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Music Interview: SUIDAKRA
SUIDAKRA
English Version:
Melodic Celtic Metal Tale
- Exclusive interview with SUIDAKRA
Interview by Demogorgon
Photos by Lava. J
Translated with help from: myy
June 16th 2009
Will be published on the 2nd issue of Dragonland Magazine
June 16th, 2009, famous German Pagan Metal band SuidAhrA performed their first ever Beijing concert in Yu Gong Yi Shan club successfully. Dragonland Magazine made a short interview with the band that afternoon, let's begin with their Shenyang live performance on 14th, beyond music, to the vast cultural background!
Arkadius "Akki" Antonik - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards (1994-)
Sebastian Hintz - Guitar, Clean Vocals (2009-)
Marcus Riewaldt - Bass (2002-)
Lars Wehner - Drums, Backing Vocals (2001-)
Demogorgon: Greetings! This is your first ever concert in Beijing, what do you want to say to our readers?
Arkadius: Ok, I would like to say hello from SuidAkrA. Thanks to everybody who would come to the show and on the SuidAkrA Chinese show, and, bang your heads!
Demogorgon: I hear that the concert in Shenyang has not played as expected. What's your feeling?
Arkadius: Yes, it's confusing because we head to the show, and after the first song, during the second song the broke down, and we had to have a short break, police came in, something like that. We didn't know how to react, you know, so after ten minutes, we carry on with the sets, but there was one guy I think, in the crowd making some trouble, so special watch team came in. And yes, the organizer and we decided to break up the whole concert, just, you know, because the healthy of the fans is much more important.
Demogorgon: I heard of maybe there were someone injured.
Marcus: We are not very sure about this, there was a lot of movement in the crowd, and somehow there were some complicated, somebody was hurt or got injured, but we are not really sure about this. But the organizer had to stop the show before somebody got seriously hurt. So we stopped at this point.
Demogorgon: Maybe they moshed too hard?
Marcus: Yes, maybe. We were surprised there were so many people there and they have seen everything. We have a video clip on MySpace now so maybe if people wanna see what happened they can see the video clip on our Myspace.（http://www.myspace.com/suidakra）
Demogorgon: Let's throw off all dissatisfactions, and back to today. Does you band name came from your name Arkadius?
Arkadius: Yeah, it does.
Demogorgon: Does it have any deeper meanings?
Arkadius: Not really, no. We were just looking for a new band name, and started to write our names backward, and when it was my turn came SuidAkrA. We thought, oh, it sounds like a Metal band. So we decided to call the band SuidAkrA, but it has no meaning.
Demogorgon: Sounds like “Suicide Dark Ra”...
Arkadius: Yeah…Suicide Dark or something like that...yeah.
Demogorgon: You are introduced as "Melodic Black / Death Metal with folk/medieval influences" on http://www.metal-archives.com/, while many many fans see you as Pagan Melodic Death Metal. Which one do you prefer?
Arkadius: Which description? Sound? I would say, yeah, Melodic Celtic Metal, something like that. I mean it's very hard to describe our sound, because we have so many influences in our sound. But it's truly we have folk influences. We are not a folk band; we are a traditional Melodic Death Metal band. But I think Melodic Celtic Metal describes very good.
Demogorgon: Do you have any relationship with Pagan Metal bands come from Ireland such as CRUACHAN or PRIMORDIAL? You see I introduced them to our readers in the first issue.
Arkadius: Oh, yes. We played with CRUACHAN once in Germany, and we talked to them back stage. But we have not played with PRIMORDIAL yet, we don't know them personally, we wish to play some shows with them together, maybe in the future.
Demogorgon: We all know there are other bands who write Celtic topics such as ABSU from USA or TUATHA DE DANANN from Brazil. What do you think about their releases? Can you compare your music with theirs in a few words?
Arkadius: I don't really know. 'Cause I don't know their music that good, I have just heard a few songs from ABSU in the past. Not even one song from TUATHA DE DANANN, so in this case I cannot really compare (their music) to our songs. I used to hear of this Brazil band deal with Celtic sound because it's something special for a Brazilian Metal band who do not have connection to the Celtic like European you know. Maybe I'll take a listen.
Demogorgon: I see Tara by ABSU has the same graphic designer of your new album.
Marcus: Yes, Kris Verwimp.
Demogorgon: There are certain ones who think bands that do not come from Ireland or Scotland could express their histories or cultures well. What's your opinion? Because you are not come from Ireland or Scotland.
