The band Octavia Sperati is from Bergen, Norway. With their musical roots in goth metal/doom metal they have, in their own words, won flattering comparisons with Candlemass, The Gathering, and The Third and the Mortal.
-Adam (June 25, 2008)

For those who don't know, who are Octavia Sperati, and what are the origins of the band name?

To sum up, Octavia Sperati consists of Silje Wergeland (vocals), Trine C. Johannessen (bass), Gyri Losnegaard (guitar), Bodil Myklebust (guitar), Ivar Alver (drums) and me – Tone Midtgaard (keyboard).  We started up in 2000, in Bergen, Norway, and our first release was a self-financed, low budget 5-track demo Guilty in 2002.  In 2003 we entered the studio again, starting the recordings of songs included on our first album Winter Enclosure.  The promotional recordings paid of, and in late 2004 we signed a record deal with British Candlelight records.  Since then we have released the albums Winter Enclosure (2005) and Grace Submerged (2007). Both albums have been produced by Herbrand Larsen and Arve Isdal (Enslaved, Audry Horne) in Earshot studio.  On our last album Bjørnar Nilsen also assisted during the recording process, and all of the keys have this time been recorded in MOF studio with producer Morfeus (Limbonic Art, Dimension F3H).  Geir Luedy also contributed on the mixing.  Our albums have been rewarded with great reviews, and have given us the opportunity to tour with great bands like Paradise Lost, Cradle of Filth, Cathedral, Amon Amarth and Finntroll. We have also supported legendary Fields of the Nephilim, as well as doing our own headlining tours, with local support.

When it comes to the name, Octavia Sperati, it was our bas player Trine’s idea. Originally the name was going to be Octavia, and it is taken from the most beloved sister of Emperor Augustus of the Roman Empire.  Octavia was wise, beautiful and strong, 'a pearl among women' according to her brother. A rival to Cleopatra, she was just as beautiful (or even more) and the story tells that she was just as clever as her famous brother.  Octavia was loved and admired by the people of the Roman Empire, meaning the most of Europe at that time.  We liked the idea of using the name of a woman who symbolizes both strength and integrity and the grand era that she was a part of.  Then we discovered that there was another band called Octavia, which lead to the adding of the 'surname' of another Octavia; Octavia Sperati. She was an actress at the national theatre in Bergen, and is now said to be haunting the building.

Who would you regard as your influences?

We do not have one main influence in our music, mainly because we are six people in the band, who all contribute in the making of each song.  The qualities of our music are therefore a mix of six persons being involved in the creation of the music, and sometimes the songs ends up completely different from what it started with.  There is much black, doom and thrash metal influences in the guitars and drums, and with Silje’s vocals and the classical keys it all breaks down quite differently to what many people expect us to sound like. I guess we get the inspiration from each other during the process of making the music…

We just make the music we like, and when six persons put their personalities into a song, the result becomes a mixture of us all.  The composing process in Octavia Sperati is really like a creative experimentation.  Usually one of us comes up with a riff or a very rough idea for a song, and everybody works on it together and writes their own parts.  It's better when all six of us can contribute to each song.  We're all happier that way, and we work really well together.

At any time did you forsee a predominately female line-up within the band, or was it more a case of finding a set of people with comparable musical tastes?

Octavia Sperati started up as most bands do, as a set of friends wanting to play music – there is really nothing more to it than that.  It was a result of new friendships through the local metal scene, and common musical preferences, sharing a general interest in metal music.  The first line up consisted of Silje, Trine, Bodil and Gyri – who are all still in the band, in addition to Silje Røyseth who started out on drums.  I met the girls through my work in a local music organisation, AKKS, where also Silje after a while started working as a board member.  When she learnt that I had played the piano since I was very young, she asked me to replace her on keys in the band, so she could concentrate only on the singing.  When Silje Røyseth had to leave the band, we asked another friend of us Hege Larsen to join on drums, and she was the one playing on our first album Winter Enclosure.  When we in 2005 once again found ourselves without a drummer it was never really a big issue for us to find another girl to replace Hege, we just needed a good drummer! Our first male member, Kikken, joined us, and after that (since our Spinal Tap-ish trail of drummers continued) our current drummer, Ivar Alver (also male) joined us in the beginning of 2006.

