Interview by
HERR MORBID
Hail Numinas, we can start with
a brief biography of the band... KROHM is definitely unknown to the
european underground scene... I also know KROHM is a one man band.
Why did you decide to be the only player and composer in the project?
Hails to you Morbid. Krohm does not have a very extensive history.
I began learning guitar in 1995 and after a couple years of writing
music I recorded the first Krohm demo, “Slayer of Lost Martyrs”
in 1997. I always enjoyed writing music alone so it was natural for
me to start a solo project. Krohm remains a one man band because it
is a pure expression of my musical ideas and my desire to create grim
and melancholic black metal. I never really distributed this demo
up until recently because it was such a personal project. I was content
just giving it to friends who I knew would appreciate it. It wasn’t
until 2000 that I decided I was ready to make a bigger effort to distribute
my newest demo, “Crown of the Ancients”.
The monicker of the band is simply mysterious... I hope you would
like to share with us the meaning of “Krohm”, and the feelings
that it delivers to you...
Krohm is the German spelling of the name Crom, an ancient Druid god,
better known as Crom Cruach. He was a sun god of the harvest whose
rituals demanded blood letting and human sacrifices. The name Krohm
summons the grim past, the majestic, primal forces of nature, fantasy
and myth. The most special meaning to me is derived from Robert E.Howard’s
story of Conan the Barbarian who himself worshiped Crom. The movie
fascinated me when I was a kid and is still one of my all time faves.
You’ re well known for playing keyboards in the cult Death/Doom
band EVOKEN. Are keyboards your main instrument? And why did you decide
to create another depressive and obscure project besides Evoken? What
is your main band? Evoken is a quite known band in the underground,
KROHM is still unpopular, but in my opinion it is a really inspired
band, so let us know which project you consider as your main band.
My main instrument is actually the drums since I’ve been playing
them for 10 years. I used to live in Seattle where I originally started
out as the drummer in a death/grind/doom band called Infester. After
I left the band I began learning how to play guitar and eventually
purchased a keyboard and a 4-track recorder so that I could try out
and layer all these new riffs I was writing. I then moved to NJ and
met Evoken in late 1995 after discovering through mutual friends that
they were looking for a keyboardist to join their band. Krohm started
becoming a project at the same time that I began playing in Evoken.
Like I said, it is natural for me to write music alone so Krohm is
really just the name for those compositions I create by myself and
for myself only. Being in Evoken is different because it is the effort
of five individuals but the fact that we have have good musical chemistry
makes it just as rewarding. Each band is an equally important part
of my musical spectrum but I would consider Evoken to be my main focus
right now because most of my time and effort has been going into it.
The first new promo-CD song is the magnificent “Veneria’
s call”... The title is intriguing, but I haven’ t the lyrics,
so can you tell us something about them? And about the other lyrics?
The promo is entitled “Crown of the ancients”... In your
vision, who are the ancients? Is there an usual way of writing lyrics
for KROHM? From what things do you take inspiration for writing the
lyrics?
You can find these lyrics on my website under the link to scriptures.
“Veneria’s Call” is a poem I wrote while pondering
the struggle of existence and the wisdom one can find in pain and
suffering through the understanding of the goddess. “Psychic
Pandemonium” is about the influences of the hidden chaos (Nyarlathotep)
and the otherword entities and the ghastly finality they bring to
life. “Crown of the Ancients” is inspired by the insights
I receive when I look at the night sky and I try to conceive the infinity
of the universe. The ancients are symbolic of the unknown past. They
are the beings and forces that shaped the universe and continue to
do so in ways not immediately visible to us. Rather than being about
forests, upsidedown crosses and evil my lyrics tend to be dismal,
stark and abstract. I am generally inspired by occult subjects and
my own inner visions and imagination. For many years I have been fascinated
with the concept of death and the possibility of our souls, energy
and thought-forms continuing on beyond our earthly lives. Ever since
a recent visit to some haunted sites in Salem, Massachussets I have
been more interested in the influence of the world beyond on our own.
I am also fascinated by thoughts of how we relate to the earth and
the rest of the universe. Writers such as Austin Osman Spare, Aleister
Crowley, Carlos Castaneda and H.P. Lovecraft also influenced me greatly.
Now a lot of bands are characterised by nazi or satanic lyrics, and
it seems to be a really boring and false trend... What do you think
about all those ignorant people that want to be nazis or satanists,
without knowing a damn fuck about these arguments?
Although I am not against people using nazi and satanic lyrics I agree
that there’s a lot of black metal musicians that can’t substantiate
these beliefs and ideologies. It’s unfortunate when Black Metal
musicians make ignorant statements about these topics because that
reflects on the rest of us. I am neither a Satanist or a Nazi and
I would never adapt these ideologies into my music, let alone my own
life, because their one-sidedness makes them too similar to Christianity.
