Nocturno Makhno Culto
Since the release of Stormlander, I have always followed the path of the one-man band Cirkeln very closely. Finally a few months ago the new chapter of his discography entitled A Song to Sorrow was released, a record about Våndarr‘s (the mind and arm behind the project) personal battle with depression and anxiety. Remaining ever true to his personal vision of epic and melodic black metal, Cirkeln has given us a majestic, epic, intense and suffering but also healing record that teaches us to accept, by fighting them, our own demons and to take our own darkness by the hand. About this and much more I had the good fortune and pleasure to talk with Våndarr, so I leave you with his words and this interview full of not only personal but also political insights. And don’t forget to hold the hammer high against the Nazi scum!
Hi Våndarr! Thank you for accepting to answer these questions. On your facebook and bandcamp pages you can read, “Epic Anti Fascist Black Metal from the Swedish metal underground,” a description that leaves no room for doubt. What does it mean to you to take such a clear stance in an anti-fascist sense within a problematic black metal scene?
Hi! Thanks for the opportunity to speak a bit about Cirkeln. For me, the decision to take a stance against fascism was a no-brainer from the start. It never felt suitable to operate in this space without making it clear where I stand. It felt like the right thing to do not only morally but also to help listeners know if this was music for them or not. I’m happy if those that find such a statement offensive chose not to listen, and I’m glad if it helps people with a decent worldview navigate the treacherous black metal underground a little easier. For me, it is not really any more or less than that.
From your beginnings to your last great record, yours has always been black metal with strongly pagan, melodic and epic overtones. How did the choice or idea to play this kind of black metal instead of other forms that are perhaps more raw and less melodic come about? What bands are you inspired by?
Well, I think that it was never a conscious choice that Cirkeln would be anything other than what it is. It just became what it was as a natural result of my influences when I started the project. My interest in black metal started with Bathory and specifically the Hammerheart album. That’s where I still draw a lot of my inspiration from. While the influence of Bathory cannot be understated, I do think that my tendency to write so-called “epic” songs comes from how I picture music when I write. It’s always connected to some scene from my inner eye that plays out like a sequence from a film or an act of a stage play. There’s always a narrative to the music for me that is very integral to how the whole thing is structured. My melodic tendencies come from my love of very poppy bands with catchy songs like ABBA, Journey, ToTo and KISS. They might not seem like obvious influences but they are very present for me whenever I pick up a guitar. It’s impossible for me not to be influenced by the music that I grew up with and that was what was playing when I was little.
A Song to Sorrow, your latest record is presented as your personal and intimate journey into your past and your life experience, even on a psychological level. Was the writing and release of this record cathartic? Were you able to exorcise that something from your past that was still haunting you?
A Song To Sorrow is about my ongoing battle with depression and anxiety. The writing process took place after about a year of complete hell in my personal life and while I wouldn’t describe the process of writing the record as cathartic I would definitely describe it as healing. It was a very therapeutic way of reflecting on my experiences from the past year and coming to terms with allowing life to keep on going onwards.
Intimately related to the previous question, which tracks are you most attached to and most satisfied with in A Song to Sorrow? Which ones deal with more personal and sensitive issues?
I think the standout track for me personally has to be Natassja. It’s a song about acceptance and taking your darkness by the hand and leading it with you through life. Learning to live with your demons, essentially. In this case, that demon turns out to be a blood-sucking vampire called ‘Natassja’ but it’s all really just a metaphor for depression and anxiety. I’m also very satisfied with Vaults Behind Vaults on a musical level, I think it’s one of my better compositions and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out.
Returning to the subject of anti-fascism and black metal, in recent years more and more realities and bands are emerging that openly declare themselves in opposition to fascism, racism and other reactionary and discriminatory positions present within the black metal scene. What do you think is the reason for this spread of bands within the black metal scene that openly declare themselves anti-fascist and/or RABM? More importantly, what can be the potential of a scene like RABM?
Black Metal has always been a radical form of expression so I think it’s only natural that it attracts radical people. I think there’s a frustration, a rage, and a passion in the RABM community that lends itself very well to this kind of music. Within any political movement, culture is always going to be used as a vessel for ideas so I think the RABM scene really isn’t anything unique or all that strange. Of course, it’s great that there are alternatives now in the black metal scene and that the genre doesn’t have to be synonymous with nazis. That said, I think there’s still a lot of ground left to claim in the scene and a lot of work that is yet to be done. To me, black metal is still very much a nasty space so I think that it’s important that any artist with a shred of decency declares themselves anti-fascist. It’s simply the decent thing to do. As to the potential of the scene, I can only speculate. I do hope that there is some element of reclaiming symbols and ways of expression that are raw and radical from the nazis. Ultimately, the goal of the RABM scene should be to spark a revolution.
