Your current band arose from the ruins of LITURGY, right? Was it just a natural development, some kind of craving towards more original and various sound and wish to get rid of anything that is typical or LITURGY collapsed just because of personal disagreements and alike reasons?
 
- Right, my current band was formed upon the ruins of LITURGY. I’m not willing to say anything regarding history of that band, since there was nothing special in it. Transition from LITURGY to STONEHENGE was quite smooth lacking any disagreements, the band just got rid of superfluous people and picked up the necessary ones. Speaking about the matter of tendencies to reincarnation of the band - it was a wish to play more various music with more professional approach towards it.
 
Many changes occured since «Victims’ Gallery» saw the light of this disgusting world... STONEHENGE’s second album, «Tales Of Old Britain» was released through another label, music also transformed from atmospheric doom / death into some kind of a folk doom / gothic metal inspired by ancient British legends... Please, comment and explain the aforementioned changes.
 
- Life lacking changes = death... Of course, we could have it our own way and pass our former style for «true» art, but! We want to play what we want, without paying any attention to crowd’s tastes. Every band will find it’s listener, but only if they play MUSIC and not just stupid set of sounds. Any forms of musical culture are not alien to us, so perhaps our further works would be much different from what we’re doing now...
 
Your keyboard passages on  «Victims’ Gallery» made very much for more complete perception of this album as well as it simply made the music more atmospheric, therefore - impressive and attractive. That’s why I couldn’t really understand why «Tales Of Old Britain» lacks keyboards...
 
- Technique’s development strongly affects on music - invitement of synthesizers makes arranging compositions much easier... Frankly speaking, we’re advocates of the following - if a song sounds good without keyboards, it has to be as it is. We were brought up by the music of ‘eighties where keyboards never considered as the main instrument - guitar was dominating instead. I guess, this fact explains the lack of keyboardist in our band. As to first album, we wanted to record old songs in such a way, so they could sound as new ones to us. That’s why we used synths. This instrument wasn’t necessary for the second album, besides we thought it to be a 100% «live» album...
 
«Tales Of Old Britain» album is utterly set to the legends of King Arthur and Knights of the Round-Table: but can you tell me why? Russia has it’s own rich culture and mythological cycle, consequently Russian band applying to foreign topics looks a bit strange in my eyes...
 
- Did we tell you that STONEHENGE is a kind of band, «preaching» British folklore and excluding native motifs on purpose?? First of all, we don’t appear as radically nationalistic group, we’re free when it comes to the choice of topic / theme and nobody has the right to accuse us in doing something wrong. Who knows, maybe we’ll move to our Slavonic roots in the future, however noone of us had such ideas till now. Second; STONEHENGE wrote and will write lyrics in English, and we’re not going to change this tradition. Slavonic folklor sang on English? Sounds ridiculous... Don’t you have enough with GODS TOWER...?
 
With the first accords of «King Arthur», a comparison with GODS TOWER suddenly entered my mind; maybe due to the strange guitar sound (a-la Scottish bagpipes, you know)... Do you really feel there’re any similarities between STONEHENGE and those Belorussian heathens?
 
- Well, it’s rather hard to set up guitar for the bagpipes and it can be done only with appointed guitar technique in appointed sound diapason, so it’s impossible to reach any variety here. As to comparison with GODS TOWER... We don’t have anything in common with that band, since we play absolutely different music... at least in my opinion.
 
Your debut album features a song entitled «Goddess Meetra’s Victim», and it might be interesting to find out who Meetra actually is...
 
- Actually, Meetra as a deity, firstly appeared in ancient Babylonian mythology. It was bull-headed god, symbolizing the solar forces. After Alexander’s conquests, the image of Meetra filtered into Ancient Greece, and then - into Roman Empire. And after Romans failed to conquer British territories, this image also appeared among tribes of ancient England and in the same time turned from god into goddess. History tells us of bloody human sacrifices which belonged to the Meetra’s cult. Isn’t it a winning theme for the song?
 
Have you ever thought of re-releasing STONEHENGE's old songs, such as «Unborn» or «Black Swans Of Dark Paradise»...?
 
- Basically, these tunes are really old, however still unreleased. They will appear on our next album, «Sense of Doom (Victims Gallery Part II)».
 
Deathrider magazine announced  «Tales...» as  ‘second album in the vein of CATHEDRAL’, which surprised me more than just a bit! In my opinion, you have NOTHING to do with those English dudes... Do you agree? If yes, can you tell me the reasons why Agen decided to advertise your new album this way??
 
- I don’t know who was brainless enough to compare STONEHENGE to CATHEDRAL - in my view we have nothing in common with aforementioned band. If you want a comparison so much, I could name early SKYCLAD’s albums but only when it comes to ideology behind «Tales Of Old Britain».
 
I read quite a positive review on «Tales Of Old Britain» (in demo shape) in Soundscape Online Magazine and somewhere else as well... Did you take any attempts to spread your band’s name abroad?
 
- Unfortunately I know nothing of afore-cited edition, although I’m happy that our band’s albums appealed to someone abroad. Altogether, I do my best for STONEHENGE’s promotion...
 
I know, that once you played live with SCALD. What is your opinion on this band and their «Will Of Gods...» album? What are they going to do now, after Agil is gone?
 
- We played four times live with this truly outstanding band and their performances always positively affected on me. Unfortunately, their album couldn’t manage to capture that spectre of feelings and impressions which was peculiar to SCALD’s gigs. However, «Will Of Gods...» also makes me trembling... This band exists no more, since it was alive only thanks to will and talent of Max (a.k.a. Agil) and his death provoked SCALD’s decline. Musicians who previously played there now are involved with other projects.
 
What are your impressions of working with Metal Agen and Hobgoblin Records? If we compared them to each other, whose scape will outweigh?
 
- Impressions are more negative, than positive. As to Metal Agen - they only released the album which was promoted and distributed completely by me without any help from Agen. It’s presentation also was arranged by STONEHENGE and C.D.M. Hobgoblin Records make much more for the band, alhough there’re some problems as well.
 
What new Russian (Ukrainian, Belorussian) underground labels would you name as the most promising?
 
- I guess, it’s R.I.P. productions.
 
Besides cooperating with Metal Agen and Hobgoblin, you’re also involved in C.D.M. (Cultural Dark Metal). What is the main goal of this organization? Do they really support STONEHENGE?
 
- C.D.M. is the amalgamation of STONEHENGE, MENTAL HOME and DREAMING SOUL bands as well as a man namely Eric. While now, C.D.M. only arranges gigs, owns one of the biggest Moscow underground clubs (Camelot). Of course, further development is implied...
 
Please, few words in regards to your view of life... Religion, politics, music and art...
 
- Life is a big piece of shit and politics together with religion only make it worse... Music and art still are saving this world and, I hope, will follow on saving in future without turning into pop pseudo-art.
 
What can you tell us concerning STONEHENGE’s future plans?
 
- The main goal now is the recording of our third album and the beginning of fourth one’s arrangement. Of course, we have some financial problems, although like all problems they can be solved, and I hope that, despite long distance, our works will reach it’s listeners. And surely we plan more concerts, so I have a little message for all those who read this interview - we await you at our gigs!
 
Anything you would like to add?
 
- I’d like to wish further progress to your magazine - more important and interesting information; try to take into account not only your own opinion... And to all the readers - good health and successful realization of their life plans... Bye!
                    

STONEHENGE contact -
Email: serge@stonehenge.wm.ru
       atrashkevitch@hotmail.com