- We welcome The Meads of Asphodel at our web-portal, true-metal.ru!
Unfortunately, the information about The Meads of Asphodel is scarce in Russian internet. This is going to be the first interview in Russian. Tell us a bit about yourselves and your band.

- We have been around since 1998 playing our own musical style that is experimental black metal embracing everything and anything.  Our lyrics deal with Christianity, Mythology, Genocide and the human ability to fuck up everything around him.

- Your music is quite varying. It simply doesn’t fit under any of the style frames that I know of (except “experimental”, of course). How would you characterize your music?

- We do what we do naturally, never compromising our style and never following trends. We care not for any one opinion and respect all criticism be it negative or positive.
Our music can be fast/ slow/ cold and warm. We utilize many vocal styles and atmospheres top create the mood of the music.

- In Russian music stores your music stands next to black metal bands. How accurate is that?

- It is ok as we do not care what others label us as. We are pleased to have our music in Black Metal s that is our roots.

- How do you create your music, i.e. who is in charge of lyrics and music itself?

- J.D Tait the master song smith creates the music under the guidance of the lyrics that are written by myself. It can be a long process as we do not create music in haste. Every part of the song structure is manipulated to form the exact sound we need to express the lyrical theme. We use a real drummer and all real instruments, plus samples and many effects to create the right atmosphere.

- Let’s talk now about you new album Sonderkommando. This album seems very different from what you used to do. How did this happen?

- The Sonderkommando album is all about the decimation of a race of human beings. Forget the word ‘Jew’ for a moment and rid your hearts of hatred. We are talking of children, women, the old, the sick. These are all [or should be] exempt from the horrors of War and yet in ever war we find indiscriminate slaughter, sadistic murder and that age old human weakness to become corrupt with hatred.
The album is about the inhumanity of humanity and on this occasion we focus on the Holocaust and the Germanic death machine. We have explored Genocide in the past, but this is the ultimate genocide of a selective group of people by most of Europe.
There have been more fatalities in Stalin’s purges and other world mass murders, but the Holocaust is very unique. I find no logic to hate another because of a blind irrational racial foundation. It is absurd to Hate someone you do not even know, who lives hundreds of miles away and has done you no harm. But that is what hatred does, it is a disease of the human heart.

- There was a leak in the media that before recording this album, Metatron visited Auschwitz. Is this true and why was it necessary?

- I visited Auschwitz to learn for myself what I had seen in books and films. I needed to be sure this mass slaughter house was not an exaggeration. It profoundly touched me to know the horror that existed here. It si a cold, empty place and you can just imagine the vile cruelty of the guards who thought they were [and in most cases were] above the laws of humanity. This scum were mostly never caught for their cowardly torture of unarmed people.
I have learned that the Nazi criminals of the Holocaust were cowards and to say otherwise is a stupid thing to even admit. How can a grown man capable of shooting a child, or  leading a family to their deaths not be anything but the lowest vermin of life??
And to think these brainless idiots despised Jews and treated them like vermin, when all the time it was the other way around.

- Tell us how did the recording go? Was it easy?

- It was a process lasting over a year. I had my research on the subject matter and J.D Tait had the songs to create and it was a long journey to reach the final mix.

- What was the line-up for recording of Sonderkommando?

Metatron –vocals
J.D Tait – guitars
Alan Davey [ex Hawkwind]- bass
Andre Thung – drums
Christina Poupoutsi - vocals
Plus guests from uk bands, Amebix, Diverssis, Irish band, Mael Morhra, Belarusian band, Gods Tower, Morries from, Gnaw their tongues, and our old friend Mirai from Sigh.

- You have a lot of splits and compilations, but only 3 full-length albums. How did this happen? What it’s tied to?

- We have had 3 demo’s,  5 full length albums, 3 splits, a 7” vinyl release, and some compilation material.
This is all part of our history and very much part of our commitment to the underground.

- Split with Mayhem had a great success. Tell us how did you come up with this idea? Was it the idea of your label, Supernal Music?

- It was the idea of our old label Supernal Music and it has given us great attention . The music is very different and we acknowledge it is Mayhem who are the Gods on this split and we but mere mortals.  It is a very great honour to share a release with such a great band.
It is our good fortune to have had this opportunity.

