Scorpio: Greetings.
Ar: Be healthy! Heil und Sieg! I greet MetalList Portal!
Scorpio: Readers can find the history of the project's creation on our site, so we won't go over the story of AR's founding now. But what does the word "AR" mean?
Ar: It is my real Name, which I discovered more than ten years ago after a conversation with a woman who had survived clinical death. After her revival, she gained various paranormal abilities, as well as the skill to play musical instruments, draw, and recite verses of prophetic content. She wanted me to become one of her pupils. After a while, it turned out she was making business forecasts for companies using her abilities, and then she was found by some practitioners of tantric black magic who offered to join forces. That's when our paths diverged. As for the meaning of "AR" — the Gothic rune Ar is associated with the Sun and Light; in Slavic languages, this root is connected to Fire and Terrestrial Heat, and it also means "bear." By the way, at Kupala Festivals I play the Bear role!
Scorpio: It's amazing how you manage to convey atmosphere in your compositions. Listening to 'The Winds That Blow From The Black Sea,' I feel like I'm on the seacoast, and the sea isn't entirely calm. 'The Return Of the Horned One (The New Spring Comes)' is my absolute favorite song. I close my eyes and see a spring morning (but for some reason late spring) — I'm standing on the shore of a forest lake. There are no ripples on the water, a light mist rises above the lake, birds are singing... How do you manage to achieve all this?
Ar: When I hear music, I also see an image that illustrates it. If you're familiar with the concept of the noosphere, you probably won't be surprised that my associations are similar to yours, for example. The perception of many things is based on archetypes. Certain sounds, their timbre, their combination evoke personal experiences connected with some rainy day when your only companions were loneliness and depression. And everyone who has experienced something similar will feel the snow crunching underfoot and black waves raging, rather than sand rustling at the seaside.
Scorpio: All the compositions are instrumental. Do you think vocals would spoil the compositions, or limit the listener's imagination?
Ar: "The Eternal Circle Of Life" was conceived as an instrumental album, though I had the opportunity to invite a female opera vocalist for the recording. The means should serve a clearer expression of the idea, not be a demonstration that you possess the ability to use them. And only the listener can limit the listener's imagination.
Scorpio: Ambient and darkwave are electronic styles — heavy guitar riffs are absent — yet there are many fans of these styles among metalheads. In heavy music media, you can find reviews of works by people who create in this direction. Why do you think that is?
Ar: Probably because the creators of such music are able to express their ideas in a way that resonates with heavy music fans. It's worth noting that very often such projects are side ventures by musicians who play metal. Darkwave and ambient attract the attention of metalheads primarily through atmosphere, which is also interesting to "normal" people. But in most cases, for the "normal" person, darkwave is off-putting because of its "calm" or "simplicity," just as grindcore is because of its uncontrolled intensity.
Scorpio: Did you resolve the issues with Falcata Galia Recordings? And what were the problems?
Ar: The contract was signed for three years in the summer of 2001, and my CD still hasn't been released to this day. And I don't blame Rudi Carrera, the label owner, for this. He's from Europe, and his American partners turned out to be irresponsible people. Now he thinks that moving to America was a big mistake. Not long ago, he moved to Macedonia. I'd like to believe that the situation will change for the better for all parties.
Scorpio: Did really nobody in the CIS countries agree to release 'The Eternal Circle Of Life'? Did you contact anyone?
Ar: I don't want to name anyone. What's the point? I didn't like the cooperation terms and the quality of their output, or my music wasn't "the right format" for them. Besides, at that time there were no serious labels specializing in such music, and I could have stamped out tapes with black-and-white copied covers myself.
Scorpio: I heard that a russian label called Oskorei Music was recently founded, oriented toward pagan, folk, and darkwave. If you're interested, you could contact the label manager, Shibanov Alexander (oskorei@).
Ar: I contacted Alexander with an offer to license the CD for the russian market. I can simply quote a fragment from his letter: "I really loved the music — I haven't heard anything this good from the post-USSR in a very long time. The music is magnificent! I liked it very much!" But he didn't have the money to carry out "this mad enterprise." So I'm waiting for offers from domestic labels! I'd like it if "The Eternal Circle Of Life" were accessible to fans in the CIS countries and the Baltics with bonus tracks that won't be on the Western version.
