RAGNAROK
 

Epic, intense, fucking black metal attack to destroy all boundaries of crudenness and pain, RAGNAROK already is one of the best true black metal acts coming from the old world! The new album "Blackdoor Miracle", released by the great label Regain Records & produced by the worlwide legend Tommy Tägtgren, is one of the best grotesque black attacks record in the last years, a masterpiece of intense technical black hate created by insane creatures coming from inferno. Krepuskulum interview Jontho (drums).

 
KREPUSKULUM: RAGNAROK already is a cult act for the real blackmetalers from all  world until the 90th, is a great honour for us interview you! First of all, talk to us about the legendary history of RAGNAROK from the first release "Nattferd" until now. 

JONTHO: It is a lot to tell you about the History so I pasted the Bio from the Homepage. (Visit the bio at www.ragnarokhorde.com )

RAGNAROK  can be called a "true black metal act", you play black in the way of the roots, with agressivity, fury, and technic, including a lot of epic climates! What do you think about the new wave of black metal, called "Melodic Black Metal" and bands as such as DIMMU BORGIR & CRADLE OF FILTH that include female vocals, flutes, violins and another kind of things like that? 

The music style of those bands is not something that I listen to and it does not give me the feeling I get from the cold and aggressive style of black metal. I feel that black metal shall be aggressive and hateful and not something you can fucking dance after. But in the other hand it is their choice and I respect that, but they have misunderstood the concept of Black metal I think.

The new masterpiece "Blackdoor Miracle" are one of the more intense albums of the black metal new era, really powerful! The production is fabulous and impressive. Talk to us about the experience that work with Tommy Tägtgren and Abyss studio. 

As we also recorded the previous album "In Nomine Satanas" in Abyss, it was not a completely new experience to record there. But we did learn that we are a better band as soon as the sound is great and we enjoy working with a sound engineer that we like.  Tommy proved to us that he is a very good and professional sound engineer, he is very good in his work and it is very easy to work with him. As we also become pretty close the first time we was in abyss, it was almost easier to work there now because Tommy did understand even easier this time in what direction we was thinking. When we are in abyss we just think about music 100% for 14 days and that is a great experience compared to earlier recordings where we had to drive like 100km every day to record. But all in all Tommy is the best engineer we have worked with and Abyss is a very comfy studio so it is not the last time we go there for a visit.

The new vocal demon Hoest is a furious singer with a grotesque voice in the line of MARDUK´s "Legion". In my opinion Hoest are the best vocalist in the RAGNAROK´s albums. Do you agree with me? What is the reason to change Lord Arcamous to Hoest?

I totally agree with you that he is the best vocalist we have had in the band. But let’s not forget Thyme either because he made Ragnarok sound great from the start with his pretty original vocal at that time. With Hoest it is not only the sound of the vocals that is great, but also his live performance… He does really know how to release his inner demon and slay the audience with aggression and hate. The reason of the change in the line up was because Lord Arcamous disappointed us in some different ways that is not accepted when we work hard to reach our goals. He mainly got fired from the band but also quit in a way because of a jealous girlfriend…. Now they have kids and he is not involved in the scene as before anymore.
 Lord Arcamous did ok on the In nominee satanas to be his first time behind the microphone but I think Hoest is much more professional and have a lot more experience

Where como from the dark inspiration to write this kind of music? Your lyrics are very depressive and satanic. Are you satanists? Do you believe in Satan and Hell? What do you think about Anton La Vey, Aleister Crowley and The Church Of Satan? What do you think of the future of the mankind? Are you nihilists? 

Our inspirations come from our own feelings and different moods but also from deeper aspects as black magic, Satanism and occultism. Depressions and hate inspire our minds a lot to unleash the anger we put into the music and lyrics, it really gives us a face of the inner demon through the music. I believe in “Satan” but not as simple as a man with horns and a hot hell…. It goes a lot deeper than that but explaining all in details will take some pages. Another time maybe! The people you mention had a lot interesting views upon a lot of interesting stuff, but I am not a direct follower of them or the C.O.S. The future of mankind is soon the past of mankind!!!!!
 
What are the meaning of the beautiful nude woman in a circle of fire with 3 bullets in the flesh on the cover artwork of "Blackdoor Miracle"? 

The cover in it self do show exactly what we mean is black metal.You can find all the symbols of true black metal in that cover.....It is also a symbol to show what kind of music that is inside the album. The pentagram shows the satanic essence,the naked woman and the candles symols black magic,me with the gun symbols the unleashed demon and total destruction of the weak and the flames symbols the kaos forces of hell. All in all the cover expains the themes of the lyrics but still it is more to find when you read and understand them.

 
Norwegian black metal scene are one of the most important of the world now How are your relation with another great bands of your country? Do you have a lot of shows and labels & metal shopings dedicated to black metal in your country now? 

My relationship to other bands in Norway and in the rest of the world is great… Many bands stand close to me as personal friends, other is just people that I talk to when I am in the same country or town, some of them are big bands, and some of them are small bands. There have become more and more shows in Norway through the years and also some festivals, but it is also pretty hard to get something good here because of the competition between bands and the greed from the promoters. Not many shops are dedicated to the black metal because it does not sell enough so the shops can live of it. But it is one good that is called Wolfs lair in Oslo….Check it out….. www.wolfslair.no
 
Why do you use the corpse painting and inverted crosses? Is it a kind of fashion? Is the image important for the black metal music? 

It is the essence of black metal and the paint is a way to give our inner demon a face outwards. It is NOT a fashion but a life style and the image is VERY important because it is a part of true black metal together with satanic lyrics and aggressive music.
 
Do you know the Brazilian metal? Do you have plans to play here someday?( I saw the incredible gig of MARDUK´s World Funeral Tour, and it was fabulous!!!) We would like to see RAGNAROK in Brazil!!!

We will tour with Krisiun in Europe in October/ November so I know something about it and probably will know even more after the tour. We will come there one day but we need a serious organizer to help us out about it. So far it has just been some big mouthed people that have not done enough to get us there. But some day we will spread our demons over your land!!!!

Tracks as such as "Murder", "Kneel" and "Journey from Life" are intense hyms of hate to the life. Which is the real purpose of his music? Do you have a life philosophy? What do you think of the suicide? 

All of the songs have the same common theme about crushing the weak and destroy what that have destroyed the true life of mankind. My life philosophy is to gain as much as I can now because life will soon end…..Suicide can be an art and it can be helpful, but it is also a run from the problems that you are to weak to handle.
 
The great master Quorton from BATHORY dead, is a sad new for black metal. What do you think about BATHORY and Quorton legacy? 

Bathory will always be close to my heart and R.I.P
 
THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the interview and congratulations again for the fabulous masterpiece "Blackdoor Miracle". Give your last words to the RAGNAROK south american fanatics!

Thank you a lot for your support and sorry for the delay…. Life is not always as it seems. HAIL SATAN!!!!!!!!!!

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Contacts:

Label: TriquetraMedia@aol.com , www.theendrecords.com , jake@theendrecords.com

Band: jontho@sensewave.com ,  www.ragnarokhorde.com