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INTERVIEWS
August 2000 - Interview by
Apostolis "Pazuzu"
Byron Hail! How is your life?
Are you swimming or is it too cold?
Indeed, I've been swimming with the mermaids today in the North Sea. They are
such wonderfully vibrant and beautiful creatures...
Your fifth creation is approaching. What will be
the title of the album, when is it coming out and what are the differences or
similarities with your previous albums?
I have finalized the title of the fifth album, but it will not be disclosed
until just after the recording session is complete. We plan to record in
November 2000 for a March 2001 release. The new album will be much darker and
more intense than anything we have crafted in recent years, with a very strong
streak of evil and malevolence counterbalancing the bombast and victorious
elements. The epic "Hyperborean Empire" saga concludes on the fifth album, and
the packaging will feature full text & stories and numerous illustrations in
the inlay booklet. The saga continues!
Will you ever do a pure ambient album? An album
without any metal elements?
I have for some years considered the possibility of doing a synths-only album,
often discussing such an undertaking with our keyboard player Mr. Jonathan. One
day such a project may become a reality. If however such an album were to be
recorded, I would not call it a "Bal-Sagoth" release, rather I would release it
under a different monicker.
What were the reactions of your fans to
"The Power
Cosmic" album?
The fans were on the whole very pleased with "The Power Cosmic", and response
was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the new album is in 2nd place behind
"Battle Magic" on our website's "Favourite Bal-Sagoth Album" poll.
Can you describe the music you are creating? I
mean it is too difficult to gather all the words to explain to someone what
kind of music you are into. They say that an image is equal to 1000 words but
in your case we need 1000 images to describe it.
It has always been very difficult to describe the music of Bal-Sagoth.
Essentially, we play a form of dark, heavy avant-garde keyboard-driven black
metal with orchestral and symphonic influences, entwined within a dark
fantasy/science-fiction & obscure occultism-themed conceptual framework. Our
art is driven by sublime bombast, erudite fury, twisted genius and incredible
lunacy. This is True Britannic Battle-Metal!
Where are you getting your influences from? Metal
bands or soundtracks?
Primarily we draw musical inspiration from epic
film soundtracks and classical music, then we "metalize" the result to form the
eclectic and abrasive hybrid style which is our trademark. Of course, classic
black, death and heavy metal bands are also an essential influence on us.
The lyrics are just amazing. You can combine the
dark space with the ancient mythology and create a unique story. How come you
chose to write about space and the unknown and not about every day problems
like so many bands do?
When I first formulated the concept for Bal-Sagoth many years ago, it was
always my prime intention to tell these dark sagas using extreme metal as a
medium. The stories are the mana which fuels the mammoth Bal-Sagoth engine, and
they are the basis and the genesis of the whole project. Fantasy and SF have
always been passions of mine, and within the framework of these stories, many
hidden meanings can be discovered pertaining to the esoteric and occult nature
of the lyrics. Obscure mythology and legendry is also a prime influence, and
all these factors went into the creation of my vast Bal-Sagoth alternate
reality, which spans a staggering vista of time, from the creation of the
universe to the cataclysmic annihilation of all life in the cosmos and beyond.
The epic saga of Bal-Sagoth is written in the stars and shall be remembered
eternally, carved in the stone of ancient tombs and in titanium vaults to be
discovered by time and space-spanning entities long after mankind has departed
the galaxy.
The enormously long titles of your songs are the
trademark of your band. What was the purpose of that? Are you going to continue
this tradition or you think it’s over?
The long song titles were just how the imaginative process worked, and they
served the titular conveyence of the essence and the themes which the
particular songs/stories contained. There will always be a mixture of long and
short song titles on Bal-Sagoth albums.
Do you know In Extremo and Einherjer? What do you
think about their music?
I have never heard the work of In Extremo, but I have heard a few songs by
Einherjer in the past, most notably their "Dragons of the North" album which
someone sent me.
What is the meaning of "Blodu Ok Jarna"?
"Blodu Ok Jarna" was the battle cry of a dark-age battle re-enactment group
which I was once involved with, and I decided to adopt the phrase for it to
thus be associated with Bal-Sagoth. It is an archaic form of old Northern which
translates as "Blood and Iron".
When are you going to come here in Greece for a
gig? Do you have any special effects or a weird stage show?
We very much hope to get to Greece for a gig very soon. Greece is one of the
primary countries in which we would like to play. There were plans for a show
in Athens earlier this year, but unfortunately nothing came of it because
contact with the promoter was lost. Next time we hit the stage people can
expect much frenzied passion, archaic apparel, and a lot of cold hard steel!
Thank you Byron for your time and this great
conversation. Keep the flag up. You are one of the few that keep the flame
alive. The end is yours.
Thanks for the interview. Hail to all the Bal-Sagoth supporters in Hellas!
Visit our Official Bal-Sagoth Website at: http://www.Bal-Sagoth.freeserve.co.uk
And if people want to buy the new Bal-Sagoth shirts & other merchandise, check
out http://www.razamataz.co.uk. Watch for the 5th album coming soon!!!! BLODU
OK JARNA!!!!
EMPYREAL LEXICON :: The Greek Bal Sagoth WebSite
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