What we have here is a very interesting pagan/folk metal band from the Dutch part of Belgium: Wapenspraak & Dringelag. The band has released two impressive demos and will release a split CD somewhere in Autumn this year with the Belgian warriors Garmenhord. Those two demos are not the only thing that makes this band worthwhile, Wapenspraak & Drinkgelag are based on old Celtic and Germanic beliefs, rites and the overall culture. About this, the history and the future of the band I talked with two of the brave battlers Grimgäert and Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn with a single answer by Norgaath as well. Together with the talkative chatpartners and the in-depth question-and-answers this is one of the most interesting interviews I did while being active for Vampire-Magazine. Raise the horns and hail the ancestors: Wapenspraak & Drinkgelag!
Hail all of you brave warriors of the Klan!
Alaaf ouwe rukker! *ting*
First of all I want to know what the band name means for all of you.
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: The bandname isn’t really a ‘traditional’ one, but it covers the package pretty well. ‘Wapenspraak & Drinkgelag’ is a concept that shows both the spiritual and musical dualistic matter we stand for. Let’s see, ‘Wapenspraak’ can be seen as the aggressive war-like side. Meaning simply the cutting edge thrash part of our music. The ‘Drinkgelag’ part stands for the more folk-like influences, and, on a more spiritual level, the more ‘rock ‘n roll’ part of life, to put it that way. Not to start an esoteric, Eastern philosophically influenced discussion here, but there are always two sides to everything, and the KlanKult doesn’t escape that law (all the other laws are gladly broken by the Klanmembers though). In this way, the bandname can be understood for example at a gig, the ‘on-stage part’ is pure Wapenspraak, while the ‘backstage-after-the-gig’ part is in fact true Drinkgelag. The symbolism of the bandname is ‘totemised’ so to say in the image of the wild boar that you can see in the logo. The wild boar had this dualistic image back in Celtic times. It was a symbol of war and aggression, and at the same time it represented prosperity and fertility. To us, it still has those meanings attached, that is why we use the image of the mighty boar on stage as well. W&D should feel like a boar that hits you on stage, and then feasts with you after the gig. And if you want to rock and roll-over in the mud, we just might do that as well.
One of the most lame questions, but also one of the most interesting, could you shortly introduce Wapenspraak & Drinkgelag to us?
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: See question 2. No need to give you a boring historical lecture on the bands creation, that can be found on the website.
Wapenspraak & Drinkgelag was found on the ashes of Hellebaert and Zwartbard, are there any recordings left, and can we expect them some time to surface? Or are there any releases done which I missed?
Grimgäert: Hellebaert and Zwartbard were the first outlets for my pagan metal-passion, to put it like this. Both were never meant as real “bands”, more like projects we could do something with in our spare time, you see. Hellebaert consisted out of Yannick and Xavier Santens (both of Dark Ages) and myself. We only rehearsed a couple of times, and by accident every rehearsal ended out in a thrashing rock ‘n’ roll jam session. Weird. Zwartbard came to exist after Hellebaert, and it was a mixture between “Hellebaert” and “Zwaardbroeder”, the black metal-band of Aragorn Beerdrinker or Asmoug Demogorgon or whatever he’s called nowadays (Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: ‘The artist formerly known as Aragorn, the beerdrinking Asmoug Demogorgon from the allmighty Zwaardbroeder Division Nihil’. (Hence the name: when ZWAARDbroeder meets HelleBAERT, you get “Zwaardbaard”. Not everyone liked that name, though, so we shortened it to Zwartbard. Asmoug played guitar in Zwartbard, I did the vocals and we had the most a-technical drummer in the universe, being Drunkan Valraven of Iconoclasm (ex) and Geweih (R.I.P.) We created only one song, “Galgenlied (De Ballade van de Beul)”, which is a very rough oefta-oefta-oefta neckbreaker… Unfortunately, Zwartbard was doomed to drown in chaos and alcohol, and so it happened. Any releases… Hmm, not really, no. Of course there are some rehearsal tapes, but these are not meant for the outside world. Maybe the Zwartbard-track will pop up some time, someplace, dunno, we’ll see.
