Information
Author: Mourning
Translation: Dope Fiend
Line Up
Blade - Guitars
Mandarax - Guitars
Thimns - Vocals
B. Bogdanowitch - Bass
Lima - Drums
Sawhill Sacrifice are Finnish, they belong to the latest group of bands became part of the black metal world and they have recently released the debut album "Deus Humana Satanas". Therefore, we don't have much to say about them and this interview is a chance to know them better.
Welcome to our website and thank you for sharing a bit of your time with us, how is the situation at Sawhill Sacrifice's home?
Blade: Ave to Italian black metal crusaders! We are now gathering wrath of SS, to our "tour" in Finland. We are ready to release forces of destruction, hate and darkness.
Who are Sawhill Sacrifice? How did the band born and what other experiences you have had before to give life to this band?
Blade: I have never played or gathered a band before. I had one project but it turned to be just empty from message and focus, so autumn 2009 I turned it down and started gather up Sawhill Sacrifice. My intent then was place up a group which is ready to take a torch and spread black flame message. Since then our group has been me (guitar), Mandarax (guitar), Thimns (Vocals), B. Bogdanowitch (bass). 2011 we were forced to change drummer and after that Lima has been part of SS. Musically for first two years SS didn't find its own path. Huge change on the band was when Lima (drums) taked membership in SS. Then we had tools to make true Sawhill Sacrifice. Me or other members of SS are not part of "old scene" of Finnish black metal. We do not play in any other known Finnish black metal bands. Except Lima (drums) this is our only band. Sawhill Sacrifice is not just a side project, like it is too often on this "scene". Few guys have many bands, I don't get that idea. I want full commitment to SS from every member.
Listening to "Deus Humana Satanas" I had the impression to have to do with a meeting already had in the past. I speak about in nice terms, because there is a certain inclination to Swedish sound, do you have a background very close to this musical area?
Blade: We don't have any connections our background to Swedish sound. But I do know that some reviews have compared our sound or style to Marduk or Dark Funeral. From those bands I have never listened whole album, so I cannot say is it like that. Actually, after reading more and more reviews which were comparing us to Marduk or/and Dark Funeral, I started explore those bands more. Still I don't see or hear similarity with them. Maybe we are not typical "Finnish black metal" with our style and that's why we are heard somehow more Swedish.
What are the reasons that motivate today a band like yours to play black metal? What is your thought about the today scene?
Blade: Well I don't know do I have motivation to do especially black metal, but I have strong motivation to create. I use SS to channel and share what is inside me. Results can be heard now. I do follow the music and message of the bands what they deliver. There is quite many bands what I do respect at the moment. "Scene": I dont know so much or care.
What mainly inspires you when you composing music and lyrics?
Blade: SS chants are composed by me and B. Bogdanowitch (bass). I haven't never before considered where my inspiration comes from, Its allways with me someway. I don't recognize from myself situation when im inspired or when im not. But when considering this question more. "God In Man" is our only song where I have made lyrics, you can partly find out my inspiration from that song, as well I use SS to channel my mind and personality to chants. Lyrics are important and ill let Thimns (vocals) say more about those. He mainly makes the words of SS.
Thimns: Obviously, I get inspired by the darker side of humanity: despair, hate, murder, suicide, occultism, cannibalism, you name it. To me making such lyrics and performing the songs is a channel to release the darker feelings. Usually a single line or a rhyme comes to me and I start to build the lyrics around it.
One of things that I appreciated in the disc is the good production: for some strange reason, for many years to have an intelligible bass in this kind of proposals has been almost impossible. Are you totally satisfied of this release?
Blade: I'm satisfied, not totally, but satisfied. "Hail! GRIM666", to our brother at Sawhill who recorded "Deus Humana Satanas". He straight away recognized what we are after of. Also thanks to Rockstar Productions Studio for mixing it. We give attention to bass riffs and sound, that is something what we are holding to in future also. But if you do so, you have to have idea on it. Maybe its that bass riffs are just easy to forget and but a side, and call it true. I don't know, but for SS bass will allways be important part of the band.
Vesa and his Violent Journey are one of the mainly resources in supporting your national scene, how did you get in touch with him? The collaboration will continue in the near future?
Blade: I have known Vesa for a short while. I must give a credit personally to Vesa. There is not many promoters/publishers like Vesa. He is truly interested about the music. Vesa with Violent Journey breaths the scene and metal. Truly amazing man. I don't recall how we have met, but its not so long ago. I send to Vesa one our song and then just one-two hours later on we agreed how to move forward. For future, I don't know what is going to happen. But if Violent Journey wants to be a part on this unholy path of Satan, we don't have any reason to change things.
If a boy were to ask you five albums for an introduction to this music, what disks would you choose and why?
Blade: This is an hard one. Introduction to black metal? Best black metal albums "opens" to listener after various years of listening black metal in generally. If you start your black metal from "early" Darkthrone, Emperor or Burzum, I think you are not ready for it straight away. You just cannot give appreciation to those albums way they deserve. Easy way to answer to this, is to just pick recognized legends like Bathory, which are obvious. But question wasn’t about just legends, questions was for my picks now? What I would say (not in any order): Sodom – "In The Sign Of Evil"; Burzum – "Filosofem"; Emperor – "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk"; Dissection - "Storm Of The Light's Bane". Then I would pick one quite new album: Inquisition - "Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm".