Scorpio: Tell us, please, about your other projects.
Ar: HEATHER WASTELAND — medieval folk with two bass guitars and drums. Unfortunately, we haven't rehearsed for a long time, though we aren't planning to split up. Work on other projects has been postponed until better times or is in the initial stages. When there are results, I'll talk about them.
Scorpio: People who graduated from music schools and conservatories sometimes look down on the creations of someone who doesn't formally compose music, but simply hears it and embodies it in sound. (This is fully applicable to your case.) Maybe they're afraid that they have the technique but lack the feeling of a true artist, and you're just salt on their wounds?
Ar: Their snobbery, conservatism, and envy are too strong for me to believe they're actually afraid of that. Nevertheless, among the professionals, there are also those whom my music rather admires than irritates.
Scorpio: Some media outlets (especially print) cut interviews, and the result is a "castrated" version that's not satisfying. What are the editors of such publications afraid of?
Ar: They want to be politically correct, respectable figures in the eyes of the masses and avoid problems with censorship, which exists in the media in one form or another. I worked in large print publications and saw this "kitchen" from the inside. They prefer to savor banalities in trashy articles with titles like "The party at the gay club was cool!" to look "progressive," while at the same time stuffing everyone with their self-importance to show their "spirituality."
Scorpio: Varg Vikernes from BURZUM is your friend. Quite an intelligent person, from what I've heard from those who've communicated with him. Besides, he writes books about ancient Nordic culture. What do you think pushed him toward the Euronymous murder and the church arsons?
Ar: First of all, I should mention that he (full name Varg Quisling Bore Larsson Vikernes) had officially changed his name to Varg (Old Norse for "wolf"), because the former name Christian would have simply been ridiculous. As for Euronymous and the arsons... Varg thirsted for real action against Judeo-Christianity and he didn't just sit around. Euronymous was killed for several reasons. First, ideological ones connected to the struggle for leadership in the Inner Black Circle of Norway. Second, Euronymous had refused to honor his contractual obligations regarding BURZUM. Third, Euronymous had threatened to kill Varg (so the events can partly be interpreted as an extreme form of self-defense). And fourth, there's a reason that very few people know about: Euronymous had stolen Varg's girlfriend — as far as I understand, the one who already had a daughter with Varg. By the way, I've never heard him say anything bad about her. In my opinion, that says a lot about a person's character. As for the arsons, eight churches were burned, not just one. He was planning to blow up another. I don't know whether he participated in all eight, but I think he could have taken the responsibility upon himself — just remember that he never gave anyone up. Those who were caught in that case either repented or were turned in by former associates.
Scorpio: What is paganism to you, first and foremost? A unity with nature?
Ar: A connection with the Ancestors, with Nature, with our Gods. The Primordial Tradition and culture untouched by foreign influences.
Scorpio: Do you think paganism is "purer" than any religion?
Ar: First of all, it should be noted that the Slavs didn't call themselves pagans — they followed the Vedic Traditions and used the word "pagans" for, say, the Greeks. What is now called "paganism" (though it's better to use the term "Native Faith") is not a religion. It's more of a moral-philosophical system where your Kin is the embodiment of the Gods — they are your Parents. They don't require your prayers. The Aryans achieved everything through their own strength, and the Gods were glorified for the Wisdom and Strength they granted. In your question, you (intentionally or intuitively) separated Native Faith from "any religions" and have thus already given an affirmative answer.
Scorpio: I look at your photos from England and Norway, where you're at Stonehenge and a Viking cemetery, and I sincerely envy you. What feelings fill you when you're near such historical places?
