Forever Plagued Artist -Taatsi Interview 9/28/14
1. Taatsi as this project is very new to American shores tell us a bit about how you came to be and ideals of the project?
This is A answering, also on behalf of M in general issues. We are two old friends, met as BM-teenagers in the mid-nineties, and tried to do some similar kind of BM in the late nineties, but didn’t form Taatsi until late 2013. The ideals of the project are quite simple: To create the kind of nature-inspired BM we loved in it’s golden era, the mid-nineties. Of course with a modern twist in sounds.
2. With listening to your Debut album on Forever Plagued " Amidst the Trees" I hear Folk, Post Black metal and that very Symphonic BM so popular from the 90's in full mix here. Are bands like Kvist, Manes, Dismal Euphony and Troll big influences on you sound as I hear bands like Falkenbach, Early Ulver and Early Dimmu Borgir as well?
The bands you mentioned are mostly exactly our main influences. We were totally into these bands as teenagers, when the cassette-demos and first albums came out. This is the feeling we want to capture today as well, without trying to imitate the demo-sounds totally. There are of course some other influences to be heard, coming from out personal musical tastes and personas, but this style of BM represented by the aforementioned bands (and other similar-sounding bands) is our main agenda.
3. Whats the bands theme for " Amidst the trees" or is it just a collection of Haunting romantic and distant post black metal?
No specific theme on this our first album, just a collection of songs, sometimes inspired by the nature surrounding us in the woods, sometimes by our own versions of fairytales, psychological metaphors inspired by the Northern European folklore.
4. Finland seems to have something for the more mysterious sounds in extreme metal bands like Skepticism, Thergothon, Dolorian, Enochian Crescent, And Oceans etc. is it the isolation from rest of world, the darkness and cold or just that its where the giants and ancient God's Slumber???
I’ve always thought of the Finnish BM-scene as quite boring compared to other scenes, probably because of being a Finn myself, but you did mention some original bands there. Lots of Norwegian copying here, but also some rare gems to be found. Some of the Finnish bands seem to be influenced by the culture of this country, but Taatsi as a band doesn’t go as far as singing
about specific mythologies or hailing some certain culture. We just wish to bring forth the feeling we ourselves get in the forest, mostly.
I guess every country does have their own share of original bands amidst the not-so-original ones, but then again our music might not be the most original around, although having the touch of our own personas in the overall feeling of Taatsi, naturally.
5. If some was to ask what Taatsi sound like how would the Duo explain it?
Nature-inspired mid-nineties Scandinavian-style atmospheric Black Metal with a modern and personal touch in the sounds and lyrics.
6. Whats the bands thoughts on the digital age Fan or Foe? Do you prefer physical media and print media?
To be honest, I really don’t buy any print media, nor follow online-zines, but as persons who made their own zines in the mid-nineties, we totally respect the zine culture. Same goes with music, when I buy music I tend to go for vinyl, but I don’t collect records too much these days.
7.Do the members of Taatsi create music under other names of projects as well?
Besides making zines, M used to be in a great band called Wintermoon in the mid-nineties, but other than that he has been keeping quite a low profile. I myself did make zines as well back in the day, and I’ve made a lot of music during the years with numerous projects which have never been published properly, but there is an old band of mine called TKNKNTJ in which I am involved heavily at the moment, with material out now and to be released in the future.
8. Were do you see the sound and vision of the band heading with future release more experimentation's or more into the extreme metal sounds?
We have now enough songs for the next full-length, which we will most likely try to get out at the end of the year. The sound is quite similar to the first full- length and the demo, maybe a bit more better and professional, but no really big changes in music style nor soundscapes.
9. What are Taatsi Duo listening to and reading currently? Any shocker?
I can only answer for myself here: I listen to a lot of different styles, I have no restrictions really when it comes to music, but lately I’ve been doing music reviews so I’ve been listening to stuff like the new Drowned and Abigor albums which were both great!
10. How does Folklore, Heritage and Tales of the old world play into creating the music and themes for Taatsi?
In that fairytale-sense they mean a lot to the band obviously, but when it comes to themes like cultural heritage, I don’t see us as one of those “pagan BM-bands”, we are a bit more abstract than that.
11. If you could be signed to a much larger label and have full touring backing would you do so or is Taatsi growing the way its suppose to?
We have been offered a change to play at a local BM-festival, but we refused since we at this point have no interest in playing live, and I think this is how it will stay for us. Also, we don’t make this music to get it into any more bigger or mainstream places, we like it in the underground, but we have no opposition to different kinds of people liking the music, so we are not so pure “metal” in that sense.
12. Does Image even play a role in Black metal any more with so many bedroom projects as I call it?
I guess there are bands which totally rely on their image and reputation (with the music being usually boring copycat stuff), but we tend to rely on the music. This does not mean that visuals are not important for us, but we have no need to go posing in the woods with corpsepaint and spikes and swords, this is not one of those kinds of bands, and neither were the bands in the old days we are mostly influenced by.
13. What is Taatsi thoughts on the current state of underground music
Healthy or seeming its end of day ?
I’ve personally seen so many good bands rising all the time that I’ve kinda lost interest in keeping up with stuff, just too much material and too little real variation, I think. Every now and then I come across a newer band which has some new cool ideas, or a band relying on the old formulas but with a personal enough presentation which I like, but this is rare. The only new band I’ve heard in a couple of years I really liked that comes to mind is Katechon from Norway.
14. Thank you for the time any closing thoughts here?
Thanks for the interview, and check out or music and label Forever Plagued Records!
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