When I saw their name and avatar the first time on MySpace, I knew this band had to be something special. The songs and the gallery have proved that I was right, so I asked them for a promo of the debut album “I am Satanochio” and the currently released DVD (read the reviews here!). While I was reading some very funny and interesting interviews they gave (unfortunately only in Romanian) I knew I had to do one in English for the readers of Arcana Noctis. Satanochio (screams/guitars) himself has answered my questions just the way I've expected:

Salut! First of all tell us the story of Satanochio as detailed as possible. When and how did it all started?

Salut. It's nice to talk with someone that understands the Romanian language... even if we are talking in English, haha!
Well, the story of Satanochio begins somewhere back in 2004. I started the band all by myself... and actually the name is older than the band... I guess the name was "created" somewhere in 2001... I think. Anyway, the band was born in 2004, as a reaction to the Romanian metal scene. The first recordings are made with Satan Împărat behind the drums. At that time we were more focused in making music extreme as possible, we were not interested by genres, by composition laws, all that we wanted at that time was to record the evilest metal sounds in Romania. Now, when I'm playing "The first Strike of the Possessed" E.P. I'm a little bit shocked, hahahaha! It was some pure insanity around the band in the beginning... "The first Strike of the Possessed" was our first record... 7 tracks/11 minutes of horror and insanity. I remember that the release party was in the same night with a metal concert... hahahaha! You can't imagine the people faces, when the speakers played for the first time Satanochio! Even the reviews were bad as hell, in 2 weeks the E.P. was sold out. After a month, Satan Împărat leaves the band, and 2 months after, "The Naughty Nightfall Massacre", another E.P. was released. The things are quite strange when we are talking about this crazy material... It was released in a single copy, like a private record... for the first total dedicated fan. You know, every band has it's first dedicated fan... Only 5 illegal copies are around the world, 3 of them are reviewed in some underground fanzines around the world. In the summer of 2005 Grui Sanger, my best friend ever joins the band, and after 2 months "Daemon" was released and everything changes... the music, the lyrics, first 2 videos... first masks, interviews, good reviews, etc. It was a good material, it was well promoted outside Romania... On 06.06.06 the debut album, "I Am Satanochio" was released and again, a lot of useful things happened then. In the spring of 2007 we released the "Heihaiheihei Câini" single, in summer "Dark Visions from the Fog" DVD and now we will release the first material with our new drummer, Nimenea. It was a hell out of year, don't you think? haha!

You are preparing a new EP at the moment, I believe it’s already finished. Some details on that? Why an EP and not a full length album? Are there any experiences on it, like most of the bands have on EP’s or mini-albums? Maybe some cover versions?

Since Nimenea joined the band, the things evolved faster... He is a great friend and drummer, a very dedicated person, and we worked all the summer in our rehearsal room. First was the idea to record a full length album, but since we are not produced anymore by Axa Valaha Productions we thought that it's better to record just 3 tracks and use the cd to find a new record label for our next full-album... that’s the main reason for choosing the E.P. extension...
We composed for the first time together in the rehearsal room, and I must admit that things are more than better and easier! Some people blamed us at the beginning because we used "programmed" drums, because it's not true, it's not good, it has no musical value... well, I tell them now, that it's fucking easier to have a real drummer! Believe me, It's hard as hell to build a track like "The Return of Rats and the black Plague" kick by kick, sound by sound, all by hand... I think now we have these 3 songs, already recorded for the upcoming E.P. and another 5 ready for the album... which is fucking great! The E.P. is called "Vagrant Matter Heritage" and it's presenting to the world the brand new Satanochio... with another kind of evil metal, different lyrics, and better sound... The band is growing, stronger than ever, you know? We played some cover versions at the rehearsal room, but we didn't record anything... yet! What can I say... the name of the E.P. it's strong, like the music and the lyrics... But I think it will be better to talk when it's out. Another very interesting aspect about this new material is that we've recorded the drums live, in a basement, using a 4 track studio... now in the days when most of the bands record their drums midi and replace the sounds with some "perfect" ones.

Satanochio, the name is obviously a word-play of Satan and Pinocchio, what does it mean to you and why have you named the band the same as your pseudonym? Are you the main responsible for this band?

