VERKRAG - INTERVIEWS

Anton van Niekerk/VERKRAG attended WinterJam Metal Fest 2010 to do interviews and VERKRAG '13 Victims' CD signings.

'SWART METAAL' (BLACK METAL)

Original Article by: Gulsig van Vraat (for musiekvraat.com)
http://www.musiekvraat.com/index.php/metal/item/178-swart-metaal

Translated by: Amanda Els (for verkrag.com)

Who is Verkrag and how did it start?
Verkrag is a solo project which started in Aug/Sep 2008 while I was in Norway. I thought about bands like Dimmu Borgir which have Norwegian band names and yet they also sing/scream in English, I then decided on the name Verkrag.

What does the name refer to?
Verkrag is a short powerful word with so much meaning. It refers to physical, and emotional pain (depression, anxiety). According to me it can even refer to a community or nation that is being suppressed. Think about farm murders for example. There are so many directions you can go with this band name, theme and lyric wise.

Your lyrics is not something you can digest easily with your morning coffee. What do you want to accomplish with it? Is it purely to shock or do you want to convey a clear message?
If I just wanted to shock, then the lyrics could have been much worse. The easiest way to shock people in South Africa is with Satanism and that is not at all what the album is about. There are indeed references to the occult, but at the same time Jesus is also referred to through the eyes of a paedophile or serial killer. Studies have shown that most serial killers come from Christian households.

Kobus put “swaar metaal” (heavy metal) on the Afrikaans map, does Verkrag want to accomplish this with “swart metaal” (black metal)?
Of course. One shouldn’t start with something if you don’t want to be the best in your specific genre. I also plan on doing a few Afrikaans songs on my next album. If the Norwegians and Germans can do that in their own language, why can’t we? Afrikaans is a language with strong/harsh sounds. It would sound sick to scream “Jirre Jissus God” in a song for example.

You recorded with some overseas bands, tell us more.
I am currently the vocalist and lyricist for Wrath Passion from Norway. Wrath Passion is quite big and they have an online fanbase of about 70 000. At the moment, Wrath Passion is number 4 on the ReverbNation Metal Charts in Norway, with Dimmu at number 1, Immortal second and Enslaved at third place. The first song I did for Wrath Passion, “Black Hole”, is also used in an American Horror/Gore movie called “The Back Room.”

Then I also did a song (Never Enough) with Throne of Malediction from America. Throne is growing fast as well and we plan on putting together a music video soon.

The most recent work I did with a band was for Sandmist from Malta. I did guest vocals on a song with the then 17 year old female vocalist.

You were recently mentioned in “Die Rapport”. The article evoked quite a response, both negative and positive. Your take on the article?
I don’t think it was a bad article. The reporter just wanted to explain to the ordinary Afrikaner what goes on in the Metal scene. Some metalheads were offended, others thought it was great. The fundamentalist Christian community totally freaked out of course, but then again they freak out about everything. When it it isn’t Lady Gaga or Harry Potter that is Satanic, then it’s Pokemon. The story was the ‘most read’ on the Rapport site and I even got an interview on OFM a week later because of that. OFM is the biggest Radio Station in the Free State and only play commercial and Afrikaans music, so for a Black Metal one man band to feature on the station is quite a big accomplishment.

Your band does not do gigs, do you have any plans on getting a band together and get some sunlight outside the studio?
If the demand for that is big enough, I will get session musicians. I am actually quite satisfied with the way things are going now. Actually I don’t work well with others, I am extremely full of shit. I prefer to do everything myself, so if it is not successful, there is no one to blame at the end of the day. I see too much band politics and I am not up for that. It often happens that a band does really well for themselves and then they split for the dumbest reasons.

At the Black Dahlia gig (Best of Bass) you signed girls’ boobs amongst others. What is the wildest thing you have done either sober or drunk?
With random girls that’s about it. I generally don’t go further than that. What makes me angry is that this stereotype about musicians using girls exists. It is like saying blondes are stupid. Ridiculous. Everybody goes through relationships and sometimes it doesn’t work out, but when a musician dumps a girl, more gossip especially takes place and the guy is immediately labeled as a user.

Tell us more about the charming ladies that were part of your artwork?
The Victims project started so I can get a visual representation for the 13 Victims album. I asked models from all over the globe to send me pictures of rape scenes. These images were then used in the CD booklet and any other promo designs. The models of course were promoted then also.

