WATAIN (Interview 2004)
With only two full lenght albums, Watain has managed to become With only two full lenght albums, Watain has managed to become the leader of the black/death scene! Combining the cold atmosphere of Mayhem (De mysteris dom sathanas) and the melodies of Dissection, Watain has found the winning recipe! But don’t get me wrong, the horde Of Eric is not a simple clone of the bands I mentionned! The best proof is to see them alive, cause yes, the force of Watain is on stage! Scarce are the bands having such an evil attitude when playing. Eric answered my questions some weeks after the release of “Casus Luciferi”!
Hi Eric ! To start the interview I would like to have your opinion about each of your releases !
“Go fuck your jewish god” (rehearsal demo)
Rather primitive fourtrack demo consitsting of a rehearsal and a homestudio recording of a track called “When stars no more shine”.
“Black metal sacrifice” (live tape)
A selfreleased livetape which we mostly spread among the closest ones…
“The essence of black purity” (7 ep)
The release we consider to be our first official one. Grim Rune Productions offered us to release this after hearing some liverecordings of ours, and 6 months later it was released as a gatefold 7" limited to 300 copies (sold out). I still regard the tracks that can be found on this one (Titletrack and "On horns impaled") as magnificient pieces of Black metal, yet it can't be denied that we've developed pretty much since that release, unto an even more sinister shape of abomination and mystery.
“Rabid death’s curse” (1st album)
For a debut album I think "Rabid Death's Curse" works very well, the extraordinary piece of deathlike devilry it truely is. However, as you keep on developing, the old compositions turns rather pale in comparison to the new. Lyrically, the thesis of the Rabid Death's Curse is a rather personal attempt of mine to symbolically explain the idea of salvation through spiritual slavery and the will to serve. To stand above yet laying crushed beneath. The poetic way in which it is actualized on the album is somehow the religious and spiritual woven into flesh and human suffering, yet never falling out of the divine frame itself, but just to make it more visual to the blind, to make him tremble in tears of unachievment and loss. To put it briefly, the Rabid Death's Curse is the curse of life, the disease which we are condemned to suffer from until divine punishment comes upon us. It is written both for the blind and seeing, handeling both the slumbering and the awakening. It is a real tale of spiritual distance from perfection and forever locked doors… and perhaps a source of mindenhancing for those cursed and blessed! To those who stand as proud wolf among blind sheep, yet as dirty slaves among free men!
“The misanthropic ceremonies” (split 7 ep with DIABOLICUM)
Features the track “My fists are Him”. An honour to co-operate with both SPK and D.
“The ritual macabre” (live tape)
Sounds like shit, done in a haste. I dont really like this release.
“Casus Luciferi” (2nd album)
Casus Luciferi is without doubt the greatest and most immense musical effort we have ever been a part of. Three years of dedicated composing and recieving is what lies behind it’s enormous (yet also simple) pattern, and the final outcome was just what we had prayed for… A great darkness coming down from the heavens, devouring all in it’s way! I think this album will appeal –and even come as a fresh breeze- to anyone whose heart pounds for honest Black/Death Metal glory, as it unlike most other crap that is released this days actually has an incredibly strong spiritual nature as well, something deeper, more sinister and dangerous than the actual music. It’s far from the one-dimensional nuclear blast releases that people simply forget after a week, and that seems to be an opinion shared by many. The response has been overwhelming, and our strife goes on… Evil has no boundaries!
What evil forces pushed you to form WATAIN?
Each stone and each nail in the structure of Watain has been forged and placed with determination and a constant yearning for the higher. For each day we grow into something more gruesome, stronger and dangerous, constantly feeding on the restless fanaticism chanelled through our work… Watain is the spawn of the snakes inside us, both it's exhalation and it's nourishment. It is a destructive circle of orobourian kind; constantly breeding, constantly dying and constantly resurrected, maintaining the cycle with ONE wish as it's fuel; to channel and honour the powers of Satanas, to grow like cancer into the tissue of this disgusting scene.Why we were formed and why we exist now might be two different things, but one thing remains clear; Watain has grown into something more than what we are in control of ourselves. We have become mediums of something far greater than our own yearnings, and where it is taking us, we cannot know. Watain is the black energy floating between the three poles that it’s trinity of members constitute. We might be able to steer it’s course, but we are certainly not in position to alter it’s nature. « This soul prayeth not for victory but for loss. This body kneeleth not in vain, but in blood. These eyes seeth not nil but truth. These words are not spoken by me, but through ».
Your new album begins with “Devil’s blood” for ending with “Casus Luciferi” and its thunderstorm! I think each song is the continuance of the previous one to achieve “The fall/descenson of Lucifer”! Are you agree with me?
