Interview: Krieg (2021)

USBM legends KRIEG have always had their own unique sound and are one of the pioneering bands of American black metal. This includes the fact that they have released some truly outstanding albums! The following interview was conducted with Neil Jameson aka Lord Imperial. 

Greetings, Neil. You are a busy man, working on various projects from journalism to recording music. Do you feel like music is the ultimate escape and outlet for this shitty reality? Do you see your art as therapeutic? What goes on in your head when you write and record music? 

I think at this point it’s really just another extension of myself, rather than any kind of escape. I’ve been doing Krieg longer than I haven’t, if that makes any sense, and because of that I don’t really see it as anything but a different limb that I use. These days how I approach writing music is vastly different than even our last album seven years ago. I’m at a very comfortable place where I’m back to not having expectations placed on me artificially by whatever the “fans” would want me to do, sort of like when I originally began this trip.

I remember enjoying albums like Destruction Ritual and The Black House (I still do!) and picking out trace elements from bands like Maniac Butcher and Blasphemy, as your earlier output was quite primal and chaotic. How would you personally describe the evolution of your earlier work compared to later records? Have some of your influences changed over time?

As I’ve gotten older I’ve become less concerned with the idea of extremity and more interested in restraint, especially vocally. I’m much more interested in the actual music than having to be up front and confrontational vocally or having to constantly have a wall of noise behind me. It’s not to say I’m not still going to dip into that well occasionally, I think that I’m just a lot more comfortable with what I write and my ability to express things sonically better than I could have in my twenties.

I get the impression that you keep changing your sound slightly from album to album, but always stay within the bounds of your extreme sound. How important is it that you do not completely repeat yourself with each release? Is it a challenge to come up with new ideas?

After 2014, where we recorded “Transient”, and the splits with Wolvhammer and Integrity I encountered both a slight burnout and possibly the worst writers block I’ve ever had as a musician, which is why you haven’t heard much from us since. Once we had left Candlelight and signed with Profound Lore I felt a pressure on myself to somehow write this (in my head) “great work” and because of this I began to really detest black metal, especially the newer bands, probably because I had envy that they were doing whatever they wanted and I felt like I’d trapped myself in some kind of box. It was very important to shift the sound but I couldn’t figure out how. So the years went on and I concentrated more on my personal life and my various writing gigs until this year and could finally start working on Krieg again because I’d somehow shed the idea that everything needed to be “different” or “unique” but rather I just wanted to work on what I was passionate about. So at this point, it’s not very important but it will happen naturally. We’re not The Ramones, there’s some variation inevitably.

Albums like Destruction Ritual are one of the cornerstones of raw, violent USBM. The energy and urgency of said album is unmatched by today's standards. In many ways, I can compare it to albums like Cut Your Flesh and Worship Satan or My Hearse, My Redemption in terms of its visceral, all-out aggression. How do you reflect on that era and what can you tell us about the circumstances surrounding the recording of that album? What do you think makes it different?

It was the first time I had done a record without any kind of writing partner as both “Rise…” and “Sono..” had others in the periphery albeit in a pretty useless manner, so this was entirely guided as my vision alone. I began to record it the week after I got back from playing with Judas Iscariot at the Sacrifice of the Nazarene Child Fest in 1999 so I was greatly inspired by taking part in that plus being around so many other like-minded people. The recording was put on hold after the guitars were tracked because I didn’t have a label and had already done one unreleased record nobody wanted to touch (“Sono..”) so in 2000 I concentrated on other things and that autumn my mother unexpectedly died so it wasn’t much of a priority until Andrew Harris offered to help finish the record. The DAT I brought with me somehow got corrupted so we only had a few tracks that were salvageable, which became “The Church” ep. Finally in the summer of 2001 the record was finished in Wisconsin. I don’t see it as different, I just see it as my own expression of black metal as something physically painful to experience.

Your masterpiece Blue Miasma was remastered in 2013, yet the remastering did not affect the overall quality of the music, which is a rarity, as I feel that most "remastered" records are detrimental in the sense that it takes away much of the feel of the original recording. Your opinion?

It’s not really a “remaster” as it was the original mix/master of the record before I fucked around with it during the tip of a few year long nervous breakdown, with maybe some minor changes. I’m especially curious to hear how it’s going to translate to vinyl next year.

