KORRUPT - The Weight Of Emotions... (Norway - Blackened Hard-Core - Interview with Marius Jahnsen).

Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music?
I grew up in the 90's with my two older siblings. They listened to everything from Tupac to The Offspring, from Nirvana to The Fugees. And my dad mostly listened to old Christian rock like Larry Norman and Petra. So my early musical influences were complex, to say the least.
At 12 years old, I got my first electric guitar, after begging my parents for one. A few months earlier, I stumbled upon Ten Years and Running by MxPx in my church. I was like, wtf, didn't my friend show me this band skating one day? Why the fuck is it here...
Anyway, I bought the record and finally found myself. I was officially a skatepunk shitkid. I was already a skater and hated school to the guts, so it really wasn't a huge leap.

What if I told you that you have to leave for a desert island in 5 minutes—you have no choice… except to take three albums with you… which ones, and why? Would you say that these were game-changers at some point in your life?
I would have to say probably something like this:
Converge - You Fail Me
At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command
Blink182 - Self Titled (2003)
I'm not gonna say they're the three best albums in the world, but they will give me some variety and they've all been very influential to me. Three incredible albums in their own way.

Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
The band initially started by three childhood/early youth friends, and it was mostly just about playing and having fun. We had no ambitions about anything more than just playing music together.
After many years as a band, people quit or moved on to other projects and we have gotten new members. Now we feel we really found the perfect fit. We've added a third guitar player in the later years, just for the fun of it. And in general we have never sounded better.

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
We have three really different albums, so I would describe them all pretty differently. But if you take them all into consideration I would probably go for Blackened Hardcore, even though we have plenty of songs and riffs that range from punk rock, thrash, metal to even black metal.
I think we have a pretty unique sound, and I have never heard anyone saying we sound like this or that. But I'm not gonna tell you to listen to our band at all cost. You can check it out or you can not.

Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
Lyrics are very important to me when I write them, but I could care less about the listener. I have no intention of spreading any school of thought or philosophy. But to write the lyrics in a way that makes sense to myself is very important. Although I can easily use the poorer version of a sentence to make it fit the song, if I find myself in a situation where I have to choose.

About the band's discography... Imagine someone who doesn't know your band at all and wants to get interested in.. Which release would you recommend to start with, and why?
If you like it raw and primitive: "Preachers & Creatures"
If you like melody: "Secret Sorrows"
If you like it hard: "The Weight We Carry"

About your latest release ? 
We recorded everything for our upcoming release ourselves and really only got help from anyone else when we recorded the drums. Still, it was in our practice room.
The vocals, guitar, bass and so on are recorded in my home studio and/or practice room.
The artwork is done by Artless Prints. He has a really unique type of expression. Really dark but still not tacky as most metal and punk artwork.

Future plans ?
Play and have fun. Really that's it.

Your most insane dream with the band would be?
I would say being able to play and do shows knowing there will be at least a couple of hundred people if we play anywhere in the world. That would be enough for me, and it would really open up for planning more international gigs.

Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ? 
Not to brag at all, but I can't really say we ever did a very bad concert. At least in my own opinion. The best gig we did was maybe after getting full score in the local newspaper in Stavanger, and then to have our release concert there a couple of weeks later. That was pretty crazy, and it was pretty much sold out. Didn't even book a support band for that show.

Next live-appearance(s) ?
We are in the middle of planning more gigs right now, but for now we have Håndverkeren on 7 November in Kristiansand and Vaterland on 19 December in Oslo.

Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ? 
We share a member with Rise Above, so I will have to name drop them. We are also good friends with the guys from Forgetaboutit, from Kristiansand but now based in Oslo.
The scene in Kristiansand has really been through ups and downs the last twenty years. We have had some very good bands, but we have also had some very quiet times from time to time.

What’s the question you’ve always dreamed of answering but have never been asked? Just a heads-up: I’m also waiting for the answer that goes with it...
I've always wanted to answer the question "How are emotions made?", just so I could flex my degree in philosophy. I rarely get to do that these days, as I have been talking like a baby and changing diapers the last four years. Please give me an adult conversation for fuck's sake!