I only find them to be interesting topics in literature and conversation.
It seems to me like a lot of people in the black metal scene are more
concerned with communicating extreme ideals, wearing spikes and portraying
an evil image than with creating honest, original music. To me, the
music should live up to the image and ideology that the artist is
trying to communicate . The truth is that a lot of these so called
“extreme” individuals don’t have anything special to
say with their music.
During the last years Black Metal became too fixated about war, destruction
and things like that, losing the dark, depressive, misanthropic and
atmospheric feelings of the beginnings... In your opinion, why did
all those great old bands such as Manes, Thorns, Burzum, Forgotten
Woods leave the place to all these exalted (and sometimes really childish)
bands such as Marduk, War and similar?
I know what you mean. It is very rare to hear these old atmospheres
in the newer bands. I think the more violent, warlike bands gained
much more popularity because their music solicits a more intense and
immediate response from the listener. I like some of the faster, aggressive
style of Black Metal too but it seems like that’s all a lot of
these kids that are new to the scene really know. This war style has
sort of become like candy for the underground ears. The style of Old
Thorns, Manes and Burzum for example, would not be very exciting to
see live for many people (although it would be for me). This kind
of music lends more to using your imagination and absorbing the feeling
of the melodies and sounds rather than reacting to them by moshing
or banging your fist in the air. In
a way it suites me just fine that the old, grim, melancholic style
did not become a trend. Logically it could not have because it is
such an extreme form of music, like doom metal, and it is only for
the select few whose musical palates are developed enough to appreciate
it.
The acoustic guitar on “Veneria’ s call” is played
by your girlfriend, Jennifer Wyatt. Reading your thank list on the
Evoken Cds, I noticed you always thank her, so I would like to know
what you think about love and relationships... Many musicians in the
Black Metal scene are sure that loving someone is for weak and normal
people, and that’ s very sad in my opinion...
I’m not exactly Mr. sensitive
but I don’t see how a man cannot fall in love with the body,
the shape, the voice, and delicate manners of a beautiful, intelligent
woman. In all probability these so called Black Metal musicians are
the kind of babbling fools who can’t even approach an attractive
girl with confidence. I’m sure that saying something like “love
is for weak people…” makes you sound really misanthropic
and evil but I don’t buy it. Not falling in love with a woman
because it’s your black metal belief sounds more like an excuse
for being a closet pillow biter. I’m in relationship with a goddess
who happens to be a highly skilled classical guitar player. I thank
her because she’s had a positive influence on my life. Love is
not a weakness when you can share your life with someone else while
maintaining mutual respect and honor. If you are your own person,
and self confident enough, then love can become a rewarding experience
of partnership and mutual understanding. Any idiot in the world can
have sex and fall in love but to maintain a good relationship it takes
patience, intelligence and insight (all three of which many people
lack).
You’ re a 100% italian guy, am I right? Do you want to share
with us your opinion about Italy and USA? What style of life do you
like most? Have you visited Italy in the latest years? What do you
think about all those disorders and troubles caused by G8? And about
globalization?
I am 100% Italian but I’ve spent most of my life in America.
I moved from Padova to the U.S. when I was 10 years old and now I
am 25. Over the years I have traveled back to Italy to visit my family
many times. This has helped me stay close to my language and culture.
I have kept a strong sense of nationality which is why I’ve decided
to remain an Italian citizen. The U.S. is one of the best places to
build a career because it’s a colossal economic force and a country
of consumerism and capitalistic morals. If you are white, have a college
degree and are willing to work hard you will live more comfortably
than anyone on this planet because there are so many opportunities
to climb up the socio-economical ladder. On the other hand I also
view the U.S. as culturally poor, probably because I don’t have
a fundamental connection with its history and therefore no sense of
patriotism. In many ways I live in this country because of what it
has given me and my family but I also still identify with Italy’s
colorful culture, delicious food and easygoing lifestyle. The only
bad thing I’ve noticed is that Italy is more overpopulated and
polluted than ever. I know that Italy’s economic and structure
is not terrible compared to other European coutries but I always hear
complaints from Italians about the high cost of living, unemployment,
having their pensions heavily taxed, dealing with an inflexible beaurocracy
and an indecisive, leaderless governement. It was unbelievable to
me to hear that people had died while protesting at the G8 summit.
