interview with DRAUGGARD

What´s the name of your band? We call the band DRAUGGARD.

How was the band formed? It was the year 2003 when our ex-drummer Mikhail Panphilov contacted me to suggest that we unite our powers to play some furious and evil black metal stuff we both were fans of. That actually happened after we both quit a local black metal act with no records ever made. I already had some appropriate songs written and Mikhail came up with the concept based on the Scandinavian myths and legends. He was the one to propose the name for the band and he eventually wrote most of the lyrics for the songs included in our debut full-length album entitled “Da Nobis Tenebras”. As for vocals, Mikhail invited his friend, Aleksandr “Sataneev” Kalentiev, the former vocalist of a local but cult underground pagan metal band called “Morok”. Check them out. Bad quality of recordings is well compensated by an awesome atmosphere and great lyrics, though in Russian... This band exists no longer and has only two demos. Basically we started as a trio with bass player’s place remaining vacant until the year 2005. The first two years since creation we had been practicing a lot until we felt confident enough for live shows.

Can you tell about your band? Well, what can I tell… We’ve been around for over 11 years and we are among few touring black metal bands of Russia. At least among those few who managed to get shows outside the country and who is booked on the regular basis. So far we are the only metal band in our home town to have played abroad though we are not very popular here. We’ve done many tours, mostly across Russia, and single shows including those in support of some big bands like Overkill, Enslaved, Samael, Marduk, Ragnarok and Belphegor. Basically we prefer playing live to recording.

Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? Initially we came from the town of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia but presently I’m the only original member who is still in the band. Other members came and go until we have become a three-piece band lately with me doing vocals and guitars, Yury Korotovskikh on bass and Lorenz “Nordger” Lechner on drums. I still reside in Nizhny Novgorod. Yury lives in Moscow and Lorenz resides in Austria, close to Graz. It should be noted that our first album was recorded in a completely different line-up with a person who calls himself Gloomyr on vocals (he had been in the band from 2008 through 2013), a guy named Teuthis on bass (played in the band in 2010-2012) and with Tomasz “Nefastus” Janiszewski (Belphegor, Debauchery, Lyfthrasyr etc.) on drums. Tomasz has been living in Germany and been involved only for that recording. Later we suggested him touring with us but he had certain time issues. Eventually we met Lorenz. It may be found weird to have a drummer living in another country but we could not find a proper person in Russia neither for recording nor for touring. Through our mutual friends we found Lorenz and we are glad that he is not just a cool drummer but also a great person to tour and hang out with. We have never felt so confident live before.

What were the ambitions of the band when you started? I think we just wanted to play black metal, that’s all. I personally did not care about progress until our first gig. Then I thought that we needed more shows and started to push the band to move forwards. Since 2005 my ambition has always been growing as an artist, making progress in this field, doing as many gigs as possible and spreading our music worldwide. Not for the fame or for the money, it’s not a profitable business anyway, but for the opportunity to keep doing it all my life. I have grown up listening to metal, metal has been my life and I seek to make it the WAY of my life, my profession, my craft. I guess my band mates have similar expectations or at least dream about it. But the foremost aim is to make a good music. We want to play something noticeable. Don’t wanna be another clichéd black metal act.

Could you explain your music to someone who hasn't heard you? Immortal meets Slayer and late Mayhem, they start fighting trying to kick each other’s ass, but then Enslaved join the battle and some Immortal warriors fall by the hand of Norse gods while Slayer is getting sad and gloomy. This all results in Megadeth and the ghost of Chuck Schuldiner awakes for the final showdown. That’s it. Hard to explain. Many people compare us to Immortal though I have never been a fan of this band. But I must admit we have some elements which could be found in Immortal music

Where was your first gig? It happened in Nizhny Novgorod in 2005. The gig was quite successful in terms of feedback. Even though the show was bassless. The video recording of our first live appearance can be found on YouTube. It sucks but we were playing some of the songs which we do not play live anymore and which featured only in our first demo.

