Interview with Wolves in the Throne Room



1. Hails to you, Wolves! At the beggining I canґt get around the traditional question. Please introduce shortly the biography of "Wolves in the throne room". How did you find yourselves? Whatґs the meaning of the hordes name? I donґt like this question but I think itґs highly suiting the purpose.

The image of blood thirsty vengeful beasts running wild in the halls of a decadant and corrupt king is a theme that will always run through our music. We hope to unleash furious, primal energies and create the space for ancient mind-states with our black metal.

2. Well, I must ask you about your life-style...Many rumours and guesses are going round the scene that you are living out of the civilisation, absolutely denying the modern world...itґs that true??

I live on a farm on the outskirts of a small town. We try to live a very simple life and are committed to living in a honest and repsectful relationship to the land around us. My wife is a farmer and we are able to grow most of our own food. Small farms in the area provide milk and meat. I am able to go through the day and see no reminder of the filth outside the gates of our stronghold.

We do not live in caves and I would not say that we live outside of civilization. We want nothing more than to live in a community of strong comrades and neighbors who share our love of the old ways and reverance for nature.

Everyone must decide how much of their soul they will sell to the modern machine. It is impossible to deny modernity totally. For instance, I need to build a new barn to house animals and tools. One might go to the lumber yard to purchase timbers from clear-cuts, but instead I will cut the posts and beams on a small sawmill out of douglas fir trees that were felled in a storm. In olden times, that mill would be powered by running water, before that men would hew the beams with hand tools. So you see that I must compromise – I will use a mill powered by gasoline rather than my own back and arms, but the trees will be treated with respect and the timbers for the barn will be created on a human scale.

It is a slow process to remove ones self from the grid. Right now my wife is at a farm in the mountains apenticing with a old farmer who uses only horses to harvest hay and drive the plow. But we contradict ourselves with this computer that I write this on and the stereo that plays Filosofem while we work in the fields.

3. "Two hunters" album came out quite recently. In which mood it is floating? Does it distinguishes itself too much from "Diadem of 12 stars"?

The new album is perhaps more ambitious in its sound. We had more time in the studio and thus were able to realize a more expansive vision. We take great pains to create whole records rather than individual songs and I think that Two Hunters has a strong narrative flow, starting with dark, dreamy ambience and eventually reaching a brutal crecendo.



4. I must say that "Diadem of 12 stars" strongly impressed me. It has a really beatiful athmosphere and every song has lots of strong moments...What do you think about this album?

I listened to Diadem of 12 Stars recently after not hearing it for a long while and enjoyed the music. I hope that it will stand the test of time. It is difficult to write such long songs that manage to hold the listener rapt for the duration and I think that we suceed at this. It is very rough around the edges, but the spirit and the emotions that animate the music are pure. To me, it sounds like a punk record. It has a certain rawness that reveals our deep roots in the underground.

5. How is it functioning in the band? Are the all members contributing to making of lyrics, music etc?

We all contribute equally with music and lyrics and ideas.

6. I know that you love the nature, woods...what is the nature in your surroundings? Which season do you like most?

We live in a region that we call Cascadia. Douglas fir trees, Cedar, Salmon, Ravens, Great mountains and rivers are the features of this place. It is a very rainy and mossy place. In the winter it sometimes rains for months without end. Scandinavian black metal in influenced by the extreme snow and cold. We are given power by the moody light filtering through ominous rainclouds, darkness and decay in the gentle hush of fall and winter. I love all of the seasons, for I take great pleasure in the natural cycles of farming life. Modern people rush headlong through their lives paying no attention to the miracles of death and rebirth that is are the true things in life.

7. What is your opinion on Christianity and other religions? Does the members of "Wolves in the throne room" believes in something divine?

In ancient times, humanity knew that everything in the universe is a manifestation of divinity, thus trees and animals were loved and respected. Christianity puts the divine in the heavens and declares the world unclean. The forests become the refuge for Evil spirits, and must be destroyed. The Christian god gives Human beings dominion over the earth and thus allows us to cut down all of the trees, torture animals and meddle with the very genetic structure of life. For this reason, I would say that Christianity is the root of much of the evil that has befallen humanity and the world. Our music attempts to call upon that more ancient, pagan divintity.

8. You live in USA, many europeans are rejecting this country because of itґs consuption thinking..Is that view on America fitting? How do look upon your country?

The American way of life is utterly miserable and evil and we have nothing but hatred for the trash culture and the ugly garbage that America exports to the world. Perhaps this sick desire for material wealth over culture or beauty is a univerally human failing, but I think that it is true that America has perfected the banal, stupid way of life that will eventually destroy us all. I would gladly renouce my citizenship.



9. What is the band planning for the rest of the year? If you have some interesting plans, tell us.

We have quite a lot planned! We will tour the whole of the US in october as well as a few dates in Canada. At the end of this month we will be recording a new track for the Vinyl version of Two Hunters, a song that we were not able to fit in to the sessions for the CD. We would love to play in europe in the spring of next year.

10. What about you and concerts? That really interests me because I canґt imagine so atmospheric and specific music on the platform. Do you manage to keep the original musics feel?

On the contary, playing live is the reason that this band exists. It is through live performance that we are truly able to conjure the energy that we seek. We are very careful to only play shows with comrades and people who understand our music. The vast majority of metal heads – people who go to ozzfest, for instance – are very stupid and have no idea what we are trying to do.

11. Thank you for yours time and I wish best to you and a band. Last words are yours.

Thank you for the questions. As I last word I would like to urge those who listen to black metal to see it as a path to deeper spirituality and healing. We are all angry and miserable because the world has become so ugly. Black Metal does not need to revel in this hate, for the hatred is only a starting point. It is the tantrum of a child. Through growth and struggle, we can acheive trancendence and touch an ancient spiritualty.

Еще раз убедился, как же полезно переслушивать ранее непонравившееся. Вот знал же, что культ, многим нравится, видная группа, но при паре попыток вслушаться, неизбежно навевала ассоциации с (уж извините) скучным и заунывным Summoning. В последний раз снесло крышу прочно. Атмосфера потрясающая, обалденные риффы, порой какие-то... мистические. К тому же альбом попал, как говорится, под настроение. Вобщем, одни эмоции, слов нет.

скучным и заунывным Summoning

Please, re-upload.