*** The interview has been slightly edited when transcribed as we got into a bit of a lengthy discussion about our personal views on metal and bands that are mislabeled. I would like to send out a personal thank you to Greg Mars and Piers Andersen for contributing to the questions.\m/\m/
XM: How about we start off by getting everyone up to date on how the band spent their New Years.
Lord Ahriman: We started the New Year in Australia. We did a show there on the New Years Day and one on January 4th.
XM: Sounds like fun, was it a packed house that you played to on New Years Eve?
Lord Ahriman: Yeah I think there was around 1,000 people. It was pretty cool.
XM: “Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus” is one of your most technical albums to date. What was the recording process like this time around? What does the album title signify?
Lord Ahriman: There was pre-production working from my home studio first. Then I brought my computer to the studio and we began to finalize everything the first couple of days. We worked a little bit different this time to write this record. You can go really more in depth with the music writing by working from a home studio. To be able to record everything and try out different drum beats, riffs, arrangements and stuff.
XM: So I guess by the time you get into the studio you pretty much have everything in mind already that you want to do so I guess that would be the advantage from doing it at home.
Lord Ahriman: Yeah well, you have a pre recording of everything. Like we did in the past and we just set up the mic and then work on the songs that way. Then we brought the tape out and we listened to it and then you have to wait until the next time you rehearse and try some changes and come up with more stuff. When I have a home studio I can sit whenever I have the feeling for it. Whenever I come up with an idea I just open up the programs and start working.
XM: And what does the album title signify?
Lord Ahriman: A rough translation is burning angels for eternity.
XM: The band experimented a lot more on the album, what kind of inspiration did you gain and what type of influences did you have?
Lord Ahriman: For the past two records now I wanted to work more with the drums and the sounds would help me improve the guitar playing. Now when I am working in the home studio I have this drumkit from hell. I can program drums just the way I want them to be. That really helped me be able to work more on different rhythms.
XM: What kind of direction do you see Black Metal heading towards? How do you think it evolve?
Lord Ahriman: I guess from here everyone will follow us. ** both of us laugh ** It’s hard to tell. I don’t really pay too much attention to what other bands are doing. I am kind of closed minded in that sense. I just follow my own inner demons when I write as they come. Most of the time I try to challenge myself when I write music. I’m not competing, I have no one to compete with but myself. I have evolved over the years. With each album we have evolved and in some sense we have also become more technical with each album. The next time I will try to push myself even further in that direction.
XM: It’s like if you compare a lot of the Black Metal bands from the past, it sounds tighter and more technical. It is unfortunate in my opinion that a lot of those bands have lost the dirty grim sound. I guess with technology you are able to evolve that much more. Do you think it is a blessing or a curse to have that technology to make music?
Lord Ahriman: Well when we record in the studio we work kind of primitive in a way. We aren’t using like 10 different pedals and stuff like that. It’s just trebles straight in to the amplifier and then we go. From the first album we always try to get the best production. It can still be clean and so-called polished production and still sound grim and evil. It’s a bigger challenge if you have a cleaner production to make it actually sound as dark as it really is. If you listen to more primitive bands and try the sound with a good production it will sound like Donald Duck playing. A lot of bands hide behind the darker sound. Who am I to tell other bands what to do, it’s just my personal tastes.
XM: How did you guys come up with your band names and who designs your stage costumes?
Lord Ahriman: Mark is the name of the guy. We had our own ideas on how we wanted to look but we got some good input from him on what was possible to do and what was not. Basically we wanted to improve the stage presence.
XM: When it comes to corpse paint, how did you come up with the design and have you ever considered getting a copywright so that no other band can use it?
Lord Ahriman: We have some ideas to change it up a bit. We’ll see but we are talking about it. When you have done one thing for as many years as we have you always try to improve things. The corpse paint is one thing we are talking about right now and it’s possible to bring it in another direction and do it in a different way.
XM: What would you say is your favorite Dark Funeral album? Which was the most fun to work on and which was the biggest pain in the ass?