That is one way to interpret it. We’ll leave the solving of the albums mysteries up to the listener. There is much hidden in there…
The lyrics of 3 songs have been written by members of other bands ( Necromorbus of FUNERAL MIST, MKM of ANTAEUS and Scorn of KATHARSIS). How this happened?
The reason for using guest-writers for the album does not have to do anything with lack of inspiration for our part or such bullshit. When we began composing the structure of Casus Luciferi we realized that this work could become something really immense and giant if we really did everything we could in trying to make it such. As a result of this thought, we asked these three brothers to compose one lyric each, in order to add even further dimensions to this work, still of course staying within the strict frame of our temple. The result became very special i think. We respect these persons standpoints fully and it’s an honour to praise with them. It should also be pointed out that they all have a very strong connection to the Norma Evangelium Diaboli, which was of high importance as well.
How can you manage to emit this so powerful hate? What do you think about these feeble-minded people called “humanist”?
Drawkcab dneb smra ym semitemos.
“Casus Luciferi” has been the album of the month in TERRORIZER! What is your feeling about that?
It’s good to see that some people still understand, or at least are able to feel, the ineffable power of real Black Metal. Then it might be so that if people truely had insight in the rotten, destructive nature of Watain, they might not be as supportive as they are now. But that is their problem, not ours. We are the snakes lurking in their paradise, not the other way around.
Your first album will be re-released (cd and lp) because originally it was only released in 1000 copies! These limited releases are great treasures for the die-hard fans, but is it frustrating for the artist?
Yes, we have decided to rerelease Rabid Death’s Curse on cd. Limiting the debut is something we actually regret alot, it all took a wrong turn and now we have all these kids buying it for insane prices on the net just to please their filthy materialistic needs, which is the LAST thing a Watain album should be used for. And don’t get me wrong now, i know what it’s like to hunt down a record that you’ve been looking for a long time, but the contents of that album meant alot for us and we should have sticked to only limiting the vinyl or whatever. Nothing wrong with collectors items as long as those who are really interested in the actual albums are able to get it easily, at least on cd. The re-release will be unlimited and feature one bonustrack in the form of a cover.
Nowadays Spikekult records doesn’t exist anymore. Is your split with DIABOLICUM had a good distribution? Because I read an interview of MKM and he said he had serious problems! Do you know the strange reasons?
I know that the EP sold out very quick, so i doubt there were any problems with the distribution really… SPK always had troubles, financial and other, but that they depended on that release is something i think i far from true.
Could you talk a bit about your first tour with UNPURE?
Black War Tour was done throughout Europe a couple of years ago, the eastern parts mostly. It was a very interesting experience, leaving us with many dark memories, better kept to us alone...
Ronan (my friend) met you during the DRAKKAR fest in Holland and he was impressed with your performance (musical intensity, hate......)! What’s your feeling about this infernal evening (band, public, organization)?
It was an ok experience, but far from out best gig. Not enough blood fire and death. It was great to meet Grand Belial’s Key though, and to see them live.
You live in Uppsala, a town known for its metal scene! What do you think about the bands coming from your region?
Uppsala is just as shit as anywhere else. In the past there were some good bands like Goatworship, Abbadon, Gaurhir, Sarcasm and Defleshed, but now the scene there is dead.
I didn’t have the opportunity to read your “Hellish Massacre” zine. Could you tell me the philosophy of your zine?
It’s controversive scripture of evil death/black abomination in early 90’s cutnpaste style…The magazine is still alive as well, a fourth issue will be released by the end of 2004. Our main priority has always been Watain which makes the zinemaking rather ineffective.
You’re still only 3 in the WATAIN horde. Why you don’t want to integrate a bass player as a full member? And why Stjerna is not anymore your session bass player?
We will not disturb the pattern of the Trinity again. It means alot. Watain equals III.
Stjerna disbanded more than two years ago because of some problems.
I would like to have your point of view about these topics :
The last concert of GORGOROTH in Poland
Great, and a pity that it doesn’t happen stuff like this more often, considering how much Black Metal gigs there is all the time.
The future album of DISSECTION. By the way, did you know Jon before the incident?
I’ll follow their evolution with deep interest.
Thank you Eric! The last words are for you and your evil thoughts!
Maniacs devoted to true Black Metal magic, get Casus Luciferi! Check our webpage for details about ordering etc. We also have shirts available for sale, for 15 euros. Thank you for the interview, and for taking part in thrusting the deathlike semen of truth into the cunts of the non-believers… On your knees, fear the dawn!
Mikael
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