INterview with Barbarous conducted by Antichristian Murphy
(Barbarous starts it) Did you get a chance to hear the album?
(Anticchristian Murphy) Umm, I listened to a little bit of it. I honestly… I wrote the review before I listened to the album. Yeah, because me and Nate from Moribund - we have like a code. And bands that he thinks are gay, he drenches their press sheet in vanilla perfume.
Yeah.
And yours fucking reeked. As soon as I opened the envelope I just got hit in the face with vanilla. But, I listened to a little bit after it.
Hold on! Hold on a second. So… So he makes it sound like it’s really, really good.
Really good?
I don’t- I don’t get what you’re saying. What did he do? He sends out a press sheet…
Me and him have a code., where, you know, he warns me about bands that are reeking with gayness. He sprays their press sheet with vanilla perfume.
Oh.
So I just kind of…I just read the press sheet and I looked at the pictures and I smelled it (breathes in deep) and it smelled like vanilla. So I just I wrote a really awful review.
On our band?
Right.
….Oh…whoa…
(Laughs) Well hold on, I listened to it after I wrote it.
Yeah.
Well hold on I gotta ask you about this riff here. I got the song on pause that I’m talking about. It’s the song “Overlord of Chaos and Evil”.
Yeah.
You’re the guitar player?
Yeah.
All rright, I’m gonna play it. I’m just gonna ask you about this riff here. {Plays “Circling Above in Time Before Time” by Immortal instead) Did you catch that?
Nope. Sorry? Play that again?
Alright, just a minute. (Plays Immortal again) Did you catch that?
Yeah, my cell phone is pretty bad. But, what’s your question?
Where did you come up with that riff?
Oh, they just come to me. All of them just come to me. Did you like it?
Oh yeah. I thought it was amazing. I mean, I was just wondering where your inspiration came for that specific riff.
Does it sound original to you?
Oh yeah.
Ok, cool ‘cause there’s so much copycatting and stuff like that, I try to stay away from doing that. So it takes me longer to make the music. I’ll tell ya, If I come up with a riff, I’ll try to...
(Interupting) Don’t…Don’t talk so fast, I have to write this down.
You know how you edit for your magazine?
Yep.
I do the same kind of process, I try to...
Edit…For… What was the other part?
Well, you know how a magazine editor...
Magazine…Editor…Uh huh…
You know you proof read...
Proofreadead… Yep…
That’s kinda what I do, I just...
(interrupting) What…I…Do…Is…
I just go slowly over...
(interrupting) Go…Slowy…Over…
<Long Pause> Make sure I haven’t cop...
(Interupting) Make…Sure…I haven’t…Copied…
<Loooong Pause> Anybody.
Anybody. All right next question. This is actually a treat! This is, I think, the first time I interviewed somebody who’s been in a band I listen to. I listen to a lot of Blasphemy. So when did you changemusic styles? See, on the back of the promo it said that you stopped making Blackened Death Metal and…you went straight to copying the Norwegians. What made you want to start ripping off the Norwegian style and play generic Black Metal?
Well I just…play what’s coming out of me. I just don’t…It’s not that I’m copying them.
So you’ve just been listening to a lot of Norwegian Black Metal lately?
<long pause> Well, I’m just trying to do something different.
Different? But, you understand one of the selling points on the back of the promo was, you stopped playing original Canadian Blackened Death Metal and went to the ‘ole, boring run-of-the mill Norwegian Metal.
Yep.
That’s like…say I read a novel and then I bought another novel and it was the exact same story but the names were changed.
<Dead silence>
You know what I mean?
I can’t…I can’t make people like it. I just do what I do, you know? But I never wrote any music for Blasphemy so…
You never wrote any?
I was the bass player in the band.
Hmm…Ohhh what was the other question… When did you adopt the National Socialist Philosophy?
I don’t have any National Socialist philosophy. Really just some of our music sounds like NSBM, but… My music is anti-Christian.
But I thought you quit because of the nigger in Blasphemy?
No.
You didn’t have a falling out with the porch monkey in Blasphemy?
No.
What’s the extent of your racism? Like if someone with… that was…had … Jewish looks was in the front row, would you kick his ass? Even if he wasn’t circumcised.
