Interview: Weapon
August 14 2009 at 04:19:47 PM  LUCIFER – the Fallen Angel, with Belial, a Prince condemned, with Beelzebub, the Lord of Flies; SATAN! The Emperor awaits! LHP: Berashith... since neither Bismillah nor Allahu-Akbar get us where we need to be. VM: Bismi - Iblis: Praise the Lord. Why the title Drakonian Paradigm? My visions and ambitions supersede the boundaries that limit the average ‘metalhead.' Tyler, here you have a band truly striving to create the best music/lyrics; the very embodiment of Darkness. Drakonian Paradigm is our first album - it's a bold statement. It describes the beginning and the end of Weapon; in that, everything we have done and will do, is ultimately, to transcend towards something truly great and godly. The paradigm that we will reach will be the most severe, but also the most rewarding. How did you chose Benjamin Vierling for the cover art and how much of the concept was yours and how much his? I was looking for artists who are capable of portraying elaborate and intricate images, but tend to not work with metal bands. Herr Vierling came highly recommended from a friend of the band, so I spent a considerable amount of time in front of the computer screen, with my jaw on the floor, gasping at his art! Once we had established a mode of communication, I described to him in as much detail as possible just what I was looking for in a cover art that truly represents the words Drakonian Paradigm. Interestingly enough, it took Benjamin just a couple of attempts to summarize said ideas into something far greater than my initial instructions. The man is a genius. The track ‘Weapon:' why open with something that was going to dismantle all that people had firmly established? An instrumental was the only way to start; it sets the tone. It's the most powerful part of the album because it paints a very VIVID picture of Lucifer without saying a single word. It wasn't done to ‘go against the grain' or any such nonsense, but nonetheless, I am sure it broke the hearts of many fago warriors and scene queens alike. And then things flow, or rather, slither right into ‘Cacophony!' Kafir, tell me about this hymn to Lucifer! Even though the album ‘begins' with ‘Weapon,' it is ‘Cacophony' were we discover the other side of the story: the fall. One can see the parallels - historical/mythological and metaphysical ties of Satanism run rampant in that song. ‘As atoms erupt harmony is raped, in the womb of chaos the Dragon awakes.' So, you pull from a plethora of beginnings? Indeed. As an initiated Satanist I connect the dots and present images and proof in a cohesive manner. The new album has a few words that were previously foreign to me: Zalim, Ayat, Shamshan being three of them: that and some deities not common to the Western tongue. Oddly, no one has yet accused the band of being pretentious. How does your delivery differ from the ‘pompous' adornments of European bands? Yes, odd indeed. As soon as you start bringing in elements other than ‘anti-Christian,' ‘goats' or ‘winter,' pimply BM experts are sure to cry foul. It depends on which European bands' ‘pompous adornments' you are referring to, since there are only a handful of bands that discuss similar themes as we do. The main difference is perhaps I had the unfair advantage of being born in the East, in that I have actually visited Kali temples and shamshan ghats; I met kufri priests, tantric yogis and wild aghoris. I have lived in the heartland of complete turmoil and violence. A ‘Zalim' is a tyrant, an oppressor. In the song ‘Cacophony...,' Lucifer is using said word to address the demiurge. ‘Ayat' is an Arabic word meaning sign; it also signifies verses from the Qu'ran. 'Shamshan' means cremation ground. Why do you use distinctly Hebraic words: Sheol and Qliphoth, for example, set amongst your rich Hindu vocabulary? Are there not equivalents for these concepts in the Hindi/Arabic? Granted, there are other words of a Biblical form (Latin, Greek) but these two seem prominent somehow. Satan is ancient! Lucifer IS the spark! The Devil hath no equal. Taking these facts into consideration, I aim to present the image of our Lord with respect to all Dark traditions. So, when needed, I use Sanskrit/Hebrew/Greek/Latin/Arabic - whatever is necessary. It is not my intention to establish Weapon as a Hindu band; none of us are practicing Hindus, so that would be absurd. Of course I could substitute 'Sheol' and maybe find a somewhat adequate synonym for Qlipoth, but would the effect be the same? Hardly. So, your LHP affiliations are vast? I ‘try' to be loyal to all of them. Of course, being in my late 20s, I am nowhere near gnosis-trained that I would like to be. So it's hard to say which ones are most influential because this is something that's constantly developing with me, with my guitar playing, with my writing, etc., but thus far I would have to say the Eastern tenets have been the most analyzed. But, certainly your upbringing in a Muslim world surrounded by Eastern doctrines had a huge impact on your psyche - one that gives you a rather unique perspective on these matters. Indeed. Most of my formative years were spent in the East but I also got to travel a fair amount. A deep-seated interest in a religious ‘outsider sect' is quite unusual where I was born. I was always intrigued by the non-dualist frame of mind ever since I was a child. Hinduism is an ancient, non-dualist culture - and therein lies its superiority. Close-minded Muslim nations do not understand Hinduism, and therefore