Antichristzine (Ukraina)

• Hellz from Ukraina! How are you? What the latest news from the UTLAGR camp?

• Sebastien: Utlagr are actually taking a little brake after the last winter tour all around our province. It was a nice trip and Monarque, the other Black Metal band touring with us, were a bunch of cool guys. For now, the summer will be quiet, we don’t have any gig planned for the next months. We will probably return on the stage during the next autumn,

• To be honest, I didn’t heard to some other stuff of you except those CD that was out at Sepulchral Productions. I’m curious about your previous stuff if there were something before, maybe some demos, splits and etc... What is your point of view about split releases where 2 or more bands share space? I asking ‘coz someones says that this is bad, someones says this is great...
• Sebastien: Before the album, we had a demo called TRADITIONS NORMANDES. The first issue was an home made demo of 100 copies. The demo got re-issue by Paradigm Recording in England, another limited version of 750 copies. About split releases, I personnally have nothing against it. It’s a good opportunity for the consumer to discover two bands on the same release.

• UTLAGR was born back in 2001, am I right? Was there some experience with the band/s before UTLAGR? And tell us please also where are you from? If I don’t mistake, you are from Canada...
• Sebastien: Yes, we are from Canada, more specifically from Quebec, the french speaking province in the eastern part of the country. I mention it because we have a very different cultural background from the rest of the Canadians. About our previous experiences with bands, I had two Black Metal projects during the 90’s called LUXFERRE and ESKER. I also played with different Grindcore projects many years ago. François, our Drummer played with me in ESKER and also in VENEFICIUM. Eric, the singer, played in a Death Metal band called HOLOCAUST NECROPSY and he had also a BLACK SABBATH cover band with Jacques, ou lead guitarist.

• Your band name is honor to R. Utlagr, the founder of Normandy, land of your ancestors, right? So seems you are patriots, righ? Are you great familiar with history of those lands?
• Sebastien: Yes, you’re right about Rolfr Utlagr but I’m not sure we should consider Utlagr as a patriotic band. Of course, we are interested by our cultural heritages and backgrounds but it’s more a matter of “Identity” than patriotism. This term have a political connotation and Utlagr doesn’t want to make politics. We have nothing against bands who prefer this approach but we believe that it’s possible to write and sing about your history and culture without any political content.

As the one in charge of the lyrics, I’m getting more and more familiar with the History of Normandy, specially the folkloric aspects. Nearly 60% of the original french speaking Canadian were imigrants from Normandy. They left Northern France around 1660 for the North American continent and tried to create a new country. It’s our cultural heritage and we should all be aware of it.

• Your music is a black metal, but made in great epic way I must to admit. You also wrote there on the myspace profile that you aren’t clones of Norwegian black metal scene. I’m agree with that, but I must to admit, I found something from Sweden way of black metal there in UTLAGR music... What about your main inspirations in musical sphere? What the bands you are still listening and what the band/s you aren’t listening anymore?

• Sebastien: I agree, our music have some similarities with the Swedish Black/Death Metal scene. We have been compared to DISSECTION, DAWN, IN BATTLE, etc…It’s ok for us, I mean they are great bands and it’s a honour to be compare to them. Jacques is the one behind the musical contents of our album. He’s not listening to Black Metal very much, he’s more into Thrash and Speed Metal and it’s surprising that 1066 – Blood and Iron in Hastings sound so much like Swedish Black/Death Metal. We are proud of this album. As we say in our biography, we didn’t want to sound like typical True Black Metal, we were looking for something else and I think we succeed.
  

About our influences, we are listening to many kind of Metal music, from old Heavy Metal to Stoner, Doom, Black, Thrash and Death Metal. Speaking for myself, I’m into Industrial Music, Dark Ambient, Folk, 70’s Hard Rock, old Punk Rock and Oï Music, etc. I’m really open to different approaches.

• How could you describe your cooperation with Sepulchral productions? Are you totally satisfied with the label’s work? What about promotion of your album, are both of you, label and band, cares about to sending promos to ‘zines and etc... Btw, from your point of view, what is the main way of promotion band should do?

• Sebastien: Actually, Sepulchral Productions are doing a really good job. They are professional and serious with their bands. Because of them, we are distributed all around Europe and had the chance to have a song on the METALLIAN and TERRORIZER magazine samplers. There are doing Black Metal business since a while so they know how to distribute our album and where they should send send some promo, doing trades, etc…I think the best way to promote a band is to be professional. It mean trading with the good persons, distributions and labels. It also mean to let a maximum of peoples know about your band, making publicity and interview. I just depend which kind of promotion is suitable for your band. If you want to keep your band underground, the approach will be different.

