In the 1990's, the Norwegian band Ulver was considered to be one of the most extreme black metal groups. These days the group's sound is explained as a "low-key, dark and tragic" one and with the upcoming release of their seventh studio album ??Shadows of the Sun?? (Jester) it's apparent the band has come a long way from their angst filled black metal days. Still, the group is commonly dubbed black metal and lumped in with groups they sound nothing alike. Group leader, Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg explains "history haunts us and there's nothing you can do." The following are excerpts from a recent interview with Rygg, conducted for Pitchfork. Pitchfork: You're still occasionally associated with black metal, though your sound's been shifting incrementally, and now significantly, since 1992. Does the association bug you?Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg: It bugged me more before, around 2000. At that point where we were very set on drawing sharp lines and distinguishing between things, people, places. I also believed there was such a thing as new beginnings. But history haunts us and there's nothing you can do. I accept that, even though I still find it curious, of course, that two out of 15 releases are regarded, or included to such an extent. But hell, I guess it means you're are pretty lucky when you have fans who love both your first and your last effort spanning fifteen years. That's pretty rare, especially considering the inconsistent nature of our body of work. I also realize that if it hadn't been for our initial "success" as a black metal band, there's a good chance nobody would know we exist. Or care. Sometimes I'm not sure what I'd prefer.??Ulver (Rygg pictured in the center)??Pitchfork: I'm interested in how you progressed from your early days to your current sound. What sort of aesthetic did you pull from for "Shadows of the Sun"? Chamber music, but what else? What contemporary metal and non-metal groups do you enjoy? I hear church music — even the BEACH BOYS. I hear you studied classical composers for it. How did you decide to use electronics/piano, et al? Of course, there are still moments of dissonance and feedback, but you largely break from standard "rock" instruments. There's this general soft white noise sounds filtering throughout — and horns. Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg: There's no specific aesthetic other than a sense of the beautiful itself, I suppose. There's a connection to classical composition, that's pretty obvious. Some Wagner transpositions. Some Schumann warped beyond recognition etc. in there. "Funebre" is largely based on one single bar off Wagner and we have that little Chopin signature thrown in there as well. So yeah, even though we use fewer notes, the classical stamp is all over the record. BEACH BOYS? It's probably the vocal thing, that I am so fond of clean-sung, layered, well-produced vocals and harmonies. That's another rarity these days. I wonder, where did all the sunshine pop go?To read the full interview, "CLICK HERE":CH[CH]http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/45864-column-show-no-mercy??Shadows of the Sun?? will be released October 1 in Europe and 2nd in the US.