(Laughs) Uhh… Those opinions don’t really matter to… I don’t really have much of an opinion on them.
What about a guy with a daigo mustache? Would you kick his ass if he was in the front row of one of your shows?
No, if it so happens they want to hear the band then that’s fine with me.
So you’re not racist based on looks, more just blood.
I’m not…I’m not really…Don’t rea-
(interrupting) Don’t…Really... I lost you at “don’t really” what was the other word?
I don’t have an opinion on it.
Opinion…On it.
Nope.
Isn’t it unmanly not to back up your music and your, uhhh beliefs?
Well I told you before I don’t ha-
(interrupting) I… Don’t…Have…
Those beliefs.
Those…Beliefs… I’ve got these pictures here…The black guy in Blasphemy never wore make-up. <long pause> What the hell?
<Dead silence> What do you want me to say?
(Drunken Laughter) I want you to explain.
Hey, you gotta talk about Grim bane ‘cause this isn’t a Blasphemy interview.
When you were in Blasphemy did the nigger have unreasonable demands?
This, this is a Grimbane interview. Do you want to talk about the album or…
Yeah the album…What was it called Gods of War? (*a Blasphemy album) …I think? Is that the one the nigger was in?
<Dead silence> …So…Yeah, well he’s on the album.
He doesn’t play on it though right? It’s just a picture?
No, he plays on it.
It’s not just a affirmative action thing? Like in Canada I hear they have fucked up laws. In America it’s bad because, like, if you have a whole string of white people working under you, you - it’s the law. - you HAVE to get a minority even if he’s not as qualified as the white person who applied. But in Canada that extends to forms of art. You had to get a black guy in the band or else you’d get sued by the state.
Oh, well…
Is that what sparked your National Socialist beliefs?
I don’t have those beliefs.
What?! All right, this is going horribly. Nate told me that you had a real grim story to tell.
Did he?
Something grim happened to you on tour?
Oh yeah, some kid killed himself in the front row.
When did this happen?
Oh, it was about ‘93.
Why do you think he killed himself?
Well, I think he was uh, cutting his wri-
(Interrupting) I…Think…He….was…what?
Cutting his wrists.
Cutting…His…Wrists…
And he went too deep.
And he went to deep…
Yep.
That’s it?
Yeah, well it started going everywhere and pretty soon it was three inches it-
(Interrupting) Well it started…huh?
It, it was shooting out everywh-
(Interrupting) It was shooting…Out…Everywhere…
Yes, 2 or 3 inches thick…
2 or 3 inches thick…
Yeah.
….That’s it?
<Dead silence> Yeah that was…that was pretty good, I was quite impressed.
That’s pretty grim but, what’s your opinion on suicide? Do you think it’s an easy way out?
.Don’t really have an opinion on it.
It is clear that you are not blessed with a personality, would you like to explore this defect?
Well if you don’t like it, what can I say right?
What is your real name?
(chuckles) Gotta go back to the Grimbane.
Grimbane?
Keep asking me Grimbane questions.
Why do you feel it is necessary to pilfer another country’s culture? Are you ashamed of being Canadian?
Pilfer who’s country?
The Norwegian’s.
The Norwegian’s…Never been there.
So why do you sing all your songs in Norwegian?
Uhh..they’re in English.
Really?
Yep.
Hold on a second, let me just play the… <Puts on Immortal's “Battles in the North” again> That sounds like Norwegian.
No, it’s English actually.
How come I didn’t get any lyrics with this? What is the song “Overlord of Chaos and Evil” about anyway?
Uh…It’s about a lot of things. You didn’t get…you got the promo cd?
Yeah.
Yeah you have to get the real cd if you wanna read the lyrics.
Oh, that’s gay. Isn’t it kind of blaise to make fun of Christians. I…mean..it’s been done to death…
Well, you’ve got your opinion I guess…
It’s clear that you can’t think on your feet.
No, I’m sitting down right now.
See that was clever. Why couldn’t you do that for the whole interview?
For the what?
<Choking> For the whole interview…Oh man..I think I’m gonna throw up…
You ok?
