Scorpio: Hi, cz! How are you? What have you been up to the last few days?
CZ: Hails, Vladimir! I am fine, thanks for asking. Well, what I've been doing the last few days: busy writing music for the next release, sleeping, eating... not that much. Drinking some beers, answering emails, doing layout stuff, and so on. Quite boring and nothing special, I think.
S.: So, please tell us the history of VINTERRIKET. And what does the name mean?
CZ: The idea is to express the dark side of nature through music, so to speak. The first demo tape was released in early 2000 or late 1999. In the early days, everything with Vinterriket went slowly, and the whole thing wasn't as serious as it is today. Therefore it took almost 3 years to finish the first demo tape. After the release of Demo #1, the whole project became more serious. In the past 3 years I have released many CDs, 7" EPs, and so on, on various record labels around the globe. Too many to mention, actually. This is all, I think. About the name of the project: the word VINTERRIKET means something like "Realm of Winter" or "Winterrealm" in English. I simply felt like using a Norwegian name for the project with this meaning. The decision came up when the first demo tape was in progress. I just thought that the name "VINTERRIKET" would fit perfectly with my music. There is no better name that would fit the sound of Vinterriket, I think! The word VINTERRIKET describes the whole sound concept very well. I will not change the name in the future, I think. At least as long as I am doing this kind of music with Vinterriket.
S.: Have you ever taken part in other projects?
CZ: I was playing guitar in a black metal band called GRAVEN for some time, but I quit about 2 years ago due to personal differences and lack of interest. They signed a CD deal when I was still in the band, and now they have released their first CD on Undercover Records (Germany) called "Perished and Forgotten". But I do not want to waste my time talking about this stuff... Because it is not interesting for me anymore and not of importance. Before VINTERRIKET, I was playing in some local, very unknown black metal acts (I always played guitar), not worth mentioning at all. In one of them I was the main man, so to speak, and I had founded the band back in the mid-'90s. We never released a demo tape or anything like that. I just still have some rehearsals lying around here. We also played live one time at a local venue. There is a video of the gig existing somewhere. The band broke up because I realized the other members were not 100% committed. Nowadays I totally concentrate on Vinterriket. Maybe I'll start another project in the future. But it would be too early to mention details. Let's see what the future brings.
S.: Your last album "Winterschatten" was licensed by the russian label Oskorei Music for CIS and Baltic states. Are you happy with this collaboration?
CZ: Sure I am, absolutely! I am very proud to have this release out on Oskorei! I never had a russian version of any previous releases. russia has a great market for such music, I think. The russian release on Oskorei includes one bonus song and comes with different cover artwork! Hand-numbered to 500 copies. There could be nothing better than Oskorei. I am very satisfied with the label. Alekcandr is a cool and honest guy. They work fast, professionally, and effectively. You see, I'd probably never be doing this interview here if there were no "Winterschatten" release on Oskorei...
S.: :) Yeah, you're right! You had created a small label, Neodawn Prods, specifically for releasing your works, but this February it was closed. Why?
CZ: Yes, you are right: Neodawn is officially closed since 01.03.2003 — completely and forever. The small mail-order had already been closed about half a year before, too. It was a cool time when I was running Neodawn. A lot of great releases saw the light of day through Neodawn (not only VINTERRIKET stuff!!): LEGION (SWE), NECROPLASMA (SWE), CROWHEAD (NOR), BLOODLINE (SWE)... But I came to a point where it was impossible to run Neodawn and VINTERRIKET together properly. It was clear that one of them had to be stopped. And, of course, I decided to stop Neodawn without even thinking about it. You know, time is strictly limited these days, and the only thing I want to do is make music, nothing else. In the future I'll totally concentrate on Vinterriket. I simply had no desire, no energy, and no time for Neodawn anymore. This is the only reason the label was shut down. There are a lot of rumours around about the closing, but those are the only reasons. You see, Neodawn was running very well, so to speak, but I decided to stop the whole thing. All future VINTERRIKET releases will be out on other labels. We'll see... But Neodawn will never come to life again.