To view the 13 Victims pictures go to verkrag.com and click on the ‘Victims’ link.

2 of the models, Elena (USA) and Vanessa (Germany), were then chosen from over 100 entries to be in the final 24 of the contest. Having both Overran models win and work with Dark Funeral was a great boost for Overran. I have always been a great fan of Dark Funeral and it is a pleasure working with them and all the Verkrag models. Verkrag is still on the Dark Funeral official myspace top friends and I also help co-ordinate their facebook groups.

Black metal is very small in SA, any bands out there that you are impressed by?
Theatre Runs Red is my favourite SA band. I also like Erebus, Sathern and Warthane.

Isn’t the SA climate too hot for Black metal? Finland, etc. is very cold and it creates a strong lack of sunlight (lithium)?
Black Metal is not about how warm or cold a place is.

Anything specific you want to say to the conservative part of the Afrikaans community?
I do not really want to waste my time on people like that, but fine I will leave a little message anyway.
Please do a bit of research into where different religions come from and what ancient cultures believed in, before you sheepishly believe in something which cannot be proved. Religion is like a story that gets told time and again and everytime a something else gets added on.
Your invisible friends don’t control your life, so stop seeing Jesus and the Devil in everything. You have common sense and you are in control of your own life. We ourselves make good and bad decisions and do evil and good.

What are the future plans for Verkrag?
To do a music video or 2 for the 13 Victims album. In the meanwhile I am already busy recording new songs for the next album. Some of the songs I did with overseas bands will feature as bonus tracks on the album. I also plan on doing a song with Ebony from Theatre Runs Red. The song is about Africa and witchdoctors and all the music has already been recorded.

THE DARK SONG OF VERKRAG

Original Article by: Johannes de Villiers (for Rapport)
http://www.rapport.co.za/Weekliks/Nuus/Verkrag-se-donker-lied-20100821

Translated by: Amanda Els (for verkrag.com)

Thibault Street is a dull road in Boksburg North, full of mechanical workshops and second hand car dealerships. In the backyard of one of these car dealerships is a bar called The Black Dahlia, and there people in black clothing sometimes gather to listen to metal music.

Two Sunday nights ago, a famous black metal-rocker by the name of Verkrag went to the The Black Dahlia to sign copies of his CD 13 Victims and to listen to five metal bands making music. Black metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It mostly consists of guys who think other forms of metal are not intense enough. Black metal is characterized through loud drumming, guitars and vocalists who growl in high pitch, harsh voices (for the uninformed: imagine the sound a dog would make if it had something stuck in its throat.) Their lyrics are mostly about violence, sex and religion.

This particular Sunday evening’s event, The Best of Bass 2, was an opportunity to let “five bands with f***n brilliant bassists” perform, according to the organiser, Sash Northey. There would also be a fashion show and Verkrag will sign CD’s.

Verkrag itself is from Bloemfontein. He is an exceptionally successful one man band with fans from across the world, from Norway to Canada. In the black metal genre he distinguishes himself by singing about sexual violence in particular. He sings his latest album from the perspective of a child molester who sits in a psychiatric institute reflecting about his past. The CD cover contains photos of bloodstained half naked women.

A typical excerpt (in this case from a song called Little Girls) : “You scream and cry and beg and plead/ You scream for mommy and daddy/ You scream for me to let you go/ Just to let me lick your ****” How does something like this exist in South Africa, and most people never heard of it? It is one of those things that Black Metal doesn’t get much attention in South Africa, Sash explained before the event started Sunday Night in The Black Dahlia. “We don’t get to show our video’s on TV.” Consequently are guys like Verkrag far more popular overseas than here. Verkrag already recorded music with the famous Norwegian band Wrath Passion. (Norwegian fans pronounce his name “Weerkraagh”.)

He recently recorded a track with a band from Malta, and he has almost 17 000 fans on myspace, mostly from the USA and Canada (in a music genre where the more successful bands only have about 80 000 fans.) His real name is Anton van Niekerk and he is a graphic designer by day. He makes his music completely on his own: Plays the instruments himself and then he pieces it together electronically. By the time Verkrag arrived at The Black Dahlia at about 18:30, a few people were already preparing for the fashion show.

