NIRVANA 2002 (GRINDER MAGAZINE, JUNE 20, 2020) TRANSLATED

Grinder magazine is an online fanzine from Chile. Here’s an translated version of their excellent interview with Orvar from Nirvana 2002. If you can read spanish, please visit and support Grinder Magazine.

DESTINED NOT TO DIE!!

When talking about ENTOMBED or DISMEMBER, those who are deeply familiar with the birth and heyday of the Swedish scene always think of NIRVANA 2002. Despite never recording an album, they are still considered one of the best bands of that late '80s scene. We had the opportunity to catch up with Orvar Säfström and we reminisced about some moments, for many, from such a cherished era.

Hi Orvar, how is Sweden this winter? Is it very cold? I'm asking because on this side of the world it's incredibly hot, 30 or 32 degrees in the shade!!!

- Well, spring is actually just around the corner here, and right now it's already sunny and blue skies. But just a few weeks ago, I did a job in Sundsvall, four hours north of Stockholm, and I found myself in a 31-degree heatwave.

Let's get down to business. Personally, we haven't heard from NIRVANA 2002 since their performance at Maryland Death Fest 2010. What's happened to the band since then? Are they still active or have they completely split up?

- Nirvana 2002 hasn't been an active band since 1991. The four shows we've played (two in Stockholm, the Maryland Death Fest show, and Black Mass Ritual III in Finland) have been fun and connected to the release of the Swedish Death Metal book (Daniel Eckeroth) and our compilation through Relapse. If we wanted to start full-time again, it would be a completely new band. Sorry, but we're just tired of these "reunions" with a bunch of fat old guys pretending to be 16 again.

Let's go back in time a bit, and according to Daniel Eckeroth in his book, "Swedish Death Metal," Nirvana 2002 was one of the best bands he ever saw born but never released an album. What can you tell me about that?

- I'm not really the right person to judge our own band, but I think Nirvana 2002 had a very distinct and evolved sound for us at that time, when we were so young and appeared so suddenly on the scene. "Mourning" has become a classic, but I think the demo "Disembodyed Spirits" is much more impressive when you look back, more than 20 years after its creation.

Back in the days when you and Erik founded Nirvana 2002, what were your biggest musical influences or what were you listening to at the time?

- When we started the band (as Prophet 2002) in 1988, we were already fully into death metal. I'd say the albums that were top of the charts at the time were Bathory and the early Celtic Frost albums, then Death with "Scream Bloody Gore," Slaughter with "Strappado," Possessed with "Seven Churches," and Necrophagia with "Seasons of the Dead." Then, when the tape trading thing started, the search for material began, like Autopsy, Dr. Shrinker, Devastation, Necrovore, and so on. Other important influences on my role as vocalist in the band were Voivod and Trouble.

Please report dead links

When Nirvana 2002 formed, you were very young. Looking back, how do you feel about those early years and your attitudes toward music and life in general? Do you think they were a bit pretentious and overly intellectual back then?

- No, not really. But I mean, I was 14 when we started, and 17 when Nirvana 2002 was working. So, well, being a teenager is like living on another planet. My son is 16 now (he's the drummer for the Swedish death metal band Fester), so I know how isolated you can be from the rest of the world. But that's okay. If you're 16 and you find yourself in a band like Hellhammer, for example, then nothing else in the world matters except that. Like a lot of young people trying to find their own ideas about life, I read absolutely everything, from Crowley to Castaneda.

Nirvana 2002 basically had the typical Swedish Stockholm sound. What do you think made that style so special? What do you think made Nirvana 2002 different from its peers in that sense?

- Well, "Mourning" is textbook Swedish Death Metal. I'd say that, along with "Left Hand Path" and "Like an Ever Flowing Stream," that song is the closest thing to the best formula you could get back then. However, "Disembodyed Spirits" and "Promo 91" are very different from that. I think the main reason was that we were a bit isolated from the rest of the scene. We lived in a very small town in the countryside. "Mourning" was recorded at Sunlight, with help from Nicke and Uffe of Entombed, so that influence was very noticeable on the recording. "Promo 91" took place at Sunlight too, but by then we'd already found our own sound.

Nirvana's 2002 album, "Demo Porta," was recorded in April 1989 on one track, which was entirely self-produced, including "Disembodyed Spirits," both recorded at a studio in Edsbyn. What was your impression when you arrived at Sunlight Studio to record "Mourning" for the "The Projection of a Stained Mind" compilation? Did it feel special, considering that many bands at the time were recording there?