S.: I'm amazed by the huge number of VINTERRIKET releases over the last 3 years! You have so many ideas...
CZ: Yes, a lot of stuff has been published within the last 3 years. I have a lot of ideas in my mind. There are days and weeks with a lack of inspiration, and there are days where the ideas just flow out of my mind. It depends. As you might know, VINTERRIKET is only influenced by the dark side of nature, as I prefer to call it. I often walk around in deep forests, upon mighty mountains, and through misty landscapes, etc. This is a good way to get new inspiration and to feel the force of mother nature in its full power. I am a "nature child", so to speak. There is nothing better than being alone in nature, far away from civilization, noise, and masses of people. Mankind comes from nature. The problem is that 99% of all people on Earth are totally denaturalized, if you understand what I mean. After the release of Demo #1, I totally focused on VINTERRIKET. I spend almost all my free time creating music. Many hours a day. Day and night, so to speak. In the future I will have even more time to create music, since I have shut down my label Neodawn on March 1st, 2003, as I've told you. You know, in principle I make music only for myself. If others like it — OK. If not, I do not care. If I get offers from labels in the future, there will be more releases. If not, there won't be any releases, and the music will remain here.
S.: What equipment do you use?
CZ: It's a lot of stuff that I use. Ibanez guitar, some Marshall amplifiers, Cubase V, Samplitude, Wavelab, Soundforge, Yamaha synth, Yamaha sequencer, a digital 8-track recorder, drum machine... Of course microphones, bass, some effects, etc. too. Soon I will get new, better, and more expensive equipment, I hope, but everything is a question of money. I'd need new synths, a new guitar, and so on.
S.: What are the advantages of being the only member of a band?
CZ: There are only advantages. The main one is that I am my own master. I can do whatever I want. Not forced to attend any rehearsals with other stupid guys. I can write and record music whenever I want. I can do whatever I want. Nobody is telling me what I have to do. When you have many people in a band, you always have to make compromises. When you're alone, you can just do what is in your mind. Besides this, I am quite a misanthropic person.
S.: Ambient is not metal music, but this electronic style is interesting to metalheads. Metal magazines review ambient and darkwave releases. What is the reason, in your opinion?
CZ: The reason is quite simple: because ambient music is also capable of conveying those dark, depressive, melancholic, and atmospheric feelings and moods, like black metal is, for example. Dark ambient is even much more capable of conveying those feelings than all styles of metal combined, at least in my eyes. I also listen to a lot of different music: all kinds. Ambient, industrial, classical, etc. Some black metal too. But I am no longer interested in the current black metal scene, to be honest. There are too many shitty bands copying each other and doing the same things that others did even better years ago. I rarely buy a CD related to black metal. There are only a few bands around that are able to catch my attention. Those bands are different because of their originality and because they are not doing standard stuff like thousands of others. I will not mention any names... I still have all the old records of the Scandinavian black metal bands, for example. Sometimes I listen to them, but I prefer other stuff these days. All the music I listen to is atmospheric, dark, melancholic, and original. Those criteria must be met!
S.: Now about VINTERRIKET's T-shirts and merchandise. Who designs them? You?
CZ: Yes, I have designed them all myself, and I will design upcoming shirts in the future myself too. I do not want others doing layout or design stuff for VINTERRIKET. I want to do everything myself.
S.: Why is the merchandise released often but in very limited (very, very limited) editions — 15 or 20 copies? Maybe it would be better to make one type of T-shirt but print 100 copies or even more...
CZ: No, I have a different opinion here. Making releases and shirts strictly limited guarantees that only true fans get hold of the stuff, and that the releases are not available to the masses. If somebody is really interested in the stuff, they WILL get a copy somewhere, and they WILL look for it. VINTERRIKET is nothing for the masses, if you understand what I mean. It is better to have different designs than to have only one.
