Marduk Interview

Marduk. Fucking Marduk. Really does this intro need any more content? Like really, what can I say that isn’t known? One of the biggest names in Black Metal, Marduk is, as founder Morgan “Evil” Håkansson described it, “ the Motörhead of Black Metal.” The band’s mix of fire, blood, and death has carried them a long way since their early days circa 1990. Through Europe, Asia, and the Americas, more EPs and live recordings than one can count, and 12 full length records, Marduk’s name is one to be echoed in reverence in the Black Metal scene. Recently switching to Century Media records, and having released their new opus, Serpent Sermon, I had the opportunity to speak on the phone with Morgan “Evil” Håkansson

Hello Morgan how are you?

Much of the same, the usual

So, your new opus, Serpent Sermon, is to be released shortly, how do you feel about the complete product?

I feel proud, it’s our 12th full length album and it shows the strength of the band at 2012, it shows the band stronger in body and mind. So, no complaints here! I feel we’ve done an album that represents the core and essence of what BM is. Now we are motivated to get back on the road. The power of the music really comes through when preformed live, no matter how you feel good about a student album, the magic of the music is preforming live. We make the biggest sacrifices to be able to play it live.

are there any new themes behind the album? Or a concept? I can understand the title is an eluding to a satanic preaching?

In a way it is, everyone is asking about the title. Every time we do an album, we don’t decide the title before we make the album. The title comes in the recording process. Serpent Sermon came to us during the recording again. As far as the meaning of the title, every knows who the serpent is. The title speaks for it in all perspectives.

How is this album different from Wormwood and the rest of your discography?

I don’t know, that’s up for others. For me it’s not the most important things to do, to be different, we don’t have to be so experimental. We want to paint the picture in the mind of what it’s all about. We could speak of progression, we could sit down and reflect on what we’ve already done, if it sounds a bit like this or the other. But I would rather be the Motorhead of Black Metal than try to forcibly be experimental. For me it’s rather the power and the message of what you believe in. Everything has to come from your heart. Even if it take a direction where people wouldn’t like, because otherwise it would be plastic.

What is the reason for you breaking away from Regain Records? I know your collaboration has lasted quite a while…

Something like that, we started out with a small Swedish label called “No Fashion and then we worked with Osmose Records from 1993 to 2000 . I still kept the label when we moved to century. In the last two years, a lot of labels had problems and they just couldn’t stock us. Last two years, a lot of label has problems. They couldn’t stock us or put into the band. We made a mutual agreement to move on. The Blooddawn/Regain era was getting to an end. We got into financial problems . We put the word out, we were looking for a label, we got offers from everyone. We wanted total artistic freedom, we didn’t want any label to interfere with our music lyrics or artwork. We have to do it how we want it, we are the artists and they respected and gave us our freedom. They put all of themselves into that and put themselves into us. They have a strong foundations their hungry to work with us, and I feel excited to work with them.

I feel that over the years Marduk has grown more and more diverse. While being responsible for many classics of the genre, Marduk manages to tread the middle line between by the book and innovating. How would you critique your evolution as a musician in relation to Marduk? How do you feel Marduk has changed since the days of “Dark Endless”?

Of course it’s changed, no body would do exact thing for 22 years. We don’t sit down and devise a plan, we come from the heart. We work with the music and lyrics themselves. Again, we want to paint a picture in the mind. We want to blast the heads off whoever it may be. It doesn’t matter to me. Some people try to pass the message with 42 riffs, and some people can do it with 2 riffs. Whatever message it is, be true to yourself and follow the message from within.

What do you feel Marduk represents ?

For me it represents rebellion, power unleashing energy. I think that we very much have always been inspired by these three words that always come back to me. Blood, fire and death. That’s the essence that’s been a part of this band, in all the ways.

Does having such a mantra make Marduk unique?

I don’t really sit down and reflect what others are doing, I’m not the one who sits down and read what people think, the whole world is retarded.

Also, as a band that has really, seen the world, so to speak, what are some of your favorite places to preform? I know you razed most of Europe more times than the Blitzkriegs but what are some of the more memorable performances you’ve had?

We toured mostly in Europe, we also made one of the the first Black Metal breakthrough to South America. We played Guatamala, Colombia and others . We also did an Asian tour with India , China and Taiwan. I can play anywhere for me, it’s the crowd. I always try to reach the territories not a lot of people do. Even if it’s 50 or 5000, for me it’s an obligation, I want to be able to preform what we do in all corners of this world.