What can you tell us about the Swedish anti-fascist black metal scene?
I can’t tell you much as I’m a very reclusive person. I don’t really get involved in the scene so I wouldn’t know it if there was one. To me, the RABM scene is a global phenomenon and should be viewed in that light. The Swedish black metal scene, in general, has historically been problematic with deep connections to fascism and hateful violence. I think it’s especially important for any black metal band from this country to distance themselves from that past. Unfortunately, with bands like Watain becoming more and more mainstream, the fetishization of the ‘satanic’ (read crypto-fascist) image and legacy is almost synonymous with Swedish black metal. That’s why it’s important to pick a side and stick to it.
At the level of aesthetic, themes and artwork, the fantasy inspiration (from authors such as Tolkien for example) of the Cirkeln project is clear. What fascinates you about fantasy literature and the themes covered by this literary strand? And why repurpose certain fantasy imagery in your music?
I’ve experimented with a lot of different imagery. There was the Viking/Norse stuff on Stormlander, for example. On Kingdoms That No One Remembers I steered very deliberately into that world but to me, it was never something that was to be synonymous with Cirkeln as a whole. It’s no secret that I enjoy fantasy imagery and find a lot of inspiration in the themes and deeply human relevance of those stories, but I think it’s important to note that A Song To Sorrow doesn’t have a single “fantasy” lyric on it and the next album won’t either. The cover art is the cover art, and to me, there’s not a 1:1 connection with the subject matter of the record. It’s more complicated than that. All that said, I do find that the theatrical and atmospheric elements of my music lend themselves to fantasy imagery and themes. There’s escapism to it and I use it in a similar way that other black metal acts will use nature. It has a symbolic and a thematic meaning, not necessarily a literal one. Although I do enjoy songs about Orcs and Goblins as much as the next person.
“Kingdoms that No One Remembers,” your previous album, was initially released on Naturmacht, a label that calls itself apolitical and equates totalitarian and discriminatory ideas such as fascism with anti-fascist positions. In fact, you immediately decided to sever your relationship with Naturmacht. Would you care to explain how the decision to cease relations with Naturmacht came about and why it was such an important action for you? (You can absolutely not answer this question if you feel it is too personal and you do not feel up to it.)
Well, to me, the whole Naturmacht thing was simple. They didn’t like the direction I was heading with how I wanted to platform Cirkeln and from that discussion, it became clear that we didn’t share a vision for what was important to Cirkeln. To me, this was important because I didn’t want the anti-fascist label to be a pose or something that I was just saying. This was a clear moment when there was a right and a wrong choice based on my beliefs. So, it was an easy decision to go in this new direction with Cirkeln. I was lucky to be picked up by the RABM community the way I was.
In your first album “Stormlander,” even thematically you drew on vaguely viking and pagan imagery, territories in the extreme metal environment that Nazis often appropriate, using symbolism and cultural traits from a conservative, racist, racial supremacist perspective. How important is it for you to reappropriate as anti-fascists a history, culture and symbolism such as “Viking/Norse” to wrest it from the fascists?
At the time, there wasn’t a conscious choice to try to reclaim any imagery. I just wanted to do songs with a pagan vibe as that was what my inspiration was leading me to. For as much as I stand behind the anti-fascist label and support the cause in any way I can, there is rarely a political motive in my writing. It comes from a different place. It may influence me lyrically, but as far as broad themes go there is rarely much political about it to be honest. I think the only exception to this will be the next Cirkeln album which is heavily political. For Stormlander specifically, I was extremely aware of how prevalent pagan imagery is in nazi circles – especially in metal. My political motive for making a pagan record was that I decided early on to not let anything be off-limits just because it had been touched by nazis. I was, and still am, convinced that we can’t let them claim the cultural and historical territory as theirs. But nowadays acts like Heavenfield are reclaiming the pagan elements much better than I ever did or will do in the future. All that said, Stormlander has some of my favorite Cirkeln songs on it.
Future plans for you and Cirkeln? Will there ever be a chance to see you play live?
As for future plans I can say that the third full-length album is done and has been sent to the mastering studio. By the time this interview is published, it may well have been announced already. I’m currently spending my time with some other musical projects that’ll be announced in due time, but I’m also slowly starting work on the fourth Cirkeln album. For that one, I expect to return to a familiar place that is near and dear to many of us. As for playing live, I wouldn’t rule it out but I wouldn’t hold my breath either. If the opportunity arises and the time is right, it will happen.
We have come to the end of this interview. Thank you again Vandarr for taking the time to answer my questions and to spread anti-fascist positions within the black metal scene. I leave this space for you to add anything else you think is important or interesting!
Thank you for taking the time to speak about Cirkeln! Support anti-fascist black metal, kick nazis, and hold the hammer high!