- Tell us about you portion of this split named “Jihad”. It is thought that you recorded this piece after things that happened in New York on September 11.

- Yes, this concept as about religious fundamentalism and fanatical lunatics who are really deranged thugs with a hunger for violence. No God that preaches peace will ever condone violence. It si a paradox of human stupidity to even imagine a spiritual being that supposedly created everything would have anything to do with the insane world of a human being…  I look upon all religion to be fundamentally good in having a decent guide to live one’s life in peace, a necessity for ancient cultures and a bane for the ignorant. But it is Mankind that is violent, not the God he created, so every violent act is Human born, not the mysterious workings of deity. The raving vehemence of Islam is no more futile than the same vehemence spouted by the Christian church in the middle ages. It  be less potent in another 500 years when the Human race may find its wisdom in his own heart, and not the inventions of hateful doctrines.

- Tell us about your photo-sessions. Why do The Meads of Asphodel always pose as medieval knights? Why did you pick this image in particular?

- From the very first demo in 1998 we decided to create the image of ancient warriors. Some bands paint their face  like panda bears, or wear monks habits. Some bands paint their faces red like war paint, others in full leather and spikes. It is all part of the wonderfully rich Metal theatre. To create a whole working bands that lives or dies upon its own integrity. We have stayed true to ourselves from the very beginning, both musically and visually. This is what the band represents.

- A question for Metatron. Why do you conceal your face on photographs and video?
- Why the Meads of Asphodel don’t give shows and live concerts?

- Like I have mentioned, this is how it has always been. Just because we are more better know, does not mean I need to reveal my face.. I am happy to let the band become my face.

- Recently, Metatron and Alan Davey participated in the recording of The Wolves of Avalon album called «Carrion Crows over Camlan».  Tell us about your involvement in this band.

- I have another Wolves of Avalon, album out at the end of the year called, Boudicca’s Last Stand. This is my love for the pagan metal scene and I also write about my lands ancient past. The Celtic British.  It ha more folk instruments and is very different from the Meads of Asphodel.
We had Rob Darken, from Graveland, appear on the debut album and this caused some controversial negativity due to his right wing statements in the past. But, I love Graveland as a spiritual band of cultural identity. It is good all nations should preserve their past and find a belonging to their roots.

- Do you plan on working with The Wolves of Avalon? Are we to expect more albums?
What other side-projects do you currently participate?

- J.D Tait is involved in his side projects, The Higher Craft [a space rock style band], and the black metal madness of, Ebonillumini.

- Recently talked to English band Devilment and they confessed that it’s not easy to earn money with music in England these days. Do The Meads of Asphodel successful commercially?

- In this day of internet piracy  it is very hard to make money as people do not appreciate the real danger of the music being cheapened. The labels have sold cd’s for too much in the past and now they suffer because of their greed. Cd’s are great, Vinyl is great and tapes are great, all make up the rich music of the metal worlds and yet the internet has added the medium of downloads, and kids listen through their phones so its all fucked up. But it will not go away so it must be accepted and a compromise must be found.

- What do you do apart from music?

- I wander as a shadow in my dreams forever looking beyond the horizons for the truth.

-  In closing, if there was a prize for the metal bands for their contribution to metal scene, what bands would you nominate and in what nomination would The Meads of Asphodel win?

- That is a question of many answers, but if anything I would like to be the most Honest and honourable of all bands.

- Thank you for this interview. We wish you good luck in your future developments!

- I thank you for your time and interest in the Meads of Asphodel.  Remember, try to but stuff from underground distro’s if they sell at a good cost. The life blood of all music stems from these hard working fans.  wwwgodreah.com is just one of the hundreds around the world.
I bid you well

The Meads of Asphodel: Metatron
True-metal.ru: Твердислав

© True-metal.ru, май 2013

Varg
Что я по твоему не спросил?

И вообще с волками и с Асфоделем
складывалось ощущение что ты задаешь ему ворос об одном
а он отвечает о другом.
На ряд вопросов о доходах их группы они вообще увильнули от ответов.