Extreme music today suffer a flattening and criticisms fly in any direction, often meaningless. If you decide to play lo-fi, is an out-of-time choice; if you change your way of playing, you are not "true"; if you "bastardize" the sound with some "alternative" style, you must be boycotted in advance and so on and on and on: in your opinion, what are the key points to follow to maintain a base of "coherence" as a band? And above all, grow up, and then decide to musically "change", it means follow a trend?
Blade: I just don't know anything about those things. I think that those problems what you described are problems of some other scene than true black metal. When we are composing, or on the studio we don’t think those matters at all. We are not after "true" sound and I don’t even know what that might mean? If someone now or in the future thinks that our sound isn't "true" etc., I wouldn't care those opinions less. But secondly, there is bands who call themselves "extreme" music and mostly they are pure shit and have nothing to do with real metal. Would be good that heavy metal lost its success and disappear from the map for a while. Then there would be room for pure heavy metal with any other intentions.
Art is always more becoming goods to barter for two pennies in mp3, pdf, etc,. What impact have had this way of thinking on the cultural decay that has befallen on new generations? They seem to have everything handy, but, at the moment to open a book or buy a disc and give shape to what they want, they melt themselves, why?
Blade: I don't give much attention to these matters, but what can says is: simply industry cannot deliver them "added value" and reason to spend money to release. On our genre I don't see the problem so big. On a true metal its not about selling disks, its delivering your message.
In total freedom, of course, what do you think about the work of magazines and websites/blogs, such ours one, engaged in reviews? In your opinion, what is the best way to get feedback, not necessarily better in terms of "score", but real about what the reviewer has listened to and received from the album? One of the complaints I often felt by the bands is to be treated in some cases with "levity" and without a minimum deepening.
Blade: On a numbers and feedback what our debut album "Deus Humana Satanas" has received is positive over all. But main thing what I have noticed is that actually major part of the critics have listened the album! Not just for one time, mostly critics understand that you have to listen album more than once to give opinion. Not just quick listening and then see what other critics have said and "copycat" from those. There is those copycat critics also and those ones you can see miles away. Don't make review if you don’t have time for it.
Changing subject, how is Finland in this period of "austerity" that continues to plague Europe?
Blade: I see that stupidity, ignorance and laziness of mind is growing. I don't see "austerity" like you said, maybe its stronger in catholics countries? We all can notice that economics and systems are going down and sheeps seek hope from religions. That has allways been like that. That gives playing field to different "religions" to molest people's agony to "religions" own purposes. What I can see that Finland is not exeption on that matter. But the hippocrate things like Nergal case in Poland are ridiculous. It just a away (again) to give bogus scapegoat and mislead population. Give them easy target to hate on. But, there is another side also on this matter. Failed immigration politics, islamisation of Europe... people are tired to just "understand", be open minded and flexible. The other side is making demands and threats on our own territory. Someway people starts to realize whats going on, but those voices and questions are always but on racist box.
Can I ask what do you know about Italy and what is your image of our country?
Blade: Well, I have visited almost every European country but Italy is one of those few where I have never been. So my knowledge about Italy is limited. That I'll I have to fix soon. Of course I'm familiar of you history and I watch the news. But would be great to have SS crusade for blasphemy at Italy. We are definitely ready for it.
One of the recent considered "important" events was the nomination of the new Pope and the Vatican is a big thorn up our ass, a thorn that Italy suffers from immemorial time. Do you think that religions have lost part of their "grip" on people and, given the implications and contradictions implemented by fundamentalists and "occultists" (men assigned to cover traces of shit), there is a greater awareness of what a "belief" should or could be?
Blade: Maybe some people starts to realize more and more who exploits them. Which is true enemy and what they should be really scared of. Christianity started rape and destroy true Finnish beliefs thousand years ago and that violation against us has continued ever since. People have forgotten their roots or do not even know them, so I don't have futile hopes that those sheeps starts to wake up with awareness. Personally I don't give a fuck, that does religions have grip (or have lost it) from the sheeps.
Let's back talk about music, or, rather, about live: how is the situation? Are you playing gigs? There are some already scheduled dates?
Blade: SS is delivering the black flame message also live. Few weeks ago we had an album release gig in Helsinki with Barathrum. We also have scheduled tour dates on April and May with our Finnish brothers; The Crescent (ex Enochian Crescent), Azaghal and Ominous. But this is going to happen just in Finland.
What will we see in the near future from Sawhill Sacrifice?
Blade: We'll see where this path takes us. It cannot be planned.
The interview is over, thank you again for your time and I leave you the word one last time to close as you prefer.
Blade: Gather and fortify, sons of true god! We will have our night. "Hail!" to our brothers Hautakammio, Oath and Lathspell in Sawhill.
