First off we’d like to thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us and also compliment you on your awesome “Ast” release.
There is no need to thank us. We thank you for the opportunity as well as the compliments to our most recent recording.
For those who may not know much about the band, can you briefly explain what you are about and how you came to be?
Skagos is about expression. Isaac and I first started the band as an outlet for certain ideas we had brewing in our heads and our
hearts. We find complete release in the creation of Skagos' music, a release that is merely a substitution, yet crucial to this modern,
bastardized form of existence. We attempt to channel subconscious and primal thought in to a single force of audible atavism that we
share with others who recognize the spark of life that still resides within them. We came to be through necessity and intent. I believe
that it was unavoidable.
What is the meaning of the name Skagos?
The name “Skagos” comes from a novel series by the writer George R. R. Martin, entitled “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Within the tale,
Skagos is an island which resides off of the northeast coast of the northern lands. While it is, technically, part of the “Seven Kingdoms”
they hold absolutely no allegiance. They are a wild people, without Leviathanic restraints of any kind. While other northerners regard
them as savage, unruly and tyrannous cannibals, the Skaggs are the most true to their ancestry.
It is not hard to decipher the metaphor, nor is it difficult to let the simple idea grow in to massive neural trails of philosophy, introspect
and imagination. In the old tongue, Skagos meant “Stone” and the people called themselves the Stone Born. They are children of the
earth, unfettered. It is this reality that the Northmen seem to fear so deeply. They watch, observe, and feel the emptiness inside of
themselves. They see people without restraints and it is this unchecked oraganicity, now complete mystery to them, that causes their
minds to shrivel within themselves. The Skaggs once raised in revolt, and nearly shook the delicate hierarchy of the Northmen off of
its most fragile axis, and it is this violent nostalgia that sends seething terror and hate to seep itself in to their souls. Skagos is an
ancient force reawakening itself, bursting from the shackled soul.
What influences helped shape the sound of Skagos? I see from your history that you were involved with the thrash and death metal
movements in the past. What caused the switch to this particular style?
Isaac and I have almost always played together since we first started playing music. As we moved through life, we ended up starting a
band with some friends as an outlet of our musical creativity. It did end up being reminiscent of Trash and Death metal, yes. I believe
what caused us to change our style was simple growth and thought. As our old group gained popularity, I was forced to stop and
consider, “Is this something that I want to keep supporting?” The quick answer was a resounding “no.” I moved on and worked on
other things, only to learn that Isaac had made the same choice, soon after I had. The band then carried on in our wake, only to
fizzle out after a year or so. However, Isaac and I were not done with one another. After rekindling our friendship, we met up again
to start writing some music from newly acquired perspectives. What we ended up creating was to become the “Demo 2007.” While
the sound and ideals of this release were incredibly primitive in comparison to what they would later become, we had effectively made
the shift to a new state of consciousness.
It has been mentioned on some Metal Information websites that your lyrical themes revolve around misanthropic and
environmental/nature themes. Do you think that these two themes are interrelated and how have they helped form what Skagos is
today?
That is a difficult question. The two themes are related just as extremely as they are not.
Our misanthropy comes from the world around us and our interactions within it. Our more organic themes come from our true passion
for the earth and area we call home. Both are responsible for one another. Why are we misanthropic? Because we see man
nefariously whittling away at the earth, her every creature and resource, without any sense of regard or appreciation, having only
profit in sight. We see humans destroying everything they have ever known to create a vastly empty niche and become completely
alien to their own planet. We are snared within institutions of control, coercion, dominance, and oppression. We are earth-rapers-
literally, we are motherfuckers. Why do we take such a strong focus on Nature? Because it is our true origin and home. We pay
homage to the mother that has tested us and helped us along since the ancient spawning vats in the Precambrian Sea. We plead for
simple forgiveness unto ourselves and to be disassociated with those around us who make us so sick. We focus on themes of ancient
times where we did not feel this corroding embarrassment for our species.
When we are spending time deep within Cascadian forests and we stop for a rest at a pure, unsullied stream, only to discover that its
course has been blocked by an old tire, the two influences become one. When we return to a location known for its wholesome
beauty and ancient wisdom, only to discover that the area has been plowed to make way for a highway extension, the two become
one. When we fight for all that we love through the malevolent onslaught of all that we loath, the two influences become one.
