Interview: Arghoslent

Katy, bar the door!

If there were something like an agreed upon threshold in underground Metal, invoking race and tribe would be it. As strange as it may seem, killing Christians and raping nuns may still scare your mother and cause your dog to cower behind the sofa, but it’s familiar ground that fans have long since become accustomed to, even immunized against over the last two decades. Expanding one’s range of targets, however, still raises a few eyebrows and renders many who venture into such territory as idiotic and critically verboten.

It’s a taboo that Virginia’s Arghoslent (“a combination of two ancient Greek words: "Arghoslentos,” which loosely translated means "fortress", "constellation;” and "slent,” which means "slave" or "denizen thereof") have been poking and prodding since their formation in 1990. And although the band stops far short of calling for outright slaughter of various peoples or persons of faith, the bands repeated accounts of ancient warfare, colonial slavery and imperial bloodshed have managed to bruise even experienced listeners over the course of three notorious full-length LPs. For here we have a face and a name and a people to go along with these various stories of mass extermination. Naturally, many have found such explorations distasteful and not a little tough to listen to. Yet despite the controversies surrounding their lyrics and purported beliefs, Arghoslent has received nearly unanimous praise for their musical output.

You have no doubt seen them praised in many online reviews and fanzines or seen them listed among countless playlists on the Internet or had them recommended to you with the same caveat time and time again. Although their appearance in larger publications is rare, even Metal Maniacs had to concede in a review for the band’s aptly titled second album, Incorrigible Bigotry, that Arghoslent “plays thoughtful, creative, well-crafted and emotional Heavy Metal,” perhaps proving that although provocative and, to many listeners, reprehensible, the band cannot easily be ignored.

With the release of their latest album, Hornets of the Pogrom, such praise has not yet abated and positive reviews along with irate condemnations continue to pour in. When the new album finally leaked online in mid-March, 2008, the band was unexpectedly placed within the top ten on Last.fm’s rising artist of the week list. Yet Arghoslent greets both praise and condemnation with a smile and nonpareil scorn, as evidenced by a long-running and hilarious hate mail page kept online at the band’s official website.

In April we contacted Arghoslent members Pogrom and Holocausto via e-mail for this interview in order to break through the cloud of mystery and controversy surrounding the band’s goals and certain statements over the years. No doubt, some issues will remain open to fierce debate and as with all our interviews, are not endorsed by the The Left Hand Path. But as much as they intend to wound, the band’s responses may at times surprise you.

Sound imparts atmosphere. It might convey memories, impressions of time, the feeling of a certain era, location and emotion, but never to an exact degree. Music can sound dark, triumphant, aggressive, even hateful, but not 'racist' and so there's little that is inherently offensive or upsetting about Arghoslent's music. Would you agree or disagree?

Holocausto: You speak sense, though I doubt very much that anyone would posit otherwise. I have not heard of anyone finding the music itself offensive.

Pogrom: Our music isn’t offensive like the music (or lack thereof) of Krieg or Profanatica, for example, that offends the listener with its simplistic, infantile ruckus.

Arghoslent's lyrics primarily deal with themes of war, slavery and conquest from the Greeks to 16th century Russian pogroms to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, often from the mindset of the aggressor/conqueror. But you're also not just passively taking examples of history and writing songs about them. You identify with the content of your songs regarding anti-Semitism, the inferiority of other peoples, the right of conquest and the necessity of conflict, going so far as referring to non-whites as 'simian abominations' and have even lambasted one critic as 'the epitome of Jewishness…a meddler, one who goes stirring trouble, judging what he can never create, a muckraker, a liar, vicious, defensive.' What led you toward this attitude and do you view your music as a way of rallying support for your point of view? Is there a desired reaction you wish to produce among listeners? What is it you want to convey through Arghoslent?

H: I don't know of any reference to all non-whites as 'simian abominations;' it sounds more closely to resemble a broad critical reference to the African lineages, not all non-whites. Because each of our views differ in some of the finer points, I speak for myself when I categorically profess no intrinsic love or honor of all white people. This is utter nonsense. A man is made within, not without. The concept is so basic and fundamental that it is a trite and tiresome topic of discussion. I loathe no man for the melanic concentration in his skin, nor do I admire any man for a fair complexion. The number of miserable and wretched whites on this planet is very great, to be sure (I suspect quite a few of them listen to our 'white power' music). Still, I do generally regard many cultures with a sort of aloof derision.