The models were girls in corsets which almost looked painfully tight, leather boots and skirts so short that you could almost see the indentation underneath their butts. Verkrag was dressed in black leather pants with metal clamps, a black and red top and a leather wristband with spikes on his upper arm. He has jet-black hair and a long goatee (about 10 cm).

“During the day in Bloemfontein I just wear a metal shirt and jeans”, he said. “People don’t say anything, but you can feel them staring at you. Old ladies pull their daughters aside when they see you approaching. The other day I went clothes shopping, I saw a little girl and smiled at her and the dad just dragged her away, and then I thought to myself: ‘Jeesh!’”. Later on he says: “I started to think if people drag away their children when they see me, do they think I’m a paedophile? Then I made an album to show how sick something like that can be.” While Verkrag is chatting at a little table in a corner, the fashion show starts.

The models with similar make-up like in the movie The Crow, mostly wear clothes by a manufacturer called ChaosRUs. Sometimes they take a bit too long backstage. “If you know how long it takes to take off a corset, you would understand, “Sash explains. One model is wearing a black leather corset. “Hellfire!” a guy screams from the crowd. “Are you ready for f****n heavy metal that will melt your faces?” the announcer shouts after the fashion show.

“First up from Pretoria: Maximum Carnage!” Maximum Carnage’s first song is called Serving the Rotten Cycle. A crowd dressed in black, descends upon the stage. Young guys in the front row head bang. Fans at the back just nod their heads. At a stage someone leans back and spits against the low ceiling. For a moment the saliva hangs from the ceiling: A white stalactite which slowly grows longer and then disappears into the crowd again. “Who of you have ever been cheated on?” the vocalist growls.

A few people shout something back. “This one is for you, Hunger for Homicide!” It is difficult to follow the lyrics but from time to time the word “kill” comes through. Verkrag approaches with a girl who has a spike through her lower lip and tilting breasts that wants to jump out of her low cut top. “She wants me to sign her breast. Do you want to take a picture?” The girl laughs. “My dad is going to get the creeps!” One would think so, yes. After he signed her breast Verkrag looks at the girl as she walks away. “Yes, it is quite weird. Many of my fans are women because I write about sexual stuff. Most of them are women.” And how do they react to the sexual violence in his music? “Many of them send naked pictures of themselves.” Gosh. And what does he do with that? “It stays in my inbox somewhere.”

One of the models on the CD cover stands closer. Tonight she is wearing a little black dress with white skulls. What does she think about the Verkrag theme? “It is a reflection of what women go through when something like that happens. It shows it that it is not nice.” By 20:30 The Black Dahlia is full of guys with long black hair and girls that look like Snow White on a funeral. One woman dressed in black with a walker moves among the rest. Outside a queue of people is waiting to come in.

And like it is at any party, three smokers stand outside the door and complain. “It is not about the music anymore” one mutters. “It is about the image and how strong you are. It is about the length of your hair.” Even when you leave the parking lot and your car turns into the dull Thibault Street, you still hear the metal behind you.

Two blocks away, where it’s quiet, two sex workers are standing watching cars. Not a pretty sight, you think as you look at these two women who are going to surrender their bodies to someone else’s violence. Not pretty at all, no matter what anyone says.

E.N.D MUSIC INTERVIEW (EVIL NEVER DIES - USA)

1. *What genre of music do you consider your work to be?
Black Metal / Death Metal / Progressive / Experimental. Metal today isn’t just one set subgenre anymore and that is great. Artists should never be trapped into only creating a specific style of music, but rather express themselves freely.

2. *When did you form your musical project?
Verkrag came to being in late August of 2008.

3. *Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations?
Because of the music scene in South Africa consisting mostly of African music the metal labels here are small. I decided to rather just invest in the printing equipment needed and make my own albums and then work at getting distribution. Verkrag is currently distributed by Subterania Music (based in Cape Town South Africa) & ChaosRus (based in Pretoria South Africa) and the ’13 Victims’ album can either be ordered online or be purchased from their stalls at the various Metal Fests and events. Verkrag also works closely with Emalyth Events (based in Johannesburg, South Africa) and the album gets a lot of promotion at their various shows.

Links:
http://www.subterania.co.za/
http://www.chaosrus.co.za/
http://emalyth.webs.com/

4. *What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
All my instruments are 2nd hand (and black). No brand names but rather brand rip-offs. One of my guitars looks exactly like a B.C Rich Beast for example. Not one of them cost me more than R2000. That’s about 272USD.