There are two basic ideologies that can most often fall under the catalyst of our emotions. The first suggests that the Human being is
some sort of sentinel being who has merely lost its path, while the second is adamant that the Human being is the cancer of our
planet. Skagos aligns itself with neither and both of these ideologies. From day to day, both hold merit.
While speaking of environmentalism, I noticed your MySpace page contains a few pictures that speak out against the 2010 Vancouver
winter games. What is your position regarding the games and what affect do you think it will have on your city/province?
While Skagos tries somewhat adamantly not to align itself with specific political movements or to assert itself as a politically focused
band in any way, this is an issue that must be confronted.
The Vancouver MMX Olympic games (appropriately awarded the pseudonym, The Security Games) bring bile to my tongue, seething
rage to my face, and an unquenchable sorrow deep within me. There is a large group of people in B.C., who are very opposed to the
games, but this is Kanada after all, the most lethargically passive nation on earth, so of course, no one does anything about anything.
However, there is an even smaller group who acts against it.
I believe that best way to go about explaining my hatred is to give you the ten most prevalent reasons as to why we oppose the
Olympics.
1. Colonialism and Fascism:
The roots of racism and fascism go deep within the Olympics. The long history goes all the way back to an early founding member,
Pierre de Coubertin, a French Baron who advocated sports as a way to strengthen Colonialist empires. Flash forward to the 1936
games, held in Berlin during the Nazi regime, which were used as a means to showcase the “advantage and superiority” of his
“incredible Aryan athletes.” There were obviously many groups barred from participating in these games. Later on, in 1968, during the
Olympic Games held in Mexico City, over 300 student protesters were massacred, helping to legitimatize State Terror. The
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president of the time, Avery Brundage, a known fascist and Nazi-sympathizer, didn’t even
acknowledge the event. Later on in the games, when two black athletes stood upon the podium and raised their fists in an alleged
“Black Power salute” they were immediately stripped of their medals. Both the 1988 Seoul and 2008 Beijing Summer Games helped to
legitimize authoritarian regimes in Asia. Another well-known, note-worthy fascist IOC president, reigning from 1980-2001, named Juan
Samarach, was a former government official in Franco’s fascist regime in Spain. And now, we arrive upon 2010, the Vancouver Winter
Games, and we have every single example of oppression, racism, fascism and colonialism ever evident in the Olympic Games. This will
be explained further down the list.
2. No Olympics on Stolen Native Land
B.C. is a province that remains largely unseeded and on non-surrendered indigenous territories. According to Kanadian law, B.C. has
neither the legal nor moral right to exist, let alone claim land and govern over Native people. This is a stolen, unjust land. Despite this,
and the fraudulent treaty process under way, the Government continues to sell the Native lands that they do not own for corporate
and industrial development, logging, fishing, mining, oil and gas, etc. Meanwhile, the indigenous population suffers the highest
demographics of poverty unemployment, imprisonment, police violence, disease, suicides, and so on. And yet the IOC tries to push
that these games are beneficial to the local Native cultures. Hell, they even try to push the unfathomable bullshit that the games are
encouraged by the native peoples!
3. Environmental Destruction
Despite massive claims that this is the “greenest Olympic Games to date,” the truth speaks the exact opposite. This is the single most
environmentally destructive Olympic Games to have ever occurred. Insane amounts of old-growth forests have been clear-cut to make
way for the Games. Mountainsides have been blasted away and the land completely reshaped for Olympic venues in the Callaghan
Valley (near Whistler) and the Ski-To-Sky highways. There have been 11 Black Bear fatalities since to Ski-To-Die highway opened,
being as it intrudes completely on some areas that may have never ever seen a car. Massive amounts of gravel have been harvests
from the Fraser River for concrete, which has caused the death of millions of Salmon so far, not to mention all the other aquatic
species. The most recent structure announced for Olympic venues, the Speed Skating arena, was built on top of a conservational
Wetland. It seems that the Olympic Games has precedents over these legally zoned conservational areas. If none of that is enough,
they have added to the audacity of it all by suggesting their intent to incorporate Seal-skin on to this year’s Kanadian Olympic uniform.
