Interview by Ryan Harding

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"This form of music has fascinated me for close to ten years as it's such an intangible sense of emotion and I will continue with ambient experimentation in further works."
- Lord Imperial

Feo Amante's Horror Home Page Presents:
The Ryan Harding E-mail express with
Lord Imperial
by Ryan Harding

R: The site mentions that there will be a live recording of Krieg available through Breath of Night, called Kill Yourself or Someone you Love – Live in Germany. I’d heard your NABMI set was pretty short, so how long will this be? I understand there’s also some live Krieg bootleg material floating around that you aren’t happy with. Is this being spread around by Azag? I take you are still not very fond of him.

[Read the interviews at the Krieg site to see why I thought this was a foregone conclusion.]

Imperial: No, another guitarist spread some bootleg material. Azag was only in Krieg maybe three months and things have been resolved since then. He now plays in Rain Fell Within. The bootleg is of an inferior show and must be forgotten. The guitarist who spread them did so with best intentions but things got fucked up by greedy pigs along the way. The live album on Breath of Night is around 30 minutes, a little less, and was definitely the most hateful of the 5 day ritual. Also soon will be a live ten inch from one of our US
gigs, though I am not sure of the details.

[Kill Yourself or Someone You Love is available now. It is roughly 25 minutes. And hateful? Imperial finishes the show by saying he hopes everyone dies in a car accident on the way home.]

R: I have a copy of your most recent shows, one of which features a Beherit cover (the killer “Gate of Nanna”). I was curious if Beherit’s influence on you extends past the Drawing Down the Moon days. I heard something about an upcoming Krieg release which will have the expected chaos of Krieg, but also a section of ambient tracks. Where does your interest in this come from? Are these ambient tracks to be like maybe Electric Doom Synthesis or like your own more ambient songs like “Suicide Amidst Katharsis,” “My Weeping Soul (Pt. II),” and “Reunion of the Ancients”?

Imperial: I enjoy later Beherit tracks for their jump in aesthetics and ritualistic sounds, but they haven't had much influence on Krieg's more ambient side. I've followed more of the old Cold Meat sound plus influences from Runes Order's earlier works. This form of music has fascinated me for close to ten years as it's such an intangible sense of emotion and I will continue with ambient experimentation in further works.

R: You mentioned you will soon return in the form of Weltmacht with Akhenaten and Cryptic Winter. Will the band be continuing in the vein of The Call to Battle? I wanted to commend your vocals on Battle, which were really extreme, yet different from your performances in Krieg.

Imperial: We've stated we will not do anymore interviews involving Weltmacht as there’s not much else to say. We'd rather let the music be our voice. . . .

[There was a lengthy delay with the recording of the vocals for the second Weltmacht album, And to Every Beast Its Prey. Though Imperial and Cryptic Winter are US-based, Akhenaten of Judas Iscariot infamy resides in Germany. Imperial had to record his vocals separately. The album was released on cd and vinyl last year and was a definite highlight of 2003 for me.]

R: Do you write the majority of the lyrics for Weltmacht, or is that more of an even collaboration with Akhenaten? I wanted to ask about the last line of “Drenched with Human Blood”: “We shall betray our nation.” It’s a very bold and powerful statement. What is the thought behind it?

Imperial: First album was both of our lyrics, the new one is just mine. No more to say...

R: A question about The Call to Battle: the tracks often end very abruptly, such as when you’re screaming “WAR AND TORMENT!” and it cuts of when it’s clear that you could keep the “TORMENT!” going (no pun intended). Was this intentional?

Imperial: It was due to an error on the master CDR . . .

R: Does it bother you that you might be perceived as a National Socialist? You are in two bands with German names, and you say Siegheil in “To the Triumph of Evil.” Your philosophy shows a direct dislike of – or at least lack of interest in – the subject, though.

Imperial: No, I've definitely shown interest in the subject and am captivated by extremist philosophies.

R: Hellhammer (the drummer, not the band) once said, “Black metal is for white people.” Do you agree with this view, and why or why not?

Imperial: Tell him to say that to Caller of the Storms from Blasphemy.

[Caller is a notorious maniac, to say the least. He once ran after someone who fled from him in a bar fight, spotted the guy hiding in a store, and punched him through the glass of the storefront window.]

R: I read that you named The Church mini-cd after the Argento-produced film by Michele Soavi. Do you watch a lot of more obscure, underground horror movies? What are some favorites?

Imperial: I'm not too big on a lot of obscure films as in my area they are a pain in the ass and expensive to find. But I felt the concept behind The Church was excellent and had quite an effect on me . . .

R: I’m sure you’ve heard the joke about the difference between trash and women from New Jersey (trash gets picked up). I hear you are doing your best to relegate that authenticity to an urban legend. Are your conquests accomplished by the inherent supremacy of saying, “I’m Imperial and I’m the mastermind behind Krieg, so your place or mine?” or the anonymity and convenience of deception provided by the Internet? Do you have any standards when it comes to the hunt, or are they all prey regardless?

