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Unchain the Underground is proud to present an interview with Warharan of:
Warharan is a very prolific musician, best known for his projects MOAT, THE DOCTOR, LUFTWAFFE RAID and ACHAEMENID. His works
are varied, from MOAT’s primal black metal to the mindfuck that is THE DOCTOR. Al Kikuras picked at his brain to find out what is
behind some of his projects, as well as the man, himself.
Interviewed by Al Kikuras.
 Please give me a run down of the projects you are currently involved in.
MOAT can be considered the oldest band. However, it originally started under the name of DARKNESS RAVENING, which was themed on dark medieval fantasy. It was created in late 96, early 97 when I
was living in San Diego. The end of 98 when I moved back to Orange County, I met a drummer and we recorded some rehearsals and such. We relatively stayed stagnant
. Shortly after I was jamming with another drummer and again there are some old rehearsal recordings we did. The MOAT name came around in 2001 and I later decided to officially change the
name of DARKNESS RAVENING to MOAT. I thought the MOAT name portrayed the feeling of the music better and felt the name DARKNESS RAVENING was somehow cursed since the band went
nowhere in so many years. Some of the old DARKNESS RAVENING songs, which I wasn't too happy with were hacked up and used in several MOAT songs when the conversion took place.
Incorporating old riffs with new ones worked very well, as now I am quite happy with the all the MOAT songs. However, none of those riffs appeared on the first MOAT release. The name change
was definitely a positive to get things moving.
DARKNESS RAVENING. That was a hell of a logo (and in the Illegible Logo Rodeo). Did you tell the guy to make it impossible to read?
No. The artist was just weird. A great artist too. He was asked to do artwork for Spawn: The Dark Ages.
How about ACHAEMENID?
This one started in 2001. Themed on the Ancient Persian Empire and the old Pagan Persian gods. Which is very similar to the Nordic, Greek, and Roman gods. Musically I wanted a more technical,
fast and aggressive sound. The demo was recorded that year, yet it took nearly 2 years to get released. Soon after the demo's release, the other 2 members got busy doing other things and are
no longer involved. As I mentioned before, a couple guys from Cultus are filling in for the new 7 inch.
 LUFTWAFFE RAID started in 2002 based on WW2, mostly the German side. I'm a big WW2 fan. I
found that era and the events quite fascinating. Musically, I wanted a chaotic sound yet to portray a lot of atmosphere. Almost like a historical lecture using music and sound clips.
That's how the "Empire" album came to be. It took me 6 months to put that album together. I took short breaks and recorded songs for the 2nd release, "Paradox".
"Paradox", however, is a lot more conventional than "Empire".
THE DOCTOR I thought of back in 2003. However, I didn't record the debut until April 2004. I spent a whole week putting the album together. I was bored and wanted to try something different. I
think it turned out quite good. That's pretty much the story.
HITHLUM was a one time project that was really created by a friend of mine. There was always talk of us doing something musical together. He's a big fan of Tolkien, Summoning and
Graveland (as am I), so he wanted to create something in that vein. It's pretty much his creation. I wrote most of the guitar and some keyboard parts. It was a solid collaboration. We recorded the
album from June to December of 2004. We were lucky enough to get Ketzer records to release it. It turned out to be a solid release.
Of all the projects you are involved in, which do you feel most accurately represents your ultimate musical vision?
That's hard to say. Each band has it's own sound and style. There is no point in having 3-4 bands that sound exactly the same with the same themes or ideology. As many say, Black Metal isn't just
about music but the message behind it. I have several different messages so I portray that through each band. With that, I tailor the music to match the ideas behind the band. Each band is
dedicated to what I like and I'm interested in. Such as, Pagan Ancestry, WW2 era, medieval fantasy, and horror movies.
Of all the albums you have released/projects you are involved in, which, in your opinion, has been the most well-received?
LUFTWAFFE RAID’s "Empire."
And the least?
All the albums are relatively new so I can't really say. From a few reviews I read, seems like the HITHLUM.
Is there a particular significance to the name "Warharan?"
Yeah. It's the ancient Persian god of victory.
And why did you choose that as your pseudonym?
I wanted something that represented achievement and honor. That also kept in line with ancestral pride.
