by Wouter

Hello there! What's going on in Primordial these days? Lots of concerts I guess.

- Well the major tour was cancelled actually with Dismember etc. However we are hoping for something else to happen in the next 3/4 months. We are doing several weekends abroad here and there before that, we just did one in benelux, and we have one in both portugal and greece coming up hopefully. and perhaps three days in Germany coming sometime as well.

Your new album “Storm Before Light” is out for a while now. How are the reactions towards it? Do they meet your expectation?

- “Storm Before Calm” actually. The reactions are very positive actually, lots of good press and positivity from fans etc. I still feel it is a very strong album...hopefully in the long run it will exceed our expectations, we'll see.

I say you recorded the album at Academy Studio, with Mags as producer. Are you satisfied with the final result?

- Yes, considering the time and money we had at our disposal things went fine, Mags understands us as people and as musicians and what we have to achieve under the circumstances. There was a lot of stress and pressure with the new album but in the end we conquered.

Who did also the cover layout on the new album? I'd say it's quite a good one, simple, yet artistic.

- I did the cover and the layout, the idea was mine and I did it together with the layout guy from Hammerheart. I really want things to be simple and effective, im not into this multi coloured shit.

The new album contains some of the fastest songs you've ever written, and I'm mainly referring to the opening song. Was that just a moment's inspiration or is it an allusion for things to come? How does Primordial write their songs?

- We just wanted to start the album off in very un-Primordial style, i.e not a windswept intro of three and four minutes. We decided to blast straight into the first track. Im not sure how things are going to go in the future, but we will probably have stuff as fast as that track. There really isn't a formula for writing within Primordial, someone comes with an idea and we all develop on it.

There's a strong feeling of Irish pride and identity coming out of all your lyrics. Do you identify yourselves with today's Ireland or with its past? Or do you rather see your music as a spiritual link between past and present?

- In a sense we do, we feel it is important to know your roots and culture. we are not simply romantics of course, we dont long for the past, we live in todays age but there are important things one can take from your colllective past and use for the future.

A friend of mine who's into Irish studies told me that today's Ireland is very different from what it used to be in the early 90s when he first visited your country. He told me the country is more liberal these days. Was he right? If so, in what way? Has the country witnessed a loss of identity?

- The country foremost has freed itself from the shackles of the church, in the early 90's many sex scandals concerning the church broke in the media and then we underwent a drugs revolution...the churches grip was loosened on society. We have also economically become one of the fastest growing economies in the world and now a richer country. Many things have changed, some for the better some for the worst.

You are part of the EU and, as a consequence, you are now using the Euro. Has this fact brought any visible change in the country's collective mentality?

- Things have got even more expensive actually, and now that europe is all using the same currency irish people going on holidays can see even more how they are being ripped off here at home. i dont think it has really changed the mentality of the people.

The lyrics of your new album are centered around the idea of Time and History. Unlike primitive cultures, which considered time a cyclic, and therefore repetitive phenomenon, modern man perceives time as something real, precise, accurate, and linear. Which perspective are you in favor of?

- I am more drawn to the more cyclical view of life, christianity is the main reason why we view life is linear in todays society. I think primitive cultures recognised even primally their relation to the earths cycle and elements far greater then we do in todays age.

As you probably know, W.B. Yeats himself believed in a cyclical theory of history in which one historical era would be replaced by an opposite kind of era every two thousand years. Is there a connection between his belief and the fact that you "burrowed" one of his poems for one of your songs?

- we have been influenced by yeats over the years and this is something we have planned for several years, yeats cyclical views are similar of course to those expressed to the Golden Dawn, of whom he was a member of course. This 2000 year cycle when examined actually holds some creedence, which also means we are now in the death throes of christianity.

One of my favorite poems by Yeats is The Coming of Wisdom With Time and it has only 4 lines: "Though leaves are many, the root is one;/ Through all the lying days of my youth/ I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;/ Now I may wither into the truth". What is your personal approach to this poem?

