During the past 20 years, Watain have established themselves as one of the most hard working and uncompromising bands within the worldwide Black/Death Metal scene, creating themselves infamy for delivering one of a kind, state of the art ceremonies of wild Black Metal frenzy, where the solemn and sacred collides with raw power. Their most recent album “Trident Wolf Eclipse” have kept the band on the road this past year and this February sees them return to Australia as well as New Zealand for the first time, we get a few words from Erik Danielsson ahead of the tour.
It’s good to see you returning to Australia, what does Watain have in store for the Aussie fans?
Erik: I would just say they can expect a Black Metal concert is the true sense of the word; Diabolical, explosive, sublime, mysterious, savage, violent and unpredictable. Since we are obviously flying between the shows we have not got our usual stage arsenal with us, but rest assured it will be a full on Watain experience regardless. What that implies is for those who come to the shows to find out. But there will be nothing normal going on, that’s for sure.
What has your past experiences in Australia been like? How does the fans here compare to elsewhere in the world?
Erik: This will be our third visit in Australia and the first one where we’re headlining the shows. We’ve had nothing but great experiences down there so far, the crowds have been wild and very welcoming which is great considering it’s the other side of the fucking planet from where we usually operate, so we look forward to this one immensely.
We’ll also be doing two shows in New Zealand for the first time ever which has been a dream of mine since years. It’ll be fucking great! Hope to see a lot of you maniacs at the shows!
You are touring in support of your latest album “Trident Wolf Eclipse”, how have people been responding to the songs so far on tour?
Erik: The reactions have been great and emotionally diverse, everything from vomiting and crying to complete headbanging frenzy. I’m fine either way, as long as people react in one way or another instead of standing still or watching the show through the lenses of their cellular telephones. This is an experience best gained from by immersing yourself in it. That obviously goes for any metal concert, but let’s just say there are hungry energies at work at a Watain show that you can either try to back away and hide your heart from, or you can join the celebrations and become a part of the sacrificial feast. In the southern hemisphere we have come to learn that people are usually brave and passionate enough to choose the latter.
“Trident Wolf Eclipse” has a rawer and more traditional black metal sound that some would say goes back to your earlier records, what was the idea behind the record going into the writing and recording process?
Erik: To say it goes back to our earlier records is a bit far off I think, there’s more violence and force on this one than ever before. The first albums were not that raw I think. So I think that’s just a thing people say without really knowing what they’re talking about (something we’ve gotten quite used to over the years). Writing TWE was a process of acuteness, we didn’t think twice much, and we didn’t look back. We simply went for our gut feeling and let the whole thing take shape along the way. The result became a very fierce predator of an album.
Has it been difficult to figure out a setlist for this tour and incorporate new material while having to remove some of the older songs?
Erik: No, not at all actually. They blend in very seamlessly and add something very urgent and strong to the shows.
Which tracks from “Trident Wolf Eclipse” have been the most fun to play live?
Erik: “FUN” haha well… thats a rather alien term in a Watain live context. “Nuclear Alchemy” is a real ripper which always sets something primordial in motion, but “Sacred Damnation” or “Towards the Sanctuary” are maybe my personal favourites at the moment.
How are you feeling about these songs now that some time has past and have they changed at all since playing them regularly on tour?
Erik: Songs always grow and become a thing on their own after taking them from studio to stage, its a very interesting process to be a part of because you realize that your own input is only one of the reasons why this happens. The rest is more depending on the spiritual formula of the song and its transformative qualities.
WATAIN with Nocturnal Graves performing at:
February 22nd – Melbourne, Max Watt’s w/ Eskhaton
February 23rd – Brisbane, Crowbar w/ Impetuous Ritual
February 24th – Sydney, The Factory w/ Sorathian Dawn
February 26th – Wellington, Valhalla
February 27th – Auckland, Galatos w/ Winter Deluge
TICKETS ON SALE NOW at:
ALL SHOWS (Except NZ) – http://soundworksdirect.eventbrite.com
MELBOURNE & BRISBANE – www.oztix.com.au
SYDNEY – www.factorytheatre.com.au
AUCKLAND – www.utr.co.nz / www.eventfinda.co.nz
