Viking

Courtesy of Blood & Honour Magazine - Issue 34

Can you give us a short intro to your musical history?

Short? I made my first step on a stage at the age of 4. I was a dancer; this is what the nuns at school said I had to be. I liked dancing, but I never had much talent in this. The nuns chose me because I had the courage to kill myself in some acrobatics. In the meanwhile I started playing the recorder when I was 6, but I was completely indifferent to the thing, even because the level and the enthusiasm in playing that little brown object was quite low. The nuns made us sing for the church, but they never let me sing as soloist, only once to be mocked very well. I was hidden in a choir of 200 children. I decided to take piano lessons, but after one lesson the nun said I was too stupid to learn to play every kind of instrument and my mother cancelled my lessons. Later, when I was 11, I was called to write songs for a band at school. I was not so able to sing, so I wrote songs for others and I have always done it. I never took singing lessons. I learned to sing a bit, because I learned to breathe after an advanced course of recorder. Then I developed my passion for this instrument and taught myself to play the other instruments. I left my recorder courses when I was 12 because I had finished my money and I chose school to become an Engineer. Anyway I never quitted writing music. In 1997 I started writing nationalist music. I had stopped writing commercial stuff because I wanted to explore my true feelings. I think I was too young (15) and I had no referring points. I made a lot of mistakes. In 2000 I founded AshTree Records. All my releases until 2003 have been quite deluding. I think I started a new life in 2005 with "Gloucester Road" and "For Faith, Folk and Europe" and I wish to make always the best in future.

Why did you choose the name "Viking" ?

I tried to explain it in so many ways during the years, but now I would simply say in a few words: I represent the ambiguity and the uncertainty you would never like to see in Europe, the instability of Italy and I would even say "the infamous truth of existing race-mixing": yes, I’m a sort of monster. I represent the reality you would never love to see. We are all a bit "Viking" here in Europe.

Have you played many concerts? If so with which other musicians?

Sometimes my student life doesn’t allow me to play whenever I want, but I must say I have collected concerts anyway. I met different bands and artists in the past. I have recently played with Stigger and Sisco, Hobbit, Act of Violence, other Italian folk artists, the young Julmond, Quiescentia, Necropolis... and even Franco Califano.

Where would be your perfect place to play and with who?

I have already played in a perfect place recently. It was the Tube in London and I’ll be there again very soon, I hope. I tried the same in Rome and I had some unfriendly discussions with the gypsies. I’d like to busk in the tunnels without problems here in Rome, maybe, supported by a jazz band. Anyway, there are many perfect places, from monuments to aeroplanes, but the hearts of the people that have always supported me is absolutely the best place where my notes can vibrate.

A few of your songs are sung in Swedish, is this a big source for your musical influence and ideas?

It was so at the beginning, but now it’s not relevant. I got transformed during the years. When I started - I see now I was a child - I tried to tell that story behind the name of "Viking" with my immature means, so I tried the "far-away-land" way. Now I have re-discovered my closer world in Italy, close to me and my family, my grandmother’s house on the sea, my cousins and their eyes, so similar to mine, the pinewood and even if it seems like I talk about places far away from home (such as London’s tube or Battersea Power Station) in reality everything is symbolic and many songs, really many songs talk about my Italy. I restarted writing also in Italian as you can hear in my latest work and so on. I think I won’t write any more song in Northern languages... only if they are messages to friends or for very special occasions. It’s like I want to rescue myself from my past. Well, I’m not ashamed of what I did in the past, but I don’t want to be slave of it, especially if it is related to a more immature image of me. I have the right to say what I am day by day, so I’ll do it loud.

How would you describe your sound?

I’m a mix between Hot Butter and Jethro Tull.

Tell us about your past and future musical releases?