- I have to be honest I'm not really into analysing poetry too much, it seems to kill the joy of reading it. Perhaps having to do it in school has left me a little bit bitter towards analysing art. Seems Yeats is just understanding and contemplating mans natural relationship to the elements surrounding him.

What can you tell us about the lyrics of the new album? How are they compared with the ones of your previous albums? Any major changes?

- I guess they have moved to being more direct and confrontational, more blunt and violent then they previous were, its hard to say really as there are lots of different things being expressed throughout the album, from the more personal things in Cast to the pyre to the more militant extremism of something like what sleeps within...but you change as a person and what i wrote several years ago is perhaps not what i could write now...i imagine things will change the next time around as well, i dont think you can get more violent then some of the imagery over the last few albums.

I saw the lyrics for the first two songs on your last album contain the syntagm "Traitors Tongue" and the idea of re-writing History. Are they alluding in any way to the situation of Northern Ireland?

- No, they were not written with that in mind. However perhaps they could be applied to that situation. That particular line and some of the meaning behind "The Heretics Age" really deals with the re-writing of history in todays age, when the past doesnt suit todays politics or the way we look at the world it gets revised and diluted and altered...however for the people who can see the acts and deeds of traitors seeking to sell the past they are the Heretics....

Can you make a connection between mythic primordial realms and the realm of the Irish Goddess Queen?

- Not quite sure what you mean? We are aleays reaching for the mystical and elusive connection to mythology...that otherwordly atmosphere. “Imrama” actually means “journeys to other worlds”...

The study of Celtic mythology has turned into something quite fancy these days, like the study of mythology in general. Does it bother you in any way? Or do you see it as a desperate quest of the modern man, an attempt at filling in a spiritual emptiness, at re-defining a depersonalized innerself?

- probably desperate but despite the fact that it is something of a trend it can still be only positive. man is of course lost, all at sea in todays materialistic society and trying to "find himself". if he can find something within mythology and heritage...then fine and well, its got to be better then the other lies society upholds as values and morals...even as a romantic ideal.

One of the most controversial theories developed in the 90s was that of the end of history and it belonged to an American politologist, Francis Fukuyama. Of course, the idea itself is nothing new, as it had already been developed by Hegel. Only that Fukuyama stated that we are witnesses to history's end; in his opinion, the main engine of the XXth century history was the political and ideological confrontation between West and East, the former being declared the winner in this conflict. And this would be the final point of History. From now on man's ideological, and therefore historical, activity begins to cease, being reduced to mere economic growth. To what extent do you agree with this theory?

- Seems to be true? For centuries the east and west fought, and christianity defended the realm against the east...now with the death of christianity there is nothing stopping europe being absolved into eastern culture. not even america can stop that. i would like to say that is is not true and that the occident will remain the east and hold onto its culture but economics has dictated that it is to be the melting pot of the world... mr fukuyama may indeed be right...

What do you plan for the future? Would you say now Primordial's on more consistent path, as you had some not so great periods in your past.? How do you see Primordial in ten years from now on?

- who knows, I can't view it in ten years...I can't imagine the band will exist in ten years, still struggling not to be ripped off etc. We are more consistent then years ago this is true. However we have had some great times over the years and hopefully we will continue to grow, to travel and meet people and never compromise.

What does Primordial means for you personally? Is it just a hobby or something more?

- It's everything... we all have to make music, its simply in your soul.

How much are you aware of your music's message? Do you want to change something in your listener? How much of what you have been given with you put back in your music?

- we want to make that connection of course, to move people...thats is surely the object of all art? We try and give everything, to make it as pure and personal as possible...to put every part of yourself into the music you make.

Well, I guess that's all for the time being. It was an honor talking with you, thanks very much for your time, and if you want to conclude somehow this interview.

- Thanks for your time and dedicatation hope to see you on the field of battle someday soon..