Even if I had to wait another 10 years for their next release I’d do it! Throneaeon’s debut “Neither of Gods” is everything I hoped for and then some. Having released only two demos “Demo-95” and "Carnage" and 1999 MCD “With Sardonic Wrath”, Throneaeon built up a strong reputation in Sweden and the underground scene around the world. Hard work and determination resulted in a record deal with Hammerheart Records and their first full-length “Neither of Gods”, which is an immense piece of blasphemous and brutal death metal. Here’s what Andreas Dahlstrom (bass) had to say about the band’s history and their latest masterpiece.

Chris


First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on a very good full-length debut album "Neither of Gods". Do other 'zines and metal media share this same enthusiasm I have?

Thank you! The album was just released, so a lot of reactions are yet to come, but so far we have heard only kind words about it and I have been pretty busy answering interviews the past month. It seems like we have made a fucking good album and, as I said, so far the press has had nothing but good things to say about it.

From what I know, you had few labels interested in signing a contract with you. Why did you decide to pick Hammerheart Records?

We negotiated with about 5 or 6 different labels that we decided were interesting for us. In the end we chose HHR as they could offer us the best deal in combination of showing us that they really believed in THRONEAEON and our music. We had been in contact with Wilko at HHR a couple of times before (when he had his own label, Fadeless) and it seems like all of the staff members are totally devoted to this kind of music, so in the end it was not a difficult decision.

What were your intentions by re-releasing the MCD "With Sardonic Wrath"? Wouldn't you rather concentrate on the promotion of your new material?

Wilko at HHR told us that they were interested in re-releasing the mcd to make it available again when the full-length would be released and we all thought that it was a great idea. We, as well as the people at HHR, all think that the mcd is a great release and it would be sad to let it drift into oblivion. Helgrind Productions whom originally released the mcd showed no intention of promoting it further and it was easy for HHR to take over the distribution of it. I can assure you that all our powers and strength was put into "Neither of Gods" and the re-release of the mcd was just to make it available to the fans again.

Can you explain the meaning of the band's name Throneaeon? It's pretty strange combination of letters.

Ha ha, ok you're American, right? Yeah, it's a pretty strange combination, but we like to see it as something unique that represents the band 100%. We feel that both the original words (THRONE & AEON) represents a strong meaning to ourselves, so why not combine them, making a blasphemous and strong word that holds the secret to our whole existence?

There have been quite a few line-up changes through the years. What have caused them?

WHO has caused them, would probably be a better fitting question...? Maybe Tony can answer you on this one, if you ever meet him...

Are all current members fully dedicated to Throneaeon or do any of you have different side projects?

No side projects whatsoever. We are focusing all our powers into THRONEAEON! The band means everything to us and we wouldn't want to waste our energy on any second hand stuff. We are 100% dedicated to this band and we will take it as far as we can. I would guess that you need to be somewhat mentally disturbed to put so much effort into this music such as ourselves.

The band was formed in 1991 and almost a decade later you release your first album. What took you so long? Was it the band's decision not to rush the recording until you are satisfied with your sound and style or there were other circumstances causing that?

The first 3-4 years were quite disordered due to band members coming and leaving all the time, it took until 1994 for the band to get a stable line-up. As soon as we felt that the four of us would stay together for a long time we recorded the "demo -95" tape and from that moment on things have been moving steadily upwards. We have always been very distinct on the fact that everything has to be at least 100% before we release it that’s why we haven't taken every chance offered to release an album. We have a strong opinion as to how a label is supposed to support THRONEAEON and we can't accept anything less. This is also something we do as a standpoint against major parts of the music industry that just gain profit from releasing lousy bands. We take this very seriously and that includes to be serious to the fans. We want the fans to know that an album from THRONEAEON means a good quality product.

I wouldn't say that extreme death metal bands in Sweden are a minority, but the current trend calls for more melodic groups. Why did you decide to go with this sound?

This is the kind of music that got us playing our instruments in the first place (not counting the heavy metal bands that we grew up with in the 80-ies) and it will always be a major part of our hearts and souls. It would feel very strange to change direction now when things are finally starting to roll faster. We have survived the Death Metal downfall period of the mid nineties and still holding the banner up high. This is our life and you can't change that in a blink of the eye. Even though we sometimes feel that we want to try something else (especially during the Black Metal period when "no-one" listened to Death Metal) it would be completely wrong to what we stand for. We're a Death Metal band and people will be aware of that. If we would be playing in another genre in the future (not with THRONEAEON) it would be so different to Metal.

It seems you really don't like Christians and/or organized religion. Is this the band's image or your personal beliefs?

Personal beliefs... Absolutely!! This is our reality, no fiction!! Image belongs to the past. We don't like christianity 'cause it's an oppressing religion and it corrupts our society. I would say that most religions fit to this description but the christian hypocrisy is what we deal with in our daily lives here in Sweden. Our music is very personal to us so of course our personal views affects THRONEAEON. In conclusion, with THRONEAEON we tell the truth, so it's our personal views enhanced with the brutality of our art that we call Death Metal. We are involved with acts against the christian influence on our society. We will during this month, for instance, discuss with the politicians in our city about the laws of freedom of speech, which is kind of a mark for Sweden. This doesn't exist in our hometown anymore if you make people upset, which is kind of fucked up!

