Interview by Bradley Smith of NocturnalCult Webzine from England. This discussion is all about Over the Fourth Part of the Earth CD and some other things like how worthless Philippines really is, but what do I know?! Wait, I don’t think that’s been discussed anyway…
Your New album, Over the Fourth Part of the Earth has been out awhile now. How has the response been and how do you see it as a development from your earlier works?
The sound had its own improvement this time. If I’ll compare it with the shitty sounding demos made in the past, this is a big leap but there are still a lot of holes left that needs to be sealed. Improving the production will always be a pleasure to learn and it will all happen in this upcoming 2nd album. Response among small circles has been great but I’m not comfortable on positive reactions since I know that there are still a lot of things to improve here and there. I don’t resist criticism. I always learn from it. I don’t praise my work; we all knew that there are tons of great bands in Europe so it’s good to have this little attention.
It seems based on your biography that there have been many struggles to get Kratornas to where it is at today. How have these conflicts and tribulations affected you and have they made you and Kratornas stronger because of it? What sort of dedication is required to keep Kratornas alive?
It keeps on living koz I keep on committing the same mistakes again and again. Kratornas has already met its end last 2002 when that small MLP was released in France but I suppose that’s just a horrible (and useless) record to get satisfied with, so I decided to continue and buy all of the stuff I needed to improved the production and learn it on the days to come. I compete with no one but myself so I really need to seal those holes and that’s the only thing I got. I just can’t agree that there were any conflicts or struggles being encountered. It wasn’t easy, but it was exciting to deal with new things everyday. If I want a clear sound, I’ll simply go to Manila and pay someone to give me THAT sound, sit there and record and that’s it. Doing that kind of shit is just as boring as heaven! Anybody can do that and that will even cost me twice cheaper than buying my own equipment (plus doing all the carpentry building a bunker for it). It’s about self-fulfilment that comes first, any other things comes second. I only do things that I like; otherwise I’ll look like a helpless employee working on things that I don’t have an interest with.
Can you tell me about the Four Concentric Ways of the Ancient Cult split? What does it represent and how did you get involved with this release? What do you think of the 3 other bands; Black Empire, Nakkiga, and Xerion?
The title was chosen by the guy from Xerion so I have no idea about his own interpretation on this. Coincidentally, the theme exactly relates with my 1st album but I wasn’t aware of it until I saw the woodcut artwork of the tape version. Xerion and Black Empire were already good long time allies before the idea of making this split came to reality.
Have you found that being in such a remote metal scene has made it hard getting discovered by individuals seeking your music or with the internet has it been relatively easy?
The internet helps, but it had its own strong and weak points. People can anonymously attack someone else behind a computer which is simply pathetic. Also an overcrowded place resulting to self-praised idiocy among bands and zine editors (not all but most). Everybody claimed to be anti-poser or “elite” by having a lot of “no-no’s”, acting hard to get along with, etc just to get an attention. Band members disguising in a “forum” as a different “user” and started praising his own band koz a few back seat drivers in that “community” didn’t like it. That’s sad but funny read!!
Now all I can say is that I’m not against it because there’s nothing wrong utilizing it. I’m not one of these nagging idiots whining “oh how bad the scene has become”, etc. You know these people? They are those that claimed to hate the internet but love using emails because email is a “different” (?) thing. Some of them hated MP3s so much but actually started a so-called label releasing CDRs with “burned” MP3s in them. No honesty but hypocrisy. It’s like saying “Kill the obese Christians” …but leave the fat Jews alone!
Nowadays, everything is so easy and fast where it’s not the same case back then. No nostalgic trip for me. Just sighting differences between opinions and facts… and I won’t bother about those file sharing twits spending their lives downloading all day long and claim to heard it all. Great! Rock on, morons!
Coming from a relatively small scene that is isolated from the rest of the metal underground can be both positive and negative. With No peers has it meant that Kratornas has developed in a stronger more individualistic manner. Or has it been much harder than a normal band’s growth due to now support?
I’ve met these ‘peers’ last 1995 but they’re nothing but complete idiots and a big disappointment. I quit, ended up being alone so pissed and I just can’t believe that I should re-structure the riffs from fast to slow just because these ‘peers’ you’re talking about are not capable of doing on what the song requires. NOTHING is hard being alone if you know what to do (or don’t know what to do but eager to learn).
