Better late than never, is the motto for the inclusion of this interview in the magazine. We sent the band this interview some months ago and the band took their time.
Themgoroth is a member of the new wave of Goth Metal bands from Poland. Their debut album "Highway Into The Unknown" is a very interesting release. We contacted the band and Piotr answered our carefully crafted questions.


1. When and where was Themgoroth started ? Could you give us a brief biography ??

Themgoroth was formed in November 1991 by me (Piotr Dawid - guitar), Marek Herman (drums and percussion), Miroslaw Dziadek (vocal) and Piotr Deckert - Firla (bass). In August 1993 Mariusz Mrozek (keyboards) joined the group. Mirek (voc) left the group and his function was taken by me. In August 1994 we recorded with that line-up our first promo (20 minutes of music), which had two tracks: "Gate to the Unknown" and "Equilibrium". One year later, in August 1995 we went to studio once more to record our first album named "Gate to the Unknown" for Sheer Records (Czech Republic). In July 1997 Magda Wodniak (flute) joined us. Plans of recording the second album fell down with the tragic death of Piotr Deckert - Firla, who has been killed in an accident on his motor in August 1997. In December Magda and Mariusz left the group and after playing for several years we moved back to the start. In October 1997 a new member appeared in our band - Darek Chmielowski (bass), who was followed by young, promising guitarist Dominik Gryzbon in 1998. Soon after that event our sound was enriched by female vocal, performed by Sylwia Czapek.
We played without keyboards for a couple of months, and it is very important, because in the past Themgoroth's music was known from using keyboards. But that small change wasn't permanent and in July 1998 the group was joined by Piotr Wojcik, known as Smrtan. That line-up recorded CD. "Highway into Unknown" in September 1998. Now Themgoroth is promoting this CD. by playing concerts in clubs all over the Poland and meeting good reception. We are also preparing to record the third CD. for Dagdy Music in December 1999.

2. Please explain the name of the band.

The name of the group descents from time when we played Black Metal, and it is the name of one of the demons. Now our music and its message have changed, but we feel very attached to that name and we don't want to change it.

3. Which bands are your band most influenced by ?

Everybody has to depress me by this question… In Themgoroth there are six person, and every one of them has different fascinations so everybody gives something different to our music. I like the old Rock and Heavy: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Camel, Budgie, King Crimson and Pink Floyd, and also Black, Death, Gothic, Metal - for example: Samael, Therion, Anathema and many others: Jazz, Classical Music. But what excites me the most is a good guitar playing: Dream Theater, James Murphy, Satriani, Vai and others. These things has an influence on what I am bringing to the group, and there are five more people.

4. Poland has a lot of very good metal bands, but everything with it's origin in Poland are treated with contempt and racism in a lot of countries in Europe. These attitudes are for example wide spread in Scandinavia and USA. What is your view on this kind of arrogance and racism ? (let me stress; by no way do I support this racism and the arrogant attitude towards Poland.)

I have to say that I don't accepted it. I know that a lot of polish groups play the music bands from USA or Scandinavia equal with, and if somebody disdains the good music because it comes from Poland - it is his own problem.

5. Poland actually joined NATO earlier this year, after a long relationship with Russia and other -ex Eastern Bloc countries. How is Poland at the moment ?

In the past Poland was the Russian slave, now it is the Vatican slave. When the communism has fallen, clergy has taken the power in this country. Could you imagine it? Today only the real-Catholic can be "real-Polish" citizen. In the past, The Church was one of the enemies of communism, so the nation supported them. Now the same Church manipulates the blind crowd and doing whatever they want with it. Only one thing is strange for me: the Church says that above 90% of population in Poland are the Catholic, so Poland should be the Paradise on Earth, but it isn't. Now the pro-Catholic Government has the power, they are trying to prove that they're doing something, with introducing brand new reforms again and again. Poland haven't seen such a disorder for a long time. These people know nothing about leading the country and their position is guaranteed thanks to support of the Church. A short time ago without asking people the government has ratified Concordat. If Poland didn't enter the NATO this year I'd say that present government has done nothing good for my country. We can feel a little safer now, facing the difficult situations in Europe.