4. Homelessness
Since the 2010 Winter Olympics were announced, Vancouver has lost over 850 units of low-income housing. During this same period,
homelessness has increased from 1,000 people to over 3,000. It is estimated that by the time the games approach, the over 6,000
people will be made homeless for the development of high-class condos and hotels. Instead of solving the problem, VANOC
(Vancouver Olympic Committee) simply tries to hide it. Since the announcement of the games, street-vending has been outlawed as
well as going through garbage cans (the cans themselves being redesigned to be nearly impossible to get in to) in an attempt to
imprison and hide the homeless population for the duration of the games. Police have been issuing tickets and fines to homeless
people for things like jaywalking more and more frequently. Of course, the homeless people do not have the money to pay these
fines and often have no way to get to court dates. This constitutes for more arrests. The ones who cannot be arrested are relocated
by making all benches unable to be laid down upon, and offers to be relocated to live in shipping crates on Vancouver Island. As a final
measure, the homeless thought to have a drug problem are sent up to “detox-centers” in northern B.C. on old military bases. VANOC
isn’t fooling anyone. The centers are simply dolled-up concentration camps to house an undesired population for the duration of B.C.’s
global spotlight. VANOC has taken this lesson directly from the 1936 Nazi games in which “undesirable populations” (read Jewish,
Roma) were locked up for the duration of the games.
5. Criminalization of the Poor
On top of all that has been mentioned above, Vancouver has put hundreds of thousands of dollars in to increased private security for
the Downtown area. All of this comes to no less than “Social Cleansing.”
6. Impact on Women
Events such as the Olympics draw hundreds of thousands of people in to the city, causing large increases in activities such as
prostitution and trafficking of women. Vancouver currently suffers a quite an extreme problem of missing or murdered women. It is
highly expected that all of these issues will increase with the coming of the Games.
7. 2010 Police State
Over twelve thousand police, military and security personnel are to be deployed for the Security Games, including riot cops,
helicopters, even armoured vehicles. The RCMP plans to erect 40km of crowd-control fencing along with CCTV Surveillance cameras.
Special security zones will be established to control entry in to city districts. For three weeks, Vancouver will be an occupied police
state, and there is no certainty that these measures be removed (such as the CCTV Cameras.)
Repression also involves attacks on Anti-Olympic groups and individuals, including arrests of protesters, raids of offices, surveillance,
media smear campaigns, cuts to funding programs, so on and so forth, all in an effort to undermine those who resist that Olympics.
This repression has already been used against anti-poverty and housing groups, environmentalists and Natives, in Vancouver. (I know
people personally who have been approached by police, being harassed and asked to give dirt on their associates. Leper and Mutiny
even canceled their US tour party because of the attention they had already drawn, knowing that getting across the border would
be next to impossible.)
8. Public Debt
VANOC and Government officials claim that the Olympic Games will cost upwards to two-billion dollars. However, this amount does not
include the Sea-to-Die highway expansion, the Canada Line Skytrain to the airport, the Vancouver Convention Center, or the lower
mainland Gateway Project. To include these costs, which were necessary to win the bid for the Games and had to be completed by
2010, makes the true cost somewhere near six-billion dollars, which will be paid by public debt. All of this money could have been used
to pay for social services, housing programs, drug treatment, healthcare, etc. Instead, we pay to worsen each and every issue. Not to
mention, every project thus far has gone grossly over budget.
9. Olympic Corruption
The modern Olympics are well known for their corruption, including both top IOC officials involved in bribery scandals (i.e. Salt Lake
City 2002) or athletes found to be using performance-enhancing drugs (such as steroids). Yet the IOC still claims the youth need an
inspiration and a “model” of good sportsmanship! Despite published reports of bribery scandals involving IOC members and host cities (i.
e., The New Lords of the Rings, by Andrew Jennings), the Olympics continue to be seen as an honorable & noble enterprise, thanks
to the corporate media.
10. Corporate Invasion
Government and business use the Olympics as a way to attract corporate investment. In BC, the Liberal government has “streamlined”
application processes, cut taxes, and offered other incentives to increase certain industries, such as mining, oil and gas, drilling, and ski
resorts. This includes large increases in transport systems, including new ports, bridges, expanded highways (we’ve already seen the
Ski-to-Die) and rail lines. This is all part of their investment strategy for 2010. The results have been dramatic, record breaking
increases in these industries, resulting in greater environmental destruction and more corporate power and influence over our daily
lives. The Urban sprawl grows during the Olympics like a mold in the perfect environment, like a virus in a room full of children.
Many of the main corporate sponsors of the Olympics are themselves responsible for massive ecological destruction and human rights
violation, including McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Petro-Canada (being the most destructive gas company on earth,) TransCanada, Dow, Teck
Cominco, etc., while others are major arms manufacturers, like General Electric and General Motors.