5. *Do you ever play any covers?
I did a cover of the Marilyn Manson version of Sweet Dreams for the 13 Victims album. Alternative/Metal model Elena Bathory contributed vocals to the track.

6. *Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
I usually start by writing the lead guitar parts. Then add the drums and rhythm and it just grows from there. Lyrics are always last and I add sound effects and intros and/or outro’s then to create the mood of the song.

7. *How has your music evolved since you first began playing music?
At first (with Sanguinarius) it was about trying to sound like the bands that inspired me. I am much more experimental and confident now and feel I have found my own style.

8. *What has been your biggest challenge as an artist? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Having to start over under a new name when I decided to let Sanguinarius die and start Verkrag.

9.*What's your ultimate direction? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
Fame might come but fortune won’t. Not in this genre of music. No, I do what I do because it gives me a purpose in life. I don’t want the normal family man / economic slavery life… I want to create art and leave something to be remembered by.

10. *What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
You will have to be able to work well with others. There will always be a difference in opinion but it is how you handle it that will determine if the band will make it or not.

11. *How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?
They can go to the official Verkrag site @ http://www.verkrag.com/ or find music on the Verkrag myspace, reverbnation and facebook pages. ‘THE CLEANSING of the Whore’ is up for free download and if fans join the ReverbNation mailing list they get access to fan exclusive tracks like ‘Sweet Dreams’ & ‘Doomsday Prophets’

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/verkrag
http://www.reverbnation.com/VERKRAG
http://www.facebook.com/VERKRAG

12. *Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
No one offered financial support – I had to pay for it all myself. That is the good thing about having a day job. As for emotional support – Thanks to the ‘13 Victims’ models and extra lyricists for not only contributing artistically but also being friends to me. Thanks also to the fans for all the great mails and comments.

E.N.D Music (USA) blog "Anton Van Niekerk: Usurping The Throne" - MAY 2010

SDW METAL (SWEDEN) VERKRAG ARTICLE - APR 2010

SDW METAL (SWEDEN) VERKRAG VIDEO INTERVIEW - MAR 2010

FORBIDDEN MAGAZINE (USA) VERKRAG INTERVIEW - MAR 2010

FUELED MAGAZINE (BELGIUM) INTERVIEWS VERKRAG - FEB 2010

MUTILADOR INTERVIEWS VERKRAG FOR EDITION X - DEC 2009

Go to MUTILADOR e-ZINE

Hi there Verkrag, thanks for your interest and patience...

You’re busy right now recording and mixing the debut album "13 victims", what you can tell us about this album?
Recordings, mixing etc. are done and the album has been available since December 13th. This release date was nearly delayed since the printers and duplicators here in South Africa refused to reproduce the album after seeing and hearing the content. I invested in the equipment needed to produce the CD myself. It has a total of 9 tracks and a playtime of over 45minutes. It’s an enhanced CD with flash files and desktop wallpapers. The 12 page booklet is printed on some of the highest quality paper and features sick rape victim photography. The lyrics are in my own handwriting (yes it is legible).

What’s the concept behind "13 Victims"? What role do the models play?
The concept of the album is that the killer (me) is now suffering in an asylum and thinking back to all that has led up to that point. It starts in his childhood with an incestuous relationship with his sister. Then his dilutions of being God and “saving” prostitutes from the street life. As an older man he develops a love for little girls and tortures, kills and eats them to keep them pure. In the asylum all his victims start haunting him. Are they ghosts or is it all in his mind? Does he become their victim or a victim of his own mind?

I needed a visual representation for the story so I involved some of the best alternative models from around the world and they all did a great job as you will see in the album design and on the CD data part.

In your record, there’s a song where Elena's voice appears (Elena is one the winners for Diaboliswear contest), why choose Elena for this song?
I did a cover of ‘Sweet Dreams” (the Marilyn Manson version). I wanted to change it a bit and make it darker and add the psychotic Black Metal element. I thought that adding a little girl’s voice with ghostly effects on it might help with creating that atmosphere. I knew that working with a child on such a project would not be an easy task. Difficulties arise in finding one whose parents would allow it, as well as the actual recording sessions.

Since working with Elena a great friendship has grown and I gave her a call one evening. When I heard her sweet voice I told her about my idea and she immediately said that she would be glad to record some samples for use in the song.

