As a matter of fact, MYSTIC CIRCLE started out as a death metal band. Only a few years later you switched to black metal. Why did you do that?

At the beginning we decided to play antichrist, satanic music. I call it «antichrist music», not «death» or «black». But at the beginning death metal was satanic, you know. And then death metal drifted away to social criticism, bla-bla-bla... So, we called our music «black metal» because we are antichrist, satanic band.

The title of your first demo was in English, but then you switched to German. It’s rather unusual for extreme music bands to title their albums in German, don’t you think so?

It sounds good. «Drachen Blut», which is «Dragon’s Blood» in English, sounds very good. It sounds even better in German than in English. But out next CD will be in English.

Weren’t you afraid that some of your fans wouldn’t appreciate «German sounding»?

No. Our CDs are distributed all over Europe. At first we wanted to write the «Drachen Blut» album in German because it is a German legend. But still it sounds much better in English. We wanted to bring the old German legend to people from all over Europe. It’s the biggest German legend. I think people who are interested in ancient stuff like dragons, they are interested in that legend as well. But in Germany there are many people who call us posers, but they are mostly in other bands. They look at MYSTIC CIRCLE and like «Ahhhhhh!» You know! Fuck them! The fans are great, they come to us and they are interested in our stuff. We have had only good critics from magazines, except in Sweden I guess. They say: «Oh, it sounds Swedish, nothing’s new.» I don’t know, ha ha!

What does the name MYSTIC CIRCLE mean?

From the beginning the spirit of MYSTIC CIRCLE, as I have told you before, was to play the dark Satanic music, to write the songs against Christianity. To bring people the older stuff so that they could not care about Christianity anymore. And the name MYSTIC CIRCLE means that all the members who play in that circle, must have the same thoughts. So, we are a very strong band. And if people come to us and say like «Agghhh! You are posers,» we say: «Fuck you! Go away!» All the members in MYSTIC CIRCLE have one hundred percent the same minding. That’s what it means.

It is more common for the Scandinavian bands to play black metal music. How does it feel to be a black metal band in your country?

I don’t know. We don’t care much about other bands, other stuff. There is too much envy all around. They should better concentrate on their music instead of saying things about other bands all days long. Since the beginning we were our own kind of thing, you know. I remember people called us crazy back then. But now we are a success with our music. And we are not arrogant, we talk to everybody. But there are much rumors about us. When we are on tours, we have a chance to talk to people and we receive a very positive reaction.

And by the way, what is the shittiest rumor you have heard about MYSTIC CIRCLE?

That we are right radicals, that we beat people up, that our drummer runs with a knife in his hand and so on! Bullshit!

What is your attitude to radicalism?

Well, if someone pisses us off, them we say: «What’s wrong with you?» And if he wants to have a fight, we give him fight. But we have to respect other people. And the necessary thing in our life is to have the respect from other people. But I think politics has nothing to do with music. Radicalism? No, it’s not our kind of style!

Have you already had any conflicts with Scandinavian bands? They are known to be rather straightforward when it comes to black metal?

We played with MARDUK and we played with GORGOROTH. They are cool guys, normal people. Like everyone, you know.

A few years ago it was natural to use «true-and-evil» kind of description for black metal bands. What do you think about that sort of labeling?

I hate it! To be «true» for me is to stand one hundred percent for your thing, and not to make things like other «true» people say. You must have your own thoughts and must do your own music. That’s «true» to me. And we don’t impose our thoughts on other people. That’s what I have learned from the first minutes of our existence and that’s what I have learned from other bands like GORGOROTH and MARDUK. And if someone says we are untrue and we are posers, I don’t care.

Do you have that sort of «who-is-the-truest-kid-in-the-block» conflicts in Germany?

In Germany we have fights every day. It can happen that someone sticks a knife in somebody’s stomach. Everyday someone is killed in our town.

There’s a new «fashion» in season for black metal musicians - murdering gays...

May be the guy from DISSECTION is very sick, I don’t know. I don’t know him personally. I think murdering has nothing to do with black metal. I think if I am a murderer in my brain, I mustn’t play black metal. I am just a sick person who wants to kill someone. It can happen that you kill someone, but it has nothing to do with black metal. Those who kill have sick brains from the beginning. They are criminals from their childhood.

How would you like to characterize the German black metal scene?