Over all, the Olympics are a massive shitstorm of everything that we hate. It is a plague of corporate bigotry and control; an epidemic
of industrial expansion and social oppression. And all for what? A three week party for the world’s financial elite in which we get to
figure out who can go down a hill on a board quickest, and who can ice skate real’ well. It is sickening. To learn more you can visit
www.no2010.com. Pick up the fight and resist the Security Games! The War of 2010 rages on.
Your sound to me is very unique. I can spot some minor similarities to other bands but the beauty of your release is that it never stays
constant and is always changing. During the songwriting process is this something that is consciously thought out or do you allow the
music to evolve naturally and have no limits on whatever comes to be?
Well, we don’t so much have a “songwriting” process. Most of what we record is improvised, or written seconds before we hit the
“record” button. However, we make sure to stay very conscious and influenced by the direction that the song wants to lean. By
simply listening, the song will tell you where to go next. With the method of writing and recording that we use, improvisation, the
songs develop however our subconscious would like them to. The undercurrents of your mind are always speaking to you. The issues
is that most people either don’t know how to, or have learned to ignore them. And yes, we never allow the music to have a “limit.” If
it evolves in to something totally strange and unplanned, we are happy with this result, so long as it is the correct expression for the
particular piece. If the song strays off course by lack of concentration or simply an idea that didn’t work, we will correct ourselves.
Do you feel that the natural Canadian environment that surrounds you in Vancouver has aided in the overall sound, lyricism, or visuals
aspects of Skagos?
The Kanadian environment has done very little to inspire us, specifically. I know nothing of the beaches on Prince Edward Island, nor
of the ripping cold in Northern Climates. The prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan depress me with their complete lack of familiarity
and I know nothing of Hudson Bay. Skagos aligns itself with ideals of romanticism, and in that, Cascadia. Cascadia is a unifying title for
the Pacific North West. It is also important to know that we do not live in or near Vancouver, we like on Vancouver Island, in the
Komoux Valley (on unseeded Coast Salish territory, I might add.).
Sound, Lyricism and visual aspects of Skagos are very, very much inspired by the local environment and Cascadia in general. It is such a
powerful part of our every day lives that it is hardly possible to go untouched.
Are you interested in any music that is coming out these days? Anything you would consider to be a peer or an influence?
We are definitely interested in music that is coming out these days. It is an interesting time to live on the West Coast. There are tons
of seriously intriguing, very active bands constantly pushing the boundaries and offering something new. I don't understand it when
someone is only interested in music that came out during a certain time frame. Concerning our genre, Black Metal, it is undeniable that
the earliest bands had a certain idiomatic misanthrope and wisdom to them (comparable to both the ancient wisdom of an elder, and
the simplistic brilliance of a child,) but that is what makes modern music so interesting. Who is out there desperately trying to attach
themselves to a cultural movement that simply cannot be recreated (or, in other words, playing the role of the intellectual-materialist)
and who is trying to advance or draw upon olde ideas and create something personal and expansive?
I consider those appropriately participating in the Casadian Black Metal movement to be both peers and influences. I don't want to
start listing bands, as I know I'd have to leave out too many. All I can really say is, you know who you are! Modern influences from
abroad would include acts like Thou, Year of No Light, Panopticon, Stormcrow, Skaven, Asunder... the list is long, so I'll leave it brief.
Lastly, what can we expect from Skagos in the future? Any plans of further releases? Plans of live performances in the works?
The future of Skagos is bathed in mystery. If I may quote, we are off “into the swallowing mist.” Isaac has himself situated in Montreal
and I am relocating to start playing bass for Iskra as well experimenting with a few other ideas I have. We have, however, recorded a
second full-length that is just now being mixed and having the final touches put on it that will be out in the future. We have a 3-way-
split coming out with Panopticon and Throndt early next year, I believe, as well. In the distant Skagos future, I am wanting to
experiment outside of Black Metal with some seriously primal influences and directions.
All live performances were done with Kamlaniye and are finished. Perhaps one day in the future we could reunite for another live
ritual, but really why knows?
Thanks for the interview and congratulations on your terrific release. Any final comments or contact information you would like to
share?
I'd like to thank you again for the opportunity to express our thoughts in a direct outlet. You can contact us with any questions by
sending an E-mail to rayhawes@hotmail.com I would offer an address for trve-analog-mail, but both Isaac and I are rather mobile of
late. Hail Cascadia. Fight the War of 2010. Actualize industrial collapse. Support the E.L.F.
