By Mike C.

Thorr’s Hammer is a band that I’m not really into. I read an interview with her and I really liked what she had to say, that is when I decided to try and interview Runhild, vocalist of the band, and luckily I was granted my wish. I bought the CD and sadly wasn’t impressed. I found it to be a bit monotonous for my taste, but maybe you’ll like them?

If anyone has any pictures of Thorrs Hammer that they are willing to contribute for this interview, please e-mail them on over. - Mike - 2005

The Outcast: What are your opinions on religion?

Runhild: Religion is a superstition, and I try to stay away from such.

The Outcast: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change and why?

Runhild: I can’t think of anything. That is not to brag, but those things which are optional about myself, which I have the possibility to change, I have changed log ago. This question has been very central in my teenage years and on to becoming a mature person. I am sure I will discover new things along the road, and I will not hesitate to try and increase my awareness about my faults and try to mend them.

The Outcast: If you could change only one part in History, either in you life, someone else’s or an event, what would you change and why?

Runhild: If I changed one thing, then everything, or at least a lot, would change, and my life would not be as it is right now. I am having a great time right now, one of the best in my life. I have gotten a lot of things which I have wanted all my life. I would not want to have it any other way.

The Outcast: What are your beliefs on Satan and God? Do you thing they are actual beings? Why or why not?

Runhild: I do not believe in the things that I cannot see with my own eyes, hear with my own ears, or feel with my hands. I do not think they are beings. I think if some people want to believe in them, then it is their freedom to do so.

The Outcast: What is evil to you?

Runhild: Evil is a feeling, an atmosphere. I think that evil is when what we fear comes alive or becomes real. Evil is thus different things for different people. If someone did something really wicked with the purpose to hurt me emotionally, I would consider that evil.

The Outcast: What is your #1 philosophy in life?

Runhild: I do not really have a philosophy I guess, but I do have "slogans", among those are: "I want more." "I can do it." "I am my body and nothing else." That kind of thing.

The Outcast: Why do you think people go from one extreme to another? For example from a Satanist to a Christian or vise-versa.

Runhild: Well, to be a Christian or a Satanist, is in essence the same thing, because you are in a position where you place another before yourself. You make yourself a slave and claim not to have full control over your own life. One way or the other, some people need a bigger cause in their life than the body that their parents gave them. It’s a pity, I think. People should learn to appreciate themselves.

The Outcast: What is your opinion on morals?

Runhild: Make your own, and live by them.

The Outcast: You’re walking down the street and a Christian walks up to you and hands you flyer that reads, "Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart? And begins to talk to you about his beliefs.

A) Do you calmly tell him sorry but you have different beliefs and begin to talk about each others beliefs over a nice hot cup of coco.

B) Walk away and say nothing.

C) Tell him to fuck off and die.

Runhild: This actually happened to me once, and none of them occurred. Steve and I were out walking on Halloween, and I was wearing my fangs, along with a really nice black outfit. I bared my fangs at him, did not say a word and walked on. Just for fun really. I have no pity on missionaries. Being superstitious and naïve is one thing, trying to push it into others is another, and much more serious crime.

The Outcast: For one day you have God’s power, what do you do with that power?

Runhild: God has no power over me, and he has no power that I could not find myself.

The Outcast: What would be the ultimate pleasure for you?

Runhild: That is very personal, but perhaps not as extreme as you would believe.

The Outcast: What do you hope to find after death?

Runhild: I hope for nothing. But I look forward to it, as an end to this which I have now, and which I enjoy very much. I hope that it does not come to me yet, because I believe that death is change. I do not wish for my life to change extremely much right now.

The Outcast: What are your beliefs on Murder? Rape? Eye for an eye? Turn the other cheek?

Runhild: Murder and rape are two crimes. They involve stepping over the border of another person’s freedom. I think one should be punished for such. I think that eye for an eye is an ineffective thing, as the criminal would not react in the same way to the things that he himself committed previously. I think that today’s punishments are too few and too small, and I think each case deserves individual judgment.

The Outcast: I hate to get personal, but what was your childhood like? (Example: Divorced parents, alcoholics in the family, abuse, or any other negative aspects that humanity tends to unleash upon other human beings.)

Runhild: Fantastic! Norway is a beautiful country to grow up in, and my parents are great. Though, they were strict and I was not allowed to watch too much TV.

The Outcast: Were you ever "forced" to attend Church growing up? If so, what was it like and what religion/denomination was it?