The band is strongly based on folk music, what is so attractive in that for you?
Grimgäert: Folk music is honest music from the very heart of a people. It has strong ties with the past, and in most cases it isn’t sickened by the whole music industry, as the metal genre ís. A lot of folk bands have the power and dedication that a whole lot of metal bands seem to miss, while others possess the ability to create intense mystical images. We like the Gaelic – Irish, Scottish and English – style (flamin’ bodhràns, fiddles, whistles and strings dammit, ow: “… and rivets”) and of course the traditional bands from Flanders. To me, it feels like a natural thing for pagans to like, or at least appreciate, folk music.
Though, the folk played is still heavily leaning on a metal basis. Which is pretty original to me. A tricky question, what do you think you can offer in originality?
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: Yes, we indeed incorporate folk-parts into metal music. Some bands are more folk-orientated and have a folk-base that’s been sharpened with a metal edge (maybe Storm or Cruachan are examples). We make the folk-metal combination a bit the ‘traditional’ way and incorporate folk-elements in solid (thrash) metal-based music, maybe a bit like Skyclad used to. This concept isn’t that original, although the past few years have shown a great amount of new black metal bands, folk-influenced music is a bit less-done I think. Nevertheless we try to bring an original ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, people who have seen our shows will endorse with that.
Grimgäert: “Gesamtkunstwerk”, nice one, Fynnbrenn. (easy on the German words though, otherwise people will call us a political band again). I have to agree on this one. A lot of pagan bands make their songs on the regular instruments (drums/guitars/bass) and then start to incorporate so-called folk influences. Flutes, keyboards, dancing midgets, et cetera. Take these things away, and you’ll end up with just another boring metal band. We, on the other hand, try to connect the two elements from the very beginning, so that they form an indivisible whole. You can’t separate the folk-parts from the metal-parts, so, some passages are “folk metal” in the most natural meaning of the term.
Lyrically the songs are based on old beliefs, ancient rites and paganism? Why is this so important for you?
Grimgäert: It’s quite simple, actually: the people who write these lyrics – and most of the other band members-, feel very connected to the inspiring matter. If I may speak for myself here: I want to scream my lyrics straight from the heathen heart and the pagan soul. You have a lot of these so-called “black metal bands” that sing about Satan and yadda yadda yadda, because that is what one is supposed to do in black metal (or so they think). Every dedication towards (and knowledge of) the subject is absent, and the lyrics are totally meaningless. They serve as SOUNDS and follow from the fact that every band needs to have a singer – who needs lyrics. It’s different with W&D, and I suppose most pagan metal-bands. Our lyrics form a unity with the music – you fucking just can’t separate them from each other. Take the lyrics away and the song loses its meaning. All W&D-members are at least interested in, and at most dedicated warriors of the pure pagan spirit – so it’s quite logical from where the inspiration for the lyrics comes and why they are so important, me thinks.
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: “… and our ancestors liked to wear hoods, yes they did. No-one knows who they were, or what they were doing” ©.
On your website (entirely in Dutch) you can find a historical story about the old Celts and the pagan Germanic people. Why this choice?
Grimgäert: As we draw most of our inspiration from the Celtic and Germanic pagan past, these texts form some sort of a clarification of the concept of W&D. We are not some band that has created its own little fantasy world, you see. To be able to appreciate the lyrics and the overall concept totally, I think it’s indispensable that one has at least a minimal knowledge about these historical backgrounds. And considering your question “why this choice?”: it would be rather silly to put a history of, let’s say Cuba, on the website, don’t you think?
You also seem to be very interested in the history of “The lowlands” (which is in historical facts The Netherlands and Belgium together). Could you spend some words on this?
