The Mighty Swedish Doom and Heavy Doom Metal scene is a true caress
from the stars. Guided by the power of their huge knowledge, some of
these pioneers like Mercy, Nemesis, Candlemass, Sorcerer, Count Raven,
Memento Mori, Katatonia, Tristitia....illuminate us with moonlight reflections
from the overlying mantle of snowy mountains, taking us to a melancholic
trip, to resurface the tears of pain.Something like this was how I felt while
listening to this genius called TIAMAT for the first time! After having tasted
the blackest darkness and images of their darkest ART, they entered into
the Nordic Elite for me… I succumbed from the first riff, Immediately
after the moment that I put for the first time on my turntable their ' A
Winter Shadow ' 7 inch . It was a wonderful and full of pleasure experience
(cause to be honest) I would have never imagined that they would have
turned into this musical direction ! If I take a look under some retrospective
devilish eye’, the early releases (under TREBLINKA name) as well as their
first full-length jewel ' Sumerian Cry’… this comparison for me was
un-avoidable...so…Without any hesitation I purchased their album
' The Astral Sleep ' which was the follow-up to their previous torrent
of anger, and was still keeping some Black Metal veins of this past.
Then was that odious melancholy more intense than ever, a falling into
absolute ectasy,reffering to the beauty of ' Clouds ' masterpiece. It would
be such a superficiality to ignore for instance ' Forever Burning Flame ' song
which provides such intrepid emotions. Therefore, since then it seemed so
obvious that one day they would have done a European Tour… Thus the
organizer (aka Jambon Beurre from cultest Piranha Decibels Association)
contacted me whether if i would be interested in having a bus trip and meet
my friend from Raging Metal radio, who had fed up with the pityful behaviour
of some dickheads and their fake/shitty punk attitude....With perseverance,
I agreed while certainly was remaining suspicious to him....Well I can tell that
everything went well as I expected, which I can consider a real sucess in the
end, for some 50 crazy motherfuckers and some nice fuckin 'chicks in fury.
Anyway, I will always keep fresh in my memory this fuckin' stupidslut,which
in the end I am afraid that she ‘ll become unforgettable.David and Franck from
the lengendary Mystifier Zine (R.I.P)which interviewed silently Johnny and
Johan under a positive atmosphere.
David : To start with, could you give us a short biography of your band please?
Johnny : TIAMAT started in 1988 and released two demos. Then we made
an album entitled 'Sumerian Cry ' on a english label....
David : This label is Metalcore, right?
Johnny : Yes! So, we went out for a single and after that , we did some other
demos because the label had failed. We tried to get a new contract and we
found one label, Century Media from Germany. At first we recorded two tracks
for a compilation.
David : The cult compilation ' In The Eyes Of Death ' you mean?
Johnny : Yes that's right! And after that we recorded ' The Astral Sleep '
during summer '91. Euh, you want only everything concerning the CD dates
or also all details on what’s happened inbetween them?
David : No, that's ok! In the beginning your band was called TREBLINKA.
It seems to me that it was a Black Metal band.
Johan : Yes if you want....It depends what u mean by using the term ‘Black
Metal’.
David : So, what does Black Metal music represent through your eyes then?
Johan : Well, for instance, SAMAEL are playing Black Metal and if there is
someone that really does, they are, not us, so..as you see… There is a big
difference between the two bands. But if people see us as ' Blackmetalheads ',
I don't care.Each one can think what he wants!!!
David : Yet, there is always an inverted cross in your logo...
Johan : Yes!even two! haha!
David : So,is it always that you are interested in satanism?
Johan : It depends what you mean by saying ‘satanism’. If you mean of
pure demon-worship , venerate the devil with horns and long tail and all
that, so we aren't satanists. For me, inverted cross is something more
personal,its a symbol,this one of independance.
Franck : I would like to get your opinion about the evolution from Quorthon’s
concept of great BATHORY. He began with a satanistic concept and now he
derived toward nordic mythology. What do you think, is it a failure or a
good follow-up?
Johan : Well....I don’t know him. I really cannot tell for him but I think he is
certainly respected. It was more honest for him to write about nordic
religion,provided that he has swedish origin.
Johnny : It’s difficult for us to talk about what he did....
Johan : Yes,exactly!
Johnny : We know nothing about him.
Johan : But I guess,you see, he comes from Sweden and he wanted to go
back in Swedish history and write about the above mentioned.
Franck : But don’t you think that some bands are confused between ancient
mythology and satanism? Because if we are satanists, it means that we
trust in god. But if we prefer the ancient gods, we cannot trust in god....
Johan :Yes, I get what you mean l but it depends of satanism’s conception.
