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Metal Mayhem: What made you start playing black metal?
Anaal Nathrakh: Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

MM: What were your main BM influences (band-wise)?
AN: Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Thorns, Old emperor, Old Arcturus, old Bathory, Old Gorgoroth,

MM: What does 'black metal' mean to you?
AN: Its a certain feeling or atmosphere

MM: Who do you see as the key BM bands in the UK today?
AN: I have no idea, as I don’t live in the UK

MM: Your sound is quite different from the 'traditional' BM sound. Do you think it is important for bands to keep striving to create new sounds, rather than sticking to tried and tested formulas?
AN: We never set out to be a 'black metal' band but my Riffing style is influenced by black metal to a degree. I think you should form a band when you want to hear something that no one else is doing. I wanted to hear black metal that was brutal as fuck and totally horrifying, back in the old days BM sounded really thin and weedy and I wanted to add some balls to it. And then from there we kind of progressed into our own unique style

MM: Do you think there is a black metal ‘scene’ in the UK?
AN: I have no idea and don’t really care

MM: Black metal has never seemed to gain as much of a foothold in the UK as on the continent – why do you think that is?
AN: Because everyone in the underground will say its FALSE if its not from Norway and TRUE

MM: You performed at Moho Live in February with Marduk - what was the reception like in Manchester?
AN: Was the best show of the tour, we opened a crate of beer on stage and offered a bottle to anyone who would come on stage and get on e and stage dive... the crate lasted about 2 minutes

MM: Will you be playing again around here in the future?
AN: Hopefully

MM: The North West is not an area that is often covered by touring BM bands - why do you think this is? Do you think the inner-city area is not conducive to cultivating BM fans, as often it is about nature?
AN: I don’t know

MM: Many black metal bands shun popularity – do you think this is keeping black metal under the radar and would you like this to continue?
AN: Underground people seem to hate anything that gets even slightly popular, I’ve heard people saying even Anaal Nathrakh is a 'sell out' and we aren’t really even that popular, I don’t really know why it is

MM: Some may argue that the headline-grabbing antics of early BM pioneers in places like Norway brought BM to the attention of many who wouldn’t have heard of it – do you think the lack of anything like this in the UK is behind why BM hasn’t taken root as much?
AN: I don’t think black metal has taken off anywhere apart from back in the early 90s in Norway, I wouldn’t say it was popular now and it never really has been apart from bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle.. Maybe some newer bands like behemoth

MM: Was it hard for you to find a label at first, being a BM band?
AN: We didn’t really look for a label, we just made tapes for ourselves for fun, we didn’t really even consider releasing it, we was approached by a label called Mordgrim who heard us on an old website called MP3.com

MM: What is next for Anaal Nathrakh? I hear you are working on a new album, and you are also open to bookings!
AN: Yeah, I finished writing the new album last week, now I just need to record it properly. We are looking for shows yeah!

MM: The sound of Anaal Nathrakh has changed over the years. What are your thoughts on your first album when you hear it now?
AN: I don’t think our sound has 'changed' I think it’s progressed. Every album has all the same ingredients, but each album has something new added in. I think every album sounds like 'Anaal Nathrakh' in its own way

MM: What do you see on the horizon for the future of black metal a) in the UK and b) in general?
AN: It will always be a small genre and have a dedicated fan base. Its too alien and extreme to become widely accepted and I think its best that way.

Article by David Keane