I think all the bands, that play in Germany, say that we have a very good black metal scene. But for us, the audience was much better in other countries. The fans were very enthusiastic in France, Italy... That was amazing. The scene for the music is good, but the people are fed up! There are so many concerts, so many bands coming to us.

Do you have any kind of community between the black metal bands?

There are some bands we support, but we don’t care much about the bands. We care about our own business.

Communization studio, where you recorded your latest album, is known to record THEATRE OF TRAGEDY and CREMATORY. MYSTIC CIRCLE was the first black metal band to be recorded there. Why did you decide to chose that very studio?

You like the sound?

Yes!

Yeah, great sound. It’s about twenty kilometers from our home, and we would go for six weeks in this studio. We had good time and good parties over there! We were drunk but it was normal, ha ha!

Do you intoxicate yourself a lot?

Yeah! Of course!

Do you drink while touring?

Yes, ha ha! We smoke a lot and we drink a lot! Touring with GORGOROTH we played near Prague. And we visited the local striptease bar. The girls were boring, they wanted money for the stripping. So, out drummer stripped himself on stage!

Boys’ striptease?

Yeah, ha ha! And we didn’t pay money for it, ha ha!

Yeah, why pay money for seeing the «panties peeler» drummer?! Did you have any problems with police?

Yes. We were crossing the border with Slovenija. We had T-shirts with us that we wanted to sell at the shows. And police didn’t let us cross the border. They wanted us to pay some extra money for selling the T-shirts! So we said: «Fuck you! We are coming back!»

Anyway, you managed to cross the Polish border and played a gig. Do you remember anything special about the show?

I think Polish fans didn’t know us before, but it was very good. People in front of us were screaming and stuff! It was a good gig, I guess. Five hundred fans came at the show. Our drummer and guitar player went out to people before the concert and they drank some alcohol with the fans, ha ha! So, they were a little bit drunk... Soon we will make another tour with OLD MAN’S CHILD.

Do you know that the guys from OLD MAN’S CHILD are also «fire water» loves?

Really? I don’t know them personally.

Yeah, I talked to them and I believe you will enjoy the tour! But let’s get back to your latest album. Why did the ancient German legend attract your attention?

The place where the events of the legend took place, is only a few kilometers from our home. We now have a keyboard player, so we were able to make a bombastic black metal album. The keyboards can bring more feeling into music. More bombastic stuff like «Wow, boom!!!». and you can create a very dark music with them. We were enough experienced to record that sort of album. The legend is a fantastic story about dragons, dwarfs, love, murder, intrigues. The story is very interesting. We dedicated the album to the darkest person of the legend. We play Anti-Christian music and we think that people should have more ancient stories in their brains, you know. There are only techno kids in this society, they take drugs and don’t know the older stuff. The CD is to show to all kinds of people what older stories are about.

Then I would like to find out your Anti-Christian position...

 

I don’t call myself a Satanist. We play satanic antichrist music, as some members of the band are Satanists. They worship Satan as a God. I call myself an Antichrist. I hate Christianity because it is the constitution of liars and suckers. Their propaganda of false morality, no sex and so on... I hate it. But I use Satan as a sward against them, to provoke these guys. But I don’t stand myself behind Satan, saying: «Oh, help me Father!» But I can only talk for myself as the other guys have their own opinions.

Satanism and Christianity - the two cannot exist without each other. So, worshipping Satan, they must admit the existence of God.

Yes, but they use Satanism as a freedom. But with the respect to the others! Live your own life, do your things but respect the others.

Satanists are known to be tough and aggressive. What could you say about the members of MYSTIC CIRCLE?

They are not aggressive. But we fight with those who piss on our way! We don’t act like: «Oh, yes, you’re right!» We say: «Fuck you! Come on!» We are too old now, I am twenty six. But we are not aggressive. We love our life very much and we are proud with what we have done with MYSTIC CIRCLE.

May I ask you about your everyday life? What sort of guys are you in the reality?

I don’t wanna talk about it.

OK, no problems. Have you already started to work on the new album?

Yeah. The album will show our darkest side. It will be more into horror stuff. Horror soundtracks, so to say.

When are you planning to release the album?

We’ll enter the studio in April. So, probably, in August or September. In February we will be touring with OLD MAN’S CHILD. So I promise you an interesting show with blood, needles, pyros and so on. And... do your own things, have your own thoughts and don’t care what the others say!