Interview taken from Léthargie Zine

How are things been with you lately?
Tharen: Hello, Jimi! I was very busy the last time, you know we just released our 2nd Cd with Dargaard, then I was in hard negotiations for releasing the debut Cd of my industrial/ritual project “dominion” on Napalm Records. Besides that we record our new demotape with my Black Metal band “Amestigon” at the moment.

Could you tell something about the making of the last fulllenght album "In Nomine Aeternitatis"? What about Tonstudio Hoernix and the production of this album? What were your motivations to record it?
Tharen: For this album we had a much greater studio budget, so we worked a lot on the sound and on the whole appereance of the Cd. I like the working with Georg Hrauda from the Hoernix Studio,he is a very professional engineer, but due to my studies as an audio engineer I was able to do most of the recordings and the whole production by myself, so we had more place to unfold our ideas as on our debut CD.

Could you give some details on your songwriting process? How are the tasks devided between the members of DARGAARD?
Tharen: At first there was a single melody…hahaha. I record all the songs by myself on my workstation in connection with my computer at home. As next I go to the studio and make a rough mix of the music. Then Elisabeth composes her vocal lines over the whole thing, then we go back to the studio and do the voice recordings and the mixing/mastering. We needed one year for the recording of each of our Cd´s, but not at once, just 2 days per month.
Elisabeth: Most of the songs have 2 or 3 vocal lines; it´s very comfortable for me to have a certain period of time between the recording sessions, so I can work out the arrangements. The English lyrics (except one) are written by Tharen and then overworked by me for singing; I also do the research for the antique lyrics (in Latin and in ancient Greek). We were also both doing the artwork, I painted the pictures and Tharen overworked them digitally.

What led you to consider giving the keyboards andthe angelic female vocals the most prominent role in your music if you compare to the other instruments?
Tharen: Hmmmm…other instruments? I record all the music with my Roland XP-80 exclusively…Maybe we´ll use some “real” instruments in future, but not up to this time. I just like it to do all the music by myself, because I don’t want to make compromises with other band members. For me it´s enough to unite the ideas from Elisabeth and her vocals with my music, so I like to do the music arrangements only by my synth.
Elisabeth: We decided to give the melodic (female) vocals more weight in the composition to make the result more complex and rather symphonically.

This second album differs little from your debut CD stylistically... The composition has more variation and a stronger arrangement, as well as this time, you have used more rich vocals styles, dark and beautiful melodies and atmospheres than before, how do you view your progression?
Tharen: Thanks, yes we worked hard on the new Cd and I had very strong expectations for the new Cd. I did not want to change the style- for what reason? Dargaard stands for this kind of music. I´m playing keyboard for a longer time now and developed a lot, but I´m not as good as I want to be. Of course I´ll never be, but I´ve done a big step for myself.
Elisabeth: I think Tharen and I both worked on our technique as well as on our styles of composing.

What is the space left for experimentations in the universe of Dargaard?
Tharen: After we´ve finished the trilogie with our next CD “The dissolution of eternity”, we´ll rerecord the best songs of our 3 Cd´s with an orchestra. Beside that I use all the ideas that are not fitting my concept of Dargaard for my project “dominion”.

Dargaard have the ability to create dark and thrilling passages while keeping melodic and majestic atmospheres... In which way do you think that your music can make us feel some things that other kind of music aren't able to?
Tharen: One of the main aims I want to reach with Dargaard is to create images of other worlds and hidden places, occult and mystical feelings in the head of the listener. I hope we reached our aim. Of course pop or rock music is not able to cause such experiences, but it´s not made for this.
Elisabeth: For me the special thing in Dargaard´s music is the feeling of conquering time.

What's your musical experiences both Elisabeth and you, before Dargaard was formed? Have you ever taken classical lessons theorically and what about the practice?
Tharen: As a child I had piano lessons for 6 years, but it´s long ago. Besides that I played keyboard in a few Balck Metal bands like Abigor, Amestigon and Heidenreich.
Elisabeth: I also learned to play the piano, churchorgan and guitar as a child and I have sung since I was
three years old but I have never taken classical lessons in singing.

Is there some particular genre of music that you respect greatly and which one do you absolutely dislike?
Tharen: I listen to many different styles of music like industrial, medieval, electronic, ritual, ambient, classical, but my heart pulses for Black Metal since the beginning. I absolutely dislike pop music, hiphop and rap. Uargh!
Elisabeth: I absolutely hate Austrian folklore and popular music; it´s easier for me to tell you what I don´t like than what I like. I listen to some classical, medieval music, industrial, some Death / Gothic / Black Metal, I am always selecting my favourites and I couldn´t say, that I am listening to a style, I am listening to certain composers and bands.