6. Please give us a full insight to your new (debut) album "Highway Into The Unknown". The recording, the tracks, the concept, the line up on the album and the art- work.

The album is dedicated to Piotr Deckert-Firla and it's our farewell to him, it is exactly mini-CD. which includes two new tracks and a new version of "Poet inspired by pain". There are also three bonus tracks from "Gate to the Unknown". Greater part of the "Highway…" consists music from our first album - because we wanted to recall recordings with Piotr on album which is dedicated to him. The cover art. Painted by Olsen shows the tragical expression of this record, and designed by me inlay arts are simply computer treatments of the cover art., not including the page with group's photos from concerts.

7. Please give us an insight to your lyrics.

The two most important lyrics on "Highway" - the tittle track and "It is you, maybe?" - I've written especially for this album. The first one tells about Piotr and me. This lyric express all my feelings after his death, what I remember the most from years when we played together. It is the most personal text I've even written. Lyric from the song "Is it you, maybe?" was written by Piotr several years ago, and one year before his death he asked me to create music for it. It was one of the last tracks we finished before Piotr's death, we all have worked on it, and every person have given something to this - even the "new" musicians gave their ideas. I can't speak about his lyric, because nobody really knows what he wanted to say by this. For me it is his scream, his calling and I tried to sing it that way.

8. You lost a band member in a car accident two years ago. How much has this loss influenced your band ? Please tell us more about the deceased band member.

After that tragical accident the group practically has broken. We lost not only one of us (I mean - member of the group) but our friend too. Everybody who have lost somebody knows what it meant for us. It seemed that Piotr was different. He had his own principles, although we didn't agree with that, he was certain about what he believed in. After people and guitar, he loved the most old motors. He had died riding one of them - he hadn't any place to escape, he had no chance to outlive the meeting with the big truck.

9. It is my impression that the new Goth Music scene follow the same pattern as the Romantic New Wave scene did 20 years ago with bands like ABC, Duran Duran and Human League. The similarities are striking. The Romantic New Wave scene was a reaction to the Punk music; the new Goth Metal scene is a reaction to the Death Metal scene. What is your view ?

It's hard for me to say anything about that, because I don't know much about New Romantic and Gothic, but as I remember, surely, there is the resemblance. And I think that Gothic is often played by people who several years before played Death Metal, and now want to try something new.

10. What do you call your music ?

It is Metal. We are moving through the Metal, and more detailed definitions can only limit the meanings of our music. In the past we were closer to Black, the new tracks on "Highway…" we define as Art. Metal, and now… probably we are leaving the Metal.

11. Please tell us more about Erebos Productions.

It is an independent company from Slovakia, that co-operates with Dagdy Music. They are known from publishing death and grind, for example: Sanatorium, Suffocate; but Gothic climates too - Morgain. After leaving Sheer Records, Dagdy Music needed co-producer for Themgoroth and it started to co-operate with Erebos.

12. What is your political and religious views ?

I'm not interested in politics, I only vote against politics who are on Church's service. I think that voting it's something like choosing of the lesser bad. They only want to be famous and to be closer to the crib. Religion isn't for me, it only can restrict me. I don't condemn anybody for avowing any religion, but I don't abominate people's hypocrisy when they're saying beautiful words and trying to convert the others, but in real life they behave like pigs. I know that what I'm giving to people will back to me someday, so if I want to be happy I will have to be friendly to the others. Almost every religion says that, but believers sees only the background and they don't care about really important things.

13. What is your future plans ?

We want to record this year, a new, full-time album, and we are trying to play as many concerts as it's possible - we are going to tour through the Poland in September. Now we have no chance to play abroad, so we haven't planned the concerts outside Poland.

14. Where can Themgoroth be contacted ? Any web sites ? Any final comments ?

Thanks for interview and interest. Soon on Dagdy Music web site we will give more information about the group, new photos, fragments of the tracks in MP3 files.