2. How did Martial Barrage come into being? Give me a brief history of the band. How long have you been playing, have you played in any previous bands, etc?
The band came together when I recruited the members this spring, agreeing with them on the fundamentals and goals of the campaign ahead. Stockpiled songs were injected with life and recorded during the summer of 2004 to form the "Hail the Valkelion" demo. Options for further recordings were examined and we signed with Sinister Sounds for a full-length album. We have all been playing for many years in different applications and places, none of which have any bearing on Martial Barrage other than the experiences and wisdom we have gained through them.

3. What bands influence Martial Barrage or in case you've got other special inspirations, where does it all come from?
Influences are numerous and diverse, and span centuries of social sciences and the humanities. Obviously, a common devotion to metal bands rife with that intangible spirit transcending genres is what crossed our paths. In this, I speak of whatever it is that sets Incantation and Immolation atop the otherwise rank heap of what gets called "New York death metal". It's what has been so pervasive in countries like Australia and Brazil, and is what burned brightly in Slayer for those first four albums only to eventually fade away completely. It is that element in "black metal" that separated it from the rest of metal early on, and which has since become so rare in what is sadly considered to be "death metal". Two decades of metal in this vein and a more recent penchant for neo-classical music would be the primary influences on Martial Barrage, a name which we feel to be both evocative and representative.

 

4. Is there any particular message the band is trying to get across? Those able to interpret the symbolism, gematria, metaphors etc. will be few in number, and those who enjoy it perhaps fewer ; a dedication to quality over quantity runs deep. Overall, there reigns a desire for perspective, introspection, stimulation and ascension, to name but a few. Ralph Waldo Emerson demanded "Let us affront the smooth mediocrity and squalid contentment of the times", and our accordance with this maxim is ubiquitous. 5. You recently release a demo-CD, so, what are your thoughts on "Hail the Valkelion"? How are the divulgation and reception of it? The demo has been spread throughout the world and very well received. It is the result of discipline and sacrifice, and we proudly feel that it is a just representation of Martial Barrage. At the same time, it is but the beginning.

6. How do you view the metal scene in Canada these days? Are you well received there by the metal scene?
As with every other civilized nation of the world, Canada has bands that I like and bands which I don't, along with people that I like and those that I don't ; it's very possible that I have more in common with a random citizen of Iceland, for example, than someone down my own street. There is not really one national "scene" to speak of, but rather small provincial and civic enclaves, many being very different from the next. Being lauded by a scene on any level is not a concern of ours, and we indifferently leave that up to the many socially and financially desirous sheeple who choke the metal world with their ephemeral rot, from joke bands and fashion magazines to consumerism and vapid "entertainment". Those who have been exposed to what Martial Barrage has done thus far have received it well, all nationalities aside, and forays abroad in the future will determine further reactions.

7. What lyrical themes are followed in the songs on "Hail the Valkelion"? Is there a common thread running between all of them?
The five songs on the demo consist of several topics. "Valour Invocation" and "Upon Four Limbs" are centered around specific periods in history, their political climates and their culminations into important battles. "Triheptaennead" and "Solace in the Primeval" deal with metaphysical, epistemological and occult concepts, though these disciplines also play a role in the other songs as they did in the events of history itself. "Precipice" is an apocalyptic work of fiction, thought by one learned acquaintance to have Simonian parallels. Generally, themes of war, the occult, philosophy, history and religion will continue to form the basis for Martial Barrage ; the lyrics are deeply intertwined with the music and enhance what would otherwise be an unbalanced portion of a whole.

8. If you could choise a historical fact to be present,which would it be and why? if u can return to a historical fact (in past), what fact are u interest in to be part?
To be privy to the genesis of civilization as we know it, at the time when the Celts, Hellenes, Persians etc. were first becoming what they would eventually be. Even a brief glimpse at this epoch would serve as a reminder of divine potential.
 

9. How do you spend your spare time? Hobbies, interests? There is simply no time to waste. The accumulation and manipulation of knowledge and strength eats up any spare hours and acts as a catalyst for the band. 10. What three books and movies would you consider essential? Narrowing literary history down to three volumes seems impossible to me, and trying to think of three worthwhile movies is rather difficult when faced with the decades of trash aborted by Hollywood in the guise of pictorial art. If forced to only have three books, I would choose "The Secret Teachings of All Ages" by Manly P. Hall, "Siege" by James Mason and "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli. As for three movies : "Conan the Barbarian" (partially for the soundtrack), "Capricorn One" and "Red Dawn", I suppose.

11. Now that Martial Barrage signed a deal to release a album with Sinister Sounds, What can we expect of the newer Martial Barrage material?
Things will not deviate from the style of the demo in our matching of elemental principles from various metal "forms" with dynamic progress through furious discipline and militant order. Some of the newer song titles are "Below Yet So Above", "Skirting Byzantium", "Blot", and "From Behind Apis".  

12. Thanks for this interview, Varanger... Your final bullets...
�go straight into the skulls of worthless billions, the swinging corpses of numerous miscreants and traitorous swine receiving their due punishment. 
 

Martial Barrage site