Ar: Admiration and respect mixed with deja vu, as well as the feeling of returning home after long wanderings. I felt it most strongly while walking through New Forest at night. Something similar happened in 1989 in Riga. However, when I'm at such places, a bitterness of irreplaceable loss washes over me. It hurts to understand that peoples with once-glorious histories are losing their national consciousness, native culture, Pride, and Honor. Perhaps if I hadn't seen it all with my own eyes, it wouldn't have made such a heavy impression. If the situation doesn't change radically in the next 50 years, the White Race could be classified as an endangered kind. Look, for example, in London (15 million people) — already now, every third or fourth person is a person of color. The birth rate either stagnates or approaches zero, remaining stable only due to the growth of the birth rate among the non-white population. A white family with a child is becoming a rarity — for many people there, it's unclear why they should have a child when a puppy or kitten would cost much less. Besides, in England they've started registering same-sex marriages (the English media characterized it as the next victory in the struggle for human rights and a triumph of humanism). And according to British legislation, a couple who registers a marriage receives various privileges denied to families living together without marriage, to parents raising children separately, etc. But now these rights have been given to them too! Madness. White people have been convinced that it's shameful to be proud of their roots. Any display of national consciousness by a white person is labeled racism, nationalism, anti-Semitism, and fascism, while for people of color it's called a struggle for civil rights and an aspiration to restore historical justice. Back home, all social processes usually occurred with a significant delay, but now everything has changed. The same will happen here if we continue to sit idle!
Scorpio: Were there visions shared between you and Elfiny before your meeting in Donetsk?
Ar: We saw each other in prophetic dreams. In the dream that came to me on the train to Donetsk, I saw Elfiny three hours before we met in reality.
Scorpio: Do you take Elfiny's criticism easily? Are there cases where you oppose her arrangements?
Ar: Honestly, it's awfully difficult to work with me. Elfiny mainly criticizes me for not having enough patience to develop the themes that come to me — I replace them with others. If I want to express a chaotic state, or want it to be heard "raw," then that's fine, but in other cases it's really unacceptable (especially if the composition is longer than a minute). Of course we have disputes about arrangements, but they mostly consist of me grumbling about some trifle, though overall, having weighed everything, I agree with my wife!
Scorpio: You have a cat at home. Do you like animals?
Ar: Basically, we love animals fried and smoked! Before Helga came to us, I hated cats! But this Norwegian Forest beauty simply charmed me, and because there were severe frosts, we decided to "adopt" her!
Scorpio: Your four-legged friend's name is Helga. That has German roots, doesn't it? What does it mean?
Ar: You're right, this name has German-Scandinavian roots; in russia it was transformed into the name "Olga." In Aryan languages, the component "hel" or "ale" is associated with something light, including a light alcoholic drink, and "ga" in most cases indicates movement. Though by sound this name resembles the Old Norse name Hel (the ruler of the death realm — compare the English word "hell"), it's a completely different case.
Scorpio: How did you meet Graham?
Ar: In 1993, my friend and colleague from the bands DISCORD OF MELKOR and BELTANE visited Great Britain with his parents and sister. His sister once missed the last bus in the evening and took a taxi, whose driver was listening to something heavy. He, being a decent guy, asked if such music would bother the passenger. But she actually asked him not to turn it down. They got to talking, she found out he was a musician, and the families agreed to meet. And so heavy metal became the foundation of a strong Ukrainian-British friendship! After that, Graham came to Sevastopol several times.
Scorpio: You were planning to work on a project together. Tell us more...
Ar: It's not about a separate project — it's about remixes of my tracks from "The Eternal Circle Of Life." This idea came about when Graham and I were listening to "The Eternal Circle Of Life" in his studio. What he'll do with my tracks, time will tell, since he's a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Right now, he's planning to add live drums, bass, guitars, and maybe keyboards.
Scorpio: I'm always curious to know what people from far abroad know about Ukraine...
Ar: Varg, for example, knows quite a lot about the Slavic countries, but that's no surprise. In one of his letters/interviews, he wrote the following: "I want to draw attention to this: I am proud that my relative is Vidkun Quisling, the man who was the personal assistant of Fridtjof Nansen, providing aid to Ukrainians in the 1930s during the famine!" As for Graham, even before his first visit to Ukraine, he knew about our country much more than the average foreigner. In the late '70s, he tried to learn russian and, by the way, he suggested the idea for the song "Babushka" to the well-known Kate Bush, who was playing keyboards in one of his first bands! But in general, most foreigners think Ukraine is a small country somewhere in Africa... I'm not joking! If they know it's part of the former USSR, then Ukraine is associated with inflation, political/economic instability, corruption, Kuchma, mafia, and beautiful girls (from this list, of course, only the last one is flattering). Among bands well known abroad, I can only name Nokturnal Mortum.
Scorpio: Words of farewell...
Ar: Health and Success! Let the Force be with us! Oyra!