Your music and lyrics make a dark romantic impression on me. Have any romantic writers or artistsfrom the late 18th and 19th centuries, been of influence on your lyrics? Do you consider to belong toan old tradition, to a kind of neo-Romanticism expression, in the artistic and historical of the word; escaping reality by longing for another time, creating an own world?
Tharen: Of course it´s a great motivation to escape from this world for a moment, and it´s a satisfying thing to create a world by my very self and for myself, but I´m not influenced by any romantic author in particular.

How would you describe in few words this kind of mystical dreamworld that your music has created?
Tharen: Sometimes it´s like as you are are wandering through a forgotten valley, surrounded by mighty mountains and mystical forests, and sometimes it reflects the cruelness and the evilness of the deep dark abyss.

Could you tell something about this title "In Nomine Aeternitatis"? Why have you chosen to write some lyrics in Latin or Greek?
Tharen: The title means “In the name of eternity”, and it expresses the concept of the trilogie and a part of my personal philosophy. As it is marked in the booklet, I did not write the lyrics in ancient language by myself, we took them original from ancient authors.
Elisabeth: As I said before I am selecting the antique lyrics; it has a very special attraction for me to revive a text, that was conserved only in letters for thousands of years, it is like a connection through time. And Latin and Ancient Greek were the languages for transporting and conserving ancient and also occult wisdom for hundreds of years - so the sound of the language has a certain association for me.

Your cover art expresses something disturbing and terrifying... What is the theme you attempt to portray through this cover art?
Elisabeth: The cover as well as some other things in the booklet were drawn by me and overworked by Tharen; it was a good oportunity to transport the aspects of our music in the artwork. For me it is not terrifying… it is something of undefineable age, very mystical but in a dark way, very aesthetically influenced - these are all contents of Dargaard´s music.

Your lyrics mix your personnal thoughts and feelings, but could you tell us what is the part of interest in subjects like esoterism abd the occult knowledge?
Tharen: I was always interested in occult knowledge and the rituals of ancient cultures. I do not knw why, but it´s that way. So I want to transport some of my realizations and perceptions through my music and lyrics. What could be a better platform?

Which philosophies do you feel related to? What makes life worth living and what kind of approach doyou have towards death?
Tharen: My Philosophy and my aim is it to reach the state of an existence far beyond mortal limits like hindering emotions and values. I do not fear death, I´m more curious abuot what follows after it. What makes this live worth living is searching in my opinion.
Elisabeth: I long for wisdom, but not in a logical theoretical but in a wholistic way. Death will come and this is one of the things that make life worth living, to live each moment. And I am also curious about afterwards.

Do you think one can reach the truth only by searching it through his own self?
Tharen: How knows if the truth lies in one self? No idea.
Elisabeth: Noone can answer this question, because we are all social beings, we are not left for ourselves for our whole lifes.

Is music the biggest part of your life? What doyou want to accomplish with your music? Do you consider Dargaard as a way to progress in life?
Tharen: I would not call it the biggest part, but it´s of course essential for me. I take music to clear some parts of my subconscious, and to let many things out of my conscious. Every song I finish is a progress for me, I feel like I´m a little bit more completed.
Elisabeth: It certainly takes a big part in my life and if I didn´t believe it to be a progress I wouldn´t invest that much energy.

Have you ever wished to to do some live shows? How would be the full lineup that would be arranged for the performances and how can you imagine a Dargaard's show would be like?
Tharen: We´ll play one concert at the Wave/Gothic metting in Leipzig from the 9th-12th June. We have to engage two more femal vocalists to manage the complexity of the vocal arrangements. I for myself dislike concerts, but let´s see, maybe it´ll be a good experience with much smoke and so on, hehe.
Elisabeth: Let´s say I am very curious about the concert to see how people react.

Let's talk about the metal and gothic scene in Austria... Are there any new bands you can point out as interesting? How are your connections with theother bands?
Tharen: I´m in close contact with: Abigor, Heidenreich, Summoning, Die verbannnten Kinder Evas, Hollenthon and Grabesmond. New interresting acts are dominion(my other project)and Kreuzweg Ost.

What have led up to the deal with Napalm records at your debut?Is that easier for you as you come both from Austria?
Tharen: I know Max and Napalm Rec. for a long time, since the beginning with Abigor. I see him as a good friend. He was always honest and engaged to sell our music with good promotion and he always paid well.
We recorded the debut Cd and then(!) we sent it to Napalm, without any demotape. They had a good feeling for the Cd, and so they signed us for 3 ones.
Elisabeth: I also knew Max from Napalm Records before.

How do you imagine your future in the scene?
Tharen: I think we have a secured place in the “scene”(which scene?) now, and hope that we can reach more people with our new Cd.

My thanks for the interview...I hope you'll keep up the good work and to conclude,you can add anything you feel like saying at thatpoint
Tharen: Thanks back, it was a real interesting interview.

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