WEB: http://myspace.com/skagos
There is no need to thank us. We thank you for the opportunity as well as the compliments to our most recent recording.
For those who may not know much about the band, can you briefly explain what you are about and how you came to be?
Skagos is about expression. Isaac and I first started the band as an outlet for certain ideas we had brewing in our heads and our
hearts. We find complete release in the creation of Skagos' music, a release that is merely a substitution, yet crucial to this modern,
bastardized form of existence. We attempt to channel subconscious and primal thought in to a single force of audible atavism that we
share with others who recognize the spark of life that still resides within them. We came to be through necessity and intent. I believe
that it was unavoidable.
What is the meaning of the name Skagos?
The name “Skagos” comes from a novel series by the writer George R. R. Martin, entitled “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Within the tale,
Skagos is an island which resides off of the northeast coast of the northern lands. While it is, technically, part of the “Seven Kingdoms”
they hold absolutely no allegiance. They are a wild people, without Leviathanic restraints of any kind. While other northerners regard
them as savage, unruly and tyrannous cannibals, the Skaggs are the most true to their ancestry.
It is not hard to decipher the metaphor, nor is it difficult to let the simple idea grow in to massive neural trails of philosophy, introspect
and imagination. In the old tongue, Skagos meant “Stone” and the people called themselves the Stone Born. They are children of the
earth, unfettered. It is this reality that the Northmen seem to fear so deeply. They watch, observe, and feel the emptiness inside of
themselves. They see people without restraints and it is this unchecked oraganicity, now complete mystery to them, that causes their
minds to shrivel within themselves. The Skaggs once raised in revolt, and nearly shook the delicate hierarchy of the Northmen off of
its most fragile axis, and it is this violent nostalgia that sends seething terror and hate to seep itself in to their souls. Skagos is an
ancient force reawakening itself, bursting from the shackled soul.
What influences helped shape the sound of Skagos? I see from your history that you were involved with the thrash and death metal
movements in the past. What caused the switch to this particular style?
Isaac and I have almost always played together since we first started playing music. As we moved through life, we ended up starting a
band with some friends as an outlet of our musical creativity. It did end up being reminiscent of Trash and Death metal, yes. I believe
what caused us to change our style was simple growth and thought. As our old group gained popularity, I was forced to stop and
consider, “Is this something that I want to keep supporting?” The quick answer was a resounding “no.” I moved on and worked on
other things, only to learn that Isaac had made the same choice, soon after I had. The band then carried on in our wake, only to
fizzle out after a year or so. However, Isaac and I were not done with one another. After rekindling our friendship, we met up again
to start writing some music from newly acquired perspectives. What we ended up creating was to become the “Demo 2007.” While
the sound and ideals of this release were incredibly primitive in comparison to what they would later become, we had effectively made
the shift to a new state of consciousness.
It has been mentioned on some Metal Information websites that your lyrical themes revolve around misanthropic and
environmental/nature themes. Do you think that these two themes are interrelated and how have they helped form what Skagos is
today?
That is a difficult question. The two themes are related just as extremely as they are not.
Our misanthropy comes from the world around us and our interactions within it. Our more organic themes come from our true passion
for the earth and area we call home. Both are responsible for one another. Why are we misanthropic? Because we see man
nefariously whittling away at the earth, her every creature and resource, without any sense of regard or appreciation, having only
profit in sight. We see humans destroying everything they have ever known to create a vastly empty niche and become completely
alien to their own planet. We are snared within institutions of control, coercion, dominance, and oppression. We are earth-rapers-
literally, we are motherfuckers. Why do we take such a strong focus on Nature? Because it is our true origin and home. We pay
homage to the mother that has tested us and helped us along since the ancient spawning vats in the Precambrian Sea. We plead for
simple forgiveness unto ourselves and to be disassociated with those around us who make us so sick. We focus on themes of ancient
times where we did not feel this corroding embarrassment for our species.
When we are spending time deep within Cascadian forests and we stop for a rest at a pure, unsullied stream, only to discover that its
course has been blocked by an old tire, the two influences become one. When we return to a location known for its wholesome
beauty and ancient wisdom, only to discover that the area has been plowed to make way for a highway extension, the two become
one. When we fight for all that we love through the malevolent onslaught of all that we loath, the two influences become one.
There are two basic ideologies that can most often fall under the catalyst of our emotions. The first suggests that the Human being is
some sort of sentinel being who has merely lost its path, while the second is adamant that the Human being is the cancer of our
planet. Skagos aligns itself with neither and both of these ideologies. From day to day, both hold merit.
