Dark Funeral
Interview
with Lord Ahriman (guitars) / March 6, 2006
questions by Twilightheart
For your information: this interview was recorded spontaneously before the gig in Munich, March 6, 2006. Matte Modin (drums) was sitting beside Ahriman during the talk, not really taking part, but anyway losing one or two words from time to time. ;-)
Twi > How is the tour going so far? Are you satisfied?
Lord A. > We didn´t have any expectations, but everything is going well.
Twi > Why did you not have expectations? I mean, the new album gets only positive reviews everywhere!
Lord A. > Oh yeah, but most of the time we don´t really put up on expectations, so we get on with the spirit “whatever happens, happens”. If the people come it´s really cool. But maybe the coolest thing we have noticed so far on this tour is, that many young people come to the gigs. Really young, 14 or 15. It´s like a new generation of Dark Funeral fans.
Twi > I wanna talk to you about the cancelled gigs in Poland again. On your website you apologized for this quite friendly. But … I mean… you must feel a lot of wrath because of this…?
Matte Modin (who sat beside Lord Ahriman, joining in from time to time) > It sucks.
Lord A. > No, I don`t take it personal at all, because I know this is not just an act against Dark Funeral, this is an act against all the Metal scene. So, for some reason we turn out to be the scapegoat this time around.
Twi > But you are part of the Metal scene. So it´s also against you!
Lord A. > Of course, it´s against artistic freedom on everything. What can you expect from a catholic gouvernment!? I mean, just look at the history. The catholics have tried this before. And usually the music is the first target attacked, because it´s an easy target. After that there´s gonna be more restrictions. And one thing I was really surprised about, when we heared about it… the letters we received from our Polish fans, the first thing you would expect from the fans was: “Yeah, fuck the government and let them burn in hell”, but that wasn´t the case. We have received tons of letters from mostly people that are really not into Metal. They apologized for their gouvernment`s behaviour, and the topic that came back in most of the e-mails was that people are really worried about the future of Poland. They are scared, what will happen with the country. They feel sad. Since the new gouvernment came to the power there`s been lots of restrictions. Not only music, there is restrictions for more stuff. Things like this are just the beginning and we turn out to be the scapegoat for the musical side, I guess. I don´t really take it personal in that sense.
Twi > You should have played some secret gigs in Poland. Out of revenge!
Lord A. > We say “Yeah, let´s do it”. But the situation is more serious than it was to come out in the public. I talked to the people in Poland and all I can say is, they just can´t do it…
Twi > Is this just frustrating, or do things like this make you stronger?
Lord A. > Yes, situations like this give us more energy to do it. And, I mean, nothing can stop us. They can try, but we will just laugh in their faces. It´s just so cheap what happened. And I`m pretty sure we will sell a couple of hundret more records by this action. Because we got free “advertisement” in the newspapers and stuff. So it will result exactly in the opposite.
Twi > Just imagine, it´s taking over to other countries. Then soon no Black Metal band can tour in specific countries anymore.
Lord A. > I don`t think Poland used to be a catholic country. Religion in the country itself had been forbidden for so many years. So now they feel a bit like revenge. But that`s a problem of their country`s history. Not all countries in Europe have the same history as Poland. It could happen in other countries, but I don´t think so.
Twi > Besides the cancelled gigs in Poland, did you ever have any other problems with censorship before?
Lord A. > Oh yeah, we had problems in one town in Sweden. The Swedish church owns a lot of building complexes and stuff. So when they found out that we had been booked for a venue which they own, they have gone to the communitors and said “We don´t want Dark Funeral” to play in our city.
Matte Modin > But we haven`t had to many problems. It´s always been some protests against some of our shows.
Twi > Maybe your lyrics are still to soft when you don`t have problems! ;-)
Lord A. > Yeah, we need to work this out for the next album. ;-)
Twi > Every time Cannibal Corpse get here they get cencored and are forbidden to sing half of their songs (because of the lyrics).
Lord A. > Oh, … and yeah… I don`t remember her name, but the woman who got Cannibal Corpse into problems, she`s been after us, too. Our tour manager kicked her out. It was kind of funny story. She came to the venue, started taking pictures of us. And, I mean, this was during the day. And she wasn`t allowed to be in the hall during the day. But she sneaked in on some reason. We told our tour manager about it, he kicked her out from the building, she called the cops, … and listen to this, this is a true story: the police came with 2 cabs and she said: “We need help. We need to stop the concert for tonight.” And one of the police officers asked: “Who`s playing tonight?” – “ Dark Funeral”… “Oh, my daughter saw them several days ago and she said they are really good.”! And they told her to take a hike.
Twi > Can you support what I said about your new album getting only good reviews? Or did you hear something bad from anyone or any magazine?
Lord A. > To 99 % it´s been all positive. From our record label I got some reviews, and the “bad” reviews haven`t really been bad. Some reviewers have felt that it sounds to close to any of our last albums. But I think there are lots of new things that we`ve never done before on the new record. Of course we have our sound, we sound like Dark Funeral. But it´s far from repeating records from the past, because we included so many things that we`ve never done before. And especially on this one.
Twi > Which of the new songs have the best live qualities? Or from the audience`s reaction, which song do they love most?
Lord A. > I would say it´s 2 songs. We´re not playing all the songs of course.
Twi > But hopefully the title song?
Lord A. > Maybe. There is obviously an enormous response to “Atrum regina”. And also to “666 voices inside”.
