Spilling the blood with Wan



Inspired by the shamans of black metal (Celtic Frost and Bathory). Tsjud and his comrades decided to form Wan in 09. A year later they were picked up by upcoming us underground label Abyss. The end result was the release of their debut CD "Wolves Of The North". "Wolves Of The North" is raw filthy black metal pretty much in the vein of Bathory, Hellhammer and The Black. Here's an interview with head wolf Tsujd who just came in from work.

Greetings brother. How's it going so far? Before we start this interview please introduce yourself and tell us, the readers, about the band Wan and where the name Wan derive from.
Hell! Things are rather fine here. I (Tsjud) just got home from work and now kick back with a cold one at hand. Wan formed in july 2009 and basically consist of three old friends with the mutual aim to rape the world with some oldschool filth! The name Wan just came to me as we spawned for something suitable. It represents our appearances, our music, our minds...

Who was the bassist for the recording of "Wolves Of The North"? Have the band got a permanent bass player yet?
Hmm... some misinterpitation of facts here I guess. The line-up is me on vocals, Aganaroth - guitar, and Isengrim - bass. This have been the case since day one. What we lack is a permanent drummer, but we got an old bastard in mind for live performances atleast.

How the band got hooked up with Abyss Records? And what impressed you about Abyss Records?
Fuck, I don´t remember. All I know is that we were sick and tired of printing and sending around demos, so when we started Wan we decided to just start an account on Myspace. Therefrom we spread our name and wrote to a couple of labels and promoted ourselves. I believe it was that road that eventually lead to our collaboration with Abyss Records.

Seems like people are getting burned out on the Norweigian black metal scene looking towards Sweden and Finland lately.
Really? I don´t really know anything about that. My eyes have always been pointed towards norway and upon my native soil, and still are so. We swedes and our westly neighbours do the best fucking metal in the world without any competition what so ever if you ask me. Besides a few acts like Calvarium, Satanic Warmaster, Horna, Beherit there ain´t a lot to reap in Finland.

What I like about the Swedish and Finnish scene it's a very kult and very underground.
All in all yes. Thankfully! Of course there´s a few posers who turns to the masses and beg for fame and prosperity. But the true reward is to be found in the underground, where the ones who live and breath metal exists.

There's been alot good bands coming out of Sweden like Watain, Marduk, and Nilfhelm plus many other but the press don't give the Swedish BM scene the due it deserves.
I guess that the press in general write about something which they know are selling. I mean, who the hell would by a magazine with Wan on the cover!?? haha...  Seriously I think blackmetal no matter of its offspring deserves more credit than it gets. But it has always been the case and will always be I suppose.

When Wan got together what were other bands beside Bathory that inspired Wan?
Obviously we found inspiration and still do in Bathory, Celtic Frost and the brilliant loudness of Venom. A craving to bring the metal back to its origin, far far away from keayboards, violins and whatever the fuck they´re using nowadays.

I was reading an interview with E of Watain where he was expressing his opinion of the hole in the sky fest in Norway. Where the Norweigian bands were playing Bathory song as a tribute Quorton. He stated his disgust by saying "a bunch of Norweigian retards playing Swedish songs" in a way I see where he's coming from do agree with him to certain extent?
That´s Erik´s opinion and I can´t say that I share it. I welcome all salutations and tributes to the genius Quorthon. I guess the Norwegian bands are as impressed by this man and his music as we are in sweden. And in most cases it leads to great blackmetal. Perhaps there was some really lousy band at that occassion?  Either way Erik and his Watain are one of my favourite bands these days.

How long did the recording process take for "Wolves Of The North"?
We recorded the album during two seperate weekends. So 4-5 beersoaked days in the end.

Most of the songs on this was written and sunged in your native tongue?
Well, it´s 50/50 english and swedish lyrics basically. And "Bortgang" is written and sunged in Norwegian. I really enjoy to sing my native language and I think it contributes with a grim oldschool feeling. Our second attack will be quite the same, with a few english titles and around the same amount of swedish, and of course a Norwegian bastard too!

What the response been to "Wolves Of The North" so far?
A few acing kicks in the balls have been received, but in general a rather great response I must say. 7/10 average in reviews and nice words and comments from friends and bands all around. I have no idea how much we sold though? I leave that up to Abyss Records.

Has the band been doing any shows in support of "Wolves Of The North"?
No, no shows so far. We´ll try to despite the distance between us and make this happen in the future. There won´t be a single dissapointed soul leaving the hall after we have spilled our blood all over it!

What's your accessment of the Swedish black metal scene so far? You think it gotten better in the recent years?
I still enjoy the old stuff you know. In the big picture the scene has gone fucking mental into the grave. But there are a few bands still hanging in there delivering what I crave. Marduk, Watain, Shining, Nifelheim, Craft, Arckanum, and Dissection are my first hand choices when it comes to Swedisah acts.

You have any other interest outside of Wan that keep you busy when you're not involved in Wan?
I´m really interested in most kinds of art. All three of us are also involved in other musical project when we´re not in Wan.

Is there any other bands on Abyss label you like listening to? And do you have any favorite horror movie you like watching?
Actually I´m not too familiar with the other bands on the label. I know the Swedish constellation Angrepp which is quite alright, but that´s pretty much it to be honest. I live in my own narrow black world where I have my music that I know I want, and I don´t really have the interest to care about something else. Too much fucking crap today anyway. And since we´re speaking about crap, that´s exactly where I want to place horror movies! I found them irritating and mindnumbing. I want a movie to entice my mind and make me think and wander...

Where you see Wan five years from now?
Well, I guess that we have conquered the universe with our blasphemous pagan tunes, doing live shows world wide. Or possibly drank ourselves into some retarded state, doing live shows on the local gipsy-pub? hehe...  One thing is for sure though, we will keep on celebrating Satan and the cold mighty north!
Interviewer: Paul Lewis
Aug 19, 2010

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