What does "Neither of Gods" mean?

It's a statement of truth. With this album we wish to declare war upon christianity and any man-made so-called god. Basically we want to tell the world that it's enough now. No more bullshit! Let people decide for themselves. You are neither of gods!!

What exactly does that blurry picture of a person on the cover of "Neither of Gods" represent?

It represents a lot of stuff. It's basically up to what you personally get from it. If you don't see anything else than a picture and some colors, then you have to ask yourself what you are. I must say that when I buy an album I don't want to be served with all the answers, I want to make an opinion of my own. I can discuss my personal views with someone in private, but I won't give out all the details here. That would be to ruin all the fun for the fans...

How open are you towards new inspirations into your music?

It's always nice to be able to be open-minded and I think it enhances the music if the inspiration is handled with care. Our next album will probably have new elements but still sound very much THRONEAEON. We're playing Death Metal and that's how we're performing our music, but of course you can be inspired by anything from Black Sabbath and Depeche Mode to softporn soundtracks and Bacardi commercials.

Since you are on Hammerheart now, are you open to do more tours? Are there any plans already?

We would definitely love to go on tour through Europe and the States, but right now I don't have a clue what the future will bring. The only plans we have at the moment are to go on a Scandinavian tour together with our friends and label mates Exmortem (Denmark) and Blood Red Throne (Norway).

Thank you for this interview and the best of luck in the future. Any closing comments?

Thanks for the support. Anyone interested in THRONEAEON should definitely check out our website, which is where all the action takes place: www.throneaeon.com, and also check out www.mp3.com/throneaeon to hear some of our blasphemous tunes. Hope to see you all on tour and go buy our albums! Cheers...

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Armagedon was founded by brothers Maryniewski (Krizz & Slavo) and in Poland they need no introduction. Loved by some, by others not necessarily but that seems to be the story with art; personal tastes are not up for discussion. They are considered a cult band in their homeland, but abroad they're not appreciated, most likely because they're not known. Blame should be placed on the lack of touring and the 11-year hiatus, but musically I find them to be one of world's top death metal bands. No mistake here - one of world's top death metal bands - and if you still need convincing, you have to check out "Thanatology". Slavo was kind enough to answer my questions - so judge the outcome of our conversation yourselves.

Arek

Welcome Slavo, what is the feedback on, in my opinion your best work yet, "Thanatology"?

Hello, thanks so much for such an evaluation of our new album. When we were finalizing work on "Thanatlogy" we knew it’s alright! Even at early stages of production – when our material was still in a very raw form, it was listened to by a lot of people. Then at the final stages of mixes (already in the Sound Division Studio) many of our friends visited us, and each time the reception was very good. Each of them emphasized the great progress but still keeping the characteristic style of Armagedon. When our new material (in its entirety and all finished up) was heard by our publisher, he said the same thing - we knew it’s really good! We were putting new songs (teasers) up on the web successively and our fans also really liked them. Then, after the official premiere came the first reviews and opinions of a wider audience. Generally, the reception of the album is more than very good! Unfortunately, nowadays it is not enough to beget such a work and think that everything will go on by itself ... Although we get a lot of support from fans, we are missing on opportunities to reach out to a much larger audience that we believe "Thanatology" deserves. To summarize, reception and reviews of the album are very good, but our reach is limited...

First time I had the pleasure to hear you was in the castle in Ciechanow at S'thrash'ydlo 1989 or 1990, I can’t remember. Long time ago. How would you rate your way from "Survival Time" to "Thanatology"? The road was bumpy, and there was no shortage of obstacles on your path wasn’t there?

You know, when playing extreme metal you kind of agree to the hard work and to the long road ahead. With this kind of music success does not occur overnight. Usually it takes years of hard team work (which is often very difficult – there are plenty of examples of bands, where only the leaders are left in them). We focused on the band back then. We were a group of friends, but unfortunately for us, from small towns located somewhere "in the middle of nowhere" ... And that meant a hard and difficult way to break through. Besides, we were not a band playing "popular" sounds (even in metal). It always was (even then) a total underground! I think our success back then - in addition to the fact that we were spitting out some interesting sounds - we owe it to our fans that have supported us amazingly, wherever we appeared to play concerts. There were administrative, logistic, contractual and many others hardships, but I think we managed. Our first two official productions from that time: "Dead Condemnation" and "Invisible Circle" have a cult status until today! There was a bit of a forced break later (didn’t expect it would take so long) and now for nearly six years we kept recording more albums and played more concerts again. I know that spectacular career is not waiting for us anymore... We understand it, and therefore can record better and better materials without all the pressure and expectations. The road we have traveled, and still walk on is not easy, but it gives us a lot of satisfaction!