Verkrag 13 Victims models Aericura (from Austria) and Yasya (from the Ukraine) also contributed and will feature on other tracks. I would like to thank these beautiful ladies for their vocal contributions. I really appreciate their help.

For 2010 you already have a demo, what can we expect for 2010?
I have some tracks finished and hope to release another album by the end of 2010. It is much faster and more Anti-Religion orientated. Early 2010 will see some Verkrag t-shirts and I hope to make 2 or maybe even 3 music videos in 2010 with tracks from the 13 Victims album.

Before Verkrag there was Sanguinarius, which unfortunately called it quits, what happened? You recorded some promos?
I was Sanguinarius. It was never a band as I wished it would become. I played all instruments and did all recordings. The mistake I made was introducing the extra lyricist as a band member. She merely helped write lyrics and did some modeling for Sanguinarius.

3 EP’s were made for promotion of the unreleased album “Revelations”.

Sanguinarius did well and got a lot of interviews and airplay around the world. But the fan base and overall reaction pales in comparison to what I am getting now with Verkrag.

Then you started Verkrag, How did this new concept come about? Do you play all the instruments?
I wanted a fresh start and also a new name that is not as commonly used as the word ‘Sanguinarius’ is. I re-recorded all ‘Sanguinarius’ tracks and new lyrics were added. Of course new tracks were also recorded and are included on the 13 Victims album, the title track for example.

As with Sanguinarius, I play all the instruments.

Verkrag is an African word meaning Rape, assault, why choose this name? How does it reflect your style and concept?
VERKRAG is an Afrikaans word. In South Africa alone we have 11 official languages, English and Afrikaans being the 2 ‘white’ languages. Afrikaans comes from 17th century Dutch.

I chose this name since it is so unique and brutal sounding. In the final track on the album you will hear me say ‘VERKRAG’. I included that since no other country really pronounces it correctly. I thought the fans would like to hear the proper pronunciation.

The word not only relates to physical but also mental abuse, a feeling of despair, anguish, fear.

You already have had some airplay and in short time you gained a fanbase.
I had some airplay yes, but not much since I didn’t want to send songs to stations too early. Now that the album is done you will be hearing Verkrag on the air a lot more. The fanbase exploded in comparison to ‘Sanguinarius’. The Sanguinarius myspace page has about 6 000 contacts since late 2006 while VERKRAG myspace grew to 13 000 since late 2008. The VERKRAG myspace is also on the official Dark Funeral myspace top friends which of course helps a great deal for spreading my sickness to the masses.

Besides the musical project you have the "Victims" project which involves gorgeous alternative models, what can you tell us of that? Are you a photographer?
The Victims project started so I can get a visual representation for the 13 Victims album. I used the project to promote the 13 Victims album and all the models involved. I am not a photographer but with my art history and working as a graphic designer I think I have a good eye for photography. I am very interested in getting involved in that as well as making music videos.

About the shooting themes, all of them portray chaos and insanity (even your music). What do you make of this concept? Your goal is to project insanity through your music. How is this process achieved? Why choose these kinds of themes?
I am very interested in the criminally insane, serial killer theme. I want my music to be about different subjects. What is more fascinating than the human mind? Especially a sick mind… Think of killers like Ted Bundy, Wayne Gacy, and Richard Ramirez. Think of the feeling one gets when watching films like SAW, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes etc. I wanted to get that same eerie feeling - not just lyrically but in the music itself. On the 13Victims album I make use of a lot of samples of torture screaming and ghostly whispering as well as chains and old record scratches. I also added heavy strings and creepy piano tunes on some tracks. It brings that classic horror film atmosphere. Combine all this with Black Metal and blast beats and you realise why I love calling my particular sound ‘Psychotic Black Metal’

What do you do to promote the "Victims"? How can a girl become a Verkrag Victim?
All the models’ pics are on verkrag.com’s victims’ page are linked to the models’ myspace pages. Simply click and go add them. Their pics are included in the CD booklet design and also all the Victims pics are on the Enhanced CD part in flash files. All the victims receive a free 13Victims album in post and this is then something they can use in their portfolios.

Well, I have 13 Victims already so not taking in any more models, but for future projects I might do something similar and should I require models, I will publish requests on myspace, the official Verkrag website and the Facebook fan page.

