Scorpio: Greetings, Death. Greetings, Carcass. Let's get acquainted. When did you found SAMHAIN, and what are the key milestones in the band's history?
Death: Greetings to all. The year of founding was around the border of 1996–1997. Back then, we were so sick of all the pop music you'd hear at every single concert, and the worst part was there wasn't a single glimmer of hope that anything heavy would appear on our stage anytime soon (although there were feeble attempts to fix the situation — you had to give credit to some morons who only irritated us even more). That finally led us to an unwritten truth: "If you want something, do it yourself." Though my opinion is this — if there had been even one halfway decent heavy band in the city whose gigs you could enjoy over beers, I wouldn't have bothered with all this, since my head was full of other concerns. At that time I was completely absorbed by organizing a black brotherhood, establishing its main activities, developing rituals, working on the group's inner dynamics, and sharpening my skills in the black arts. Basically, all the organizational and ideological work. The idea of starting a band came simultaneously with the idea of forming the brotherhood, and the first band members were those who at least somewhat understood heavy music and knew their way around an instrument. The fact that it had to be the heaviest act in the city (in all of Tatarstan?) was beyond doubt — everyone had loved this direction for a long time (I personally since 1984). I took on vocals out of necessity, since there were no other candidates, and it didn't exactly thrill me. The main thing was that the music would serve as yet another way to bring the will of the Devil to the masses. In 1997 we "managed" to record a demo (of terrible quality, but ideologically correct, in the best traditions of "true black"), which we distributed among people close to us in spirit. After that — countless rehearsals, lineup changes, the departure of "fellow travelers" from the brotherhood (as everyone knows, the "fashion for satanism" went down at the end of the '90s and start of the 2000s), various life circumstances — all of this predetermined our current situation: Carcass and I are once again walking this road together and once again running things. Carcass: Well, my colleague has pretty accurately described the reason the band came into being. From my end, I can add that there's simply heavy music out there that has nothing to do with hymns of praise to the Master Devil. SAMHAIN has always been and will always be under black banners, and it will never stoop to Norwegian pretentiousness — their concept was certainly great, but you can't mix diabolism and nazism; that reeks of heresy. We wanted to pay proper respect to the Great Chancellor of Hell — and that's how Samhain was born.
S.: Do your pseudonyms have anything in common with the cult death metal bands of the same names?
D.: Interesting that you'd ask like that. Are you testing us on purpose — to see if we're posers? Or is it genuine ignorance? Or a misunderstanding? Nicknames are for cats, dogs, rats, fish and other lesser creatures, plus thugs. You probably meant our pseudonyms? My pseudonym has nothing in common with the band, although I certainly hold Death in high regard. There's a certain meaning behind my pseudonym, but I'd rather not reveal it to a wide audience — that's a conversation for a narrower circle. C.: Likewise, although the band Carcass wasn't my creation, they did pioneer a new branch of death metal, and you've got to respect them for those crushed guitar riffs. Nothing earthly is alien to me, and we throw such wild parties that if the Marquis de Sade had attended, he'd have had plenty of material for new books. It was at one such event that I earned my distinction. It all ended with a terrible hangover and my new name.
S.: On "Saligia" you used programmed drums. Is it really that bad with drummers in Chelny (Naberezhnyye Chelny, russia — ed.)?
D.: I've already described the situation with heavy music in our city. Do I even need to talk about a specialty like a heavy music drummer? There are probably very few of them in the whole country, and in our city... Of course, you could take someone unpolished, teach them a few things, and work with them. But for me, at the very least, a person's worldview matters — how aligned they are with our general ideological direction. Only then do you consider them as a musician. The main thing is — are they on our side, the dark side, or on the other. No matter what a superdrummer they might be, their abilities can't smooth over ideological contradictions. And we've had that sad experience. One guy used to drum for us — he pretended to be a pagan. And what happened? He found himself a girlfriend who gave it up to him (maybe for the first time in his life), and that was it — he vanished. That was more important to him than the music and everything connected to it. And why? Because he had no faith — not in himself, not in us, not in the Devil. Why should we waste time on such useless plebeians? They're just regular people — let them live their regular lives, catching fish in their muddy waters.