Quite a while ago, here comes a charged question, you were also supposed to preform in Israel yet didn’t in the end. What happened there? I don’t believe I’m old enough to remember I’m afraid hahahaha

Long ago, we got an offer . It wasn’t the right way to do it , they demanded we use their equipment and other odd requests so we just let it go. I hope we will be able to come because for us it would be great. We played in most parts of the world, it’s time we come down there too. A lot of bands are coming down there today and playing . I’m very aware of the conflicts and the problems, I’ve been following it for years. I always studied history, I always keep updated, and it’s always one of the things I keep up with. It’s one of those things that even if you’d not really want to, you’d still hear of because of the news. It’s always in the eye of the beholder and there’s always two sides to the coin

Do you ever grow nostalgic of the oldschool days, starting as a little band in Sweden? Do you miss the old tightly knit Black Metal scene? Also, who were some of your favorites in the old scene?

Yes I do, not only BM, DM and TM too. I feel sorry for the youth of today, actually I still consider myself to be a youth. I’m glad and happy that I was able to do the tape trade , scathing around for different quality tapes and hitting the occasional bad demo tape from here and there. Today people sit at their computer and are like whatever. The ambition and excitement is lost on the youth of today.

Any particular friends you’ve made in the BM scene? Any people you got in contact with who you’re still in contact with?

I knew a lot of Swedish bands. I don’t where to start, we met em all. If you go back 22/23 years, the Scene wasn’t so big , so everybody knew who everyone was. Even the BM scene in the early 90s wasn’t that huge, some Scandinavians and some Greeks. I would never believe the scene would grow so big, and as popular as today. Today, if you can just click and have it, it just loses it’s magic. The human interactions are gone.

In contrast, what do you feel are the stronger and more unique forces in modern Black Metal? I recently interviewed your countrymen, Watain, are you at all interested in modern music?

I don’t know what you mean by modern, I don’t know, because when I think of great BM albums. I don’t consider many albums I found lately. I still go back to my old classic ones I admire. Although I always look for new music, maybe I haven’t discovered the new gems out there. But I always keep my eyes open, nothing beats Under The Sign Of The Black Mark anyway.

Can you tell us a bit about the beginnings of Marduk? I know on your website it says “Morgan who desires to create the most brutal and blasphemous metal act ever forms Marduk.” But please can you tell us in a bit more detail? What were the beginnings like? how were you received?

I was 17 years old. For me it’s not about being the most blasphemous. It’s was a statement of the current scene of the time. I thought the whole DM scene was mellowing out, I wanted to bring the energy and danger of the old scene , that was the point.

How do you feel your working process has changed since the days of Dark Endless? What are some of the albums in your career that you look back and feel pride?

Depends from time to time. For long years I’ve never thought about it. Sometimes when I meet people and bands, we talk about it. Some albums have died with me, or sometimes they speak to me in a different way. If I had to say some outstanding ones, Those of the Unlight, or Opus Noctunre, and Panzer Division. I could mention all the albums, they all mean something different to me. And it’s pending from time to time. Still, a personal favorite is definitely Those of the Unlight.

M- it’s like asking who’s your favorite children, all of them are if you have kids. …

Morgan- Well when you’ve been around for that many years,it all begins to stack up. I still feel young but today we have fans who weren’t even born when we did our first few albums, time is flying.

Also, after the departure of long time vocalist Legion, how do you feel it’s different to work with Mortuus rather than Legion? Are you still on good terms with Legion?

I haven’t spoken to Legion in many years, he moved to another city. It’s like a divorce,you have your time together but that’s it. Just I was still focused on the band and he wasn’t. He left. Mortuus has been a huge inspiration for me to work with and to the band, the way he uses his voice has brought a whole new dimension to the band.

Metalist- do you feel differently, making music with Mortuus rather than Legion? Have things changed?

Ofcourse it has, when we work with somebody completely different. In a way it always changes, that stuff always changed. When you work close with someone, the relationships and atmosphere always change. Mortuus brought new dimensions into what we are doing.

Metalist- yeah, but it’s amazing it has actually worked. A lot of times Metal bands switch a singer and then die off, it seems much harder to replace a frontman than any other part of the band.

Morgan- But I mean, when were about to change vocalist, I knew it’d work, because I had a mind set on who I wanted. When we talked, I knew new dimensions would come, I was feeling confident the whole time. Also when changing vocalist, I wanted something new and different, not someone akin to who we had in the past.

Marduk also seems to be one of many Black Metal bands that draws a lot on WWII, why do you think that time in human history conjures so much waves within Black Metal?

