Zur deutschen Version geht es hier.
Since its beginning, humankind has been interested in what will happen at the end of time. Will the good prevail? Or will evil triumph? And why are there zombies? WARKINGS are giving us the long awaited answers to all these questions with their newest album. Well, they did take a couple of centuries to do so, but you gotta take what you can get. The Tribune wasn’t shy to give us some insight into his world view. In the interview you can find out how he dealt with a crazy scientist, why Armageddon is the best WARKINGS album so far and why some pirates need to brace themselves soon!
Huge thanks to lightinmirror.de for bravely capturing the battle of Rockus Harzus with these pictures!
Shieldmaiden’s Voice: Armageddon is the moment in time where the final battle between good and evil will take place. Which working belongs to which side? Who is evil and who is good?
Tribune: All of us are good and Morgana is most likely the evil one. It even says so in the bible: Where does sin lie?
SV: With the women! [we laugh] I have no clue what’s in the bible, that was just a guess!
Tribune: Well, our Crusader has a very strong opinion on that…
SV: Centuries of theology certainly are not in Morgana’s favor…Looking at your new album Armageddon: Which epic battles await the listeners?
Tribune: The battle of Lindisfarne, for example, or rather the sacking of the monastery by the Vikings. You are probably familiar with that event. It was the first monastery that was ambushed and it set of this whole chain of Viking raids.
SV: The monks really provoked the Vikings though with all that gold and their defenselessness!
Tribune: Exactly! It’s as if you’d dangle a sausage in front of a dog’s nose!
SV: Your Viking didn’t have a choice!
Tribune: On the album, we also assume the victim’s role: In Hangmen’s Night our Crusader is the victim, because it’s about the moment when the Pope and King of France deceive him and burn him on the stake. Things were rather hard for him as well…In Kings of Ragnarök we tell the tale of the Viking Armageddon in which the Fenris wolf and the Midgard snake cause the end of the world. Genghis Khan is covering the invasion from the east, there is nothing glorifying about it!
SV: Didn’t they make it to Vienna?
Tribune: It’s unclear how far they actually came at the end of the day. Some even go as far as saying that they made it further into the West. The historical sources on that aren’t clear though…
SV: We will find out with the next album!
Tribune: With the next album, we will definitely pay the Ottomans a visit who knocked on our doors a couple of time during the course of history.
SV: As the Tribune, you have a special role in the band. What is your favorite part of the album?
Tribune: My favorite part of the album is how much more epic the hook lines are, they are bigger and catchier. We took more time to make this album to refine our battle hymns even further. We weren’t under so much pressure timewise as we were with the previous albums. We released four albums in four years and due to the pandemic we were unable to use two of them for tours. Armageddon is not necessarily a restart, but it’s certainly a new chapter due to the circumstances of the previous albums. For me, as the Tribune, it’s amazing to sing these songs live and to see how well they work and that the work, the sweat and the millions of Denarii that we invested really do pay off.
SV: On the album, there are also collaborations with ORDEN OGAN and DOMINUM. Why these bands? What interested you so much in zombies, for example, that you had to work with them?
Tribune: We are undead, Dr. Dead and his zombies aren’t quite dead too. What accelerated this whole thing with DOMINUM and Dr. Dead was the joint effort in working on this album. He helped us with his zombie and medicinal powers to achieve the best possible outcome with this album. He really kicked our asses, I’ve never been dominated this much in a studio as I was by Dr. Dead. At the end of the day, I think you can hear it, you can feel it and it was totally worth it!
SV: Isn’t that a blow to a Tribunes ego to be tortured by an evil doctor?
Tribune: No! The Tribune has a confidence that definitely leaves room for that. He doesn’t take this personally in a way that he would have to think he is bad or that he would have to deal with that constantly. It’s more so that everything possible was carved out of me, more than ever before and I don’t have a problem with that!
SV: If you had to name your personal highlight songs on this album, which would it be?
Tribune: For sure Armageddon, Hangman’s Night, Genghis Khan, Kings of Ragnarök, Kingdom Come, Troops of Immortality, Nightfall…In conclusion: The whole album! [we laugh]
SV: From the undead to another highly risky group of people… You will be going on tour with VISIONS OF ATLANTIS. How dangerous will be the WARKINGS for the pirates?
Tribune: Very dangerous, because we will permanently enter their ship and we will be abducting a couple of them! But all to the effect that we can celebrate a huge Pirate-King-party in the end!
SV: When we sat together last year, you were unable to conquer Paris shortly before. Was that the reason for you to think that since you couldn’t conquer these seas you’d just try other, equal opportunities?
Tribune: We couldn’t play in Paris because of the water. What would be more logical than to get some pirates on board? Water be damned, on their boat we can always play!
SV: What is something the fans can look forward to on the tour then?
Tribune: Two equally good and big headliner productions with lots and lots of show! We will include our warriors and shield maidens of course. We will be doing something together too. That will remain a secret for now! That means though that all those that don’t want to miss this, should get tickets like yesterday!
SV; What is the best way for the audience to prepare for such a tour?
Tribune: You should always bring an extra helping of humor in order to survive the time with us, because we have a weird way of communicating which is hugely due to the fact that we’re more than 2000 years old and have not caught up with modern times yet… It’s always a good idea for the women to dress according to the motto „less is more“ and I know that I#M reaching deep into this cliche box, but it does help with surviving the Warkings and with some luck you’ll even get invited. It’s also very helpful to have practiced some sword fighting or axe combat. When we see that someone has practiced that, then we’re more inclined to respect that, which, in turn, will also greatly increase the survival chances!
Let me tell you, each encounter with the WARKINGS is full of adrenaline and joy over the fact that I survived that again! If you want to know what that feels like, check out their tour with VISIONS OF ATLANTIS at the beginning of next year. I’m sure it will be great! Soon you will find the remaining two day reports and three interviews here that I still owe you!
Shieldmaiden's Voice 