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Dargaard From Vienna derives Dargaard, an Austrian duo which performs a majestic brand of fantasy-tinged music which conducts one's mind to visualize images of deserted pantheons and forlorn sylvanian archades. The band was formed in 1997 by Tharen as an attempt to take one step away from his foundation, the Black Metal genre and experiment with a different medium for expressing his attitudes and feelings. He was later joined up by female vocalist Elisabeth Toriser and the line-up has been stable since then and three albums has been released through Draenor Production. The latest one, The Dissolution of Eternity was released last summer and it concluded a chapter in the history of Dargaard, namely the ending of the eternity trilogy that the band had been working on since their foundation. This is the soundtrack to legends, fairytales and long forgotten realms. Tharen and Elisabeth answered my questions during the last cold weeks of the bygone year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THAREN: I didn't think about it yet, and I'm still not sure if we are really welcome by the industry. Maybe we aren't commercial enough, but this is nothing I care about. When we recorded Eternity Rites we hadn't released a demo before nor did we have a deal with a record label, it was just a try how our own creations will work, and it worked well. I sent the finished album to Napalm Rec. and they liked it from the first time and offered us a deal. This is a bit unconventional way, but it worked fine. ECTONAUT: Your third album The dissolution of eternity is supposedly the last chapter in a most magnificent trilogy about eternity. What will happen with Dargaard now? Is there perhaps another concept for your next album that you would like to tell us about? THAREN: Of course we'll release a new CD sometimes, I'm working on the arrangements at the moment and make my thoughts about a new concept about the -for Dargaard- namegiving fantasy series. You see, I like concepts, haha. But it will only be a concept for one album. I don't think we'll do a trilogy again. it was a nice experience, but for now I need my freedom and don't want to be bound for more releases anymore. THAREN: Hu, will take a while for sure, maybe later next year, maybe even later. I'm working on the new dominion³ output at the moment and I'm doing a "normal" job too, so I have not the time to release two albums every year. I hope for the next Dargaard CD we'll realise the idea I had since In Nomine... namely real male choirs. That would be the strongest addition and the best completion to Dargaard's style. ECTONAUT: Yes, The hand and the sword. I have had the opportunity to listen to two tracks from this CD and I must say that I feel kind of divided on how to label this. One track sounded much like the stuff you do in Dargaard while the other track was more electronical. Is it perhaps so that dominion³ is more of an experimental project than Dargaard? THAREN: Of course! dominion3 is something like my "playground" for ideas of more electronic/industrial nature that wouldn´t fit Dargaard. So you can say it´s purely experimental. I listen to many different styles of music, but all of them have a common thing - a dark mood or sound. The next dominion³ album will be more harder, with less similarities to Dargaard, more guitars and so on. I´m curious myself on how the finished thing will sound! ECTONAUT: Which band do you consider to be your main project in these days? THAREN: In general I see my bands equal, but at the moment dominion³ has priority, I made 6 songs for the next album-hope to release it next summer or maybe earlier. ECTONAUT: You're a quite skilled composers I must say. What is your musical background? Have you received any classical training in the past or are you completely self-taught? THAREN: Once I had some piano lessons, but I don't think it still helps me while composing, I'm even not a really talented piano player, I just like to compose. And this isn't really that complex as classical music for example. It isn't theory, it is only praxis and comes from the heart, not from teaching books and training lessons. ECTONAUT: What about you Elizabeth? What is your musical background? ELISABETH: I´ve got a very musical family; I had to take piano lessons when I was a child - and I hated them. After some years I stopped and played no instrument for a long time; then I tried it again and experienced, that it was more fun to play my own songs on the piano, started playing guitar and singing again. If your question was rather meant for my musical preferences - I pick out the things i like best of a broad spectrum, from medieval and classical music to Industrial and Black Metal. ELISABETH: I was brought up with classical and medieval music - maybe these were my influences, besides my listening habits. ECTONAUT: ...and what is that emotion? Melancholy perhaps? ELISABETH: No; rather interesting that you interpret it like that. My thoughts and emotions were of a more mystical and sublime nature while singing... But what one hears and interprets always depends on the listerner´s mind. ECTONAUT: What kind of music are the two of you listening to in these days? I've noticed that you Tharen locate most of your favourite bands to the metal scene. THAREN: I´ts true, I listen to metal mostly, if I see it