Hold on a second. <Dry heaving>….Jesus.
Tough night last night?
Tough morning. What did you do today? How did you use your extra hour of daylight?
Can we get back to the music here? Or…
Oh Yeah, Grimbane.. What do you hope to accomplish with this release…”Let the Empires Fall”
To spread the message of anti-Christianity.
That’s it?
Yep.
All right. Why did you leave Blasphemy if it wasn’t the nigger?
Uh, went to college.
What did you major in?
Business administration.
Business administration!? That’s not very girim. What inspired such seething hatred for Christianity? Are you Jewish?
No.
Because that would be pretty anti-Christian if you were Jewish.
Yeah…good one…
You’re not a Zionist metal band?
No.
You’re not sympathetic to the plight of niggers?
I don’t know what that is.
When Jews take over the earth what are you gonna do with the people that aren’t Jewish?
I don’t know if that’s gonna happen.
You don’t have a lot of faith in your own people.
(silence)
All right, back to Grimbane. Where did you get the name Grimbane?
Encyclopedia.
What is the definition of Grimbane?
Grim…Meaning Relentlesss…and Bane-
(interrupting) Grim…What was the other thing?
Grim mea-
(interrupting) Grim….Means…Grim means…
Relentless.
Relentless.
And Bane means person or thing causing ruin.
Bane means….
Person or thing.
Person…Or….Or…
Thing.
Thing…
Causing ruin.
Huh…Yeah, I’m not writing that.
Ok.
Your answers have become exceedingly boring. I think I’m just gonna write down the answers that I think are entertaining.
Well you’re the editior.
I’m not gonna pay attention to the answers, I’m just going to write down what I think is entertaining, because, <Chokes on beer> I’m under a lot of pressure to be funny here ‘ cause this is my first issue with the Grimoire.
Oh yeah, wanna do a good job.
What?…Alright what’s your opinion on corpse paint? Do you wear corpse paint in Grimbane?
Uh, no. We wear war paint.
War paint?
Yeah.
What’s the difference?
Uh, ones war paint, the other’s corpse paint.
So it’s essentially it’s the same-
(interrupting) No, there’s no white paint, there’s just black paint around the eyes.
I was watching a live video on you tube. I think you have a shot a making the big time…You just gotta get rid of the fat guy. Is he slowing you down?
Sorry?
Is the fat guy slowing you down? Like when you’re playing. He looks like he gets winded.
Who does?
The fat guy. In Grimbane.
The fat guy…I don’t know.
He looks like he’s having a heart attack when he’s playing. Have you ever thought of getting him on some kind of program? Because the thing about Black Metal is, it’s very image conscious. You know it’s interesting you guys don’t have much of an image. Well except for the paint and the fake bullet belts.
(dead silence)
This would be when you answer.
(silence)
How important to you is image?
Uh, it’s not important.
All right. Your name used to be Ace Gestapo.
Yep.
And you’re not National Socialist?
Well that’s over now. My name’s Barbarous actually.
(Laughter) What do you mean it’s over now?
I changed my name.
(laughing) Why did you change your name from Ace Gestapo to Barbarous.
Because I’m in Grimbane now.
Are you embarrassed about your time in Blasphemy?
No.
Then why’d you change your name?
Well, different band, different sound, different style.
That’s right. It was original before, but now you’re just copying everybody. That’s what I’m trying to get to. Why, why would you do that?
(frustrated) Well, I just told you different band, different sound-
I know it’s a different band, different sound, but why would you do this?
Just something I felt like doing.
You felt like copying the Norwegians?
You can think that if you like.
No! I’m asking you! This is your chance! Dude, I’m writing this stuff down!
Well it’s a different sound, different band…
Yeah I know by what inspired you? What made you want to go in THIS direction?
Uh, different guitar sounds, different tuning…uhh…have you heard the whole album yet?
I stopped at “Overlord of Chaos and Evil” then I got so disgusted I turned it off. But that’s like track 13, so that’s most of it.
Yeah it’s a different thing to Blaspemy so…
Yeah I know! But, why’s it different?
Different people working with, different sound…You know it’s 15, 16 years later….
Were you dropped on your head, as a child?