Interview for DEATHTHRASHER MAGAZINE by ARMANDO MUTILATOR: 

Hi

Please find attached Lunaris' email interview answers. They have been
answered by M.

You'll find pictures and band logos etc available to download on the Media
Center on www.earache.com

Thanks
Sarah

DT: Hi M how are you?.
M: Pretty good. I'm tired from moving all my crap to my new apartment, but apart from that I'm good

DT: Where and how do you knew STEINAR GUNDERSEN "AZARAK"?.
M: STEINAR and myself worked in the same studio back in '98-'99. We had a lot of common interests and musical tastes, so we got along well right off the bat.

DT: Tell me about the original LUNARIS line - up.
M: Well, the truly original LUNARIS line-up is just BALFORI and myself. The other guys have come into the band at different times. The first complete line-up we had was: M, BALFORI, RAY, ERIK AADLAND, ASGEIR MICKELSON and AZARAK.

DT: What memories do you have about your "Demo 2000", this Demo was recorded without a drummer?.
M: Demo 2000 was just a collection of our favorite songs at the time. We didn't really have the facilities to record with a full line-up, so that's the reason for the very simple production. I remember we did quite well on mp3.com with at least on #1 in the BM charts.

DT: Tell us about the "Norsk Svartmetall" (2000) CD Compilation... do you know the guys of ANCESTRAL LEGACY?.
M: I wasn't really involved in that compilation project, so there is nothing much to say. A good friend of the band put the whole thing together. Nope, don't know AL.

DT: Your Demo "Creative Destruction" is available now?... and how was the first experience with the legend ASGEIR MICKELSON?... and why ASGEIR left the band?.
M: No, it's not available anymore. ASGEIR is a long-time friend of the band, so although he has not always played in LUNARIS, we've always sort of considered him a member. ASGEIR has so many other commitments, that it is hard for him to be a permanent member in just one band. He has recorded with us on every release we've had with real drums in some way or another, and probably will again in the future.

DT: "Creative Destruction" contains Guest Vocals by another legend, "MAZTEMA", talk me about that.
M: MAZTEMA, another long-time friend of the band was hanging out in the studio while we recorded "Creative Destruction", and we just asked him to lay down some vocal lines… it was really as simple as that.

DT: KJETIL HEKTOEN (CREST OF DARKNESS, ENTHRAL, THE FLESH) replaced ASGEIR MICKELSON and played with LUNARIS in June 2000, only for 2 or 3 months... why KJETIL left the band?.
M: I never felt that KJETIL replaced ASGEIR. We tried out KJETIL for a short time, but due to his commitment to ENTHRAL, he just didn't have the time to rehearse as much as we needed..

DT: What do you know about South American Underground Scene?.
M: Very little actually. I used to email a bit with some guys from a band I think was called SERPENTERIUM or something, but that was pretty long ago.

DT: ASGEIR MICKELSON (SPIRAL ARCHITECT / BORKNAGAR / TESTAMENT...etc) returned to LUNARIS and played the drums on "...The Infinite" abum... and why he left definitively the band?.
M: ASGEIR stepped in to record for us as a session member. He was never a full time member of LUNARIS for that recording. He also returned to play one track on "Cyclic".

DT: In 2001 MAZTEMA join the band like a permanent member, tell u sabout the MAZTEMA's performance and which was his discography with LUNARIS, why he left the band?.
M: MAZTEMA has appeared on bass and/or vocals on "Creative Destruction", "…the infinite", and "Cyclic".

DT: What can you talk me about ELITIST and about your first contact with EARACHE?.
M: We contacted LEE BARRET of ELITIST (sub-label of EARACHE) after we broke off a long-term negotiation with one of the bigger European labels. LEE and EARACHE showed us respect and interest in our music, and that is what we were looking for in a label. ELITIST is basically just a signing imprint for EARACHE. All our legal contracts are with EARACHE RECORDS.

DT: Tell us more about "... The Infinite" please.
M: "…the infinite" was basically just my music recorded by the band. There were no rehearsals and very little pre-production. It was also financed by ourselves, so the budget was pretty tight. But, we were very pleased with the result and the very good reviews it got.

DT: When do you know to your current drummer JANOS DI CROCE from the Italian band V.E.G.A.?.
M: We first got in touch with JANOS when he moved to Norway back in 2000 I think. We quickly realized that he was what we were looking for. Unfortunately he had to back to Italy to finish his studies, so it took another year before he was really integrated into the band.

DT: Do you consider the Norwegian Black Metal Scene, like the most powerful Black Metal Scene in the world?.
M: It certainly used to be. I don't really follow the Black Metal scene all that much anymore, so I'm sure it has become a much more international affair.

DT: Why STEINAR GUNDERSEN "AZARAK" (KING'S QUEST, SATYRICON, SPIRAL ARCHITECT) left the band?.
M: He had a big commitment as session member for SATYRICON, which was starting to cut into live plans for LUNARIS. After "…the infinite" we also started moving in different directions musically, so we just decided that the best thing was to part ways and concentrate on our priorities. There was no drama and we split as friends.

DT: How did the idea of "Cyclic" (CD) 2004?... is your most brutal cult piece?.
M: As with most things we do, there is no plan or direction. We just start somewhere and where we end up is what the album sounds like. There are certain parts that may be considered more brutal than "…the infinite", but there was never a "plan" to make a brutal album… it just turned out like it did by chance basically.

DT: How do you contacted with the new bassist DR. DREAM?.
M: I have known DR.DREAM for many years, and he was a very obvious choice for me when it came time to find a new bass player/clean vocalist.

DT: Your future plans?.
M: We have a couple Norwegian festivals this fall, and we are looking at a partial European tour later this year, but nothing is confirmed. We will also slowly be starting to write for the next album.

DT: Your last comment for DEATHTHRASHER's readers?.
M: Check out our albums, and