THE BERSERKER by THE BERSERKER on Earache stands out as one of the most unusual Metal releases of the year—perhaps of all time. You’ll find that as he responded to a handful of questions that this is a very fitting description. You’ll also find that he says whatever he wants to. He certainly has his own mind! I would like to have asked more and better questions but this interview came at a time when I was really bogged down in work and I did it in a hurry (you see, I’m honest enough to admit that this isn’t the best I can do!).

The Berzerker as a social commentary? Interesting. The Berzerker encompasses some of my views on the earth's society. The Berzerker is about musically fulfilling the statement 'he who makes a beast of himself, is free from the pain of being a man' The Berzerker is the most natural form of extremity known on this planet. And being as no performance enhancing drugs are used at any time (including the recording process, and in the live performances), this holds true to all sides of the debate on what is truly extreme.

Stupid questions like that. Who really cares what makes me (personally) sick. I just make music.

ARE THERE ANY SONGS ON YOUR CD THAT YOU LIKE TALKING ABOUT/EXPLAINING? (remember, I have the promo, no lyrics)

Here is a brief insight into 2 songs contained on the record: "Cannibal Rights" is a factual story about two men feasting on their relatives, for the sole purpose of gaining the skills to hunt and generally live, but not knowing of a new law of that had been recently passed stating that the punishment for cannibalism had been changed from imprisonment to the death sentence. these men were executed for carrying out one of their sacred rituals and traditions,. this song deals with the concept of the men in question being unaware of the new laws, and the fact that they knew nothing of why they were executed.

"Pain" is another factual story of a woman that had her face literally ripped from her skull in a milking farm accident. her hair was caught in a milking machine and her face was slowly torn from her skull. The only part of her face that was left intact was one of her ears and a small part of her lower jaw. This song deals with the agony of the injury and tries to draw the listener in to the feelings that must this woman must have felt. It also deals with what it must of looked and felt like for her husband, who found her lying in a pool of blood some 20 minutes after the initial accident, with her face still trapped and spinning in the machine. Incidentally, the woman lived and had her face reattached.

The lyrics deal with facts, the music deals with facts. Not fantasy horror. There is no coarse language contained in the lyrics, I find it disappointing that majority of extreme bands must resort to vulgarity to achieve any impact. The lyrics are about life on the planet earth, and the way different societies view various topics. I would like the lyrics to be interpreted through the eyes of the listener. I view the lyrics a calling card. Our philosophy is a simple one, and that is to

unite worthy, like-minded beings. Beings who are honest, motivated and self-driven to do the things they say they will. It is to create and sub-race somewhere on this planet where we can exist without being surrounded by inconsiderate beings. And to be giving the rare opportunity to have the utmost respect for the others who are chosen to surround us.

Early Carcass.

Music has still a long way to be pushed yet. But if I set out to make the heaviest and fastest album that could ever be recorded, where would I go from there? This album is the first installment with many more already in the planning stages. My intention was to make a record that would be brutal enough to surpass what is currently available, and to leave myself with enough room to progress forward for the next installment of the Berzerker.

The Berzerker has no country. The Berzerker operates under the banner of the 'Iron Dragon' contained on the album cover. The dragon is a recognizable, cross cultural symbol of a sentient being more powerful than man. That is also why we were made to wait until the year 2000 the year of the 'Iron Dragon' to unleash this record upon this planet.

The next installment of The Berzerker (band) should be released some time around April 2001, I have signed a 4 album deal with Earache that should see us releasing for at least the next 4 or 5 years.

The Berzerker is a group of sentient beings more powerful than man. We chose the name The Berzerker in tribute to the "Berserk" or bare-sark Norse warriors. The physical appearance of

the berserk was one calculated to present an image of terror. 'The berserker was thought to possess the ferocity and strength of the bear. By the twelfth century, the berserk --with his Odinnic religion, animalistic appearance, his inhuman frenzy upon the battlefield, and terrorism within the Scandinavian community--disappeared. The berserk, like his patron deity Odinn, was forced to yield to the dissolution of pagan society and the advent of the White Christ. Obviously in this age the concept of berserk applying only to pagan Scandinavian warriors is obsolete.

All humans have a morbid fascination with the subjects that are censored; if there was no censorship their would be virtually no fascination.

Thankx for all the feedback. Check out www.theberzerker.com for any news and upcoming tour dates.

Another meaningless question. The fact that someone has or hasn't heard, or enjoyed The Berzerker at some stage in their miserable life, makes no difference to a what I would choose to say them.

In the existence of fleshy man there has never been a face to match the brutality of the malevolent unknown. The human form is far too common, too familiar; adjectives that don't apply to The Berzerker.

THE BERZERKER Sept, 2000.