I am sympathetic towards and inspired by civilizations that have given to the world high art, great science, revolutionary technology, and rich culture, and the most interesting examples to me are of white Europeans. Many continents far beyond Europe have known great empires, but conspicuously sub-Saharan Africa has not. One of the oldest lands trod by man has never mastered architecture, cultivation, technology, science, or any other prerequisite for civilization. In the United State one constantly endures unpleasant interactions with the descendants of these dark and unaccomplished people, and therein is a source of disappointment and irritation that is manifest in some of the descriptions in our songs.

But do not think for a moment that this implies a belief that if one is born white, one is superior. On the contrary, this country knows its current unenviable position because the whites here are so pathetic. Our scholastic performance is below average, our president is a cowboy buffoon, the value of the dollar is laughable, we are in a recession, culture is a foreign concept, foreign policy is an afterthought, we throw billions of dollars at fighting an immortal and intangible concept in the Middle East, and all this as the country is run by whites that were elected by whites. White power? I think not. In fact, the best thing for this country would be for a certain non-white Democratic candidate to win the presidency (and yes, to point out the obvious, he is a very impressive, accomplished man, not the 'simian abomination' referenced above; people should be more discerning when interpreting blanket statements; a country full of men like him would be a far worthier country than one crammed full of corpulent white trash rednecks). But all this just makes for less interesting song material, hence the focus on historical intrigues.

P: In layman’s terms, whites are responsible for the pathetic state of affairs, to such a degree that even a half-black presidential candidate is seen with optimism around the country and the world. Have no doubt in your mind that by having a white mother, he’s should not be considered black and that his apparent success, as mentioned by my conspirator Holocausto, would not have been achieved had both his parents been Kenyan immigrants.

Furthermore, what nobody should be worrying about is his complexion, rather his dangerous Democratic Party preference and its consequences for America. About anything out there looks better and sounds more promising that what George Bush has done to this nation. Again, ultimately we are our own enemies. We fell to the toes of Christ and Moses, and soon we’ll be at the mercy of Allah as well. Nobody should blame Jews or other pests for their own miserable situations. The enemy within is cowardice, complacency, ignorance, pacifism, and guilt. Perhaps we should have Rev. Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson as a President instead. Maybe then it’ll create a reaction in the unfathomable potato couch lifestyle of our supposed kin, even though I highly doubt it. For the most part, a full belly, a microwave, a television tuned to Oprah Winfrey, a 7-11 and fast-food drive-thru close by, filthy Jewish porno rags, and a 6-pack of Budweiser constitutes happiness in the basic man.

Did the reviewer in question (Tom Orgad of Maelstrom zine) prompt the message on your website stating that Arghoslent would not accept mail orders from Israel? Have you ever actually received any such requests?

P: Not at all. We’ve had that message in flyers even before the Internet was around. Besides, he never ordered our material but the fruitcakes at the zine he works for decided that he’d be their best option to review the band. I can’t remember receiving an actual order from Israel, but I did receive a few requests for “free” copies (how stereotypical).

Arghoslent's music tends be quite melodic, sometimes even upbeat sounding. Do you think there's a contradiction in terms of sound and subject matter? Who do you count as your main influences (musical and non-musical)?

H: There is no contradiction. The lyrics are always written after the music; the riffs come first, and it has always been about the riffs, about painting pictures and illustrating scenes. As for influences, I will not embark on the long and tedious discussion it would be to speak of all influences on my life in general. I will say that I am generally uninterested in the metal music today and mostly listen to Russian opera and Flamenco. But I grew up on and still very much enjoy Vio-Lence, Forced Entry, Sadus, Kreator, Forbidden, Dark Angel, Devastation, Autopsy, Entombed, Corpus Rottus, old Vader, Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Impetigo, Abominog, Deceased, Impaled Nazarene, Pan Thy Monium, Darkthrone, etc. Then for a long period I listened to bluegrass guitar, which I think has had a tremendous influence on my own playing and riff style. Bryan Sutton, Cody Kilby, Norman Blake, Clay Hess, Tony Rice, David Grier; extreme technical proficiency here, making metal look like a completely silly and puerile pursuit (which in many ways it is of course).