I didn’t realize how strongly Europeans felt about the effects
of Bush’s new environmental policies and globalization. From
the perspective of someone who lives in the U.S. I think that the
American media has been responsible for permeating apathy toward global
issues because it tends to minimize their importance by focusing only
on issues that directly effect the average American citizen. For example,
the main focus tends to be on issues like high fuel prices and the
threat of Iraq’s chemical weapon arsenal. These stories strike
a direct chord in the collective American psyche and are thus treated
as being more relevant. Now take the fact that president W. Bush lied
about his stance on the environment when running for election. This
is hardly even mentioned in the American news channels! Worst of all,
no connection is made between Bush’s broken campaign promises
about being environment-friendly and how now his greed-driven environmental
policies were one of the causes of protest at the G8 Summit. It is
really sickening to witness the stronghold politicians and large corporations
have on the media, the populous and the environment.
To give you my honest opinion we seem destined to choose our own personal
wealth and well being over doing what is right for the planet. It
comes down to survival and for the last half of the millenium human
kind has been in a parasitic mode in which the earth has been our
host.
I know you also love to paint. Did you create the artwork of “Crown
of the ancients”? Tell us also your fave painters. Do you like
to express your art and your imagination in various artistic directions?
Have you ever thought to shot a promo-video for KROHM? In any case,
what sensations and places would you like to show in an imaginary
home-video? Do you like movies, and what kind of movies?
I actually don’t paint. I draw sometimes but for the most part
I create all my artwork on the computer with PhotoShop. I sample colors
and shapes from pictures I have taken . Some of my favorite painter/artists
are Salvador Dali, H.R. Giger, Austin Osman Spare, Escher, Edward
Gorey. When I think of what a Krohm video would look like I see scenes
of tormented spirit faces forming out of a dense fog, close ups of
strange eyes with morphing pupils, an owl flying in slow motion over
a cemetary. Some of the best recent movies I’ve seen are The
Cell, American Psycho and Requiem for a Dream. My all time faves are
Conan the Barbarian, Jacob’s Ladder, The Shining, The Cell, The
Exorcist and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
What is your concept of “extreme” in everyday life? What
do you think about perverted things like snuff-movies, pedophilia,
SM, bondage & co. ?
I’m not really sure…sometimes I play Nuclear Death in my
car stereo and I turn the volume up really loud as I pull up next
to a car full of old ladies, hahaha!!! The look of horror on their
faces is hilarious!! Generally speaking, anything that goes against
society’s norms is considered extreme by those that feel themeselves
to be a part of society. My definition of extreme is obviously not
the same as the average man’s. When I was younger I would drink
and use drugs excessively, hang out with my friends, act crazy, listen
to grindcore/death/thrash and play as fast as possible. That was what
I once considered to be extreme but paradoxically I was also a good
student and never really gave my parents any grief. Now that I’m
older I have calmed down a bit and I enjoy the “extreme”
aspects of life through the creation or experience of art and music.
As far as sick movies go I think I’ve become disentisized and
not easily impressed by them. Over the years I’ve already seen
most of the real perverted shit that’s out there and it’s
nothing I am tremendously proud of. It’s a natural curiosity
to want to see things that will shock you but when you start becoming
obsessed and even aroused then it becomes a problem. I don’t
personally know any sick, demented bastards that would enjoy watching
a snuff or pedophelia movie. For one thing I don’t think there
are many genuine snuff films out there and I think pedophiles should
be tortured slowly, castrated and fed their own tiny penises. S&M,
bondage, bestiality and other ridiculous shit can be very amusing
and usually ends up being entertaining to watch when drinking beer
with your buddies.
Misanthropy and solitude are clearly reflected in your music. Do you
like to stay alone, for instance in a deserted house or in a solitary
ancient wood?
I definitely like to compose Krohm songs in solitude. The winter time
is usually best for me because I spend more time inside. I would like
to one day have my own house, away from populated areas and in the
tranquil setting of a forest. It would be a precious thing to have
that kind of solace.
What do you do in your “normal” life? Do you study, work...
Some people in the extreme scene seem to be ashamed of working...
That’ s absurd...
I graduated from college a couple years ago and I have a regular 9-5
job making a comfortable living. It’s important for me to be
independent and self-reliant because I live far away from my parents
and I don’t have any family around to help me out. Who the hell
would be ashamed of working!?!? Are these people so comfortable in
their parent’s basement?! I’m sure you’ve read interviews
with Black Metal musicians talking about their desire to live in ancient
medieval times and saying how they feel they must have been pagan
warriors in past lives. I bet you a lot of these people haven’t
even moved out of mommy and daddy’s house!! Their façade
of extremism makes me laugh!!!
Tell us something about the current American Black Metal scene...