Who do you consider as some of the most important bands within the spectrum of USBM? And what do you think of the recent USBM book that came out? Some people have said that the book seemed too apologetic and that it advocated political correctness.

Those people are free to write their own fucking books, then. I don’t have much to add to the USBM conversation that hasn’t been said a million times over. Crucifixion Bell is the best current USBM band.

Do you think nihilism is a lost art in black metal these days? Are there any albums from recent years that have made you feel like "ok, this is the real deal"?

I think there’s just better ways to express it than people tend to use. That being said, overall I think black metal has been better and more interesting the last few years than the previous fifteen. Looking at some of the new USBM bands like the aforementioned Crucifixion Bell, Cathedrals in the Night, Dai Ichi etc or the Danish Korpsand Circle bands, or (and especially) Kommodus I see more sincerity and excellence than I have in years. Really there’s so many excellent projects happening now that I haven’t had a moment where I stop and question if it’s still worth it or not.

I have come to the conclusion that some people utterly dislike your music, while there are others (like myself) who have enjoyed your work from day one. What do you think it is about Krieg that makes your music so divisive? And what do you think people tend to overlook when they hear your music?

There’s a few things, I think. I’ve changed styles over the years, I’ve managed to somehow get myself into good situations for myself that a lot of other (probably more talented) bands couldn’t even suck a dick to get into, but probably the biggest factor is myself as a person. I’m not very easy to be around and am very opinionated. There’s also those who hate me for things I’ve said in the past and those who hate me for owning up to and trying to grow away from those things. People hate me for the things I’ve written or for the things I didn’t write about. All of these people are entitled to their opinion about me, my writing and my music. All of these people are fucking boring.

I know you are a fan of old school hardcore. What are some of your favourite hardcore records? I personally enjoy bands like Amebix, Discharge, Totalitar, Tragedy, The Hope Conspiracy, etc.

All Pigs Must Die, Integrity, (The Infamous) Gehenna, Rot in Hell, Vegas, Withdrawal, Kickback etc for hardcore. I’m big into a lot of the old crust bands as well, Rudimentary Peni, Antisect, Amebix etc. We’ve covered Amebix and Doom in the past and planned a Peni covers 7” back in 2009 that continues to float up as an idea. Really enjoy Tragedy as well.

How did you manage to do a split with Integrity? I mean, it's not like most people in hardcore listen to this kind of music. Are the guys from Integrity fans of Krieg or black metal?

Dwid released the Krieg split with Leviathan on his Holy Terror imprint in 2014 so we already had a good working relationship. The idea came up somehow and eventually manifested itself into reality. It’s one of the proudest moments I have out of the nearly thirty years I’ve been doing this and almost was the epitaph of the band as a whole as it would have been a good ending point.

Do you think a destructive lifestyle and black metal go hand in hand? I personally don't, but I'd like to know your opinion on the matter. Do you still consider Krieg as a black metal band seeing as your influences and ideas have changed over time?

Not really. I think it just happens that the two cross paths because a lot of people involved in this music are tragic fuckups and it’s just coincidental that they mingle. But I don’t see it as a “black metal” thing to be self destructive and the “Never Stop The Madness” logo has lost its original meaning. Besides, you have all these fucking workout camps popping up in backyards all across the country that are connected to bands. Maybe it was linked to black metal years ago but we’re in different waters now.

You are a man of good taste. Therefore, I feel obligated to inquire what records you have been listening to lately? Any personal highlights of the year so far?

I do my yearly list for No Clean Singing and this year might be the largest I’ve ever done, there’s just been a flood of great recordings released this year. Currently I’ve been listening to the Kommodus/Pan-Native Amerikan Front split and the K÷ record.

So what's next for Krieg? I sincerely thank you for your time. Death by Hammer salutes you!

We’ve just finished our side of a split with Crucifixion Bell that will be out through Goatowar Rex on vinyl with a tape and cd version being planned as well. The Devil’s Elixir Records will be doing a vinyl reissue of “The Church” and “Destruction Ritual” next year. “Blue Miasma” will be released on vinyl in its proper form through Death Hymns in the summer and our split with Morte Incandescante will finally have a vinyl release as well. In 2022 we’ll be recording for a split with Dai Ichi and most likely for our next full length, which should still be coming out through Profound Lore.