Yes, I am the main composer, I wrote all the lyrics, but in Satanochio it's all about respect and unity and everyone can change the composition or modify the words. I choose the same name because the Satanochio's story it's my story... I fight to become a free human, to remain human, without any stupid rule around. That the name really means.

You are from Bucharest (the capital of Romania), where exactly from? Do the surroundings influence you when writing music or lyrics? What are the lyrics in general about? Any one you’d like to explain more exactly?

Yeah, we are from Bucharest, and I hate this city... even I think that it has the same problem like the entire country: the people. Many things around influences me, even I'm talking about musical or writing part... It's hard to explain to someone that doesn't live here. It's so much hate in our words... so much anger behind the riffs... I think that we should sing someday about what we like on this world, because since the beginning we are talking just about what we hate... The people here are primitive, they are living like animals, based just on their instincts... they are slaves to the "eye of the devil" and fake worshipers of their handmade god... they are so small, they are so many...

Hey, I know what you mean, I’ve lived there until I was 12, and I’m visiting Romania (Timişoara, to be more precise) regularly now. I got beaten really bad once and had some (more or less serious) problems a couple of times, just because of my look... let’s say so ;) But there are also a lot of really cool people, I think. Come on, tell us something interesting about Bucharest, unfortunately I was never there, but there must be something you like.

Like I already said, I ussualy talk about what I hate, I don't like to talk about what I love. When I will remain silent, the world will be perfect, hahahaha! Yes man, Bucharest, as the entire Romania it's very beautiful as landscape of course, we have all types of relief and here are a lot of nice things to check out! For a stranger, Romania has a lot to offer, that’s for sure. Bucharest has a great nigh-life, it’s becoming a real metropolis. 

I think the images and “concept” you have are influenced by Romanian stories, traditions and landscapes. A little bit at least... Would you tell us what exactly the song “Heihaiheihei Câini” is about?

"Heiheiheihei Câini" it's a short story about a lonely man that it's eaten alive by wild dogs somewhere in the woods. It's a unique Satanochio track, because it is the only based on Romanian lyrics. It reveals a primitive madness, that it's quite usual stuff around here... even these "wild dogs"... they are another big problem in our country. It's quite nasty to walk on a street from the capital of Romania and to be suddenly attacked by dogs! Fuck them, and fuck our system, I'm not living in jungle, I'm living in a capital of a country, goddamn!!! "Heihaiheihei" comes from the "translation" of the barking sound... you know... say "heihaiheiheiheihaiheihei" very fast, with a low voice tone and here you have a fucking arrogant barking! By the way... "Câini" means "dogs", hahahaha!
But why the victim is a peasant? The answer comes quite easy... because Romanian peasants are very primitive... it's enough to hear them for an hour or two talking about "quite strange things that happened in the wood behind the village"... ”Oh, did you remember that?!”...whatever... I hate these people, because they are very excited by every dark element in their lifes , but no one says this straight... they forget about every dark excitement when they go to church and act like brave believers... this is real shit.

Yes, I know stories about those dogs. It’s a shame, but I wouldn’t blame them for these incidents, they are animals, they don’t know what they do, it’s instinct... Besides that people do much more evil and ugly things to get some money, be it for food or whatever else. Do you hate those dogs? Would you kill them all if you could? Why? You should kill the fucking politicians there and the people who let this happen!