Twi > How long do you play tonight on stage?
Lord A. > About 1 hour 15 minutes.
Twi > You talked about effects in your shows in any interview I`ve read before. What effects will this be?
Lord A. > I don´t think we have spent so much money on the production. I mean, in our wallet we don´t have much money, but we have spent all our money that we have on the production of the new tour. It was time to bring forth some more visual effects on the stage.
Twi > Pyro and things like that?
Lord A. > No pyro. Well, I would love a lot of fire on the stage, but we are not on the income salary that we can affort it.
Twi > How do you get along with your “support acts”? Okay, Naglfar is not a support act… but, you know what I mean.
Lord A. > After tonight I think we´re never gonna talk to Naglfar again.
((Explaination: Naglfar won the Metal Quiz against Dark Funeral that one print magazine did with them before.))
Lord A. > They won the quiz, so we can`t talk to them anymore. Hahaha. Everything is good. We share the bus with the Naglfar guys, we`re both from Sweden, so we talk Swedish all the time, we have a really good bus, good crew. Everything is good.
Twi > And musically… how do you like Endstille for instance?
Lord A. > To be honest, we haven´t really checked them out. So I can`t tell.
Twi > It´s really a pity. They are one of my favourite BM bands.
Lord A. > But we`re playing some other venues where we can stand on the balcony or something when they`re playing. There haven´t really been any good opportunities so far. And it´s a long tour. We will definitely check them out, that`s for sure.
Twi > Do you know the German band “Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult”, maybe?
Lord A. > No.
Twi > They have a woman on the vocals. How do you personally like women in BM bands? Or in Metal bands in general…
Lord A. > I have no problem with women in Metal, as long as it´s performed in a good way. I mean it´s all about the music first place. Some of the women are good in what they`re doing, some are bad. The same with guys.
Matte Modin > It´s all about musical taste. Some women are good, some are bad. Some guys are good, some are bad. So I don´t see a difference in women and guys in that sense.
Twi > But it´s not possible for YOUR band to have a female growler? ;-)
Lord A. > Äääh…. NO !!!
Twi > What`s your favourite female Metal band member?
Lord A. > It´s probably a cliché, but I like the girl who is singing in Lacuna Coil.
Twi > Is it for the looks, or for the music?
Lord A. > I guess both.
Twi > And your favourite female musician? (to Matte)
Matte Modin > Tori Amos.
Lord A. > I don`t even know who this is.
Matte > She`s a piano player. She really has my respect.
Twi > And what do you think about bands like for instance Kataklysm who call themselves the most extreme band in the world, although they`re not?
Lord A. > It´s up to them. It´s the way they feel.
Twi > And what`s the most extreme band out of your point of view?
Lord A./ Matte (both) > Krisiun
Twi > What`s your own favourite DF album? Except the new one, of course.
Lord A. > I´m like this: for me it´s always the latest album, because the latest album is what reflects the way I am and who I am today. It´s all very timesetting the record that reflects my inner self right at the moment when it´s been written.
Twi > Right here on tour, don´t you get sick of hearing your own songs again and again?
Lord A. > I never listen to them, I just play… hahaha.
Matte Modin > I must say “Secrets of the black arts”. Don`t ask me why, but I think that´s been starting everything , opened at me the doors to have a good production in an extreme music way. And I didn´t play in a band at that time, so that album is really important.
Twi > Now an other question comes to my mind, which is of interest for me personally. There was a lot of guessing around who will be the 4. band on tour with you here in Germany. And it was said that many many bands applied for that “job”. And now Amoral is the final choice? I don´t understand that, because they don´t suit into the concept of the tour. 3 very merciless bands, and then such a soft band. So why did you take exactly them in the end? Whose choice was it?
Lord A. > I don`t know who took them on tour, really.
Twi > So it wasn`t your choice?
Lord A. > Not really. What we normally like is a mix of bands. It would be very boring to have only Black Metal bands.
Twi > Oh, I would love it. Would be a perfect tour for me.
Lord A. > We wanted some Death Metal bands on the tour as well. And Amoral play a different kind of music. They are skilled musicians. They have my respect for this. And I think the crowd will enjoy seeing a slightly different band on the tour, too.
Twi > Okay, different matter. What do you hate most in this world?
Lord A. > In this world?
Twi > Or in this universe…
Lord A. > There`s so many things … like record companies.
Twi > What for?
Lord A. > Former record companies! Especially one!
Twi > Why do you hate them?
Lord A. > Because they fucked us.
Twi > Are you allowed to talk about it?
Lord A. > I don`t give a fuck. I hate them. And we`re gonna fuck and bury that piece of shit-company once and for all. We´re going to court against them. We´re sewing their asses off.
Twi > They betrayed you? For money?
Lord A. > Not only money. Money, songrights, the list is massive. They kept avoiding the process for fucking ages, but now the court is finally taking the case and during this tour it´s gonna be the first ruling in the case. It´s divided into several parts. But the court is probably gonna make a new ruling. We won the first ruling. And now there`s gonna be a second one, and hopefully within 2 weeks is to come out we`re gonna win for the 2. trial. They fucked with the wrong band.
Twi > And what do you love most in this world?
Lord A. > Ähm, women, sex, snooze, my wife, my daughter…
Matte > Kebab, Pizza, …
Lord A. > Maybe being on stage… that is what we really love doing, being on tour with the band and play our music…
Lord
Ahriman before the gig in Munich, March 6, 2006:
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