Imperial: While I'm not the master womanizer like some of my comrades I do enjoy the hunt from time to time. I try to have standards but that’s a wall that collapses easily under the influence

R: Ma-Kahru is attempting to put together a Judas Iscariot tribute. Is there a possibility of your participation, and what are potential songs you’d cover if so?

Imperial: Yes, "Armageddon," which is an obscure Judas track from 1996 and has been my favorite track for years. . . .

R: There’s a cover of Von’s “Devil Pig” on The Black Plague (they also perform “Satanic Blood” on Kill Yourself or Someone You Love). Do you think there was ever a more evil, primitive demo than Satanic Blood? What else might we see Krieg cover, as there has already been Von, Nunslaughter, Beherit, and Havohej?

Imperial: We were going to cover Motorhead at our NYC gig but decided against it since I had fucking pneumonia and could barely make it through the set without it. Maybe Archgoat, more Von, and maybe something really unexpected . . .

R: Obligatory question: What are some albums you would describe as essential?

Imperial: All Beherit, Darkthrone, Nargaroth, Archgoat and Judas Iscariot recordings . . . Antaeus and Katharsis as well.

R: Patrick from Red Stream said he didn’t have to give Krieg or Judas Iscariot money for studio time. How is that possible?

Imperial: Why is that important?

[Admittedly it cannot compare to the relevance of the closet homosexuality of Jamey Fiala.]

R: You mentioned receiving petty threats from Obsidian Oracle. What did they involve, and what was your response? I admit never hearing of them before reading that interview, or Willow Wisp. Please feel free to describe them in your own words.

Imperial: This was years ago but the brown from Obshitian Oracle sent me a letter telling me he would kill me or something stupid like that. Sorry but drugs and alcohol have rotted my mind. . . .Willow Wisp is the worst kind of cross dressing homosexuality and Full Moon should be ashamed for working with them.

R: Is Devotee still functional? If so, what is going with the band?

Imperial: Who knows . . . we're not more active with AngelKunt anymore than Devotee though I think there’s two new Devotee songs we might record.

[Devotee released a 3 song CDR months ago through Profane Productions called Dead and Gone, which is supposedly the epitaph of the band.]

R: Going back to recent performances with Destroyer 666 and Nunslaughter, I noticed that “End of Time” sounds very different live than on Rise of the Imperial Hordes. Why the drastic overhaul? Other songs were merely shortened, but “End” seems to have different riffs now.

Imperial: It's re-written so that it sounds better for a live medium, plus I like the more powerful sound presented with it . . .

[All the songs performed on Kill Yourself or Someone You Love have similarly been shortened if not rewritten altogether.]

R: Will it be possible to make your vocals even more devastating with subsequent releases? Lines on Destruction Ritual such as “I AM THE COMING AGE” and “THE WHOLE WORLD DIES” are delivered at extreme decibels, arguably more than on Imperial Hordes.

Imperial: We'll just have to see . . . I don't know until I am in front of the mic . . .

R: On a lot of albums, a vocalist will urge the listener (“DIE!” or “THRASH!”) in some way. Your choice on “Destruction Ritual” and “Black Ash Snowfall” is “COME ON, FUCKERS!!” You also end “Destruction Ritual” with the prolonged yell of “FUCK OFF!!” I don’t really have a question about this, I just wanted to bring it up because I think it’s killer. Comment if you have anything to add.

Imperial: Fuck off.

R: What’s the actual concept behind the name of Destruction Ritual. Have the themes changed much lyrically from Rise to Destruction?

Imperial: It’s more of a statement of what Krieg actually is as far as our ideological and musical side goes. I don’t think the themes have changed too much but the execution is certainly different than before.

R: What will we see from Krieg in the near future? I know there’s a split with Lust and an LP version of Destruction Ritual?

Imperial: Nothing is certain but a four way 10 inch with Goat Semen, Necroplasma and Naxul on Hiberica is the next step. After that will be the Lust split, a split with Open Grave and after that who knows . . . I'd like to do a mcd Songs for Resistance which will be recorded in the summer/fall and continue on until the next full length Return of the Black Death . . . also I think Nemesis will finally be unleashed through Realms of Darkness.

[Songs for Resistance has been released as a demo and is available now, though sold out through its label, as is Kill Yourself. I believe the four way split is out, check the Krieg site for info. Krieg/Open Grave is out. Krieg/Lust
will be on Sombre Records. The Realms of Darkness release was canceled, due to Imperial’s dissatisfaction with the recording. Songs for Resistance is an excellent demo, with a redux of Rise-era song “Alarum.”]

R: Thanks for taking the time to respond to this very brief interview. This last space is for your hails, prophecies, quotes, and words of hate.

Imperial: Interesting interview, my thanks . . . try not to contract AIDS from the lads at Warhammer Records heh.

As best summarized on the website: “Contrary to rumor, Krieg still fucking hates you.”

The Krieg website: destructionritual.com

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