Most recent interview discussing “The Corroding Age of Wounds”. This one is written in ENGLISH. Interview has been provided by Stillborn from the Hungarian Kronos Mortus Zine. Be noted that only selected discussions are posted in this section but don’t feel bad if you’re intie wasn’t posted.
Hail Bruno! Hope all is well with you over there in the Philippines! Have you ever given any interviews for a Hungarian (Metal) media? What do you know about our country? In general, and in terms of Undergound Metal?
Greetings Stillborn! Well… I think this is the first Hungarian Media that I get interviewed, or I just couldn’t recall it right. With regards to Hungary, be it known that I did a Split 7” EP with your very own VORKUTA. This is released by Paragon Records from USA and now is sold out. Also appeared in a compilation called “Have A Brutal Night”, a joint project made by CORPSE FIRE and NEVERHEARD Distro. Been label mates with GHOLGOTH although this happened a very long time ago. First metal known is TORMENTOR. I’m also in touch with SHRUNKEN and MUMMIFIED, STYGIAN SHADOWS and TERRANIS. I think I got a decent connection with a few people in there. Generally, I don’t have any info about Hungary except for Rachael Weisz being Hungarian and her not liking Nazi’s – no idea if that is really true…
How’s the situation of UG in your country now? Are there recommended labels, bands, zines now?
This seems to be a mandatory question, but what do I know…
Your new album has been released by Germany’s Kneel Before The Master’s Throne Records. How do you get in touch with them? They seem to be a truly great, dedicated label with really quality releases.
Yeah, great maniacs! I think our first contact was made thru that ‘Hecatomb to Affliction’ promo that I’ve sent to him last 2002(?)… That’s the start. They get the job done and is very supportive; they got connections to the essential people that this second album is in deep need of and they allow freedom on artistry, which is very important.
To be honest, I lost track of the band’s activity since your Ordealis-era. And that label has vanished into thin air since then. Do you know what happened to the former Stregoica guys? Are still in touch at all?
We’ve lost contact since 2006. I don’t exactly know what happen but I’ve read a few negative statements regarding their customer service in some French message board. I’m not interested discussing the subject since I don’t have that kind of experience with them. The thing with Ordealis is that they came inside my camp in a very wrong time. I mean… when was that? 2001? Hah! I got nothing at that time except for one guitar and a malfunctioning tape deck. So even if I really wanted to give them better songs I still couldn’t give a better recording. That whole scenario looks really impossible to do at that time! Thus, the bad sounding releases came out and there’s nothing to get proud in any of that…
How do you see the new record in KRATORNAS “career”? How much are you satisfied with the whole thing? I mean cover artwork, production, songs, lyrics.
I think I’m a bit satisfied with this second album. Not to the point of fulfillment - only satisfactory. This is the kind of album that should be coming out from the Kratornas camp last 2002. The ‘production’ is as always in need of improvement but the road is clear now and the only thing I need here is time to fix them. The songs… well, they’re intentionally put in a group of fours. The first four tracks being ‘melodic’ and the next four to be chaotic. ‘Interstellar Doom’ is something that I’ve never done before – but since Kratornas is not a Doom project, people will only be getting a small portion of that and smart asses who talk like they know a lot of things can fuck off in there. The lyrics were the same, like 10 years ago and nothing’s changing…
Since I cannot have access to the lyrics of the record, can you tell us something about them? The track titles sounds interesting anyway.
It’s the same concept since 1999; only this time more focusing in the Book of Revelation and the coming of the Anti-Christ. If you got the CD, the booklet looks like a lost scroll with all the unimaginable reptiles being drawn on it. I say that my knowledge regarding the writings of Daniel is still limited, but I’m sure that each of the tracks conveys the message like what I really intended them to be.
How do you see the current state of Black Metal? The genre has given birth to many subgenres like War Black Metal and many many more. What do you think of this thing?
I’ve detached myself with this thing since 1998 – but with regards to this question, I couldn’t care less. Labeling is no use. People keep on incorporating irrelevant things with Black Metal and that is retarded. Black Metal is Satanism and will not exist without the latter. If people keep on tagging their nice feelings with it like being ‘depressive’, ‘christian black metal’ or whatever that is then it’s not Black Metal anymore. It’s fucking trippy music made by hobbyists and green earth loving hippies…
What bands do you respect most in today’s scene?
I respect bands that can still shape a genre even if everything has been tried and done already. To me, Darkspace is great. Thorns is great. Conqueror (canada) is great! Darktribe is great. Origin is great and even the new Abigor is great. Hah! People might not be ready for this stuff yet they keep on bashing them; they prefer recycled music and backward ideas. I’m not talking about industrial bands, I’m talking about bands who can still went out with original ideas and don’t give a shit of what people think.
Your extremely fast tracks can be seen as your trademark for sure. Which bands had an impact on you regarding this thing back then when the band started?
Back then, in the early-mid 80s, only Thrash, Heavy Metal, and Glam Rock were accessible to me. I even need to travel an hour to the other city just to buy those tapes. I have no idea why I prefer fast music even at that time. When the ‘90s came, I’ve bought Unleashed ‘Where no Life Dwells’ and that just blows my mind! ‘Before the Creation of Time’, fuck, that song hits me so bad! I could listen to that song even to this day and capture that same feeling like when I first heard it! Too bad ‘Leprosy’ is not my first Death Metal record bought like what a lot of ‘Metalheads’ always claim! After this, I start writing to people and got an access on mailorders during 1992-93. Then at that time I also did a zine and while I’m into that, I always noticed such statements among flyers: ‘…inspired by Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost…”, this drove my curiosity to go deeper and write those persons selling the stuff. I first heard ‘Black Metal’ and never like it. Celtic Frost too. Bathory is the least that I have ordered, maybe because I don’t have any info about them. When I got ‘The Return’, I got blown away the second time! Everything in that album sounds really ‘evil’ to me. Then bands like Marduk, Beherit, Morbid Angel, Sarcofago, Blasphemy, Brutal Truth, etc came in and I remember I almost gone mad listening to those bands, hah! The access on Metal is very hard if you’re living in a shitty jungle-hole like this, but those were great memories especially if you’re young and the only kid owning that kind of stuff back in the day…
Will you stick to programmed drums for good, or are you planning to use real drums on future stuffs maybe?
I don’t know. Two albums done with mechanics, working with humans soon seems to be an interesting idea (again maybe). Let’s just wait and see.
You have released some split releases as well. Are there any in sight now? If you could choose any band in the world, which one would you like to do a split stuff with?
I don’t have any plans in making a split anymore. For a reason that Kratornas is not really a band at all. What’s the point of releasing something with a real band? Useless. I just realize this after the split with Vorkuta came out. I think it is so wrong to do such thing if you’re alone in the band. I’m still existing to correct the errors made in the past, so I doubt this kind of things will ever happen again in the future.
Since I have not read too many interview with you so far, to me it’s still not clear what the word KRATORNAS actually means. Would you share this with us?
Nothing at all. It’s just a matter of mixed words…
Thanks for your time and the interview! Any message at the end?
Many thanks to you Stillborn for this given chance to share thoughts in your webzine. Anyone can drop by to our website @ WWW.KRATORNAS.COM for cds, shirts and other exclusive merchandise only available direct from us (paypal accepted). If you’re from Europe, you can also get in touch with our label, Kneel Before the Master’s Throne Records from Germany.
[visit kratornas website] [buy the corroding age of wounds shirt]
