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ISKRA INTERVIEW for Crackfix Propaganda
| Message Board > Music Chitchat - Heavy > ISKRA INTERVIEW for Crackfix Propaganda |
| Lordpatch User Info... |  http://iskra.ws/interviews.html download "masters of war": http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/masters_of_war_--_iskra.mp3 1. Hello to the Northern Wastes. How’s Canada these days? The blizzards and forest fires treating you well? How did ISKRA form and what was the original plan? Canada is all right, weather systems as harsh as always. although where we live is a lot warmer than what most people might think. Victoria is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, below the 49th, and has a fairly pleasant micro climate. we rarely get snow or weather below -5 C. The summers are moderate with temperatures rarely higher than 32-35 C and there is always an ocean breeze which keeps things under control. Iskra formed in late 2002 when I returned to Victoria after living in Montreal for a couple of years. I had been studying classical music composition thereby taking a break from the anarchist music scene, although I was still involved with anarchist politics. Upon my return I decided hunt down some musicians and start a new band. I had been working on some of the Iskra material much earlier, around 98, but never managed to get a band off the ground due to other projects and the loss of a drummer. My plan for Iskra was simple: cross black metal with crust. Amebix had already done a similar thing by taking Venom and Motorhead and fusing these influences with anarchist punk. Amebix were part of the first wave of anarchist punk; what I sometimes refer to as the “Crass Constellation,” which produced some of the most diverse and creative anarchist recordings to date. If anyone disagrees I urge them to listen to the “Bullshit Detector” series. It was on these comps that both Napalm Death and the Amebix made their official debuts. Also included were many other amazing bands which seem to have slipped out of modern punk conscience. Bands like Omega Tribe, Molitov Cocktail, Capital Punishment, Destructors, Normality Complex, Anthrax, Poison Girls, Passion Killers, etc. etc. Sorry I’ve digressed from my point.....so around 93-94 I had been listening to Dark Throne, Emperor, Immortal, Satyricon, Enslaved etc. etc. and decided that this modern form of metal could easily be fused with the modern underground punk, which of course at that time was crust. Since both came from Sabbath, which in turn came from a long line of blues artists such as Robert Johnson. This raw Delta blues eventually led to Jimi Hendrix in the 60s. It was Hendrix who created the first metal sounds with works like “Machine Gun” as well as the later works found on records like “Last Rays of the Setting Sun” and “South Saturn Delta”. I wanted to create a style which fused my interests as a musician. I wasn’t worried about losing people, crust had already done that (to this day most young punks haven't even heard Nausea). I also wanted to mix in elements of mid nineties political powerviolence and grind(Capitalist Casualties, Man Is The Bastard, Slavestate, Assuck, Hellnation, Lack of Interest, etc.). In addition the lyrics had to be worth reading. I have never been satisfied by simply repeating what others have already said. Ideas can be repeated but the perspective should be different and more involved than the last, otherwise I personally feel there is no point. Then again, I guess its better to have a million bands with a simple antiwar message than not; newcomers will then be more likely to run into a record which harbors that sentiment. However, I prefer to push the boundaries as much as possible. I see the underground anarchist punk project as an evolution. Its not just one thing. I think that the music and art within the punk underground, that has been produced over the last 30 years, proves that punk has always evolved, right from the beginning. 2. The band seems to have revolutionized the crust/punk scene at the moment, especially for the Profane Existence obsessives. Your sound has been compared to early death metal, early black metal, and yet your roots are firmly in the punk scene. How did you come to make such a brutal yet lively sound? Well everything we do has been done before, its just that we’ve consolidated our influences and plugged them into our own forms. Of course each person in the band brings their own special talents, which creates a unique sound. I would say that the diversity of interest between the six members of Iskra contribute to the band’s success. We’re not really trying to “revolutionize” the crust/punk scene, we are simply trying to do our own thing with respect to the history of the music and the politics we embrace, I think this is what punk has always been about. Certain shit bands have calcified the late 70s-early 80s within the mainstream, but the real underground had left that sound behind a long time ago. Luckily the real bands, like Crass and Rudimentary Peni, cannot