When I call something a tough birth, it has really been a torturous round. We could have used different lubricant and an assful of products which would probably have eased the torture, but I didn’t choose that way. And why?
Why not?
A moment and I’ll initiate the audience to the details, but firstly, a few words I would tell about this Norwegian cave metal. For sure some might remember a formation called Goat the Head, their latest full-length received even a review from me, back then I felt pity for the great music because their label sent it only in a burnt CD-format, since then I had got my hands on the original edition too, thanks Haavard and thanks Aftermath Music! So ages ago I sent these questions yet to the label, it is of their courtesy the band actually got them too, but somehow the answers just didn’t want to arrive, and I, as a good soldier, thrown out on the front, I was waiting and waiting – he was for peace, I was for a reply. In an upset e-mail I let the label know how incorrect it had been and how was this whole in real? As you can see below, we managed to conduct the ominous interview and the key to the story is not clear to me even now – somehow the link went out of order between the label and the band, maybe. Although, thanks to my supersonic chat, the child’s healthy and ton-weight. Essentially, it’s come alive at last, here you are, dear readers – and after all it’s clear to everybody yet why has it been a tough birth…

First of all please introduce the band! What is good to known of the members and what are their positions in the band?

We are Goat the Head! We supposedly play Contemporary Primal Caveman Death Metal, which in practice mean spontaneous, groovy metal being made from the heart rather than the head. My name is Per and I do the vocals and occasionally some keyboards. Ketil does the guitars, Kenneth does the drums and Trond plays the bass. All of us indulge in some heavy metal chanting as well, whenever it feels vaguely right to do so.

Why did you choose Goat the Head for the name of the band?

The name came to me in a dream, and I preserved it for the purpose of starting a band with the exact same moniker one day. As a coincidence, Ketil was also looking to form a band, which had neither name nor vocalist. Evidently, Ketil‘s poor judgement put him in an ensemble with both a dysfunctional name and singer.
Regarding the meaning, there is really little to it. I like it, it has an illiterate approach to it, which seem to suit our concept. It incorporates the three most traditional words of metal, and just like the music, we like to take the traditional elements, dismantle it and put it back together in a chaotic and retarded fashion.

Mostly black metal and scandinavian death metal are the typical in your country, how come your conception, that you are bombing your people with death metal which is vegetating in the taste of crossover?

Conformity is to me the greatest sin of metal, so there is absolutely to intention to try to sound like any other band. Our ambition is to make good and spontaneous music regardless of style or geography.

How did the public welcomed your music, and why did you sign up with that label?

We haven’t conquered the world quite yet, but we’re winning over the metal community one fan at a time. We’re naturally going for the cool guys first, hopefully we’ll get the wimps and posers in given time as well.
We signed up with Aftermath Music because we believed in the cooperation of our individual forces, and we like the way Haavard does his business.

Believe me, I would love to look behind those curtains myself! The new album has been “almost done” now for, like, three years! I have some great expectations for that album, I’ve been led to believe from those implicated that it is insanely good, so I certainly hope the waiting time is drawing to a close soon.
 
What kind of radical difference do you see between Simian Supremacy and the new material?

The most radical difference is the production, I suppose. But there are also healthier song structures and more expressive variations. It’s more technical and proficient, really better in every way. Stylistically, Simian was more of a murky death metal effort, Doppelgängers sports more colours of the metal palette, particularly thrash metal.

Why, thank you! The song compares television consumer culture with religious multitude. After we had established this as the lyrical theme for the song we wanted to experiment with the theme musically as well, so we tried to incorporate some gospel elements into the songs for some nice contrasting effects, concluding it sounded both cool and different. Finally, we were lucky enough to get the supreme vocals of Kirsti Huke for this track. Kirsti is a household name in the Norwegian jazz-scene, and really gave the song the final oomph it lacked!

Theses questions are always difficult and demand more thinking than I’m capable of. Let’s just say any five albums by Slayer and any five albums by Entombed and it wouldn’t be far away from the truth!
 
What are your lyrics about? Who writes them? Please emphasize some, and explain them through examples!

Careful now, this could easily be the longest answer to any question ever asked in your ‘zine. I will have to braze myself to not go into too much detail here. It is I who write the lyrics, and I spend way too much time doing so, really. It’s quite fascinating how little effort most metal bands are putting into their lyrics, and I’m trying to make a difference. I don’t know if that makes them good, but at least I try.

My approach to the lyrics on all of our releases has been somewhat three-pronged. One part is influenced by science, society and pseudo-intellectual observations. The second is of metal clichés and mandatory elements for a metal band, like “death” and “doom” and all that nonsense. Thirdly you have the absurdities and the playful stuff that I love to tamper with for hours.

On Doppelgängers this foundation is crowned with an overall theme of the “unheimlich”, the “uncanny”. It’s the discomfort of experiencing something initially dear and familiar where it has been warped, twisted and turned into something repulsive. I love that shit!

Beer or wine?

I feel obliged to quote Winnie-The-Pooh, here! Currently, I prefer my wine, but if the beer is fancy I might go out for some cold ones with the old ones any night.

Since we Norwegian are shit-loaded with oil money, not much happened here during the financial crisis as the the government catapulted heaps money after the bankers, whom I believe led us all into Shit Creek in the first place. But hey, what do I know, I’m just a simple caveman space-cowboy and do not dabble with finances. I hate numbers.

How about cutting it in tiny little pieces and sharing it with all you brothers and sisters of metal!?! There you have it. We are Goat the Head. We play True Norwegian hippie-metal!

Yeah, if you use Facebook, come follow us there! Anything of significance (or possibly none) is posted there!
https://www.facebook.com/goatthehead

“Box, toaster, aluminum, maple syrup… no, I take that one back. I’m gonna hold onto that one.”

Thank you! Although we don’t really tour that much, let’s hope we’ll be bringing our contemporary primal caveman death metal to your Hungarian halls one of these days! Cheers!