Runhild: No, I was baptized, but I chose not to go to confirmation, which is the second baptism and accepting the faith. In Norway we have Christianity as the state’s religion, and I was forced to memorize prayers in children’s school. My parents had never forced religion on me, and school had no effect on me. I just lost respect for my teachers when I found out they were religious. I see it as naïve.

The Outcast: What have your experiences been like with Christianity, if any?

Runhild: When I was little, I learned about the Bible, and all that jazz. I guess I regarded the whole thing as a fairy tale, just the other fat books with pictures that I had at home. As I got older, I learned the truth about it, read some Nietzsche, and became angry for a few years. Now I regard it as an epidemic, and think that if it was not Christianity, it would be something else. People search for something, and many do not find it in themselves.

The Outcast: Do you think people have a right to voice their opinion about a religion, or a "religious" belief without actually experiencing it?

Runhild: I do not think that one should speak too much about religion, because it is a personal matter. I answer your questions frankly, but I never go about talking about it. I know people of all convictions. That is their own business.

The Outcast: Do you believe that metal is actually the Devil’s music? Why or why not?

Runhild: No.

The Outcast: Do you think that by listening to lyrics about death, destruction, gore, Satan, the death of all that is holy, sexually contents, etc... can influence someone’s state of mind? Maybe making their lives/mood/state of mind a bit negative because they’re exposed to it everyday if they’re heavily into a style of music that tends to talk about negative subjects?

Runhild: Only if you are open to the influence. I think that new impulses are exciting and that it will open your mind and make you able to create your own opinion. Nothing can influence you without your own consent.

The Outcast: Do you think that Christian metal can actually exist? Do you think that it is a contradiction, metal and Christianity being in the same sentence? The whole "life style" that metal is categorized under (Ex: Sex, Drugs, Violence, etc...)

Runhild: Christianity, Satanist, metal; these are words I do not put together really. Metal is metal.

The Outcast: In your opinion do you believe that evil can be used for good and good for evil?

Runhild: I believe in the fine shades and hues of the gray that is between the two extremes.

The Outcast: What is your definition of a hypocrite?

Runhild: A person who says one thing and does something completely different.

The Outcast: Would you say that a lot of Christians and Satanist alike, are very judgmental, critical, and closed minded towards each others beliefs? Do you think that’s normal/human for a lot of people?

Runhild: Yes.

The Outcast: So how did you get hooked up with such an extreme band? Did you ever think you could growl like that?

Runhild: I knew I could sing like that since I was 16, when I growled along with a Carcass tape driving my car. I like it and thought it was fun. The other guys in the band are my friends, and I asked them if I could join, so I demonstrated my vocals for them, and here I am.

The Outcast: I’m not trying to put anyone down, but I found the music to Thorr’s Hammer to be a bit monotonous. Do you think that the only reason it is recognized is because you’re a woman?

Runhild: What would you say? We’re down to question 27 and you tell me that you only are interviewing me because I am a girl with long blonde hair?

I do not think it is the only reason, but it seems like it is one of the reasons we stand out form tons of monotonous and boring bands. Frankly, I see nothing wrong with that. If you are different, and can do something others can’t, then you should show it.

The Outcast: I am sorry if that is the impression I gave you. I am not interviewing you because you are a female with long blonde hair; I am interviewing you and wanted to interview you before I even heard Thorr’s Hammer. I read an interview with you in a different magazine and thought you would be an interesting individual to interview, that is why I wanted to interview you, regardless of your gender. Again, I apologize for the bad impression.

Runhild: No offense taken. I just have a habit of straight talking. I answer with the wicked tongue when being questioned with the idle tongue. You didn’t need to make a statement; I think it is fun to be provoked.

The Outcast: What is your opinion about how society looks at women? What do you think about all the advertisements that usually include half naked women on them? What is your opinion about pornography? Do you think that this world could easily be controlled with sex?

Runhild: Sex is powerful, and women are powerful. Some women know it, and earn tons of money on their bodies. Nothing is wrong with that I guess. I just don’t think that bodies are for sale. I think that if people were not so easily influenced, all this fuss about how women are portrayed beautiful and skinny, that there would not be a problem. I would wish for a more intelligent role model, but I think that these women role models will emerge sometime in the next decade.

The Outcast: Who are some of your favorite bands?

Runhild: Carcass, Miles Davis, Bjork, Moa, Ulver, Emperor, Burzum, Wagner, Rachmanioff, Portishead, Madonna, Cardigans, and the list goes on. I am really into the Spice Girls as well, and drum "n" bass.

The Outcast: Any closing words?

Runhild: Thank you for the interview.