be copied! They were just to creative, to original. I mean the influence can be heard in groups like Cress, but the original sound can never be duplicated. One of Crass’ guitarists never even learned to play a chord! He just played rhythmically with glissandi and noise....and it sounds great. The Ex were around pretty early as well. They are one of the original DIY bands that still makes their own product to this day. We are looking to preserve the spirit of that anarchist punk scene as well as make our own contribution to the movement. That is how we show our respect. At the same time we can’t deny our metal roots. We all listened to metal since we were very young. I see metal as being connected to the working class. That's changed now but in the beginning all the working class rockers listened to the great thrash bands of the eighties. It was my native brothers that turned me onto Slayer, Kreator, and Destruction when I lived in a small town called Ucluelet located on he extreme West coast of the island. The white kids were all listening to fucking Glass Tiger and shit like that. 3. What is your opinion on black metal as a genre? Obviously as a political movement they are an unequaled force (in their anti-Christianity) but do you think the music is too powerful for its own good? By that I mean, do you think there is any life left in that school of thought? Black metal interests me musically. It was like a breath of fresh air back in the day(around 93) when Blackened metal hit hard. Before that it was all Deicide, Cryptopsy, Pungent Stench, and Cannibal Corpse, you know, really heavy stuff with low vocals. Usually quite technical. Then Dark Throne hits the stage; low fi, raw, simple, no muted chords, high pitched nasty sounding vocals: it was really amazing! On the other hand, I find most of the opinions associated with BM quite backwards. I think their ideologies are confused and delusionary. The whole church burning trend is pretty interesting, but I think the motives behind such activities are confusing. Are they Satanists? They’re certainly not Pagan, at least not in the real sense of that religion. If they are Satanists then they are merely Christians, since you can’t really believe in one without the other. Unless of course Satan is only symbolic for a particular brand of hatred and confused rebellion. I’m sometimes impressed with their will to follow through with certain actions: killing band members, murdering random humans, burning churches, eating dead creatures, hacking off goat and pig heads etc. (I’m not sure if this is still going on in today’s black metal scene but it certainly was in the beginning). I don’t think such activities are good in any way, but they are pretty hardcore. Imagine sticking a knife into your band mates head! I mean what's going on? What are these people thinking? A lot of the lyrics are just badly written “poetry” about trolls and imaginary realms, which of course certain BM bands claim to control. I think that the most dangerous movement in Black Metal is the “War Metal” and “Nazi Skin Black Metal.” Many of the bands involved within these sub-genres have a fairly clear right wing politic. Some incorporate the neo-hedonistic beliefs harbored by the Nazi party back in the 1920s-40s. Although many of these bands claim to be apolitical they espouse certain sentiments that exist within fascist politics such as white pride and the ascension of europe. Iskra is opposed to such backwards thought. These are the bands that will convince youngsters into voting for governments like the Bush regime, the Canadian Alliance(the right wing party of Canada), or into committing hate crimes on the street. These bands prey on the angry youth, who are often confused about their direction in life. Some people see it as contradictory for Iskra to be listening to black metal, and on the surface it may seem so. But we are strong in our beliefs, enough to be able to listen to anything and be critical. There is the old maxim : “Know thy enemy,” or : “keep your friends close but your enemy closer.” You might also see it as a type of subversion rather than support. Many black metal fans get angry when they hear us being called black metal. Our tape “fucking scum” was being circulated through the black metal underground as a trade item by the person who does “Harsh Brutal Cold”, many were returned with angry letters about it not being black metal. On another level, what if some kids, who love black metal, appreciate our efforts? It could be a turning point to a more positive and active outlook. I’ve met some pretty stoked metalheads on tour; stoked that there is a metal band with something to say. This is a common thing for us. So we’ve moved beyond the “punk ghetto,” as some people like to call it. At least to some extent. Perhaps we’ve been somewhat successful in inviting more people to participate in a revolutionary culture. Or maybe not! Its hard to judge really. 