SICK INTERVIEW - LEGACY MAGAZINE

Well, I guess you're still quite unknown to most of our German readers. Would you be so kind to introduce yourself to our readers..? You started Sick back then in 2003, but “Satanism, Sickness, Solitude” is still your one and only release, right?

H(e)LL(o)! We are 3 weird (de)constructive things knocked together into one monolith coffin called SICK. We live in Magiljou (Belarus) where the biggest Eastern Europe chemical industry placed just in city-line. Its emission are full of lead that is auspicious conditions for living here ‘cause of this so many people who are sick of schizophrenia… Yes, SICK is not really known band but we got s few positive reviews for “S.S.S” in magazines from German underground. “S.S.S” is our first pill for medication of all “normal” beings. Possession productions was the first local healer who found us. It was in 2006. In 2007 we put the band on ice to start rehearsing of new songs in 2008 at full force. And at this moment Spikefarm offered us the contract.

What are your musical influences? I can hear massive doom metal, industrial and ambient influences, based on black metal. I guess you like the first three Samael albums, too, right?

Mostly we listen the dark music in different styles, everything that give inner Freedom. Our life experience transforms into the poisoned water of Creativity. Yes, those albums of Samael are really good but we think they haven't influenced us. For example… we have more influences from Das Ich than Samael plus strange changes in our lives, alcohol and autumnal Insanity.

Are there any side projects or predecessors to Sick?

All of us were and are involved into other Black Metal bands. We are in underground for more than 10 years.

You've chosen Portishead's Wandering Star for a cover song. This is really extraordinary for a black metal band and testifies a wide taste of music apart from Darkthrone and Burzum. Why did you chose this song and what are your musical favorites besides Portishead?

5-6 years ago we got Portishead albums into our hands… It was days of so weird state of mind. And listening of those songs captivated us so tight.
“Wandering Star” was born for us. A little later we got the idea that this is the great song for covering! Grim as Hell, sick and lyrics war tight about our psychic state in that period. We think that in that version this song belongs to us but not to Portishead. By the way their new album is very good for our taste. So now about our favorites… It's really easy–You like the music or not. You can find Slayer and Dolores O`Riordan, Deathspell Omega and A-ha, Aborym and Ozzy Osbourne or Spiritual Front and Six Feet Under in our play-list the same day. We have no boundaries but seek for dark and serious music. Of course we prefer Bathory, Slayer, Satyricon, Ulver, Depeche Mode and Darkthrone and many other well-known and not so much known bands. We do not like to copy and wriggle or imitate the Cult. Respect is not about imitating of the important band but about the NOT COPYING of them. We play what is inside of US. We do not play “evil”. We just unchain our inner demons and they comes in flesh and bones. The same was with song of Portishead… It's the demon's work... We plan to play another cover on the next album. For many listeners it will be surprisingly too. Anyway this song will be gloomy and desperate so we have right to play it.

Your cover artwork isn't very catchy. Is it self-made? You chose the same artwork for the first pressing in 2006. Wasn't there the idea to use another one?

Cover artwork was done by professional. We are 666% satisfied with it… This layout was very close to us in 2004 so we do not see any reason to change it because it will be like something false for us… it will be untrue.

Your region was heavily affected by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Is it true that you had to be evacuated back then? Are there still consequential damages in the area where you're from?

The Chernobyl has two faces like any other catastrophe. Irreparable damages, death of thousands innocent and nothing-understanding people, pain and suffering, total vagueness of what happen and animal fear from the one side. From the other – it was senseless war of human educated by totalitarian society as absolute “crown of creation” against uncontrolled Element… Humanity failed in that struggle but still believe that it is stronger than atom. Anatoly Djatlov – man who was responsible for the catastrophe got dose 100 times higher than fatal of radiation in the epicenter of the blow and died only after 11 years. He was absolutely sure that he won that battle… Our city wasn't evacuated. Radioactive clouds flew over it and fall with yellow rains in our places around the city. In the day of the death of the reactor government says noting about what happened to population and many of people swoon right at the streets, some of them were bleeding not understanding what happens with them. My father saw very thick fog in the morning when he walk to work and felt very bad after that. Soldiers and volunteers worked in the Zone absolutely without any protection – all of them are dead. All equipment and machinery that was in the Zone lays buried at the special giant cemeteries of machines… there is absolutely deathly level of radiation there. The main Zone of 30 km still closed and guarded by Military Forces. It ' s almost impossible to pass through it. Nobody really knows what happens there now. Cinematic recordings from those places are full of white bursts ‘cause of high radiation. Peoples died like black beetles. It was the blow of the reactor and radioactive dust was brought by wind to the hundreds kms around it turning nearest places to the nuclear desert. Our city is in the so called “Risk group #1” like the Gomel and some of Russian and Ukrainian cities. Here is forbidden to gather the mushrooms and just in the deep forest you can find the plate: “Stop! Danger! High radiation !!!” Many people lives with serious hormonal changes and infection of thyroid gland is the result of it. Children got no potion of iodine at the day of catastrophe to stop the changes in the body… my sister was one of them… 50 km south of us begins the evacuation zone where nobody lives for many years. Whole towns are empty. Too high level of radiation for life and agriculture. Time stops there and nothing changes from 1986… everything is on the same places like people just must return soon… Personal things, toys, tableware but everything is covered by dust and overgrown by herbage. At the south of Belarus nearer Chernobyl mutated animals appears. Can you imagine what happens in the closed Zone now? Forget about post nuclear RPGs – welcome to Belarus ! Here are much more interesting to explore, believe us!