Of course I'm not against animals at all. It’s a long story... but, I see that you like looong talks, so I will say it, hahaha! Here, the people are stupid, the people doesn't know their rights and they are nothing in common with a civilian, if you know what I mean... The problem is quite old, because it's roots are back in '70. Ceauşescu tried to bring tons of peasants here in Bucharest, to grow up a real capital, to build a entire city on it's old little basement and also to populate it. Forced or less forced, the peasants were bringed here. Well, these peasants loved to have their own land, house and animals, and this forced movement in blocks was a real nightmare for them. Suddenly they didn't have their own land and stuff... just an apartment. By the time of Ceauşescu the wild dogs, the gypsy, were nowhere, because the police and administration was very straight. After the 1989 "Revolution", the streets were full of wild dogs and gypsy, because the system becomes chaotic and so... When the old apartment peasants saw this wild dogs around their blocks they had a strange feeling of the return to the possession of the wild. So, they begin to feed them daily, in front or in the back of their blocks. So, the race of the wild dogs begins to grow. The problem is that the 67 peasants living in a block feed 4 wild dogs in the back of their block, like the block were their house and the back of the block was their (ALL) garden. There were few of them who taked the wild dog in the apartment and grow it there... so, that is the problem. THE PEOPLE. Because they made this shit with wild dogs, like their block was the single one in the entire town. It's too fucking normal for a dog to defend his "land". That block becomes his territory and the unknown civilian on the street becomes the enemy of his master, who rules his land. This is the story, these are the people, this is the problem. The selfishness of the Romanian human. Politicians? You don't want to know... I only hope that this entrance of Romania in U.E. will change something.

I can see some similarities with Negură Bunget (most successful Romanian Black Metal band) who have also adapted such images in their concept, though they practice it with much less humor ...talking about humor, why do you think many people label you as a fun band? It’s not really fun, just a little black humor...

I think that we have nothing in common with Negură Bunget. They are most successful Romanian Metal Band, but I don't consider them so "black metal"... even everybody says "wow, Romania, there are werewolves, vampires, devils, witches... there is another great land for Black Metal", the truth is another. No, the black metal scene in Romania is very little and poor. Negură Bunget was the first band in Romania that knows to sing and promote well something close to black metal...You don't imagine how it was 10 years ago here... Tracks like "The Forest of Baba Cloanţa", or "Heihaiheihei Câini" presents the Romanian landscape or old traditional stories from a different vision than Negură Bunget's. I really hate to talk about the humor from our music. Since the beginning we had this ironic tone, and we are still have some little elements of that kind. "Dreacu-Draku" had some extreme black humor on the lyrics, explained quite well by the video, but it wasn't a joke, simply because it’s a metaphor for a classic issue in the Romanian “landscape”:

“- Hello, My name is Satanochio, I listen to Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, I’m wearing this old T-shirt with Satan and I play metal, do you like me?
“- No, sorry, I’m searching for a nice guy, with a expensive car, with bank accounts and villa... go fuck yourself!”

We don't make jokes... Even if we are joking.

Hahaha! That’s great! I didn’t know what the song is about! You should publish the lyrics somewhere. I know now what you mean. But that’s what the question was about. The lyrics are more or less inspired by Romanian stories... I didn’t say you are like Negură Bunget, but I see some similarities... And no, they are not Black Metal but I think they deserve their status, I appreciate their progress and I wouldn’t say that they’ve become commercial or something like this, like most of the “true” Black Metal fans think to know... Anyway, it’s not that important and I see a lot of potential in Satanochio as well, you know?

First of all, thank you for your words. I don't say that they doesn't deserve their status. They progressed a lot, and they were fucking unusual back in '96 for the Romanian metal scene! Haha! I liked that a lot. I remember when I buyied the "Zîrnindu-să" cassette , hahaha! I said "Wow, finally a black metal band! What unusual sound! Great!" The truth about "Heihaiheihei Câini" is that we searched old books about beliefs, cults and magic, just to find some good words for our story... BUT the story is ours. Really, Negură Bunget is not commercial, they present to the world what we have best, as nation... the ancient stuff. Satanochio reveals the dark side of the entire history.

You have released your first DVD just after the debut album. It contains nine (!) official video clips, seven of them being on that album. Where does this creative urge come from? It’s a lot of work and time you have to put in those short films, and money too I guess... Is this a sort of a replacement for not playing on stage?

We like the video part a lot, and we can say that it can be a replacement of live performances. We had a lot of great time making the videos and it's a real pleasure to explain the music and words in images... I must admit that we worked a lot on these videos, we spend also a lot of money, but we are doing this for our own pleasure, so I don't see any problem, for Satanochio band the videos are most like a drug, haha!

What’s your favourite video clip and why?

My favorite video is “Revelation”, because it’s too fucking original, dark and brutal.