• How successfull this CD from the selling point? What is the feedback? For example, how many interviews you done since album was out?
• Sebastien: As I said, Sepulchral Productions are doing a good job. So the sales goes very well. Peoples, magazines and distributors seems to appreciates our music and we received very positive feedbacks. Of course, some persons were disapointed. When we started the band, many peoples thought that we were a Black Metal band, with this typical Scandinavian sound. In fact, as I said earlier, we sound more like the Swedish Black/Death scene. So we received 2-3 bad reviews from True Black Metal webzines. We can’t please everyone and we don’t care about them. We like what we do, that’s the only important thing.

• Speaking about your album-title. Confirm please all idea that was put over there?
• Sebastien: 1066 – Blood and Iron in Hastings is about an important war between the Normans and the Saxons, the army of Guillaume the Conquerant against the men of Harold Godwinson. Guillaume the Norman won the fight and became the king of England. We decided to use this historical event because it’s a part of our European heritage but also a great symbol of courage and determination.

• Didn’t you thinking sometime if there will be war in your country, will you give your life for motherland with honor?
• Sebastien: Well, Eric our singer, should answer this one. He is a soldier in the Canadian army. Personally I think that the actual wars are not about defending your land against some invaders who wants to conquer it. It’s all about geopolitic, capitalism, religion and economy. There’s nothing honorable to fight in Irak or Afghanistan because you are fighting for some economical and geopolitical issues. Of course, if a hypothetical invasion of my province happens, I would probably defend my land against the invaders.

• Well, return to the music. What about gigs? How often and what the countries you are visited? Are you have some special conditions for the organisers? How going you gig btw, are you just playing on instruments, or you also doing some showhs yet?
• Sebastien: We never played out of Canada for now. We hope to have the opportunity of playing in Europe (probably France and Germany) in a near futur. In Canada, we did around 20 gigs and we are not asking for anything special. We are not a bunch of pretentious rockstars. We only need a place to sleep, food and enough money for paying the gazoline… On stage, we are not acting or doing anything special. We just try to play our songs the best as we can, give a powerful show.

• From your point of view, what is the main thing in UTLAGR; music or lyrics? As for me these are both main things in the metal music, but someones says something like “we don’t give a fuck about lyrics, music is the main”... What you say?

• Sebastien: Both lyrics and music are important in our band. As you said, it’s two inseparable entities. Jacques try to compose epic and aggressive melodies, my lyrics give the words and tell the stories and finally, Eric sing the songs with a powerful attitude. All those elements, tied together, are UTLAGR.

• What about your free time? Are you like to read some good book, watch to some movie or just listen to some Tape or CD, or even read to some UG ‘zine? If so, list us please your most beloved author, movie director or ‘zine? What are you prefer btw, UG ‘zines or mainstream ones?
• Sebastien: Speaking for myself, I’m reading a lot about archeaology, history and occultism. I like Julius Evola, Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Grant, Thomas Karlsson and many others. I’m into Nordic paganism, Satanist and Luciferian literatures. I’m also collecting horror movies from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

• Your music is reach by all those catching tempo-changes, great tunes and main atmosphere I must to admit. How going process of composing your stuff? How many time you are spending for the composing of one song for example?
• Sebastien: Jacques should answer this one, he’s the guy behind our last album. He composed all the guitar tracks. We spent around one years (majorly Jacques) composing the music, mixing and mastering.

• Are all of UTLAGR musicians have friendship? Or all of your relations is the music? How often you are gathering in aim to drink couple beers for example? Also what about your common life, who are you [jobs, families, children...]?

• Sebastien: All members of UTLAGR are good friends. I know Eric since around 15 years now. Eric and Jacques are also really good friend since many years. Me and François played together in another Black Metal band 10 years ago so we know each other since a while. We like to spend some time together, drinking, having some dinners or going to a show. About our common life, we all have our jobs and Eric is a brand new father. I’m working as archaeologist and writing a Master degree thesis about shamanism, iconography and Germanic paganism.

• I’m curious about life conditions in your country (mainly in homeplace), are you totally satisfied with living over there? As for me, I hate my country (and whole CIS...) ‘coz it’s stupid, weak peoples and totally corrupted gowernment... they can’t to create sometning good... all prices are raise EVERY day! Just imagine, EVERY day, in fact the salaries remain same! Are you able to imagine that at all? What are you know about Ukraina and Ukrainian metal scene [bands, ‘zines, labels and etc...]?
• Sebastien: Personally, I think we are lucky. We have nice four seasons, a good economy and our country is a safe place. Of course, nothing is perfect, we have a government focusing on capitalism, corporate power and gazoline. The “Oil” is the main issue here and the culture from USA take more and more place. That’s not a good thing.

I think Ukraina have a great Black Metal scene with bands like Hate Forest, Drudkh, Dub Buk or Kroda.

Well, that’s all for this time, thx for your time! Hope to hear from you new stuff soon! Your words to the readers of this interview!

Sebastien: Spasibi ! Antichrist Zine and the Metalheads from Ukraina for your support! Prosh-chavay !