What is your opinion about nuclear power nowadays? Are you against it, do you, like Impaled Nazarene, support nuclear power as part of a misanthropic agenda or do you support it for rational reasons, like many western politicians nowadays, too? Is there any anti-nuclear power-movement in White Russia? I've heard that actual Belarus builds a new power plant, like Finland, too.

How we can be against RADIATION??!! This is the rays of god piercing the Nature. It's like caressing touch of mother's hands. Radiation is the part of us and our life. So nourishing She can't hurt you. Even more! She is so useful for every living being. For example, high doses of radiation can turn the worms into the humans. May be dead humans… but who cares… Please come to our places and you won't be disappointed and you'll be more healthy. We are not into politic… so we do not know if there are such organizations... but never heard about that… Yes, it's true that the new nuclear plant will be built soon. We do not know the correct place yet. People say that it will be 70 km near our city, but other say that on the other side of the country 10 km near the home of my grandmother… Our land is spoiled already so one more plant or less – no difference… this is the work of humans… we scorn our government and our people the same, so if that plant will be destroyed too our relationship with them won't change… they do not learn on their own mistakes and do the twice and even more… So be it! We can wait when Finnish and Belarussian plants detonates the same time!!! It will be the great beautiful cooperation and so many new people will appear in one second! Amen !!! But in difference of Mika and Co. we bear all of this in real life. And I'm absolutely sure that when near their comfortable homes the nuclear plant will blow up, the first thing they will feel: very strong head ache then start to feel suffocation then they starts to vomit by blood and if they will live then we doubt whatever they will be in possibility to bear such life… and this gives them no fun… People walked so deep into its arrogance. When you walk through abandoned places and steps on personal things of already dead people, you have different view on the essence of things which happened. This is very differs from reading the book or watching the Discovery channel.

What can you tell us about the metal scene in Belarus? Are there any bands you can recommend? God's Tower told Legacy magazine many, many years ago that there are more or less official (state) oppressions against long haired metalheads by policemen and military. Can you certificate this?

This is the official position of government. You can ask Peter Tagtgren of Pain about their gig in capitol of Belarus . It was concentration camp but not Metal-show. There were much more policemen than metalheads. This is the legacy of totalitarian society–it's very hard to be express yourself free… what we can do with that… that is just the appropriate social process … Now is much better that 15 years ago – you can't amaze someone by long hairs, dreds, tunnels in nose, piercing and metal-jackets. We know that it sounds strange for you but please do not think that Eastern Europe is like black hole, here are interesting and independent people too… just their life isn't so easy ‘cause power here is in hands of persons who mentally belongs to the “communistic” times… And here you really can find interesting bands too. The reason is that we aren't “spoilt children” here… So… we have cool Death Metal acts like VELD (sad but RIP right now) and DISGOD. KRUK and PAGAN have real cult status in Black Metal in ex-USSR territory, idols GODS TOWER (again sad but this band was just killed by their protectors), almost of all Possession productions bands deserve attention. Last time whole scene is growing but we think not in the good way… Only few original metal and electro bands and many and many of emo and core shit. That is fashion… so fuck it…

Your promo shots look, well, SICK and extreme. I don't wanna become abusive, but your scrawny figures with theirs lost of hair, placed in ruins, cause associations with a post apocalyptic atomic worst case scenario. Was that the meaning behind this?

Each of us puts part of himself and its Insanity into SICK. It's like bunch of sharp and wounding to blood pieces of glass. Pieces of thoughts, feelings, emotions and souls. Themes of desolation, global crisis, rotting of whole human civilization and post-apocalypse are bind with Total Loneliness and loss of everything and oneself. This is the curved mirror of surrounding Black Negativity. Look into it and You'll find your own abominable reflection… Photos for our album we have done at the destroyed airfield complex in Byhau city – it's really near from Magiljou. This is one of two existed in USSR giant airfields for heavy tactical bombers. The aircraft in full combat readiness with nuclear weapon on board deploys here in time of Cold War. Also the underground silos for missiles placed here. This is impressive object, believe us. Now it's destroyed and unguarded. We spend the whole day there and explore everything we can. To walk across the system of runways we spend almost of two hours. This is the great picture of desolation and devastation which was like big human anthill times ago. Buried dark underground ways, neglected commanders towers, destroyed generator station and boiler house, empty hangars and weapon storages, sticking out wires, tones of cold concrete, open cemeteries of animals, forgotten barracks and shower-rooms, rust and rot everywhere. In one word – the great place for our photo-session! Cozy photo studios are not for us definitely… Those images are the perfect visualization of our music! Our planet goes to the times when such pictures can be seen not on the covers of albums of such morbid bands like our but in whole reality. This is the expression of the Spirit of modern humanity.

