PANZERFAUST Interview with Goliath and Kaizer

XM: Hey, how are you guys today?
Goliath: Good.
Kaizer: Tired. Driving all night... Just got back from Montreal. It's a long drive, tiring. Slept all day though, still tired.

XM: For our readers unfamiliar with Panzerfaust please give them a history of the band.
Kaizer: Panzerfaust started with myself, the guitar player and the drummer. Basically we started the usual way a band starts. Two guys interested in the same style of music, which is an unorthodox style of music I guess. Especially considering where we came from. We came from Mississauga. There's little to no metal scene, let alone a Black Metal scene. So it's kind of luck of the draw that we happened to meet each other. Shortly there after, our bass player joined. Then our vocalist joined as well, after that we recorded the first album "The Winds Will Lead Us..." like that. We started writing again, did our second album. Then we kicked out our bass player... He just wasn't fitting. He didn't connect with the music, it was just butting heads. That was something we didn't need so he was dismissed shortly there after. Then, we got a new bass player who was a high school friend we've known for quite some time. We joined forces with him and it's been great ever since. We wrote an EP, wrote an album, and we're doing this tour right now. Seven Bowls of Wrath with Marduk and Aura Noir to be followed by the Iron Tide in the East tour, which is an eastern Canada tour. Starts in the States and continues down Eastern Canada. That the tour we'll be headlining.

XM: Tell us about your latest and fourth offering Ephphatha. How did the recording process go?
Kaizer: I guess it was a transformation of the music. The new bass player added a new dimension to the music, it was more collaborative writing experience as opposed to just bringing a riff to the table and writing a song that way. It's much more full musically, lyrically, and conceptually it was a lot more matured. We basically just took an entire new approach. Mainly conceptually, the previous albums had a general exo-skeleton but they didn't have a firm approach on the album. It was a little more scattered, this one being a lot more direct and objective as opposed to the previous material. So, like I said definitely takes a much more conceptual approach to the music which I feel is more appropriate for the music that we do, right? If you're wondering what Ephphatha means, it comes from a biblical passage meaning "Be open." Its an Aramaic word. It gives an encapsulation to the entire concept of the album. If you take a look into it, the lyrics and things like that, you can see how it kind of connects everything together.

XM: So, could you tell us what your lyrical themes cover on the last and previous records? Do they at all tie in with this latest one?
Kaizer: Well, we always have the... It's inherent in Black Metal that you have the anti-religious standpoints. But, the name Panzerfaust came from a deep rooted interest in military and war history. World War 2 is something both myself and the drummer have always been big on. So, Panzerfaust seemed like an appropriate name. We did a lot of things that were very war orientated in the earlier material. I guess it kind of changed, on this album, to more of a philosophical, metaphysical, orthodox approach on the lyrical themes. I don't wanna say that there's only one soul influence. There's a lot of collaborative ideas that come together to create the lyrics and the concepts. There's never one direct influence, it comes from a lot of things. You read the lyrics, you take what you want from it. Hopefully you don't stray too far from what we were trying to do in the first place.

XM: Still unsigned, have you been approached by any labels as of yet?
Kaizer: We've had a few labels come to us with a few deals. We left our last label Northern Storm records because it didn't exactly... I don't think it was doing us justice. We decided that we'd do better doing it the independent route for the time being. We decided that we'd focus souly on the writing approach, which is the most important aspect of being a music, is the fuckin' music. Right?
Goliath: Plus, it gave us more time to sit down and actually write music instead of being forced into releasing something.
Kaizer: Yeah, you don't want to be constricted by binds of a time schedule. What that does is it just puts a fork in the whole writing process. So, we figured we run our own schedule so we can put a strong emphasis on the music. So we left that label... Doing the independent thing right now. Like I said there have been a few labels who have come to us with some offers but we're not making any firm decisions as of yet. We're going to take some time and when we feel its the appropriate time we'll think about signing.

