MANTUS - Yeah! Actually it's a really interesting question! Brazil is a continental-proportional country and its fame is directly linked to Samba/Carnaval, Rio de Janeiro/Beaches, Hot Weather, Pelé/Soccer, Amazônia etc. But at the end we have much different regions and cultures here. Where we live, for example, we have a cold winter with negative temperatures and even snow in the coldest days! Carlos Barbosa is a small city in the high mountains located in the extreme south region of Brazil, closest to Argentina. It's the city of wine and cheese colonized by italians and germans! A totally different culture and weather from the rest of Brazil. Like a little Europe area I could say! Many people don't have the idea how big is our country and how much diversity happen around here. Although our heart is definitely beating on the scandinavian due our musical preferences, of course. I also have great friends in Norway and Sweden and I'm always going there every year, when is possible. I work as graphic designer for a big norwegian label, so part of my life is there. We surely have a huge musical
influence from the early 90's bands from Norway and it's more than clear when you listen PATRIA albums, but we don't want to be a cheap copycat or something like this. I consider we also have a small percentage of the south american madness mixed on our music and we're insanely happy to play this raw and maybe not so original Black Metal style. The main point is to use our own personality to do a great job, honest and also creating a PATRIA identity, step by step!According to our information, you were a member of many projects and by no means it was always black metal.. and then you focused on purely black metal PATRIA. Does it mean that at some time you'd had some kind of sharp turn in your spiritual and musical evolution and as a result PATRIA was born? Or was it a smooth and gradual descent?
MANTUS - Well, I listen all kind of music, specially the heavy metal sources... And actually in the past I also had non-black metal bands, but in some way I was always involved with the Black Metal cult, even when I wasn't playing in an actual Black Metal band. PATRIA musical awareness came with me from many years ago and I could say our music is really a spiritual evolution, something specially personal, not only for me, but to the other members too. It's a kind of music project we always had will to work. We had another experie
nces with a lot of previous bands and projects and in 2008 we finally found the exact way that we would like to do Black Metal. Not only about the compositions, but the feeling, conception, lyrics, visual and at last but not least, the glorious raw sound production! I was rarely satisfied with my other bands and projects, but I can proudly say that PATRIA is perfectly what we're looking for us! It's growing naturally and I think we're reaching better shapes and getting our own identity on each album we release.We just can't help asking about the band's name! Please, comment on how you came up with the name of PATRIA and the meanings behind it.
MANTUS - PATRIA is a latin word and means FATHERLAND in english. I came with this name due the word be very used here where we live, it's simple, easy and at the same time sounds pretty strong!!! I think it's a different name for a Black Metal band. Anyway, our own meaning is the most important point... For us PATRIA is not about a country, race, politics or regionalistic thoughts. Black Metal and Darkness is our underworld! It's about revolution, blood, death and passion!!! This is our home, our land, this is our proud REAL PATRIA!!!
What about the "other band members" you've mentioned? Aren't they just "extras"? I mean, the line-up information actually says that
Mantus is responsible for lyrics, music and all instruments!MANTUS - Despite me and Triumphsword have founded PATRIA, actually at the beginning we started like a full band, me on drums, Triumphsword on vocals, Kehrwald on guitars and Käffer on bass. The fact is to work well with a real band every members necessarily have to find free time enough to a special dedication and also to live in the same region... but it wasn't happening to us. I also think it's slower and more difficult to work like a full band, because there's always distinct thoughts and opinions, making the final result not so good for one or other, and that was not what we're looking for PATRIA. Then since I was the unique who composed all songs, we decided to keep the band like a duo, to make sure we could produce our music in the exact way we like, without delays, divergences of opinions or other kind of problems normally founded in a full-members band.
It seems, you hardly can trust PATRIA's way to anybody else...
MANTUS - Me and Triumphsword live in the same city, we're neighborhood and we have very similar thoughts and influences... and this is working very well and faster than we could imagine! We both are responsible for the lyrics and the band's ideas and I think we're directing our music to a really great place. Anyway, we
also have a kind of LIVE LINE UP, ready for upcoming shows in the future. We're really not into shows right now, that's not our focus to be honest, but if a very good opportunity to make live appearances happened we'll definitely think about it. Would be an important next step for PATRIA I think!You wouldn't argue that some traditional sources of inspiration for black metal musicians include drugs, sexual deviations and satanism, would you? But if one's to analyze your works, it's obvious that you have different set of values and although you sound agressive, you won't teach your listener "bad" things, because your themes are: exalted imagery of Death and Darkness, passion for struggle and ancient cults. It seems, you can be a role model for children!
MANTUS - We're NOT definitely a band that exalt the satanism or any kind of religion! We don't take drugs and specially me rarely drink alcohol. So, I really could say I'm not a traditional Black Metal musician prototype. I'm a model totally out of patterns!!! Anyway I think it's just about taste, not exactly character. There's tons of drunk kids wearing black leather clothes, spikes and they don't have the idea what they're doing! Many are fans of TWILIGHT and SLIPKNOT! That's funny! In other hand I have many friends that listen Metal about 20/30 years and they're wearing
social clothes, short hair, drinking water with their family in the amusement park. They don't follow a fashion or tendencies! It's not about VISUAL, but LOVE to the real music! That's the true feeling!!!Can you describe the basics of your world-view? What drives your creativity? Maybe wine and cheese diet makes wonders?