Arkadius: Yeah, I mean the Celts settled over the Europe, not only Ireland, so I don't think that they have the right to say that only Irish people can deal with their history. Because they were settled from the Alps to Ireland.
Marcus: I personally think that we don't have the real connection to this culture because it's hundreds of years ago. If you get into the stories and histories and you're interested in the Irish folk music that still very alive today, so it's not about having the right to do this music or don't have the right. Also I say it's kind of funny that Brazilians do folk Metal. But if they are getting in to the material and reading books and know what’s going on and then doing this music then it’s ok , it’s same for us this way, even though we are from Germany not from Ireland we have found this culture and found it's interesting to music and that’s why we developed our lyrics this way. I don't care about if anybody says because we don't come from Ireland we cannot do this, I would say fuck off.
Demogorgon: Maybe a Chinese band could write something about Viking.
Marcus: Yes, why not? Chinese people are very interested in the history. The Chinese we used to talk to were mostly study in German University. But they know a lot of German history, and German cities and what’s going on in Germany. So they can write an album with German history, why not?
Demogorgon: It's a good topic...
Marcus: Yes.
Demogorgon: You have already written a concept album for Cuchulain and his adventures. Then will you write something for Three Sorrows of Storytelling in the future? (For example, the Exile of the Sons of Uisliu, the Death of the Children of Tuireann and the Death of the Children of Lir)
Marcus: We picked this special tale about Cuchulain and his son Connla. it's a part of a very big history and mytholic storytelling with a lot of different stories. So this was even greater here there are also other parts of this mystery but we haven’t decided yet what the new album would be about. I don’t think we’ll stick to this kind of story on the next album. I think we have this now and we‘ll do something else on the next record, but we haven’t decided it yet.
Demogorgon: We can all expect it and hope it would be a big step forward.
Marcus: Yes, it will, of cause.
Demogorgon: How long will you perform tonight? The set list?
Arkadius: I’m not sure. Maybe 8 or 9 songs.
Marcus: Nobody told us how long we are allowed to play, so we can play like one and a half an hour, if we allowed to. But we have to wait what the promoter would say. Probably there will be 8 or 10 songs.
Demogorgon: Can we see your female warriors perform on stage today? (Miriam Hensel or Tina Stabel?)
Arkadius: Not really. Miriam is the only female, and Stabel she is our manager.
Marcus: Miriam? She’s our manager, she is here with us today, but she will not be on stage.
Arkadius: There is a small part in the song “Shattering Swords” and the vocal was by Miriam, and this gonna be one sample, and you will hear it, but you won’t see Miriam on the stage.
Demogorgon: Any comment or advices to Chinese Metal bands? Wish you have a good time tonight!
Marcus: Chinese Metal bands...
Sebastian: Play faster.
Arkadius: Haha.
Marcus: Actually we have to admit or at least I don’t know any Chinese Metal bands. Maybe we will see some bands play today or the next day, I’m not sure about this. We know that Metal is quite new to most fans or people in China, and we hope that all people who like Metal would have the chance to get it, to buy it at the shop or to find it on the internet, I know there is restriction but it’s just music, and we hope a lot of people would have the possibility to get into Metal in China.
Demogorgon: In China music may be one kind of propaganda, so there are some regulations. But we are still here, and trying to promo, because we think it could make us strong.
Marcus: Ah, we have to underline that SuidAkrA is not a political band, and we don’t make political music. And actually we are not really too much interested in this. Maybe (we are interested in it) in personal life, but not in the band. So I hope that people realize this is music, it’s to enrich your life, to have a good time, to go to the show, to have a good party together, to be entertained. You know that we don’t want it to linked to politic way, because we are not a political band. We are just making music.
Demogorgon: Then do you take the cultural background part in your music seriously?
Arkadius: Yes, of cause, but I mean, we treat it more in an entertainment way. You know it like… for example, in the Celtic history, you have to tell stories sitting by the fire and play music. Just to entertain, not to create ideology, and something like that. And this is what we do. We are like bards you know, we just play and want to have fun, and say something like that. Not in the funny way, you know, just an entertaining way.
Demogorgon: Thank you for your time, and hope everyone have a good time tonight. Let’s stop here, see you tonight.
Arkadius: Ok, thank you. Enjoy the show.
