I first discovered "Ofryskje", via the Related Videos section on Youtube, which must be how most people find about "underground" bands such as this. It was one of those videos which just has the song playing and a picture to look at. Rarely is the picture more entertaining than the song, but this was one of those times.
Gaze upon the mighty Ofryskje!1!!
Kvlt!
Ofryskje appears to consist of one fat man with no nose and admirable collection of plastic spikes. Well, perhaps I exaggerate. Those might well be genuine Chinese steel studs on his arm-guards, and the lack of nose could easily be explained by the lighting (of his mum's basement). However, there is no getting past the irrefutable fact that he is holding a pair of garden forks crossed in front of him like swords. No doubt these were stolen from his dad's shed five minutes prior to the taking of the above photo.
But it would be unfair of me to form my entire opinion of the band based on one (shit) photo, and so, scholar that I am, I went in search of more information and perhaps slightly less embarrassing photos of Ofryskje. First things first of course, let's hear some of their music, and what better place to start than the video where I found the above photo:
It's like a caricature of everything distinctive about Black Metal. I shall discuss it no further.
In search of further information on these clowns, I sought out my contacts within the various underground scenes of Europe, since many of them specialise in this field. All were as baffled and I and could tell me nothing. Wearily, I turned to the one place where I knew I would find answers. A place run by clowns, for clowns. A place where those who know shit all about music come together to share their collective ignorance, in all its unfiltered glory.
The metal-archives.
Noobs such as yourself are undoubtedly familiar, and many of you probably even have an account. There was indeed a page devoted to Ofryskje, from which I learned that they were only active (i.e. stealing gardening utensils from their parents) during the year 1997, have only a demo to their name, and were never signed. Had they waited perhaps 10 years or so, they would have landed a record deal with Nuclear Blast and be headlining major festivals across Europe.
Of interest to the learned few amongst you will be the name of drummer, bassist and guitarist of Ofryskje (who presumably also stars in that photo): Ørjan Stedjeberg.
Among the dozen or so bands which I see he has graced with his presence are the likes of Kvelertak. A picture is provided below, but readers of a nervous disposition should avert their eyes.
With the musical credibility of this group now decidedly in tatters, I went in search of two things which might, aesthetically at least, lift their reputation somewhat: any (ANY) other photo and the meaning of the band's name. Perhaps mercifully, all my efforts at uncovering a different photo proved fruitless. Equally fruitless were attempts at finding out what the hell "Ofryskje" means. Despite my extensive knowledge of Latin, Greek and a smattering of the old Nordic tongues, I had never seen anything like it. It contains six consonants in a row. Even after perusing the relevant tomes in my personal collection, I could learn nothing. I had but one clue (and a tendentious one at that, gleaned as it was from metal-archives): These clowns were Norwegian. In desperation I turned to Google translate. The "detect-language" function could tell me nothing, other than that the word was apparently Polish. Even when I fed it into the Norwegian translator, it had no answers. This leads me to the conclusion which I had suspected all along: the band's name is just a made-up word. In a way it's sort of apt.
We are left with two conflicting hypotheses as to the nature of this band: either an elaborate and brilliantly crafted joke, in which case it is a work of genius, or a colossal and total embarrassment.
D
But it would be unfair of me to form my entire opinion of the band based on one (shit) photo, and so, scholar that I am, I went in search of more information and perhaps slightly less embarrassing photos of Ofryskje. First things first of course, let's hear some of their music, and what better place to start than the video where I found the above photo:
It's like a caricature of everything distinctive about Black Metal. I shall discuss it no further.
In search of further information on these clowns, I sought out my contacts within the various underground scenes of Europe, since many of them specialise in this field. All were as baffled and I and could tell me nothing. Wearily, I turned to the one place where I knew I would find answers. A place run by clowns, for clowns. A place where those who know shit all about music come together to share their collective ignorance, in all its unfiltered glory.
The metal-archives.
Noobs such as yourself are undoubtedly familiar, and many of you probably even have an account. There was indeed a page devoted to Ofryskje, from which I learned that they were only active (i.e. stealing gardening utensils from their parents) during the year 1997, have only a demo to their name, and were never signed. Had they waited perhaps 10 years or so, they would have landed a record deal with Nuclear Blast and be headlining major festivals across Europe.
Among the dozen or so bands which I see he has graced with his presence are the likes of Kvelertak. A picture is provided below, but readers of a nervous disposition should avert their eyes.
 |
| It's no good. I can't find the words. Though "disgust" comes pretty close. |
D
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