Why don’t you play live? I suppose you could do this without any problems. Is it because of the Romanian audience? What do you think of the Romanian metal fans?

Ok, let's talk a little bit about Romanian audience! Most of them are listening to all kinds of melodic metal, a part of them are more interested by old-school stuff, and the children are coming at the Negură Bunget concerts with corpse paint and when they arrive home they are listening to Cargo and Iris (two Romanian bands in the style of Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, whatever). There are very few interested by the actual experiments in metal... Play them the newest Abigor album, they will say for sure: fuck you, this is disco shit! But all of them had something in common: they are all critics, by default. I really don't care about this "Romanian telenovela", I'm interested in my music and it's progress... and all these “other” things can make you to be less focused on the important things. We have here also fans, their number is growing, they know how to get Satanochio's work in their hands, so...? Yes, I'm really sorry for them that we don't play live. It's not about our capabilities, It’s about our identity, as a band, as a meaning of words we are using... Maybe if we will have money to get all that is necessary for a great stenography we will do a Satanochio show someday... But really, the distance is necessary.

Would you play live in Germany for example? ;)

Yes, I will love to play there. It's one of the countries where “I Am Satanochio” album was received very well... there are metal fans interested in our music, more than other places. I guess a show in another country it’s a smaller problem for us...because for Germany the distance will remain always alive.

You are wearing masks and hide your identities. Only your “real” friends know who you are. You said in an interview that you want the listeners to concentrate on the music, not on the individuals in the band and you didn’t want to belong to this circus of star cult... But on the other hand, I think THIS is a circus, you get much more attention because of the masks... it’s like in Slipknot’s case... What do the masks mean at all?

Mask is the real human face. Read this:

“From your hidden wardrobe
I pick the essential mask
Like an ageless scarecrow
My real face is born...”

These are some lyrics from “Everything dies” track. I guess this will explain well what the Satanochio mask really means. We are a free band, we don’t play catalogue music, we are not interested in business, we are not making albums for best reviews, we are playing first for ourselves. So are we since our first demo, so... I don’t see the point to use a mask in this case, just to have all the attention possible...The mask is like a manifest and nothing more. It’s up to you what is behind it... it can be evil, it can be your demon, it can be your friend... Since nature doesn’t rule the world and the human does, people needs a face, needs a image...

What’s catalogue music? What’s so wrong about plying “commercial stuff” like Iron Maiden or (in your case) Cannibal Corpse? Or do you mean pop music? What I personally like about masks is that they change your attitude as soon as you put them on, it makes you feel free, that could be useful for live performances...

Iron Maiden is a great band, Cannibal Corpse is fucking great... they are the part of commerce that you can’t judge. They are what they are, they have that "something".
Catalogue music is "black/atmospheric/death/progressive metal, in the way of..." It's fucking easy to go at the rehearsal room and build a classic band, that plays classic metal, in the style of "X". I made Satanochio just to make the music that I want to hear, not to copy other fucking band. That means "We don't play catalogue music"! I know this comes most from the record label's problems with promotion.... you know... "Hmm, let's see, give "a play" to your CD... aha! ok, stop it! Let's write down "depressive doom with melancholic moments in the way of Tristitia" Fuck you! I am Satanochio, I play evil metal, I fight for my ideas and identity! I'm not interested to be perfect to someone that listens to perfect music! Fuck him! And fuck his music! I'm going mad how strong feeling gives me Silencer, the Swedish band, for example... and how I really don't feel nothing when I hear the latest Arch Enemy album, which is on the highest position in the top and so... If you have a band, and you supposed to be an artist, then give some fucking art to the world!!!! If you build a band just to sell records, fuck groupies and be on the magazine covers, don't call you an artist!

Tell us something about Costin from twilight13media who is responsible for your images and also for this DVD. Is he expensive, if I may ask? Some people think that he’s one of the Satanochio members, which seems logic to me in a way...

Mneah, mneah, “some people” can kiss my ass, you know? Which one is singing in this band? Which one, tell me, you are? Please...oh. FUCK! Costin is a fucking great guy, he understands our philosophy, he is like the fourth man in the band, we are best friends, we have all the time parties together and even we are in Bucharest on in the country, at our dark house. He knows how to make the things works. I don’t like the money subject... So...Yes, he is the most expensive fucking designer in the world and we are the happiest band under the sun. Hahahahaha! Since few months ago, he is our producer, and I must admit, sometimes scares me with his ideas, hahaha!