Review on the Goethe's Sommernächte in Peking Pop-Rock Musikfest
Chinese Version:
凯尔特金属的旋律传说
——SUIDAKRA独家专访
采访：Demogorgon
摄影：Lava. J
翻译协助：myy
2009-06-16
2009年6月16日，德国著名异教金属乐团SuidAkrA在北京愚公移山酒吧成功举行了自己的第一场北京演出。当天下午，《金属乐界》对乐团进行了简短的采访，首先从14日的沈阳演出开始，再到音乐，还有文化背景，请大家过目！
Arkadius "Akki" Antonik - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards (1994-)
Sebastian Hintz - Guitar, Clean Vocals (2009-)
Marcus Riewaldt - Bass (2002-)
Lars Wehner - Drums, Backing Vocals (2001-)
Demogorgon：SuidAkrA，你们好，这是你们在北京的首次演出，对我们的读者们说点什么？
Arkadius：好的，首先我代表SuidAkrA说一声你们好。感谢所有要来看SuidAkrA的中国演出的人，大家“甩起来”！
Demogorgon：我听说前天在沈阳的演出并没有按照预先的计划进行。你们感觉如何？
Arkadius：是的。这让人有点困惑，因为我们是主演。在第一首歌后，第二首歌中间出了问题，我们不得不暂停了演出，然后大概是警察来了之类的。我们真的不知道该如何应对，大约十分钟后，演出继续，但是我想人群里有个家伙制造麻烦。保安们来了，组织者和我们决定终止演出。因为你知道，乐迷们的健康要重要得多。
Demogorgon：我听说可能有人受伤。
Marcus：这一点我们不很清楚，当时人群动得很厉害，情况有些复杂，可能有人受了轻伤，但是组织者在有人严重受伤之前就终止了演出。
Demogorgon：可能是场下冲撞的太厉害了？
Marcus：是的，可能。我们很吃惊那里有那么多的人，他们看到了一切。如果大家想知道当时出了什么事，可以去我们的Myspace上看现场片段。（http://www.myspace.com/suidakra）
Demogorgon：让我们把所有不尽人意的话题抛开，回到今天的演出。你们的乐队名是来自于你自己的名字Arkadius吗？
Arkadius：是的。
Demogorgon：这名字有什么更深的含义？
Arkadius：不，没有什么更深的含义。我们在找新乐队名，就把名字倒过来写。轮到我的时候就成了SuidAkrA。我们想，哦，这听起来像是个金属乐队的名字。但是这名字并没有什么特殊意义。
Demogorgon：听起来像自杀黑太阳神……
Arkadius：对，像是自杀黑（Suicide Dark）什么的。耶。
Demogorgon：你们在http://www.metal-archives.com/上被宣传成“带有民歌/中世纪影响的旋律黑暗/死亡金属”，而与此同时，很多人把你们看成是异教旋律死亡金属。你喜欢哪个？
Arkadius：形容？我可能会说是旋律凯尔特金属（Melodic Celtic Metal），我的意思是我们的音乐其实很难概括，因为我们的音乐受到多种风格的影响。我们的确受到民歌影响，但是我们不是支民谣乐队，而是支传统的旋律死亡金属乐队。但是我认为旋律凯尔特金属这个描述很贴切。
Demogorgon：你们和诸如CRUACHAN和PRIMORDIAL这样来自爱尔兰的异教金属乐团有什么联系吗？你看，我在第一辑杂志上介绍过他们。
Arkadius：哦，好的。我们有次在德国与CRUACHAN同台，在台下聊过一些，但是还没有和PRIMORDIAL一起演出过。我们和他们还没有个人联系，希望能和他们同台演出，可能将来吧。
Demogorgon：我们都知道还有些别的国家的乐队这些凯尔特主题，例如美国的ABSU和巴西的TUATHA DE DANANN，能将他们和你们的音乐简单做个比较吗？
Arkadius：我不知道怎么说，因为我对他们的音乐的了解还不够深。我只在以前听过ABSU的一些歌曲，还没听过TUATHA DE DANANN。所以在这一方面不能说太多。但是我确实听说过这支巴西乐队，一支巴西金属乐队演奏凯尔特音乐真的很不寻常，因为巴西并不像欧洲与凯尔特有着着联系。也许我们得去听一下。
Demogorgon：我看到ABSU的Tara和你们的新专辑是同一名设计师设计的封套。