How much of the Norwegian roots of Octavia Sperati would you say plays into the music you produce?

We are not actively trying to incorporate our Norwegian roots in our music, but I think you always will be coloured by your background and your surroundings when you are making music.  Our folk music, our wild nature and dark and cold winters will probably affect us even if it is not a conscious effort.  

There seems to be almost an undercurrent of spirituality within the lyrics of several of your songs, is this part of your selves crossed over into the music?

It is Silje who writes the lyrics in Octavia Sperati.  I do not know how spiritual they are, but many of them are quite personal, about experiences and feelings from her life, or people close to her.  Therefore the lyrics are not very direct – you do not want to reveal too much…  So yes, there is a personal part crossed over into the music, but still the lyrics are open for interpretation, which gives the listener room to connect the words to their own lives.  I love this about Siljes lyrics.   

You've drawn comparisons with a number of other bands in the past, what would you say makes Octavia Sperati different?

Comparisons are impossible to avoid in the music business, journalists (and others) always need some reference point when they are describing the music.  We our selves are not very focused on these comparisons.  As I said earlier, we just make the music that we like, and it is a mix of all the personalities in the band.  Maybe that is what makes Octavia Sperati different? I think it is hard to define our music, and what makes it difficult (and special) is that we do not play just one type of metal.  If we should try to describe it I think Kerrang!/Metal Hammer journalist Dom Lawson had a good description once: 'Extravagant, dramatic doom, with a rock 'n roll heart.'

What would you say attracted you to this specific style of music?

That is hard to say…  Maybe it all started when I was a little girl sitting outside my older sister's room listening to her playing her Kiss records.  I remember I loved Guns 'n' Roses from the start, and when I was maybe 13 years old, my friend introduced me to bands like Slayer and Testament – and I just loved it, and from there I moved on to black metal.  I think the aggression and power attracted me, being an angry young girl.  

I started playing the piano when I was very young, mostly classical.  When the opportunity presented itself with Octavia Sperati to get to combine my playing with metal music which I loved, it was not a hard decision to join them!

Using just one word how would you describe each member of the band?

Ivar: evil

Silje: organizer (and my provider of hugs)

Bodil: cheese loving myspacequeen

Gyri: cheese loving organizer

Trine: back troop 1

Tone: back troop 2… 

It is really impossible to describe these lovely people with just one word!!! I could not even begin to describe them with a sentence – I would need pages…

There is on youtube an Octavia Sperati tribute with ‘The Final Rest' played to the backdrop of numerous photos of the band, what are you thoughts on this?

I have not seen this – but if people are making tributes of the band I guess that is a good thing! I will check it out.

You've released two albums now, with this in mind how important do you think it is to keep your music sounding fresh?

Of course it is an important thing to keep the music fresh; you do not want to keep on making the same song over and over again.  We try to evolve as a band and make the music grow with us, but still keep the Octavia sound alive. 

There appears to be elaborate artwork on the merchandise designs, who does it all?

The entire band photos used in the promotion of Grace Submerged is taken by the photographer Tommy Næss.  We had an intensive photo session on tree locations with him, in his studio, out in the woods, and in a freezing cold lake.   The cover art and layout for the album, as well as the merchandise was done by Richard Lock (Devolution Designs, UK), based on the photos.  Tommy Næss and his crew also made the video of 'Moonlit', where we used some of the same elements as from the photo session, to tie it all together.  For Silje this meant another cold day barefoot in the woods, and another bath in the nearly frozen lake… But it was all worth it!

If you had the chance to headline a show at any venue in the world, which would it be?

Wacken Open Air!

Which do you prefer, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?

Haha… I am actually reading Harry Potter just now!  I have got the books for my birthday for years by my sister, and I am finally reading them now, between other books – it is too much to read them all in a row.  But with no doubt: I prefer Lord of the Rings! Those books I have read several times, and I love the movies and also the BBC audio book. 

What was the last book you read?

Well, as I have just said I am reading the Harry Potter series, and I am currently now on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  My latest book in between the Potter books was Innsirkling by Carl Frode Tiller, a Norwegian author.  I love books, and read constantly!

Any final messages for your fans?

I will take the opportunity to thank all our fans, who buy our records and come to our shows!  Your support and enthusiasm means a lot to us!  Stay metal!
 

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