TERRORAISER: SVARROGH are sadly quite unknown in Ukraine, so I’ll start with some hystorical aspects, if you please. When and where did SVARROGH actually got formed? SVARROGH: Privet Igor! Svarrogh started in 2001 in Germany, in order to envocate the pagan crafts and the heritage of my ancestors. The first album “Baxas Xebesheth 1883" was raw and melodic pagan black metal and during the years I developed the music to that what I call now avantgarde folklore - the same aim and theme, but with another way of expression, more ritualistic and spiritual. The albums “Lady Vitosha” and “Kukeri” were melodic and raw at the same time with very mythological and eastern esoteric themes, while “Balkan Renaissance”, which is the first album without black metal elements was completely dedicated to the art of the 19th century. Even if Svarrogh has other german members and guest musicians from all over Europe like Lithuania, Italy, Austria or Portugal - Svarrogh has always have been and always will be bulgarian pagan music. TERRORAISER: How did you get to hear a Metal record for the first time, and what motivated you to keep on digging in this scene? SVARROGH: After the end of communist era, my uncle, who had a huge secret vynyl and tape collection (with a lot of bootlegs and illegal stuff) introduced me to the metal music - it was first bands like Motorhead, Testament and Black Sabbath. And later I discovered myself the most powerful way of expression in music next to folklore - black metal and later dark ambient and industrial. You become addicted and you will never stop - the grim and somber sound has fascinated me very strong as I listened to the first works of Darkthrone and Burzum. TERRORAISER: What do you think were the most important bands or albums that influenced you in the very beginning? Did your musical influences change throughout the years? SVARROGH: Well, I try and often say that - It is very important for me not to get influenced too much and to be free of foreign influences, to be free for inspiration outside the music - when I am at the bulgarian mountains I try to gather the sounds, which emerge in my mind. But of course noone is able to resist against - every musician, artist and poet is influenced and inspirated by those creatives of his previous generation. There is no independent art - everything is connected with many bridges. My music taste changed a lot, or better to say - it has become more open for other things - it developed, as there are so many different ways to express feelings and thoughts. But if ever someone influenced me from the very beginning, it was Nokturnal Mortum. TERRORAISER: What inspired the band's name and did you plan on having any kind of musical concept based around it when you started out? SVARROGH: The name is from the slavic pantheon as you know yourself. Svaróg was only one of the few gods presented in the southern slavic pantheon. There is a huge lack of documentations about a wider practicated pantheon as in the central slavic regions like Ukraina or Belarus. The Smolyans and Severs, two of the seven slavic tribes on the balkans were practicating a cult of Chors and Svarog with very zoroastric elements. Of course the music concept was from the very beginning on to create music which I have to create because my spirit demands it, to breath the air of an ancient world throughout the music. The concept was combining my slavic and my bulgarian roots and presenting the variety and power of bulgarian folk music. TERRORAISER: Why did Bulgarian and Slavic Mythology attract you? SVARROGH: When you feel and perceive your roots while marching towards the time you recognize yourself. A tree without roots will wither and dry. Of course I have a big interest also for germanic, aztec, altaic and iberian cultures, as I have a big interest for art and poetry – but the both elements bulgarian and slavic mythology are the most important items for Svarrogh. Of course the southern slavic influence is evident in some parts of the language, cults and music. But the ancient bulgarians were not a slavic people – their origin is from the mountain Immeon (Pamir) and roamed later with other ugric and hunic tribes toward Europe and settled first at north-east shores of the Black Sea and later on the Balkans, where they created the union with balkan slavs. TERRORAISER: If I don’t mistake, you was born in Bulgaria, and then you had came to Germany. What were the reasons of it? How much changed your views after this step? SVARROGH: Yes, I was born in Bulgaria, and 10 years later I moved to Germany – but the reasons for that are private. My views didn’t change, but I was hit by aweful Nostalgia for a long time and tried to compensate this with music. TERRORAISER: You can play so many instruments - tamboura, guitars, vocals, bass, drums, percussion, programming, piano, synth, kaval, gaida, gadulka, mandoline – some from them. How long have you been playing it? Have you had lessons? Have you any musical education? Where you getting from so rare