Q&A with ERIK of WATAIN

1) What's the latest news on Watain?

We just returned from Brazil, which was the last country to be devastated on our North and South American tour, which in turn was a part of the Fuck The World tour, our crusade to spread the magic of Sworn to the Dark. Right now we are re-charging in the catacombs until October, when it is time to haunt again…

2) How would you rate Sworn to The Dark in comparison to Rabid Death's Curse & Casus Luciferi?

Things have gotten meaner, stronger, more dedicated and more determined. No more joking around. Life is too short for that. I think anyone who followed the progression of the band since day one would agree. Instead of doing it the normal way and wimping out more and more, we have only got more extreme and more focused on the essence of the art form during all these years…

3) How did the bands image & stage show evolve?

It has evolved alongside and accordingly with the rest of the things that the band is built upon. Things have just got worse…

4) What are your impressions of the  touring you've recently done?

The response has been extremely good, people seem very grateful for the fact that a band finally puts some fucking effort into what they are doing. Metal crowds want big things to happen on stage, not just some fucking wimps in spikes playing fast and tight. A black metal concert should be all about chaos, panic, blood, fire, violence, magic and ceremonial mass-hysteria! And this is exactly what we bring.

5) Are there any plans for a live CD or DVD in the near future? Is anything filmed as of now?

A lot has been filmed but it is very hard to capture the intensity of Watain on video. It has to be lived, and I am not sure if I am that much into the idea of releasing a live video. But there is already a lot of bootleg stuff circulating so perhaps it would be a good idea to do something properly. Time, the old whore, will tell.

6) Has writing begun for the next album yet?  What would you like to explore on the next album?

It is too early to speak about, I just know that it will be far more dark, disturbing, powerful and heavier than anything else before.

7) Do you feel that physical extremity has reached its limits within extreme metal? Where do you see the future of metal creativity going if it’s not in terms of heavier-faster-etc.?

Our musical goals do not have as much to do with sound as it has to do with reaching a certain state of energy and power. I think our “goal”, no matter how substantially undefined it might be, lies beyond what anyone has ever before been able to do with music. Someone whose art I respect a lot once said that the Black and Death Metal scene has the potential to alter worlds, it just demands a sort of insight and willpower that most people lack. This is a very inspiring thought, and I believe, and have been proven, that he is right. People have seen nothing yet. This sinister form of music has been present for over 20 years on this earth. It is time that someone takes use of its age and the power, which it has been charged with during this time.

8) What directions would you like to see black metal go into in the future? Do you see any limits to the genre?

Considering the previous answer, you should understand that I have quite high hopes for the future of Black Metal. Not as a subculture, that part has already been lost to plastic dolls and materialist ideals. I piss on Black Metal the way people conceive it these days. No, I have high hopes for Black Metal as an esoteric expression of sinister forces, something that will always linger in the swamps beneath the surface of the known world, dead but dreaming, with an ever-growing hunger… 

9) Many black metal bands choose to not play live. Watain is known for being an awesome live band, what would you attribute to this fact?

Simply that while our art stems from bloodlust, raging death, magic and fire, the “art” of the “many black metal bands” you refer to stems from their own excrement. And who the hell wants to see someone taking a shit on stage? Anyone can do that.

10) What can you tell us about the origins of the bands name?

This wicked child lay in shallow crowded graves. This unholy place is where the black sacrifices are performed. Here is where he kills… Watain means many things. Open graves, ominous stellar signs, alchemic transcendence from matter into fire, the iron will of the black magician, the stench of the dead, the call of the ancient night in which nothing but the thousand tentacled abominations of chaos crawl and slither. The feeling that something is very, very wrong.

11) You recently covered Dissection, would you like to cover any other songs, live or in the studio, in the future?

We have no plans of doing so really. We do the Dissection cover because of certain special reasons and such are without doubt demanded if we are to do something like that again. Everything we do with Watain demands that.