C.: Yeah, as a man he's useless, but now he's a suuuper kisser-upper! Maybe you could give him free advertising, something like: "Hey, singles — hurry up and see him! He licks, he plays — simultaneously!" Disgusting!
S.: Will we hear live drums on the next album?
D.: If a candidate who fits all our criteria shows up, of course. Though I have serious doubts about that. To be honest, I don't personally suffer from their absence. As Stalin said: "There's a person — there's a problem. No person — no problem." C.: Maybe we don't even need one? The word "drummer" gives me some rather strange associations. But if he turns out to be a super-duper-drummmmer, then it's worth giving him a listen.
S.: Have you started composing new material?
D.: Yes, we have. Moreover, most of the material is ready. If we pushed a bit harder, we could release a new album this year, but we considered that immodestly rushed, so we'll wait. Lyrically, the upcoming material will be devoted to all the heresies of the Middle Ages — in memory of all the outstanding figures of religious opposition who fell in their unequal fight with christianity. In the near-term plans: the release of a split with Izhevsk's BESTIAL. We're also waiting for a response from the More Hate label regarding distribution of "Saligia." C.: One thing I can say — the new album won't be anything like the previous one. It will be much more vicious and darker. And it'll be like that with each new album. We want the absolute. Buy it in the shops of your city!
S.: On your site you've set up a library of diabolical literature. Will new books be added to the list soon?
D.: By and large, what's on the site is educational material (not counting Al Hazred, of course). It's all aimed at young seekers who type keywords into a search engine and land on our site. I don't think LaVey's works are terra incognita for those who've been on the dark side for a long time. For everyone else, that's a starting point. In any case, I wouldn't want to publish serious treatises for various reasons. Fresh material on devilish topics will appear as time and energy allow. C.: Visit our site more often — we really try to keep it updated. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say, and soon there won't just be fresh books appearing there.
S.: You're clearly well-read in this area. How long ago did you start reading such literature?
D.: I've been interested in it for as long as I can remember, and direct access to the "real stuff" came at the end of the '80s and beginning of the '90s, when all the censorship restrictions were lifted and something worthwhile started appearing at book markets. By the way, that period has passed, and finding anything good or serious now is quite a challenge. C.: If I said "from the cradle," it wouldn't be true. But christianity always enraged me — the sight of "holy" faces and their simpering caused fury. It just happened by itself — it was meant to be. Like a wolf cub drawn to its mother, a diabolist is drawn to mastering the dark corners of the Black Craft labyrinth.
S.: Could you enlighten me and our readers about the guards of Satan? Before your work fell into my hands, I only knew of Lucifer, Azazel, and Belphegor.
D.: Demonology is one of my favorite subjects, and I could go on for a very long time. But a few are worth mentioning. Satanachia — the general-in-chief, possessed deep knowledge of all the planets and helped witches establish close contact with earthly beings. He also held special authority over earthly mothers. Agaliarept — the great general of Hell and commander of the second legion; he oversaw Europe and Asia Minor, as well as the past and the future. Possessing the ability to uncover secrets, he sowed enmity and mistrust among people. Africa was under the authority of his personal lieutenant, Beelzebub. Fleurety — an expert in the field of poisonous plants and hallucinogenic herbs, he worked at night. He created enmity among people by kindling feelings of lust. Usually a gang of violent accomplices participated in his escapades. Marquis Amon commanded the forward legions of the forty legions of Hell's army. This demon spewed fire from his wolf's mouth. Amon had a wolf's head and a serpent's tail. He possessed the gift of prophecy and the ability to foretell the future. Aguares — the great duke of the eastern regions of Hell — had 30 legions under his command. He was a skilled linguist and could also arrange dances of the dead. Amduscias — another great duke who commanded 29 legions and, strangely enough, was famous for his ability to compose awful, ear-splitting music. He was usually depicted with a human body and a unicorn head. Sargatanas — a brigadier general serving directly under Astaroth — possessed a unique gift: he could penetrate a person's consciousness and read their secret thoughts. If Sargatanas resonated with those thoughts and feelings, he could erase them from the person's mind and transport the person to the other side of the globe. The field marshal in Astaroth's army was the demon Nebiros, who personally oversaw Northern America and often used animals for his foul deeds. Count Raum commanded 30 legions and was known for destroying cities. He possessed the mysterious ability to identify who had committed a theft. Baal — a Great Duke commanding 66 legions — was one of the ugliest officers of Satan. His body was short and fat, and his legs, growing in all directions, resembled spider's limbs. Baal had three heads — cat, frog, and human, the last one crowned. His hoarse and shrill voice was terrifying. Baal used it to issue orders to his treacherous followers. This ruthless and cunning demon could make himself invisible. At the head of 60 legions stood Abigor — a knight who rode a winged horse and commanded his soldiers from on high. He possessed all the knowledge of warfare and the gift of prophecy. Unlike other demons, Abigor was depicted as a handsome and gallant dandy. Azazel was the standard-bearer of Hell's army. The list goes on... C.: This question puzzles me a bit. After all, if something interests a person, they should look into it. Before you catch or learn something, you have to search, scrape your knees bloody. There are many places where the curious can find interesting material. SAMHAIN has always promoted Evil, but if we were to write everything about the Devil and his legions here, it would take years. A small portion of it is on our site.