Where was the latest gig? It was in Poland, in the town of Bielsko-Biala. It was in part of Da Nobis Tenebras Tour 2014. We played together with the Swedish band Captive Sight then. Really cool guys. It was in Rudeboy club. Great place to play, by the way. A rainy gloomy day… A farewell evening as it was the last gig of that tour. So many things to remember…

Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write music. Since last year I write lyrics too. But as far as “Da Nobis Tenebras” album is concerned, most of the lyrics is by our ex-drummer, Mikhail Panphilov, except for the songs “Brighter Ablaze!” and “Inner War Apotheosis” the lyrics for which was written by our former (the second in succession) vocalist, Gloomyr. I wrote the short verse for ”Phoenix Breath” song. It is in English just because it came to my mind exactly in English while other songs are in Russian. The lyrics I write now are mainly in Russian too. It’s not about my intention to sing in Russian. It’s just the way it is. Sometimes I simply think in English and this is how English lyrics are born. 

What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? A good thing is definitely that now we have the best line-up we ever had. A bad thing is that we have more opportunities to play than we have time for it. I wish we are faster with recordings and do more tours but it’s easier to say than to do. I feel we are a black metal band despite of the musical diversity. Some label us as post-black metal, some as thrash/black metal which is substantially wrong. Some say “pagan black metal” when referring to us. We prefer simple “black metal” label if someone wants a label. But sure enough we are not an orthodox band. One can come across our motto “The Way Of Russian Black Metal” we often use on flyers, on our pages etc. We use it to underline that it is OUR WAY of performing such a diversified art as black metal.

Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about?

We never sought to play in any particular style. Yes, initially we were focused at pure Black Metal but later our music became more diverse incorporating elements of Thrash and Death Metal genres. We simply play what we can. The new material we are about to record is even more avant-garde, more complex and technical but still melodic and evil at the same time though basically it is still Black Metal, both in terms of the atmosphere and conceptually. The songs are mostly about ancient Scandinavian curses, old sagas, Ragnarok but we use myths as symbols. So each person may interpret our lyrics according to his/her own impressions and feelings. The lyrics I wrote for new songs deals with ancient curses and hexes, wyrd manipulations, seidhr rituals, some Nietzsche-inspired lyrics, it is about your spirit burnt to ashes to be reborn.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? All songs are ours. We used to cover Mayhem’s “My Death” live but never recorded it and will not. But I have some thoughts about making some good cover on an absolutely non-metal song making it sound as metal as fuck! Let it be a little secret meanwhile. Not sure yet if we make it.

Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they?

We have the full-length album entitled “Da Nobis Tenebras”. It contains 12 tracks and has been released by the German label Terror records in 2013. The album was preceded by the 4-track EP titled “The Way Of Russian Black Metal”. It was released by our former vocalist’s label Abulia Productions in limited number of copies available only on the shows we played in 2012. In addition we have two splits: one is a tape split with an Italian band Cryptum, another is a CD split with an awesome band from Ukraine called Violent Omen. Both splits contain our EP “Nidgedichte” dated 2008. Apart from these main releases we have “The Baldr’s Deams” single self-released in 2006 in a very limited number of copies. A rarity now. Our first demo can only be found with a few friends of ours. Maybe one day they will decide to rip it and share it online. It is terrible but features Mikhail, the founding drummer, on vocals. Lately we have published two digital singles, “Aetternisstapi” and “Meer gegen Schwere”. The first one has actually been the intro to each of our shows since the beginning. The second single is far from metal, a very experimental, instrumental and mainly acoustic track I composed in the year 2004. Back then we could not even think about publishing it under the sign of DRAUGGARD. But few months ago I thought that after all it sounds cool and worth being heard. My band mates supported the idea. Here I must say that I feel this track to be a unique one as it is the first and the last non-metal track we have ever recorded. And it has a deep meaning already within its title. A track with a lot of feelings, power and spirit invested. A true one. It should be treated like calm before the storm that we are preparing now.

Do you have any clips on YouTube?

We have the official video clip for the song “The Dreams Of Baldur”. It was directed and filmed by Romanian artist Costin Chioreanu (Mayhem, Demonical, Diabolical etc.) who was also responsible for our album artwork. To watch the video just follow this link: http://youtu.be/yDdXzVxRY74

In addition, Costin designed our t-shirts and some of our tour posters. We consider him to be the fourth member of the band as he knows pretty well what kind of visual images we need. So we will keep collaborating with him further on.

There are also numerous videos from our live shows available on YouTube. Below are the links to some of them.

Live in Groningen, Netherlands: http://youtu.be/CosjLbbWPJg

“Life Flows Away From Me”, live in Ulyanovsk, RU: http://youtu.be/yV4iJL4SUW4

“A Night For Sinfjotli”, live in Ulyanovsk, RU: http://youtu.be/kw93Cv48bdU

Live in Penza, Russia: http://youtu.be/C2Q_ZbuHf1A

“My Death” (Mayhem cover), live in Nizhny Novgorod, RU: http://youtu.be/4oIuCaLWDF8

Live in Moscow, Russia, old line-up: http://youtu.be/n5nY5uRdFJE

For more videos visit our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/DRAUGGARD

How old are you?

