Lord Ahriman – Guitar for Dark Funeral

1. What is Dark Funeral currently up to?

AHRIMAN: We are planning the European tour.

2. Tell us about the new album title “Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus” and what it translate to?

AHRIMAN: Burning angels for eternity.

3. Was anything done different with the music on this album?

AHRIMAN: O yes, we kept the core of the music but was also developed all aspects of the music. There are more rhythmic parts in the guitars and we tried to get away from just blasting through all the songs. We also worked more on the drums to make them more alive. We have this amazing new drummer so we had to use all his gifts. This album is also a little more technical.

4. Did you incorporate any unusual instruments or orchestral elements?

AHRIMAN: No…we used guitars, bass, drums, vocals. Maybe the only thing added was an Ebow which (we used a little on our last album "Attera Totus Sanctus") is like a laser that you put on the guitar strings to mimic strings, horns, and woodwinds, we used it on ‘Declaration of Hate’ and ‘Stigmata’.

5. Tell us about the video for ‘My Funeral’ and why there are two versions?

AHRIMAN: It was shot in a closed mental hospital so the environment was really wicked to say the least. It was really creepy. There are two versions of the video because there was a suicide scene was edited out. I don’t like censorship but it had to be done and at least the original version still has that suicide scene.

6. Will you film another video?

AHRIMAN: Yes our wish is to shoot another one, our original idea was to do a video for ‘Stigmata’ but everyone voted on ‘My Funeral’, but if we film another video it will be ‘Stigmata’. We already have a lot of ideas for it. Really what it boils down to is money and budget.

7. Opinions vary on what the word Satanism means. What does it mean to you?

AHRIMAN: Usually it’s a subject I don’t go into these days, I’m just tired of talking about it. I think we show a lot through the band and the rest is private.

8. You have a song called ‘Teach Children To Worship Satan’. Can you tell us what that is about?

AHRIMAN: Well over the years we have been accused of many things, Satanic and so on, and different organizations were attacking us. So writing this song was just a fist in the face to all the ignorant who pre judged us, a fuck off to all these people. These people can try and silence us but that’s never gonna happen and that’s just a great title to shut their faces.

9. Who from your peers do you listen to?

AHRIMAN: Behemoth is the latest band I’ve been listening to. Really I don’t keep up too much with the scene. When you live and breathe this kind of music I actually like to listen to other kinds of music also. Heavy Metal music has always been around my collections, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Testament (their latest album is totally amazing), Meshuggah, and I just discovered this band Porcupine Tree who are really different, I don’t know what to think of them yet. Mercyful Fate and King Diamond are always in my cd player but really it depends on my mood as to who I listen to.

10. In your opinion who is the most important or influential Black Metal band?

AHRIMAN: Uhhh, I have no idea, no one is particular. Mayhem I’d say because they really started something and they should get credit for that. These days the scene is so much bigger than when we started and I really don’t know who the younger bands look up to and think are important.

11. Plans to tour the U.S. in 2010?

AHRIMAN: We have been getting a lot of emails and requests from the States but right now I can only think about planning this European tour. I can’t confirm when we will come to the States but we will hopefully later this year.

12. I have seen Dark Funeral live (in the States), and some footage from over seas. Aside from pyro and lights, do you ever use theatrics or props on stage? What would you like to do on stage in a Dark Funeral show that hasn’t been done as of yet?

AHRIMAN: Well that’s one thing we are really working on for this tour, we have a slightly bigger budget and we don’t plan on putting that extra money into our pockets. We want to put on a bigger production than before. Usually when we go on stage not much is planned but this time around I want more structure, more lights and pyro, backdrops we like. I am looking for more coordination between the lights and the music. I have some ideas already to make this happen. It will definitely be an improved show for sure.

13. Do you get involved in any side projects?

AHRIMAN: Our vocalist Emperor Magnus is in a band called Demonoid with two of the guys from Therion, our other guitarist Chaq Mol is in a band called Mordichrist with his wife. Personally I don’t have time really to do anything else. I have done a few things in the past and if I did do a side project it would be something very different from Dark Funeral. I did co write a song with Lord Kaiaphas (from Ancient) for a solo project called Thokkian Vortex. The song was called ‘Into The Nagual’.

Official website: http://www.darkfuneral.se