Crimson Moon: How did the band get started?
Ole Henrik Vik: Our guitarist Jostein and drummer Frode grew up at the same island, and first started the band together with a bass player that is no longer part of the band.
Crimson Moon: What kind of music do you play?
Ole Henrik Vik: We play melodic heavy metal. The music is riff-based, with guitar riffs that drive the songs, catchy choruses, beautiful synth-melodies and guitar solos.
Crimson Moon: How has the fan response been?
Ole Henrik Vik: We have received a lot of positive feedback from our fans. This fall we have released two singles, two music videos and the EP. A lot of people have already listened to the music, and we are growing our fan-base every day.
Crimson Moon: Introduce the band members.
Rune Skjønberg: Lead singer in Sinister King.. Rune grew up in Mandal, the southernmost city in Norway, and started singing at the age of 16. The band that made him fall in love with music is none other than a-ha. Rune is a singer/songwriter involved in different projects that varies from pop/rock to heavy metal. As a singer he cites Robert Plant, Tom Chaplin and Ryan Clark as his main inspirations.
Frode Andreassen: Our hard hitting drummer. He’s been playing drums since he was 12 years old. His favorite drummers are Deen Castronovo, Mike Portnoy, Gregg Bissonette, Tommy Aldridge, Mike Mangini, Ian Paice, Steve Smith and Thomas Lang. Frode exclusively uses BDC drums, Meinl cymbals and Vic Firth sticks.
Jostein Uthaug: The guitarist and responsible for most of the mixing process. He grew up on an island called Fedje, just northwest of the city Bergen in Norway. He began playing guitar at age 16. His influences included AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Yngwie Malmsteen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, John Petrucci and many more.
Ole Henrik Vik: Plays synth. He has been playing piano since the age of 5, and plays guitar, violin, and church organ as well. The first band he played in was an ‘Avenged Sevenfold’ cover band, where he was randomly asked to be the singer. That was his gateway drug to metal. He started listening to Killswitch Engage, Trivium and Bullet for my Valentine, before moving on to more heavier and more progressive stuff such as Stonegard, In Flames, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Symphony X, Opeth and of course Dream Theater. His biggest musical influence by far is Dream Theater’s early albums. The favorite song is ‘A Change of Seasons’, which he considers a modern masterpiece. He even got to hear it live when Dream Theater played it as the encore on their Barcelona-gig in 2017. Other more recent influences include Dirty Loops and Jacob Collier.
Yngve Knudsen: Our bass player, and has been playing bass on and off since he was 15.
Crimson Moon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Ole Henrik Vik: ‘All is Vanity’ is our first EP. We have released three of the songs on the EP as singles before releasing the EP.
Crimson Moon: Tell me about some of the songs on the latest CD?
Ole Henrik Vik: ‘A Cure for Insomnia’ is an up-tempo song with groovy rhythms and a great chorus that will stick on your mind for a long time after hearing it.
‘Sanctuary Rage’ has maybe the best guitar solo on the EP, as well as some “Jordan Rudess-like” synth-details.
‘All is Vanity’ is a favorite of several of the band members. The main guitar riff just gets you headbanging straight away. It is also our most dynamic song.
‘Still Here’ comes with a long drum intro. Some of our fans just love the guitar riff on the verse. The refrain is big and symphonic.
‘Death of All Joy’ has got the main riff really driving the song all the way through. We are really pleased with the breakdown in the middle of the song when the bass plays alone.
Crimson Moon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Ole Henrik Vik: The music on the EP is mainly written by Jostein Uthaug and Rune Skjønberg, but all the band members have contributed with ideas on their respective instruments.
The lyrics are written by the singer of the band Rune Skjønberg.
Crimson Moon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Ole Henrik Vik: The lyrics are about life and death and tend to be melancholic and dark.
Crimson Moon: Has the Covid Pandemic impacted the band at all?
Ole Henrik Vik: The pandemic gave us extra time to work on finishing the songs. It was a good time to do studio work and production.
Crimson Moon: What is the music scene like where you guys are from?
Ole Henrik Vik: There are many rock/metal bands from Bergen, so the music scene is quite vibrant. Bands such as Enslaved, Sahg, Audrey Horne, Borknagar, Octavia Sperati and Slomosa are all based in Bergen.
Crimson Moon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Ole Henrik Vik: Dream Theater and Evergrey are two important influences.
Crimson Moon: What is the band like when you play live?
Ole Henrik Vik: We bring a lot of energy, but it’s been a while since last live show.
Crimson Moon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Ole Henrik Vik: No.
Crimson Moon: Do you do anything special warm-ups you do before you play live?
Ole Henrik Vik: Not really.
Crimson Moon: What made you want to be in this band?
Ole Henrik Vik: All of us think that our songs are great. We enjoy playing and listening to our own music, and we enjoy making music together.
Crimson Moon: If you weren’t in this band would you still be involved in the music industry?
Ole Henrik Vik: Yes, we are passionate about music, and being completely on the sideline is probably not going to be an option for any of us.
Crimson Moon: As a musician what advice can you give to fellow musicians just starting out?
Ole Henrik Vik: These days anyone can produce and release music, which is a huge advantage. We release our music independently and pay for the production ourselves. No one can stop us from doing that, and we don’t need a record label. Just start creating music and release it into the world.
Crimson Moon: What does the future hold for the band?
Ole Henrik Vik: We are planning to release two new singles next year, as well as a couple of music videos. The plan is to do live shows as well, starting in March/April.
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/sinisterkingband
https://www.instagram.com/sinisterkingofficial/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0SOi9riyuayZjFvpPpRh6j?si=y3ZCp0EyQ6yHipMYAJWwSw&nd=1
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9tnigQnv_EVyGtJ8yuaEZw
