SKYFORGER have been presenting a unique style of Metal since the late nineties, combining elements of Black and Death Metal with traditional Latvian Folk Music. Seriously, how many Metal bands do you get to hear that use the bagpipes? On the heels of the recent North American issue of their "Kuaja Pie Saules" album, SKYFORGER recently made their North American live debut at the Heathen Crusade II Metal festival to a great reception from a rabidly enthusiastic audience.

First of all, you guys just played the U.S. for the first time; how'd you like it?

Peter: "Absoultely great. So we make a long trip and we are happy now for all this time we spent. Absolutely great."

I heard there were some problems with the flight getting delayed.

Peter: "Yeah. You know, it's storming and world gone mad." (laughs)

Kaspars: "We have the plan to go from Europe, right, to Minneapolis, but our flight was cancelled because a chance also to see Chicago. It was really impressive from plane." (laughter)

Peter: "We can tell somebody we was in Chicago, but what you see nothing; just the view from the plane." (laughter)

Can you tell us what you've got planned for the next album?

Peter: "It is still in the mist. Everything is misty."

Kaspars: "Right now we are pretty hard working on the new album, but it usually takes a lot of time because we're not just making songs, just playing, playing, playing and it's okay, but we just play something, then listen; it's okay or not okay, then listen again, try something else, try something else and so it takes a long time when the song is ready…"

Peter: "Especially when everyone have a work, job, you know, so we don't have much time for the rehearsals and everything and that's a bad thing, so everything is going for the wrong way."

Kaspars: "So we only have one rehearsal in a week, so it takes a long time for a new song, but for us, it's more important to make a good music, not fast make album and just release, release - it makes no sense."

Are you trying to get better distribution in the U.S. for your albums, because I've noticed it's really hard to find your music sometimes. (outside of "Kauja pie Saules")

Edgar: "It not depends from us, you know." (laughter)

Peter: "It's a difficult question for us. We have distributors, the label in Germany; okay, it's not a big label, it's underground, but they are just like friends, and you know, when we have a chance to change a label for maybe better, we go 'no, maybe this better one is only about making money.' There we have guys who are real friends for us. So right now, we don't have any, you know, anything for another label; we still have one at Folter Records."

Where did the band's name come from?

Peter: "It's from mythology, Latvian mythology, it means 'Thunder God'. It's just like one of, I would say, one of… just like people, when they see the thunder in the sky and lightning, they think there is some blacksmith in the sky who work in the forge, you know. So the people called him Skyforger, so we take name from this and it means… the meaning of this means 'Thunder God' and in the old country, it's called Pêrkons. So that's why we use the swastika; it's a sign of the Thunder God for us."

I'm sure it's got to piss you off when you get the confusion, like I heard at Wacken, they made you take your merch down because they thought it was affiliated with the Nazi party.

Peter: "Yeah, this oppression is so big, so now we almost give up because we don't have a chance, especially in Germany. Now there is a law, like when they see some signs like this, you must pay the money, you know, like… it's forbidden. We don't know what to do now. It's almost we are thinking about to change the sign because we don't have a chance, you know, as you say, we don't have a chance to play in festivals everywhere because the people say 'oh, Nazi band!' You can tell them no we are not, 'ah, who cares?'"

Yeah, never mind the fact that cultures all over the world have been using it for thousands of years before Hitler stole it.

Peter: "Yeah! Everytime I hope maybe something is changing in the world and people start to forget Hitler and all the shit, no, they don't forget it; it's still alive and it's still in action and everyday it's okay on the TV and everyone knows it and thinks about it and the shit is going still on."

Are there any plans for more of a full-fledged U.S. tour, possibly?

Peter: "For a tour in the U.S.A.?"

Yeah, like maybe as a support slot on a larger band's tour?

Peter: "It's not about us, you know?"

Edgar: "Why not?"

Kaspars: "We are of course ready to discuss. This would be very interesting for us, but as we mentioned before all of us, for example, bass player, he has family with two children, he have to take about them and if we can arrange all the times, then of course we would be happy to come."

Peter: "You know, we can't do anything; if someone invite us, like Jim and Kris, okay then, it's okay, it's not on us, you know. We can't do anything."

What's the Latvian Metal scene like?

Peter: "It's very small. As a country, it's very small, the Metal scene is very small, too. There is… now it's lots of bands, but many bands have serious problems because they copy the famous bands from America, from Europe and I think the people all around the world are looking for something original, but those bands just copy other bands and if we talking this way, maybe we have only three or four bands who are playing some good music."

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Kaspars: "No." (laughter)

Peter: "No, no secret messages, nothing." (laughter)

What if we play the record backwards, are there secret messages then?

Peter: "No, no, no." (laughter) [FIN]