Sorry for the delay of the interview, but I wasn’t able of doing
anything in the past few weeks (I was just constantly drunk). So my
first question is a little bit out of topic:  do things like that ever happen to you?

- ...I think you know the answer to that one yourself. Yeah things are pretty disorganised sometimes, what can you do. I infortunately am a poor Irish peasant who has not the money to be as organised as I would like!...someday. Things have a habit of working out in the end...I guess it is our Infernal Master giuding us along the Metal path huh ?...

Could you give your own review of your latest album. Would it be 10/10?

- ...I think if I ever felt we deserved 10 then that would be the time to give up completely (this is exactly the kind of answer I was expecting! Hail, Alan! - Silvanus). You must always be striving to achieve greater results and to push yourself as a person and as a musician. Everytime we record we learn more and more and hopefully this makes us better at adapting and coping and in achieving our goals to a higher percentage everytime. The last album I do think is a great record...if I was to be ultra critical I would say at times it is a little self indulgent sounding as we had too long a time to work on the songs and to change them and loose the strain of
things sometimes. There are of course other things I regret but overall I am pretty satisfied. However that will not stop me from trying harder the next time.

What about the MCD the Hammerheart Recs had to release some time ago?

- ...Yes, that is entitled "The Burning Season" and that comes out mid-July, it is over 30 minutes so defintely value for money. We recorded it here in Dublin with Mags from Academy and it has a more vibrant and Epic feel. More up-tempo and Mighty, which seems to be the way Primordial is going. Still Melancholic and Tragic but as much Epic and Mighty, with a more dynamic display of light and shade. The cover is done by Stephen O'Malley and it should have found it's way like a virus to most places come July...so watch out for it.

I’m wondering about the PRIMORDIAL’s poetry… You see, such themes as
“Solitary Mourner” forced me to ask such a question….

- ...What are you wondering?, when it comes to the lyrics or poetry I really write when I have to, when the muse comes as you say and never really think whether it will make it into a Primordial track or not. I don't like to dissect the lyrics and tell people how to view them, I prefer for people to derive their own meaning from them and view them how they feel they must. The lyrics deal with my relation to what is inside and around me...influenced by my emotional states, places, people, passages in time..etc, from certain authors and writers to dreams to simply someting I might see on a certain day...whatever may move me to pick up a pen, it's difficult to quantify. I don't think "A Solitary Mourner" needs much of an
explanation do you ?...
 
What are your political and religious views and what do you think
about NATO’s (New American Terrorist Organization) attacks on Serbia?

- ...Well, there is an interesting one, I think NATO has been lucky...lucky to get away without another Vietnam on their hands and lucky that the information network, i.e CNN, SKY etc. exists for them to manipulate to serve their agenda. How they can get away with openly lying to the world on a daily basis is beyond me. When they set about their agenda before they entered Kosovo they set out a list of unrealistic aims...no ground war?...I think Milosevic agreed to the settlement when he did and it's sure he can claim it as a victory to his people !, and like Saddam Hussein he is still there and probably will be in 5 years. While NATO procrastinated over the ground war thousands of Albanians and Kosovars died needlessly?... and now NATO claim the moral high ground ?...over what?, loosing some nice clean cut Marine boys to the that Devil Milosevic?, one cannot fight a war without any casualties? NATO casualties were the thousands who died while they sat around thinking what they shall do next without a single soldier dying ?...some cost ?. The Balkans problem has been there forever and I would expect it to flare again several times in our lifetime...however it is of course difficult to ever know the whole story as you have to decide what it is you believe and do not...without having any first hand knowledge.

Is "Nemtheanga" your real second name? (*just interesting*)

- ...Of course !...it means "He of the Evil Tongue" !...

Baudelaire (French poet, the one who composed “Flowers of Evil” ) wrote an Ode about Hashish. Where he said that hash make you a better human, but as we don’t have enough will power we can not handle being more superior, therefore it fucks us up!  Would you agree with him? And would you say that drugs (including alcohol) is a problem or should they be legalized?

- ...Some drugs should be legalised so as not to stigmatise them. As human beings we are flawed and have addictive personalities and thus we will get addicted to things. It is only the Master who can use for his own ends and face the consequences head on and defeat them. To the addict who gets what he / she deserves...justice. We are bound by our own flaws.

What do you think are the worst problems in music business today? I
hate the word business but that is the only way of actually getting your creations across to people, as our fucking planet earth is all sold out!!!! Would you agree with me?