instruments like tamboura, kaval, gaida, gadulka? SVARROGH: All those foklore instruments you can find and order only from dedicated bulgarian craft masters, hidden in the mountain regions of the Balkan, where the folklore traditions are still very strong. I try to collect them, and there are still some to get, like Duduk, Dvoyanka and Zhora Gaida, which is a small and high droning bagpipe. The most interesting for me was the tamboura with its brillant and precious mountain´s sound. For me it is a passion to learn playing such instruments myself - they are the gate to my ancestor´s heritage. My only musical education consists of classical piano and drumming school. After Svarrogh was created I began to collect all those instruments every time I was visiting Bulgaria. TERRORAISER: OK, then come to your last album “Yer Su”. How would you describe the new CD, what – according to you – are its significant changes both musically and lyrically? SVARROGH: Actually it is just a natural development to the previous works. The lyrics are again very spiritual and sureal/artistic.  Musically it is a mixture of typical folklore arrangements and themes, with ideosyncratic rhythms which are typical for the balkan region like 7/8 or 11/8, experimental and polyphon and other elements of black metal, pagan ritual and ambient. The most significant changes are the use of real drums, as I found a possibility for recording them and also the more complex structures of composition as now I had new methods and possibilities, new Instruments and equipment, and the most important – a lot of time for experiments and improvisation. TERRORAISER: Can you try to explain the lyrical contents of "Yer Su" ? SVARROGH: It is a shamanic ritual for the water and the earth – it is a pagan and very nature orientated concept. All songs are leading each other – there is no silence. It is symbolic for the symbiosis of slavic and ancient bulgarian culture. The main theme are the as already said the water and earth rituals, and then the Tangra cult to the sky – the second theme is the cult to the sun, to the forest, so this is the slavic element in the lyric. As also slavic envocations from the Book of Veles as well as the mythological idea of the Samodivas and Samovilas/Vilas. The spirits of the dead young and beautiful women living in the deep forests. They are often very malevolent, but sometimes helpful to the humans, when they receive their honour. TERRORAISER: Where did the title of the album come from? SVARROGH: Yer Su is the earthern part of the protobulgarian sky-cult Tangrism. Yer Su means earth-water - they are the spirits of the ancestors living in caves, rivers and lakes, it is a very animistic cult. There are similarities to the other tengric cults of the turkic and altaic tribes - but unfortunately many people make the mistake to set both cultures (the protobulgarian and prototurkic) of an equal origin, which is not true, as the bulgarian culture is of indoeuropean origin. TERRORAISER: What about guest musicians on the new CD  why and how did you make them contribute on "Yer Su"? SVARROGH: All of the participating guests are very close friends - they stand as a symbol for the pan-european ideal. Marcel from Halgadom and Allerseelen, Arioch from Negura Bunget (who was our former live guitar player) and others. On the previous EP “Temple of the Sun” I also worked with musicians all over Europe like Gerhard from Allerseelen, Sangre Cavallum or Juris from Beverina Prod who did the latvian vocals. It is also a very big help to work not only alone - to improve the egocentric way of writing. Most of the guests are responsible for various vocal parts, but Kostas from Defile des Ames plays on the current album clarinet as he studies this instrument very good. Marcel is our live drummer, but he will take an important role as bass player on future recordings. TERRORAISER: How important is this release for you? SVARROGH: I think it is the most mature and complex Svarrogh release, and sure it is not very easy to listen to. Although it is already the 5th album, it was the first time I could compose and paint all the ideas and themes I ever wanted to do, totally free, independent and without thinking of any obligatorations. TERRORAISER: What can we expect from SVARROGH in the near future? SVARROGH: Expect an extended line-up of musicians for the next concerts, so we will be finally able to play the live songs in their original way as on the albums. We also plan to release a triple split with the folk bands Arnica (Spain) and Defile des Ames (Greece). Together with our label Steinklang/Ahnstern and other of the bands we plan the release of a book dedicated to the pagan traditions of the masked rites in Europe. And of course we are always looking for new live concerts, the next one will be in September, Barcelona. I hope someday also in Ukraina/Oriana. TERRORAISER: Thank you very much for your answers. How do you wish to end this interview? SVARROGH: Thank you very much for your kind support, Igor!