There were a lot of models... how do you feel that your 2 victims won? Both are gorgeous indeed, different personalities.
Elena and Vanessa were chosen from over 100 entries to be in the final 24 of the contest. Having both Verkrag models win and work with Dark Funeral was a great boost for Verkrag. I have always been a great fan of Dark Funeral and it is a pleasure working with them and all the Verkrag models. I hope to meet them all in person one day.

How’s the relationship with Dark Funeral?
I joined the Dark Funeral Street international street teams and I now co-ordinate all the Dark Funeral Facebook street team group pages. To join please e-mail Eset at wilhellmina@hotmail.co.uk or add her on myspace http://www.myspace.com/francine666. She is the international Street Team leader and a good friend of mine.

Dark Funeral is using your design...
Eset manages a lot of the Dark Funeral pages for them and with Lord Ahriman being busy with recordings I was asked to design a banner for them for use for the Nordic Rage Metal Fest that took place in Sweden in September. Lord Ahriman usually does all the banners himself since he is also a Graphic Designer. They were pleased with my designs and it was used on the Dark Funeral myspace as well as Reverbnation pages. Since then Verkrag is on the Dark Funeral myspace top friends. I thank Eset and Lord Ahriman for giving me the opportunity to work with them - It is truly an honor.

Besides Verkrag you contribute with other bands like Wrath Passion from Norway. You just recorded a demo with them.
Wrath Passion’s Daniel and I have been friends since the early Sanguinarius days. The demo you speak of was recorded by Wrath Passion alone and is in need of vocals so Daniel mailed me about contributing guest vocals. I will be working on doing those recording as soon as possible. It is a great pleasure working with Wrath Passion. This is the 1st time ever a South African and Norwegian band has done a song together.

Mutilador: What are all your projects?
Musically Verkrag is my only project at the moment. I have been speaking to some of the South African Black Metal and Death Metal bands about doing guest vocals with them. The South African Black Metal and Death Metal scene is growing fast but it is still a struggle getting proper promotion. I am an admin on a South African Black Metal & Death Metal group on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&ref=mf&gid=25184664205) and we hope to bring fans together to support the local scene and get international acts to tour the country.

Your facebook account was deleted, why?
Verkrag was considered too offensive by some ignorant narrow-minded people and they decided to start a hate group and report the Verkrag pages and my personal profile. I will not be silenced and I am back. I added extra admins on the Verkrag pages so that I do not loose all my Facebook contacts again.

Your website is amazing, very well done, the layout, look-n-feel, did you create it? Is the concept is yours?
Thanks. Yes, I designed the site myself and do all updates. I will be improving on the site a lot in 2010 with more flash and faster uploads. I want to give it a very creepy feeling and include more of the 13 Victims album design elements.

How much does the internet help you to promote your projects?
The internet is my sole promotional tool at the moment. Since Verkrag is a solo project I do not play live and to be honest I don’t plan on playing live anytime soon. I would rather make music videos since music videos are so easy to access and the audience is worldwide.

When will "13 Victims" be available? How can it be acquired?
The album was released on the beautifully blasphemous date of Sinful Sunday December 13th. The long awaited album is available to South Africans (via bank transfer) and international fans (via moneybookers)

Visit www.verkrag.com then go to the merchandise page to buy the album.

The CD will be sent by airmail and you will also receive a tracking number and tracking URL. In the unlikely event of the CD getting lost in the post, the money will be refunded. Please allow about 10 days for delivery.

How can people get in touch with you?
For CD orders, interviews, reviews and airplay enquiries please contact me at verkrag@gmail.com. Fans can mail me on the Verkrag, myspace or Facebook pages.

Have we left anything important out of this interview, do you have anything that you wish to add?
Actually yes. "WHY NO PAYPAL?" is a question I get asked frequently by fans when ordering the album.

Currently, Paypal is limited to South African users. PayPal may not be used by South African citizens to receive payments due to South African tax laws and banking requirements. SARS, South Africa’s “taxman” wants their share and with PayPal they can’t take it so they banned PayPal to sellers.

And lastly, do you have any last words or a message for the Mutilador readers?
Hails. Check out my websites and order the album. I would be more than happy to sign it. Thanks to all the fans for the support – keep spreading the sickness…

Read the interview in Spanish

VERKRAG

BEYOND THE DARK HORIZON INTERVIEW FEB 2009

BTDH: When we were last in touch you were involved with the band Sanguinarius, which unfortunately called it quits, what happened?