I’m 29 years old, Yury, the bass player, is 42 and our drummer, Lorenz, is 23. Different age as you can see but we are all united by the passion for metal.

When did you decide to go all in for the music?

I did not decide I was simply doomed. I guess I was 11 years old when I heard metal for the first time ever. It was Metallica. Then I heard Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer and other more extreme and underground bands. I guess my band mates were doomed when they were that young either.

At what age did you start playing?

I started playing the guitar when I was 14. I bet other members started at about the same age. More or less.

How old were you guys when you first stood on stage?

I was 20 then while other guys of that line-up were above 30.

Best/worst gig you've played?

Well… We had so many good gigs so it is not easy to tell… I think the best has been the headlining show in Groningen, Netherlands on May 1, 2014. We had a good crowd, good venue and met many nice people there. Other remarkable shows happened in Gdansk, Budweiss, Oostende… We had many cool gigs in Russia too. Worst… Let me think… I‘d say the one we had in Herentals, Belgium at Distortion Festival in 2011. We were late because of the traffic jam and eventually got to play on a small stage instead of the big one, and then we had terrible technical problems so consequently we have played only 2 songs. Shit… The very festival and the organization were perfect. Just bad luck. Or some runic hex that has been upon us.

What places will you be playing in the immediate future?

We are thinking about playing few shows in Europe this November. Probably, in Poland, Germany and Netherlands. But we are not 100% sure yet. We have a Russian tour in mind for the upcoming winter. Sure enough we are going on another European tour in spring. Hope to do at least 20 shows including Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and probably in Scandinavia. Would be really cool to play in Sweden, or in Denmark, in Norway maybe…

Where have you played from then till now?

We have played in many towns of Russia, in Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Netherlands, Belarus, Czech Republic and Italy.

Is it always the same songs live?

Mostly the same, so far. However we are going to play some of the new songs next time.

Have you had any bigger tours from start to now?

The biggest one we did was the recent tour over Russia and Europe with Belarus in between. We had around 18 shows in total: 6 shows in Russia with German band Der Weg einer Freiheit, three headlining shows, and then single headlining show in Minsk, Belarus before we proceeded with Europe where we were supported by Captive Sight. They play different music than we do but they kick ass. It was our third visit to Europe and the second tour we have done in Europe since the first headlining tour in 2013. Other remarkable events are the headlining tour over Ukraine and Russia we did in 2012 with cool Italian dudes Krysantemia and the co-headlining tour with Austrian band Hellsaw we did in 2012 either. The very first tour we did was in Russia with the German band Nuclear Warfare and local thrashers Mad V. Consequently we toured with other thrash metal acts like Necronomicon (Germany) and Contradiction (Germany). We had a great time in Ukraine supporting Onslaught in 2010. Another tour to remember was with the Swedish band Diabolical in 2011. We had fun touring with all of these bands. Some trips were especially good for us in terms of feedback, like the one with Hellsaw or the recent European tour.

How big crowds do you usually play for?

Usually we play in front of 60-80 people in average regardless of whether we are the headlining band or play in support of some bigger act. Exceptions were shows with such big names as Overkill, Enslaved, Samael, Belphegor…They still gather good crowds. At least in Russia. But if you are not that big name you can expect the same average 60-80 people with some rare exceptions. It is the case in Russia and the case in Europe too.

What are the plans for the rest of the year?

We are looking forward to recording our second full length effort in black metal art. We have 18 songs ready. So we will probably release two albums in a row. We want to compensate for all the delays in recordings we had in the past for various reasons.

Where do you usually play?

Wherever. We are ready to play in every place where people want to see us. But since we live in different places and even countries we stopped playing single shows and do only tours now. Of course, the biggest chances to see us live are in Russia and Central Europe.

How do you get psyched up for a gig?

We just arrive at a venue, prepare our stuff and stop drinking much. No special ritual or something. We just try to be relaxed and concentrated at the same time as we have to do our job.

What are your goals with your music?

It’s all about sharing your spiritual energy with other people, giving them a part of you, good or bad, it’s all relative.

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern?