 Do you see THE DOCTOR as a separate persona that you write under as opposed to Warharan, or
is it just the name of the project?
I'm a fan of horror movies. I would like to make my own horror movie, yet I'm not a film maker, so I use music to create that atmosphere in music. THE DOCTOR is just that. We all have our quirks so maybe deep
down in my persona, the bizarre and mundane are extracted as THE DOCTOR. I'll have to visit a shrink to confirm that though.
What is your writing process like? Do you sit down to write material with a specific project in mind, or does the end result determine which moniker it is released under?
Yes. Since each band has it's own sound, I write the songs specifically for that band. Sometimes I like to experiment with different atmospheres, so I usually release that under MOAT as all
the releases, at least to me, each release is atmospheric. Currently I'm working on the new THE DOCTOR album. As it is based on the Amityville Horror event, I try and have the riffs and
the song in general to give that feeling. Not only the riffs are important but production as well. For some things, I try and get a crystal clear production. For other a more distant "garage" sound. I
think that really makes a big difference in the overall emotion of the music.
The vocals on the first release from THE DOCTOR are very atypical and bizarre. What was your intent in that style of delivery?
That album was about a deranged doctor. So I wanted the vocals to sound as if the listener was on his operating table half awake and that's how his voice would sound to the victim. Some people
seemed to like it, and others not so much. As with the music, I wanted the vocals to be something never done before. I think I have succeeded. It's hard to be original today in Black Metal while
still sounding like Black Metal.
Please give a brief synopsis of the twisted story behind THE DOCTOR Is In.
I modeled the doctor in the first album after Dr. Richard Benjamin Vannacutt from the movie, House on Haunted Hill. It's about a deranged doctor performing bizarre experiments on his patients. I
also used several samples from the film. Not only I like the story, but the concept behind the idea is that someone with a respected profession who is educated can snap. In the early 90s there was a
similar movie with this idea called, Dr. Giggles.
I understand you are currently working on a second release from THE DOCTOR. How will it differ from the first?
Musically it's quite different. It's less bizarre sounding yet still has the same feel and hope an originality. As I mentioned earlier, it's based on the Amityville Horror story. It's an actual true story
about a house in Long Island, NY. It's quite interesting, if you haven't seen the movie, I would suggest checking it out as well as the book. So musically I wanted this drone-ish ritualistic feel to
match along with the story of a possessed house. It's hard to explain so you'll just have to hear it.
What is the next release you have planned, aside from THE DOCTOR?
There are quite a lot. A lot of these albums have been done during the past 5 years and are finally being released now. There are still 6 MOAT albums that need to be released. They vary from full
lengths, EPs, and 7 inch material. For LUFTWAFFE RAID, they'll be a 7 inch split with Wulfhere soon. Will also probably put out an album sometime after that. As for ACHAEMENID, the only thing
planned is a 7 inch. That's about it.
Do you have any plans to do a live performance with any of your projects?
I would like to play live, but getting people together to rehearse and such is a pain in the ass. Over the years I have tried. I've been asked a while back to play some live ACHAEMENID shows in
Europe, but wasn't able to as of yet because of members schedules. I hope to play some live MOAT shows locally in the near future.
 Have you been involved in any "band" situations before?
Of course. ACHAEMENID has had 3 members from the start. Currently, the other 2 aren't in the band anymore but a couple guys from the Dutch Pagan BM band, Cultus, will be filling in. The HITHLUM
project has 3 members as well. MOAT now has a drummer and he will be playing on a few of the upcoming albums. I also have a session drummer for LUFTWAFFE RAID. If things go well, the new THE DOCTOR album will have a
session drummer as well. The only 2 I see as being a "band" that can play live shows would be ACHAEMENID and MOAT. Which hopefully will happen if things work out with the current members
and I can get a couple session guys.
What black metal bands would you say have been most instrumental in your involvement in the genre, as an appreciator and participant?
That's a hard question. Many would say old DARKTHRONE or MAYHEM, but I don't think that. For me, I would say NOKTURNAL MORTUM, GRAVELAND (old and new), EMPEROR (up to Anthems...),
and IMMORTAL. Those are my personal picks.
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RELATED LINKS:
LUFTWAFFE RAID
ACHAEMENID
MOAT
THE DOCTOR
DRACHENHERZ
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