Ind: Your band is a natural martyr with all these misfortunes — one band member taken to prison, another one died. Is that your rotten karma?
MISTWEAVER: We were really unlucky in 2000. We were about to quit back then, but things have been changing for the better. The line-up got fixed with Alexander Zed on guitar, Alexander Susarov on bass, Alexander Enenko on guitar and vocals, Alexey Bochkarev on drums, and Nemetz as manager.
Ind: Melodic death metal. You guys are in fashion!
MISTWEAVER: No, we just play what we play. And we're destined to be out of fashion.
Ind: You're from nizhny novgorod. I asked a similar question to the CROWNTHORN guys. Several years ago your region was famous for many first-class metal bands. What's going on now?
MISTWEAVER: Oh, three years ago there were many bands and many gigs. A lot of great bands loved to come and play in our city. Then things changed. Now there are just a few bands and rare gigs.
Ind: Zed, you've got no hair! Are you a skinhead? Nazi punks fuck off!!
MISTWEAVER: Many years ago my hair was long. But I got into a rough street fight with some punks and lost my hair! I was terribly shocked and was about to start growing it long again when Nemetz and other band members offered me a new image. (Ah, a Kerry King in miniature! By the way, another version of the story says Zed fell into a fire while beastly drunk. - Ed.) I have nothing in common with skinheads and other damn Nazis. Yet in Cheboksary I was called a fascist! Shit!
Ind: Let's get back to music. Describe your latest material.
MISTWEAVER: All in all, it's mixed. About 5 minutes per song, 8 songs in total, which also include female opera vocals, and the lyrics deal with our latest reflections.
Ind: What are you like in ordinary life? What are your interests — do you read books, play sports, drink alcohol?
MISTWEAVER: We all work except our drummer — he's a student. We spend our free time separately. Zed loves repairing cars, and of course he hates reading and watching movies. By the way, he doesn't have a girlfriend! The bass player also has another band and he does have a girlfriend. The drummer studies all available info about drug production in home conditions and experiments with it a lot. And the vocalist likes visiting the conservatory and has many friends there.
Ind: Is there any life on Mars?
MISTWEAVER: Once our drummer brought us some herb. We tried it and found out that Mars is full of life — which means you've got to be careful.
Ind: When will MISTWEAVER become absolute metal stars?
MISTWEAVER: Quite soon. Check your watch!
Ind: Thank you, brothers, for the interview. You're always welcome to come to our city — we can go swimming and feed mosquitoes together!
MISTWEAVER: You must be mad. We're not coming! It seems like there's no water in our own city! Imagine, we've got no lakes, rivers, or pools. Everything gets used for drinking. You can only find water at soda water kiosks, but you'll never get any because of the long queues. I've already reserved my spot — my number is 9643824, which means in late 2004 I'll finally receive a glass of water. nizhny novgorod was built on a bog, so you'd think we'd have no mosquitoes at all. But actually, our mosquitoes are as huge as birds. Come on, of course we'll meet soon!