How did you come up with the name for the new album, Hornets of the Pogrom?

H: I thought of it the same way you thought of this question.

P: Pogrom was the name of our band prior to Arghoslent so in essence we are the hornets.

How would you describe the new album compared to past Arghoslent releases in terms of writing and recording? Where did you find your new vocalist?

H: Hornets is in some ways a bit more aggressive, both in its riffs and its vocals. Some of this comes from who wrote the riffs. Pogrom wrote nearly 100% of everything through Galloping, maybe 75% of Incorrigible, and about 50% of Hornets. So the mix of authorship is different. Pogrom arranged for the Genocider to do vocals; I don't know anything about that and have never actually met him myself, but I regard his vocals as rawer than our previous singers'. They're quite suitable to the material we've been writing lately.

P: I think that only the production is noticeable as the music is unequivocally patented to be Arghoslent’s. Even though it is a new album, the riffs that you hear in them can be recent, or even 10 years old. The riffs on most of “Swill of the Knaves” are from around 1995, or the second half of "Oracle of the Malefic Rhizome” that date back to 1999, whereas the first part of “The Grenadier” is only a couple of years old. Chronology isn’t an issue for our music. The vocalist tried out and recorded the album; not much more to say other than his detention in the Arghoslent camp was minimal.

A line from the latest record made me think that while still derogatory toward Africans, you're not actually too fond of slavery. 'All that is injurious to our existence must be annihilated. Someday this ruinous practice will come to haunt our peoples and our cultures.' Could you elaborate on what you mean by this?

H: I think Pogrom wrote the line so he should really answer this one. The line refers to the suffering our country will forever endure for bringing the infernal creatures over here en masse. One is hauntingly reminded of this every time one sees a pair of sagging trousers, hears the stuttering of a rap song, watches moronic whites speak Ebonics, or sees the decay of our once grand inner cities. The dark ghost.

P: The institution of slavery for the expansion of empire would have been more successful and less post-traumatic had the workforce been returned after the arduous work ceased, or until their manumission. The text can be interpreted as that of the thought of a soothsayer foreseeing the impending doom and consequence of attempting to equalize the status of brutes to that of their conquerors through man-made laws. Mending nature through regulations and speeches doesn’t usually succeed. It actually is a very deep thought which cannot be answered in a few paragraphs.

You still refer to your music as Death Metal. Why?

H: What else would it be? Idiots who try to come up with new names for Death Metal are trying to make it something it's not. This is not classical music; it's not some profound intellectual movement, not some technically virtuosic achievement. Not counting Heavy/Doom/Glam Metal, there is Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, and that is it. Period. Anything else is just an over-interpreted member of one of these families. It's ridiculous to pretend to be some sort of deeply-insightful artist in these genres. If one craves profundity, listen to Mussorgsky; if one craves poetic art, listen to Vicente Amigo. If one responds to riffs and thrash, listen to Metal.

P: He’s correct. I don’t know what else it would be called.

To me, the response Arghoslent has generated in the last ten years places the band more in league with Black Metal from the early 90s, because this did more to upset the social conventions of the current scene than did Death Metal, which took shape more gradually and was primarily assaulted from outside forces in response to its confrontation of Western taboos regarding Death, which at the time replaced the traditional fear of 'sex, drugs and rock n roll.' Indeed, there are some links between Arghoslent and the attitude of certain NSBM acts that crop up periodically and even among Black Metal groups with no Nationalist or political affiliations whatsoever - those who see death, rape, genocide and fascism as intertwined with the music itself. The main difference being that, while certain comments made by bands like Dakthrone, Burzum, Mayhem, Absurd and Graveland forced a re-evaluation among fans as to what they would and would not tolerate or support, these bands were as equally or even more despised by the majority of fans at the time for their actual music. With Arghoslent (and similarly Grand Belial's Key), it's almost the complete opposite. The response to the band's music has been overwhelmingly positive these last few years, although every review contains basically the same caveat. What do you think this says about the direction of the band?

P: We’re one of the few bands worldwide that requires a disclaimer in the package, much like the Al and Tipper Gore PMRC label in the old WASP albums. We don’t share much with regular black metal bands and only see eye to eye with only a handful of the right wing black metal bands you suggest. This isn’t to say that we have anything in common with any type of metal band; we’re on our own standing strong in the fortress. Band and metal friendship is far too elementary and insignificant for us.

