On Monday, January 17, Swedish black metal overlords WATAIN took home the “Best Hard Rock” award for their Lawless Darkness full-length at Sweden’s annual Grammis ceremony (the Swedish equivalent to the U.S. Grammy Awards).
Comments frontman Erik Danielsson: “I always pictured the criteria for entering the Grammy awards to be those of mainstream music in general; conformity, insipidity and commercial potential. In other words, I was quite surprised when we even got nominated. But considering all the blood, sweat and tears we have put into this, our life’s mission, during the past 13 years, it is by all means an award well deserved. And no matter what the parameters were by which the jury made their decision, the Devil won again!
“Even if this music genre will always be one with adversity and wild hearted insanity as it’s very roots,” he continues, “the artistic value must be acknowledged not only on an underground level but in any cultural circumstance, high or low. Acknowledged I say, not necessarily appreciated. And in a country like Sweden it is about fucking time, for here it has been neglected and stupefied by the mass media for years, while legends such as Dissection and Bathory have been writing and releasing some of the most monumental albums in music history. The Grammy that we have won with WATAIN is a step towards rectification in that matter, and a sign that the artistry and infernal creativity that permeates WATAIN and this genre is being taken seriously. For that we are proud and delighted in accepting the award. As for it’s market-value or importance in a “music industry context,” we sincerely could not care less.”
Lawless Darkness was released via Season Of Mist on June 7, recorded at Necromorbus Studio (Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist, Ondskapt et al) in Alvik, Sweden and features cover art by Zbigniew M. Bielak.
In related news, WATAIN was also nominated in the P3 Gold Awards to be held this Saturday in the “rock/metal” category as well as the Manifest Awards on February 4 in the “rock” category.