4. I was quite surprised to find that your lyrics are equally as violent and unforgiving as the music, especially songs like Massacre of the Innocents! Do your political beliefs stem from a specific group or is Iskra its own politician? Iskra is anarchist. Our music is an extremity of our alienation. That is why we are comfortable participating in an intimate underground movement. We don’t need contracts, TV, or Radio Stations. We search for truth and relay our findings in an indirect way; in cipher form, if you will. If one wants to hear Iskra’s message they have to decode our art. The Musical material becomes the stage for our interaction with the world. We hope to expose the intentions of the ruling elite, who are not leaders but jailers. We hold no claim to finality but try to understand reality. Revealing problems and connections, polarities and contradictions. We put no system forward, only the ethic of the anarchist. At the same time we critique the present political systems, which in our opinion do not work. But we are not politicians ( at least not in the traditional sense). We are perhaps observers. I think that most of all we are musicians, artists who have, in our own individual ways, become aware. We see and comment, that is our role as anarchist musicians. We have ideas about alternative modes of organizing, but we are not political scientists, sociologists, or economists: these are the types of people who can conceive of such things. Unfortunately there seems to be a severe lack of people within those fields willing to propose radical alternatives. Although they certainly exist. We hate wars but understand that the class war is already raging (as it should be) and that we must do our part any way we can. That until there are no longer First class and second class citizens of any nation Until the color of a man's skin Is of no more significance than the color of his eyes - Me say war. -Marley As it is those in power who cultivate the class structure, it is those in power that make this war a necessity, not the people. The people are defending themselves against the injustice and ill conceived distribution of wealth. Millions of people are literally fighting for their lives against the capitalist parasites. The vampires. We understand that the ruling classes will not relinquish power without first killing those who challenge their self serving structures. Remember what happened to the Black Panthers and AIM? They became effective and therefore targeted and destroyed by the state. We support the militant revolutionary in our words and imagery. We wish to open people’s eyes to the existence of such revolutionaries. In our seemingly secure First World existence knowledge of such realities can easily slip away from our consciousness. We help to ensure that this kind of collective amnesia doesn’t happen. Isolation from the world means death for revolutionary movements, that is why the corporate media does not keep us informed of such activities. We are frustrated to see children dying in the streets of wealthy countries, we are sickened by the murderous methods used by capitalist parasites in order to ravage the earth’s resources for their own profit gain. Ward Churchill is correct i when he says that we must act. Otherwise we are with the enemy. A lot of people attack Churchill for his comparison of death tolls and his charge that the people in the towers were guilty by association. But have we really thought about what he is saying? He’s saying that anyone who allows the US state to conduct business as usual are guilty. I’m sure you’ve all heard the liberals at the annual Earth Day parade shouting “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” Chuchill is saying the same thing. His death toll comparisons are not meant to dehumanize people, or objectify them. He is simply trying to invite the average person to put things into perspective. In a sense, those victims of the trade center bombing were also victims of the US state, no? Whether it was Bin Laden or Bush who brought those towers down, it was the US state that created the situation through its reckless behavior worldwide. Anyone who really knows Churchill’s writings and recordings know that he is fighting for the dignity of the first nations people, who have a very different perspective than your average white radical; who of course have the option of changing his/her clothes and fitting in at any time. Churchill is also fighting for the freedom of humanity and the earth. Many radicals I’ve known through my life have become moderates, liberals who are ready to attack people like Churchill, people who put their ass on the line and pay the price. Now for all his efforts Churchill has been stripped of his job and dignity as a revolutionary. Even if one does not agree with everything Churchill says, which is inevitable anyway, they can at least support him in his time of need. 5. In Prisoners of Conscience you list a group of revolutionaries inside the US prison system. One of these people is Ted Kaczynski, do you agree with his sentiments and ideology? Some people within the punk scene think his ideas and actions were as far from