Interview by MALEFIC
Introduce yourself
and you band Morthond for those who may not know. When did Morthond
form? What does Morthond mean?
I am Thorstadt, the sole member of Morthond. I started this project
in January of 2001. Morthond is the name of a river in some of J.R.R.
Tolkiens writings meaning Black Root. Despite the origin
of the name, Id like to make it clear that this is not a Tolkien
band. I simply like the meaning of the word and the way it sounds and
thought it would well represent my music.
I see that Morthond is a one person band, why is this? Do you see yourself
adding any members in the future? Or would you like to?
I want the music to be exactly the why that I want it to be, my own
perfect vision. Another reason is that I dont want to rely on
other people, I want to do things when I want do them without any laggers!
As for adding any additional members, I wont say absolutely not because
I could change my mind but its very unlikely that I will.
Give me some descriptions of your music
What do the sounds reflect
and what do you hope they will reflect onto others? How do you feel
when you make it? Where are you when you make it, as in a state of mind?
Early/mid 90s style BM with its own identity and originality,
BM with thought and effort put behind it. A deeper answer can be found
in the response to question #16. Im usually in a neutral state
of mind when I write music, that way I can concentrate on the sound
Im going for without other thoughts interfering with the process.
What are some influences of yours? Black metal and/or other
Musically I have quite a few influences. The most direct ones would
include Burzum, Abyssic Hate, Kristallnacht/Funeral, and old Polish
bands. There are non-BM influences as well but theyre very indirect
and Im probably the only person who would hear it.
How do you record your music? Studio? At home? Dungeon?
I record everything on my own so I can go at my own pace. I used a mediocre
4 track before but now Im using much better equipment.
If I were to compare your music to something besides Wyrd (Finland),
what would you add to that? Not only musically and other Black metal
bands, but life experiences as well?
Well I think only one of my songs sounds like Wyrd because of its depressive,
slow droning pace. Id like to compare my music to other unique
BM bands that have something to offer. Aside from the emotions behind
it, Id hope it doesnt relate to any experiences that one
could have in this lifetime.
What do you think of this new war metal trend? Last time
I talked with you, you didnt seem too keen on it.
I think most of the Australian bands are good but as far as this Canadian/American
stuff goes, its in one ear and out the other. If I want brutal,
intense metal I listen to good Death Metal or old Thrash. Also, the
mentality behind their scene reminds me of S.H.A.R.P.s. I dont
want anything to do with it.
Whom
are you in contact with in the Black metal scene? (as in bands, labels,
distros, zines, people, etc) And what do you think of the US Black metal
scene? Are there any bands you could recommend that you like?
I dont want to start dropping names like so many bands do so they
can give shout outs to their buddies in the scene or have
people say Wow! You talk to that guy? You must be Kult then!
Im in contact with people that have similar, if not the same beliefs
and are truly dedicated to Metal. The U.S. BM scene is very diverse.
From Old School BM to symphonic new wave faggot cosmic art, every type
of BM is played here. It is safe to say I cant stand most of the
U.S. bands but there are some good ones out there, such as: Grand Belials
Key (hands down best USBM ever IMO) and of course their side project
Arghoslent is just as good
Shroud of Despondency, Ritual (R.I.P.),
Xasthur, Nachtmystium, Harvist, Nosvrolok, Crimson Moon, Cult of Daath,
Acid Enema (fucking horrible name!), Winds of the Black Mountains, and
of course the international Judas Iscariot and Weltmacht are great.
Theres a lot of US bands I havent heard that seem interesting
and Im sure theres other good bands that Im forgetting
about.
Tell the readers about the release of yours Somber deathwinds,
give some details as to what goes in to it, and what goes into being
a one person band.
I released the Somber Deathwinds demo early this year to
roughly less than 50 copies. Recently it was Re-released to 150 copies
on Profane Productions and will soon be released as a split on cassette
format with an Australian band called Empire of Hate (dirty, sick BM)
on Heiden Hart in The Netherlands. Recording this was a very stressful
process, it was my first time recording music and I barely practiced
beforehand. A one man project can be very difficult at times; in a band
you can concentrate on 1-2 instruments, while in this situation you
must concentrate on everything.
What are some of your goals with Morthond? What motivates you to play
black metal in times like today?
My goal is to be 100% satisfied with my music and keep making it that
way for as long as I can. I want Morthond to infect peoples minds and
totally change their perception of reality. In times like today I HAVE
to play BM to keep sane, its one of few ways to escape this dreary
place.
What do you think about Suicide? And what is hate about to you?
I disagree with the whole suicide is weak phrase that little
bitches like to throw around. Suicide is the ultimate way out. Its
the point where you realize you cant take one more day of the
pain and mental torture life has inflicted upon you and theres
no hope inside you left. To be consciously aware that you are ending
your life and there will be no waking up the next day and you actually
go through with it must take a lot of balls and I personally think its
an honorable way to go. Although it is true some people do it for stupid
reasons like they lost their girlfriend or something like that
thats
where the weakness comes in. If you are that much of a weakling
you SHOULD kill yourself. Its not like youre worth anything
Hate has always come first nature to me. You cannot have love without
hate or vice versa, but I think people are born (or end up) feeling
one more than the other. A lot of people just throw the word around
without meaning it but when I say I hate something that means I actually
hate it.
