Interview:	BLAZING ETERNITY
Title:	Uprightly documented personality development

These musically very independent acting Copenhageners catapulted themselves in the year 2000 with its highly atmospheric debut album „Times And Unknown Waters” sudden into the uppermost Dark Metal league.

„Times And Unknown Waters” offeres quite amazing processed influences out of Black, Doom and Heavy Metal, creepy Gothic Rock and moody folklore – with paramount and timeless pretty melody transfers. Blazing Eternity claimed its thereon offered style in well-suited wise „Nordic Night Metal”.

On their current second album „A World To Drown In” the dramaturgically assessed Danes perform a markedly style change which shows the band of a totally new side, much quieter and primarily dreamy. Night-poet and singer Peter Mesnickow reports.

Hey Peter, how does it feel within the band these days?

„It’s really good, but also pretty stressed. We haven’t had a rehearsal room for a long time, since the old one was flooded. But now we finally got a very big one together with The Loveless, so we are more than busy rehearsing for the upcoming shows after “A World To Drown In” will be released. We are playing at this years Wave Gotik Treffen as well. We really look forward to that, as we always love to play in Germany! Apart from that, we are very happy with the first feedbacks and reviews on the new album. We thought that some of the magazines that were into the first album would hate the new one, but actually it’s getting very positive feedback!”

Please describe yourself as a singer and a person with a few words!

„Well, it’s mostly up to the people who know me or meet me face-to-face to judge that. There are many different sides to me, as well as to all other people. People probably see me as open, gentle and jolly, but I have my melancholic, depressed and fucked up sides too – but it’s very few people who gets to see them. Only the ones who knows me very, very well. When I’m in that kind of mood I prefer to be all alone, and do some creative stuff like lyrics or long walks and thinking.”

In which age did you begin to sing - and why? Any relevant influences to name?

„I began to sing already in school as well as in some different bands before we formed Blazing Eternity in late ‘93/early ’94. I guess it was some of the bands I listened to at that time that influenced me, like The Cure, King Diamond etc. Morten, who is singing the majority of the new album have also sung a little bit when he was younger in a few bands, but he always kept himself mostly to the guitar, until now where it really suited our music.”

The new sound of Blazing Eternity sounds totally different to the debut album; how did develop the whole thing since „Times And Unknown Waters“?

„Even though the style is quite different, I do think you are still able to hear that it’s Blazing Eternity. I think the atmosphere and melodies on „A World To Drown In” a very alike – just played in a different way! But to make a „Times And Unknown Waters Part 2” would not be very challenging for us, and we like to develop all the time, so.”

What the heck was the reason for you guys to change the once unique „Nordic Night Metal“ style of Blazing Eternity in such a hard way?

„Basically, the tracks on the debut album were all written between 1995 and 1999, while the new album was written between 2001 and 2002. Since we made the tracks on the first album, we have of course developed a lot both as musicians as well as persons. You can also hear on “Times…” that the tracks are quite different. The older tracks were quite Black Metal influences whereas newer ones such as “End/Midnight” and “Of Times…” were more calm and atmospheric. As said before, to continue writing tracks like on „Times And Unknown Waters” would not be satisfying for us, but in general we just let the creative vibes flow. We are not that kind of band that are very restricted that our music “have to be ohh so metal” or anything like that. As long as we think it sounds good and suits the general atmosphere of the band, we use it. But we also like to move even further and experiment with tracks such as „Stars In July”!”.

What is your definite goal with the new music?

„There is no definite goal with the new music. Before the debut album we did have some expectations and ambitions, but with time we get more and more relaxed about it all. The main thing for us now is to create some music we are satisfied with, and of course to play some more concerts and have a lot of good times with the band. For the moment, we take one day at a time and see what the future brings. I have seen a lot of bands splitting up because of unfulfilled big ambitions etc., but we are way more down-to-earth. If our music can take us somewhere, it’s great. If not, well… then we just do our thing. So our main goal is to create music, and get it spread to interested listeners as well as touring every now and then”.

Are you fully satisfied with the work and promotion of Prophecy Productions to date?

„Yes, Prophecy is a great label to be on, and we have big respect for Martin Koller and Christoph Dzur and their way of running things. Martin Koller is both a good friend and label-boss! Of course, it’s not a very big label and you certainly don’t get rich of being signed to them, but that was never the ambition for us. They take good care of their bands, and the great thing is that all the bands on the label are linked musically together in some way. Bands like Tenhi, Dornenreich, Leakh, Mysterium, Autumnblaze, The Vision Bleak are good labelmates we like to hang out with whenever we meet up somewhere on the continent”.