Lord Ahriman: I think the last album was the biggest pain in the ass to work on because there was just so much shit going on and so much things that distracted me. I had a real hard time to get into the writing process. I was really fucking struggling with a lot of things. It was a really big challenge to even get this one completed. There was a few times that I didn’t even see it happening. When you have your own home studio you can work on the music when you want. The last time we put it together in the rehearsal room and everyone was there, I kind of miss that. We talked about it and we are going to try and work more in the rehearsal room together for the next record. But at the same time I have the possibility to work, I guess we are going to set up my home studio and the rehearsal room so we can still record.
XM: After having obtained the rights to Dark Funeral’s entire backcatalogue, what have you done with it? Have you re-released any of them?
Lord Ahriman: All of them have been re-released. That was the first thing we did when we gained the rights. Because they had been out of the market for so long and lots of people especially new fans were asking about our older records. So that was the first thing we did. All of the albums include lots of bonus material.
XM: Have any of them been re-released on vinyl?
Lord Ahriman: No, I don’t think so. But I have the designs already on my computer and I have been pushing that it’s about time to do it.
XM: I hope you do because vinyl seems to be making a bit of a comeback. I see bands all the time selling them at shows.
Lord Ahriman: I guess that’s a question of generation too. I don’t know how old you are but I grew up with vinyl’s.
XM: **laughs Well that’s the thing, and it was part of my next question. We were born in the same year, ’72 right?
Lord Ahriman: yah
XM: Only I was born a bit before you, in march
***both laugh ***
XM: What was the first Metal album that you listened to?
Lord Ahriman: Black Sabbath, I can’t remember the title. I am really bad with that I just remember the music. It was my older brother that played it when I was around 4 or 5 years old. He just put it on his record player and I just got totally into it right away. If you were born in 1972 then you have followed the evolution of the metal scene.
XM: That in itself would be a lonnnnng conversation. I’ve seen it evolve a lot. When there was a day that bands like Guns & Roses and Motley Crue were considered metal and now they are glam rock bands. Anything extreme, hard or aggressive was mainly considered heavy metal o punk. And now there are way too many metal sub-genres. Sometimes it hurts bands when you mislabel them.
Lord Ahriman: Ya, I had this discussion just the other day and one thing that really pisses me off is when bands like In Flames, that are huge in Sweden, when you read about them in magazines they don’t call them a metal band they call them a rock band. I know it’s not their fault but it’s someones fault and I want to strangle them. **laughs
XM: Oh? Here in Canada they consider them metal and if anything I’ve even heard maybe numetal
Lord Ahriman: My question is, is this because metal is such a dirty word? To me it doesn’t make sense. It really pisses me off and In Flames isn’t the only metal band that is called rock. You know when metal bands gained a certain status and all it’s success in Sweden the media started to call it rock instead of metal. It just fucking pisses me off!
XM: You have been nominated for the 3rd Annual Swedish Metal Awards, best of luck! What other awards has your band won in the past?
Lord Ahriman: I can’t really remember. We’ve been nominated a couple of times but I don’t think we ever really won anything.
XM: You come from a somewhat musical family, is this something that you will try and influence your children to get into?
Lord Ahriman: I’m not sure. I remember my mother tried to force me to play guitar and I was never really interested. It wasn’t until I felt free and I could make the decision myself that I started playing guitar. With that in mind I would never force my kids to any certain instrument.
XM: Have they already started showing an interest in playing music?
Lord Ahriman: My daughter she sings everyday with this Kareoke thing on playstation. She listens to music all the time unfortunately not metal. I’ve told them many times if there is ever an instrument they want to play just to let me know. She prefers to do it by herself.
XM: If you could have been involved in the writing, recording or production of any album which would it be and why?
Lord Ahriman: To experience the recording session of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at The Moon” might have been a trip in itself.
XM: Are you currently working on any other side projects?
Lord Ahriman: No, there isn’t a second for myself. I have some requests from people to work but uhh I might do something in the future. Not right now there isn’t a second for doing anything.
XM: Any plans of touring North America in 2010?
Lord Ahriman: There’s always plans. Be patient we always announce dates.
XM: Thanks for the interview. Any last words…
Lord Ahriman: Just check out the album I am sure it will please you and check out the new video.
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