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: Well that’s easy to explain. We are all born in this part of the world, so naturally we find our own background and history fascinating. And off course the fact that the Gallic wars for example were major historical events that had tremendous effect on the life (and death) of millions of people in these parts back then, and even affect our society today. So I guess it’s only natural to be interested in what happened. Maybe this is a good time to stress that W&D is not a political band, our historical interest should not be mistaken for political views and thoughts. I think what we try to do is ‘connect’ with those people, which might perhaps explain your question on the blue paint a bit.
The biography is preceded by a short Dutch poem, the source is said to be “Sakserwoede”, what is this?
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: “I pity the damn fool” who asks this question.
Hmmm, ok… Well, next one, on the pictures on your website (which is greatly designed by the way), all of you wear a different kind of “corpse paint” than we are used to, sometimes blue or brown and all over your body. Has this a heathen meaning?
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: Thanx for the compliments on the site, we indeed tried to give it a ‘green nature touch’ so to speak. Traditional black/white ‘corpse paint’ has the same background as our ‘paint’. Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, King Diamond, etc all used it as an ‘act’ to sharpen their concept with an effective visual effect. And that’s what paint is all about really, it’s basically ‘warpaint’. Placed in our own Celtic/Germanic concept, we paint ourselves with woad before we go to battle/on stage. The ancient Celts used to dye themselves with a blue substance called ‘woad’ which they made from a dried weed called ‘isatis tinctoria’ with the same purpose: 1) to make an impression on the enemy, and 2) to create a spiritual bond between them, and therefore be stronger to face the enemy. As did Native American Indians, etc. The belief in this bond must have been strong indeed since some of the Celts raged into battle wearing nothing but woad, a golden torque and a spear for example. Now I guess you’ve all seen this woad as it was used in the motion picture ‘Braveheart’. I think this is a good way of showing how it was done, except for the fact that ‘Braveheart’ is a 13th century story and woad was in fact used around the time of the Gallic wars. So the use of woad in the movie is kinda wrong.
Grimgäert: Small footnote: of course the woad paint has never been used in our regions, that’s for sure. But, as we draw our inspiration from pagan northern and Western Europe, there is no reason why we shouldn’t wear it. Celtic and Pictish territories dó fall within our conceptual region.
There are two demos released so far, how were the reactions on these two outputs. Are they still available?
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: The first tape you speak of is the ‘Hammerite-sessies’ rehearsaltape. We recorded that piece of stormfolk thrash attakk in our first rehearsalplace, which was in fact a warvessel called ‘The Hammerite’. This tape sold out completely. In november 2003 we released our first demo-cd, “Onder de banier van het gewei”. This piece was recorded at the ‘Dungeon Studio’ with producer Serge Impens (Iconoclasm) and is almost sold out as well. We made 200 copies and sold about 65 of them the first day, I think we have about 10 copies left. So if you want one, you better hurry, or wait for the re-release. The demo-cd will definitely be re-released, but we’re not quite certain on the format yet. It may be a cd again, it may be an old-school tape, or it may even be an older-school vinyl-record. We will announce it on our website when the time is right.
How are your live sets? Do you have a special stage appearance?
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: As I already explained in the question about the woad paint, we try to visualize our concept on stage yes. I think a band should do that, I don’t like to see a band on stage wearing just other band shirts and playing lame shows. I’m not saying that a live-show should become an ‘act’, but it should be something special for the fans and certainly for the band as well. Like a ‘Venom’ show for example, Cronos used to say: “If you want to ‘hear’ Venom here, go home and listen to the records”. I think he has a good point there, a live-experience should be something great, something to really enjoy. So we try to work on that by painting our faces and bodies with woad and clay, by giving it a sort of sword-and-shield-image, and in fact just by ‘being’ there. Some bands just ‘aren’t there’ on stage so you feel like you’re looking at a rehearsal. We raid cattle on stage – that is our battlefield – which is where we really come alive… After that, we raise the drinking horns and feast on wild boar until we burst. So go see us dammit, and bring beer.