MANTUS - Regarding ideology... with PATRIA our eyes are turned on to the power of nature and the beautiful dark side of the world! Thoughts of victory, imaginations about the after death, spiritual regression, misanthropy, freedom and the purest revolution against the failed dogmas that blinds a huge part of humanity by centuries! Maybe we're more into a pagan structure... Not the pagan from MYTHOLOGY or WITCHCRAFT, of course, but the archaical pagan word meaning, when you're not into a religion, you know!!! We simply don't need gods!!! We're responsible for our own lives, attitudes and destiny!!! Well, all these feelings are exactly what drives our creativity when we're composing for PATRIA! ... and sure, why not... maybe a coke and good pizza diet could help a little bit more on the process :)
While taking the responsibility for your own life, it's hard not to think of future death. In what way would you prefer to leave this world? And what way of death would you wish for your comrad
es?MANTUS - I'm always thinking about the death! There's a huge curiosity regarding this subject... and that's the only certain thing on life! I think I wish have a honored, worthy and quiet death... leaving good memories and acts to my family, friends and why not, followers of my music and art! What we do in life is what become us eternal!! That's the beauty behind the death!!! I wish the same for my comrades, of course... a good life and honored death! Eternal suffering is only to my enemies, despite I think I don't have so many!!! Sometimes I wish past way before the people I really care and love... I don't fear the death, but I fear to lose them! But sadly or not, it's a natural aspect of life... We have to try understand and believe that we're on an important journey to our spiritual evolution. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, but the spirits carries on...
Do you consider yourself walking the Left Hand Path? If yes, please tell us about your experience on this path.
MANTUS - I definitely consider myself totally out of both Left or Right-Hand paths. I just don't fit into this. I prefer to be more neutral with my personal philosophies based on my own vision and life experience. I just hate rules and I think all kind of dogmas, programs and subjects related to religion or any other crap like that, exist
exclusively to stop the man to evolute. Well well, That's it!If you had a chance to incorporate smells and flavours into your CDs, which would you choose for PATRIA albums?
MANTUS - Interesting question haha I never thought about that before! But surely a good smell of nature while you're walking through the forest and feeling that cold mist breeze if you know what I mean... And regarding the flavors it's a more difficult question... I'm not sure if I would like to have a flavor on this... I think since we're a monochromatic entity, the flavor would take off this ancient feeling and all that mysterious atmosphere would disappear... It's not a good thing! So, no flavor please! Maybe we prefer to have each mind trying to imagine and tasting different flavors based on its own thoughts and feelings while listening PATRIA music... it sounds more honest and real!!!
In the 80s Brazil triumphantly boiled with pungent sulfur, and the miasma even leaked beyond the iron curtain into the Soviet Union. Such Brazilian band names as Sarcofago, Holocausto, Mutilator are carved into our hearts for evermore. What is the situation today? We would like to know of worthy and useless ones from the person from inside of the scene.
MANTUS - We surely had amazing and extremely important bands in the past and
actually we still have a lot of great bands today. But the problem in Brazil is that we don't have a real metal market happening here. I'm not talking only in the business way, but everything related to the art and culture hasn't the deserved value here. It's a shame and far way from what's the european scene, where I feel that people really live, breath and sweat METAL! If a heavy metal band here want to get a serious path, they're obligated to go out, through a good worldwide distribution and consecutively international shows. Of course, both things aren't so easy, specially shows... since it needs of a large budget! Then we have tons of new and killer bands doing a great job, but without a proper support, space and conditions to spread their music. Today we happily have the internet and many available channels that can help us to show our bands to the rest of world. That's a very positive thing at least! But sadly not good enough to solve all the problems that a brazilian metal band have to face.As you said, live shows isn't the thing you're currently interested in. And I understand it well, since you're preparing your brand new album "Liturgia Haeresis". Can you tell us more about it? As I heard, you planned something grand, like simultaneous release in several media formats, wide distribution and merchandising?
MANTUS - Sure, "LIturgia Haeresis" is an album that we added all our strength and dedication! It's a very important and special release for us since it brings PATRIA music a bit more consistent, ripened and where we're conquering our own identity... a kind of mix of our previous albums and also some fresh ideas! The fact that we're signed to a bigger label, having a wider distribution is also a great thing and I'm sure it's just a first step for what we'll conquer in a no distant future! At least I hope so! Regarding the album editions... We're really excited! Firstly there will be the main edition in DIGICD and an edition in LP + POSTER limited in only 300 copies. There's also a plan to produce some merch stuff like official tshirts and patches, and at the end probably some copies in pro-cassette. Actually it's just the beginning... We have tons of plans and ideas that we hope we can put it together and work out in accordance of our conditions.
But you fall silent when it comes to your new label! Is there really something to keep secret of? We crave to be the first to know it!
MANTUS - Bytheway, it's not a secret anymore and you're definitely the first media channel to know... We have signed to Drakkar Productions from France and looks like it's the start of a killer partnership! Well, what I could say... 2011 will be a promising year for PATRIA!
This is really impressing, our congratulations! How does it feel to receive an offer from such a cult label as Drakkar? What did you feel at that moment?
MANTUS - Thank you very much! We're really excited about this new signing and all the support that Drakkar will surely give us! We feel fortunate to have this great opportunity to be released through a such cult label like them. We felt that we're on the right way, our art and efforts are being recognized. There's no other feeling more important than that. I mean, we never had the objective to sign to a bigger major label, be famous or this kind of crap. I guess this is not for PATRIA! We're NOT about business, we're about pure passion, you know! Then to sign this new contract was like a victory for us and actually I hope it's only the beginning of tons of killer things that will happen in the future! We still have the whole underworld to conquer! Let's keep marching...
29 янв 2011
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