It depends. I have been inspired by the bands I listened to in my youth. They still do inspire me but I came across some younger acts which inspire me as well. Like Norwegian Shining or Portal from Australia. But I must admit that older bands inspire me still more. Like Death, Bathory, Mayhem, Windir, Helheim, Enslaved… Let’s say, older bands have more “soul”, a stronger spark in their music.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums?

I keep buying albums because I like physical records. But I believe that downloads are a good way for a young band to promote itself. I do download music too but if I really like what I hear I buy the physical copy. However it is obvious that downloads kill the scene. Even paid downloads do. The result is millions of tracks available online so people get fed up with music and become so lazy that just do not feel like discovering any new bands anymore. The supply exceeds the demand drastically.

What would be your dreams for the band?

To play somewhere in space, for instance. Among more achievable dreams is touring Iceland. If one day we can live on our music we would be accomplished.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to?

I mostly listen to thrash and black metal music, some death metal stuff. Bands like Mayhem, Carpathian Forest, Windir, Enslaved, Anacrusis, Flotsam and Jetsam, Shining (Norway), Believer, Megadeth, Sacred Reich, Motorhead, Necronomicon (Germany)… many. The Norwegian school of black metal as far as black metal as such is concerned. I would also name Hate Eternal, Rotting Christ, Absu…And of course, Death. Death has always been one of the most influential bands for me. Sometimes I listen to blues or jazz music. Or just to some rock music. I’m also a big fan of late Anathema records. They have feeling! Our bassman Yury prefers Death Metal I believe. Not sure but I guess Lorenz is mostly a black metal guy.

What do you hold most dear?

My son. Of course, our families are the dearest things for us. Some nice people I met here and there. The opportunities I have. My life with all the good people and things in it.

What would be your greatest fears for the future?

That I run out of time before I accomplish all things I want to accomplish.

When you are on stage, what do you fear most then?

That nobody can figure out what we play, ha-ha-ha.

What songs and what years were they released?

Our releases so far include the songs written between the year 2003 and the year 2010. Most of them are dated 2005-2006.

Have you been part of any other projects?

I run my own booking agency. I book tours within Russia for bands from abroad. Mostly from Europe and Brazil. Serious bands regardless of bigness may contact me via e-mail: [email protected]. There are also some projects contemplated together with some friends o’mine from other bands but these are only plans so far. In fact, I’m also open for any session job as a guitarist or a bass player.

Have you been in any other bands?

I used to fill in for the bass player of Memorain, a Greek speed/thrash metal band, during their third Russian tour in March 2014. They are good friends o’mine and I had a great time touring with them and playing their music. I have been also involved in the Russian brutal death metal band 7 H.Target where Mikhail, the former drummer of DRAUGGARD, plays now. They invited me to help with composing songs and recording their new EP after their previous guitarist had left them. But later they found themselves with the rehearsal room fucked up because of the sewage pipe ruptured. They gave up rehearsing and now I have no idea if they resume their activity. Hopefully they will. We had some really good tunes to record. I also recorded the guest solo for the song Symptom Of The Universe, Black Sabbath cover by the Ukrainian band Violent Omen. Apart from DRAUGGARD our drummer Lorenz Lechner plays in Austrian bands Asmodeus and Nightforest. Our bassman has much wider experience. Some of his previous bands are Fatal Band, Rest In Pain. In addition, he used to play in Grace Disgraced, Sinful and in Put’ Solntsa. These are all Russian bands worth listening too.

What do you work with outside of the band and the music?

I work with my own destiny. My earthly full time job is a translator. I translate various documents from English into Russian and back and thus make people happy. I’m lucky to work at home. As I mentioned before, I also run a booking agency. Yury, the bass player, is a bad ass driver. It’s his van that we use for touring. Apart from DRAUGGARD he has been a tour driver for many other bands. He makes their touring dreams come true when it comes to the most essential part, that is, transport. Lorenz is a troll hunter and the one who makes it all feasible because of gold he mines for in the mountains of Austria. When it comes to protection against trolls or giving some gold to dwarfs securing entries to autobahns Lorenz is the one.

What would you do if there was no music?

We would invent some. Or star in porn movies. Or drink hard. Or practice seidhr. Or whatever.

How important are your fans?

Our fans keep us going. Without fans we are nothing. We need people to follow us so we could give them our energy in exchange of their support. If we have nobody to share our energy with we would exist no longer.

What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you?

