1. I salute You! And I appreciate this opportunity to share a couple of words with you. How are the things going on amongst the Clan? Any news from your camp?
Haels! We are honoured to be approached to do an interview with yourselves. Things are just fine in the fold, thanks. Right now we are working on ideas for our forthcoming album. Soon we will start regular rehearsals and begin recording pre-production demos of the new material.
2. WODENSTHRONE came up with a very interesting concept dealing with ancient pagan history of the Old Albion. That’s quite unique in my eyes for an English band. Why did you pick up particularly this theme as a framework for your music?
Wodensthrone began as a creative outlet for us to express our respect for the natural elements, the old ways of our ancestors that admire so dearly, and the rich culture they fought to preserve. Our heritage remains a strong aspect in our everyday lives, we feel a natural connection to our region of England and its history and we wanted to use Wodensthrone to depict our reverence for pagan culture.
3. Black metal music from continental Europe is often inspired by the heathen era. Either it is Nordic, eastern European or Slavic in general, there are many bands representing this sub-genre. By saying “quite unique” I mean that in your case I’m not aware of many other artists in UK with a similar approach to black metal. Do you consider WODENSTHRONE to be a new and fresh air in this sense?
I don’t think what we are doing is a completely fresh approach to ‘UK Black Metal’ as far as the concept is concerned. We have had great bands from these shores covering subject matters similar to ourselves even back in the ‘90s. Bands like Old Forest, Symbel and Forefather all played key parts in the underground spiritual heathen metal movement, which has been arisen again through bands like us and Winterfylleth of late. We have recently been assigned the tag ‘Heritage’ black metal, which I wouldn’t dispel totally, but I wouldn’t embrace the term as the central point of our message, which is more concerned with using heritage and pagan ideals as a counter to what we see around us in the modern world, which is apathy, a lack of spiritualism and mass consumerism. In our lyrics we are very open to our natural surroundings and changes in state, allowing us to be free in thought and break down the boundaries of clichéd Black Metal back stories. Sub-genres are just another way of applying music to the cosmos, which we ultimately try to avoid.
4. Although in Mortemzine we focus strongly on music avoiding any political issues I cannot refrain from asking you about how do you see your mother-country nowadays?
In Wodensthrone we try to link the pagan ideals of the past with current state we are in. I think this helps us to realise that we should not be bogged down by the political atrocities going on around us. Being watched on every street corner by cameras, having communications monitored, the fear-based society we live in – these are massive concerns to us. We don’t tolerate political quandaries in our musical approach though. We see politics as largely illusory, recognising systems of control that exist way beyond the personages we see on the television screen every day. I’m not sure Wodensthrone – or black metal for that matter – would exist as a legitimate musical style in our country if there wasn’t a lot to be said about the state of our crumbling society. Modern Britain seems to be suffering under the same regime we see decimating America’s Constitution and centralising power in Europe, which goes unnoticed by most people and is never talked about seriously by the mainstream media. We naturally ally ourselves with others who are trying to expose the political charade, therefore, because only more frustration will come if we embrace that tainted model.
5. You claim Sunderland to be the clan’s home. Could you describe the surroundings and spirit of this place? Do you draw inspiration from your closest neighbourhood?
This is a question we have been asked a lot. The surroundings in Sunderland range from harsh industrial wasteland to beautiful coastlines, all of this is relevant and inspirational towards our writing, both musically and lyrically. The atmosphere invoked by the sea at night is a feeling that cannot be described; only that it heightens the senses, ultimately helping one to achieve greater self realisation. Living in cities and witnessing the consumer society makes us yearn for communion with our spiritual homeland outside the bounds of what we call society and it’s so called common purpose. In this instance I am not strictly speaking for the band, but it has been proven that humans crave the primitive feelings, carnal instincts, danger and also comfort that rural areas present. I strongly believe people should make a conscious effort to connect with the elements, and more unspoiled locations as often as possible, for their own sanity and spiritual well being if anything. As a clan we have discussed that more journeys to the wild would be good for our creative energies and we hope to visit several remote locations during the writing process of our new record, especially to help us write the more folk inspired material we have envisioned.