shun it as much as possible whilst maintaining political correctness. You have to live there to understand the dilemma. For example, a Muslim considers a Jew to be a mortal enemy and a Christian to be a rat; but a Hindu person is viewed as a ‘freak' of sorts due to the plethora of gods/goddesses that they worship. As soon as you propose an idea, a deity or a plateau that drifts away from the monotheistic perspective, the Muslim world will shake to its core in hatred and disgust. Interesting that ‘Cacophony' finally sees a portrayal of the beginning when it's technically the fourth Weapon release! Always working from death backwards, eh? From the band's perspective, the demo and the two EPs serve as the welcoming committee for Drakonian Paradigm - of course we stand by our work past and present, but sacrifices must be made - offerings, if you will - for the grand beginning: thus the inclusion of ‘Cacophony' on our majestic debut as opposed to some limited demo or 7". Reverse pralaya is my viewpoint on death, so do the math. ‘Anoint these worthless limbs...' What a brilliant summation of this approach to life we've chosen. To be made worthy, knowing all the while that we are worthless... But, this implies a wish of fulfillment and a drive towards gnosis! Not an excuse to remain docile and apathetic, correct? A drive towards a truly draconian realm. To break the chains of false hope. Why do people do anything? For the truth, because we believe that is the right thing to do. The hijackers of 9/11 didn't kill themselves/others because they thought it was wrong. Conviction like that is to be admired, whether you agree with their intent or not. We in Weapon aim to learn from such examples, because yes we know, we are worthless, and we must prove ourselves - as you said - to be made worthy. Religious terrorism is perhaps one of the best examples one can find in contemporary society of living by example. So you strive for ‘true' hope - and what would that be? I am tempted to say something like those ‘heathen' bands here who are always quoting Nietzsche. But no, our views are of a higher caliber. You get to a certain point when you realize that earthly rules and stipulations, fucking morals and mortals - they don't apply. You reach a stage where the false entities are not in your way. When you get there, you are at the Left Hand of Lucifer. Rebirth! And how you do go beyond? You've tried drugs. You are trying music. Those are two forms historically important to unlocking the gates. Drugs never took me beyond. Heroin just helped me ‘cope' with some things on a short term basis but really fucked things up in the long term. Music, however, that takes me places I sometimes cannot pen. And the fucking cocaine and heroin was hindering that process. Really? You never used it - H - for magickal purposes? I used hard drugs out of boredom. Well, I might suggest looking into the magical uses of drugs! Meditation - you practice the Artes? LEFTHANDPATHYOGA: embracing putrid filth; Atma Shava; emerging in Pan's fire; lineage of Set and Loke; Naga tantra; Kundalini Utsav Ma Kalilith. Kali - you have lived in her homeland. How did her presence in your formative days affect you? One thing that must be understood is that Kali worshippers are not interested in the occult for the most part, never mind Devil worship. Most worshippers of the Dark Mother are Hindus, and then you have some feminist Wicca cunts that are looking to get empowered in some way. I was fortunate enough to have visited Kali temples in Kolkata. Growing up, I was not quite sure just what is required to be a true devotee of this primeval goddess who is inexplicably linked to Lilith. I was led towards her by a relative that confided in me that he worshipped her to "gain strength." This man was a total outcast from our family due to his criminal past in the late ‘60s. At the time I thought that by "gain strength" he was referring to "building muscles," but what he really meant was, one must worship Kali to transcend the banal existence of morality to be One with the Darkness. He would mumble things about walking through the strength of Darkness and discovering the true Light. As my interest in the Left side increased, I connected the dots and was able to see; Kali led me to Satan. The temples nowadays have too many tourists and charlatans and too few truth-seekers. But the thugees to this day will rob you blind, kill you, rape your wife 50 times and then get drunk on homemade alcohol. Can you attempt to convey how your equation of Kali with other dark, left-hand path forces would go over in conventional, or even non-conventional Hindu society? Or does that reduce her to a duality; something similar to the disease we've permeated our society with here in Christendom? In a conventional Hindu society, I would probably be ostracized and banished. In a non-conventional Hindu society, my words would be frowned upon as being too "negative" and "harmful;" the latter is where the liberals and the feminist cunts dwell. The only people who are able to see that our Mother is the Mistress of the Devil are the people who have studied the Logos with an open mind, without pre-conceived notions of some global, linear harmony. It's not an ‘easy' album to digest in a few listens. After almost nine months gestating in my head the album still offers nuances and surprises. How about for you as the author? Does it still captivate? Well, I am a little sick of it in the sense that I can't just sit down and listen to it anymore. You have