from the mass of albums I own. But I'm totally into industrial and other dark sounds too, it depends on my mood what I´m listening too. As I said above, the only link is the dark basic. I don´t like happy music. ECTONAUT: I keep seeing this thing with metal musicians turning their minds to composing music with a more neo-classical touch. Very often, these composers tend to have far more to give in this field than the average new-age morons. Speaking from your own experience, what do you think is the reason for this? THAREN: To be honest, I don't know what you mean with "new age morons"... But to create something besides the use of a today's "normal" instrumentation like drums, guitars and so in was and still is a great motivation behind my doings. I can turn on my machines and dive into another world, without making any compromises to others -hm, this would be the strongest motivational point. ECTONAUT: Well, What I meant with "New-age morons" was of course the multitude of commercial world music and new-age artists that are constantly bombarding us with boring albums. Not too seldom, these albums consists of remade tracks by other artists or dull quasi-quality tracks of no greater sentimental value. Like Theme from Titanic on pan flute or the 500th of the great Brian Boru's march or whatever. There are of course exceptions. THAREN: Ah, ok, I dislike this shit to, but as you said, there are some exceptions, even if I cannot remember one at the moment...the industry has detected mysticism to be the next big thing it seems, so they spam us with with these faceless releases. ECTONAUT: Anyway. There seem to have been quite a thing going on in the Austrian scene during the last couple of years if you ask me. Great bands like Summoning, Pazuzu and of course, Dargaard have truly proved themselves on the market by releasing genuine quality albums. Yet most of these bands seems to be more or less related to each other with Napalm records, functioning as a kind connecting medium. Why do you think it has come to be like this? What's your opinion on the Austrian scene of today really? THAREN: Years ago it was really easy to talk about a functional "scene" but nowadays the whole thing completely splitted while many new bands have risen. I never felt home in a scene, there are always many boundaries within a hermetical .... ECTONAUT: So one can take for granted that you intend to stay on Napalm records for a while longer then? Have any other labels shown interest in releasing your music? THAREN: To be honest: there never was a request from another label, strange, ha? But they would have to offer us a very good contract to carry us away from Napalm records, so perhaps it will not happen in near future. THAREN: Hm, never thought about it, but I think that Richards, Silenius and my way of composing are similar in some ways, means we close all doors to the outer world and try to dive into our inner world, a co-operation would need another kind of working style, and the result would maybe sound completely different than the listeners are familiar with. Maybe it would be an interesting experience, who knows? ECTONAUT: What do you think of what they are doing in their side-project Ice Ages and Kreuzweg Ost? THAREN: I like Ice Ages, and Kreuzweg Ost is a funny project and should be seen in this context I think. There was much rumble in the media about it, but it was only an act of great black humor I think. Vienna, do I have to say more? ECTONAUT: As far as I know, the name Dargaard was taken from an old fantasy novel. Do you read much of this kind of literature? If so, do you mayhaps have any favourite writer that you would like to share with us? THAREN: I once read more of this genre, the whole series of Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Sword of Truth, Tolkien and so on. Besides the "grandfather" Tolkien there are some very intensive authors like Salvatore, Goodkind and of course Margaret Weis&Tracy Hickman. ECTONAUT: What are you reading in these days then? Anything you could recommend? THAREN: Mostly fantasy stuff or technical stuff for my job. ECTONAUT: Personally, I'm quite fed up with all the clichés that are constantly being poured out of the fantasy genre. I think we are experiencing a quite decadent period compared to before when authors like Howard, Le Guinn and Tolkien released their works. Do you agree with me on this statement? THAREN: They were simply the first, and many of today's authors fell home when they hear about elves and orchs, and simply want to tell about their own fantasies based on this creations. It's the same with many of today's Black Metal bands, everyone uses the same "old" ingredients like the pioneers of this style, but try to make something really special out of it. Like ever, it belongs the very own qualities of the musician or author if this attempt functions or not. ECTONAUT: So what do you think of all these experimental Black metal bands that have emerged during the last years then? Bands like Dodheimsgard, Summoning and Arcturus to name a few have really succeeded in reshaping this music into something new but in a way they are drifting further and further from the "old" ingredients that you mentioned, sometimes even far enough to raise the question whether these bands are still Black metal bands or not. What do you think of this evolution? Are you a friend of the newer, more