1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
I’m happy to say that we are quite busy actually. Our latest “WARA!” is about to be out as we speak, in the meantime we are working on releasing our older stuff and of course we are working on new material, which hopefully we’ll start recording sometime in the spring 2017.
2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
“WARA!” is very special album to us. After 20 years we’ve reunited with our former drummer – Rzeczy. I wanted this album to be continuation of what we were doing in late 90-ties, so mentally it should be released somewhere around 1999. I wanted tracks to be simple but straightforward, with simple arrangements and powerful – yet organic sound. We were lucky to have possibility to work with one of the best polish producers – Haldor Grunberg. That guy is a freaking genius! He understood instantly what I had in mind and shaped the sound in the best possible way! The record differs mostly in our general approach to composing, recording and producing. This time, from the very beginning - we knew exactly where we are heading and we were lucky enough to choose proper paths to get there eventually.
3.The band was broken up for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
Actually – now when I look back I don’t really feel we were breaking up at all. But definitely – our, say – working pattern has changed dramatically since I’ve left our hometown around 1998. First years after that I had no technical possibilities to hold my position in Sauron, but as soon as there was a chance for me to engage back – I did it without any hesitation! It was not easy though and hence it might seem that our Sauron ceased to exist. For sure – after around 1998 Sauron stopped to play gigs, so the only signs of our activities since that time are records.
4.The lyrics cover a lot of Pagan topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on Paganism?
P.W. is responsible for the lyrics and he would surely respond better to that question. To me paganism is very powerful symbol of tradition and freedom that were taken away from us by the Christians. Once you realize how evil and oppressive institution is catholic church – looking for ways of manifesting your resistance is the natural consequence. Most popular choices is either engaging into Satanism or paganism. Of course there are many differences between those two paths, but in general you can say that Satanism (in many variants) to some extend acknowledges Catholic doctrine, existence of jehowah, jesus, etc by standing in direct opposition to those. Paganism on the other hand rejects and ignores everything related to the bible, old/new testament, etc and focuses on its’ own, individual beliefs.
5.I know that the bands name came from the writings of 'Tolkien', how does this name fit in with the music style you play?
It was quite long time ago when our Sauron was being formed. There was a time before internet, cellphones, where access to information was incredibly poorer than it is today. Lord of the Rings is without a question – a masterpiece and when you read it being a teenager it can have enormous impact on your world view, consciousness, taste and even shaping your character. Tolkien’s world is rich enough to provide almost everyone with his favorite race, character, land, etc. And of course – if it is the dark side that attracts you most – you’ll lean towards Mordor and Sauron ;) Sauron himself represents evil and unquestionable power. It’s hard to imagine better name for a band formed by young guys secretly learning satanic rituals and listening to Venom and Bathory…
Right now we know that there were many guys all over the world sharing exactly the same feelings about Tolkien’s literature and Sauron himself, but –well, we’ve learnt to live with that ;)
The thing is that after so many years both – the band name and logo became the most important band members binding us together and giving us strength and motivation to go on.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
It’s been quite long time ago since we were playing gigs. I remember I liked it – even though I always had enormous stage fright and unfortunately – I cannot play the guitar when I’m drunk ;) We’ve been playing mostly in our local area with a few gigs in more remote destinations. We were not using any special gear on stage – just a few, plain metalheads making noise – that’s it ;) Actually – recently we’ve found our archival performance from 1995 – you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1DZVC2yjwg
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
No. Not until “WARA!” makes a spectacular success ;)
8.On the new album you had done a 'Bathory' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?
‘Enter the Eternal Fire’ is very special Bathory song for us. When we were asking Rzeczy to play with us around 1994 – we gave him this song to suggest what kind of music we want to play. After 20+ years we’ve finally recorded it in exactly the same lineup.
9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and pagan metal?
So far, so good! “WARA!” receives excellent feedback from all over the world, which is the best reward for us and you cannot imagine better motivation to continue making new tracks. Especially nowadays when everyday tons of bands release tons of brilliant records – to get someones attention for more than 30 seconds is already huge success ;) Not to mention making him listen to your entire material and even enjoy it ;)
10.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
No. Not at the moment - at least to my knowledge.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I used to say that music should be like your food – raw and unprocessed ;) My goal is to achieve with Sauron lively, organic and powerful sound that you can hear for example - on Kvelertak records. My mentor whom I try to follow here is Fenriz. He’s evangelizing about this raw, natural sound for ages and the older I get, the more I learn – the better I understand how damn right he is about that. And music follows that direction. I was never highly-skilled-technical guitar player. I devour my instrument attacking all the strings at once and I can hardly play my riffs exactly the same twice ;)
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I was always huge fan of great rock bands of the 70-ties. My father was listening to Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, The Cream, Jethro Tull, some Black Sabbath, etc when I was a kid. When I’ve discovered metal it was rather lame to like all this hippie crap so I was in denial for some time, but right now I’m old enough to don’t give a fuck about what others are thinking about my musical taste, so – yeah – I’m re-discovering those great records. I do also follow Fenriz and his radio episodes on soundcloud. There is also whole bunch of excellent polish metal bands that I really enjoy. Right now I’m waiting eagerly for the new Furia album. Besides metal – I like to listen to some urban jazz and electronic music classics – like Vangelis.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak myself up! I hope my answers didn’t bore you to death ;)
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