ANGUISHED

(Female black metal - Finlande)

Interview par Adnauseam

Janvier 2011

Nausea webzine est toujours à l’affût de nouveautés intéressantes en black metal, malgré l’état général pitoyable de cette scène bien saturée aujourd’hui. Anguished a retenu notre intérêt puisqu’il s’agit d’un one woman band de black metal venant de Finlande qui propose avec "Cold" un premier album captivant. Entretien en anglais avec Possessed Demoness sur la genèse de son projet, le black metal féminin ou encore les religions, et qui ne nous dispense pas des nombreux clichés du black metal… Epoque de liberté d'expression contrôlée et de nouveaux censeurs, nous rappelons que Nausea n'est pas responsable des propos tenus par les artistes.

English version

1) As Anguished is a solo project, who is Possessed Demoness?

 Possessed Demoness is the soul of Anguished. That’s me.

2) How is born Anguished? “Cold” seems to be your very first release…

 Yes, “Cold” is a debut album. Anguished was born two years ago, when I wanted to express myself through music. Later I decided to try release the album and that was surprising easy. Hammer of Hate was interested and things went on.

3) This first release of quality is out on Hammer of Hate without any distributed demo. Have you a past in music?

 Music has been always in my life. But I haven’t been in any other band before. Just played and made music for my own pleasure.

4) Black metal is not technical music, but why create a band alone today? It seems there are so many bands in Finland and also a strange phenomenon: musicians playing in various bands very different at the same time: doom, black, thrash, death…

 Reason for that is very simple: No one didn’t want to take part of this band because of my sex. No one didn’t take me seriously and doubted my skills and authenticity. Luckily my session drummer didn’t have any prejudices and was happy to help me out. It’s true that BM circles are very small in Finland, but I guess that’s quite normal in this genre. (Nausea: ?!? Surprising: Finland seems to be a country with really a lot of black metal bands…)

5) I guess Anguished will not play live. Some black metal bands in the first years refused to play live, concerts being funny and far from misanthropy and darkness. What do you thing about it?

I would like to play live. Just have to find suitable players first. I think that you can really feel the energy and the atmosphere in the music when you’re in a gig.

6) There is a lot of girls today in black metal (it was not the case in 90’s), but the most of them are only here to admire their boyfriends musicians or for photo exhibitions. How do you explain this phenomenon?

Well if that’s a reason to live the way of  BM, I feel really sorry for them. Mmm, no, actually I don’t feel sorry for them. You can’t get respect if you’re all fake. And fake people are pathetic, like christians.

7) There is another one woman black metal band, Turdus Merula, from Sweden. She has released an album this year. Do you know it?

No, I don’t know that one. I do know some other bands thou where are one or more women.

8) Do you feel close from black metal bands with female vocals like (old) Opera IX (Cadaveria was the first female singer in black metal), or Astarte (Greece), Benatnash (Mexico), Gallhammer (Japan) or in another style Monarch (french extreme doom with screamed female voice). What do you think about “all females black metal bands” like Gallhammer, (old)Astarte, Ancestry (Turkey). Would you be interested to form an all girl black metal band in the future?

I don’t really care are people men or women in BM bands. That’s not the issue for me. I do and listen to this music, ‘cause I like and believe in it. If I’d feel close to some band, it would be because of the music style or lyrics or something like that. I really can’t see myself in a girl band.

9) There are other extreme female singers in other dark music like Diamanda Galas (era “Plague mass”), Sui Generis Umbra, Aghast or The Moon Lay Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud... Have you ever listened to some of them?

No.

10) Do you know the movie "Possession" (1981) by Andrej Zulawski. In this strange movie about madness, Isabelle Adjani, the main character, made a lot of mad screams. I think vocals by Females can be really extremes and there are again unexplored dimensions…

No, I don’t know that movie.

11) You use corpse paints. A lot of bands in the first years of black metal finally stop using it. What corpse paints mean to you?

First, it looks good and evil. I really like wearing it, it brings me some kind of… superhuman feeling. It just belongs to BM and I hope it will stay that way.

12) The second song is called “Come to me Satan”. What Satan means to you?

I worship Satan. I live the antichristian way and spread the message of Antichrist.

13) Another question about black metal folklore: in your logo there is the traditional inverted cross, so as it’s an antichristian symbol, I would like to know what it represent for you. Today, Christianity is a dead religion in Occident since a lot of years, but there is new religion which has more and more weight in society: Islam. What is the situation in Finland?

This is a very close issue to me. I just hate this cult so much that I can’t fucking take it long! Situation with islams is in control at the moment in Finland still. But I’m very worried ‘cause it won’t stay that way long. And no one does shit about it! The fucking muslims can do everything that they want in Europe these days! I kill myself before kneel front of those fuckers. But I would like to kill them first. I want to keep my country, laws, freedom, lifestyle, pets, life… I have this shirt, where’s a text “Fuck islam” and I’m wearing it as much as I can and I’m not afraid to show those parasites that they are not welcome in here!

14) Some censured black metal bands begin to emerge in totalitarian countries with Muslims traditions, some words about it?

Haven’t heard about them.

15) I was surprised by the presentation of “Cold” by your label. Hammer of Hate describe your vocals as in the way of Cradle of Filth’s debut. What do you think about it?

Well you have to describe the album somehow to promote it. It’s fine to me if I sound like early Dani Filth. Not bad at all.

16) The cover is in a way paradoxal: sensuality with nudity and fetish clothes which can symbolize bestiality maybe, but also life and warmth, but your lyrics deal with anguish and death. What do you want to express with this cover?

I find BM to be sexual. Sexual images insult Christianity and other hypocrite religions and people. Everybody likes sex and if you say something else, you’re a hypocrite liar. The pictures in my cover art are beside sexual, still evil and atmospheric. And those are the things what I wanted to express with these pics. And I think I did it well!

17) What are your influences for Anguished?

 I don’t think that I have straight influence, every band what I have ever listened effects in my likes and dislikes in music.

18) Do you listen to some french black metal?

No. I can remember only one French band now and that’s Sorg. I like that.

19) I have really enjoyed your album. There is really a lot of bands today in black metal scene, but very few have personality (it’s not your case!), what do you thing about it?

I just do what I like to do and that’s just a positive that it ended to be something good and personal.

20) The first song is a little rock’n roll and it has disappointed me. It’s the only song in this way. Will your next releases be in this style?

I think the style will stay like “Come to me Satan” and “Depart this Life” sounds.

21) You practice a form of traditional black metal without influences from outside metal. Some bands today explore other dark scenes like ambient/industrial. What do you think about it?

I actually have an ambient band too with my friend. I think that you can do what ever you want, but I will stay in BM and ambient. Occultic, melancholic and evil it should be.

22) Something to add? Thanks for your time.

Hail Satan and screw islams!!!

A lire: chronique ANGUISHED "Cold"

http://www.myspace.com/anguished666