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Interviews

Black Flame - m:A Fog

26/10/07  ||  Global Domination

This interview was done by ex-staffer/cocksmoker Desolator.

I cannot stress how glad I am to have found a band like Black Flame. If you read my review on their album “Conquering Purity”, you will see that I have the utmost respect for them and their music. The drummer, m:A Fog, was a very good sport in this interview, and he gave me some professional answers regarding Black Flame and some of his views.

Global Domination: First of all, congratulations on how well “Conquering Purity” turned out. For me, it was something truly awesome and refreshing, in terms of sound and atmosphere. What were your ambitions for the making of this album? Do you feel you achieved what you wanted at that point?

m:A Fog: We are three silly perfectionists and we always want to change something in what we do. But I think that this feeling runs out in every musician. When we recorded the album in the end of 2005, that was the fucking best we could deliver. We never planned the album to sound “like” it sounds … we just entered the studio with some clear ideas and we developed them with the most natural sound possible. The atmosphere is deviated and dark and we’re proud that this doesn’t come out from the use of keyboards or samples. It just comes out from guitar, bass, drums and vocals. It means that the atmosphere IS inside the music and not a forced part of it.

Not only does “Conquering Purity” sound great, but it also shows that you guys are very skilled and creative musicians. How often do you practice? What inspires your creativity?

We do not practice so much as you think, just twice a week together, but we always push ourselves to do the best. If have to do a silly example, If I can play a drum pattern at 200 bpm I must try to do it at 220 bpm. For us this is the essence of being musicians: combining the spiritual and inspirational work of composition with the hard and material work of practicing and be always in the mood to give to listeners a well played performance.

Judging from your sound and musicianship, I’m guessing you guys did not set out to be another of those lame “kvlt” bands. What are your thoughts on bands that rip off Darkthrone and Burzum (or any other band) without using their own creative will?

I do not have any thoughts about those kind of lame clones. I simply do not understand why a lot of people is not interested into trying to find a personal way to express music. It is very pathetic when you see those bands picking up ideas, covers, logos and so on. I mean, I’m not talking about influences and inspirations, I am talking about having no ideas, no will to power, nothing. Just an after-work/school frustration. Anyway, it is their problem and not mine, at least.

What bands inspired you along the way? Would I be right to say that Bathory and Gorgoroth are included in your influences?

Well, I guess more Gorgoroth than Bathory. But anyway, they are surely two very important bands for this kind of music. They represent two different generations of this art. About us, we have many influences and we try to develop them in the best way possible. The most important thing for us is to convoy all this influences in our minds, add our style and “touch” then melt everything in the most personal way possible.

I imagine you know of the Norwegian church burning hobbies that were prolific in the early 90s. What are your thoughts on church burnings?

I never had any thought about it. That doesn’t scare anyone I think.

To my understanding, the concept of Black Flame’s music includes Satanic and occult themes. As individuals, what are your personal beliefs in life? What are your thoughts on religion?

I would need an entire server in order to answer this and someone will get bored. And at least I do not want to share my personal beliefs through a public way of appearing. What can be known and must be understood about our band is that we see our musical path as a path into occult sphere, which is expressed through music. We always expressed a part of our thoughts in our compositions, but we also preferred to give people some different chances in how they should perceive our music.

I hope you can understand what I am saying… Our lyrics are not like the brief description of what we believe in, they are more like an intimate manifestation of it, expressed in different ways and in different situations. We’re not one of those Satanic bands which purposes are only focused into an hate for christianity. I am not interested into having always the word “god” in my mouth. Even if before there are words like “dead”, “shit” or “fucking”. I do not have any thoughts about religion. That’s not my interest at all.

Some part of religion must be known and must be understood, since the occult sphere is based on some religious approaches. But I really do not care about that. I prefer to focus my energies in other subjects, which are more stressing, heavy and more self-stimulating than religion.

How do you see the state and future of black metal? Do you see it as something growing stronger or weaker?

I am not for that “global” way of thinking. I do not care about the whole future of Black Metal. I care about my future and Black Flame’s future. That is growing stronger. The rest has no particular meaning for me.

Things don’t look bright for mankind. What are your thoughts on humanity and how do you see its “progress”?

