Interview with Bloodaxe by Neithan

You have released "Raping The Ancient" on your own White Legends label. How is the distribution arranged worldwide?

All distribution is achieved through UNDERGROUND trading, how the album has wound up at big label distro’s , I don’t fucking know!

Is it a coincidence, that such intensive music comes from Thunder Bay? Or is it something about the area you live in that causes you to make such music?

It’s just me. What I feel inside, the life I have had. I could live in Hollywood or fucking Jamaica and still create the same hammer smashing rage.

What kind of area is Thunder Bay anyway? Rural, industrial, what is the cultural picture of your home area?

The Thunder Bay area is a naturally beautiful area, it lies on the shore of Lake Superior. Thunder Bay itself is a small city of around 100,000 and my hometown of Gerladton is about 2,600. The sad thing is most people leave this area, as its dying. The main industries here are wood (pulp and paper) and other natural resources. As for culture, Thunder Bay is home to the largest number of Finnish people in the world (outside of Finland) other Scandinavians are here as well. We have Little Norway and Lappe and places like Upsala, the Scandinavians thrive in this area, it reminds them a lot of home. As far as living here the crime is insane there are no jobs and the jobs that are here are being lost.

A few months ago I spoke to Myrkhaal of Frozen Shadows, an excellent Canadian black metal outfit. He wasn’t too thrilled about the size and comradeship within the Canadian scene. Do you feel there is a Canadian scene, or do you also feel yourself rather alone among the masses.

Well Frozen Shadows should feel alone in the Canadian scene, they are Quebecois Separatists: which will of course distance themselves from all others. I respect them and their culture and also the fact that they were the first real Canadian Black Metal band. I don’t believe there is a Canadian scene and I also believe that Canadian metal is the worst it’s ever been!

You are already very old, born in the same year as I was cast upon this rotten earth. What is your excuse for playing such intense metal. I mean, most of our age sit on the couch and discuss what to have for dinner... If they discuss anything at all, haha!

The majority of extreme musicians around happen to be in their late 20’s and 30’s. There’s no excuse at all, it’s what I was meant to do. Metal is in my veins, I will never stop playing or listening to it. Age is irrelevant, unless you’re fat, bald or grey, then you should just kill yourself.

The band has a two person line-up, and I’ve read that drummer Rati is no option for the future; don’t you ever wish to come up with a line-up to perform live?

Playing "live" was being considered but lately the big worry for Bloodaxe is security. We are getting a lot of death threats and security is a big issue right now. It seems most threats come from butt fuck America, Ohio and Michigan. Lot’s of in breeding there I guess!!

Ever thought of moving back to Norway? After all, there are more musicians over there that share your musical vision...

Yes I have thought of it often, but not just for musical reasons. It’s difficult to preserve ones heritage in a country like Canada, unless you’re French, Indian or a visible minority. I’m bashed 1000 times a day for trying to preserve my heritage and starting a non- traditional Black Metal band but I enjoy the threats... keep them coming!!

Funny, yet second generation emigrants often long back to the land of their parents/ancestors. Somehow I feel like you feel the same. What is it that people long for a country they didn’t grow up in? Escapism, romanticism?

I never had a close family in Canada and have always felt closer to and gotten along better with my relatives in Norway. Also Norway has a great heritage, while in Canada it seems only the Native or French cultures are recognized.

The nature of Canada is comparable to Norway: vast woods and not right in the center of it all; does that have an influence on your mind setting and thus your music (if so, which one?)

Not at all... my mind set was forged through the experiences of life, childhood and so on. This area is mostly populated with Scandinavian immigrants because it closely resembles parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. But nothing really compares to the mountains of Norway.

Bloodaxe started in 2000; regarding your age, have you been active in other bands (or even genres) before? Why did you start Bloodaxe after all?

No I was a "street fighter" for many years, a lot of criminal charges, in and out of courts, facing prison time... never was in any other bands, that lasted more then a week or two. I was always the one doing eveverything. I remember talking with Dave Carlo from Razor many years ago... he was like my fucking idol at the time... he told me a lot of shit about his "career and the music business"... I had no idea... kinda steered me away from it all. Also talking with Sheepdog Stace Mclaren and Rob from Sacrifice and Hart from Disciples of Power... its almost fucking stupid to start an extreme metal band in Canada and think your going to make a good living from it or any kind of living at all. But anyways, I had made my own tapes with drum machines for years... and people, friends would hear them and they just pushed me to to do it. But the style was always the Bloodaxe style... FAST and RAW. I started using the Nordavinden name around the time I started my first projects... years ago... I think the first name I used for a project was WICKED RECTOR.

