TELOCH on The Konsortium

Morten Iversen, best known as Teloch from Norwegian Black Metal extremists MAYHEM, and I took a moment to speak about his working with this notorious band, along with his other, various black metal projects - and one in particular - the enigmatic The Konsortium. 

Based in Oslo, Norway, Iversen, who is self taught at his instrument, began playing guitar at age 14 and started to play live from 1990, featuring in numerous metal acts such as Orcustus, Gorgoroth, NunFuckRitual, Condenado, Umoral and God Seed - just to name a few - this larger-than-life character is evidently not one to lie dormant in the Norwegian metal scene. Drawing his inspiration from both thrash and death metal in his younger years, his repertoire eventually evolved to focus wholly within the realm of black metal, and this is where he would make his mark.

Since 1995, Teloch has been contributing most of his time and energy into Nidingr, an extremely underrated band that has found its home in the dirty underbelly of Oslo. Featuring Hellhammer [Arcturus, Mayhem] on drums, I am left with only one question remaining, how does this band manage to remain underground after 3 great albums?!

Now, Teloch has even bigger plans on the horizon with the upcoming and anticipated release of The Konsortium's unveiling self-titled album, and with the other members unable to reveal their true identity, I took time out to visit Teloch's home studio in Oslo to inquire further into this mysterious project. 

When asked for the story behind the secrecy of Member 001's identity, Teloch replied that "he doesn’t want to be a part of any scene, doesn’t want his face out or his name to be known," further stating that he prefers to be keep himself away from external influences and just write.

With my curiosity truly ignited, I dug a little deeper into the band’s history. With the independent release of an EP in 2008, the band promptly found itself under the radar of record labels, recently inking a deal with Poland-based Agonia Records, and now, The Konsortium promises to justly shake up the competitive Norwegian market.

Teloch described the five-piece as "Avant-garde black metal" who draw inspiration from many styles of the genre. "It’s not traditional like Mayhem is, it's more experimental," he explained.

With the release of The Konsortium's debut studio album only two days away, June 23rd, it is now crunch time for Teloch as he begins his campaign trail for the upcoming black metal offering, giving Mayhem disciples a chance to see him in a new light.

"Actually, I think they will find it very cool,” Teloch shared with Voltage Media, “there is something fresh about it, [although] not as dark as Mayhem."

Currently, only the last track from the forthcoming album is available for preview on The Konsortium's website, but they have well and truly captured my complete attention. If the song ‘Tesla’ is a good indication of the rest of the album to follow, then we can only assume big things to mount for this very illusive, but fascinating band.

The Konsortium’s self-titled, debut album is out June 23, 2011 through Agonia Records.