6. Some consider importance of the lyrical themes in music to be secondary. Do you pay specific attention to the lyrics? Can you tell us something about the basic topics being discussed in the songs?
The lyrics are very important to us, but the music is much more important. We feel they go hand in hand in many ways. We never set out to have a particular writing formula as such; we just go with what comes naturally to us and then craft the lyrics after the music is written in many cases. Sometimes we reverse that trend though and begin with a conceptual outline, like we have done on the new record for a couple of tracks. Basic topics in our lyrics range from personal experiences of the world around us, religion and its oppressive nature against man’s real identity, revealing the true face of our pagan forefathers and their Wodenism, etc. We have already written the concept for the new album, which is a lot more in depth, darker, more enlightening and ultimately more ‘conceptual’ than anything we have done previously. I am feeling very positive about the new record.
7. In 2009 your debut album „Loss“ came out - a stunning piece of atmospheric black metal if I might add. Coming out of nowhere it is definitely one of those acts that will not get lost in the flood of all the records out there. Now , before it was actually released into the world you had participated on two split albums with Niroth and Folkvang. When I compare your debut with these early records, I can see much of a progress in composition and instrumental skills as well. Do you feel that you’ve reached the point at which you have built up your own specific style accompanied with stable level of artistic quality? Or is it too soon to tell?
Thanks for the kind words! I am sure we would all agree that we have progressed musically and also in our individual instrumental capabilities since those days, however, we are still proud of what we achieved with the early releases, and they will always evoke warm memories that will stay with us forever. It is important to point out that the band back then wasn’t the same clan as you see now – Rædwalh joining before Loss was recorded and then Arfæst joining as recently as last year – so we have definitely evolved as a band since the first two releases. As far as ‘style’ is concerned, we all draw influence from various musical sources, so I think it would be unfair to say we will ever have our own specific style, as our musical tastes are forever changing. We are always discovering new records and more old records and folk/classical compositions we enjoy as we get older.
8. If you could describe „Loss“ in your own words what would they be?
A spiritual journey through the never-ending emotions the soul experiences. As well as this it is a dirge for Albion that may only be relevant to a few people who are in touch with their deepest selves, and for those who recognise the travesty of monotheistic religion wiping out our folk traditions.
9. Footage reaching beyond one hour is usually a hard piece to swallow at once. Although I’m not a great fan of far too long records in case of „Loss“ I simply had to make an exception. Still, don’t you think it is easier to attract the listeners with shorter songs and little trimmed play-time?
We do not heed the criticisms of others. We write music with the sole intension of self-satisfaction and to vent for the tribulations life presents on a daily basis. This has always been the mindset of the band and it will remain this way. If we are producing music that people can connect to, this has surpassed our goal and this is very rewarding, however, the writing process is always a natural occurrence and not aimed at pleasing a given audience’s tastes. We never push ourselves to produce music we will eventually be unhappy with; no deadlines are ever set because we see this as a stifling influence and a possible creative and spiritual boundary. By coming into conflict with your integrity you ultimately suffer accordingly when you see the true face of your capricious actions.
10. I must admit that among all the distinctive metal on the album I find the calm acoustic parts to be the most interesting. Especially then whole instrumental song „Pillar Of The Sun“ with its overwhelming atmosphere. Is this maybe the way towards which you’ll lead your music to in the future? I mean like adding even more acoustic and folk elements on the top of the black metal basis or does your vision go elsewhere?
