Andy and Lazare thanks a lot for the interview.

Lazare: No problem. Thanks for showing interest in the band.

The release of "Acceleration" took us by surprise. It was kind of a secret?

Lazare: Well, there has been no heavy campaigning for the album if that's what you mean, but I believe that quite a lot of people have noticed that "Acceleration" is out. Partly due to the fact that Age of Silence is a constellation of fairly known musicians and also because the release represents something a bit different in the scene.

Are you aware of any reactions to the release of "Acceleration"?

Lazare: We've been getting a lot of fantastic reviews. The feedback has been really overwhelming, to be honest. It's been a blast to see the reviews coming in.

Andy: This really caught us by surprise because we hadn't expected it to do as well as it has, and the response to it has been nothing short of spectacular.

How would you describe the sound of Age of Silence? I think that the term "astro metal" isn't quite representative.

Lazare: Its experimental or avant-garde metal (maybe you can call it experimetal?) but I usually just call it heavy metal, because that's the basis of the music.

If you would like to translate this description in prior music acts, which would you mention, in order to give a clue to the readers?

Andy: If you mean what other bands it's similar to and such? We believe we have quite a unique sound that can't be compared with anything else, so we don't like to name names because it would be misleading. Either people will check this out if they find it interesting or they won't.

You cooperated with Travis Smith for the cover. How easy was to give him to understand the concept behind "Acceleration" and make the artwork?

Lazare: He's an excellent designer, and he understood what Age of Silence was all about right away. He listened a lot to the album while he was working on the artwork, and I think that you can tell when you look at it – the design flows together with the music and lyrics to form a tightly knit concept. We're very pleased with the work Travis has done for us.

"Acceleration" has a conceptual approach. Would you like to give us some more information about it?

Lazare: I don't really like to talk too much about it, but I can say that it is in many ways a concept based on the idea of alienation and forged on the last of urbanity. If you read it, I believe you're bound to recognize the feelings and ideas represented.

Anyway the concept behind "Acceleration" isn't a science fiction story. I think that "Acceleration" has a political message to give to people. Some of the lyrics and the writings (I am referring to the "Somatics" paragraph) demand some kind of thinking and reaction. Am I right?

Lazare: In a way it has, although it's in no way a preaching message. It's a set of observations put into order for our listeners and readers to judge for themselves.

Is this kind of lyrical approach indispensable to the nature of the band? I mean will Age of Silence deal with other subjects?

Lazare: Yes, but I believe that all our future concepts will also be linked in some way to the basic ideas that spawned the first one.

Andy: It will have similar themes but in different settings. Perhaps going back in time on the next one…

Apart from literature that I think has obvious effect on your lyrics, what other things stimulated their writing?

Lazare: Everyday-life, seeing the city from different angles, meeting different people, hearing strange noises and the hissing of machines…

Andy, you live in USA for the time being. How different is the situation there, regarding, not only metal, but the whole culture and life?

Andy: Well, there is a difference of course, both in the way of life and people's attitudes. Lately it seems the situation between Europe and the USA is not as good as it used to be, but the point to be made here should be that just because someone disagrees with something doesn't mean everybody who lives in that country is stupid. This goes both ways, and nobody is any better than the others.

Now, do these numbers in your logo have a specific meaning or they are just part of the logo?

Lazare: They are just part of the logo. The numbers in our lyrics however have a very special meaning.

Andy: We like to throw people curveballs. For example, the numbers in the logo have no meaning, but the numbers in the lyrics have a very significant meaning. We've also been asked a lot why the lyric to song number five is missing in the booklet. This upset so many people that we decided to print a new version that included it, but the first pressing of the CD does not include it, so in time this will be a rare collectors item, because there are only a few of them out there that were all from the first pressing. In Europe I think this version is almost impossible to find.

How do you explain the fact that many of the Norwegian musicians that have a black metal background, search for different ways of expression? In particular we witness some of them to participate in some progressive (avant-garde? - call it whatever) bands.

Lazare: I believe that the participants in the Norwegian scene are constantly working to widen and expand their musical horizons and that is why we get a lot of bands pushing the envelope of what metal is supposed to sound like. I think that's a good thing – it creates new musical expressions.

Andy: Let me also add that only two members of Age of Silence started out in black metal, Hellhammer and Lazare. Eikind started out playing a different style and got into black metal later. Extant, Kobbergaard and my self have never played in a black meal band, so we all come from different backgrounds.

I have a sad feeling that we won't see Age of Silence live. Am I true and if yes, is there a particular reason for this?

Lazare: Well, the members of the band live in Norway, Finland and the US. That has a tendency to complicate things a bit when it comes to rehearsals.

You have already started to record the new Age of Silence CD. Do we have any information about the musical direction and when it is going to be released?

Lazare: Well, we haven't started recording, but we have started working on the new material. Hard to tell you about the direction so far, but I can promise you it's not going to sound like your everyday metal band.

Well guys, thanks a lot for the interview. You can close it as you want.

Lazare: Thanks for showing interest in the band. Hails to our fans everywhere.

Andy: Thanks to everyone who bought the album and to all the press for the great response.