the supposed ‘punk’ ideal as you can get. Opinions? I don’t know what the “punk ideal” is or if such a thing exists. I’ve seen “punks” that rape, I’ve seen “punks” that kill each other, I’ve seen “punks” get kids into heroin, I’ve seen “punks” drink themselves into oblivion, I’ve seen “punks” take their own lives. Then there are the punks that work against all of the above. So I don’t really know about any collective punk project. Kaczynski, on the other hand, is worth consideration, especially when speaking of political action. His actions are politically driven, which makes him a political prisoner. He is an anti-technology, anti -civilization political activist and he’s no fool. in fact, I would say he’s quite in line with the primitivist stance that is happening on the West coast, although most of those anarchists probably don’t support Ted. Yet what he says is very interesting and I urge anarchists to read his manifesto and articles, they are solid revolutionary documents even if you don’t agree with his point of view. He was a successful insurgent. He only got caught because of his rat brother. Many people are frightened to support him because he targeted human beings rather than buildings or equipment. His targets were diverse: a geneticist, a computer scientist, an advertising executive, the California Forestry Association President, etc. etc. I guess its Ok to be a moderate anti-tech but not a militant? I don’t really see any other way but to dispose of those who are killing the earth. We can say “pretty please,” but I don’t know... Do revolutionaries really believe that there can be revolution without death? If so I would say they are fooling themselves. It would be nice if the rich and powerful suddenly read some anarchist literature and said “yeah, this makes sense! Lets do it!” But its not going to happen. As I already mentioned, they’ll kill if ever you are effective. If the CEOs and state leaders continue to destroy the planet, along with the life it supports, then they should pay the price for their ignorance and selfishness. Perhaps they should be assassinated. How long must people beg for change? Do the leaders listen? No they don’t. It may only be a symbolic gesture, but I’d love to see Bush catch a bullet, fuck him and the scum that support his agenda. I personally don’t agree with a lot of what Ted has to say, but he’s still a political prisoner. Fuck, we mentioned a bunch of marxists to, but nobody gave us shit for that! If people are willing to really make that kind of a life decision, to go underground, to live in self-imposed exile, don’t they deserve some consideration? I think so. 6. Do you support political violence? Would you support and be actively involved in an unorganized violent revolt against the state? It seems strange that so many people still oppose the destruction of the governments even now, so close to WW3. Its not so much that we support political violence, its that political violence is inevitable if we are to take revolution seriously. That said I think that the rest of your question is answered. The problem is access to real training. Of course we will never have a force large enough to take a government out but, if people were taught specific skills, I think the system could be destabilized. If its destabilized at home then they will have to deal with internal conflict rather than slaughtering people all over the planet. They’ve built a house of cards really. If the electrical systems are taken out, computer systems, train tracks, highways etc. There would be major problems for state leaders. Such targets could be taken out by small numbers of trained insurgents. It would have to be hit and run tactics compounded with long range sniper techniques. There would have to be both rural and urban systems of support, safe-spots, food supplies, weapons and explosives etc. Such a movement would take a lot of work to organize, but is possible. The third world resistance movements can provide guidance. 7. What is Iskra’s utopian dream? Obviously everyone has a realistic idea of how this will end up (war, revolution, mass death, nuclear winter) but everyone usually also has some idea of how they would like it to turn out (forest cities, solar power, equality, unity). I can’t really predict the future. I don’t want to be to negative here, so I won’t get into what I see happening in the future. Utopian dreams? I’m not much into the idea of utopia, that is I don’t see that there could be a “perfect” state. This doesn’t mean we can’t try. The word ‘utopia’ (which means “no place”) was coined by Sir Thomas More in his book ‘Utopia,’ from 1516. In the book, he basically wreaks havoc on christian beliefs by exposing religious hypocrisy. More and the philosopher Erasus were both Catholic Humanists, an idea which, in its basic form, combines faith with reason. More, in his depiction of Utopia, indicates areas of Christian society that are in need of improvement. He also asks the basic question: is an ideal state possible? We deal with the now. I see positive pockets of