Bloodaxe Interview - Mental Funeral #4

Nordavinden, I wanted to get this interview started off by compilmenting you and Rati on the brutality and conviction on the Bloodaxe cd. If only more bands in the black metal genre today played this extreme.

We appreciate that, although many are labeling us as "Extremely Harsh Black Metal" I thought Black Metal was already "Extreme and harsh"? Just shows you what Black Metal has become through the years!!

I hear in Bloodaxe's music a sound simliar to the likes of Blasphemy, Conqueror, the first Enslaved record, and Mayhem's "De Mysterriis..." agree or disagree? How about the acoustic gutiar interludes, are those strickly influenced by metal?

I definitely do not agree. We are 9 times more fucking extreme then these bands!! You might not be hearing everything that well because we are very poor and can't afford big fucking productions!!!!! As for the acoustic interludes, they are spawned from the complete and total isolation of living in Northern Ontario. They are not influenced by Metal, more of classical meets folk, meets depression and solitude.

What's your musical background? How old is Bloodaxe as a band? Do you prefer being the sole song writer for Bloodaxe? Will your drummer Rati contribute to the songwriting process in the future? Any possibility of adding members?

I have been playing Extreme Metal for well over 10 years now!! Completely self-taught (can you tell?..Hahaha). Bloodaxe will have been together for 2 years in May/02!! I really have no other choice then to write all the material myself since the only instrument Rati plays is drums, and he is just a studio drummer. If he wants to write a 4-minute song with nothing but drums, it better be fucking interesting!! As far as adding members, well it took me ten years to find a capable drummer in this area, 2 years and still trying to find a bass player, not exactly the hotbed of musicians in Northern Ontario!!!!

Any new material brewing? Please describe. Howabout label interest?

The 2nd full length "Raping the Ancient" will be released sometime in the fall. I have received permission to use an original painting by Leilah Wendell (Westgate Necromantic, author of "the Necromantic Ritual Book") an eerie fucking work that just absolutely suits the extreme haunting nature of this next Slaughter Fuck!!!

Label interest? HAHA..Fuck that's funny. No one will touch us!! The only label I'm interested in is the one on the beer that I happen to be drinking!!

I don't want to dwell on your lyrics too much, especially since none were printed in the cd booklet but could you give us a little insight?

Killing, Raping, Beating, tearing out your fucking throat and pissing in your eye. Some deal with Norse Mythology because of my Norwegian heritage, but I add more torment and hatred to their fairy tale tendencies! I don't have that much interest in what a vokillist is saying, I don't give a fuck if he's telling me about a great new philosophy or baking cookies with jesus, I'm more interested in the emotion in the voice.

What's new and exciting in Canada these days? Many feel that the (black/death/war) metal scene is one the best. Yes or no? I noticed you gave the Thunderbay Police a big "fuck off" in the your cd booklet. Care to explain? Speaking of "fuck offs" why England and France?

I guess some Canadian soldiers were killed by some American "friendly fire" over in Arse-ghanistan. What the fuck is "friendly" about having a 250 kg bomb dropped on your head? A lot of Canadians are pissed, but that's what you get helping America fight Israel's war!!

I don't think the black/death/war metal scene here is one of the best…yet. Black Metal here is pretty much a joke, like most places in the world right now. I believe it was "Bullets to the head" for the Thunder Bay police!! Thunder Bay is the most violent city in all of Canada, but we have more cops here then any other city per capita. I can't walk down the fucking street without being followed by cruisers. Complete fucking harassment. I think I have been arrested for everything from "touching a tree branch" to riding a black mountain bike after midnight!! If you have long hair, goatee, look anything like a biker then they will fuck you. In the wake of Sept 11th the government has been passing Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Gang laws, looking "suspicious" has become a major crime!!!! Free country, fuck you!! I was convicted of a serious crime and have 2 more years to go on my 5-year probation, but I don't know if I'll make it. Also included in the "Bullets to the Head" are the O.P.P (Ontario Provincial Police) R.C.M.P (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Fuckers!!!

Why England and France? England and France are credited as being the "Two founding Nations" of Canada. Bullshit!! The fucking Vikings were the first here, settled here, but the Canadian Government won't even acknowledge the facts. There is proof that they were here even before the "Indians". English and French had a war, the French lost, but this country is completely run by the French. A fucking minority, conquered people!! Everything in this country has to be in French first then English, but in Quebec it's against the law to have a single English word on a sign. English and French are not the only ethnicities here BUT they are to blame for all this countries problems!!!!!

Anything else left I didn't cover? Your label White Legends, still active? Any music recommendations or a playlist?

White Legends is still crawling along, in the process of signing a few bands, as well as releasing the next Bloodaxe album.

If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy of "Bloodthrone" or "Raping the Ancient" they can visit the site at www.bloodaxe.net. There might be a few copies left (Hahaha). Music recommendations? The great Canadian band Disciples of Power… get anything you can by these fuckers, most under rated, unknown band in the world!!! Pure genius!!!!

It's great to see at least one person still enjoys the torture and torment of Extreme Metal!!! Violence IS the answer!!!!!