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Were did the idea to form Scariot come from?
"It was Anders (Kobro - drums, AE) from In The Woods… and I who started the band. The idea had been there for a while but I couldn't find competent people to play with. Many of the songs are in fact quite old even though we only started in 1997."

I haven't read too many reviews for the new album but the reviews I read for the debut album Deathforlorn seemed to have a hard time deciding what to call your metal. How would you like to describe it to somebody new to Scariot?
"The review in UK's Metal Hammer was totally off the wall. Scariot is not a black metal band. We are a multi-layered metal band. We incorporate a lot of different styles. So it might be that we have elements of heavy metal, death metal and black metal in our sound. I listen to a lot of different styles within metal."

The first time I heard Scariot was on a sampler that came with Danish Metalized. What does it mean to a band to be featured on samplers like these?
"It is naturally only a positive thing. For a new band it's a good way to get your name spread by taking part on compilations like this."

The normal way of getting noticed is to do demo tapes. Did you also do that?
"Yes, we record in total four demos and some of those we sent out to different places and to which we received some good responses. But we only sent them to labels and magazines. We didn't sell them."

You play/have played with some other bands. Is Scariot the band you put most of your time into now?
"I play in Scariot and then I play in a death metal band called Blood Red Throne and they are both top priority."

What relation is there between the title Deathforlorn and the songs?
"There is no relation. The title is a title I've been carrying with me for some time. Bernt, who did the clean vocals, wrote the lyrics. I wrote the lyrics to the last song but there is no connection between the title and the lyrics. It was just a title I had had for a long time that I wanted to use for this album."

How does the title Deathforlorn fit the cover of your first album?
"When it came to the cover we had nothing to do with that. We asked the label to come up with some different ideas and we thought it was a good idea they presented to us and the title fit the cover but I don't think that there is anything deeper to it than that."

Reading the titles to your first album I started to wonder if there's any special meaning behind the song titles, like f x the last one Cruisin'?
"That one was the one I wrote the lyrics to. The lyrics are not in the booklet and I don't know if you've managed to decipher the words but the lyrics are King Diamond inspired. The song was made in the studio but the lyrics are old. The lyrics fit the song."

That title made me think of 80s LA glam rock.
"It could be so but it is the title of the track and the title of the lyrics that I wrote years ago. The lyrics did not make it in the booklet this time but they'll be there next time."

How did you get in touch with Demolition?
"They were totally unknown to me. We had decided to go into the studio to record even though we had no deal. Once we had done that we sent the recording to different labels and we received five offers out of which we picked the best and that was the Demolition deal."

Is it an advantage to come from Norway even though you do not play black metal?
"It is hard to say. Maybe it had been an advantage had we been black metal. We are an ordinary meal band but I don't know if it is any advantages coming from Norway, maybe. 
     "Maybe it is like you said earlier that people expect there to be common grounds between this band and what we've done earlier but people just have to check it out and make up their own minds."

That's the best way to do it.
"Yes, if they are interested they'll check it out. If they like it or not is another question but I think the album will appeal to a lot of different people. There is something for every taste on it, from heavy metal to black metal."

But if they read the review in Metal Hammer they'll be majorly disappointed.
"I don't know why they compared us to bands like Dream Theater and Queensrÿche. It's not that kind of metal we deal in. He mustn't have listened to the record but we got 7/10 and that's good and people we'll hopefully check it out."

There have been some changes since Deathforlorn. Let's start with the line-up. How come you're the only one left from that album?
"Well, I've always wanted the best and the most fitting crew with me, and up through the years I've played with people that just didn't fit in one way or another... "

When you have to look for new members, is it hard to find them when something like this happens?
"Yes, they do not grow on trees, so to speak. Kristiansand, Norway where we live is not a big town but fortunately I knew people I could take on once the others were out. So that went quick. I do not like to change line-ups but things did not work the way I wanted them to so I had to look for another alternative. You'll hear the difference on the next album."

Since this album has been released on your own I take it that you weren't pleased with Demolition. What was it that they didn't do for you that made you not continue with them? 
"Demolition fucked things up at the very end of the recording of Tongueless God, and their sudden turn and demands were total unacceptable for Scariot. Unfortunately, they acted very unprofessionally..."

Is it better to release an album on your own than to be on an actual, if not very good, label? 
"Scariot want a record label behind their back, so it's not a happy situation for us right now, having this killer album recorded and not be able to get it out to the people!"

To my ears you've moved into more of a death metal sound this time. Was that a conscious move? 
"Yes it was. We wanted a heavier sound, but also maintaining the adversity Scariot stands for."

Will you use Tongueless God as a tool to find a new label and then re-release it or will you start working on a third album once you signed the dotted line? 
"We already have the material for our third album, Growing Stronger, ready, but we definitely want to release Tongueless God (officially) so we keep sending out this album to various labels!"