SauroN interview For Dark Horzion Zine

1- Hails Ludas! Can we start out with an introduction for SauroN? Some history?

We started in 1997. I joined in later to replace another drummer who wasn't interested in BM anymore. After rehearsing for over a year we decided to make a demotape, this tape was finished and released in 1999 under the name 'Death…tyranny..war…blasphemy' . Only 100 copies were made.
This was our first studio experience and the playing on the tape wasn't really satisfying for us so a year later we went into the studio again to record a mCD. This became the 4track mCD 'True Hate Embodiment'. We really got very good critics in the worldwide press on this mCD. We did a mini-tour with Carpathian forest, Destroyer 666 and Urn and some very interesting other gigs. After a while we got in contact with Stuart Banks, who led us to DHR. In 2002 we booked a very professional studio to records Universe of Filth. This was released on DHR 2003. Meanwhile our first mCD was re-released as 7" by a small Dutch label. After the release of Universe of Filth and the mostly positive press critics we a deal offered by Neurotic Records. We signed and For A Dead Race got released.
For more details read our fuckin biography.

2- What bands did you play in before SauroN?

I played in Melech, just a garageband actually. We did 2 gigs and made a few rehearsal tapes but this was just the beginning. It was trash-orientated blackmetal, but nothing special since we were all beginning musicians.

3- Your first full-length(Universe Of Filth) was with Dark Horizon records. Can you tell about it? How did you get your deal with Dark Horizon? Are you satisfied with their work? Was this album re-released recently?

We got in contact with DHR trough Stuart Banks, an English journalist of Terrorizer magazine. He did a review on True Hate Embodiment and was blown away by it that much, he contacted us and told us about DHR. Well, I got in contact with DHR and this resulted in our debutalbum being released on DHR. We are satisfied with their work. We are not satisfied about the printers who fucked up their job. All special layers in the artwork disappeared and the cd-print was fucked up too. We send a fuckin dummy to the states and even than they were not able to do it correctly. That was quite fucked up actually. I believe DHR was and is very loyal to SauroN and it's a great underground label.
No, it has not been re-released yet. There are plans to do so, but no date is set by DHR.

4- Your second album, "For A Dead Race" you signed to Neurotic Records, how did you get your deal with them and how goes it with the new label?

A friend of ours started his own label, which is located in our own town (Tilburg), in the Netherlands. He offered us a good deal, so we decided to take it. We signed to DHR for 1 album, so there were no further contractual obligations.

5- What fuels SauroN's fire such as themes for the music being written? What can you say about ideology when it comes to Sauron?

It's all about hate, madness, negativity and occultism. All emotions of hate and despair packed in one musical explosion.

6- The are some other Black/Death/Thrash Metal bands that also use the name SauroN. How does this affect you if at all? Is it annoying sometimes?

NOT. We are the ones with the most releases so far and we are far more interesting than the other ones, so they'll all be 'late' when it comes to using the name.
We have the USA based trash band, a Polish black band and a Swedish industrial band and I believe there was a Brazilian death band. None of them have released more than 1 album or less, so we don't see them as a treat.
When it will come to a conflict, no one will win because the name only has one legal owner and that's Tolkien. We emphasis our band name by putting 'deathsquad' to our weburl and we are the sauron. Death.squad, as stated on the first track of our first album!

7- Does SauroN play live? Shows, fests? With who? What are your favorite shows to play?

Yes, we do play live, but only if the line-up suites us. We are not going to play with solely death or trash metal bands. The gig must have a black metal atmosphere. It's not useful to play in front of people who do not like or understand black metal, I think you can imagine why yourself.
We prefer playing on black metal nights or fests, with only extreme bands.
Lately we've done a lot of gigs with Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult form Germany and Fluisterwoud. This always works out just fine and we get along very well, we are 3 bands who know were we stand for and that's great.

8- What members of SauroN are playing in other bands and which bands are they?

Demster:
Bunkur, Planet AIDS
Sunless:
Bunkur, FleshMadeSin
Ludas:
Abysmal Darkening
Eclipse:
Fluisterwoud / Dimensional Psychosis

Bunkur is an ultradoom band. Fluisterwoud's another great Dutch BM act. FleshMadeSin is pure fuckin old-school trashmetal (just released their debutalbum).
Planet AIDS is a black/industrial project, Dimensional Psychosis is like the name says and Abysmal Darkening is a form of doom/dark metal.

We all have a lot of interests as you see and since everyone evolved very well the last couple of years, musicwise, we all want to express ourselves in different styles or bands.

9- How is the Metal scene in Holland, I know of alot of Suffocation-like Death Metal bands like /Disavowed come from there. How is the scene compared to Black Metal?
What is bigger in Holland, Black Metal, or Death Metal?

Death is bigger, but that's quite obvious since it's more based on having fun, drink and live playing. The black scene tries to be a little more underground and obscure but it's quite big too.
There's a shitload of bands, but they are certainly not all worth mentioning.
We also have a terribly big gothic scene, all those opera/female singer bands are really coming and going.

10- What bands are worthy to support in your country?

Fluisterwoud, Infinity, FleshMadeSin, Funeral Winds, Galgeras, Bunkur (this is uberdoom!), Weltbrand, Dimensional Psychosis, Planet Aids and probably more..

14- What country do you think is producing the best Black Metal these days? What do you think of USBM?

The Netherlands. Germany also has a few very good bands and most of the Swedish bands are now very good. Norwegian bands don't take it to seriously anymore, I think, which is understandable but not suitable.
With exception of a few bands (FOG for instance) I actually don't like USBM that much. I always miss some atmosphere in their music. Generally, It's always with to much death influences.

15- What do you think of what's happening in country's like Iraq, Thailand, and Israel? Do you think this is a sign that the end is near or this is the beginning of the end?

It's nothing new is it?? Africa has experienced wars and disasters since the beginning of time. Europe already knew 2 world wars, with no exception of the USA. Thailand experienced a natural disaster, but I am waiting for religious idiots who believe it's the apocalypse ofcourse. Israel will always be a problem since it's a stolen land, and the ones from whom it's stolen want it back.
Iraq is a gimmick.
The beginning of the end started with the creation of the human race..

16- So what's up next for SauroN? When will there start recording again?

We just released a new album. We finished 2 new songs now, but they won't be
recorded until we finished a complete release. This could be an album, but this could also be a mCD. We don't know yet.
We recorded a track from the almighty Bathory for a tribute LP, but I don't know when it will be released. It keeps being rescheduled.
There are plans for a split 7" with another great Dutch act, Fluisterwoud, but again there's no definite releasedate. Both items will be released by underground labels who do it because of their own interest, so they do not feel the urge to rush it.

17- Well, that's all from my side, please end this interview as you wish and please feel free to add any info about the band that we may not have covered, thanks!

Well…….www.saurondeathsquad.com, if there's something you should know, you'll
find it here.