Basically can consider myself as an anti-human. I think that it never looked bright for mankind. And I think that this process will not reverse itself. As much as people is thrown into chaos, bright minds and stronger wills will prevail and survive.

Black Flame doesn’t utilize corpse paint, as one can see from your photos (if anyone can see any traces of corpse paint on your faces, their sight must be fucked). I can see that you focus more on your music than your band image, am I right?

Yes, more than right. We never took too much care of our appearance. People should focus on our music and its vibrations. And, by our opinion, having a sober and focused imagery invites un-directly people to focus on music and not in how we appear.

While we’re on the subject, what’s your stance on corpse paint? Would you agree that some bands go a bit too far with it (not to mention they’d be broke from buying all that fucken gear)?

The only band I’ve always respected for their use of corpse paint is Gorgoroth. The rest is just “something”.

Your album “Imperivm” (which I am looking forward to getting my hands on) will be released on Forces Of Satan Records. I see a lot of potential in that label. How are things going between that label and Black Flame?

Things are going very good. Forces Of Satan is a fresh new label, still little, but with the ideas and the strong will to become a solid reality in this musical fields. The guys that run it, I mean Infernus from Gorgoroth and Vile Horg, are both well focused in their work and I am sure that they will grow stronger day by day. By now we got everything we needed from them and the dialogue is active and productive.

I know of your involvement with Disiplin and Glorior Belli, which are excellent bands. What’s happening with these bands at the moment? I’d certainly be happy for Disiplin to release another album.

What is happening. GLORIOR BELLI has a new album out called “Manifesting the Raging Beast” and we’re ready to tour. We’re pushing to get an American tour and some other good slots in some festivals, we’ll see.About DISIPLIN I do not know really. Me and Jonas Raskolnikov Christiansen left the band some months ago and Haakon Forwald seems to be disappeared. I do not hear from him since march and I do not know what he is doing at the moment and if the band will go on. I think that band will not go on anymore, but since the real word “end” has not been said, I cannot be sure about it.

While we’re on the topic, what other bands are you and the other Black Flame guys involved in?

Well, I am the only one involved in other bands except Black Flame. I play drums for the French act GLORIOR BELLI, the Norwegian terrorists SLAVIA and soon I will come out with another project which now I prefer to keep under secrecy.

I know Black Flame doesn’t use keyboards, except for the start of “Mors Triumphalis – Intermezzo” if that counts. Do you feel that keyboards belong in black metal or do you feel it ruins the music?

Keyboards would ruin OUR music. About the other bands, it is completely up to their choice…

As well as growling, Italo uses a clean voice, which I think is very effective and adds another nice dark aspect to your music. Can we expect to hear more of this in “Imperivm”?

Well, I would not describe it as a “clean” voice, I do not want that people which not knows us thinks at those silly laments typical of “modern” way to conceive extreme music. That are more like to be seen as lyrical, theatrical parts that work as obscurizing thing. Let’s make a very well known and maybe easy paragon, just try to remind the intro of “The Sign of the Cross” by Iron Maiden. That’s the meaning of our parts.

Anyway, Italo will be more extreme in the new album, but he will always keep on with this good duality. I think that this helps a song to grow in feelings and atmosphere. Then, by my opinion, these parts works ten time more than using keyboards or those electronic stuff.

In terms of touring (Black Flame will tour in Norway soon, I hope things go well), what would you say are the positive and negative aspects when you go on tour?

Well, surely the positive aspect is that you can make your music going to more people. The negative, I know it is a paradox, for a person like me, is that you are forced to be in the middle of people that you don’t know, that probably you do not like ( and maybe they do not like you also ) and that probably you would never meet if not for music. That’s something I can’t really stand. Anyway, live acts are a part of the music and even if we never wanted to play a lot of gigs, we always delivered some darkened, deviated and un-realistic tunes on stage.

Chances are, a lot of people reading this interview don’t know Black Flame. How would you describe your music for someone who hasn’t heard a note of it yet?

There are no words about our music. It is too personal. Get the albums, play them as loud as you can and burn with us.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions. Before we finish this interview, is there anything you’d like to say? Also feel free to put in any links for your websites.

Thank you for this space. I would invite people to check our online website.
Il Mundus è aperto e il Serpente è sveglio. XIII. III. XIII.

Interviews