If you use only inverted cross as symbol against the christianism, it will go
with the nordic mythology because this mythology have been killed by
christianism. So...I don'tknow, we do not write about some vikings and
things of that kind. It is difficult for us to talk....
Johnny :...And other bands and what they do.
Johan : I think that swedish bands need to write about their origins and what
happened ago in Sweden since centuries.
David : How did you find the concert tonight?
Johan : Pretty GOOD!!! but I think that we should have played more longer.
David : Yes I think so too.
Johnny : This concert was the BEST!!! We played at Paris, Lyon, but this
concert was the best among the three. And it’s maybe one amongst my
fave three concerts that we have done during the complete tour.
David : I noticed that the audience liked very much TIAMAT!
Johnny : YEAH!!!it was amazing for first one prestation in France.
David : Is it the first time that you came in France?
Johnny : Yes,its our first tour in France.
Franck : What you mean the band name?
Johan : TIAMAT was a goddess from Sumerian mythology and what is
interesting is that the religion that she is represented, is elder than any
other in the world. The people that built this religion, were the first people
that also built something real, and created society, you see, and they did it
there 5000 years ago. They will be always considered to have put a lot of
influence yet to be found on our current life style. And TIAMAT was the
god - or the goddess, the more malefic to call her for that the era. It was
the first devil personified.
Frank : In a current Hard Rock magazine issue...
Johan : ' Haddock' ???
Franck : Hard Rock Magazine!In a current Hard Rock Magazine so, David
Vincent of MORBID ANGEL to tell that satan do not exist, its just a symbol.
Are you agree with him? or do you think satan exists as an entity, as reality
or is it just a symbol?
Johan : I think that satan is just another name for the demon which exists
in all of us in an obscure part of our mind.
David : What are your fave bands?
Johan : From Sweden?Hum...pfff...
Johnny : Roxette!! haha!
Johan : I think that the fave swedish death metal band is UNLEASHED.
I don’t say this because we are on tour with them, no ! I frankly believe!
I also like very much ENTOMBED.
David : What do you think of their new musical orientation?I like very much,
I think that it’s really good!!!
David : Any other questions Frank?
Franck : Eug pfff...A last word for our readers?
Johnny / Johan : Hum....Pfff....!
David : Thanks for the interview!!!!
Johan ! haha!Thanks a lot and I hope that the people buy our new album
to early next year.
David : And another question : are you still a part of underground? Are you
asked still to reply on letters from Fanzines ect..?
Johan : YES! when we have the time to do it. We try to reply to all letters
but we are very often on tour...But we try to reply to all the letters.
Johnny : That we…something like gettting twenty letters/a week.. and
after we get still the double. But we ask on all our letters to keep continuing
sending this....you know...the I.R.C.
David : Internation reply coupon u mean?
Johnny : Yeah! that's this, well!!!
Johan : Otherwise we should be ruined.
David : Why you didn't play any songs from first album?
Johan : Tonight we haven't been able to play more than five tracks!
If we could play one hour, surely we would have played a song, at least
from the first album. But we were allowed to choose five songs, and I am
confident that it was better to choose these specific five songs.
David : And what songs from first abum would you choose?
Johan / Johnny : ' Necrophagios Shadows '
David : There is a very strange song in the first album,his title is ' Evilized '.
It’s a song…very obscure… and then… Paf! a blues passage (with piano)
coming suddenly! What does it mean?
Johan : Yeah!It was only for that period, that we were still trying to qualify
as a Black Metal band but we wanted also to show to people that we take of
distance, anything that we did. We were not of ‘true’ satanists, killing some
animals on stage and do things like that. We wanted to show to people we
were ....humans.
Franck : Is it difficult to earn money enough to ‘survive’ depending only on
music?
Johan / Johnny : YEAH!
Frank : So, we have a job?
Johnny : NO! haha!
David : So you are poor persons then? hehe!
Johnny : Yes we are poor persons HAHA!
David : Do you know the swedish band LEUKEMIA?
Johnny : Yeah!
David : You like well their last album?
Johnny : Well i have only their demo.
David : The last one, it is like a joke. It’s a sort of Thrash Metal with Opera
voices. Very surprising!
Johnny : Somehow, I am not really interested in this kind of music.
David : By Thrash Metal music u mean?
Johnny : No,not so much. I like well the Thrash Metal as FORBIDDEN,you
see,not as LEUKEMIA or all these things that happen to us today because
I think that the best of Thrash has been already done, you see.
David : Euh u stop there?
Franck : Yeah!OK!
Interview Done By David & Franck Appeared For Mystifier Zine(R.I.P) Issue II.
Thanks So Much Bloodbrothers.U rule!!!
Preface Have Been Modified By Kanz-Noz.
Live/Pictures Taken By Kanz-Noz.
