Micha: Hail brother, we meet again. How`s life?
JB: It`s midwinter in Sweden, minus 15 degrees Celsius in Stockholm and the sun is actually shining. Nothing like a bit of biting cold to get your system working. I`m listening to Candlemass� Epicus Doomicus Metallicus and drinking coffee. Not too bad!
Micha: This album has a very Nordic feel and almost has the appearance of a black metal album. How does mysticism reoccur on this venture?
JB: You are correct, sir. I`m glad that it comes across. Monument is meant to be a wintry, Nordic album. Our brand of mysticism ties in closely with that theme. Several lyrics off of the first album already had this Norse twist, so the difference lies primarily in that Monument is more focused and refined. To me, the search for inner truth is intimately connected to nature and the surroundings in which I was born and have lived in all my life and the album was written with this in mind. The concept of seasons is not merely a meteorological observation, but has a much deeper philosophical and emotional significance. Taken as a whole though, I would say that nothing has really changed in our outlook since the first album. We are still defying the sad state of the majority of mankind today and the absurd notion of missionary religions. I think this has even more bearing now than ever if you look at what has happened lately, if you catch my drift? Black metal� you just wait until the next album!
Micha: The title Monument can be taken a couple of different ways and to some may come off haughty.
JB: First of all it was a title that just came naturally. Some say that it`s pretentious, but I see it as a fitting statement (apparently very provocative in today`s day and age). I`m fucking sick and tired of bullshit "pastiches," "ironic spoofs," and other lame sarcasms and excuses. Be real for fuck`s sake. We take our music very seriously. If you don`t stand up for the music you make, what`s the point of releasing it? I`m sure some people will laugh their asses off at what I just said and think that we are a bunch of pretentious assholes, but I don`t aim to please everyone. We are not a good time rock and roll band that pleases a Friday night bar crowd, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but there are other bands who do that much better than us.
Personally though, I like a bit more substance and something that leaves a lasting impression. When I buy an album, I want to be able to listen closely to it and be challenged by lyrics that might not be totally obvious, but that have a subtext and hidden meanings. A monument is also a representation of something; it could be a grave, a statue or a text. To me, the album Monument is a representation of my beliefs and heritage. Bear in mind that this not some exclusive club for Swedes though, there are people all over the world that have contacted us and totally identified themselves with what we write about. The free spirit is universal, but few people dare let it out of themselves, you know?
Micha: What kind of trouble were you having with U.S. distribution?
JB: Well, business is business and something that I have very little to do with. From what I`ve gathered TMC (The Music Cartel) likes the album and wants to release it and that`s the main thing. It would be great to get some exposure in the US for this album, so I`m keeping my fingers crossed. I fully realize that we are on a very small scale though, so I`m not expecting miracles. Even a band like Spiritual Beggars, who sell quite a lot of albums in Europe, don`t get much done in the States; it`s a fucking big country! This time around we`ve been getting awesome exposure in European press and even in the U.K., which is really hard to get. The U.K. is very trendy and fickle when it comes to music. We`ve been in all the major magazines in Europe and got album of the month in U.K.`s Terrorizer magazine.
Micha: In which direction will the Magus wander next (not all who wander are lost)?
JB: We`ve already done some new stuff and it`s gonna be even more metal than the stuff on Monument. Expect less blues and more black steel. It will definitely be a progression from Monument and a lot different, we`ll never do the same album twice. Come to think of it, maybe we should call the next album Black Steel? You heard it here first folks! Let the free spirit burn fiercely in your veins and don`t succumb to what the betrayers of mankind tell you to do and think. Monument is just the beginning. Remember that he who seeks shall find!
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