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Rock My Monkey: Hello, you are listening to the Rock My Monkey netcast on RockMyMonkey.com. Today we are speaking with the band Dark Funeral about their new DVD, Attera Orbis Terrarum Part 1. How are you doing today?
Emperor Magus Caligula: I’m fine, thank you. How are you?
Rock My Monkey: I’m doing good. This DVD has three full shows professionally filmed and recorded. But is it three totally different set lists, or are there songs actually repeated?
Emperor Magus Caligula: There are a few differences. There are always a few songs that we can or cannot skip playing even though we are sick of it. Such songs as Open The Gates and My Dark Desire. I think they might be on the set list for all shows. But, you know, it’s slightly different.
Rock My Monkey: For the most part you do try and span your entire career as much as possible, and cover maybe some more rare songs that people don’t usually get to hear live?
Emperor Magus Caligula: Yeah. This first DVD, it’s a first part of-it’s more like a documentary. It’s going to be like with the old stuff that’s on there, the next DVD will start off where this one finishes. We’re going to cover all that we think the fans need to know, and that we know that fans want to know about the band. So it’s going to be a series, more or less a Dark Funeral documentary.
Rock My Monkey: As far as it being a documentary, were you able to track down some of the original members of the band for interview footage, or is this pretty much just live footage?
Emperor Magus Caligula: On the next DVD it’s going to be interviews with all members, and so on, and also going to contain a lot of just raw material, as well, like articles from both Swedish and international newspapers, like about all the troubles we’ve been through with the labels, and laws and so on throughout the world. It’s going to cover basically everything.
Rock My Monkey: I do notice this is called Part One. Does that mean that this is going to be a Part Two that’s already being planned?
Emperor Magus Caligula: Yeah, as I said, the next DVD will start off with bonus material. It will start off where this one finishes. It’s going to contain like your old material, shows when we were in Taiwan and so on, because luckily me and Ahriman have saved everything from the beginning, more or less. So it’s a lot of goodies in there. Or baddies, if you want to say so.
Rock My Monkey: So as opposed to this one that is mostly the three professionally filmed shows, the Part Two is going to be more of the bootleg stuff.
Emperor Magus Caligula: Yeah. More or less. More or less.
Rock My Monkey: What do you think-you guys have been around for a while. What makes Dark Funeral unique in the black metal scene, and what do you feel that you offer fans that no other black metal band does today?
Emperor Magus Caligula: I think what makes us unique is we want the fans, like if they buy a Dark Funeral cd, when they put them in the stereo they should know at once that they bought a Dark Funeral cd. I mean, we never change that much. Of course we change, like in one way, musically or professionally, but we always try to maintain the Dark Funeral sound, more or less.
Rock My Monkey: What would you say is-now there’s many different types of black metal. Black metal is definitely not a one dimensional thing. What do you think is the most annoying cliché in black metal today? Something that maybe Dark Funeral would never be a part of?
Emperor Magus Caligula: (laughs) Being untrue. (laughs)
Rock My Monkey: What do you mean by that? What would make somebody untrue?
Emperor Magus Caligula: That’s what I always wondered, as well. Kids are talking about bands being true or not true, or whatever true, to the black metal scene. And some people say that we have become more untrue, like more trendy or whatever, more commercialized. But I mean, I’ve been doing this shit now for over twenty years, so I think I’m pretty sure I know where I stand. If someone don’t like it, don’t buy it. But that’s one of the most cliché questions in black metal is, what is ‘untrue’, really?
Rock My Monkey: A few years back Gorgoroth caused a ton of controversy over some of the stage props they used in their live DVD, that I believe hasn’t even been released yet because of that. What kind of theatrics or stage props can fans expect, or do you guys do anything, add anything for that extra visual?
Emperor Magus Caligula: We don’t do anything extra. We only give Dark Funeral. That should do it all. I mean, we don’t have to have any cool stage props or whatever. We are cool with just having like a regular dark room or show where we have a backdrop and then just play our fucking evil music onstage.
Rock My Monkey: I see that there’s going to be a video clip for Atrum Regina. Is that going to be just live footage, or is there something extra done with that?
Emperor Magus Caligula: With the video?
Rock My Monkey: Right. There’s a video clip for Atrum Regina.