I know a lot of great uncompromising bands, such as Cult of Daath,
Black Witchery, Krieg, Judas Iscariot, Kult ov Azazel and many others,
but I think it’ s very difficult to find Depressive Black Metal
bands like yours... About Akhenaten from Judas Iscariot, he recently
moved from USA to Deutschland because he hates the american way of
life... Considering you’ re italian, have you ever thought to
come back to live in Italy? Don’ t you consider the american
society too much shallow and bigot for people like you?
All the American bands you mention are certainly worthy, especially
Black Witchery who was recently very impressive live at a local show
in NJ. A one man band from NJ called Sect is also killer (in the same
vein as Kvist and Mysticum). I heard about Akhenaten moving to Germany
and I don’t blame him. It’s easy to become infatuated with
the old buildings, the history and the ambiance that surrounds Europe
(beer is also much better over there). It is such an old continent,
so rich in culture and I do miss it a lot. I can actually move back
to Italy any time I want to because I have family in Padova and in
Roma that would gladly help me out. At the same time I have a lot
of great things going for myself here in the U.S. and they are not
worth sacrificing just to move back to Italy. If my situation changes
or may be even when I get older I will consider moving back. Yes,
one could say that American society is shallow, materialistic and
superficial but you are really talking about the mainstream. If I
didn’t know any one else that was into extreme music beside myself
than I can see how I would feel alienated and misunderstood by American
society. Fortunately I have many friends here that share my same interests.
I am confortable with just being a part of the underground sub-culture
and I have no need or desire to have my beliefs and artistic preferences
approved or accepted by the status quo. I do my best to understand
society, public morals and politics (know your enemy) and they don’t
effect me personally to the point of wanting to relocate back to Italy.
What are the bands you know and support around Europe? Give us some
advices about some bands that deserve to be followed in your opinion...
One of the bands/albums that really kicked my ass last year was Keep
of Kalessin’s “Agnen: a journey through the dark”.
A completely amazing band that mixes the modern standard of speed
and sickness with the soul of Immortal’s “Pure Holocaust”
and Mayhem’s “De Mysteries Dom Satanas”. I also really
enjoyed the latest demo from a Chzek band called Throneum. Very cool
black/death almost like Master’s Hammer but with excellent bass
guitar playing. Some of my favorite past and present Black Metal bands
from Europe are DarkThrone, Manes, Old Dodheimsgard, Satyricon, Kvist,
Isvind, Marduk, Old Dimmu Borgir, The Black, Old Thorns, Limbonic
Art, Strid, Ved Buens Ende, Old Ulver. I really like half of the new
Thorns album. The industrial songs didn’t really do it for me
(Ministry already did that almost 10 years ago) but I was impressed
by the fast songs with the psychotic riffs and incredible drumming.
Some of those fast riffs are unlike anything anyone is playing nowadays…
I am also anxiously awaiting Monumentum’s next album.
Tell us your musical tastes besides Black Metal... Do you like the
music of the 60’s/’70’s ? I think some bands such as
Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Doors were really melancholic...
As you well know, I love doom. Disembowelment, Thergothon, Old Paradise
Lost, Old My Dying Bride, Hierophant, Rigor Sardonicous, Skepticism,
Shape of Despair, Thy Grief Eternal, Old Cathedral are some of the
extreme doom bands I really enjoy. I’ve always been really into
death metal and grind since early Napalm Death, Carcass, Extreme Noise
Terror, Prophecy of Doom, Assuck, Bolt Thrower, Grave, Entombed, Carnage,
Unleashed, Dismember, Incubus, Demi-God, Adramelech, Autopsy, Immolation,
Ripping Corpse, Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Incantation, etc.. Music
from the 60’s and 70’s is becoming more enjoyable to me
as I get older. Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Cream, Led Zeppelin,
The Doors and Deep Purple still sound great, especially that old recording
sound. Stuff like Kyuss, FuManchu, Electric Wizard, SlowBurn, RoachPowder,
Spirit Caravan is also great. The fuzzier, more down-tuned the better.
I like Lycia and Dead Can Dance a lot. Some of their stuff can be
very otherwordly and overwhleming. I enjoy some gothic bands like
Requiem in White, Blade Fetish and Fields of the Nephilim. I rarely
listen to classical music but Basil Poledouris’s compositions
are my favorite classical pieces, especially his soundtrack to Conan
the Barbarian.
Thanks for answering my questions, tell us the next projects for KROHM...
And the last screams before the eternal darkness are for you...
I would like to have the next Krohm demo finished by the end of the
year. I am experimenting more with different song structures and will
use unconventional percussion sounds for a more eerie and tortured
feeling. Thank you Morbid for the cool interview and for your support!
Spread the dark awareness…
Numinas@att.net
www.angelfire.com/myband/maelstrom
Numinas
P.O. Box 1055
Cromwell, CT 06416
U.S.A