Sanguinarius could never really be called a band since I did all the music and vocals. I was joined by Alta Louw as the lyricist and made her a member. To be honest I feel that she never really was part of Sanguinarius. Not as a band member, not even as a promoter. She played no instruments and did no vocals except for one spoken intro in the song "Tortured Souls". She was the lyricist and wrote to themes I gave her – nothing more. I liked her way of writing so much that I made the mistake of introducing her to the public as a band member.

When things didn’t work out she immediately turned on me. After months of trying to be civil with her and get the paperwork sorted out – I snapped!

I decided to get rid of her once and for all and to re-record all the music and write new lyrics. Even after that I still got threats from her about taking me to court even though I removed all the music where she contributed from the Sanguinarius page. The music where she wrote the lyrics will never be released.

BTDH: You immediately retaliated and are back on your feet with Verkrag. Tell us more about this new project of yours? Why did you choose the name Verkrag for your project, which happens to mean “rape, assault and violate?”

‘VERKRAG’ was born in Norway while on my 3 month stay there. I wanted a fresh start and a new name. Something that has deeper meaning for me. Decided on ‘VERKRAG’ since it is in my own language. The word doesn’t only relate to the sexual and physical part at all but can relate to feelings of self loathing, suicidal tendencies, despair, deep depression etc.

The name perfectly fits the content in most of the lyrics. Murder, Rape, Torture, Abuse… All the evils of the world are a result of human behaviour and in most cases psychoses is used as an excuse.

Last reason for changing the name is that Sanguinarius was always linked to the vampiric and my music has nothing to do with that subject at all.

BTDH: Many of your portraits portray chaos and insanity. What do you make of this concept? Your goal is to project insanity through your music. How is this process achieved?

Musically, I use a lot of sound effects in the music to create and enhance the atmosphere of the story being told in the song. Just like they would use sound in a horror film to create tension or fear for example. Black Metal is the obvious choice for the music.

As it relates to lyrics, I like to creep into the minds of sinners and killers alike and write from their perspectives. I try to describe what I write in such detail that one would be able to visualize it.

I want to reflect the sound of the music and the content of the lyrics visually. I hope I achieve this…

Mankind is an endless vessel of inspiration. Rapists, Murderers, particularly serial killers, who usually have some sort of psychological damage, fascinate me.

BTDH: How important is this imagery to Verkrag’s music, for example you are currently seeking models to do rape scene pics?

Musicians and models have always made a great combination. Doing these pics are great for promotion both for the models and for my music and definitely enhances the imagery.

Some pics are up already on www.verkrag.com on the ‘Victims’ page. I am actually thinking about using some of those pics on t-shirts in future but will have a word with the models first of course.

BTDH: Tell us about the language in your country of South Africa?

South Africa has 11 official languages. Only 2 of them are white languages. English and Afrikaans. Afrikaans is a language that developed from 17th-century Dutch. Afrikaans to me seems like a dying language and I want to keep it alive. We have a very raw brutal sound in the way we speak so I will definitely use it in music in future.

BTDH: Has the language or culture inspired your work in any way?

Very much yes! South Africa is one of the countries with the highest crime rate. Murder rape and assault is a day to day occurance here. There is a big clash between the different cultures and our political system doesn’t seem to be helping in any way. One of my new songs was inspired by the black (Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi) cultures. The song is called ‘Sangoma’. A Sangoma is a traditional witchdoctor. They are very much the same as the Voodoo witchdoctors. The music features some tribal drums and black African screams in the background.

Another inspiration comes from the recent rumors of ‘Uhuru’ (another Black language word) which means “Operation white clean-up’. I thought that a racial war is a good theme for a song. The music will have a war sound to it with sirens etc to create the mood.

BTDH: You’re usually keeping busy online promoting the hell out of your projects, why so tame now?

Well I need something to promote first. With Sanguinarius the whole album was complete, t-shirts and even a music video was planned. Then the situation with the lyricist, so this time around I want to finish the album, have t-shirts printed and maybe do a music video. Then I’ll get back to promoting like crazy again.

BTDH: What is on the horizon for Verkrag? When should we expect to see a release?

Come hell or high water the debut album will be done by the end of this year. All the unreleased Sanguinarius songs have been re-recorded and will have new lyrics. Some songs will be in my language. Also I am working on 4 new songs at the moment.

BTDH: Any final comments?

Thanks to all the fans and friends for the support.