The thing that's interesting to me about Arghoslent is that if you had based songs around less provocative subject matter or even took a more objective stance, you might have found immediate acceptance. Do you ever question whether or not you're still conveying something more along the lines of 'shock-rock,' or, as some critics have argued, that you provide less of a challenge musically, focusing instead more on controversy rather than creativity?

P: It has been mentioned had we sung about flowers and mountains that we’d be fairly ‘successful’ as musicians in the metal community. The problem is that we don’t measure success in the same way. Our mission was never to sell a million records if you know what I mean.

H: I don't care a bit about controversy and would be just as happy releasing instrumental albums. But as long as we write lyrics, we write them about what suits, what interests. Aren't people tired of discussing the lyrics, whether they're offensive or just history lessons, whether a Jew can listen to Arghoslent, whether we advocate or merely present? I have many opinions about this, but it's all too obvious to type here. I'll just say that I couldn't care less who likes it and who doesn't. If you like the riffs and lyrics, cool, so do I. If you don't, then put in a CD you do like. I don't care one way or the other.

Given the emphasis placed on the lyrics, does it bother you that many people today who seem to be 'into' Arghoslent still choose to disregard these entirely or simply decide not to take them seriously, and would rather point out how catchy the riffs are?

P: I actually think there are more people listening to our music than I had bargained for. I’m suspicious of anything that a large group of people enjoy. With that being said, I do get satisfaction from dopes listening to our music and being appalled by its meaning at the same time. These gays want to jump in the pool and not get wet.

H: No. Arghoslent thinks and writes in terms of riffs, so if people like the riffs, it makes sense. Arghoslent is not a political party. It's a few guys writing riffs.

Even with all the recent praise Arghoslent has received, particularly since the release of Incorrigible Bigotry, you still seem to thrive more on the negative press…

P: When Zero Tolerance (gay rag) rejects even a paid advertisement for your album you know the band is threatening to liberal pinko pseudo-extreme metal queers. When Metal Maniacs refuses to even review (negatively or positively) your work after playing Metal for 18 years then you know you’ve accomplished something huge.

There's actually one question from the hate mail section of your website that I'd like to see answered. 'How does it feel to be a bastard? (i.e.: an American)'

P: The question doesn’t make sense to me, hence the reason I put it on the site. To me, the hate towards America is somewhat intertwined with jealousy; otherwise there is no explanation for the millions and millions of people that come to live here. Currently there are 12 million illegals from Mexico alone roaming our lands. How many other anti-Americans leech of this nation? Perhaps the statement was alluding to Americans not having culture, but again, we don’t make much of such statements.

H: We're not all bastard Americans, but I am so I'll answer it. It feels like shit, but I am not a vagabond wastrel with nothing else to think about. I abhor the melting pot and loathe the concept of mixing cultures; this country is far too large and far too diverse, etc., etc., but there are certainly more engaging things to devote one's time too than pondering such immutable circumstances.

What kind of problems have you encountered in setting up shows in America? Have you played any shows not supported by local skinhead organizations? Would you like to?

P: We haven’t had problems with shows because when we did use to play we were so insignificant in the scene that no one cared one way or another for our music/lyrics. I believe that today we run a risk of organizing gigs and tours due to the almost predictable boycott and cowardly Internet campaign that would follow.

Have there ever been any altercations involving physical violence at the few Arghoslent shows that have taken place? Protests? Threats? Anything?

H: No.

P: Never.

Do you wish to be valorized for taking a stand for 'artistic expression'?

P: I’m actually against freedom of expression for others.

H: No, and I have no interest in even getting into the topic it's so boring.

How long will you continue with the band? How far do you think it can go and how would you define 'success' for a band like Arghoslent?

P: There is no such thing as success for a very part-time diversion like Arghoslent. We all have full lives we lead. We write Arghoslent material because we aren't out of riffs yet. Whether we put albums out and tour the universe or just play without amps on a porch somewhere is irrelevant to me. Speaking of success in something so low as Metal music doesn't make much sense anyway. Cornelius Vanderbilt was successful; Marduk is not.