We are hoping to become more in touch with the folk aspects of our music in the future. The next album will make room for more acoustic driven compositions. We are hoping to use a lot more percussion and acoustic instruments, rather than relying on ones that require electricity. It is important to us to try and produce true acoustic sounds, but this was not always possible, given the previous lack of equipment and recording facilities. Our next album will be recorded at Foel Studios in a very remote part of Wales, so I think we can really produce something special and far more honest, in terms of the folk aspect, than ever before.
11. It’s a pleasure of every listener to play the record while browsing its booklet pages. And your artwork made by Kogaion art studio is simply a delight and mainly fits the music well. Did you consult it a lot with them or is it that you just accepted what they had presented? Apart from this, do you consider visual part of the album to be its integral part? .
We worked with Moga from Kogaion Art throughout the whole creation of the artwork. We have a very close relationship with him and his partner (who also plays an integral role in their artworks), which helps us understand each other and our vision. We all believe that artwork is an extremely important accompaniment to the music, the lyrics, and the aura of any band. Moga understands our needs in the greatest detail and never fails to produce absolutely stunning pieces of art and imagery.
12. The sound of your debut is little veiled and flat and still I think that’s the way it should be. Did you focus on giving the album this specific meditative tinge by supressing blasting double bass and solid guitar sound a bit when mastering the record? .
The mix and master of Loss was consciously produced to capture a flowing, dream-like atmosphere without some of the harsher elements Black Metal is naturally associated with. This was our vision as much as Edmond Karban’s, who mastered the record. We felt the music sounded this way even in rehearsals, so it was completely natural to us for the engineer and the producers to forge this melancholic sound.
13. I must say it surprised me when I found out that „Loss“ had actually been recorded in Negura Music Studios in Timisoara, Romania. What lies behind this choice of yours to travel hundreds of miles to enter a specific studio? Hasn’t there been an easier way for you in all of this? How did you actually manage to cooperate with Hupogrammos and Arioch from NEGURA BUNGET? .
There is nothing in this decision that should surprise anybody. Travelling to Romania to record Loss was the best decision we made for the production of the record, even though it was somewhat fortuitous for us to get that chance. The opportunity arose when we played a gig in Sunderland with Negura Bunget, having befriended them on the night. Loss would be an entirely different entity had we not worked with Hupogrammos and Arioch. They played a big role in the creative vision of Loss and even contributed vocally and musically in various parts of the record. We learned a lot being in their company and that time in Romania will always be looked back upon fondly.
14. You already did perform some live shows..Is there any possibility that you will show up on a gig, or festival in our regions (Czech Republic) as well in time? Or will you stick to your homeland by now?
We are hoping to perform in various European nations next year. Perhaps when the next album comes out on Candlelight we will get offers. We wanted to play the Kilkim Zaibu festival in Latvia this year but couldn’t because of other commitments. But we’d be honoured to leave Britain and play for our foreign fans.
15. WODENSTHRONE are running a good maintained Myspace page. What are your experiences with this phenomenon of the social networks? Are they an invaluable tool or just a necessary evil to you?
We have a Myspace page but don’t care about the whole social network phenomenon much. We just use this as a tool to publish our news, activities and information on releases. I suppose you could say it’s a ‘necessary evil’ but people who use Myspace and Facebook to live some kind of second life can fuck off!
16. Since we’ve have recently stepped into a new year, I would like to ask if there are any goals you’ve set and would like to accomplish in the upcoming twelve months?
A new record and more live performances.
17. Coming to an end I just want to ask you for one personal recommendation for a record/an album to our readers if possible…
I would personally like to recommend to the Czech Republic UK hordes such as A Forest of Stars, Skaldic Curse, Fen, Winterfylleth, Grave Miasma, Cruciamentum, Craven Idol, The One and Daemonolith!
18. There is also a good habit of giving a free space to add any possible comments if you’d like to, so in that case please serve yourself. And apart from that I want to thank you very much for your willingness and wish you all the best in 2010! Goodbye.
Thanks for your interview, and to all the black metal degenerates worldwide, keep the spirit aflame!
