 

We listen to a lot of music. Besides hardcore there is also a lot of singer/songwriter stuff or other kinds of quiet music. We try to keep an open mind about all kinds of genres. 

4. Which is the one album you can't live without? 

That’s a tough question, but if I personally had to choose I would say “Vormann Leiss” by the German band Turbostaat. This record was a really big inspiration for me to write German lyrics and intense music. Before that I only wrote in English, but I discovered that it’s so much more fulfilling to use your native language. You can utilize all the fine details of your language, which gives it a lot more meaning. 

5. What's the first record you've ever bought? 

When I was a young teenager I listened to hip-hop mostly. The first record I bought was by a German rap group, and I still kinda like it. My first taste of guitars must have been Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park. 

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with? 

Actually, in the last two years we were very lucky to have the chance to tour with some of our youth heroes, like Boysetsfire, Funeral for a Friend or Turbostaat, which I mentioned earlier. These were really great moments for us, I think we couldn’t ask for more. 

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were surprised to know your music has reached to? 

Yes, we were really surprised about some people contacting us, for example from Russia, the USA or even Australia. All over the world basically. The internet is a great way to discover new music and bands. It’s awesome that people from very different places find their way to our band or any other band out there just by a few clicks. 

8. Do you support the idea of bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like Spotify? 

It is the best thing for a band if people can listen to your music online in some way. Pay-what-you-want or free services like Spotify are essential to the music culture nowadays. If people want to support a band, they can buy the record on vinyl for example, but first and foremost it is important that people can get in touch with the music. If they like what they hear and maybe come to a show, it is the greatest reward for us as musicians. 

9. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years? 

We didn’t have a long-time-plan for this when we started and we still don’t. There was just a wish to make some really loud music with screams. That is still our motivation. At the moment we are very lucky to have a lot of great people supporting us, we really appreciate that. I’m pretty sure we are going to do some more records, but you never know where you’ll be in a few years. 

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era? 

I think the artwork of an album can be a first motivation to pick it up and give it a listen. If you see an interesting image, you’re immediately drawn to it and want to find out what’s behind it. For us, the artwork is an additional way to convey the message of the record and give the people something to think about. 

11. What is you favorite album cover? 

I think Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled album has one of the most intense cover artworks I have ever seen. The photo of the burning monk leaves no questions – you know that there’s something horribly wrong going on. He is dying for his convictions, and the fact that this is an actual photo of the event makes it really overwhelming. This picture leaves you with an unsettling feeling in your guts, that is what makes a great artwork for me.

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format? 

Vinyl records have a lot more to offer – they have this feel of value, more than a CD for example. All of our records have been released on vinyl because we ourselves like LPs very much. It’s great that people embrace it, there are a lot of collectors who buy vinyl records than download it or get a CD nowadays. 

13. What's the most vivid story or moment as a band? 

We always have a good time when we are on the road. One of the most memorable trips must have been our first shows in Sweden with our friends of Trachimbrod. We went there in a small car, us three and a friend who came with us. And of course our whole equipment was in that car. After taking a ferry overnight to Trelleborg we drove to Stockholm to play our first show in Sweden. I think I have never been that tired in my life. But the show was great, and after that we had a sleeping place directly by a lake, which was one of the most beautiful places I had seen. That’s something we think back to with a huge smile. Great times.

FJØRT released, exactly one month ago, their amazing album "Kontakt". If you're fan of screamo  / post-hardcore you should give it a listen!

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