- The 89 recordings from 1989 were made in our rehearsal space, so nothing really serious came out of there. The first studio recording we made was "Mourning" ("Disembodyed Spirits" was later that same year) at Sunlight. What you have to remember is that at that time, Sunlight hadn't established itself as "The Studio of Swedish Death Metal." I think only five or six bands had been there before us. Also, Sunlight at that time was a REALLY small studio. So, it wasn't like walking into Polar Studio (ABBA's legendary world-class studio) or anything. All the things in one place, and Skogsberg, well, he was amazing to work with and just turned 51. One of the most important people in Swedish death metal history.

There are some metaphysical themes that permeate the lyrics of Nirvana's 2002 music, even with a somewhat misleading title, like Zombiefication. What kind of lyrics were a constant for the band? Did they also include the play on your personal beliefs?

- I think sometimes we're really trying to say something, but other times we're just trying to be cool. You know how it is. I'm a 100% atheist these days. No spiritual beliefs at all.

You were invited to play Entombed's first show after their name change from Nihilist, but you never ended up playing that event. So, your first taste of a band reunion came at Daniel Ekeroth's book launch party, which was also your first time performing live (this happened in January 2007). Why did you decide not to play that show? Regarding the reunion shows in 2007, were they just reminiscing in front of your friends, or did Nirvana's 2002 comeback also cross your mind?

- Well, we decided not to play the show with Entombed's first show (which also featured Carnage and Therion) for two reasons. First, we didn't have enough songs. Second, I had a real problem singing and playing guitar at the same time back then. Of course, things would have been very different if I had started playing tons of shows, probably gotten a record deal, etc., but in the end, I'm much happier with the way things turned out.

Daniel's release party performance was great, and the entire 

audience was made up of old friends from the Swedish Death Metal scene.

Considering that you were part of the Swedish scene in the early 90s, can you name the 5 most important demos made at that time, in your opinion?

Nihilist – Only Shreds Remain

Entombed – But Life Goes On

Grotesque – The Black Gate is Closed

Dismember – Last Blasphemies

Carnage – The Day Man Lost

How did the "89-91 Recordings" compilation released under the Relapse label come to fruition? Who had contact with the label, and how did they become interested in making this compilation?

- Relapse approached me about ten years ago about doing a compilation, but the guy who spoke to me left the label, and nothing ultimately happened. Then, after Daniel's book, they inquired again, and after helping Daniel with many things, I knew what I had in terms of material (photos, scans, tapes, etc.). Everything was done by me. All the writing, the remixing, and the contact with the label. Relapse was great with us; they gave me complete control.

Everyone knows about your time with Entombed in 1991. What memories do you have from that time? And what's your opinion of the band's career after more than 20 years of making music?

-I had a great time. I mean, I was 16 and had to take time off from school to go on a European tour with one of the top metal bands in the world.

Also, I've been a lifelong fan of "Left Hand Path"; it's a masterpiece. When it comes to Entombed now... Well, they're old friends, but I feel like they've almost become an Entombed cover band, if you know what I mean. The people who wrote those songs on the early albums haven't been in the band for years.

Looking back on your 2010 US performance at Maryland Death Fest, what are your memories of that festival?

- We had a bad experience at MDF. Metal festivals in Europe are big and well-organized. Maryland Death Fest felt like a backyard party full of drunk guys. Nothing worked.

- We'd been warned by other bands, but we didn't listen. Let's just say we flew from Sweden to play for free and ended up playing with a lousy backline and had to leave the stage after five songs.

What are the other members of Nirvana 2002 doing right now? What current projects are they working on?

- Erik is a full-time drummer in Iceland. He's a university professor and plays with different bands, a lot of jazz. Lars still lives in Edsbyn. We try to talk from time to time. I'm a consultant in the entertainment industry (film, music, video games).

- I'm not really playing anything right now, although we keep talking about it. Let's see, I guess, mostly trying to help my son's band. And trying to live through my offspring, could you say that or not? Hahaha

 

I'll leave these last lines to express whatever you want, and thank you for your attention.

- It's been over 20 years since we split up, but for some reason people still seem interested. Thanks for reminding us.

Interview published in previous issues of Grinder. Conducted by Aldo Guzmán.