alternative existence within the general society in which we live. Right now that's all we can hope for. There is no mass movement which will lead us away from these miserable death systems that run our world now. The last great anarchist movements were destroyed by Marxists (Russia and Spain). At best we can keep the idea of anarchist alternatives alive for future generations. We can do whatever we can in order to to aid and abet the progression of anarchism. We can make small steps forward, and perhaps one day humanity will step beyond this dark age. That said, I can envisage a breakdown of the nation-state into regional districts. The people who live in such regional district will make decisions in a collective manner. Work places are broken down into collectives. Representatives from trade based collectives would meet in order to discuss the issues of the day and make decisions based upon need and function. In turn a representative from that meeting could go to a regional meeting to propose actions depending on what the previous collective meeting deemed important. All representatives would be accountable and such positions would be rotational. This kind of organization would largely depend upon the ecology of the region, therefore ecological considerations would be of the utmost importance. I don’t envision a ‘primitivist’ society or a ‘syndicalist’ society, I envision a variety of coexisting possibilities depending upon how people want to live. The underlying basic anarchist principles of mutual aid, non-oppression and respect would be the common thread between such diverse modes of living. Of course these qualities exist without being called ‘anarchist.’ I say anarchist because such ideas have become synonymous with that particular mode of thought. Anarchists would respect non-anarchist modes of organizing that are willing to coexist. Native sovereigntists, for example, have their own vision of how things can be organized. Those who claim anarchism is about chaos are false, although chaos has its place in revolutionary movement. I would say that the present systems are ‘chaotic,’ that is they lack any kind of logic or reason (in the true sense of those words). It doesn’t make sense to me that a society should be organized in such a way as to destroy itself along with the planet that supports its existence. I suggest that anyone interested in preexisting anarchist modes of organization read about the Spanish Civil War, where real anarchist organization took place on quite a large scale. I also suggest picking up any literature concerning anarchist thought; it is a diverse body of work unified by the universal anarchist theme of non oppressive politics. Much of the classical anarchism is outdated but still very interesting to read. The great thing about anarchism is that it is not a “closed” system, like Marxism. It is open to changing perspectives and coexistent variants. Anyone who understands the basic theory can implement his/her own visionary anarchist projects. 8. Is Iskra nihilist? Have you noticed the inherent nihilism of the modern westernized societies? By that I mean, the way that most humans accept certain trains of thought without even thinking about it being a political idea. For example, a lot of people openly believe there is nothing after death, this is your one shot, so fuck it all up and have fun before you die. Yet they don’t know this is a pretty defeatist way of thinking. Opinions again? "A nihilist is a person who does not bow down to any authority, who does not accept any principle on faith, however much that principle may be revered." Turgenev's 1861 novel Fathers And Sons Nihilist theory is multifaceted. It is certainly not a “belief in nothing,” as many people think. If we are to go by Turgenev’s definition, stated above, then the answer to your question would be “yes”. But its not quite that simple. Nihilism is a complex of associations and ideas. There is what some would call “passive” nihilism, which is sort of the Postmodern thing of just letting the world swirl around you. You are an observer, nothing more. Its like an Existential state. One can still be critical but ultimately ineffective. I think we all lapse into this sort of fatalistic frame of mind once and a while, for some maybe all the time. I always thought that workers who think, which seems rare, often lapse into this passive state. I’m from the worker class so I know first hand that this subgroup is purposely kept in a state of perpetual ignorance. Its these folks who have been bred to not trust education and who will ultimately put the right-wing into full power. Like Kafka’s anti-heroes who are condemned to mindless work. Characters who are sentenced to death when they refuse to conform. Or the psychotic alienation of a Dostoievski character. Both authors are forerunners of the later Existential philosophy, if I remember correctly. Another form of nihilism is ‘political,’ in the revolutionary sense. This type of Nihilist might say : “Bring on revolution with all of its deadly destructive