to take into account here that this album is a culmination of four years of my life. But on a personal, meditation basis - I still find immense rewards. And, I know you wrote this material, with some input from others, but will the next album follow these lines? Any specific direction or premeditated changes that you can make note of? I will always be the primary visionary and composer of Weapon. This will not change. For the next album, which is just about written, the only thing that's different is the rest of the band is learning the songs as they are being written. Whereas on Drakonian Paradigm, everything was more or less ready and they were ‘presented' with their respective tasks. You've worked with lots of various metal veterans. Does this mean you are hard to work with or you are well respected enough within the metal scene there to have so many step up to the work the band demands? I can be demanding and hard to work with; but that just means that I know exactly what I want, and how to get it done. Whether or not I have necessarily worked with ‘metal veterans' is a rather debatable statement. By my standards, a metal veteran is someone like Trey Azagthoth or King Diamond. You have to take into account here the indisputable fact that Weapon is the most hated band in the local ‘scene' within the province of Alberta, and maybe even beyond. There are loyal devilpigs that are devoted to the cause, and then there are some who act like they respect me to my face, but behind my back those weak rats loathe, despise and fear my presence in their precious little community. But, why are you so reviled? The ‘scene' is a cesspool of brain-dead, impressionable retards. They are the members and supporters of hometown hero bands - you know the kind. Lots of ‘fans' at every gig but no one's heard of these bands beyond the city limits. I openly disassociate from these people, so that probably has something to do with it. So, the members you have worked with: do they become pariahs as a result of working with you? We are hated, but these parasites are also jealous of our work. I have heard that the two new members have been on the receiving end of some negative comments and such. Who cares anyway? What's the current status of the band and if members have dropped off since the recording of Drakonian Paradigm? Who/why? Vileblood left because the commute between Calgary and Edmonton was getting to be too much. We were thinking about firing Sabazios, but then he quit to raise a family - so that worked out perfectly. It's too early to speak of the new recruits. Ask me after they have played on an album.The band is more active now that ever before as far as song-writing and rehearsals are concerned. For the first time we are rehearsing in regards to live performances and not an actual release. Also, I am no longer wired on heroin and coke so more work gets done in less amount of time. Do you continue to hash out ideas with The Disciple or others? How does the whole process work? The album is fantastically complex and open veils with each new listen! As far as the musical development, it's mostly me and The Disciple who formulate the songs. I come up with the riffs and patterns, and then we put it together at rehearsal. The new recruits have also been very productive with their input. Drakonian Paradigm is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Our new material is far more complex thematically and much more intricate/vicious musically. And the next album will contain all new, original material? No re-recorded tracks? The next album will be 100 percent new material. The only reason we had some ‘old' songs on Drakonian Paradigm was because the preceding EPs were not distributed as much as they should have been. Black Metal is SATAN! Why is this statement necessary? It's necessary in the same right that a Christian must follow Christ, a Muslim must follow Mohammed and a Jew must follow Moses. Black Metal is Satanic music, created by Satanists, primarily for other Satanists. That is why this statement of FACT is necessary. Your brand of BM is hardly a purest take on the musical form, digging into the pits of Heavy Metal and Death Metal. Care to speak of this blending of influences? Well, therein lies the problem, doesn't it? 'Purest' take on the musical form are those early, shitty Darkthrone albums for some reason... or something along those lines. We come from the school of thought where bands like Mayhem, Master's Hammer, Samael and Blasphemy were creating BM side by side and none of those bands ‘sound' anything like each other. As far as something as menial as influences are concerned - musically we take inspiration from many different sources. And that is part of the enigma of Weapon. We sound like we sound. Nothing comes close. [Tyler Davis]
type: articles
keywords:
black metal,
interview,
satan,
kali,
lhp029,
magick,
occult,
darkness,
devil worship,
guitar solos,
lemondrops,
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Stop me if you've heard this one: A 'Satanic' black metaller criticizes a 'Heathen' black metaller for relying too much on Nietzsche, and then himself relies on Nietzsche in the same paragraph...
I need to stop drinking at work...
That being said, i'm working on an Objectivist Black Metal album right now and all three of those words are capitalized for a reason.
Living in your parents' basement and using a screen name culled from the D&D Monster Manual is no way to go through life, hoss.
Again I apologize. This band is GREAT.