I have always released demos through the years and my first official album (that I would consider a first "higher level demo") was "Welcome to Scandinavia", a very confused childish album, about a hypothetical Viking, drawn away from home, who sings confused patriotic songs...but sings with the heart in the hands. My second official release was "Askungen". It was the period in which I "went round with the Jews" quite a lot, so I was quite disturbed by this oppressing situation. Anyway, I can say I have the anti-corps to stand some Jew and - with precaution - call him "friend". Unfortunately their meaning of "friendship" is something, which does not belong to the European traditional culture. In this album I tried to paint a Europe under the effects of the Jewish invasion... a Europe of losers, but conscious of defeat, so it has positive aims in future, such as finding identity and restoring the original beauty and majesty. Following "Askungen" was a full album in Italian "L’eco della Battaglia", in which I played some of the most beautiful Italian fascist songs and finally in 2005 I released "Gloucester Road", 13 songs for the damned... damned in Kensington, why not, the place is right for a damnation. "Gloucester Road" is a middle album, a borderline between my past and my future. It contains a lot of songs in Italian and a lot in English. Why Gloucester Road? It’s a place connected to the District Line and my mother, something personal. The album talks about ideals. Ideals are like trains, when they are too old they got to be upgraded. Let my thoughts live revolutionary days, London Trains. It is against mental constraints and the dead of the Ideal, replaced by left- or right- wing behaviour. It considers Left and Right as geographical conventions. In the meanwhile I released different songs on compilations ("B&H 4", "For Faith Folk and Europe", "Martyrdom vol.1" and others) and at the moment I’m working on a new album. I hope to release it next autumn.

Do you have a favourite song?

From me I would say "Pro Aeterna Paganitate". It’s a song I fully lived on my skin. It’s about a pagan temple brutally turned into a Christian church here in Rome.

From others... hard to say, at the moment Kansas "Dust in the Wind".

Who would you dedicate your next album to?

The next album will be called "The Power Station". It’s a spring time album. Attention is focussed on the Battersea Power Station and aeroplanes. You may ask yourself: which is the connection? Well, in "Gloucester Road" ideals were like trains, but trains travel on rails; this time instead ideals fly in the open sky like aeroplanes, but you need more energy to take off. Electrical power symbolises this energy, which is used with skill and wisdom (otherwise it doesn’t work), so here’s the power station. Watching things from the sky is also some kind of victory. Darkness and weakness are defeated.

How is your relationship with other bands in Italy and the world?

It’s always so nice to take part to compilations, splits and then write emails like "See you soon!! We must play a concert together!"... and then finally meet and play together.

Many of our readers probably saw you feature in the Hate Rock documentary earlier this year, have you received added interest from supporters or from the media or police for doing this?

The documentary obviously increased my sales, I must say it. I got interest from the media because of some indirect consequences of my exposure: I was fired from my job.

I worked for an American filmmaker - I edited his videos for the web - in anonymity as agreed. An Italo-American journalist wrote an article full of fantasy revealing my co-operation with this filmmaker who decided to banish me from his team. He said I used the British media to help Berlusconi to make friends in Britain. He said I’m part of a game including the reporter and the producer of the documentary, my pressroom’s spokesman Magnus Torricelli and the NATO to encourage the production of weapons for military purposes. Ok, I have always encouraged this, but I’m not a member of the NATO, I help nobody in making friends and there’s no conspiracy game behind that documentary.

My employer has always known who I am and what I do, so I was not fired because of my ideas directly, but because he is afraid my ideas can damage his work. He doesn’t share my same beliefs, but it was not important when I worked for him. He’s a good old man anyway.

What are your aims for your musical future? Development of new styles, band projects or ?

I’ll keep on writing music for myself and other musicians until I die. I don’t know if I will sing forever, I will maybe find somebody who will sing for me. I’m more interested in technical and backstage stuff rather than being the star, even if I love playing live and doing things with my own voice. I’d like to follow some musician and help. I want to play more progressive rock - this is what I’ll try in the next future - and there is also a band project, which started last year with the Canadian nsbm band Geimhre. We are working on a new album together, my role is playing flute, keyboards, singing female vocals and composing. The band has just released a new album called "Mollachd", so you can find me on it.

Are you a member of any political groups or other organisations?

Not yet. This question seems like a condemnation for me, but I think it’s ok, because I don’t want my music to be political or under some political category. I want to talk about what I think and about the things in which I believe, about my values in life and the things I love and I want to defend.

Have you any final comments?

I wanted to thank you for this space and wish you all the best in the future for your great organisation that I admire. I wanted to thank also my "secretary" Magnus - he knows why.

Do you have a web address or email for contacting you for concerts or merchandise?

Yes, this is the AshTree Portal: www.ashtree.it

where you can find links to my official website, AshTree Records and Store, Italian website and other mini-sites dedicated to albums. This is my email address: viking@ashtree.org