Ok, this was a (more or less) personal question, because I’m trying to take over some of his jobs, hahaha!!!

What’s your political attitude, if you’d like to talk about it... Not only in Romania, but in the extreme metal scene in general there are a lot of racists and idiots like that. In general, the average age of the metal audience is very low, this might be a reason for the fact that it can be manipulated easily... This topic follows me day by day, especially since “working” for Arcana Noctis, so I’d like to know your opinion on this.

Ok, you want to talk about politics.... Then let me tell you a short story, ok? I was borned in a city full of gipsy, the great capital of Romania. Since I was a kid I was haunted daily by them. When I was in school they attacked me for stealing my sandwich, in high-school they attacked me and beat me to death because I was wearing a Mayhem T-shirt and I had long hair...another time they attacked me to rape my girlfriend... 2 years after they tried to cut my mother in a bus, just for 10 euros...100 time they tried to robe me... anywhere you go they are doing what they want. So, you came now and ask me if I am a racist. If I’ll buy a gun, I will shoot them straight in the head, god damn mother fuckers! I don’t have any reason for having respect for such animals. I don’t see anywhere in Romania a gipsy famous writer, composer, or any kind of important people. I see just thieves, even I’m talking the bus thieves or the mass thieves, you know, the guys with palaces, limousines and all the shit, that are gipsy and they even don’t know how to write a word!!!! Do you ask me about Germany?!? Well, I’m so shame for what Germans thinks about the Romanian people... Shall I remember the wave of gipsy emigrants from Romania to Germany, after the 1989 Revolution!?! Maybe the Germans didn’t forget how is to watch a gipsy stealing from their shops... Shall I remember about what is going on right now, with our gipsy “friends”? Italy, England, Spain.....?!?!?!? When everybody says: Fucking Romanians! Send them back in their fucking country!!!” NO! They are not Romanians, but I must admit, we have a dumb system. I’m shame for their behavior outside my country, I’m shame because everyone thinks that we are “The Country Of Gipsy”! FUCK THEM. I don’t know if this is racism or not, I’m not interested in making lyrics or music about this subject, I wasn’t borned when Hitler killed millions of Jews, I’m not interested in taking over some history, which is write down by some unknown guy, and make it my life wish...In extreme metal, I don’t think this is a very interesting fact. After all, I didn’t see any band which is formed by racists or by anti-racists to make something special music. I think the only exception is Nokturnal Mortum, their music is so good, even I’m not interested by what they are talking about there, hahaha!
I don’t like the rules, the history, the ways that another human gives me. All of these can be real or just lies. With this modern human model, you can trust nobody. What I live, what I saw with my own eyes represent my first reality. Not some bullshit philosophy that makes people to give money to someone they don’t even know how he looks like. The continuous average is the secret of contemporaneous knowledge.

I know what you mean, and up to a certain point you’re right. From my birth until high school I can tell pretty much the same about my childhood, haha! Even if a gypsy child saved my hand when I was 3 or 4 years old (that’s a long story)... But I think you have misunderstood the question a little, I was talking about NSBM bands for example, or about 16 years old Black Metal fans who look like your "Dreacu-Draku", drinking their fucking beer and screaming “Sieg Heil” and stuff like that all the time, I know a lot of those people, even personally... Imagine that the Nazis in Austria hate most of the people of Eastern Europe, and there are Nazis as well, who in turn hate black people and so on... Anyway, this is a sensitive topic nowadays, and I’m also not that politically correct but my attitude is that I hate people all the same, no matter what colour of skin they have or what race they are. Doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, haha! Though I think you can find cool people all over the world! I also don’t like any rules, I think I’ve understood the last part of your answer.
By the way, unfortunately almost all of the Romanians who are living or working (or stealing) in Austria for example are scum and forming the Austrian’s opinion about your/our country... I also had my troubles here because of them!

