Interview: Satyricon – He who compares us with Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir did not understand us - STALKER MAGAZINE inside out of rock´n´roll

Satyricon – He who compares us with Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir did not understand us

Satyricon were and are speakers of Black Metal, they are meter, judge, grailkeeper and Enfant Terrible of the whole scene. Scandals, masterpiedes and daring works plastered and still plaster their way. Drummer Frost told us his strong opinions about professional and tour life , Metallica, their non-competitors Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and so on.

Saytricon have been on tour quite a while, this time with Keep Of Kalessin and Insomnium. What can you tell us about the atmosphere at concerts, how are audiences and bands doing?
The tour is doing well, many people come to the shows and therefore this tour is one of the most successful we ever played! People really go crazy and give us a lot of feedback, which became more and more with every show, this is a new level for us and our songs are really well-received. It always feel good to have a new album out, for me the major priority because then you can play live and keep things fresh. The old stuff becomes routine at some point, so new stuff like „King“ adds some freshness. This is the most important aspect of the tour for us. The bands go well together, and with different qualities and styles fans are also offered a lot. Keep Of Kalessin give us also a lot of freshness, it´s good to tour with them.

Do you thing it´s too much for the fans having a Death Metal-band on tour with Black Metal-acts? There are big differences between you Insomnium.
I have a different opinion. First, it´s good for the fans to have more variety in the program, appealing to different groups. The bands can present their sound to new fans and perhaps win some over and surprise in a positive way. On the other hand such a package could also split fans, but this isn´t possible here and didn´t happen on tour. It could be that some fans simply don´t want to see Death Metal-Bands. It could be if two bands present one style and one band a different one. This is always an interesting experience.

For most people Satyricon are Satyr and Frost, on tour there are naturally more live members part of the show, which caused also problems in the past (during the US tour two of them were charged with rape, t. ed.). Did you find a way to pick the right people now? Because this time you appear unified.
And indeed we are! We are six people on tour and have been playing together for some years. We have a stable line-up that enables us to go on tour and present good work. The guys are dedicated to the band, the music and are excellent musicians. I think it´s a stable foundation for the future.

Did some bizarre or funny events happen during the tour that you could tell us about?
We are not really a Party-Band, we drink a little and then we focus on the next show, this is why we are here and not to make new friends. If we want to drink we could do that at home, on tour we want to do the best job possible. We have strict rules on tour in order to do professional work and shows. We are not really an exciting band to tour with, this is why not so many crazy things happen to us.

Your new album „Now, Diabolic" was released half a year ago, would you still do it the same way now?
You always learn a lot during the recording of an album, and when the job is done you are always a bit wiser and better. When you start all over again doing another album, you start on a higher level already, this is why it´s difficult to reply to this question, because now I know more than back then. We were 100 % convinced of the stuff we did and gave our best. Getting the job done we were fully satisfied, and for the next album we will use our experience to create an even better album.

The songs you recorded back then are much slower than your earlier stuff, very intense with a huge portion of Rock´n´Roll. What is the appeal for you to play a combination of e.g. „King", „Filthgrinder" and „Mother Earth" on stage?
I think this combination works quite well and you will see that tonight on stage. The songs have different atmospheres and different energy but they are all Satyricon in their own way. All those songs are somehow connected.

Who had the idea for this classic show in Oslo where you play with an orchestra? Is it like this Metallice show or even better?
Haha, this question is very subjektive and difficult to answer. I don´t want to say it´s better, I ´d like to say it´s Satyricon and Black Metal-Fans will love it. I´m not a Metallica-Fan, this is why I hold myself back now, but: This cooperation is an old dream we had already recording early demos. It is great we have now an orchestra and a conductor who understands what this band stands for. He has the same enthusiasm, which is also necessary to realize this event. It is difficult to arrange all the stuff because we are also performing old songs together with the new material we have been working on with him in studio. I hope and expect that those songs will be even more intense and this night will turn into something magic with a special atmosphere.

What can I expect of the classic „Mother North" with orchestra, will it sound like Armageddon?
It will sound like orchestra, very dark and different to the original, hence different than what Metallica did. They will therefore sound like the original ideas of the band and add another dimension that emphasises the apocalyptic aspects. The songs will be very dark and a big experiment for us.

But some might cock their noses because Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have also been working with orchestras?
I´d be very surprised if someone reproaches us with that. If someone is really doing that, he has not understood what Satyricon stands for!

Will you record this event?
Yes, we will and then we´ll see what happens.

What can we expect from you in the future? A Live-DVD perhaps with additional Backstage-Material and private pictures of you?
No, I don´t think so because it would take away the magic, but that has nothing to do with the band. We are artists, and I don´t like it being seen like that. I think it´s not necessary to see us like this. It´s enough to experience our energy on stage, and this should be respected. It is not necessary to see us goofing around backstage, we are not a Popband who needs to show off that way. But some of our recorded shows will definitely be available on DVD in the near future.

Author: Ingo Gießmann, photos: Melanie Haack, translation: Klaudia Weber
Date: 2006-12-07

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