TRIPTYKON Mainman: 'I Knew I'd Have To Start From Scratch Again'

Tom Trakas of the None But My Own blog recently conducted an interview with current TRIPTYKON and former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Warrior. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

None But My Own: You're in a unique position to be viewed as a "new" artist, especially here in America. How do you approach this, being perceived as "new?"

Tom Gabriel Warrior: Well, I'm not afraid to work, you know? If I was, I never would have left CELTIC FROST. I knew exactly what I was doing; I knew I'd have to start from scratch again. I'm not dead yet, so I'm here and we will work as hard as we can for however long it takes.

None But My Own: Your decision to leave CELTIC FROST was a huge decision, yet at the end of the day, this day in particular it must mean a lot to be in this position, to know you followed your heart and here you are.

Tom Gabriel Warrior: I had to follow my instinct. That and I know the idiot that broke up CELTIC FROST is back in Switzerland, he's not touring the world, so indeed it is vindication.

None But My Own: Starting with [CELTIC FROST's] "Monotheist" release, you started licensing your music to different companies here and abroad. The initial TRIPTYKON releases are following the same suit, you basically taking control.

Tom Gabriel Warrior: I control everything we do! That's the only way to approach the business these days, you have to be in full control of what it is you do. This is the only way to do things because I don't trust anyone I choose to do it myself. Very simple, really.

None But My Own: This business regimen. Does the past eat at you concerning all the things CELTIC FROST went through?

Tom Gabriel Warrior: It can. I wish this was the way the business was handled back in the '80s but I will say this. There's no way I could have taken control of everything back then. I was too inexperienced in both the business as well as life, too young and immature for that.

None But My Own: When I think back about the improbable climb CELTIC FROST faced in the early to mid-2000s only to be cut down in its second prime, it's hard to comprehend. I mean to come back after the initial hiatus with "Monotheist" was something I never thought I'd see.

Tom Gabriel Warrior: That's because we worked very carefully around that release. We didn't just do it for a check, you know? We had a record company very interested in us coming back, but that didn't matter, we wanted to do it and do it right. We took our time and it didn't matter how long it took to record, it HAD to be the right album and I believe that's why we succeeded. I've looked at TRIPTYKON in the exact same way.

None But My Own: TRIPTYKON has done some festivals and other European touring, you're close to finishing your first U.S. run. Where do you go from here?

Tom Gabriel Warrior: I just want to create music, that's all that matters to me. I know that's such a cliché thing to say, but in my case all I can say is it's very, very true. But exactly where TRIPTYKON can go from here, I have no idea. We're going to be focused on making albums of total quality and that's about as much as I can say for now.

Read the entire interview from the None But My Own blog.