[Todd DePalma]

type: articles    keywords: interview, death metal, lhp016, obama 08,   

• Posted by Aviva on Jul 21, 2008 at 1:23 AM
  
  this disgusting abomination of humanity that even tries to call itself a band should die of painful cancer - they wish they could even come close to what a Jew really is.
  
  
• Posted by adam g on Jul 21, 2008 at 8:11 PM
  
  Obviously, these assholes thrive on hate mail. But it has to be said that they are complete idiots and to say that they have a narrow understanding of history and race is an extreme understatement. I don't care how much "unaniminous praise they've received" it seems irrelevant. There are many far more musically superior metal bands who aren't as retarded. And, oh wow, no orders from Israel? Well the country may not survive without them. Do they know that there are Israeli soldiers who have not had the comfort of growing up in relatively war free country their whole lives and could beat them to a living pulp if so if so required? And the poor guys are "haunted" by sagging trousers and rap songs? Give us all a break. These are not men. They are whiny little bitches.
  
  
  
• Posted by Grk! on Jul 30, 2008 at 10:20 AM
  
  Metal Maniacs *did* review 'Incorrigible Bigotry', & positively too. Pogrom, you're a pillock.
  
  
• Posted by ex.person on Jul 30, 2008 at 10:32 AM
  
  Yeah, as noted above. The quote is still used on Moribund's distro list, actually. S. Craig Zahler reviewed it.
  
  
• Posted by Skullhammer on Sep 14, 2008 at 10:36 AM
  
  Aviva is why there will be no peace. You and your kind are a sorry race of subversive trolls. Enjoy Gaza while you can you miserable fiend. With any luck you'll soon be wiped clean from the face of the Earth. You lied your way into Palestine and settled there...isn't that good enough? Jesus Christ you're all alike. Is it any wonder why your kind is the most reviled and destested race of people? It has been 2000 years and the hate still exists...and its no wonder. Go eat a cornbeef sandwhich with lox and watch another Adam Sandler movie you wretched turd.
  
  
• Posted by Helm on Sep 16, 2008 at 12:14 AM
  
  What's most fascinating than anything about this interview is how apparently disgruntled these people are with the state of affairs in culture, metal, their band, themselves. Their grumpy politics aren't even the focus issue for me.
  
  Also in risk of being completely wrong, I am Greek and 'Arghoslent' doesn't mean anything in the common dialec?. ????? means slow, not fortress (??????). As far as the constellation bit, it IS a name of a constellation but not OF constellations generally. I have no idea what 'slent' might even refer to, greek for slave is ???????. Perhaps in some strongly mispronounced ancient Greek dialect these words relate to something close to what is mentioned in the intro of this piece?
  
  Argos was an ancient Greek city constantly at war with either Athens or Sparta, but from there to 'fortress' is a pretty huge jump!
  
  
• Posted by Anonymous on Oct 08, 2008 at 6:43 PM
  
  Isn't it ironic that Arghoslent's harshest critics have little composure or verbosity? That fits the definition of "retarded" more than anything, Mr. adam g.
  
  As for you, Aviva and adam g...my two little kikels. Your kind abdicated its right to complain about living in a warzone once they began the systematic oppression of Palestinians. Have you little thought on precisely what creates a suicide bomber? Maybe, your bulldozing projects created them; after all, 55% of them had their homes destroyed prior to their final deed. Still, in spite of our current financial crisis, our government dumps 6 billion dollars on you annually. But don't let me complicate that for your tiny, ratty heads.
  
  I shouldn't bother mentioning that Israeli leaders (Matan Vilnai) continually threaten to unleash a "Holocaust" upon Gaza, but since you little kikels imitate your Nazi oppressors rather than transcend them, and you've proven to be the worlds greatest welfare queen, I see it fit to dismiss any of your plights.
  
  Oh, by the way, none of you ever suffered a day in Auschwitz. Stop feeling phantom pains from your ancestors.
  
  
• Posted by Todd D. on Oct 08, 2008 at 9:38 PM
  
  Before this gets any further out of hand, let me say that users are welcome to respond to points raised by the band in the article and by other users here in the comments area, but we will not let this descend into a churlish youtube/fmp flame war. Can't do that? Then please take your objections elsewhere.
  
  

 

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