SATYRICON Drummer On Wearing Makeup Live: 'It's A Look That Fits With Our Musical Expression'

A new interview with SATYRICON drummer Frost was posted on the Roadrunner Records U.K. web site. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Q: In addition to SATYRICON, you feature in 1349, despite both bands being under the same genre your drumming technique differs between them. Why is this? And do you find one band more rewarding then the other?

Frost: SATYRICON and 1349 have different musical expressions, which require different drumming styles. In warfare, SATYRICON would be the unit destined to take out strategically important structures with surgical precision, while 1349 would be doing the carpet-bombing. In SATYRICON I need to find optimal and smooth yet powerful drumming solutions that must always be adjusted to maintain a sense of totality as the other musical elements are brought in. In 1349 I get to cultivate and develop my really extreme abilities as a drummer, we all go in there with maximum brutality and force and build around that. Both approaches are fine M.O.s in their own respective ways and complement each other perfectly.

Q: You recently shot the video for "The Pentagram Burns"? Can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the video?

Frost: "The Pentagram Burns" is a song that has a very dark, ceremonial feel, at times quite mystical and creepy, at other times firm and aggressive. The video is meant to visually enhance and amplify these atmospheres, which indeed it does.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the writing process for the current album, "Now, Diabolical"?

Frost: We set out to do good, powerful black metal songs in a traditional sense (but SATYRICON style). In other words, we wanted the atmosphere and the musical energy flow to do the talking, not the musicality or techniques. When Satyr and I worked in the rehearsal room, we needed to constantly monitor the effects that every element had on the wholeness and take actions if the energy flow was in anyway effected negatively. Now, that's the art of composing, anyway.

Q: Why do you choose to wear makeup on stage? Is it part of a ritual, or perhaps to distance you from the audience?

Frost: Partly because it's a look that fits well with our musical expression, partly because applying the make up functions as a ritual that stimulates or enhances concentration.

Read the entire interview at this location.