Demon
Realm
Denmark though it has
a small metal scene, never the less gave us some very good bands with quality.
DEMON REALM are hailing from this country and they play black metal in
the old good traditional way. We had a chat with Nocturnaz, who is a real
metalhead and below you can read whta he said to us about his band...
1.FIRST OF ALL POINT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT
MOMENTS OF THE BAND'S HISTORY AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES TO THE READERS...
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Demon Realm was formed in 1997 by Sharund (vocals)
and Nocturnaz (guitars). Along with a worthless drummer we recorded four
songs that were never released. In 1998 Astraborgnasyl joined on the drums
and we recorded our first demo "Upon the Altar of Darkness". The second
demo "...Of Chaos, Damnation and War" was recorded in 1999 and released
in 2000. We also appeared on different compilations, including tributes
to Darkthrone and Mayhem. The year 2000 also saw the exclusion of Astraborgnasyl
and to this day we are still searching for a replacement. We began the
recordings of our debut album in 2002 and with the help of a session drummer
it was completed in late 2003 and released in February 2004 by the dutch
label Blazing Productions.
2.WHY DID YOU NAME THE BAND DEMON REALM? HOW WAS
THIS MONIKER INSPIRED?
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Sharund came up with it during our first recording
session in 1997. Even though I didn´t like it at first, we kept the
name, mainly because I couldn´t come up with anything better, he
he. It wasn´t until a year or so later, that I found out what he
meant with the bandname. Demon Realm = the realm of demons = Hell. So actually,
it´s a darn good name for a black metal band, right?
3.YOU PLAY SATANIC BLACK METAL. SO, COULD YOU
NAME SOME OF YOUR MOST BELOVED BANDS AND ALBUMS. WHICH ARE THE MUSICIANS
THAT HELPED YOU REALIZE THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO IN YOUR LIVES?
WHO GAVE YOU YOUR MUSICAL VISION?
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The list would be too long, but to mention a few:
All Iron Maiden (except the Blaze Bailey albums), Judas Priest, Merciful
Fate/King Diamond, Motörhead, Manowar, Slayer, Death, Deicide, German
`80s thrash (Running Wild, Sodom, Rage, Accept etc.) Darkthrone, old Mayhem,
old Immortal, Marduk, I listen to all kinds of metal. Started out with
Iron Maiden when I was 9 years old (I`m 27 now) and then it just moved
forward. I discovered death metal when I was 15 and black metal when I
was 17. Black metal had something that appealed to me when it comes to
playing. Simple riffing, aggression, hatred and no guitarwanking. Just
metal played fast and to the bone. I don´t know if we have a musical
vision, we just play the kind of music we like; raw, simple black metal.
4.HOW MANY RELEASES DO YOU HAVE? COULD YOU GIVE
US SOME INFO ABOUT THEM AND PINPOINT THE MAIN DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
AMONG THEM?
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So far, we have released 2 demos, a split 7",
been on 6 or 7 compilations and one full length cd. Both demos had 6 tracks,
7" was with 3 other bands and the cd has 13 tracks (2 re-recorded songs
from each demo and 9 new ones). I don´t think there are much difference,
except for the soundquality/production which is getting better and better
with each release. We have a certain style and we can´t change that.
Not that all songs sound the same, but it´s the same style and songstructure.
5.WHERE ARE YOUR LYRICS REFERRING TO AND HOW IMPORTANT
ARE THEY FOR YOU? WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE LYRICS AND WHAT CAN TAKE THE
INSPIRATION AWAY FROM YOU?
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Sharund writes all the lyrics. They deal with
all sorts of topics like death, disease, destruction, chaos, darkness,
war, demons etc. He finds most of his inspiration in his contempt for other
people and in his own twisted mind, and he uses them to express those thoughts.
It is his main input to the band and it´s a very important part of
Demon Realm.
6.HOW IMPORTANT IS IMAGE, PHILOSOPHY AND IDEOLOGY
BEHIND A BAND? WHICH IS THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND DEMON REALM?
