“FINSTERORT” Interview by Serhan Ustunol
Welcome to Metalheads Forever Magazine “Dermon” and thank you very much for your time. Let’s go…
Dermon, What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name?
The bands name is Finsterort. At the beginning 2008 it was written “Fhinsttteroath”. This “Fhinsttteroath” thing was only to have a unique looking name. But later i wanted the name to be written more “german” like. I was born in germany and i want my bandname in a readable writing. The origin of the name Finsterort is from my phantasy. In german “Finster” means dark and “Ort” means place. So the name is standing for every place in the world which is in no touch with the sun. It also stands for the inner darkness, the inner sadness, desperation and grief ppl can carry inside.
Finsterort is mostly placed into black metal, what are your musical influences?
Yes. Finsterort is black metal. Satanic black metal in MY own way to play it. On the way i play guitar i have been influcened by Dimebag Darrell, by Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa and Yngwie Malmsteen. Bands like Carpathian Forest, Gorgoroth, Satanic Warmaster, Inquisition, Shining, Urgehal, Dark Funeral, Immortal, Sargeist, Tsjuder, Kataklysm, Behemoth, Megadeth, Pantera, Crowbar, Black Label Society, Paradise Lost, Testament and Kreator inspire me to write my style of black metal.
Dermon, you sayed “Satanic black metal in MY own way to play it.” can you explain that a little more?
Yes, of course! With satanic black metal i mean having the guts to unfollow the existing trends in this genre. Expressing yourself with absolute zero compromise! No sellout blackmetal! I worship me as a kinda “Satan”. It is a very I-theistic view i developed myself over the years. I absolutely can identify with the character of Satan who appears in the bible,
because i always was an outsider at school, job training and now in my current life. I never fitted in and i already do not because i never was comfortable with my body/gender-role i was born! I knew at the age of 4 that im a girl trapped into a boy´s body. In ask for support my parents refused to help. They forced me over 22 years to live in a social male gender-construct-prison and my father violently forced me to identify myself as a male and to grow up to as male. I had no chance to walk my way. I was simply caged by them as same i was caged in my wrong gender i was born! After years of alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, self harming with razor blades and suicide attempts i finally came out in the end of 2014.
Now in my 27 years here on earth i lost my believe in a so called “God”, i lost my believe in justice, i lost friends and im getting hatredy by random ppl for transitioning. So i can identify with the biblical figure of Satan very well. I feel like an outcast because how most ppl treat me for being transgender! I feel not welcome because how most ppl behave to me and talk to me! As a transgender in germany you are getting diagnosed with “mental illness” because only in that way the healthy provider will help you! I´m not mentally ill! I KNOW EXACTLY WHO I AM!!! The behavior of my parents for example brought me to actions like alcohol abuse, cutting and suicide attempts! Not the fact that i was born in the wrong body! …I only needed the help to get things right! …which would have been a transition in my early years!
So. I feel lost! Betrayed by life! The only thing i can do is to believe in ME and MYSELF with giving a blast of bullshit about the others which are spreading hatredy on me! And THIS is what i mean with “satanic black metal in MY own way”! Im not wanting to be caged in any way again! I want absolute freedom of sound and freedom of topic in my black metal style! Fuck being “Trve”! Fuck that shit!
Sidenote: (Todays knowledge why transgenderism appears reaches to the time of pregnancy. It is a hormone instability which causes the transgenderism/born in the wrong body syndrom! For example: The brain is getting linked up as female (in my case) and when the hormone instability kicks in the body of the baby developes the opposite way (in my case male) ..I´m basically born with a female linked brain having a male body. I was supposed to be a girl! …BTW: It also happens in the opposite way as well! When you have a male linked brain and you are born as a female.)
How are you writing your music Dermon?
In Finsterort i write my music all alone. Most songs getting composed while jamming on guitar. I´m only able to write dark and tasty black metal riffs when i´m into a depression. It seems like i have an better connection with the black metal guitar sound when im down into a depression. I record my ideas with my Handy and when im in the mood to record a song i will play it into my computer via Audacity. On the early Finsterort stuff i used to play on an electric drum set which sounded really crappy. I´m not playing the drums anymore because of a rare disease i have. My legs and arms started to cripple when i played the drums and so i lost control for the beat. So i´m using a drum machine for that.
I continue playing the bass, the guitars on my works. I´m still trying to “sing” on my songs. Lyrics are getting on paper mostly every night and daytime. Sometimes something comes into my mind to write about like on “Hail Dementia” (A song about dementia and the positive view to forget all negative things in live ever happened) Or i´m searching for a topic which is actual at this time like on “Import terror” (which topics the whole refugee crisis in europe in a anti leftwing, anti rightwing, anti christian, anti radical islam, anti gutmensch and a very sceptical pro and anti refugee view)
How much CD´s do you have written with Finsterort?
Since i started Finsterort in 2008 i have had 6 releases. I have no physical CD´s ever made officially for sale.
2010: Christenkult (Full-lenght)
2012: To hail the ancients (EP)
2013: Reaching another sphere (EP)
2013: 100th. Anniversary of the fallen angel (Full-length)
2014: At warcourse against mankind (Full-length)
2016: Import terror (Full-length)
2016: Seelenschrei (Single)
Why do you have no CD´s or any physical material from Finsterort to offer?
I simply have no money for it to spend on. You can download all the releases on Bandcamp.com or you visit youtube. But in some time (when i´m having money for it) i want to do a small number of physical copies and some Finsterort patches.
Did you ever have had performed a gig with Finsterort? Or would you like to do?
No. I haven´t performed a gig with Finsterort yet. I would like to, but If you perform a gig complete alone you need a playback of all the missing instruments you are not playing live. And just playing isn´t that easy! You have to travel to the venue, you have to build up, you have to perform and then you have to travel home again. I see how it is live with Sucking Leech! (I play guitar in that band) and thinking to do all that shit completely alone is kinda too much for me! And i also cannot play the guitar while i try to sing at the same time! I really need the focus on the guitar! So. I´m doing no live gigs with Finsterort.
How can get fans access to your music?
As i said above use Bandcamp.com or youtube. You also can visit the Facebook page of Finsterort to be up to date for the newest weekly shit!
Any new Stuff you are writing on? Any plans for the future?
Yes. There is new stuff im currently writing on! I think i will release it in the end of 2017. This new thing will be called: “Gefängnis Körper” and will be a more depressive sounding black metal release. On this release i want to sing about my transition, how it feels to be caged in the wrong body. How it feels when society hates you because you are a transgender woman. How i´m struggeling with my past. It will be a very personal album for me because im singing about very private feelings, how i felt and feel, what scares me and what im fighting for.
…Basically i sing over my complete life in this upcoming album. The lyrics will be all in german language. A guest apperance of my good buddy “Sick Hanson” (from Sucking Leech) will be on that one as well and one or two bonus tracks will also be on there included!
Any last words for that interview?
Don´t follow a fucking trend! Refuse to be a sheep in the masses! Be a goat with horns of rebellion!!!
And last but not least: THANKS ALOT FOR THAT INTERVIEW!!!
Serhan Ustunol / MHF
“Hail Dementia”