S.: To be honest, I don't know much about the Tatar metal scene. I've only heard "M.E.P.H.I.S.T.O." by SORROWFUL GOD (Almetyevsk) and "Saligia" by SAMHAIN, of course, and I've read an interview with ALKONOST. Who else from your area deserves attention?
D.: Nice phrase — "the Tatar metal scene." To be honest, I have no idea about it either, because it doesn't seem to exist. Probably guys in other cities play good music too, but we don't know about them, and that's the whole problem — a lack of contacts and communication. I don't even know if SORROWFUL GOD still exists. I've even had the idea of creating some kind of unity, mutual support for growing, promising bands, organizing heavy concerts, etc. — even just within our city. We'll try, though the specifics of the city make it a tough task. We're on friendly terms with ALKONOST, but personally I think their relation to metal is rather distant, though as musicians they're good.
C.: Ha! A metal scene? The bands you've named have about as much relation to metal as SAMHAIN has to ballet. But I'd be quite happy to see something new and heavy.
S.: Imagine the management of the KAMAZ factory asked you to produce a commercial. Besides featuring your faces, the musical backing would be one of your songs. What would the concept be, and which track would you choose?
D.: We have no desire to advertise KAMAZ. And if we were to involve that organization in our video (which we're planning to shoot soon), it would only be as a backdrop. Maybe we could come up with a concept of total destruction of that factory-monster that drains the life out of everyone working in it every day. C.: SAMHAIN ain't some BORGIR, and we'll only appear in advertising for the dark forces that visitors of this world so desperately need.
S.: A quick questionnaire to wrap up: Date of birth: D.: 4.02.1973. C.: Year 12 of Satan's Birth Birthplace: D.: Solikamsk, Perm region. C.: The Abyss. Zodiac sign: D.: Aquarius. C.: Scorpio. Instrument: D.: None. C.: Guitar. Book: D.: Umberto Eco, "The Name of the Rose." C.: Marquis de Sade, "Justine." Film: D.: "The Godfather." C.: "Nekromantik." Cartoon: D.: None. C.: None. Sport: D.: None. C.: None. Historical figure: D.: Otto the Great. C.: A. Crowley. Metal Top 5: D.: 1. SAMHAIN "Saligia", 2. DARK FUNERAL "Diabolis Interium", 3. MAYHEM "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", 4. MORBID ANGEL "Blessed Are The Sick", 5. DIABOLICUM "The Dark Blood Rising." C.: 1. SAMHAIN, 2. MAYHEM, 3. VONDUR, 4. BEHEMOTH, 5. MORBID ANGEL. I want to be buried in... D.: A forest. C.: My favorite grave. Let this play at my funeral... D.: The sound of rain and a thunderstorm. C.: SAMHAIN!
S.: Parting words and a message to the fans.
D.: When we meet in the great battle of gods, it would be better for you if we stand shoulder to shoulder, rather than face to face. C.: Hail to all adherents of our path.