While speaking of environmentalism, I noticed your MySpace page contains a few pictures that speak out against the 2010 Vancouver
winter games. What is your position regarding the games and what affect do you think it will have on your city/province?
While Skagos tries somewhat adamantly not to align itself with specific political movements or to assert itself as a politically focused
band in any way, this is an issue that must be confronted.
The Vancouver MMX Olympic games (appropriately awarded the pseudonym, The Security Games) bring bile to my tongue, seething
rage to my face, and an unquenchable sorrow deep within me. There is a large group of people in B.C., who are very opposed to the
games, but this is Kanada after all, the most lethargically passive nation on earth, so of course, no one does anything about anything.
However, there is an even smaller group who acts against it.
I believe that best way to go about explaining my hatred is to give you the ten most prevalent reasons as to why we oppose the
Olympics.
1. Colonialism and Fascism:
The roots of racism and fascism go deep within the Olympics. The long history goes all the way back to an early founding member,
Pierre de Coubertin, a French Baron who advocated sports as a way to strengthen Colonialist empires. Flash forward to the 1936
games, held in Berlin during the Nazi regime, which were used as a means to showcase the “advantage and superiority” of his
“incredible Aryan athletes.” There were obviously many groups barred from participating in these games. Later on, in 1968, during the
Olympic Games held in Mexico City, over 300 student protesters were massacred, helping to legitimatize State Terror. The
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president of the time, Avery Brundage, a known fascist and Nazi-sympathizer, didn’t even
acknowledge the event. Later on in the games, when two black athletes stood upon the podium and raised their fists in an alleged
“Black Power salute” they were immediately stripped of their medals. Both the 1988 Seoul and 2008 Beijing Summer Games helped to
legitimize authoritarian regimes in Asia. Another well-known, note-worthy fascist IOC president, reigning from 1980-2001, named Juan
Samarach, was a former government official in Franco’s fascist regime in Spain. And now, we arrive upon 2010, the Vancouver Winter
Games, and we have every single example of oppression, racism, fascism and colonialism ever evident in the Olympic Games. This will
be explained further down the list.
2. No Olympics on Stolen Native Land
B.C. is a province that remains largely unseeded and on non-surrendered indigenous territories. According to Kanadian law, B.C. has
neither the legal nor moral right to exist, let alone claim land and govern over Native people. This is a stolen, unjust land. Despite this,
and the fraudulent treaty process under way, the Government continues to sell the Native lands that they do not own for corporate
and industrial development, logging, fishing, mining, oil and gas, etc. Meanwhile, the indigenous population suffers the highest
demographics of poverty unemployment, imprisonment, police violence, disease, suicides, and so on. And yet the IOC tries to push
that these games are beneficial to the local Native cultures. Hell, they even try to push the unfathomable bullshit that the games are
encouraged by the native peoples!
3. Environmental Destruction
Despite massive claims that this is the “greenest Olympic Games to date,” the truth speaks the exact opposite. This is the single most
environmentally destructive Olympic Games to have ever occurred. Insane amounts of old-growth forests have been clear-cut to make
way for the Games. Mountainsides have been blasted away and the land completely reshaped for Olympic venues in the Callaghan
Valley (near Whistler) and the Ski-To-Sky highways. There have been 11 Black Bear fatalities since to Ski-To-Die highway opened,
being as it intrudes completely on some areas that may have never ever seen a car. Massive amounts of gravel have been harvests
from the Fraser River for concrete, which has caused the death of millions of Salmon so far, not to mention all the other aquatic
species. The most recent structure announced for Olympic venues, the Speed Skating arena, was built on top of a conservational
Wetland. It seems that the Olympic Games has precedents over these legally zoned conservational areas. If none of that is enough,
they have added to the audacity of it all by suggesting their intent to incorporate Seal-skin on to this year’s Kanadian Olympic uniform.
