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I supposed most of you
have heard about the swedish Black Metal band Dark Funeral and listened
to their debut-mini cd as well...
I also got a tape of this debut release, and well, I was heavily surprised,
listening to fast, burtal and aggressive songs, combined with a powerful
drumming, screamy vocals and distorted guitars...
So I dropped a line and send my questions to Lord Ahriman, himself being
guitarist in Dark Funeral.
Well, Lord Ahriman, I
guess our readers would like to know something about the band at first. Who
came up with the idea, and when?
"Dark Funeral
is fored by me - guitarist - and Lord Blackmoon - guitars - in January 1993,
after an idea who came up in anno 91 by both of us. After going through lotsa
musicians, we finally found Themgoroth - demonic vocals/bass - Equimanthorn -
drums."
As Far as I know, Dark
Funeral are a young band, and the mini-cd has been the first output. There have
never been any demos or 7"inches released before... why? Don't you want to
go the same way like others do?
"The four
songs on our suoreme mini-cd was actually the first we create. We just didn't
want tt wast them on a demo, so we decided to release a mini-cd by ourself
(which is must be expensive I guess-ed.) on our own label "Hellspawn
Records". I don't think it's so strange to release a cd by ourselfes and
I'm quite sure that we will see more bands doing the same in the near
future."
There will be a
full-lenght cd being released next time entitled "The screts of the black
arts". Some information about this release would be helpful I guess...
"It will be
released by No Fashion records/House of Kicks Records in the beginning of March
anno 1995 (which didn't happen due to several problems with the
recording-quality. The whole album will be re-recorded as far as I know-ed.)
and contains nine blood/freezing tracks!"
Do you think that the
songs of the full-length album will be... lte's say in the same vein as we
heard 'em on the debut, or something totally different?
"It will for
sure be totally different. "The secrets of the black arts" album will
be the ultimative satanic symphony with more, true eerie and classical melodies
combined with ultra brutal riffs and for sure much faster, intense and
well-layed than our mini-cd. This album will bring the utter destruction of
light and crush the false and homosexual god of heaven (which god?-ed.)
realm... aaaaargh... Satan (hou... who's this -ed. again)!"
Changing the subject...
I heard that Blackmoon plays in Necrophobic as well. What's the other members
opinion about Dark Funeral...
"Well, there
isn't much to tell, they like our hellish music alot, but I don't belive they
like our dark and satanic lifestyle so much (eller vad säger du mante?)."
Back to the mini-cd
once again... an intersting point is, of course, the drumming, being unique,
fast and hard... technical... a difference... has it been done on purpose, to
get a more agressive sound?
"No, this is
just Draugens natural way of playing drums (oh no, that's all? Dissapointing...
-ed.)."
The debut has been
recorded at Unisound, a wellknown studio, and the producer has been Dan Swanö
(Edge of Sanity). DOes he know which sound Dark Funeral (or any other band...)
need, and... will the "The secres of the black arts" album be
recorded at the same place?
"Yeah, we
will enter Unisound Studion again in January anno 1995. Dan Swanö is a really
great producer so I'm quite sure he knows which sound be the best for us (as
Ahriman told me later, they went to another studio because of dis-satisfaction
concerning the result of the Unisound-recordings -ed.)!"
"Support the war
against christianity"... is it just a sentence or more than words? Do you
really stand behind those words spoken, personally?
"Of course, I
stand for those words. I think it's our duty to terrorize and finally crush the
christian belief (with music? -ed.). A new dark age is coming where the weak
christians oppressors don't fit in. They must be exterminated (Well, not
really... they are only humans... manipulate them with your ideas, and let them
be your slaves! That would be much more helpful to spread your message. Use the
same method christians (and others) always use, and fight them with their own
weapons -ed.). The World of tomorrow is ours... the strong and the
survivers."
What about "Satan" ... the "horned one" for you? The
beast, living in hell, being surrounded by demons or maybe the reflection of
peace, love and happiness?
"I believe Satan is a mighty physical living in the underworld, but
also that he is psychological part of my blackened soul. He is a magic of
course who give me more strenght and magical powers when I performe my satanic
rites. Satan is the true master I worship!"
Back to the music once
again... I think there are some shouting at you, calling you trendies or posers
who jumped on "the train" to earn some money by playing Black
Metal...
"There are
probably some weak fuckers who don't know shit about our background. I don't
care, I just laugh in their face. So what! Dark Funeral is a quit new Black
metal band but it doesn't mean that we are new guys in the Black metal scene.
All who know us well know that all of us have been playing in other satanic
bands before Dark Funeral have been formed. All of us are over 20 years old, I
am 22 so I'm sure we have been in the Black metal scene longer than many other
guys."
Black metal is the
"big thing" at the moment... There have been a lotsa new releases
last time, as well as tons of new bands arriving. Everything sells, and... it
sells good! Major labels are showing interest in more Black metal bands...
isn't that a shame to see such a "sell out"?
"Yeah, it
seems to be the "big" thing right now, and it's a shame for sure. I
think Black metal should stay underground forever. But when the scene grows
with new guys and bands who totally missed the whole message, they destroy the
whole thing/scene and make it to a human friendly big trend. They must be
stopped now (Guess it's too late -ed.)!"
As for Dark Funeral...
sounds like "Black Funeral" to me, a Mercyful Fate song (on
"Melissa"). What's your opinion about this band and the "master
of corpsepaint", King Diamond? I mean, everybody worships Venom,
Hellhammer and Bathory... but Mercyful Fate are a great band too,
definitively...
"I agree, it
seems to be many who have forgotten about Mercyful Fate, that's a shame. They
are absolutly one of my fave bands (Same goes for me -ed.), and the master King
Diamond is for sure a true hero."
About Hellspawn Records, your very own label. As far as I know, you plan
to release more in the near future. Do you want to expand next time?
"Hellspawn
Records is ruled by me and Lord Blackmoon. Right now we are planning to release
a tribute album to Bathory with ten true scandinavian Black metal bands, a few
of them are Marduk, Dissection, Dark Funeral etc. We are also going to print
t-shirts to honour great serial killers (Manson would be great -ed.), but the
first shirt out now is a Dark Funeral shirt which already is available."
Okay, at last, what
about you, Lord Ahriman, the lord of destruction, evil, darkness and death...
who are you? Just a normal person or the human with a difference?
"Ahriman is
the true prince of demons and descented from the ancient-persian mytholigy. His
name is a mangical name I use when I perform rituals and conjour demons. If
people think it's just an ordinairy guy it has to be something wrong. I'm a
warrior of Satan."
Here is some space left
for your final words...
"Ok Stefan,
thans for this interview (Thanx to you -ed.) and all of you strong and true
warriors outthere, prepare yourself for the new dark age. Stay destructive and
support the war against christianity."
Dark Funeral Merchandise:
Mini-cd: 100 swedish crowns
12 dollars (europe)
14 dollars (oversea)
T-shirt: 130 swedish crowns
18 dollars (europe)
20 dollars (oversea)
If there is anybody being interested in getting in contact
with Dark Funeral, he should write to the following address:
Hellspawn Records,
P.O. Box 5077,
121 16 Johanneshov,
Sweden