Для тех, кто совсем ничего не знает об упомянутых группах, сообщаем следующее. VON THRONSTAHL и THE DAYS OF THE TRUMPET CALL немецкие лидеры готическо-индустриального движения в музыке. Движущей силой проектов, пересекающихся как идеологически, так и составами, стали музыканты Josef K. и Marcel. P. Обе группы являются яркими представителями стиля martial industrial, для которого характерно сочетание вагнерианских оркестровок, героических гимнов, маршевых ритмов, индустриальных звуков и эстетики, вызывающей приступы бешенства у поборников политической корректности. В музыке VON THRONSTAHL стиль martial industrial представлен в агрессивной, динамичной, воинственной форме, что во многом произошло за счёт добавления элементов рок-музыки. Музыка THE DAYS OF THE TRUMPET CALL более созерцательная и меланхоличная. Она сочетает в себе элементы неоклассики и дарк-фолка. Мировоззрение музыкантов можно охарактеризовать как консервативно-революционное и евро-центрическое. Композиции обеих групп можно встретить на сборниках посвященных Лени Рифеншталь, Юлиусу Эволе, Корнелиу Кодряну.

   По приглашению немецких друзей из журнала "Nation und Europa" В.Б.Авдеев, член редколлегии журнала "Атеней", посетил московский концерт культовых ультраправых групп VON THRONSTAHL и THE DAYS OF THE TRUMPET CALL. Они выступали в клубе "Точка". На концерте продавался mini-CD, специально посвященный российскому туру. Выступление начали THE DAYS OF THE TRUMPET CALL, погрузив зал в медитативное, задумчивое состояние. Вывести из него слушателей было делом VON THRONSTAHL. Своим агрессивным драйвом и живой непосредственностью группа моментально подняла эмоциональный накал в клубе до предела. Весь концерт прошел на едином дыхании. После выступления за кулисами прошла теплая встреча с музыкантами, оказавшимися замечательными людьми, напрочь лишенными пафоса рок-звезд. Что ж, надеемся, это был не последний визит в Россию "трубадуров Новой Европы", считающих за престиж пригласить на свой концерт авторов и читателей нашего журнала.

INTERVIEW WITH "ATHENAEUM" FROM RUSSIA.

   1) First of all could you tell us a brief history of Von Thronstahl? Why did you decide to start this project?

   After a long time, hard years and lots of lessons it was time to return to the treasures of our Occidental Culture. Hardcore, Rock'n'Roll, Gothic - a real adventure, almost an odyssey - but my "longing for light" was answered by a voice which came from the very source of the European heritage. The words and thoughts of Stefan George, Julius Evola and other European thinkers found a resonance deep inside of me and suddenly I knew that all this Rock'n'Roll, all this sickness of the alleged "progressive" modern way of pop/rock business is more backwards and a part of the (literary) past than the often said-to-be-forgotten, but truly eternal spirit of those old philosophers. To me it seemed that a RETURN to our roots has got more potential future than all the triviality of the modern world altogether. But in the end the aforementioned odyssey was important; if you have to find your way back home after roaming for so long you learn to appreciate "home" even more. And to be precise on that imagery : "returning home" does not imply absence of change. Everything will change, that's for sure...but we will change the world, the world won't change us. It'll be a process of cleansing. And there's a real pig-sty to be cleaned. That's a classical theme; and Von Thronstahl started out with the feeling that the "boys are coming home"...just to find their home occupied and desecrated.

   2) Josef what's going on with your band Forthcoming fire? It has been announced that Forthcoming Fire will play on VAWS festival in Austria in July.

   To be blunt : Forthcoming Fire belongs to the past. I'm just releasing some material which was left and just didn't come out (for various reasons). It's the completion of a story; I truly love the material and it would be a shame not to release it. So far, Forthcoming Fire (as a part of my life) was not complete; the "end" of the story was still missing and nobody should leave a story like that (i.e. unfinished). I want to finish this beautiful (but dead) chapter with releasing the rest and playing some shows; to give us and the fans something worthy to remember Forthcoming Fire by. This implies more nostalgia than using World War samples with Von Thronstahl. Rock'n'Roll has something of a living dead...but in the end it's really something to ENJOY. It does not go as deep as true culture, it may be art, but the future for me lies in the pursuit of the Occidental Culture; which is more attached to the soul than Rock'n'Roll.

   3) And Marcel tells us about your project The Days Of The Trumpet call? This project has been inspired by subject of Apocalypse. Why do you have such a big interest in eschatology?

   First of all I have to say that the project The Days Of The Trumpet Call is Raymond P. Period. I (Marcel) have done both vocals and guitar on stage but the VISION is that of Raymond; he's the composer and the sole "member" of the project. I felt truly honoured to have been asked to join both Von Thronstahl and The Days Of The Trumpet Call for this tour and the fact that both protagonists were so taken in by my input that they've asked me to join them on further live shows and studio recordings fills me with pride.

