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V:28 - Fifty Megatons Of Cold, Clinical, Beauty
By Jason Deaville


The Cold War. I may be to young to truly comprehend its lasting effect on our culture, but one listen to Norwegian experimental black
metal band V:28's newest album, VioLution, instilled that sense of terror that must have permeated everyday life not so very long ago.

Nuclear Holocaust was a legitimate threat, one which had people hiding under desks, building bunkers to house their families, awaiting
that fifty Megaton bomb to drop upon their heads. The sense of dread was palpable, akin only to today's threat of global terrorism.

"The entire history and modern culture of mankind is based upon war in some way or another," begins V:28 guitarist/founder Kristoffer
Oustad. "A good example of this is how most financial and scientific resources are being used in warfare. Combining this with the
desperate desire to control, and you have the essence of the history of mankind. I guess each era has had its great threats, but from
what I know, the Cold War has been the very peak of this conflict. The absence of war does not mean peace, and I guess that pretty
much applies to the Cold War, a conflict as interesting as it is frightening."

V:28's foray into apocalyptic territory began with the release of 2003's NonAnthropogenic, the first album of a trilogy (which also
includes 2005's SoulSaviour, and their recently released VioLution, all released on Vendlus Records). NonAnthropogenic paved the way
for the V:28 vision, one which combined a scientific, clinical, lab-coat-like elegance with the optimism, fear and tension that describes
a world on the edge of total annihilation.

"Yeah, the band is based upon a concept dealing with the total deconstruction and transformation of planet Earth. An event there is no
way around, and no escape but to walk into the light by your own will and strength," explains Kris. There is no clear message to the
listener. We’re just here to tell you that the end is nigh, and there is no need to fight back or oppose, because there isn’t anything you
can do to stop it. We don’t take any side. We’re more like a witness with the best seat in the front row at every stage of the great
apocalypse, capturing the last thoughts of mankind as the manmade sun sweeps clean the Earth."

Apocalyptic themes seem to be what V:28 excel in. Along with guitarist/vocalist Eddie Risdal, and bassist Atle Johansen, the band have
created a soundtrack to the end of the world; one which sees them treading a black metal aesthetic similar to their Norwegian brethren,
yet adding an element of industrial, atmospheric coldness to the trilogy, all the while maintaining an air of continuity throughout.

"When we started V:28 we thought doing this trilogy would be a good idea, and it sure has been challenging, yet very rewarding to
succeed in this task," laments Kristoffer. "Sure there has been barriers, but I see no point in not crossing them a few times - stretching
our limits is fundamental. Initially, one might think there are too many barriers to let the creativity evolve while working under the same
concept for nearly five years, but I think it’s more how you choose to see it, and then process things. The theme of
deconstruction/transformation has allowed room for everything that I’ve come up with."

Like any band who paint a mosaic of such immense proportions, V:28 are not immune to the trials and tribulations of trying to convey
their creative vision flawlessly.

"I think writing lyrics for VioLution were without a doubt the most difficult lyrics to write," reflects Kris. "The concept is not built up on
an epic story, so it was very challenging to illustrate the world coming to an end without describing a typical 'end-of-the-world' film
scene. I think we succeeded in this task. Our goal has always been to make the listeners shape their own images of the end of the
world. There is nothing more terrifying than your worst nightmare, and we want you to relive it over and over again (laughs)! We started
work on VioLution right after the SoulSaviour album was released in 2005. The work with the trilogy has been a continuous process since
the birth of the idea of doing a trilogy. I think that’s why there are so many parallels between the albums, yet they show a development
that is much of the basis for the trilogy. When I look back at the writing process it feels like we started out at one point, and through
the years we have expanded in many directions. The work has been going on for nearly five years, and we have learned and evolved, so
it’s natural that we pass on this experience when making music."

V:28 has a storied tradition of working with some of Norway's finest musicians. Contributions abound from artists such as Enslaved
vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjelsson, who appeared on the band's debut album. VioLution also features none other than Ulver mastermind
Krystoffer 'Garm' Rygg, who lends his vocal prowess to the song 'The Absolute', adding a chilling, sorrowful beauty to the proceedings.

"Yes, V:28 has a long tradition of working with other artists. Their contributions always result in arrangements or sounds we would never
have thought of otherwise. A good example is the intro that MZ.412 (Swedish black/industrial band) did. That intro is very unique and it
makes a great opening for VioLution, and sets the standard for the atmosphere all through the album. It’s not necessarily that the songs
are in desperate need of new input, but it’s very inspiring for us to work with artists that we respect and like. All guest artists featured
on VioLution did a great job. They have left their trademark on the final product while maintaining the very essence of V:28. Some of the
guest artists featured on the album are friends, while others are people we feel have the right qualities to add whatever the final outcome
needs to be. One thing they all have in common is that we are huge fans of their work, and it’s been great working with all of them."

For those blessed enough to have experienced V:28's apocalyptic visions on the live front, they have laid witness to the band's
incorporation of video back-drops, enhancing the overall experience, and taking the listener/spectator back to that all too frightening
world of nuclear annihilation.



"Video can also work as a good medium when communicating the end of the world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something in the
vein of The Terminator or Matrix. These videos vary from concert to concert, but they all have one thing in common: they all symbolize
the end of the world in some way. Some things are more obvious than others, but we like to see things from different perspectives. We
are working on getting more concerts in the spring/summer and throughout the year. There are many festivals that are very interesting
to us. Nothing is confirmed yet, but these things take time and patience, so we just have to wait and see. We’re also looking into doing
a small European tour, and if we could combine that with a festival or two it would make things much easier. One of the problems with
being an underground band like us, is that you have to fix all these things yourself. Going on tour with bigger bands often means that we
have to pay to play, and that is something I don’t like very much."

With the trilogy complete, and the end of the world in the history books, is there a future for V:28?

"As for the creative output of V:28, we’re planning on doing a remix CD with different artists doing their interpretation of V:28 tracks
spanning over the entire trilogy. We’ve also recorded a cover track of the legendary Swans that will be featured on a forthcoming Swans
tribute album. But right now we are focusing on promoting VioLution and getting a few gigs. As for the future of V:28 everything points
at 2008 being the last year in the band's existence. There are too many things that point in that direction, without me wanting to reveal
too many details yet… numbers rule the universe!"



http://www.v28.com
http://www.myspace.com/v28band
http://www.vendlus.com

pretty good tunes...video's weird, reminded me more of a cross between a KMFDM and Ohgr video lol...entertaining none the less though...