Emperor Magus Caligula: Yeah. That’s taken from the show we did in Paris. The whole show is on the new video. We played the Moulin Rouge in Paris, together with Nagalfar on the last European tour.
Rock My Monkey: So that’s not a concept video or anything, that’s just the live footage again?
Emperor Magus Caligula: Yeah, it’s just the live footage.
Rock My Monkey: What do you think is more important in a live show? Getting the notes right, or making a memorable show?
Emperor Magus Caligula: Making a memorable show, I guess. I mean, Dark Funeral, we are a very, if I can say, theatrical band. We want people to feel like they didn’t go to see a concert. We want it more that they went to see a show, more or less.
Rock My Monkey: What are the chances of the band doing a full coast to coast tour of the U.S. anytime soon?
Emperor Magus Caligula: I think-I don’t know where we’re going on this tour, because I never keep track, and I’m unaware of where we are going to play. I always say, I stand in the same line as the other ones at the airport, and see where I end up. (both laugh) But like, we will cover more or less the whole America on this tour. If we miss anything, we’ll come back and do it, too.
Rock My Monkey: You’ve actually mentioned that there’s going to be a Part Two. This is Part One. How many parts in total will there be on this documentary?
Emperor Magus Caligula: Oh, it depends on how old we get. (both laugh)
Rock My Monkey: So as of now there’s only Part One and Part Two planned, then?
Emperor Magus Caligula: No, we have so much material, so we are at Part Two, but we are soon enough will have that filled, and we’ll need a Part Three to make it full as it us up to date now. But then who knows? Shit happens all the time, so maybe there will be a part four or a part five, as well. You never know. Or maybe there will be, we’ll get our own show on t.v.. (both laugh)
Rock My Monkey: So people can at least expect at a bare minimum they can expect a part one, two and three?
Rock My Monkey: Do you guys have any specific pre-show ritual? Something to get you guys in the right mindset, get the right vibe going through your veins before you get onstage? Or do you just jump out there and give it your best?
Emperor Magus Caligula: Well, we sleep a lot. (laughs) All of our support acts that have been on tour with us they say they’ve never seen such a tired band when they’re not onstage, because all we do is-some of us drink, and some of lie sleeping. And then when it’s about to go onstage, they always say it’s like pressing an ‘on’ button. Like, alright, let’s do it, on And then it gets 100% action. And then when we’re done we go back to sleep, or back to drinking again. (laughs)
Rock My Monkey: Cool. So you guys are able to click that on and off just as easily as pushing a button?
Emperor Magus Caligula: Oh yeah. We’ve been doing this now for so long, so it’s more or less like an on and off button. Sometimes you have shows that you don’t really feel like doing, but there are always fans there who shouldn’t suffer just because we don’t feel like playing. So anyone who pays to come and see us, they will get a Dark Funeral show to 100%.
Rock My Monkey: Before I ask my final question, is there anything you’d like to say to the fans of Dark Funeral?
Emperor Magus Caligula: No, not really. I think everybody knows more or less everything about us. Just keep an eye out for DVD number two, and learn about the history about Dark Funeral.
Rock My Monkey: I do have one final question. Every year we do choose one final question that we ask every single band from classic rock legends to the most extreme, brutal black metal bands at the end of every interview. Partially to stump people, but also to see who wusses out and won’t answer. So this year I’m asking people to look into their crystal ball and predict what political figure, world leader, musician, celebrity, anybody world wide famous, who do you think might die before the end of the year?
Emperor Magus Caligula: (laughs) Well, hooo, that’s a hard question.
Rock My Monkey: We’re hoping someone can predict a death correctly by the end of the year.
Emperor Magus Caligula: Yeah. Oh, I can’t remember his name now. Oh, Pete Doherty.
Rock My Monkey: He actually is a pretty-he’s actually a pretty common-a lot of people are thinking that he might die.
Emperor Magus Caligula: Alright.
Rock My Monkey: Cool. Alright. I thank you very much for doing the interview, and anybody that’s listening to the audio version can go to RockMyMonkey.com for the full featured version with clickable links, readable text, and many more wonderful features. I’m asking people to click on the DVD cover above and below this interview to purchase Attera Orbis Terrarum Part One by Dark Funeral. And I do hope to see you guys up on tour in the Northwest sometime soon. Thank you very much for your time.
Emperor Magus Caligula: Thank you, man. Thank you very much.