- ...Definitely, but that is the nature of things, it cannot be any other way really. Anything Art related that comes into contact with the business of things becomes perverted. As long as, as an Artist one does not compromise then something can be salvaged...however it really depends how do you define compromise and selling out ?, or should we all stay in our rehersal rooms ?...who knows ?, as for the Metal scene, it is not a trendy type of music so to play Metal in 99 cannot be perceived as trendy ?...or ?. There is enough great music being made to answer all these questions.

Some of the modern psychologists state that “Romeo and Juliet” is a
nothing but a piece of crap which seems to be rather bad for the young people's since it shows teenagers that it's nice to suffer and, hence, they consider themselves to be very cool when negative emotions take them over. But all the negative  emotions really strike as unconscious and evil turning people into brainless pieces of shit!!! So thanks Shakespeare for fucking up our society!!! Would you agree with that? I do.

- ... All Teenagers are bound by such emotions and could take Shakespeare so  literally. Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is a tragedy and should be viewed so... a human tragedy... like many others that befall us every day. Tragedy is not negativity... but reality. Art needs no justification whatsoever. This is a very strange question and I am not sure how to answer it?, I definitely disagree however. I don't think your quote nor statement has any bearing on reality at all?, and trying to understand teenagers is nigh on impossible.

What do you think about churchburnings? (The only thing I can say here is that it's as stupid as making all English pupils in the primary schools go to church.)

- ... It only serves to bring the chr-stian community together in the face of such adversity, when the chances are attendances were falling and people had little interest. It only serves to re-affirm their "faith". Christianity kills itself without our help, and in this case the pen is truely mightier than the sword. However an animalistic impulse makes me see what a beautiful sight it may be...a wonderful visual statement, unfortunately life is not that simple.

Can you imagine life without music? And if you didn’t make it as
musicians, whom would you be?

- ... Firstly no I cannot at all. I imagine if I was not a musician I would be involved in some way in the "entertainment" industry...either as a promoter or running a record label, or something connected with T.v or the theatre. Or acting or something?, I haven't a clue. Porno star how about that?.... (sounds great - ED)

Would you agree with Freud’s main philosophical idea that there are
two main things that determine human relationships and they are: sexual attraction and fear of death?

- ...Yes, everything we day we face both and spend most of every day trying to stave off one and instigate the other. Both are the underlying themes to most works of Art, strains of belief etc. Reduce everything to it's base fundament and you will find Sex and Death. Just surviving is both these. Although it is pretty ambiguous as everything is open to this interpretation if you wish it.

Do you like or respect any non-metal bands? Would you like to name these acts and explain us why do you like 'em?  Give us your opinion on classical music!

- ... I like classical music a lot. I respect music that is pure and honest. Passionate music, apart from Metal I like... Leonard Cohen, DEAD CAN DANCE, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, Klaus Schulze, ENDURA, JOY DIVISION, DEVIL DOLL, NON, BLOOD AXIS, that kind of thing.

Are you familiar with the Irish  language? You see, as far as I know,
most of Ireland's habitants simply don't give a damn about it, speaking English....

- ... You have to understand the way it is taught and our education system and also our history and Irish culture. It is a great tragedy as is most of our history... but a difficult one to explain. We do give a damn but it's not that simple. Some wounds are too deep to heal and you simply have to accept that and live with it as best you can.

What about that religious conflict between Great Britain and Northern Ireland? Would you like to comment anything on that?

- ... Not really as there is so much to comment on we would be here forever, besides which your question is a little to broad to address properly. I cannot empathise with ignorance of any kind...religious bigotry as exists in the North is so far from  my mind set it is difficult to come up with answers. Besides which we are talking about 800 years of history here. Another tragedy... you wonder why our music is the way it is?, we have enough sorrow to fuel us for eternity!.

Do you believe in such philosophical idea as 'determination'? What do
you think about eastern spiritualist books of life such as “Tao De
Ching” by Lao Tzu?

- ... I have never read it so I cannot comment on that, what exactly do you mean by "determination"...?, if you mean by the actualising of your will and releasing and realising it that one can become the means to your own ends then yes the application of you will is the most important application of all. If you mean something else then I don't understand hte way the question is put?...

Anything else you would like to tell us, your fans or it may be
certain message to the whole world, please write below!!!!

- ... Hmmmm... thanks for the interview and I'm sorry about the bullshit that went with it. Hopefully we'll see you down the front someday or on the field of battle. Watch out for the new mcd "The Burning Season" and pick up our last two albums "Imrama" and "Journeys End". Apart from that just the usual thanks and I wish you your Will !....
Hail and Kill.....
A.A.Nemtheanga.
Art is Rebellion
Culture is Resistance

PRIMORDIAL contact -
Email: nemtheanga@hotmail.com