4. Homelessness
Since the 2010 Winter Olympics were announced, Vancouver has lost over 850 units of low-income housing. During this same period,
homelessness has increased from 1,000 people to over 3,000. It is estimated that by the time the games approach, the over 6,000
people will be made homeless for the development of high-class condos and hotels. Instead of solving the problem, VANOC
(Vancouver Olympic Committee) simply tries to hide it. Since the announcement of the games, street-vending has been outlawed as
well as going through garbage cans (the cans themselves being redesigned to be nearly impossible to get in to) in an attempt to
imprison and hide the homeless population for the duration of the games. Police have been issuing tickets and fines to homeless
people for things like jaywalking more and more frequently. Of course, the homeless people do not have the money to pay these
fines and often have no way to get to court dates. This constitutes for more arrests. The ones who cannot be arrested are relocated
by making all benches unable to be laid down upon, and offers to be relocated to live in shipping crates on Vancouver Island. As a final
measure, the homeless thought to have a drug problem are sent up to “detox-centers” in northern B.C. on old military bases. VANOC
isn’t fooling anyone. The centers are simply dolled-up concentration camps to house an undesired population for the duration of B.C.’s
global spotlight. VANOC has taken this lesson directly from the 1936 Nazi games in which “undesirable populations” (read Jewish,
Roma) were locked up for the duration of the games.
5. Criminalization of the Poor
On top of all that has been mentioned above, Vancouver has put hundreds of thousands of dollars in to increased private security for
the Downtown area. All of this comes to no less than “Social Cleansing.”
6. Impact on Women
Events such as the Olympics draw hundreds of thousands of people in to the city, causing large increases in activities such as
prostitution and trafficking of women. Vancouver currently suffers a quite an extreme problem of missing or murdered women. It is
highly expected that all of these issues will increase with the coming of the Games.
7. 2010 Police State
Over twelve thousand police, military and security personnel are to be deployed for the Security Games, including riot cops,
helicopters, even armoured vehicles. The RCMP plans to erect 40km of crowd-control fencing along with CCTV Surveillance cameras.
Special security zones will be established to control entry in to city districts. For three weeks, Vancouver will be an occupied police
state, and there is no certainty that these measures be removed (such as the CCTV Cameras.)
Repression also involves attacks on Anti-Olympic groups and individuals, including arrests of protesters, raids of offices, surveillance,
media smear campaigns, cuts to funding programs, so on and so forth, all in an effort to undermine those who resist that Olympics.
This repression has already been used against anti-poverty and housing groups, environmentalists and Natives, in Vancouver. (I know
people personally who have been approached by police, being harassed and asked to give dirt on their associates. Leper and Mutiny
even canceled their US tour party because of the attention they had already drawn, knowing that getting across the border would
be next to impossible.)
8. Public Debt
VANOC and Government officials claim that the Olympic Games will cost upwards to two-billion dollars. However, this amount does not
include the Sea-to-Die highway expansion, the Canada Line Skytrain to the airport, the Vancouver Convention Center, or the lower
mainland Gateway Project. To include these costs, which were necessary to win the bid for the Games and had to be completed by
2010, makes the true cost somewhere near six-billion dollars, which will be paid by public debt. All of this money could have been used
to pay for social services, housing programs, drug treatment, healthcare, etc. Instead, we pay to worsen each and every issue. Not to
mention, every project thus far has gone grossly over budget.
9. Olympic Corruption
The modern Olympics are well known for their corruption, including both top IOC officials involved in bribery scandals (i.e. Salt Lake
City 2002) or athletes found to be using performance-enhancing drugs (such as steroids). Yet the IOC still claims the youth need an
inspiration and a “model” of good sportsmanship! Despite published reports of bribery scandals involving IOC members and host cities (i.
e., The New Lords of the Rings, by Andrew Jennings), the Olympics continue to be seen as an honorable & noble enterprise, thanks
to the corporate media.
10. Corporate Invasion
Government and business use the Olympics as a way to attract corporate investment. In BC, the Liberal government has “streamlined”
application processes, cut taxes, and offered other incentives to increase certain industries, such as mining, oil and gas, drilling, and ski
resorts. This includes large increases in transport systems, including new ports, bridges, expanded highways (we’ve already seen the
Ski-to-Die) and rail lines. This is all part of their investment strategy for 2010. The results have been dramatic, record breaking
increases in these industries, resulting in greater environmental destruction and more corporate power and influence over our daily
lives. The Urban sprawl grows during the Olympics like a mold in the perfect environment, like a virus in a room full of children.
Many of the main corporate sponsors of the Olympics are themselves responsible for massive ecological destruction and human rights
violation, including McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Petro-Canada (being the most destructive gas company on earth,) TransCanada, Dow, Teck
Cominco, etc., while others are major arms manufacturers, like General Electric and General Motors.