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The philosophy and ideology of a band is rather
important. You can´t work together if your outlook on things aren´t
the same or closely similar. I couldn´t play in a band with a christian
or a humanist "I love everybody"-person, because we would be too different
from eachother. Sharund and I don´t agree on everything, but
most of our views are the same. The philosophy of Demon Realm would be
a chaotic mixture of nihilism, satanism, atheism and anti-humanism. I don´t
like the word "image" because it sounds like you pretend to be something.
We could run around in white dresses with flowers between our toes and
still play the same music. You don´t HAVE to wear black clothes,
leather, spikes and chains, to play black metal, but anything else would
be silly. I really hate people pretending to be metalheads and then show
up at concerts in baggy pants and reversed baseball caps. I always wear
black leather pants (or black armypants if it´s too hot), a leatherjacket
with two heavy steel chains, a metalband t-shirt, bulletbelt, boots and
an inverted cross around my neck. Whether I´m at a concert or grocery
shopping or whatever, I´m always dressed like that. That is me, that´s
who I am.
7.DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? WHAT SHOULD
THE METALLERS EXPECT FROM A DEMON REALM LIVE SHOW? SHARE SOME OF YOUR EXPERIENCES
FROM YOUR LIVE SHOWS WITH US...
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No, we are not able to play live at the moment.
We need a drummer (and a bassplayer too) before we can even dream of doing
another liveshow. We have only managed to play one gig so far, in 1998
right after our first demo was released. It wasn´t a very good gig,
but not a total disaster either. A few minor screw-ups, not very tight
playing and only six or seven songs. If we get to do another show (or even
a tour!!!) a lot of things should/would be different: More songs, less
errors, tighter playing. I have a lot of visions on how a good show will
be; lots of fire, maybe some blood, people going crazy in front and banging
their heads against the stage, explosions, smoke and some long-haired semi-naked
chicks dressed in leather bras and g-strings and long boots! If we ever
get to do another show, it will (hopefully) be something like that.
8.WHICH IS, ACCORDING TO YOU, THE BEST AND WHICH
THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? WHICH IS YOUR TRADEMARK AND WITH WHICH WORDS
DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BEST DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?
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I can´t name any best or worst parts. That
will have to be up to the listener to decide. Each riff is approved by
both me and Sharund. I play something and if we both like it we use it.
Otherwise, I change it until it´s deemed good enough to be in a song.
Abrupt speed changes and chaotic riff and songstructure seems to have become
our trademark. A lot of reviewers has mentioned that. Another characteristic
is that we are one of the few bands that can write lyrics about Satan without
mentioning his name (Sharund has an obsession with using metaphors instead
of writing in plain words). One of the most fitting descriptions of our
sound I have heard, was that we were a cross of Hellhammer and Macabre.
Personally, I´d say we sound like a fast version of Hellhammer/Celtic
Frost. I saw some Celtic Frost tablatures once, and there were a lot of
similarities in our riffs and structures.
9.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
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Hmmm...Difficult to say...I think it would be
wrath or hatred. Maybe a combination of those. The painting would show
dead people, smashed buildings, mushroom clouds, fire, that sort of things.
10.IF YOU HAD A PROPOSAL TO DO A VIDEOCLIP, WHICH
SONG OF YOURS WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND HOW DO YOU IMAGINE IT TO BE?
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It wouldn´t matter what song we chose, because
it would all be the same: A song recorded at a concert with the stageshow
mentioned in question 7, ha ha ha.
11.WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE PHENOMENON
OF RACISTIC IDEOLOGIES IN THE EXTREME METAL SCENE?
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Not much, really. We are "extreme" people and
we have "extreme" views. Just because people hate others, it doesn´t
necessarily mean they are racist. I hate negroes because they are always
into rap or rnb (which I´m more or less forced to listen to everytime
I turn the radio on at work) and are being hostile towards white people
like me. They hate me, so naturally I hate them. I can´t see why
that should be racism. Why base your hatred on race when there are so many
more reasons to hate? I also hate white idiots rapping and/or wearing over-sized
pants and reversed baseball caps and act like those apes I see on TV, not
even able to string a few english words into a sentence. Like saying "ax"
instead of "ask" and "I is" instead of "I am". Try and listen to anything
you see on MTV or hear on the radio. It´s almost embarrassing.