The release was postponed quite a bit due to an injury of your right index finger; now that seems rather delicate for a musician, especially in metal where the guitars are rather important...

Yeah I had to have surgery on my right index finger to repair nerve damage and repair the tendons and muscles. This is the finger that I hold the pick with... after a few years now I still cant really feel that well, more of a pins and needles feeling, like when your leg or foot falls asleep.

Getting on on that subject; don’t you ever feel that it’s hard to find one’s place in a society that expects the standards from all of us (youngsters may play in an extreme band, but after thirty you’re supposed to come to ease, or something like that)

I have never and probably will never live in "Society" no matter what age I am. I don’t work 9 to 5... I SLEEP 9 to 5. FUCK SOCIETY!!

You are heavily into metal, the Norwegian black metal so to say. Perhaps some of our readers don’t know, but you hail from Canada... Is it because of the Norwegian roots that you feel appealed by the Norsk Svartmetall, or is it something else? What is it that makes you play this kind of music?

FUCK Norwegian Black Metal. My mind set and style of playing was forged long before the scrawny-armed painted clowns from Norway were cast into the mainstream!! I have always played THRASH, I was always inspired and influenced by CANADIAN THRASH... I always tried to play like RAZOR, SACRIFICE and other great Canadian thrashers, but it always came out sounding like Bloodaxe.

About your album: I have one matter of which I am happy that I am not the artist responsible: here’s the line that I refer to:

"On the one hand it might have been wise to put the songs from the end somewhere in between the blast songs to create more diversion, on the other hand, is that wise to put them in between those fast parts: that is called a dilemma/ Boy, am I glad that I am not the artist... No matter what you do, it is always probably the wrong decision, same as living with a girlfriend; should you listen to her or not, the result is the same anyway: nagging"

Was it indeed hard to decide the track order, or do you deliberately put the furious tracks in the beginning and in a row; if so, why?

I never thought about it at all... it just came out that that was the order in which they where recorded. The album was to be a concept album with 2 parts... The fast tracks were to be divided in the middle by an acoustic track, but because of my surgery on my index finger I was unable to do this. I’m not really satisfied with the out come of the album in general... I’m impressed by your wording of it... most reviewers just say "this fucking sucks" or something retarded. I have had reviewers say that "the guitars are layered" funny that all Bloodaxe has been recorded on 8 track, only utilizing 6 tracks... only 1 GUITAR TRACK... also there are only VOKILL effects in 2 tracks... the chorus of "As creation Wept" and the beginning of "While you lie Bleeding"... but some have said there are effects where there aren’t. such as the spoken words of the Havamal... this is my natural voice... It’s fucking DEEP... I'm sure it makes a lot of reviewers WET!! I believe that most reviewers don’t even give a fuck about Metal or even have any musical knowledge at all... most are in it to get their free cd collection and then later sell them on E-Bay... but of course there are exceptions!

My criticism was mainly on the drumming on "Raping The Ancient". Now it is always easy to comment, so I thought it would be nice to ask of how this remark by me does affect you, the creator of it all...

Well I’m not the drummer on the album but of course I KNOW the drumming is far from Superior. This problem has been fixed, announcements will be made soon.

You have also done some work about the promotion; not just a bio and the album, but also a patch and a button; how did you come to that idea?

Something different, I’m sure reviewers get a 1000 promos a day... if they hate the album then maybe they will like the other shit... If not they can be real fuckers and sell it on E-Bay!

I can imagine, that as the work started already in 2002, you will have a whole lot of new ideas for the upcoming time. Any ideas that have risen and that you wish to work out the coming months?

Yes an entire album (over 45 minutes) has already been written, cover art made. But I’m really sick of the entire "scene". We will see what happens, whether I’m still around or not.

Okay, those were the questions I have: any remarks or things that have not been mentioned, yet that you want us and our readers to know?

Don’t come to me and tell me that Canada is a free country, Karla Holmoka has done her time, the charges against David Ahenakew are bullshit, FUCK the CANADIAN justice system... SUPPORT FREEDOM and SUPPORT THE FORCE FROM THE NORTH!!!!

The final remark is up to you!

Eat beaver, fuck like a moose, drink Alexander Keith’s and watch the Trailer Park boys... Now FUCK OFF!!!