XM: Like you said, you're on the Seven Bowls of Wrath tour with Black Metal legion Marduk. How did this come about and your thoughts on this?
Kaizer: Well, its lots of hard work. First of all, being a Black Metal band you start off stuck in a position where there's not really a scene to work with. So, basically we had to work pretty hard first being a Black Metal band, second being a Canadian band. You're kind of isolated from where most of the scene is located. Like in Europe, there's lots in the States as well. In Canada you're kind of isolated from the hot spot for the music. It's pretty cool being able to get on this tour with Marduk. They're a big influence on us, its pretty exciting. This is a big chance for us so we came onto this tour with the approach that we'll destroy everything and take the world in all its glory.

XM: And after this your headlining on tour with Pagan Ritual across Canada. Can you tell us a little more about this that?
Kaizer: Yeah. We're doing a headlining tour. Its something we haven't done yet so its something that's long past due. We decided to do the eastern Canada route. They don't get too much out east so its kind of a diminutive scene out there but, none the less, there is a scene. So we're going to spread the plague out there. We're bringing along Pagan Ritual, another Canadian Black Metal band. I believe they're from Oshawa. Really good band, they're a good fit to come with us on the Iron Tide in the East tour. Again, we're gonna take the same approach as for this tour, we always bring 110%. That's our plan.

XM: And previous to this tour, what have been some of the bands most notable accomplishments?
Kaizer: Well, I guess the first time we ever got a bigger break was when we played with Nargaroth like four years ago. After that, we got to play with Mayhem which was a big thing for us. Obviously any Black Metal band playing with Mayhem... That's a pretty cool thing to do. We played with Behemoth, and when Immortal came... They did the four exclusive dates across North America. One in Montreal, New York City, LA, and we played with them on their Toronto date. That was a pretty good one, sold out show.
Goliath: Yeah, we were really fortunate to play that show too.
Kaizer: Yeah, especially because on the other three dates I don't think there was any local openers. So we were really fortunate to lock a spot on that one. It was a really good show, extremely good reaction. Its good seeing that the place where you're from people are appreciating your music.

XM: Now, you can both answer this one. If you could have been involved in the writing, recording, or production of any album ever which would it be and why?
Goliath: Wow...
Kaizer: I don't know... I've always said that there are a few albums that are very influential to all of us. I've said in the past that I think one of the best Black Metal records I've ever heard was Salvation from Funeral Mist. Which, actually has the vocalist from Marduk.
XM: Yeah, Mortuus.
Kaizer: I heard that album for the first time and I thought that's how Black Metal is supposed to sound. All the elements are there. And its right in line with how I think Black Metal should be portrayed. I've said in the past and I'll say it again, that's probably one of the biggest influential albums for me anyways.
Goliath: For me, it would probably be Shining's Halmstad. Production was great, and the way the songs were put together too. It was a different approach on Black Metal. It wasn't just the whole generic sound or something that's been done already. It was something different, it brought something new to the table. I don't know. Everything about that album was really good.

XM: If you had to describe Panzerfaust's music in three words they would be...
Kaizer: You just wanna say Black Fuckin' Metal, right?... Ah shit. I don't know. It's so hard to find, 100 words that would encapsulate the synopsis of what Panzerfaust is supposed to be. So, there's not really any three words that I can use. You can say Black Fuckin Metal. That's what it has to be.
Goliath: Yeah. That is pretty much it.

XM: Thats it! Thanks very much for talking with us. Where's the best place to check out Panzerfaust?
Kaizer: Go to the official websites, Panzerfaustblackmetal.com . We have a FaceBook page, not really sure about the URL for that. Google. Anyway, go to Panzerfaustblackmetal.com and that's where you'll find all the official updates and anything that's going on with us.

XM: So that's it. Final words are yours.
Kaizer: Uh... Fuck...
Goliath: I guess I'll see you on the road!