   As for Raymond's vision : The Apocalypse as such has always been a topic Forthcoming Fire dealt with; and even before in the 80ies when Josef and Raymond were in punk bands like "Aus 98" and "Circle Of Sig-Tiu" together. A lot of inspiration is drawn from old Catholicism, orthodox teachings, prophesies and mysticism. References should be Jakob Bohme, Meister Eckehardt, Hildegard von Bingen and several others.

   4) Your last CD was "Bellum sacrum bellum". What is the concept of this album? What is the difference between this album and your previous works?

   "Bellum Sacrum Bellum !?" was inspired by the US - war on Iraq; a very martial piece of work. Further releases will be more in the vein of neo folk. If you listen closely to the album you will actually hear a lot of "punk" roots, which were very personal to me....like Joy Division or the UK Subs. I like the energy of Punk; the early, authentic years. A lot of the punk and wave musicians were very much into fascism actually. Left-wingers worked hard to change this, but acts like Rammstein, Laibach, Death In June and others will re-conquer the old territory...while being more into style than in actual politics. I'd like to remind you of an old statement Rod Stewart once made about rock music : "Rock music is fascism - I love rock music!".

   5) What feelings, emotions and thoughts are you going to evoke from Von Thronstahl's listeners?

   Everybody got his or her own way of understanding the music; the feeling will surely differ from person to person, but the main aspect behind the musical works of Von Thronstahl is that the SPIRIT of the people should be reached...and may be changed, or at least the people can be made AWARE; at least a bit. To a lot of listeners the music was a point from which they started to explore art, literature and the cultural heritage and customs of their people.

   To make this clear : We do see ourselves as the legitimate heirs of the REICH! And as long as people come to follow theses causes, nothing is lost...although these days we do feel like "knights without a king" (or even more to the point : "kings without a land"). But it is necessary to carry the flame onward to another time; if we don't do it then who will? It's the fate of the "men against time" to do so. We (meaning the group and the devoted audience) may only be few, but the best. We hold the people who are into our music in high value; they're not just music - fans, they're dedicated, they're aware. And that deserves respect in times like these; one could also speak of some kind of bonding between the people who follow the same way... an eternal consciousness.

   All of this exists apart from the world of the managers, the bosses of the economy. It's the Reich in the minds, more the sheer proclamation of change than the actual change itself. We're talking in terms of philosophy and spiritual guidance and the ones who listen closely will understand.

   6) Recently you played in Moscow and St.Petersburg. What are you impressions from Russian tour?

   We came as GUESTS, we greeted as FRIENDS and left as COMRADES; it was a great experience and the feelings of each one of us were hard to describe when we sat foot on historical places like the Red Square, which we only knew from pictures or from the television. We'll never forget the feeling of "being welcome" that was present all the time. We love your country and hope to return some day. Besides, it's not a secret that the Russian and the German soul maybe a bit different, but they are deeply connected.

   7) So how do you think is Russia a part of European civilization or it is different type of civilization? What is the difference between Western Europeans and Russians?

   Although there are a lot of interconnections it definitely IS different; a fact you should be proud of. Under the influence of the (let's call them that way) "driving forces" behind the winners of WWII most of the European countries and especially Germany lost much of the cultural identity. With Russia it's not like that; we witnessed it when we were in your country.

   A lot of first hand experiences showed us that there is more resistance against the change to a multi-cultural, America - oriented society in the common Russian people than e.g. in Germany or other European countries. To answer the question regarding the difference(s) more accurately we would have needed more time to observe.

   To conclude the thought : Russia shouldn't try to "be a part of European civilization"; a strong partnership (and friendship) would do more for both sides than Russia trying to emulate European civilization...and the latter exists only in the Underground, the states and the systems themselves are (as one could say) "occupied". We don't want to involve the theories about who actually occupies the Europeans, a lot of people who are in the leading positions surely are not even aware of the fact that they're being manipulated. Regarding our own country we could say that too much "American sugar" made the German eagle fat and tired. Beware of the western sugar, beware of the western sugar-coated democracy (i.e. no real democracy at all!). It may taste sweet; like root-beer and donuts, but it slowly kills...

   8) Why did you decide to create a special Von Thronstahl/The Day of Trumpet call split-CD dedicated to Russian tour? Tell us about compositions from this album?

   Basically the CD was created to give a special honour to Russia; to underline the spiritual connection and to give the fans something special. The compositions themselves evolved organically; more from intuition than from a plan. My girlfriend Rada is Russian and one time in the car she sung this Russian folksong; it was a moment of enlightenment; I felt thunderstruck...and it takes a lot to get such a reaction from me. It's a real pity that she was a bit shy in the recording studio and did not sing it like she did without a microphone, but one can still feel the soul behind the vocals. About the track "Wlassow" : If Hitler wouldn't have treated General Wlassow like that. And the war shouldn't have cut such deep wounds...but Stalin on one side and Hitler on the other, it was just bound to happen.