Can you call SICK a kind of concept band? Or is this post apocalyptic nuclear power image overrated? Is it even more the idea of Spikefarm?

Oh, no… We are not limited by the labels contract in artistic expression. We decide everything by ourselves. Sick is conceptual band. Our conception is in our name. Insanity that we do no need to fit to any stylistic frames. This is Freedom. We aren't the founders of the style. Just we feel better and natural in it … SICK it's definitely something much more than the image… In each line and sound exists much more pain that you can see from the first look. Those songs were done in very deep and complex spiritual state and to understand it you need to be in close states of mind… This is not another “industrial black metal” album, this is just our inner world and our encirclement, most dark corners of our souls mixed through the prism of ill perception of the world… Post-apocalypse is the one side of this Madness. We believe that you can hear how clock stops in the death agony…

“Satanism, Sickness, Solitude” is a very offensive and aggressive album title, while most of the track titles a more bizarre and mysterious. What is the meaning behind the album title and what are your lyrics about?

First of all: Satanism – this is the killing of oneself as human being, this is the out of borders of moral and norms. Next step – Sickness. You can't walk on the edge of Abyss into the Horizon and be the same and “healthy”. Solitude – is the state to which everyone of us comes in the end of life. Be it Solitude of misunderstanding of you by others or by yourself and Loneliness in Death–everyone dies alone even if someone stands near your bad of Eternal Sleep. Those are things following each other into the Trinity. Someone takes it like damnation some… like blessing. So we do not think that the title is offensive. There are three important things of album inside of the title telling about what the Hell is inside this plastic box. This gives pain but not the offence. We are abstract away from the society and we have no any desire to touch and disturb it. Hm… Do you really want to step into the heap of dogs shit? So it's why alienation and solitude have so many places in our album. Our lyrics are about emptiness inside and outside, about Satan, coldness and estrangement of our personal and spiritual Path and it's about negative and morbid states of body, mind and soul. Our songs are straightforward and narrative than metaphorical and poetic. From the beginning of album you walk like by the rugs of the ladder from naked aggression and hate to the life right into hopeless trance and feeling of discomfort emptiness at the end. Each second of album was experienced by us personally . If you lived though such moments so you will accept this, if not – we think you'll be scarred and try to avoid it ‘cause of incomprehension… We see it by reviews we got… some of reviewers are glorifying us some tries to spit on us and make the slops-shower for our painful persons. We get no mediocre reaction. We are happy by this.

Your pseudonyms are quite unusual, too. They remind me to the holy trinity: father (Voice of god), son (represented by his mother, Virgin Mary) and holy ghost (Spiritus Sancti). What was the idea behind this?

Do not forget that there was a fourth (session) member – god himself… Hope he wasn't satisfied by being in or band… anyway he was kicked out… So now we are just the post-apocalyptic trinity.

“Satanism, Sickness, Solitude” was already released back then in 2006 via Possession Productions. Who came up with the idea to re-release it via Spikefarm? You or Spikefarm?

Spikefarm were interested in Sick before the Possession release. Spikefarm thinks (like years ago) that our Art is too extreme for them… just they like our music and images so much. So they decided to re-release this first album and signed us for three albums more.

Is “Satanism, Sickness, Solitude” still, now in 2008, representing what Sick stands for?

We are still sick. And sickness is in progress. It transforms, mutates and turns to much dangerous condition. Bacillus moves deep into the organism and transforms to decay, dissolving the bones and leading into the bottom of the Dark. This album was the starting point for us . We have done 5 years long way so now we are not the same which we were in 2003. In innersoles we became worse and our views are much more extreme and musical skills much better now.

 “Satanism, Sickness, Solitude” was, as mentioned, released in 2006. Can we also expect new material soon?

At the moment we are on the stage of collection of ingredients for our new vaccine. All of those elements grows on rotten fields of Hopelessness and dampness of Alienation. Only most Dark places where humans never dwell. There are no other places where you can find those herbs. The new album was infected us for two years. It will be multifaceted, complex and extreme. We'll step in studio in the beginning of 2009 and this time we need three times more time for recording of it than for “S.S.S.” to make this work more natural for us – much sicker. CODE 2009 is the code of it's stillbirth. Hey!… you know we have new doctor who will give you this another tablet without reception!!!!! Good old Dr.Spinefarm. So… eat it.

Last words? Thanks and take care!

Thanx for visiting us in our empty and weird place. Unfortunately time of visit is over. Thanx for your attention to the patients. And thanx again for fruits and flowers. But... recovery is impossible! Sick you all!!!

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