12.IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO TRAVEL BACK IN TIME,
WHICH HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHY?
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I have always been fascinated by the Viking Age
(aprox. 800 - 1200), so naturally I would go back to those days. Attacking
and pillaging, killing monks and priests and raping the nuns! Burn and
destroy the enemys villages and taking their gold and valuables during
the day and eat and drink all night. That would be totally cool. And maybe
I could bring some modern weapons, like an assault rifle and handgrenades,
and be the mightiest warrior and become king and....Yeah, I would be great
viking.
13.DO YOU BELIEVE THAT BLACK METAL CAN BE POPULAR?
I MEAN IT STARTED AS A MISANTHROPIC IDEOLOGY. SO, HOW CAN THE BLACK METALLERS
"ASK" FOR RECOGNITION? WHICH ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
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No, black metal can´t be popular, in the
sense that everybody listens to it and it´s on the radio and MTV.
We make the music we like, and if others like it as well then it´s
ok. If they don´t like it, that´s ok too. We don´t really
care. I mean, it´s always nice to get a good review, but the bad
ones are often funnier to read. The point is, you shouldn´t make
music just to earn a living, because then you will most likely have to
compromise with your own musical taste. But if bands REALLY play what they
think is terrific music, and they sell millions of records, I have no problem
with that. But if a good band changes their style (like DB and CoF has
done) in order to sell more and make more money, they are nothing but fucking
prostitutes.
14.LET'S SUPPOSE THAT WE LIVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT
MUSIC. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN SUCH A CASE?
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I guess I would just go about my daily business...Probably
be spending more time with my computer and in front of the TV.
15.IF YOU DIDN'T PLAY BLACK METAL, WHICH OTHER
HEAVY METAL GENRE DO YOU FIND APPEALING TO PLAY AND WHAT'S THE THING THAT
INTRIGUES YOU IN IT?
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Anything, man! I started playing in sort of a
thrash band, playing mostly covers of Metallica (Seek and Destroy, Am I
Evil etc.). Then I were in a black/death band (in which Sharund and Astraborgnasyl
also played) and Sharund and I also had a little gore-death project going
once. I have tried to find people to start a heavy metal band in the Manowar-vein,
but that never got anywhere. I have also tried to start a band in the 80´s
German thrash vein, but it also stranded because of the lack of people
into that kind of stuff and the ever - occuring problem with not being
able to find a drummer. I guess I could just record the guitars and bass
and vocals and then send a cd to a drummer and have him record his stuff,
but I would rather have a "real" band and get to play live. It fucking
sucks! It brings me in a really bad mood just thinking about this! I live
in a city of 85000 people and I can´t even find a drummer and a bassplayer
to start a simple heavy metal band! But to answer the rest of your question,
I like the brutality of death metal, the aggression of thrash and the power
of heavy metal. That´s why I play black metal, which, in my opinion,
combines the three things in the best way.
16.IN WHICH MOVIE SOUNDTRACK WOULD YOU LIKE TO
HAVE TAKEN PART OR HAVE COMPOSED?
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Hellraiser and Nightmare on Elm Street. That would
have been killer. Or maybe some splatter or horror movie. Or a porno movie
with longhaired chicks with big boobs dressed in leather, he he he.
17.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK YOU ANYTHING
AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
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Thank you for the interest in Demon Realm. For
further info and mp3s, check our website at www.demonrealm.dk
or our label, Blazing Productions, at www.blazing.ws.
Support the underground and real metal! Fuck off to the maggots and faggots
of mall-core and nu-"metal"!! It´s NOT metal! Limp Bizkit sucks dick!
DJ = Dick-Jockey! Metal for all, all for Metal! Death to the false ones!
Any drummers and bassplayers (living near Esbjerg, Denmark) get in touch!!!
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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