Watain was always seen as a joke band within the black metal scene. Something not to be taken that seriously, much like modern Dimmu Borgir - except Dimmu Borgir were once good at playing black metal.
A better example would be the German band Nargaroth, a band that exists almost solely on hype and relies exclusively on edgy metal interviews to generate media attention. Only, once again, Nargaroth once played good music. Watain...? Not so much.
Watain has such a horrible reputation for being low-tier mallcore sellouts that, within the extreme metal underground, a famous idiom has surfaced. Instead of saying "that recent album by Emperor sucks!" metal fans will say "Emperor just made a new Watain (turd), they disgraced their legacy".
So associated with pop culture and everything metal rejects that Watain was even nominated for Emmys in Sweden, trophies that usually go to pop artists like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and occasionally the nu-metal band like Slipknot.
Erik Danielsson (Watain) Answers Back at the Haters
But Watain's frontman E, real name "Erik Danielsson", isn't the type to let this type of negative attention distract him from his craft. In addition to playing in Watain, Danielsson has also played bass in the death metal band Morbid (albeit no member of the band could confirm it), and in the controversial NS affiliated band Blood Fire Death, the name coming from a famous Bathory album. In fact, the name "Watain" itself comes from a Von track from their early demo Satanic Blood Angel.
Watain's E on Dissection, Von, Marduk influences
In a recent interview for the book "Racist Metal" by Antoine Grand, Watain's frontman Erik Danielsson, better known under his pseudonym E, addressed some allegations about his ties to the NSBM scene, as well as his links to Dissection and Nödtveidt Misanthropic Luciferian Order (accused by some of having ties to the Swedish far-right).
When asked if he, like Jon Nödtveidt (Dissection) and Famine (KPN), sees himself as a "National Satanist", Danielsson's reply is clear.
Erik Danielsson: Satanism is the iron path of the elect, a temple into which very few men will ever enter.Antoine Grand: Have you personally got any affiliations with the MLO (Misanthropic Luciferian Order)?
Erik Danielsson: They are the only Satanic organisation that I fully support.
Danielsson is also questioned about the controversy involving him wearing an Absurd t-shirt - a band some have accused of being NS adjacent - and doing roman (H-tler) salutes along with guitarist Set Teitan in 2018, at and after a concert in Vienna, notably next to a WW2 memorial. This is the incident that got Watain dropped from Century Media, a controversy we already wrote about some time ago.
Erik Danielsson: Am I surprised it got the reaction it did? Not the slightest.Antoine Grand: That legendary T-Shirt you always wear on stage seems to be surviving.
Erik Danielsson: Yes I always wear the same one, its sticking together. I think it has another couple of years.
Some have suggested that Watain's recent turn to "edgy" politics was a deliberate and calculated move to distract from the abject metalcore that is their discography - their recent release The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain was a new low, even for them, both in terms of sales and reception.
Watain: "If you don't face opposition as a black metal band, you are doing something wrong"
For some reason, Watain - despite being a metalcore clown act - has managed to tour with much more serious bands, such as Behemoth (while they are a sellout, they are also "big") and Marduk (not a sellout).
These two bands recently had their shows cancelled by threats of violence made by anti-fascist protesters. This of course has led to question Watain's stance on the issue - which is also one of the subjects of the book (pages 341 to 377).
Antoine Grand: What are your thoughts on the recent deplatforming of Marduk and Swedish black metal bands, who had their their shows interrupted and were even temporarily banned from Spotify and other music streaming platforms?Erik Danielsson: If you don't face opposition as a black metal band from people who are very concerned with upholding western moral ethical standards, then I think you are doing something wrong. There has to be opposition like that. [...] These things, the devil always wins. It's an old lesson learned. If people want to try to fight him, be my guest. It's a battle lost before it's even begun for these people.
"The devil always wins" says Danielsson. Wise words? It's the type of thing Euronymous would have said in the early Norwegian black metal scene, but many saw this type of "trve Satanic devil worship" as childish cosplay... Euronymous himself didn't take it very seriously either. But Watain? They are a band known for pushing the limits of what's acceptable to say. Who knows what Watain truly believes. Not many people like their metalcore music though.
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