Hmmm... I know what you mean. I don't like to judge the kids... we were all kids at our time, so... I consider a waste of time to think about this aspect. I think this way: A child hates something because it's cool to hate. It’s understandable at that age, let them be haters to what they want, maybe they will learn something useful from that. The important thing is to hate and learn something from this felling outside the prison, so let them be angry as much they don't break the laws. About the16 years old fans of "Dreacu-Draku"... at that age is the first time when you can live the video character's drama... so I cannot judge them. If they are coming out with this "Sieg Heil" when they are listening to that track is because this action is the most extreme way to manifest themselves... I guess. Short, maximum expressivity, brutal... that way sounds “Dreacu-Draku”. So, back to the point... The US Nazis hates black people, the Austrian Nazis hates the Easterns, the Eastern Nazis hates gipsy... man. We have a problem here. This is not nazism after all, it is called this way just because nobody invented another name for this, and maybe sound cool, maybe Hitler is some icon learned from their enemies books and movies, which gives them the hope that their problems will be solved somehow. Or maybe this term is kept alive by authorities just to hold the people from a real war? This hate doesn't comes in it's first form straight from the Nazi ideology, it comes from their childhood. In Romania your father will say: "Be careful about gypsy! Be careful son, they are like shit, they will try to robe you! You cannot trust them!" SO? What will understand a 6-7 years old boy when he hears something like that from his dad's mouth? Is not quite logic how the things will evolve in his mind when he will have (for sure) several problems with that "race"?! I think this is the same "movie" for Austrians about the Romanian emigrants, which by the way, most of them are gypsy... the same "movie" for Americans when they are all the time stressed by the black people? Who’s the blame for the high infractional rate of this races? I am just an analyst, I don't try to find a excuse for anyone, because yes, after all, you can find anywhere in the world great people, I am sure of that. But, with all the automatics, computers and everything, the human doesn't really progress... he becomes more brutal and more primitive. So, I don't think the western people are smarter than the eastern, just because they know more how to go and have a piss in a fucking strange mobile toilet, with all kinds of machines and useful high-tech things. The Nazi stuff is a little problem compared to the people regress as race.
Think a little bit how stupid sounds "Nazi" in a world ruled by jewish guys... it is a form of entertainment for people from the western countries and a form of protest for the hungry guys from eastern countries. Give them something to do, just to let the time pass... So, don't concentrate on this, anything you can do are things that are leaved to be done. This is not a real problem. They let shadows out in the world for us to play with... forget the shadows, that is the real freedom!
Again, just like an analyst that I am... everybody cries about Hitler's crimes... nobody says something about Japanese guys. Come on... Let them to have fun, we have our things to do.

Well, I knew you would have something interesting to say about this topic! Makes me think a little. Thanks! ;) I’d sill have a lot to say but this interview is about you, not me, so we’ll stop here...

Tell us something about the projects Satanochio members are involved in.

There are/were few.

We have plenty of free space here! ;)

Man, really, I can not answer to this question. If I tell you that, everybody will know who we are, and I really don't want that.

Ok, some final words before you die?

Yes. Thanks to Coro from Axa Valaha for helping us for 2 years and a half, thanks to Costin and Cattani for showing their support for the new Satanochio EP. And for all the people out there that finds our music interesting: Fight till death with yourself, to become yourself! Freedom is not just a word, good for advertisings, it’s the true nature of the human race! Don’t forget that!
And by the way man, we are quite immortals... My son will carry on my mask. What do you say about this? Ha!

What do I say? Do you really want children??? And if so, do you want them to grow up in Bucharest? ;)

Nobody asked me something like that before! No, I don't want any kind of kid, allright?! I want to die in this shit with all these motherfuckers, fighting with their dogmas and their limited horizon, is that ok?! Really, it’s a fucking sad question. But it’s a good idea... to haunt humanity forever!

Thanks for your time. I’m looking forward to hear the new recordings, and hope to see you soon on stage. Good luck! Noroc!

Thank you for asking a madman about the darkness beyond!

Salut,

Satanochio

Official websites: www.satanochio.com
www.myspace.com/satanochio
Interview by Dr.Winter, September 2007