Marcus：是的，Kris Verwimp。
Demogorgon：确实有些人认为只有来自爱尔兰或者苏格兰的乐队才能很好地表现他们的历史，你们怎么看？而你们并非来自那里。
Arkadius：凯尔特人在整个欧洲都有安家落户，而非仅仅在爱尔兰。所以我认为他们并没有权利说只有爱尔兰乐队才能描述好他们的历史文化。因为他们最早也是从德国的阿尔卑斯迁徙过去的。
Marcus：我个人认为我们并没有很深地联系到数百年前的文化，你是否深入故事、历史以及对现今依然活跃的爱尔兰音乐感兴趣，和你是否有权去做这类音乐没什么关系。我也会说一支巴西乐队去写（凯尔特民歌）很好笑，但是如果他们深入研究了素材，读了书，知道圈子在发生什么，再去写音乐，那就可以。我们就是如此，即便我们来自于德国而非爱尔兰，我们发现这一文化很有趣，这就写下关于它的音乐和歌词。我并不关心有人说我们不是来自于爱尔兰就不能这么写。对他们，我会说滚蛋。
Demogorgon：这么说来中国乐队也可以写关于维京人的歌。
Marcus：是的，为什么不行呢？中国人对历史很感兴趣，我聊过的中国人大多数是在德国大学里学习的，但是他们知道很多关于德国历史、城市以及德国在发生什么。那么他们就能写张关于德国历史的专辑，为什么不可以呢？
Demogorgon：这是个好题目……
Marcus：是的。
Demogorgon：你们已经写了一张关于神魔枪之主库丘林（Cuchulain）和他的探险的概念专辑，那么未来是否会写些给凯尔特三个哀伤传说的歌曲？例如“the Exile of the Sons of Uisliu”、“the Death of the Children of Tuireann”和“the Death of the Children of Lir”。
Marcus：我们选择了这个关于库丘林和他的儿子特别的传说，是一个很大的历史、神话、故事的一部分。也许这个传说的其它部分也很精彩，但是我们还没决定新专辑的主题。我认为我们的下一张专辑里不会继续这个主题。我们已经做了这些，要做点不一样的事，但是我们还没有决定到底是什么。
Demogorgon：很值得期待，一定会有所进步。
Marcus：是的，当然。
Demogorgon：你们今晚演出多长时间？
Arkadius：不太确定，可能8-9首。
Marcus：还没人告诉我们能演多长，也许可以长到一个半小时，如果被允许的话。但是我们得等宣传方说话，可能会允许8-10首。
Demogorgon：我们今晚能看到你们的女歌手Miriam Hensel或Tina Stabel上台伴唱吗？
Arkadius：不，Miriam是我们的经纪人。
Marcus：Miriam？她是我们的经纪人，和我们一起来了，但是今晚不会上台。
Arkadius：“Shattering Swords”那首歌里有她的声音，这是个采样，你能听到，但是不会看到她上台。
Demogorgon：谢谢，对中国金属乐队说点什么？
Marcus：中国金属乐队？
Sebastian：弹快点。
Arkadius：哈哈。
Marcus：实际上我并不认识中国金属乐队，可能我们今天或者转天能见到些中国金属乐队演出，不过这个我还说不准。我们知道金属对大多数中国乐迷和中国的人们来讲算是新音乐，我们希望喜欢金属的人们能在店里买到或者是网上找到。我知道在这方面有着限制，但是这只是音乐，我们中国希望有很多人能有机会投身金属。
Demogorgon：在中国音乐可能也算宣传的一种形式，所以有着各种限制，但是我们依然在这里宣传它，因为我们认为金属让人更为有力。
Marcus：啊。我们必须强调SuidAkrA不是政治乐队，也不做政治音乐。实际上我们对这个没什么兴趣，在个人生活中可能有，但是在乐队中没有。我希望人们意识到这只是音乐，丰富你的生活，去看演出、一起聚会，去娱乐。我们不希望它被联系到政治方面，因为我们并非是一支政治乐队，我们只是在做音乐。
Demogorgon：那你们是否严肃对待自己的音乐里的文化、背景呢？
Arkadius：是的，当然。但是我的意思是更以娱乐的方式，你知道更像是……例如，在凯尔特历史中，故事的时候就要坐在火堆旁边边演奏音乐边讲，我们只是在讲故事，并不是在创造意识形态之类的东西。这就是我们做的，我们就像是吟游诗人一样，我们演奏时是为了快乐，不是以一种找乐的方式，而是一种娱乐的方式。你明白的，是娱乐的方式。
Demogorgon：感谢你们接受采访，祝你们今晚演出顺利。
Arkadius：好的，谢谢。晚上看得爽。
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