Over all, the Olympics are a massive shitstorm of everything that we hate. It is a plague of corporate bigotry and control; an epidemic
of industrial expansion and social oppression. And all for what? A three week party for the world’s financial elite in which we get to
figure out who can go down a hill on a board quickest, and who can ice skate real’ well. It is sickening. To learn more you can visit
www.no2010.com. Pick up the fight and resist the Security Games! The War of 2010 rages on.
Your sound to me is very unique. I can spot some minor similarities to other bands but the beauty of your release is that it never stays
constant and is always changing. During the songwriting process is this something that is consciously thought out or do you allow the
music to evolve naturally and have no limits on whatever comes to be?
Well, we don’t so much have a “songwriting” process. Most of what we record is improvised, or written seconds before we hit the
“record” button. However, we make sure to stay very conscious and influenced by the direction that the song wants to lean. By
simply listening, the song will tell you where to go next. With the method of writing and recording that we use, improvisation, the
songs develop however our subconscious would like them to. The undercurrents of your mind are always speaking to you. The issues
is that most people either don’t know how to, or have learned to ignore them. And yes, we never allow the music to have a “limit.” If
it evolves in to something totally strange and unplanned, we are happy with this result, so long as it is the correct expression for the
particular piece. If the song strays off course by lack of concentration or simply an idea that didn’t work, we will correct ourselves.
Do you feel that the natural Canadian environment that surrounds you in Vancouver has aided in the overall sound, lyricism, or visuals
aspects of Skagos?
The Kanadian environment has done very little to inspire us, specifically. I know nothing of the beaches on Prince Edward Island, nor
of the ripping cold in Northern Climates. The prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan depress me with their complete lack of familiarity
and I know nothing of Hudson Bay. Skagos aligns itself with ideals of romanticism, and in that, Cascadia. Cascadia is a unifying title for
the Pacific North West. It is also important to know that we do not live in or near Vancouver, we like on Vancouver Island, in the
Komoux Valley (on unseeded Coast Salish territory, I might add.).
Sound, Lyricism and visual aspects of Skagos are very, very much inspired by the local environment and Cascadia in general. It is such a
powerful part of our every day lives that it is hardly possible to go untouched.
Are you interested in any music that is coming out these days? Anything you would consider to be a peer or an influence?
We are definitely interested in music that is coming out these days. It is an interesting time to live on the West Coast. There are tons
of seriously intriguing, very active bands constantly pushing the boundaries and offering something new. I don't understand it when
someone is only interested in music that came out during a certain time frame. Concerning our genre, Black Metal, it is undeniable that
the earliest bands had a certain idiomatic misanthrope and wisdom to them (comparable to both the ancient wisdom of an elder, and
the simplistic brilliance of a child,) but that is what makes modern music so interesting. Who is out there desperately trying to attach
themselves to a cultural movement that simply cannot be recreated (or, in other words, playing the role of the intellectual-materialist)
and who is trying to advance or draw upon olde ideas and create something personal and expansive?
I consider those appropriately participating in the Casadian Black Metal movement to be both peers and influences. I don't want to
start listing bands, as I know I'd have to leave out too many. All I can really say is, you know who you are! Modern influences from
abroad would include acts like Thou, Year of No Light, Panopticon, Stormcrow, Skaven, Asunder... the list is long, so I'll leave it brief.
Lastly, what can we expect from Skagos in the future? Any plans of further releases? Plans of live performances in the works?
The future of Skagos is bathed in mystery. If I may quote, we are off “into the swallowing mist.” Isaac has himself situated in Montreal
and I am relocating to start playing bass for Iskra as well experimenting with a few other ideas I have. We have, however, recorded a
second full-length that is just now being mixed and having the final touches put on it that will be out in the future. We have a 3-way-
split coming out with Panopticon and Throndt early next year, I believe, as well. In the distant Skagos future, I am wanting to
experiment outside of Black Metal with some seriously primal influences and directions.
All live performances were done with Kamlaniye and are finished. Perhaps one day in the future we could reunite for another live
ritual, but really why knows?
Thanks for the interview and congratulations on your terrific release. Any final comments or contact information you would like to
share?
I'd like to thank you again for the opportunity to express our thoughts in a direct outlet. You can contact us with any questions by
sending an E-mail to rayhawes@hotmail.com I would offer an address for trve-analog-mail, but both Isaac and I are rather mobile of
late. Hail Cascadia. Fight the War of 2010. Actualize industrial collapse. Support the E.L.F.
WEB: http://myspace.com/skagos
Interview by: K.N.
