WATAIN Frontman Says RONNIE JAMES DIO 'Is In A Really Good Place Right Now'

Australia's The AU Review recently conducted an interview with Erik Danielsson of Swedish black metallers WATAIN. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The AU Review: Being from Australia, we're quite isolated from the black metal scene. From what I see, bands from Norway and Sweden seem very passionate about black metal — it's almost like it's a way of life. Can you tell us why this is?

Danielsson: I have that question asked I can't say how many times, and I still cannot really find a good answer to it. I think it has a lot to do with strong minds influencing other strong minds, creating unity of almost a brotherhood-like environment. I know when I [was] first initiated in black metal around '91, '92, it was more of a brotherhood here, you know, somewhere where you had to earn your place and I'm still the same. I still have respect for the same thing I had back then — I never really changed my mind about it. I'm very… juvenile when it comes to my outlet of black metal. To me it is something that means everything, you know. It is my life and it encompasses so many things other than music — it compasses religion, it compasses your social life; everything I do is somehow connected to it.

The AU Review: Sounds as though you are very much into black metal. I was just wondering if you listen to other styles of music?

Danielsson: What I appreciate mostly from black metal is mostly... I don't know it's been with me my whole life, but I must say I probably listen to a whole lot more to heavy metal and heavy/speed and actually more kind of rock things like RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST. Somehow they always come back — these motherfuckers, they seem to own me — while black metal is something I listen to more on occasion or when I do I do it with my heart, my soul and body.

The AU Review: You just mentioned you're a fan of RAINBOW. In Sweden, what was the reaction like to the passing of Ronnie James Dio? Was it a big thing over there as well?

Danielsson: Of course, it was. In any civilized country it should have been. It's always sad, in a way, but at the same time I'm not the kind of person who cries rivers when someone dies. I think death is something great. I know that Dio is in a really good place right now, a place that he earned during his lifetime. Of course, it's all of a sudden [that he died], but he lives on forever. If you have cancer and if you're very sick, then perhaps death is better, like a great hole is open for you and you know you're home.

The AU Review: Going back to black metal, a lot of people associate black metal with church burning, Satan and sometimes Nazism. What are your opinions about that side of the genre?

Danielsson: Well, it's a very natural fight, apart from the political stuff you mentioned, which never was black metal-related. Black metal is, to me, something spiritual and definitely Satan has always been the founding tool for the whole genre and it remains so; that's why bands like us are around. In terms of church burning, or in other cases of ceremonial-like culture or ritual, whatever it might be, these are powers. I see nothing strange with a lot of brutal and destructive things coming out of black metal.

The AU Review: In the '90s there were a lot of church burnings in Norway. Do you agree or disagree with what happened?

Danielsson: I agree with it that it was a strong statement against Christianity. First and foremost, I always think that way, if you have an enemy you should always fight it. Black metal was never about being passive in the first place. The enemy must always be fought with any means possible and at the time it was a relevant thing to do and it made a [strong] point for what we were about. It transcended from a regular subculture, it manifested to action and I think it was a very good thing to happen at that point in time in black metal history; it served its purpose.

Read the entire interview from The AU Review.

Fan-filmed video footage of WATAIN's performance at this year's Sweden Rock Festival on June 12 can be viewed below.