How successful is the debut album to date and how have been the reactions so far? Mainly as same enthusiastic as mine?

„The response on „Times And Unknown Waters” have in general been very, very good and the sales have also been satisfying! Well, Mr. Eck – you are the „king of enthusiasm”, but yeah, in general, the reviews and reactions has been really good. We still like the album – it’s still fair for a debut-album. But the productions could be better, as well as some other details. Some of the songs sound a little dated nowadays, but it doesn’t matter. They all bring a lot of memories!”.

What does the title „A World To Drown In” mean?

„The title is more or less defining the overall lyrical theme on the album. I came up with the title „A World To Drown In” after feeling for a period that I was drowning in a world with all it’s lies, drugs, darkness, fear, paranoia and so on. The lyric to the title track were written when everything started to look brighter and I sort of were reflecting up on it, and another person close to me were sort of taking over the bad period I had been through. That is hard and very personal to explain. „So give me a lifetime to see right through / give me a world to drown in you”.”

Does exist a lyrical conception behind „A World To Drown In”?

„My lyrics on „A World To Drown In” are my most personal so far, and the ones I have been most satisfied with. They are all more or less linked to a very bad period in my life I had around the time we were making new songs for the album.”

Which is the main content of the new lyrics?

„Actually I was about to leave the band at one point, and give everything up, which would have been the split up of the band, since I own the band-name. Everything just seemed hopeless. It was a period with too much drugs, lost love, paranoia, lies, angst and melancholy, and it has been the worst in my life ever. And since I’m very good at hiding all these feelings to others, I just ended up being stuck with them, which made me even more frustrated. But due to different things and people, I came back on right track and it felt really good. So, the majority of the lyrics are written in that period. A track like „Cover Me With Your Eyes” is about losing your heart in Germany, „(Don’t) Tell The World” is about drugs and the empty feeling after being way to far out, „White” is more about realizing your own self and others view on you and the title track is a mixture of all the things. There are much more to it all, but that is probably nothing interesting than for myself”.

Are you fully satisfied with the new frontcover artwork?

„I think it turned out really well, even though the style of Lukasz is very easy to recognize! We contributed with a lot of ideas ourselves, and the cover is giving me associations to some 4AD releases. Actually, while doing this interview we are about to finish the booklet, but I have no clue how the final result will be before in a couple of days”.

What‘s the meaning behind?

„Well, we sent the album to Lukasz, Prophecys graphic designer in Poland, and asked him to come up with something that inspired him after listening to the album. I think the atmosphere captures the music quite well, and I like all the small details in it”.

Which were and still are the inspirations for Blazing Eternity‘s newer creations?

„The main inspiration for us are our surroundings. But we are getting inspired by really many things. Music, art, literature, movies, feelings, conversations – well, anything that leaves an impression on us”.

Who wrote most of the new material?

„Morten (guitars) have contributed with most stuff, as on the first album. But this time our drummer Lars (which is a good piano player as well) have also contributed with a couple of tracks this time. I made all the lyrics, except for one. Both me and Anders (bass) have contributed a lot with the arrangement and melody lines as well.”

Which are the main philosophies behind Blazing Eternity?

„Hmm, deeper philosophies are very hard to talk about as there aren’t a planned philosophy or ideology concerning the band. I guess we have a very special way of doing things in the band, and there’s a certain chemistry that only exists within the band. It’s really hard to define a deeper philosophy, as we just do things and don’t talk so much about them.”

Which bands do you listen to nowadays? Guess, you‘re an open-minded music friend.

„Yes, we are very open minded listeners. We listen to such different stuff such as Fields Of The Nephilim, Katatonia, Einstürzende Neubauten, Laibach, The Cure, Death In June, Current 93, Joy Division, New Order, Nick Cave, Dead Can Dance, Arvo Pärt, Mew, Love Shop (who we made a coverversion of on the new album), Hocico, :Wumpscut:, Martin Hall, Diary Of Dreams, Johnny Cash, Kent, Black Heaven, Forseti, Darkthrone, My Dying Bride, Covenant, King Diamond etc… We are very open minded, but I guess we all prefer the more dark and atmospheric stuff, no matter what genre it may be”.

Plans for the future?

„To get the album out everywhere and play some gigs! We already started writing some new tracks, so I guess a there will not go so much time as between the debut and the new album, before we record something new. Next year we have ten years anniversary, so we also plan some special release in connection with that”.

Any last words for the fans?

„Thanx for the support, Markus! Great to see that Metalmessage supports us! Check us out at the Wave Gotik Treffen and at the forthcoming concerts in autumn! Skål!”

© Markus Eck, 31.05.2003

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