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Interview conducted by e-mail Scott
I guess we should start with the evolution of LILLE ROGER and BRIGHTER DEATH NOW and how that led to the formation of the label... I started LILLE ROGER as a direct result of the failure of other members of a former band I had, I ended LILLE ROGER as I got fed up with the whole concept, then I decided to move over and release music instead of produce, so I started COLD MEAT. After a little while I realized that making music is a major habit of mine so I had to start a new project, then the BDN arose slowly. What got you interested in both the music that you do personally, and the type of music that you release, because there is a distinct difference? And what bands have had a decided impact on you? Well I have always been into dark and melancholic music, but my main interest is Industrial, if there were more Industrial bands from Sweden I would definitely be releasing them too. But as far as it is not, there is a lot of great dark-ambient stuff which I also very much like and therefore I release it. I have a wide spectrum of musical taste, everything from post-industrial to dark ambient... but good, what I hate is Gothic music like MISSION, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, and the German stuff - it makes me sick. At the risk of understating, you seem to have a consuming fascination with death, do you attribute this to anything, and how deeply does it run in your non musical life? Well as I have 3 kids as well I am very much a life transformer, but that has really nothing to do with the things I try to develop through BDN, the Death in BDN is the outlet for the blackhole of my soul, Death is a symbol for me, the symbol of changes, and all changes are good, even evil is good, that's why BDN is one of the good bands and also totally related to myself, all that comes from BDN has my deepest soul within. BDN is not one band among the others, at least that is what I feel. It is the ultimate sodomy of my soul, mind, and flesh. Both the LILLE ROGER project and BRIGHTER DEATH NOW have impacted and influenced a large number of bands that have come along since you began, how do you feel about the impression your work has left on the Experimental scene? And do you ever feel that some borrow a little too much from you? As LILLE ROGER and especially BRIGHTER DEATH NOW are such personal bands I don't feel that any other band can be compared to what has been achieved through this formation. Frankly I can't think of any band sounding like BRIGHTER DEATH NOW. You've since branched out, but initially COLD MEAT INDUSTRY only released Swedish bands, what do you think it is about Sweden that inspires such stirring music? I think Sweden should be isolated from all other countries, influences and immigrants. What we have is just too precious to let it all be wasted that easily. We are 8 million people on an area that normally suites 58 million. This means that there is not so much influence from person to person, but we have time to develop our own minds. We are bored and that is good, boring things makes people explore new ways to excite themselves, some may be mass murderers, some child molesters, and some making great music. You've got the DEATH FACTORY, CRUEL MOON, and SECULA DELENDA side labels up and running on top of CMI now, explain the point and purpose of each and what a band needs to exhibit to be considered for signing... DEATH FACTORY is a label for international Industrial bands in any vein that I might like, much like CMI, but the development of this label is so far not decided. CRUEL MOON is dedicated to more ancient, progressive, ambient, medieval music with special packaging and vinyl versions. SECULA DELENDA is not my label, they just use my PO Box. Your catalog has a growing amount of Black Metal releases for distribution, and now you've added SECULA DELENDA to your roster, how do you see it tying in with the rest of your products and what has the reaction of the elitist Experimental community been? Well of course the Industrial people has not been approving of the BM-influences but I think that this is just something they have to get used to in the coming years, I think it's better to be prepared than to neglect the fact. Let me also explain the SECULA DELENDA thing; it is run by a guy working for me, and it was a time when I really needed someone to help me out with everything so we got together and help each other out. Much of the material your labels releases contain darkly spiritual elements, what are your personal feelings regarding spirituality, and does the resurgence of Asatru hold any interest for you? I like all dark music, spiritual or not, I love Christian funeral hymns, so that no matter what religion there might be, as long as it's dark, spiritual, and that I like it I don't care much about the ideology. Asatru is an interesting aspect which of course will always be dear to my Northern heart. There is an undeniable element of Nationalism and Fascism in a lot of the Nordic fueled releases these days, and it is something that you have touched on in your own music, where do your beliefs fall on these topics? On what basis may I have touched these matter in my own music if I may ask? I do understand today's movement but that doesn't mean I have to emphasize with all of them. There has been more than one occasion when your releases have contained what some might consider pedophilic imagery, what was the intent behind that and how much controversy has it stirred? Yes there has been some documentary tapes that I used in my tracks containing some pedophilic content, but I have never used such images for sleeves or anything like that. I think the words speaks for themselves, what a rotten mind you have. (my examples would be the tray cards for the "Karmanik Collection", and the "Innerwar" CD from BDN... - S) I understand that you"re married and have a child, what"s their reaction to your music and some of your extreme interests? Well I as I said I have 3 kids, and what effect it might have on them only time will show, my wife however is a bit radical and thinks that I step over the line too often, for our kids we just try to raise them as any other normal kid, I don't want to influence them to be as mad as I am, they are free to be how crazy they might like to be, or not like to be. We raise them to be individuals not one in the clan. There"s a song on the new album called "Sex and Violence" how do you see the two correlating? Actually the titles is "Sex or Violence", it is just how RELAPSE messed it up, but the under title is "What's the Difference?"... There was recently a big COLD MEAT INDUSTRY festival held in Germany, how did that go over, and what types of things could one expect from one of your own performances? Any chance the festival will come out on video? The festival came out pretty well and it was a exhausting weekend for all of us, I am not sure yet if it will come out on video, we'll see. During my own performance I was just to exhausted after all the interviews and people I had to talk to during the weekend so it wasn't really that special this time.... There was talk that you would be coming to the States to tour, is that still a possibility, and if so when? Yes, we should have come this Autumn but as I am very much busy with CMI I just had to postpone it until next year, so maybe in Spring or so. I would imagine that you are frantically busy, what do you do to relax and refocus after a grueling day? I just sit down watching some stupid American soap-operas where I don't need to think at all. Are there any books and/or films that you feel are mandatory experiences? The most recent
book I read was a book by HP Lovecraft 1990, since then I only read fairy
tales for my kids. Well most of the CD's are my work with the influence of what I know of the band and feel from the music. My personal favourite would be hard to say as I often think that the latest is the best, but of course there are always some I like more, like RAISON D'ÊTRE all 3 CDs, ARCANA, and some others. Are there plans to work with Relapse Records in the future, or was "Innerwar" a one time deal? And to what do you attribute the general rise in popularity of Experimental music lately? It would seem that your labels have had a large role in that... We will do a co-operation with the new DEUTSCH NEPAL CD, but that is all. And how much role CMI have had in the rise of Experimental music I can't speculate in. I guess that is really all that I have, I wish you much continued success, thanks for your time. Do you have any last comments that you¡¯d like to make? 9 less questions and I would be happy. Cold Meat Industry PO Box 1881 581 17 Linkoping Sweden
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