INFERNO ROCK vs. PRIMORDIAL

Welcome to Inferno Rock, guys, and thank you for your time. As your new official bio states, 2010 has been a difficult year for Primordial. How long did it take to realize that “the band was bigger than all of you”, after the so called Athens accident, and how difficult has it been to “start again” as a focused and motivated unit?

# I think we always knew that is how it is deep down but sometimes you need something shocking or harsh to happen to shake you out of your complacency or to fully appreciate the strengths that you do have. For sure 2010 we saw and felt some chinks in our armour, but we are only human and needed all to do some thinking if things were going to continue. Take one of us away and it’s not the same, no other way of saying it.



What was your biggest goal, this time, as far as developing your style and going one more step ahead? What are the highlights of ‘Redemption At The Puritans Hand’, as far as songwriting, execution and production, in your opinion?

# Just writing good songs that’s all really. We write the same way as we always did, nothing has changed. We still get together and rehearse, argue and thrash out ideas. We knew there was some expectation but we just tried to ignore it. I’m afraid there is no secret formula to everything. Perhaps this time the studio and mix seemed to be far more stressful than before. The very harsh winter didn’t help and I got very ill doing the vocals so for me that stands out!



All your previous records shine for your ability to mix extremely captivating music and interesting lyrical concepts. How would you describe the lyrical approach on ‘Redemption At The Puritans Hand’? Did you consciously choose the “mortality theme” or did it come out naturally during your “walk of life”?

# I'm getting older. Nearer to death, it seemed natural this time to deal with that, our relationship to death, religion and spirituality. truth be told I suppose I'm quite morbidly obsessed so it seemed natural! I never really consciously chose anything it just happens to be how I am feeling at the time to write about. Maybe it’s more personal than the last one. I guess this is for others to judge.



Where did you take the symbol on the cover – which is scary and haunting at the same time, I would say - and what does it represent? How did you manage to make such a good “team work” with Mr. Paul McCarroll?

# He just understands the band. We understand each other. I wanted something stark and iconic. Something striking and different for a metal band. Ive always been fascinated with this particular image and when we discussed the burning hand representing temptation and puritanism it seemed to make sense to place it in the heart of the memento mori like a sacred heart.



What is the main “message”, the main feeling that you want to express with your music? What does the word “paganism” means to you, really, nowadays?

# the music of primordial really has very little to do with paganism. It’s a scene we are associated with because of some themes here and there over the years and what people assume about us. If paganism means attempting to live in harmony with nature and not opposed to it then yes you have a point maybe but as soon as you flip open your laptop and open google you are contradicting yourself. What exactly does that word mean? If you want me to say I live in the middle of nowhere and practise druidism then the reality is far from that. I'm a creature of the city. If there is a message it is simply to move people and engage them like all real art should.



“You know what to expect, passion, intensity, commitment and sheer bloody mindedness. Don't expect fantasy or escapism. No remorse, no regret”. Do you think that this statements sums up pretty well the whole Primordial career and attitude towards life (and music business too)?

# I think you could say that if you wished. We’ve come this far without compromising anything, outlasted our detractors and stayed the course and are still strong 20 years later.



What is your personal relationship with alcohol, drugs and sex? Do they influence your music in some ways?

# sure, they have done over the years. You don’t play in a band for 20 years without having a relationship to these things. That is somewhat what the song bloodied yet unbowed talks about. Its about the wolf in man, the animal and maybe you might try and sedate him but he always finds you. Life is short. No remorse no regret.



What are your favourite Primordial’s records and why? And what are your least favourite Primordial’s records and why? What has been the most important record of your career, so far? Maybe not the best one, but the one that meant the turning-point as far as artistic maturation and the realization that you could make a decent living out of music too.

# I don’t know I don’t really have a favourite to be honest, they all mean something different to me so I’m proud of them all. The most important I suppose was the first one which showed we could actually do it. Commercially to the nameless dead has been the most important. Musically I don’t know. Do we make a decent living? I didn’t realise we did….



What are your fondest memories of the early Primordial days, in the first half of the 90’s? Were you aware that you were going to do something new and unique, while mixing black metal and folk?

# I wasn’t aware we mixed black and folk metal together either? I don’t think we thought about what we were doing at all, we knew we were not orthodox black metal in the strict sense but that was the scene we came from. We just wanted to add something cultural and historical into the mix. The only thing that one could say sounds remotely folky on the debut is the instrumental ‘beneath a bronze sky’. ‘fuil arsa’ sounds more like straight rock to me. That whole time was just something special, trading tapes, editing a fanzine, discovering new bands every day, making friendships that still last. Great and maybe more innocent times.



What is the biggest misconception about Primordial, in your opinion?

# That we sing about Irish mythology and folklore…we don’t. there are a couple of tracks that use some of the imagery but only really as an allegory for something modern. It’s just lazy journalism from people who never read the lyrics. The Coffin Ships for example is about Irish history but the famine was real, it’s not folklore or myth. The other is we are a professional band who make a living from music, we are not, we struggle like everyone else to pay the bills with normal jobs. What we do is when we are able to fit it into our lives, sadly we don’t sit around making music all the time.



Looking back at your career, do you have any regrets? Things you would have done differently?

# Not really. Maybe to have toured before 1998/9 or not to have changed the album cover of ‘Journeys end’ but these are small things really. I don’t regret much, maybe a few things I could have done differently but what would be the point? We are as we are and as we were.



What have been your best and most unforgettable live experiences, so far? And the worst and most miserable ones?

# The worst is easy to say…Athens last year was possibly one of the lowest points of my life. At least in the band. Wacken 98 was also awful but we were very inexperienced then. Thankfully the great shows outnumber the bad ones by 99 to 1 so I am thankful that. Maybe you need the odd low to make the highs higher and keep some perspective. We are also only human.



Is there any artist/band you would like to collaborate with in the future?

# maybe it would be cool to do something with some people outside of metal, Laibach, Arditi, Rome, Hank Williams III, Woven Hand, Crippled Black Phoenix…who knows. I have some years left in me.



What is your biggest goal at this point in your career? And what is your own conception of the word “success”?

# You have to have some goals. For me there has to be something on the horizon, making another album, making music with other people, touring, travelling, new challenges. I’m relentless and restless, without something to march towards I’m not sure if I could handle anything more relaxed or mellow!

Thanks

aan