independent Black metal? THAREN: I once heard the Dodheimsgard CD for a few minutes one time, not really my cup of tea. But Summoning are in an extraordinary place, the same goes for Arcturus and even Ulver. They were meant to sound different in no ridicolous way. ECTONAUT: You're active in a Black metal band named Amestigon, a band that I unfortunately never have had a chance to hear. What can you tell us about this band? What is Amestigon's trademark in the utterly overcrowded Black metal jungle? THAREN: We´re playing in the old vein of Black Metal, and there you can find our fave bands like older Darkthrone, Burzum, Isvind, Dodheimsgard and so on. ECTONAUT: I know from an interview with you Tharen that you haven't got any higher thoughts on performing your music live. Yet Dargaard played a gig in connection to the Wave/Gothic meeting in Leipzig. Was this a positive experience for you? ECTONAUT: So... this means that we won't have the opportunity to see your music performed live in the future then? THAREN: Don´t think so. ECTONAUT: What about a Dargaard music video then? Have you ever thought about producing one? ECTONAUT: I wish to speak to you about your lyrics. Who writes them? What are they about and what are you trying to say in them? THAREN: I´m writing th english lyrics which are about my very own dreams and fantasies, my wish for lonelienes some times and my description of landscapes in the world of my dreams. ECTONAUT: Why have you chose not to give any credit to the true author of the lyric of the The infinite from your second CD In nomine aeternitatis, namely Chris Metzen from Blizzard Entertainment. I'm of course referring to the fact that the very same poem had already been published in the manual to PC game Diablo under the title The initiate. THAREN: To be honest: I once found the text in the net, without a name written to it. After I discovered the author I simply forgot to add the credits. It was the first time I made the layout by myself and didn´t think about it. That was a mistake, sorry to Chris! ECTONAUT: Quite funny since your homepage still presents you as the author. Aren't you afraid that people are going to lose respect for you when incidents like these occur? I mean, it definitely looks like you have stolen it. THAREN: At first I´m musician not text author. I take lyrics to carry out things, to stress the mood of a song. So they don´t have 1st priority for me. I have released 3 CD´s with Dargaard up to now, and I always used some texts from ancient greek or latin authors too. The only difference is that these people are dead. So, if anyone loses respect because of it, it doesn´t bother me. ECTONAUT: I see you have a great interest in eternity. Also I've got the impression that you are interested in the philosophy of the ancient Greeks. Have you ever read about Parimedes who said that nothing could be made out of nothing? What he meant was that since neither energy, nor matter can be completely destroyed, the world could never really have been created. Therefore, the universe ought to be eternal. What do you think of his thesis? THAREN: I'm of the same opinion, and it's proven that energy cannot be destroyed, it only can change it's form. But that is physics 1st level, and it isn't my aim with Dargaard to see such things from a purely scientific point. There are many people who are better in it than I am. In general I'm interested in philosophy in any form if it is a bit practical-related. ECTONAUT: As far as I can see, my world isn't eternal at all. My world, was born the day I was born and it will most certainly perish the day that I die. I mean, how can there be world if I ain't there to see it? The only world I know is the world experienced through my sences, interpreted by my mind and one day it'll be dust. How do you look upon this subject? THAREN: I know of the thesis "does something exists if no one knows about it...?, but I'm not convinced by it. Everything is connected to everything, and a planet has influence to others, only by gravitation - and this for example is one reason why we know it exists. ECTONAUT: Do you believe that there's a life after death? THAREN: I´m not a believer. But I´m curious. And that concludes this Dargaard interview. To read more about this band, click here to visit the official Dargaard homepage. DMS/Dargaard |
ECTONAUT: What can you tell us really about the next DARGAARD album then? When do you think it will be ready to hit the stores and will this album present any new elements of your creativity?
ECTONAUT: You have a beautiful voice. Is there any artists who may have influenced you in any way in the past? Your vocal style actually reminds me a bit of Ida Bengtsson of Arcana, especially on the track the infinite. Has Arcana influenced you in any way?
ECTONAUT: Have you ever thought of working with your labelmates from Summoning? It seems to me like you are on the same level when it comes to music and ideas and I imagine that something really good could be spawned out of such a collaboration. Is there mayhaps a chance that we may encounter a unity between your creating minds in the future?
THAREN: That would be a nice thing, but due to the fact that we're a bit limited in financial support of our label concerning such things it will remain an idea for a while, maybe we'll realise it when it comes to a best of compilation some times, haha!