BAL-SAGOTH INTERVIEW

Answers: Byron Roberts (vocals)

1. Can you give us a brief history of the band!

BYRON: To briefly summarize the band's history, I came up with the idea for Bal-Sagoth way back in the late 1980's. The plan was to form a symphonic black/death metal band based on an epic fantasy/mythological lyrical concept. Early attempts to get the project up and running were unsuccessful because I couldn't find musicians who were willing to commit to the band. In 1993, I was introduced to Jonny and Chris (who would become the keyboardist and guitarist), who were jamming cover versions in their bedroom with some friends. They were looking to start up a serious band too, but they didn't have any focus or direction. Anyway, even though they weren't initially familiar with the kind of music I wanted to play, they eventually agreed to take up the challenge of Bal-Sagoth with me, and so 16 years and 6 albums later, here we are.

2. How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before!

BYRON: The music is very epic, symphonic extreme metal, combining key elements of black & death metal with other metal forms and even classical music, with a mythological/occult/fantasy lyrical concept at its core. Keyboards play a very prominent role in our music, so if you don't like synths, I'd advise you to avoid Bal-Sagoth. The vocal style combines harsh vocals with spoken word narrative parts. People often have trouble categorizing the band, but black metal is basically the original foundation of the sound.

3. From listening to all of your albums I have noticed that with each album your music seems to get more symphonic without losing the heaviness, is this going to continue on future releases!

BYRON: Retaining the heaviness and extremity of the band has always been of the utmost importance to me. When I originally came up with the idea for the band, it was always supposed to be a brutal symphonic black/death metal outfit. I hope we've retained that core element to a large extent even though the music has become ever more intricate and symphonic over the years. To be honest, I would ideally have preferred to stay far more extreme than we have, but things don't always work out exactly the way you plan. Still, I guess we have at least kept a fair percentage of our heavy and extreme roots over the course of our discography.

4. Are there any plans for a full scale U.S tour, so far the only show I have ever heard about was the one in Minnesota at the Heathen Crusade Festival!

BYRON: We'd very much like to get back over to the USA for some shows. Promoters generally don't take the risk of organizing shows for us over there due to the massive costs involved in getting an obscure British band on the road in the USA! The Heathen Crusade II festival was a great event, and it was certainly cool to finally get the chance to play for some of our American supporters.

5. What are some of the best live shows that you have played and which crowds were the best or craziest!

BYRON: We've played shows in many countries over the years, and the responses have generally been very good. Some of the best crowd responses have been in Finland, Holland, southern France and the UK.

6. When can we expect new material!

BYRON: It has not yet been decided whether or not we will continue making further albums. The first hexalogy of the band is complete, and it may well be time to leave the world with that glorious, untainted legacy.Obviously all the core members of the band would have to agree to proceed with any further albums, and the reasons for proceeding would have to be right. There would have to be a really good record deal in place. A licensing deal which was truly beneficial to the band, and made all the hard work worthwhile. A great distribution and publishing agreement would also have to be sorted out. Formal agreements between the various band members would also have to be finalized. In short, everything would have to be done thoroughly and properly. Record sales are currently at an all time low, as the "something for nothing" culture proliferates. But we'd never take the self-releasing route, as that would be a retrograde step, and would cheapen the legend of Bal-Sagoth, which of course is something I'm sure the fans would not want. And of course merely releasing another album simply for the sake of it would clearly not be the right approach. Just because we can, does not necessarily mean we should. The reasons for continuing the legend would have to be right, and compelling, and the material would have to be phenomenal. There would simply be no point releasing another album unless it was by far the best material that the band had ever produced. And that, is a fact. You might even see side projects by some of the members, too. Who knows? Ultimately, a seventh album might happen, it might not. The world will just have to wait and see!

7. When I have read your lyrics I have seen many different references Germanic, Celtic, Sumerian, Egyptian, Atlantean, Mu , Lemuria, Aztec etc. do you have any interested in the occult aspects of those areas!

BYRON: Yes, that's right. Various world myths and legends are a primary inspiration for the lyrics, such as Northern European and British myths, as well as other myth cycles like ancient Sumerian and Mesopotamian lore, Aztec and Mayan, etc. Global legends such as Atlantis, Mu, Hyperborea, etc. have always fascinated me greatly, and the occult significance of those legends and their relevance to the ancient antediluvian world is a key element. But essentially the whole lyrical cycle is a large work of occult fantasy and sci-fi, using those mythological elements to add various dimensions and resonances. Pretty much all the Bal-Sagoth lyrics are part of the same overall grand saga. The universe in which the lyrics take place spans countless millennia, from the beginning of time to the cataclysmic end of all creation. The lyrical world is roughly divided into three different eras; the "antediluvian" fantasy era, the "recorded history" period, and the "sci-fi" future era. All the stories which take place within this world and these periods are linked and all are part of the same overall chronology and canon. To learn more of the "antediluvian" era of the lyrics, check out my map of the Ancient World at www. bal-sagoth. com, and look out for the expanded and revised A-Z Glossary, which will soon be uploaded at www. bal-sagoth. net.

8. What are some of your main influences music wise or non music wise!

BYRON: All the band members have quite varied musical tastes and inspirations. I'm strictly into extreme metal, particularly the great bands such as Bathory, Celtic Frost, Sabbat, Slayer, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Emperor, etc.Jonny our keyboard player has influences which are mostly non-metal, such as Vangelis, The Police, Tangerine Dream, Pat Metheny and Queen. Chris our guitarist really like stuff like Napalm Death, Metallica, Kreator, Slayer, etc. And of course we're all into classical music and movie soundtracks. It's a strange mixture of influences, but I think it's one of the primary aspects that's helped shape our unique sound over the years.As for non musical influences, I'm very much inspired by the pulp sci-fi, fantasy and horror of the 1930's such as the works of Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as writers such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, and also comic books, sci-fi & fantasy movies, ancient myths and legends, etc. The other guys in the band don't really read much, but they're into similar kinds of movies, too.

9. What are you listening to these days and what are some new good bands that you would recommend!

BYRON: I still basically listen to my old favourite bands such as Bathory, Celtic frost, Slayer, Morbid Angel, etc. I guess I'm pretty set in my ways in that I generally only listen to the old classic stuff.

10. What are some good books or films that you would recommend!

BYRON: Just some of the great literary works I would advise everyone to check out are the writings of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, David Gemmell, Clark Ashton Smith, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Frank Herbert, and classic Marvel comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Great movies I would recommend include Star Wars, Jaws, Conan the Barbarian, Mad Max 2, Alien, Robocop, Predator, The Thing, The Evil Dead, Re-Animator, Fire & Ice, The Sword & the Sorcerer, the original Dawn of the Dead, the original King Kong, the original Frankenstein, the original Planet of the Apes, the original Godzilla, the Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, Dune, 300, and lots of others too.

11. How would you describe the metal scene in the United Kingdom and what are some good bands to be on the lookout for!

BYRON: Well, the UK extreme metal scene is still pretty varied, with a lot of good new bands coming up as well as the already established acts. For two cool British bands, I would recommend that people check out Mithras and Dyscaphia.

12. Any final words!

BYRON: Many thanks for this interview, and thanks also to all the supporters of Bal-Sagoth who are reading this. Be sure to visit the band MySpace page (www. myspace. com/balsagoth) as well as the official website (www. bal-sagoth. com) for news and features. The six album discography of Bal-Sagoth is still available, and we hope to see as many of our supporters as possible at our various gigs in 2009 and beyond. Blodu Ok Jarna!
BYRON

13.Thanks for the interview!