What do you do aside from Morthond? Like hobbies, interests etc
Theres really not too many things that interest me
Im
always trying to improve my abilities on the guitar/bass, read, or just
try to occupy my time somehow. Soon Ill go back to college, so
that will take up a lot of time.
Are you, or have you ever been involved in any other bands/side projects
other than Morthond? And do you have any hopes of ever playing live?
No, Morthond is the first and only project Ive been involved in.
I consider starting a side project someday because I have a lot of ideas
that dont fit in the Morthond criteria but Id like to have
additional members for it to make things easier on myself and make sure
it wont sound like Morthond 2. However this probably wont
happen anytime soon, Im going concentrate on this first. Playing
live is another possibility that I wont completely rule out but its
not very likely to happen.
Are there any other releases besides Somber death winds
available?
No, thats all I have so far.
Rumor has it that there are a couple labels that are interested in your
band, could you give some details on that? Also, I hear you are taking
a familiar path by having some sort of release through Profane Productions
(a sub div. of Makahru), when will this be available? And how do you
get along with Mike (Makahru)?
Theres a 90% chance I will have a deal for a full length with
an American label called Bindrune Records. Marty and I just need to
discuss the details but its pretty much going to happen. As I
said before, Profane Prod. re-released Somber
11-15-2002.
It includes an intro track that wasnt on the self-released version
and is the same version that will be released on Heiden Hart. I get
along with Mike quite well; he doesnt pretend to be anything hes
not and hes dedicated to the scene 100%! He has strongly supported
Morthond from the beginning.
If you could describe what sort of feeling and/or message youd
like to give through Morthond, what would it be?
Most of my songs reflect somber and/or morbid feelings. At least thats
what most people have told me that have heard the demo. Musically theres
a message of longing. Longing for a return to pagan earth, longing for
knowledge of the mysteries of this world, longing for an escape from
reality. Lyrically I dont think theres really an overall
message behind Morthond. Some songs dont have a message at all,
while others may. Both musically and lyrically I try to give each song
its own individual identity.
What drew you or called you into Black metal, how did your involvement
begin?
Ive been listening to metal from a very young age, but in my early
teens I heard BM and knew right away it was what I had been searching
for all my life. Music is what speaks to our souls
and
on a spiritual, philosophical, and even political level, I connected
with it instantly.
If a label were to offer you a recording budget to enter some studio,
what would you do? How would you feel about this?
I dont think I would do it. As I said before I need to do things
at my own pace, especially when Im doing everything. If it was
a band situation I think I could do it but as a one-man band it would
be pretty tough. Maybe if I was a better musician. If they were willing
to spend the money still, I would ask for it to buy better equipment
and give them back whatevers left over.
Being from California, have you noticed the people who attend black
metal shows? Do you like to go to shows/concerts? Why or why not? What
Black metal scene (if any) do you think you would fit into best?
Well first off, half of them dont speak English and think theyre
more metal than the white boys. The rest walk around with
their Marduk/Dark Funeral shirts on or they all wear the same Darkthrone
shirt like its a fucking uniform or something with their noses
stuck up in the air thinking they are the biggest metal head to ever
walk the earth. Ask them if they like Graveland, Azaghal, Clandestine
Blaze, or Absurd and theyll say something like uh, Ive
never heard of them before or how about a classic like I
only listen to Nordic bands. Thats half the reason I dont
go to shows around here anymore. The other half is that nothing worthwhile
ever plays out here. All the local bands try to rip off Dissection,
Immortal, and their favorite Swedish blast-beat heroes and cant
even do that good! Id best fit into a scene that is based around
genuine Black Metal and consists of devoted, thinking people.
What gives you the will to live (if anything?)
Basically I dont feel that Im done yet. There has to be
more to this existence than what there seems to be, it cant just
be work until you die. I still have many unanswered questions
and dont feel I have accomplished enough in life yet. Each day
that goes by I grow stronger and I will not stop until I have evolved
to the next level of existence. Uncompromising hatred and means of revenge
are also motivation to stay alive. Crush the weaklings and backstabbers!
Talk about what you would like to accomplish with Morthond, what plans
are in the future for you? Talk about some new songs and what musical/philosophical
path will Morthond take in the future/near future? Future plans?
Plans are to continue working on new songs for future releases. New
ones I have so far are mostly in the style of the ones on the demo,
but perhaps with more solid song structures. I cant be certain
what path Morthond shall take in the future but I can guarantee it will
be one that is true to myself.
Do you have any favorite songs that you have created that best define
you or that you think people will take a liking to the most? And which
instrument do you feel most comfortable playing or enjoy most?
All of my songs best define me. They each come from deep within my soul
and are part of my vision. My personal favorite song right
now however is Lost in the Fog of Dissonance. It contains
almost all of the emotions that go into Morthond and came out exactly
the way I envisioned it. Im most comfortable with guitar, its
the first instrument Ive tried to pick up and creativity comes
natural to me while playing it. Of course bass is enjoyable to play
as well, but guitar is always the instrument I focus on the most while
listening to music so thats the instrument I focus on playing
the most.
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