Grimgäert: Our shows have been described as “Celtic Metal Madness”… I would prefer the term “Pagan Metal Madness”, but anyway: it’s very metal and very mad. End of line.
Grimgäert has got an underground zine, is he still running this zine for I didn’t saw many issues surfacing lately…
Grimgäert: Yes indeed, he is still running that zine! It’s called Tswaert der Duusternesse and it pokes in the rotting carcasses of anything and anyone that messes with trüe metal! We created the mag some seven years ago, and after issue III, it has been quite calm for a damn long period of time. But, houzee, then came along sir Nikathan, and he injected some new vitality into Tswaert… So now we are back with a skullfukking vengeance! But if you want to see “many issues”, buy the damn Aardschok. Tswaert isn’t THAT productive, but we prefer to deliver something that has class, you see? So indeed, it may take a while for us to create a new issue every time, but hey – in the end, it’ll get finished. And then we can start working on the next. Info can be found at http://drink.to/tswaertderduusternesse.
The same Grimgäert is also active in Gae-Bolga, what is this for kind of band and is this the same band from France playing some strange, and really good, folkish music?
Grimgäert: Gae-bolga has nothing to do with folk at all, and that band from France is called GAE BOLG, if I’m not mistaken. Anyway, Gae-bolga is a very old school thrash metal-band. We try keep our metal simple and pure, and it can be described a bit as old Slayer meets Grave Digger meets Atrophy meets Motörhead, only better and faster! No bullshit, only metal in the ancient way, how it was supposed to be. There are some plans for a split seven inch with the German thrash-band ThunderBüllet (Harre, du stumme Ursel!) which will kick poser asses and smash trendy teeth!
Norgaath has got a lot of different other activities, isn’t this a problem for him to combine? And is his solo project already up and running?
Norgaath: No problem with that, as W&D is the only band I rehearse with on a weekly basis. My solo thing, I have about 7 hymns now. I’m planning to record in a few months, with the help of mighty Crygh (Grimfaug) on percussion.
You’ve shared the stage with some great other bands, what bands from your region and scene can you recommend?
Grimgäert: One band deserves special attention. They are mad, bad and dangerous to know… Ugly, ill-mannered and medieval outlaws in the smelliest way one can imagine. Of course, I’m talking about our blood-and-beer-brothers of Garmenhord here. They play some sort of pagan metal, with a very own touch about it. “Meetjeslandtsch Meetael”, as they call it themselves. We have recorded some songs recently, that will be released as a split-CD with Garmenhord. Beware. Other bands I can recommend are Dark Ages (Metal of Death, though they seem to exist mainly on paper, these days), Natrach (raw black metal without the bullshit), Elfenbloed (a project of Kwelhekse’s Cormanthor, will be the best BM-demo ever to have risen from Flanders’ fields), Grimfaug (traditional black metal featuring Norgaath!) and Aguynguerran (oldskool black metal). Zwaardbroeder has risen from the grave and has a steady line-up now (including Der Nevetser and Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn, aswell as Haat (ex-Faustian Moon) and Zwelg (ex-Lugubrum)), and they will kick some serious ass. Ancient hordes as Iconoclasm and Infernal Legion are still there as well, doing what they’re good at.
This was it for now, thanks for the interview, if you have any words to spawn, go ahead!
Fynnbrenn Óllmighty Torcklàn: Watch out for the Wapenspraak & Drinkgelag / Garmenhord split-CD: “De strijdlust van het zwijn” which will be out through Lugburz Records in september 2004. The W&D-side will contain the ‘De gesel van Dodeweert’-intro, two new songs (‘… Als de carnyx schreeuwt (met Nervische moed doorheen de Samber’ and ‘Wechselbalg’) one old drinking-hymn called ‘De orde van het zwijn’ and the live version of ‘Puur heidens krijgsmetaal’, recorded in november 2003 at the ‘Unie van Atregt IV’-fest in The Netherlands. More KlanKult info can be found at http://www.wapenspraak.cjb.net/.
Grimgäert: Bugger off.