Our fans are extremely serious persons, you know. None of them has done any funny thing ever. But a memorable thing was a fan giving his favorite gloves away to me. It was a nice gest. I still remember that. Or the guy who asked if he could have a picture with us, we said “yes, of course”, and he was so happy, like he could not believe it. It was funny because it has been so common for us to make pictures with fans when they want some.

How often do you rehearse?

Mostly some days before we go on tour.

Where do you rehearse?

Last time we gathered in Moscow, before the first gig of the tour. So we practiced in a place in Moscow.

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment?

In my opinion, the best songs we have are “Inner War Apotheosis” and “It’s Springtime For Flowers Of Death”. Other dudes would most likely name “The Dreams Of Baldur” and “A Night For Sinfjotli”.

What do you feel is the best live band you've seen?

Iron Maiden. Megadeth too. I saw Megadeth live two times and both times they were outstanding. But this is the top. As far as the underground is concerned Mayhem are the best. At least their show I had attended in Moscow in 2007.

What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing?

It is not important whether you achieve your goal or not because if you achieve one you’ll have another. At least this is how it should be. So it is only the process that really matters. We would like to make a living on our music because this is what makes us happy, a labour of love. But we have to work to achieve it. So we have no other choice but to keep the flame burning. Only the time will tell.

Do you have any webpages?

We have the official web-site: http://drauggard.com

Our official Facebook page to like and share: http://facebook.com/drauggard

In addition we have Soundcloud page: http://soundcloud.com/drauggard,

Bandcamp account: http://drauggard.bandcamp.com, and

Bandpage account (http://drauggard.bandpage.com.

Not to speak of Reverbnation (http://reverbnation.com/drauggard). These are the main resources. You can also find us on Twitter too. People who live in Russia and CIS countries may follow us at VK: http://vk.com/drauggardofficial

How do you view the music industry of today?

It’s a rotten business. Young bands pay to play while old bands simply survive as well as promoters do with only few bands having adequate profits and good ticket sales. So many home, really unprofessional bands litter the web, so much music available that a band has to take good efforts to make people want to listen to their stuff.

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there?

Passion, determination and desperation. These are three essentials. What I always wanted to say in public is that when starting a band one should decide if ready to invest a lot of money for nothing. It’s a business though rather unprofitable. And it works according to the market laws. A band is a producer of a certain product, that is, music. And it is not enough just to be able to play well or to compose good songs. A band should clearly know how to market itself so that people are interested in the product the band offers. So, basically, two things a band needs: a good product and a good promotion. Is it wise? In fact, not really because a good promotion is also a hard work. So the above means nothing if you are a lazy bastard looking for fame, girls and booze. Just work, work, work! One tour is not enough, one record is not enough. A hard-working band will eventually become a buzz word provided that they feel alright about working for free for many years, ha-ha. So it’s all about having a passion to play. That’s all. A passion is what keeps the wheels turning. If not for my passion to play I would have given it up already in 2008. But I’m still a desperate, passionate and determined metal ass like I was, say, 10 years ago. This is the only reason I did not quit the band when some of the core members left. Let’s quote Phil Anselmo’s words: “No one can piss on this determination!”

What are the biggest obstacles for a band?

Money. You can learn to play well. You can create good music. But if you have no money to invest in proper gear, instruments, recording studio etc. you are nothing. Another obstacle is competition in the market of music. Too many bands which play well and record well nowadays. You need to work hard to get noticed by the general public.

Tell us about upcoming gigs and why we should be at them?

Follow the tour schedule at our official web-site (http://drauggard.com) or at our Bandpage at http://drauggard.bandpage.com or anywhere else because if you do not come we will hex you for life. We are preparing some new songs to play. We are stronger than ever and we are hungry for live extravaganza as never.

How would you describe your sound in one sentence?

The sound of your dearest dream twisted and damned.

What is your favorite crappy instrument?

Guitar, of course. What can be crappier?

What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band?

The period between the year 2007 and 2008. This is when the former members left. We had strong arguments with each other about everything. They did not feel like playing an increasing number of shows here and there. For instance, Mikhail, the former drummer and the founding member of DRAUGGARD, could simply back out a couple of days before an important gig. He really lacked proper determination. So the line-up changed. Another period was in 2012-2013 when I realized that I had been playing with wrong people though partly session musicians. I’m happy that the line-up of today is finally a team.

Do you have anything to add? Thanks for your questions. Take care and keep the flame alive! Hope to see you on one of our shows someday.

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