The only disadvantage here is that people would easily dismiss a band IF THEY WERE TOLD that it’s a ‘one-man-band’ and say like “The guitars are good but I don’t like drum machines”, and blablabla! Well guess what, I’m not adding someone else just to comfort these so-called ‘purists’ listening pleasure. Adding a human drummer (ie: Filipino freeloader) is not the solution here. If last ’95 I did put that there’s a human drummer in there (but actually is still a drum machine), people will hear different things. If there’s a drum machine and I put it as a human drummer (ie: triggering is good as long as it is human, makes sense to me) people will also hear different things. It’s all useless. This is like looking pictures from Mars. PEOPLE ARE SEEING “MARTIANS” BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SEE “MARTIANS” when in the long run; there is NOTHING in there but rocks!
Answering the main question, the only problem with growth here is that I am very far from the Capital or just any ‘bigger cities’ in the Philippines. So the access on buying the needed equipment is impossible and will only happen if you’re fond of travelling, talking personally to OTHER FLIPINOS with different languages and I think that’s just a waste of time. Having said that, let me clear that I’m not “misanthropic” or “anti-human”, blah! I’m just too old (too stupid) for these jokes. I want to “work” base in my own comfort and not picking up sticks in the mud…
You participated in the Tribute to Bathory compilation. What track did you cover and what influence did Bathory have on your development? What other bands have influenced how you see and create metal art?
I did ‘Possessed’, and trust me, that’s just bad! I’ve just completed my equipment and I’m still on the process of learning the knobs, etc. I was told about this deadline so I promptly did the track before that day knocks in. Considering that I’ll be sending it to Germany, I’ve to anticipate with the deadline almost 2 weeks ahead. It was like a year after and the label mass mail an update that there are some bands that are STILL not able to submit their tracks. Everytime I’m listening to that track I feel really bad! I mean, I could give that cover more justice if I’ve just taken more time. To redeem it, I created this song called “Dead Messiah”. It’s not a Bathory cover but sounds close to Bathory and that’s the only intention of that song. Other bands… well, there’s a lot but I’ll sum it up to early 80s since it’s the decade that I grew up with.
With such a strong Catholic influence in the Philippines has it been hard to stick to ideals of Satanism? What sort of hardships does a person face as being philosophically different within your society and how do people treat “metal heads” in general there? Is spirituality a large part of your motivation behind Kratornas?
Majority of “Metalheads” were just like anybody else, they are just DRESSED DIFFERENT (not philosophically different) and most of them looks like a homeless hag, roaming around selling barbecued banana! The younger generation’s attitude (and looks) is getting worse and worse. No further interest for me discussing that shit. With regards to Philippines and Christianity, once again, there is no such thing as “hardship” as long as you have the capability to think, to separate yourself and why would you want to be separated with it. I do what I want to do because in the long run, it’s my life. Those who are so affected by these outside resources are simply those that seek companionship among others as they are just too weak to make decisions on their own and just can’t deal with it. Christianity made these ROASTED MIDGETS turned like zombies and shoved a shepherd to guide them, simply because they can’t think on their own. Just like the vast majority of “metalheads” these days…
Most of the rest of the world has only a limited view of the culture of the Philippines. What aspects of this culture are you most proud of and what would you change if you had the power?
I don’t know. What is this culture you’re trying to sight? Eating insects and barbecued frogs soaked in vinegar? I don’t think there is something to get proud with that and I’m not changing anything koz I just don’t care about all these ‘cultures’ and feel so removed from it. I have no interest with the surroundings, etc. They can all progress and so what? I’ll simply consume it and litter all of it right after I’m done with it. The only important things to me are those things that I do for myself and those that brings me benefits. Changing something for the sake of betterness of other people is not my goal in life. Maybe you mean changing things for my own benefit. Right then, I’ll declare Martial Law. Maybe I’ll earn billions after doing that, bah!
What are the plans you have for Kratornas in 2008? How do you envision both the band and you growing in the coming year?
I don’t plan, really. I just face the day and think what prolific things I can make out of it. The band will soon be put to rest once I’ve fulfilled myself with it. If this happens, I’ll simply disappear on thin air and do something new which I consider to be more pleasurable. You should learn more to know more koz learning and exploring new things is already a never ending process. There is no reason doing something you are no longer fond of.
I’ll leave any Final Words to you. Thanks again for the interview.
Thanks also to you Bradley for this interview. Kratornas 2nd album (CD/LP) will be release this 2008 thru Germany’s Kneel Before the Master’s Throne Records (www.mastersthrone.de). At the moment, I only care about the 1st album available on sale, but if someone likes getting the shitty materials made in the past (demos, 10”, 7”, Pic EP), can still check it out in the store @ www.kratornas.com
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