I think it’s been also used by a lot of people who don’t understand, some people use things for the shock value of it. We were one of the first bands with what we did in the Panzer (Batallion Marduk- B.A) album. People were asking us, “could you do that?” we thought, Why couldn’t we? For me it’s a description of what happened. We’re not glorifying it, were just describing and sing about it. It touched so many people, It’s been such a big conflict all over the world, and is so close in times, thus the cultural response is imminant . And even if we have topics that are kind of extreme, we never done it in a glorifying way and have wrote about it just the way it happened. I also believe as a musician , you should go wherever your way takes you to. But Nazism, It’s a system that died all the way back in the war. Plus, it seems that when you sing about WWII , there’s a conception that you have to support the ideals. No one would ask us about our ideals if we talked about 30 years war, if we made a song about Rome, no one would ask “Do you support Cesar” For some reason, you have to look on it with different eyes.

For some reason, people confuse narrative with endorsement, it’s a stupid way to look at it. If I did a movie about it, it’d be like throwing water into the ocean. If you do music about it it’s like boom, a lot of bands misuse it, a lot of people who know nothing about the history. Not knowing history is dangerous for us. I always study and read history, why things work, why things are the way they are. Not knowing the history of your own country is so dangerous. History knowledge now is becoming less and less prevalent. So very little people in their own country, even in Sweden, are really wholly educated in their history. People just spend their time playing computer games. It sad sometimes to see how little people know, it’s strange in my eyes.
Also when it comes to WWII, it carries entrance into the new world and the revolution in warfare. The tank warfare and the turning points in technology. I was a kid building models, if it’s something that your interested in when your young and it gets more interesting as you get old. But people can have any interest they want, they can collect stamps for all I care.

Metalist- although that would make a very poor topic for Black Metal I guess (Morgan laughs.) Speaking of WWII inspired music, recently you guys released an EP entitled Iron Dawn that harkens back to the days of Panzer Division Marduk, was that something you had to get out of your system? Or how did that come about?

The idea was, we did it because we working on a lot of material. We had shows and that concept differed so much from the material for Serpent Sermon.So we jaust saw down, and recorded 3 tracks of in your face Black Metal, we wanted to let off some steam, so we did the iron dawn. As a musician, I read and watch documentaries. Sometimes a historical event draws a real strong picture in my mind. I get stuck in WWII when it comes to that.

Lastly, you are quoted on a Wikipedia page as saying that you’re “against immigration to Sweden” and other akin opinions, now, I wouldn’t normally bring it up, but the parallel is interesting. Israel is now having riots because of multiple crimes caused by both immigrants and natives. There have been numerous sides, basically that they should be allowed on the basis of being refugees or coming from bad countries and that blaming them is pointless, and on the other hand the right states that there has been an increase in illegal activity due to the immigrants and there is much hostility towards them. Sweden is known as a European country that is very open to immigrants, how do you feel about it? Also why? How do you feel Sweden has changed due to immigrants?

I don’t really mind immigration as long as it’s done correctly. As long as it’s done in a fine way. Sweden is one of the those country that is built on immigrant. When the Renaissance occurred, a lot of Germans and Belgians came to build up here. I don’t see problems with it. The problem in Sweden, is that politicians get all these immigrants in certain places and it’s a big mess. It’s a sickness in the cities wherein the immigrants don’t mix up, they live in a state within the state. I’m in the philosophy that I live in my own bubble, and as long as no one goes into my bubble I don’t care.

In general, I don’t mind. A lot of those people come and took jobs no Swedes would do, I don’t think much about it. I live in a small city on the countryside, so I don’t really care. All humans suck.

The whole theory is kind of stupid, it’s more of education that it has to do rather than when your born. Take 5 people , same country, same school, they’d be probably equal there’s a lot of bullshit about it. You tour so much and see so much of the world, you know. There’s idiots in every country, there’s a lot of idiots in Norway, wherever you were born.
Everything is always relative, that’s the way it is.

Anyway, we’re near the end, are the plans for your upcoming few months?
There’s a lot of touring activity, we just began marching for Serpent Sermon with the two weeks tour in Russia. Were , after that, touring NA, covering Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S Then we get back home and were doing festivals. A few festival dates in Germany Austria, and Switzerland, Hammer Open Air in Finland. Already in August were going through a short SA tour in Brazil and Argentina. Then were starting a European tour with 42 dates. Something like that. We have more options and were working on more dates in Asia and Australia.

lastly, any words to the Israeli crowd?
I would like to say, thanks to the supporters and we hope to come meet you guys back in your home country. We hope we can make it out, it’ll be a great achievement to come down there. All I’ve heard so far, is all great experiences I’d be excited be down there.