No, there are no great projects planned for the next months. We have just started a new activity with a monthly radio show dedicated to dark folk and industrial music. The show is broadcasted in the south east of France and also on the net. All the details for this program can be found on our website.

Who are the people behind it?

This is certainly the least interesting thing to know. Nevertheless, the people involved in Heimdallr are a group of friends living in different European countries who share an interest for dark music and the study of European culture and history.

What are the artistic views of Heimdallr? (nb: what I mean is, why do you do the zine in what are the ideas behind it, etc…)

Heimdallr was set up in 1999 to offer a forum to talented musicians whose talent we think is unjustly ignored. Its other intention was to provide an internet resource in French at a time when nearly all the information available on this scene was in English or in German. Today, our objective remains the same.

Tell us about your feelings about Europe. What aspects of its culture fascinate you the most?

Our feelings about Europe can be resumed by the lyrics of a well known Death in June song, "Europa: the gates of Heaven. Europa: the gates of Hell."
We are interested in many aspects of its culture and history. It is not possible to study, in any of the European countries, the history of ideas, of literature and of art, without pursuing this study in the neighbouring countries, as there is not a genre, not a literary or artistic theory, that has flourished in Europe that one can study in its entirety, while remaining within the limits of a single nation.

The literature section is quite interesting. In what manner do you proceed when you talk of an author or a work of art? Do you privilege the historic or the literary aspect?

We don't have a literature section as such. However, we do mention a few writers in our Arts and Culture section. The choice of these authors came naturally and it will always be like that. Unfortunately, we have not developed this part of site as much as we would like because our natural inclinations lead us to privilege the music section.

Your favorite authors…

This is a question we usually ask in our interviews because we think it may help our readers to apprehend the universe of the artist. However, we feel that there is no need for an "official" Heimdallr bibliography, the neofolk scene already has a "compulsory" reading list.

Do you intend to develop the artistic section?

Not in the immediate future. It is a section we would like to develop but, as always, we lack the time to do it seriously.

What kind of music is expected to be seen in Heimdallr? Which will NEVER be in it?

Heimdallr will continue to promote talented artists that receive very little exposure in the more mainstream press. Above all, we are guided by the beauty of a music that affects us on a personal level. What also retains our interest is the intellectual concept behind a music project and the themes that the artist chose to develop. The neofolk, industrial, ritual, martial, ambient, experimental projects that we focus on fulfil these "criteria". This does not mean that we live in a musical ghetto, so who knows where our path will lead us. But one thing is sure, there is no place on Heimdallr for vulgar and/or meaningless music.

You interviewed some famous artists such as Douglas Pierce (Death In June) or Albin Julius (Der Blutharsch). Are you close of this side of the industrial scene?

The artists you mention have all our respect. They are outstanding artists and they exert a great influence on the industrial scene so it was natural to ask them to express their views on Heimdallr.

Surprisingly you don't seem to be very close of the underground. Is that something you wish to explore later?

We just follow our instinct. It is up to our readers to determine if the artists we present are underground or not.

What are your feelings about heathenism and other pre-christians beliefs?
Do you priviledge more the cultural aspect or the religious aspect?

We are deaf to any religious dogma but that does not mean that we cannot appreciate music inspired by pagan traditions as these traditions belong to a common European cultural inheritance.

(in reference here to our "microcosm") Some show vehement antichristian feelings, others on the contrary show a certain towards the Church. What is your position? These sorts of conflicts are they not detrimental to a certain idea of the defence of the occidental culture?

We have no particular sentiment towards or against christianity. However, we cannot deny that it is an inherent corposant the European cultural identity. We recognise that christianity has always been a factor of social cohesion for the masses even if it prevents the development of a person as an individual. It is a role that is not to be neglected in these times of spiritual and cultural emptiness.

Heimdallr