   9) Von Thronstahl took part on compilations dedicated to Leni Riefenstahl, Julius Evola, Josef Thorak, Codreanu, Hermann Hendrich, and Arno Breker. But who are your favourite writers, artists and thinkers? What historical persons inspire you?

   All of these almost forgotten (or just secret?) philosophers, thinkers, revolutionaries, musicians, artists and politicians...and many more.

   I (Marcel) could name writers like Ernst Junger and composers like Richard Wagner. Inspiration can be drawn from a lot of people; they do not necessarily need to come from the old days; I like a lot of contemporary artists as well; to name but one there's Robert N. Taylor from America (!) who's a composer & singer (his group is called "Changes"), poet, painter, writer, former political activist and Asatru priest...this is a person whose works I can recommend to anyone without hesitation.

   I (Josef) also enjoy Napoleon and Dimitri Mereschkowsky seems to have been the man with the view...a capability to see things beyond the sight of others, to describe the nature of Napoleon as it should be.

   10) What do you think about modern Europe of EU and NATO? What future for Europe would you like to see?

   All I see is ECONOMY, betrayal, Golden Calves and idiots dancing around them, celebrating the decline. It bears a lot of resemblance to the "Weimarer Republik". There is no future for Europa (we do prefer this version although the current state of the continent does not live up to the name) like this; it's money lender's paradise all over again...the only things that's alive at all is the European underground. But let the people "play Europe" for a while. Change will come.

   11) What is the meaning of your band's motto "Return your revolt into style"? Every great political and spiritual movement has its own style. What revolt and style are you speaking about?

   It's our style against time, a style of struggle. We are "between times", like between worlds...and we're struggling to reach the new world. But we're firmly sure that we won't reach it ourselves, but those who will be our heirs. We are but the fertilizer for the soil from which the new seed will arise. Our style is both nostalgic and futuristic, with a lot of potential and controversy. It is "neo - classicism"; a hybrid. Classicism is forever; it will outlive the contemporary systems...but we created a new form of it that will stand the test of time as well.

   12) Are there any repressions and boycotts from the side of mass-media, police and antifa? Do you have any problems with distribution of your music and playing concerts in Germany?

   Yes, indeed. But we've managed to live with it and sell records as well as hold concerts nonetheless. Regarding the distributors in Germany : There are some who boycott us, but that's not a real problem, we don't care. It's just takes a bit longer. And concerts only need more preparation; you have to put more effort in organisation and security, but it is possible and we've done it successfully. The so-called Antifa is but a sickness, not a counterpart. It's a symptom of a much greater illness, to be more accurate. Even though we share a lot of visions and thoughts the musicians to have different opinions regarding some aspects. Regarding the fake-democracy we're living I (Josef) could be labelled anti-democratic. I despise it. Although I'm not a national-socialist I do see myself as a fascist in my own kind of way.

   I (Marcel) do see fascism more from the original philosophical point : "Reaching a goal in joined effort (if necessary) by struggle/force." This does not imply any form of leader- or dictatorship, but could also be combined with a real (i.e. free) democracy. Over the years I have witnessed a lot of awakening among the European youth; they're beginning to ask questions and don't take the indoctrination of the masses without resistance anymore. Also the infra-structure is growing continuously; both within the countries as well as internationally (you, meaning the reader, are holding the proof of it right in your hands!).

   13) Is it possible to create now a New Culture of the New Europe, culture based on European blood, soil and spirit in modern world of neo-liberalism and globalism? Is it possible to win the cultural war with the New World Order?

   The New World Order is nothing but an American way of dictatorship. The true ORDER is neither old nor new, it's ETERNAL. But ideas and thoughts of people that are connected to the Eternal Order do not seem to be popular these days (who might have guessed that). It all takes time; the sickness has to spread further and further before the general public realizes what's going on. So far they're asleep...or (literally) dancing on the volcano and no political party or leading power seems to be determined to stop this process. It's "DECLINE NOW" instead of "APOCALYPSE NOW". That should remind us of the words of Boyd Rice, spoken a long time ago : "The end of the world is an ongoing process...", it truly is. But in the end we are still confident that a rebirth will come; and this goes for both Europa and Russia...which will both rise from the ashes of cultural contamination and stop the decline of civilization.

   14) What are your future plans?

   Plans for what future? These days it's hard to keep enough energy for the living of today; here in the present, so it's hard to think about plans for the future. But although the future may be dark, cloudy and far away we think we do have sufficient energy as well as plans and concepts for (musical) actions. The next Von Thronstahl concerts will be held in Austria and Portugal (both already confirmed) plus another one in Belgium is being planed these days.

   15) And now some final words to Athenaeum readers?

   Let us be ready and let us wait for our time to come, because all actions are futile if the time is not right. We do not want something like a reservation for our thoughts and ideas to dwell in, no hiding place for our actions; we want EVERYTHING. A complete Reich of freedom. Everything in time...

   ALL THE VERY BEST REGARDS AND GREETINGS TO OUR RUSSIAN COMRADS.

[Josef K. and Marcel P. for Von Thronstahl]

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