What does the word TSATTHOGGUA mean? Has it got any special meaning in your music?
TSATTHOGGUA is the name of an ancient god in the literature works of Howard Philips Lovecraft. The god is described as "...the black frog, terror from the dark ..:". He is very powerful and big. Furthermore he has wings and an absolutely evil and terrifying body, deeply dark and shocking. Since I have read the books of Lovecraft I always wanted to write a song about this god. In 1993 we even named our band after him and in 1998 we released our hymn to this creature on our album. The name of the song is "Ia O Tsatthoggua". It is maybe the best and most mystical song we have ever written. In so far TSATTHOGGUA has a special meaning of course. But it grew bigger and bigger with this song. I think we will have a follow-up to it on our next album.
I've read somewhere that you had personal problems in band (because of the tour).
Yes, that is true. After our tour in February / March 97 our guitarist Perverted Pete was arrested. He was accused selling drugs and he was in prison for more than half a year and he could not help me to write the songs for our album. After he was set free in December 97 we entered the Abyss-studio but Pete had to show up at the police every day. So he could not join our recording session in Sweden. I have been the only guitar player in the band for many, many months. That is absolutely shit for TSATTHOGGUA because Pete and me are a cool duo and we write most songs together. It is really hard for me to concentrate on my guitar playing alone. I hope that we will work as a duo in future. Our whole music will improve a lot from that.
Tell me about recording and production of "Trans Cunt Whip" was everything alright? It sounds pretty good.
We recorded in Peter Taegtgren´s Abyss-studio in the last winter. It has been a long trip going to Paerlby. But it also has been a cool adventure driving hours and hours through cold snow white forests and landscapes. At a stop in Borlaenge there even have been ice islands on the sea!! We recorded the album with Mikael Hedlund, bass player, singer and guitarist of HYPOCRISY, THE ABYSS and WAR. He even has done some backing vocals on one song. This recording took us about 8 days. After that we have done the mixing with both Peter and Mikael in about 4 days. At the same time there was a band from Sweden (WITHERED BEAUTY) in Peter´s studio. The building of the studio is a small two-winged red house, like ALL houses in Sweden. In both wings of the house is one studio each, kitchen and a sleeping room. We had TV, video and cold weather and NOTHING !!! There has been only a big frozen lake and forest. The next pub is quite far away and the next city is 50 minutes by bus. So you can work out the album extremely good. There is absolutely NO possibility not to work on your music. And that is exactly what makes all bands in this studio having a really good sound. We are quite pleased with the production but it is not perfect. For our next album we will go there again and we will have a KILLER-SOUND I promise!!!
Your opening intro and even album cover tell what exactly is doing on. Where did you record the intro is that girl on the album cover tortured?
The intro has been taken from the movie "Mask Of Innocence". The scene we choosed for the sound effects (whips, screams) shows an asian girl with rubber mask being tortured by a blond and a dark haired girl. They have chained her to a torture device and whipping and clapping with certain paddles and whips. It is the best scene in a highly erotic movie with beautiful girls !!! We have taken the video tape to Sweden and the scene has been recorded to DAT in Peter Taegtgren´s house.
What do you want to tell the people with your uncompromising music? Do you want them to be "sexually open"?
Our music and our lyrics represent exactly what we love. Of course !! We would never do music we do not love ! That is the most important thing for most musicians I think. If the listeners feel something like a message in our music it would be GREAT !!! I really do not ecpect that I must say but I am sure that most people who like our music already share our attitude towards life and sex. Many, many Metal fans like leather clothing, hard and fast music and orgiastic life style. Of course it is not always possible to do what you like the whole day. That is the same with us. We all have jobs and families or other duties but the best moments in our lifes are banned to CD format and lyrics now. It is the moments in life that inspire our music and we want to freeze these moments to an album for us and for our fans.
Which are your most favourite sexual practices. What do you feel and do you feel the same as you write music?
Hmmm ..., my favourite practice is that practice that I and my partner want to practice in that very moment. That can be absolutely different, from "normal" flower-sex to "hard" S/M-action. It is the variation in your sex life that makes it interesting. But the feelings in role plays of devotion and domination are maybe the most fascinating moments in a partnership, especially if you are only "playing" and not terrorising your partner against his will. Love is the law, love under will !! When I write a song I definitely MUST be in a special mood. My dearest inspiration is being stoned and drunk a bit on the evening after a hot night with my girl. That pushes my brain to an extent where the riffs just flow into the fingers. It would be impossible for me to write a song after a boring week on work and being absolutely sober. That sucks!
What was the most extreme thing you've ever experianced in sex? What did your partner think of it?
My best experience has been a 7-days-trip with my girl to the holiday house of her parents two years ago. It has been a week of dedication and passion to me I will never forget. We have been in a very strange mood these days (always smoking pot and drinking wine) and we have done things in this house I cannot repeat. Your magazine is a music magazine and no hardcore-porno!! But be ensured that this experience was OVER-THE-TOP !!! One example for this could be the fact that my girl-friend tried to commit suicide on one day, just to increase the kick !!!!! I had to smash the door of the toilet to throw the shaving blade away. My heart was pounding 250 beats per minute that evening and we had the best night I remember in my whole life. She was looking as beautiful as an Angel Of Hell in her black leather skirt, tousled hair and blood on her arms. This picture has been photographed by my brain and I will never forget that until I die ... Do not ask how long we have been together that night and what we have done.. Weeks later we have been talking about this trip to the holiday house and I think she and me have been feeling the trust and love so intense and deep that it must have been an absolutely positive experience for both of us allthough we could have been seen as weird, crazy sex and death lunatics by everybody else.
Do you like rubber, latex...? It would fit well with your music. Describe me your live show.
Yes, of course we like and wear this clothing. At our live shows NorthWind wears a leather helmet mask with rivets and strap over the whole neck We bought it in a special fashion shop in Berlin. The mask is a unique piece of fashion, exclusively for NorthWind. It has been fucking expensive ! Furthermore he wears a harnish of steel and latex around his body. Me and False Prophet we prefer the slaves rubber masks. Unfortunately False Prophet has torn his mask at the last concert. I just bought a brand new one, black latex mask with red eyes and mouth. It looks quite funny and completely weird at the same time! Perveted Pete has too long hair, so he cannot wear a mask but he always wears his long leather SS-coat at concerts. Lightning Bolt, our drummer just plays in a jam and jogging shoes. He could never wear something which would be a problem when drumming at Hyperspeed ...
Would you like to add anything?
Yes! Thanks for your interview and greetings to all readers of INDEED HELL. Your questions have been extremely cool and be ensured: I have not been talking about my private life to any other magazine so detailled so far, due to your questions ... ;-)
TSATTHOGGUA Nar Marratuk P.O.BOX 1610 45746 Marl GERMANY
DEATHER, Sylva B
