BAST Magazine

VARGATHRONE
MySpace is a bounty for finding underground music. Other websites have tried, but somehow, they don’t do it near as well. One of the great metal acts I found was Vargathrone. Vargathrone is a one-man project started in Germany by Varganorth. It is dark, bleak and great black metal, and though he now lives in North Africa, where one does not usually associate with infernal music, he continues the dark plague.

Interview with Varganorth from VARGATHRONE

BAST (B): Tell me a little of your history. How did Vargathrone come about?
VARGANORTH (V): When my band Malicetears split up in 2003, I had the idea of creating an individual project, where nobody can suggest to me his dirty ideas, or criticize my own creations. So, I started working on my first Demo Winterkrieg in 2004, just as a test, to see how it would be. This demo contained three (black ambient) tracks and since I wanted my project to be 100% individual, I decided to make everything on my own; creation of my own studio "Ulvstrümer", mixes and mastering, logo, album artwork, even image processing. And as I didn't have commercial goals, I produced 30 CDs that I only sent to my Pure True Friends.
B: Where did you get the name?
V: The word Vargathrone is composed of Varg , which means wolf in Norwegian and Throne. The choice of this name has a strong relation with the wolf symbolic :
- individuality and wisdom
- teaching of the spiritual knowledge
- the guide among dreams and meditations
- Intuition and intelligence
- It symbolizes the social and family values
- personal and nation protection
- it crushes enemies , takes aback the opponents
- It represents the steadfastness and incorruptibility
- courage, dignity, freedom
- It symbolizes death and rebirth
B: What makes your music different than others in black metal?
V: My music is different in so far as it's my personal touch, assembling depressive melody with freezing and heinous atmosphere together. That make us travel among an erratic labyrinth and feel the real state of mind of (Varganorth) the creator, after listening to the music.
B: What should us listeners know about the new album? What should we be prepared for?
V: I prefer to surprise you, just listen to the new album, and you can judge for yourself.
B: Is it difficult being a metalhead where you live?
V: It's really difficult to be a metalhead in the country where I live for the moment, but I am not anyone to obey the environment, I am always ready to divert and crush all my enemies and although it remains just a few months to return to Europe, I try to be the prophet of the Black metal in this land.
B: What are some other things you like to do besides creating music?
V: I like riding, the manufacture of coat of mail and medieval bracelets, photography, and web sites ...
B: What bands/music are you listening to these days?
V: The bands that I’m listening these days are Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, and Beherit…
B: When will your album be released?
V: My new album will be released on January 15, 2008, in Digipack, at Abhore Records.
B: Would you like to perform your music live, or is it strictly a studio project?
V: But of course that I’ll do concerts. To share my music and my feelings directly with the audience. For this reason, I think for a tour in the summer of 2008 with Abhore Records.
B: If you could choose anywhere in the world to live, where would it be?
V: In the Faroe Islands.

- Martha Hughes