Interview с Týr : DARKSIDE.ru

Living in Faroe Islands, don’t you feel yourselves a bit isolated from the rest of the world?

No, not at all. I really feel that I’m living in the middle of the world.

I have heard that nowadays at Faroese Islands paganism is quite popular?
Well, truly pagan people? I mean there are many people truly interested in it, in mythology and all stories, but... In other places, like Germany and America, the people have all these pagan rituals and we don’t. And I think people in the Faroese mistake paganism for belief of some kind, so I think there is no such thing as a true pagan nowadays. And I don’t think there is sense to believe when it comes for paganism. But there are a lot of people who are interested in mythology and lore

In one of the interviews you mentioned that you believe there were parallels between pagan myths and present day situation. Can you give any examples?

Take for example all the gods, like Thor, who is the god of thunder. There is no point in believing that Thor actually exists, but it’s just a metaphor for weather and forces of nature. There is a lot of warlore and that might be a very strong signal today to demonstrate to which extent not to go in war. And you can take any myth- you don’t have to believe it was true, this is completely irrelevant. But the point above the story is still relevant. It has some general truth.

What are other bands popular at the Faroe Islands? I guess you are the only metal band there?

No, there are some metal bands. I have heard one of them a couple of days ago. And there are some other smaller bands which try to make live shows. But I think so far we are the only band, which has signed any kind of contract. But there are other metal bands. Well, when I say many it means 15 to 20. These bands are nothing like us. They play pure metal.
Why did you decide to go on with folk and pagan in metal? Did you want to preserve traditions of your homeland?
I didn’t really think I was making anything new when we started the band. There was a point to preserve, to modernize and popularize the mythology and culture of Scandinavian Faroese. And I really didn’t think that was so much original before other people told us.

How would you explain raising audience interest in pagan and Viking metal?

Here is why there is raising interest in it: I have no idea why! I’ve been asked this question many times, but I don’t know. I really don’t know, but I suspect it has to do with the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter and that kind of stuff and this Northern European mythological stuff is strong... And if that is true, then we must thank Peter Jackson for all of it.

Don’t you think of using more of the Viking pieces and attributes performing live on stage?

I used to do that. I have a mail and a sword. But it's too warm now to be on stage with the mail. So when it's very cold or we play in a cold place I always use it, I have with me all the time. But when there is warm like this there is no chance I can use it.

What bands playing in the same genre would you consider to be your rivals?

I suppose all this Viking- and pagan metal bands in Scandinavia are competing in the game, but I don’t see them as rivals or something, we are all friends. We are competing only for crowds in the Viking metal genre, because it’s growing.

But who do you think is your strongest competitor?

(Smiling) I don’t know...Hard to say...There are some other pagan metal bands, like Amon Amarth and we are the way behind after that. I don’t know... Maybe we are on the same level as Moonsorrow and Turisas...But they all are my very good friends

Does your academic music background help you a lot?
It doesn’t help playing, but it does help in song writing very much. I use a lot of theoretical approach in some writing. I write everything in notes

You were all at least once fired because of touring with the band. Would you like to stop all the jobs and dedicate yourselves to music only?

I don’t have a job, I do only music, all other guys have their jobs and they’ve been fired many times. I was fired last in September 2006 and didn’t have any job ever since. One can very hardly make it only out of music.

Would you ever move to another country if music career required that?

I like living in the Faroese, but I also like other places. I lived in Denmark for 7 years, I lived in Iceland for one year and I lived in Norway for one year. And I would like to try Scotland, Finland or maybe Austria.

What would you be if you were born at the times of Vikings?

I would be...Maybe Eric the Red. I would be the greatest opposer of introducing the Christianity to the North. Christianity is systemized dogmatic religion. On a whole was the worst thing that ever happened to the humankind and it has been the greatest cultural disaster in history, because such religion does damage to a human mind. All pagans nowadays are atheists, because no one actually believes that Thor actually exists. Science is the only propagator of progress for the last 200 years at least. So if I was born at the age of Viking I would die trying to fight Christian priests.

Interview by Viktoria
29 авг 2008 the End


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Týr

Vikings in mind and body

pylos

Min3DraW

Rim Drake

victoriam

White_Tiger