S.: Now tell us, please, about your home area in the southern part of Germany.
CZ: I live in a very small village, not far from the woods. I live at the edge of this village. When I look outside my window, I can even see the majestic woods. I like this very much, because in a way I am quite a misanthropic person, as I've told you. I hate big masses of people and big towns. I also totally hate big parties and stuff like that. Most of my time I spend alone, with only a few very close people. The village where I live is very unknown and not of any importance at all.
S.: I think you like being in the fresh air, don't you? What can you say about the Alps and the Erzgebirge, which appear in the booklet?
CZ: Yes, there is nothing better than being alone in nature, far away from civilization, noise, and masses of people. It is very good for thinking about different things, feeling the force of nature, and getting new inspiration. Of course, I prefer the dark side of nature: fog, deep/dark woods, majestic mountains, autumn, winter, snow, storm, lightning, rain, endless vast landscapes, darkness/night... About the Alps: I actually live not far from them. I often go to the Alps for hikes and such. I don't live far from the border with Switzerland and Austria. Both countries have great nature with all those majestic mountains and forests, quite comparable to Scandinavia, actually. My friend, who is also responsible for many of the photos, comes from the Erzgebirge. I have been there only once, since it's far away from here, in eastern Germany.
S.: And who took those photos of the Alpine nature?
CZ: Well, the cover pictures and booklet pictures should always fit 100% with the music. I am of the opinion that the layout and the pictures fit perfectly with the music. The pictures I have used on covers, booklets, and so on have ALL been shot by myself, some by a German friend of mine (from the Erzgebirge), and some by Haewwel (VINTERRIKET's session member). I have never used any pictures other than those shot by myself, my friend, and Haewwel. I am proud to use self-made pictures and not to steal them from the internet like others do. The pictures that can be seen in my booklets and on my covers were not only shot in the Alps: also in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, northern Italy, and Germany (many of them)...
S.: Christoph, look out the window, please, and tell me what the weather is like there.
CZ: Ah, all in all, it's too hot outside. Sun and clouds are present right now. I hope it'll get colder again, hehe. I also hope it'll rain soon so that the air gets cooler! Personally, I think that summer and spring are too long and too hot here in Germany. That's why I'm trying to move to more northern regions. Summer is okay too — but NOT if it's as hot as it is here! 30-40 degrees is definitely too much for me! I hate it. Others crawl out of their houses as soon as they see the first ray of sun in spring. That is the time when I'm heading back home, if you understand what I mean! I have a kind of sun aversion. I cannot go out in summer when it's 30 or 40 degrees hot. I always get a headache immediately and feel totally sick and bad. In summer I stay at home most of the time, while others are burning their brains in sunny Mallorca or shit like that. I hate it. When talking about "nature" in general, opinions differ a lot: for some, "nature" is the desert; for others, the South Seas, or the animal kingdom with all its various forms of life. For others, something else entirely. When I talk about nature, I mean "the dark side of nature", so to speak: darkness, mountains, full moon, endless and sinister woods, fog, night, moors, and so on... be it in winter, summer, spring, or autumn. But I prefer winter and autumn.
S.: Here in Chernivtsi it's been raining for a few days. The temperature is +13, and less than a week ago it was up to +35. How is it with rain in Germany this year? Last summer your country was underwater. But you, I think, didn't have to evacuate because of the hilly terrain of your home area. Am I right?
CZ: Yeah, last year our country was drowned in water, as you said. But not here, since I live on a small hill, hehe. The area where I live is not that hilly. I have to drive for about 20-30 minutes, and then I'm standing amid much greater landscapes (the Swabian Mountains / Allgau / the Alps). What we have here are great, deep forests, well worth seeing!
S.: And what is your favourite season and why?
