Masha “Scream” -  vocals
Sergey “Lazar” -  guitar
Ruslan “Kniaz” -  bass
Vlad “Artist” -  drums

Formed: 2002;   Moscow, Russia
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Pagan / Folk Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Arkona's Masha

November 11, 2009

Interviewer: Peter

DISCOGRAPHY:

Vozrozhdenie (2004)
Lepta (2004)
Vo Slavu Velikim! (2005)
Zhizn Vo Slavu DVD, (2006)
Ot Serdtsa K Nebu (2007)
Poem Vmeste   (2009)
(Night of Veles DVD (2009)
Goi, Rode, Goi! (2009)

TO THE TOP

When one mentions Russian folk metal, one of the very first bands to be mentioned is ARKONA.  Having been around for a better part of this decade, the band, led by charismatic front woman Masha “Scream,” has had a good underground following.  As with all bands with such followings, it wasn’t long before other people started getting clued in on the band my word of mouth and before long, the band eventually signed to Napalm Records.  Now, with an international deal in place, ARKONA is poised to take their place among the elite of the folk metal scene.  Recently, Metal Psalter caught up with Masha “Scream” to talk about the new album Goi, Rode, Goi!, as well as clear up some other things that may have confused those who are new to the band.

Peter Santellan: Since most people are still getting to know about ARKONA, would you mind giving a brief history of the band?

Masha: As for the history of the band, I can say that it was founded in 2002, when my friends from the ‘Vyatichi’ community and I decided to make a band that would reflect our world outlook and lifestyle. The first lineup’s existence was very short and it can be judged only by the demo Rus that was recorded at the end of 2002. Our ways parted then, and I continued creating by myself. My first and second albums (Vozrozhdenie and Lepta) were recorded with the help of the musicians from Rossomahaar, who gradually got into my music and became a part of Arkona. Starting from 2005, we’ve been playing live concerts, so in fact, it can be said that from this time, the band acquired its second and final lineup.  At the end of 2005, we recorded a live concert, and in March 2006, it was released in the DVD format and as a live album Zhizn vo Slavu. At the end of 2007, we released the fourth CD Ot Serdtsa K Nebu on Sound Age Prod. and it was later re-released by Napalm Records. And then two years later, our history was enriched with another album Goi, Rode, Goi that has recently gladdened the hearts of our fans.

Peter: Last year, the band signed with Napalm Records.  How did you reach the decision to sign with Napalm Records and how would you characterize the relationship with the label so far?

Masha: In March 2009, we visited a German festival called Ragnarok, where we were supported by about 5000 fans. This concert was probably the most successful in the whole history of the band. After that concert, Nadir, a Napalm Records agent, came up to us and offered collaboration. We think that his offer has to do with the fact that we performed very well at the festival, and the audience’s support was very important too - and that’s what resulted in the contract offer. Of course, we’re very satisfied with our collaboration with Napalm; it’s a rare thing that someone from Russia happens to work with a foreign label.

Our deal opens up new opportunities, with the help from such a powerful label, we have a chance to be heard by a larger number of people that knew nothing of us before that. For now, our relationship with the label is great, and I hope it always will be so!

Peter: Is there any chance that the earlier albums will be reissued through Napalm Records?

Masha: All our previous albums were already re-released through Vic Records, which is why such a chance does not exist. Unfortunately, we had signed the contract with Vic Records before we got the offer from Napalm.  If we had known what would have happened next, we wouldn’t have made that mistake and undoubtedly, would have given Napalm all our back-catalogue.

Peter: Recently, the new album Goi, Rode, Goi! was released, and the cover artwork was done by Kris Verwimp, who had done the previous album and the most recent DVD.  What were some of the things he brought to the table, and how does it fit in with the themes on the album?

Masha: Kris is a very talented artist, that’s why he immediately understood what we wanted. At first, we described to him what we wanted to see on our album. Every detail of our idea was important to him, so he could feel it and express the concept through his art, and make it look not just colorful, but powerful in content.

As you can see, Kris drew illustrations for every song, since each one has a specific plot. When we saw the final result - we were all shocked in a good sense. He understood every composition so well that it’s easy to understand what a song is about just by looking at these pictures. He did a great job!

Peter: Along with the album, there was a video made for the title track.  What are some of the things you can say about the video?

Masha: We shot that video quite a long time ago (December 2008), and the idea to make a video for this song was somewhat spontaneous, too. When I was writing the music for that track, our guitarist Sergey “Lazar” said that he imagined a cold northern sea and a lonely ship wrecking in a storm.  After that, I composed the lyrics that tell about sailors dying in a storm, and, as it was getting colder and colder at the reefs, they thanked their Gods for the lives they had. We didn’t have that song fully ready, but still, we went to Minsk to shoot the video for it. We were in a hurry because back then, I was in my fourth month of pregnancy, and if we had made the video, say, two weeks later, I simply wouldn’t have been able to put on my hauberk! As in the case of our previous videos, a very talented but slow clip maker named Yuri Eryomin worked on this video. As the post-editing of 3-D stuff and cutting was in process, more simple videos by other bands were released, where they played metal aboard a ship, and it was a bit disappointing. As our bass-player Ruslan “Kniaz” said, “The idea with that ship was lame from the beginning.  Arkona should make videos with Masha, birches, and bears.” But at the same time, the new video is still beautiful and atmospheric.

Peter: I am sure that there are people that will think the band is into National Socialism, based on certain symbols such as the sunwheel.  To clear things up, what is your view on National Socialism?

Masha: Paganism is in the first place, a world outlook, living in harmony with nature; that’s why all ancient solar symbols stand for nature cycles or phenomena. That’s why I can say that the opinion of people who equate our most ancient symbol with some National Socialism display is groundless and wrong. We’re a totally apolitical band and we have nothing to do with any political formations.

Peter: What are shows that the band has lined up in the near future?

Masha: I don’t want to guess at the future, but we have two European tours planned for now. One of them is arranged at winter-spring 2010 and is called ‘Pagan Fest tour’, and the second one that’s going to be in the summer, has got no name yet. We’re going to visit about 15 to 20 Eastern and Western European countries during these tours. We may appear at your country too, so stay tuned!

Peter: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Masha: Thank you for the questions!

Friends!  Care about your family and listen to your heart. Gods help you. Slava!

Check out Deathstalker's review of Goi, Rode, Goi! here

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