force so that we may transcend beyond the authoritarian hell that has been created. To what end? Know one knows because there is no such thing as teleology ( the belief in a collective final purpose)”. So you can see that nihilism can work with anarchism. Many forms of Anarchism, like Nihilism, reject absolutes, unproved faiths etc. and instead build from what already exists around us in a non-authoritarian way. Nihilists would probably reject anarchism, but there are grounds for elision. Are we nihilists? There are elements for sure. The type of nihilist you are describing should perhaps try a little harder to understand what the word actually means. Nihilism can be about living life to the fullest, not necessarily in a destructive manner. Even if you believe destruction is necessary, it doesn’t mean it should include self destruction or a disrespect for life. To believe that there is “nothing after death” is not in tune with the nihilist skeptic because one simply does not know what is after death. Does that make sense? What is meant by “nothing” anyway? A nihilist would honestly say “I can’t believe in anything put forth as truth (concerning after death, or anything else for that matter) because we quite simply do not know.” 9. What level of extremity would you support in the eco/animal rights war? Assassination, homicide, arson, suicide bombing? I would say that the present system needs to be destabilized in order to break the “business as usual” destruction it promotes. I see eco and animal rights actions as promoting this. I think that these people promote awareness and have, in certain places, achieved great success through their actions. But in order to have complete success, if that is even possible, the Capitalist system must be destroyed. I’m not sure if suicide bombing is necessary in the eco/animal rights struggle. It may come to this eventually. Such tactics are more often used in situations like Palestine where choice of action is relatively low. I can’t really imagine what it would be like to be driven to such measures because I’ve never lived in that kind of a desperate situation, so I can’t really discuss it. 10. Do you have any big plans for spreading your message far and wide to the political underground? Do you see the potential Iskra has to spread these ideas to the wider populace? I mean, metal and punk are quite huge genres of music and everyone from every background I have played Iskra to, loves it. Be it grindcore, black metal, death, oi, punk, all of them can see where you are coming from and appreciate it. Personally I want to put out more material and tour as much of the world as possible. The music will always have something to say. I can’t do it any other way really. Why write lyrics about fantasy or gore? or worse offensive crap like sexism or killing or whatever. You can have all the fun of performing in a band and also say something intelligent. I think it is more powerful that way. But then again, most people don’t want to think do they? It seems many bands love to revel in their ignorance and their will to be offensive. These people are the true consumers, perfect fodder for the capitalist project. I don’t really care how far we get. There is no real goal, we just live day to day. Iskra may last ten years or it may end tomorrow. If we’ve reached one person (that is we’ve promoted thought) then we have been successful. The band was started due to the severe lack of revolutionary culture in this city(Victoria). I think political bands, in the anarchist sense, need to exist. Otherwise the only entertainment for the young will be mindless consumer trash. There always needs to be an alternative, even if the scene is small. I think the people who are into the genres you described below understand us because collectively we listen to all of that music, plus much more. Our approach is not false because we live that music everyday. Obviously I hope that our music has impact, but how and to what extent is out of my hands. Who can say..... 11. End this sordid discussion however you want I think I’ve already said to much.......thanks! see also: "Lyrically, Iskra are one of the most out-spokenly political and anarchist band we have released. Prepare for an aural treat (or nightmare, depending on your tolerance level for sheer audio brutality! *w/ lyrics booklet featuring writing by the members of Iskra and lawrence ytzhak braithwaite (aka lord patch)" -- "black metal vs black resistence: ISKAR & lawrence ytzhak braithwaite" http://victoria.indymedia.org/news/2004/12/35935.php http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/masters_of_war_--_iskra.mp3 - Wed, 1 Mar 2006 6:31pm | ||
| Sati User Info... | excellent.. i skimmed but i should print this so i can read it later. hard to read this much on a computer screen! - Sun, 5 Mar 2006 1:01pm Edited: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 1:01pm | ||
| Nik Olaz User Info... | Good shit. That new logo is fucking cool. - Mon, 6 Mar 2006 12:54am | ||
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