Mara Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

Hagalaz Occult black metal zine! Well much has happened, mostly in personal life who are reflecting and making things more difficult for the band. This is nothing new in my opinion when everything regarding my music has been about conquering obstacles. 

At the moment we are working on a new album. Lack of real opportunities to play live have made things really easy for us to focus on our spiritual path.

2.In March you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

MARA has a new lineup that is bringing strong energy into the band. We have not left our old school ways. It is really the opposite when Loka Maer is the first album to be live recorded, that is for me something big, to know that everything you hear is live and not millions of recordings.

I see it as we are marching on to a more darker aspects of the meaning and essence of what MARA is, we are not trying to change the band, the new take comes just naturally as everything is evolving, so are we. This is the first time I have a full lineup and that burning energy brings something extra for the album that you can hear and feel. 

3.A lot of your lyrics focus more on Thurisian Sorcery, can you tell us a little bit more about how you got interested in this path and also how does it differ from the more traditional forms of Norse Magick that are more well known?

The fascination regarding my culture and mythology goes all the way back to childhood. Later in life I started to read and study much more regarding old Scandinavian belief and I have a thirst to find the old primitive Germanic spirituality long before it was affected by eastern religion. 

Thursatru is a step in that direction to find the old primitive essence in tradition and belief that have gone missing. I strongly don't believe that people in the old Norse past did blot and honour in cults to just the Asa gods. Spirits and nature was something that they strongly respected and all the sides of Ragnarok are playing an important role, something they did know. That is why I believe that thurs were also praised in different forms. 

We have to remember back in the old pagan times beliefs were much more Individualistic and that is something I strongly propagate that black metal is and should be. 

In my view thursatru focuses on the thursian giants. That is gods and goddesses, the bloodline from Ymir: Loki, Angerboda, Hel, Jörmungandr, Fenrir, Surtur are some of the many gods/ goddesses that are reflecting the construction of the universe and us humans. In my view the gods are good and bad, they have human desires and that is why we are created from/ by and of them. But to become truly free we need to find the energy that we are made of, that thursian black flame we have from Ymir that Loki is channeling in us. 

The thursian bloodline is also much reflected in different animals and spirits such as wolves from the iron woods: the children of Angerboda. snakes with the connection to death with the goddess Hel. Maror (witches) that are using seiðr to bring thursian galder who we can see in different goddesses. 

I chose to honor the bloodline that have the old knowledge, the bloodline that will create the world ending, the bloodline that knows the hidden knowledge of freedom.

4.Another topic you also cover is 'Chaos Gnosticism', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in left hand path or anti cosmic forms of magick?

I am focusing on the construction of Ragnarök, in the physical and spiritual, that is the form to destroy all and to become free mentally and physically. To find my primitive heritage in its true form. 

In old Norse mythology you can find all this going back into old magic such as seiðr and galder different forms of magic to break the physical chains to see other spiritual sides and to find knowledge and to conquer. I did say that all this is individualistic and that is the truest form of magic, it all has one coming goal to find back to ginnungagap and chaos. 

I have always had an interest in magic and the occult so it comes natural when I find out how much magic it is in my culture that is all reflecting thursaseiðr. I have understood that I have walked in this gnostic approach for a long time. I just did not have the words of it back in the days.

5.What are some of the other forms of occultism, magick or spirituality that you have an interest in that you have not cover lyrically?

I'm interested in all sort of pagan culture. Greek mythology is something I find interesting such as slavic mythology and Hindu religion so there is much old occultism from thos cultures that is intriguing. Something I will never be able to cover because it is not my ancestory or culture.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

The album cover represent the album in it's spiritual meaning and also bringing all the primordial galder and thursian energy we have put in to the album. The album cover represents many years of research when I have try to find the meaning and essence of the word/meaning of what MARA stands for. 

In my Scandinavian/ Swedish culture MARA  

goes veiled as the force of nightmares, the face of death, the energy of anti-cosmos, the keeper of the :ᚦ: flame. Today many seem to use her name with false intentions and signification. The sheep of the masses have forgotten the primitive meaning behind MARA. We are here to change that and to praise her as the Myrkriða she is. 

On the fourth album: Loka Mær we are going deeper into the essence of the female darkness that has formed our Scandinavian language and sorcery. Bringing back the old Thursaseiðr. All this you can see in different bind runes on the album that represents different :ᚦ: energy's, but they all have the same meaning.That is why the logo of MARA is slashed to show the representation of what the anagram and meaning Loka Mær stands for. 

It has the meaning (daughter of Loki) you can find the word Mær which is another speech for MARA, so in conclusion Loka Mær represents death, the goddess of death and MARA the bringer of nightmares. In Slavic culture there is a death goddess with the name ( Morana) she also has the name MARA. I see a connection to all this and it all is binded to the old primordial energy of the :ᚦ: they all have one connection and that is a female representation: that is death. 

7.Origianlly the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind expanding into a full line up and what are some of the things you have been able to accomplish musically with a whole band that you where not able to do solo?

For the first time more ideas can be tested and also there is more will in the band that makes things more untamed, how black metal should be. I strongly believe that black metal is about the individual and in this case it is 4 individuals that are marching on the same road. 

8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

I will say the first live show MARA ever did on gamrocken in 2019. Much music is in the (now) and the energy is strongest when the iron is hot, to create old energy and galder live is difficult even if it burns strong yet. 

9.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2022?

At the moment we have no shows booked for this year. We have never toured and I don't know if we ever will. 

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black metal?

We have seen a positive response but honestly did I believe the album should get more attention than it has received.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I don't like to do the same album over and over, I focus on the energy I want to reflect on the album. But lately much anger and irritation is about how things are in the black metal scene so we are bringing back some old energy from thursian flame album but not letting go of Loka Mær, it will be something you haven't heard before but you will be able to recognize that it is MARA

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?

Lately it is much dark and spiritual, I am not interested in name dropping bands but it is much underground. Bands that are burning strongly in their Spirituality. 

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Let the thursian flame burn. 

Website: https://www.galderofmara.com
Bandcamp: https://mara-sweden.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MARAblackmetal
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy6x-7WbcsX8bxGcSqCUX_A
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KlUYorJkS3ocKwqt46EN5?si=q-IrcUpgQZuSqwKWXFJaTg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mara.sweden