I personally have a great fondness for those years. I’m often remembering great bands that are gone already, such as Egzekhutor, Imperator, Slashing Death, and many, many others. Although I understand that passing is the normal order of things, I get teary eyed sometimes. How do you remember creating processes back then, artists, touring, etc., and how would you rate it these days?

I think this is a topic that’s so big that you cannot tell it in just a few words. At that time when we started the band (around 1986) - everything was different ... literally. The world, our country included, looked completely different. Our first live performances had to be approved by the provincial department of censorship – can you even imagine that today? There were amazing stories of course, memorable concerts and friendships, some of which survived to this day. But it was too gray and full of hopelessness. Music was also a way for us to break away from contemporary reality. Besides, in contrast to the present times – there was just not enough of it. I know it is hard to imagine in today’s world, but back then there was no easy access to bands, albums, and recordings. There were no real festivals. It was not until the early ‘90s, when the situation began to gradually improve. Today everything is flooding us in every area and aspect of life. It is no different with music. I like the situation, when I’m the one to decide and chose who to listen to, whose concert I go to and whose interview I read. Unfortunately, this generally available message has to travel a difficult path to reach the final recipient. Valuable albums often do not reach persons to whom they are addressed. I think we’re a good example of this phenomenon...

Your first CD after reactivation - "Death Then Nothing" was one of the most interesting materials from returning bands. Did you manage to once again gain interest of the western music market in your recording?

"Death Then Nothing" was mainly a return album with which we wanted to remind our fans about us after many years of absence. The assumption was meant for local market only. We did not conduct any aggressive campaigns to release it outside Poland by other labels. We are very pleased though, that our publisher Mystic Production released it in Europe and USA through a network of distributors.

Let's go back to "Thanatology", who is the author of each batch of the act, i.e. lyrics, music, cover and artwork?

"Thanatology" is primarily the result of teamwork. As it always is the case with Armagedon - music was created in stages and was created by Krizz and arranged together with Adam. Lyrics are my work, and cover art is our ideas graphically dressed up into a cover by Xaay (we worked together already with DTN). I think that each of the elements of the new album fits together and at the same time can create separate stories.

Could you let us a little on the secrets and summarize individual songs from this album?

"Thanatology" is a collection of eight sound killers, but it's also eight quite disturbing images associated with leaving and passing. Simple stories, without deep metaphorical undertones. I think they represent an ideal unity with our compositions. Everything fits together and supports one another very well. It is also a natural continuation of our previous lyrical layer enclosed in the words: death then nothing! I would not want to analyze individual tracks - I think that they are solid as a whole and follow each other in a natural way. Each of them contains different but characteristic fragments (i.e. Caesar's vocals), but it is best to come to this by yourself, listening carefully to the songs.

It seems to me that as musicians you have come to the stage of you career where you don’t have to prove anything to anyone by creating another record. What was the reason for Armagedon to get back to the studio after four years of rest?

It is four years already indeed... However I see these four years as more of additional ballast on my back than the interval from the release of "Death Then Nothing". You know, we actually perceive it a little differently. We are not a band that has rigid publishing and concert duties. Every next record is an act of creative summary of the time intervals of several years of playing and creating together. This approach allows us to spit out better and more mature sounds. Just like in case of "Thanatology".

I see that the line-up has changed a little bit yet again, did it have any bad influence on the creation of "Thanatology", and does it change anything in the current concert power of Armagedon.

The album was recorded by Slavo / Adam / Krizz / Bartosh , which is the lineup that we played with for the last few years. We always try to give back and give our fans something special and unique! The time that we gave ourselves from the release of the last album, contributed to our unison and understanding of each other (also musically) - we have a lot of confidence in one another and as a band after those few years. This resulted in the fact that while creating and recording "Thanatology" we stepped outside the standard templates that were with us before. This time around, each of us brought a lot of their own ideas and had a lot of "creative freedom". While having just a frame of the song, we watched them with undisguised joy transform step by step into very fulfilling musical creatures. This way of working on the album produced very consistent, proven and strong material. After the recording of the album Bart (Azarath) joined us on second guitar strengthening very much our concert power. We played a few gigs together already and "the force is with us"!!!

Science of dying would seem such a simple idea for the album title for bands playing death metal genre, but it seems to me that you were the first in the genre to use that title. Why do you think it was?

Hmmm, tough to say... at the early stage of work on the album we knew already in which direction we're going to go lyrically. We were looking for a title that would bond these simple stories. And I think we succeeded. We never created some unrealistic stories, we didn't sing about dragons, and other nonsense. "Thanatology" is solid in the form of verbal communication, motto, and music!

Thanks for the interview Slavo, I sure hope that it will bring closer the silhouette of Polish Armagedon for the people abroad and to all the other metal maniacs peeking onto metalbite.com webpage. Thanks again and see you at the concerts.

Many thanks for such a thorough mangle! All those who would like to know Armagedon made in Poland we invite you to visit our profile: http://armagedon.bandcamp.com/

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