Interview with FULLMANE
!!!BLACK METAL PUNK FROM NORWAY!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about FULLMANE (Members, Starting Year etc).
Fullmåne started in a cabin deep in the woods of Norway. It was autumn 2017 I think. I had just left the thrash metal band Enter Obscurity, which was my first real band. We had played some shows in the UK and were set to play in Germany, things were looking good, but the band suddenly collapsed due to personal differences. I was angry and disappointed and not sure how I could find another band. Having spent the summer living in a van I just managed to get a place to stay before the winter. The last thing I did before selling the van, was to buy a cheap drumkit and some recording equipment and drive it up to the cabin to record a demo. I didn’t know how to play drums or use the recording equipment, but I did it anyways. Most of the stuff was improvised on the spot between trying to get the equipment to work. A blundering attempt at expressing raw anger, and kind of do my own thing. I remember there was a full moon the night I recorded, and the band was called Full Moon in Norwegian. Fullmåne. It was just me on my own, I called myself Pyromaniac, and have been doing it ever since. Great life choice ay? Haha. I am still learning and developing with each new release. It’s both liberating and frustrating.
In 2020 you have released the split EP with the Dutch Black metallers MARTELGANG. What was the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Martelgang is a curious mix of industrial electronic music and black metal, so a lot of the more ‘conservative’ metalheads didn’t like it. But I thought it was awesome. Shout out to Martelgang for delivering good material so quickly, that guy is really productive. I got a lot more hype for my other 2020 release ‘Lurking in the Dark’ (Album/EP), but a lot of shit as well. I love to get these hatefull reviews, very entertaining, and it shows I’ve made an impression. I would rather be hated than just blend in. Most of the hate I get is for poor production tough, but I’m a broke amateur doing literally everything myself, so give me a break you know.
Label or DIY and why?
I’ve always been DIY to the bone, more because I had to than out of choice. But I appreciate any help I can get from labels, media or really anyone at all. What I will not do is sign away the rights to my music, but it’s not like people are chasing after me with big label deals anyways.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
I don’t think the format is too important, the music is what matters. I grew up listening to my favourite stuff as pirate download MP3’s on shitty earplugs and it worked for me. That being said, I do like a good vinyl record, and those dirty little tapes of underground bands that you don’t find anywhere else. If you’re looking for a hobby I recommend it, but most people reading this will probably have a bigger collection than me. I spent all my money on beer unfortunately.
Your music style is Black Metal Punk. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
It might seem a bit basic but I’m really into Misfits at the moment. I like dirty catchy punk, and weird hardcore like Purple X and Dawn of humans. I also love the pure rawness of black metal. Ulver, Watain, Wagner ödegard, Darkthrone, Isangard, Gorgoroth, etc, It has a deep passion to it. I like a lot of psychedelic stuff as well (Hawkwind is number 1) and even some rap and techno.. I mean why limit yourself, there are too many genres and definitions. Just make some noise you know. As long as it’s not polished overproduced plastic.
Which things, do you think, a Band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future of your Band?
A lot of time and money for sure. I always found that if I work as much as normal people do in a regular job, there is no room for what I want to do. So I’m always kinda broke. But to me its way more fun being a starving artist than an overworked slave at some random job, which I have tried many times. And getting good at something takes time and work, I have spent countless hours and a lot of hard-earned money on this project, and I’m still not that good! But I love doing it, otherwise I wouldn’t.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance Band. Have you already experienced that?
Oh, there should be lots of sweat and beer everywhere and a little bit of blood. Crammed basements covered in pot smoke, blinded by hair and lights trying not to fall over. Pure chaos and ecstasy. I have not experienced it with this band yet but I’m working on it!
Which attributes, do you think, that a new Black Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
I’m one of those people who don’t like boxes. I am always the punk in the metal crowd and the metalhead in the punk crowd. And I like a lot of other stuff as well. I think to be original, you must first be creative and second not be afraid of judgment, which is harder than it sounds. There are too many copycat bands in black metal to be counted. And you have to dig deep to find the cool bands. I kind of gave up digging for a while and started looking elsewhere for new interesting music. Combining some of those influences with black metal, I hope to end up somewhere new and interesting without sacrificing that rock n roll power or the twisted darkness of it.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Black Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a Band to promote its work?
Best way to promote.. I would like to know that myself actually! Let me know if you find out.
I just try to use the internet to pick up any help and support I can find so that a few more people than my friends will hear my music. Physical underground zines and record shops are awesome but very local. The internet makes it easy to get in touch with people from all over the world. I’m kind of tired of this moral debate over the internet, it’s here to stay so just live with it you know. That being said, it’s not like we have to completely replace non internet stuff, that would just be boring, sitting at home all day.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Norway (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
Hm, I don’t know if there is much to say, there are some really cool metal pubs around and a few good bands (Filthdigger, Deathhammer, Infant Death, Black Viper to mention some) but covid has led to some kind of legal clamp-down on alcohol over there it seems, I just hope that doesn’t kill of all the underground venues. Norway is a very moralist and careful society in a way, which is why some of the darkest music comes from there, I think. Screaming skull records is a really cool underground tape label, they have released about half of my recordings and are very active and growing a lot now. Shout out to Erlend, for being the first person in the industry to give me a chance.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
No, very little but I would love to know more. Send me some cool bands at @Full_fucking_moon (Instagram) you Greek maniacs!
I have met some Greek metalheads in Oslo, all of them really fun people.
What are your future plans?
I currently live in London to study music production, its going good so far. Maybe one day my music will sound good? Who knows. Hopefully not too good.. I will be staying here for a couple of years and then we will see. I am gathering members to make Fullmåne a live band and hopefully we will start playing live soon. Also there will be a full length record at some point where I go full psychedelic, in a nasty way.. so watch out for that! Until then some singles and videos will be unleashed. The first of them ‘Started a war’ is just out now, so make sure to catch that on Spotify or Bandcamp, I will also drop a video for it in a few days which will be awesome on a bunch of levels.
Thank you very much for your time & Keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank you for having me and keep on rocking the best way you can in this fucked up world. Stay moon.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
FULLMANE CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/fullfukingmoon/
https://www.instagram.com/full_fucking_moon/
https://full-moon.bandcamp.com/