CZ: I am a real winter fanatic, so to speak. It is my beloved season of the year. Cold, depressing, grim, cruel, and desolate. It is the perfect season to get new inspiration for VINTERRIKET! There is nothing better than making long treks through deep, snowy, and mysterious winter forests, through misty valleys in winter, or across majestic, snow-covered, endless landscapes. It is an amazing feeling when the coldness is slowly crawling through your veins and when winter storms are crashing into your face with all their strength and power. Winter is the time when you can feel the greatness and power of mother nature in its true and cruel form! For me it is too "hot" here in Germany overall. Winter is too short for me. I still have plans to move to northern Norway or Spitzbergen (Svalbard) someday. At least for some months or years in order to be closer to nature and to experience those long, cold, and depressing winter nights in the north. We'll see what happens. I also like the autumn season very much, with all its mysterious fogs. You can slowly feel and see winter coming.
S.: What literature do you like? What books can you recommend?
CZ: I am not reading that much, actually. My time is limited. Good music is much more important for me than books. When I do read, I read books and articles about all kinds of science, mysterious phenomena, astronomy, politics, and such stuff. But it depends. What I am NOT doing is reading novels, fantasy stories, and shit like that.
S.: Do you have an idea for a VINTERRIKET music video? What would it be like?
CZ: There are plans to create a video someday, yes. Two years back, this plan even almost became reality, but due to various problems it never happened. When I do create a clip in the future, it will be dark, minimalistic, moody, atmospheric, sinister, melancholic. You'll only see the dark side of nature in its cruelest and darkest form: darkness, winter, storm, majestic landscapes, majestic woods, full moon, night, fog, mountains... There are no concrete plans yet. We'll see what happens. But I am sure that there will be a VINTERRIKET video in the future.
S.: There is a BURZUM cover on the Winterschatten CD released by Oskorei Music. How do you like Varg Vikernes as a musician?
CZ: Of course I like BURZUM. My favourite CD of Varg is hard to tell. I like a lot of them very much. "Hvis..." / "Filosofem" maybe? I do not know. I also like his two ambient CDs. But BURZUM never had a direct influence on Vinterriket... Varg is a good musician. He has created a lot of amazing tracks with minimalistic abilities. "Der Tod Wuotans", which is on the Oskorei release as a cover bonus song, is one of the best tracks he has ever written, I think. The track is so dark, so atmospheric — unbelievable.
S.: And his neo-Nazi ideas?
CZ: Some of his ideologies and ideas are OK, and some are pure shit. It depends. I am NOT mixing music with politics. Politics is a separate field for me. Of course I am very interested in politics, but that is something else and has nothing to do with music. I do not care what others do. If they want to mix politics with music, they should go ahead. It does not affect me. I also have my political views, but they have nothing to do with my music or VINTERRIKET. I hope you understand what I mean. This question goes too far into the field of politics. And as I said: VINTERRIKET and politics are two different things. Of course I have my political views and I am very interested in politics, but that is my private matter. I will not inject any private political views into Vinterriket. Thanks for understanding.
S.: Where do you want to be buried?
CZ: I don't know, hehe. Maybe on the top of a majestic mountain with a good view down to the valley.
S.: Cool! What do you know about Ukraine, Belarus, russia?
CZ: I have never been to russia, Ukraine, or Belarus, though I have heard a lot about these countries. It would be really great to visit them one day. Siberia must be great, hehe. I think it is really cold, grim, and atmospheric there. I have heard about the very bad economic situation in your country quite often. Also about the corrupt system in general (postal service, police...). But it would be a great experience to visit those countries sometime. I am quite open-minded, and it would be cool to see them one day. We'll see...
S.: Final countdown: your message to fans and our readers in German, please.
CZ: Danke fur das interessante Zwiegesprach, Vladimir! Bezuglich standiger Neuigkeiten und weiterer Informationen mochte ich an dieser Stelle auf www.vinterriket.com verweisen. Germaniac Hails! cz / vinterriket 11.07.2003
S.: Vielen Dank! Tschuss! Allerbesten!