SATYRICON Frontman Talks About FROST's Visa Problems

SATYRICON frontman Satyr recently spoke to The Underground Scene about their drummer Frost's inability to secure the work visa required for him to join the band on their current North American tour with MORBID ANGEL and SUFFOCATION. Asked how the tour is going so far, Satyr said, It's been, you know this the fifth show we did tonight, so we're just getting started, and you know, we're facing a lot of technical difficulties, like 15 minute change-overs, like everything. And I'm so fucking stressed out and my drummer Frost being denied a visa waver by U.S. authorities and having this guy [points at Trym] from ZYKLON and EMPEROR stepping in very last minute, but you know he's a great drummer and we’re just working on getting our shit together. But the reception is really good, like we saw tonight we got a great reception, but I just want to get rid of all the technical shit that is bothering us. I hate that, I really do. It pisses me off."

Asked about the trouble Frost had securing a work visa for the tour, Satyr said, "It's really strict and it's really unfair in the way that the problem is that the Department of Homeland Securities obviously don't have that many rules and regulations to stick by. It's very much up to each individual to look at your application, so there are cases of Norwegian black metallers who have done three or four years of time for burning down a church who go to the United States and tour with a visa and a work permit all the time, and you have my drummer who did a five-month sentence for a bar fight and can't get into the country, so it doesn't make sense you know? And the problem is that the decisions they make are irreversible, and it's like they just play God, and the letter, it's more of a formality when they turn you down, they send you a letter, it said, 'You are advised not to seek entry into the United States for at least another two years,' and we're like, 'Why?' Is everything going to be OK in two years? I don’t know. . . We had lawyers and all kinds of machinery pushing, trying to make this happen, but I just, I don't know what the problem is because we're professionals, and we're here to do our job, to play live and it’s not like he's a fucking terrorist, he's a drummer."

Read Satyr's entire interview with The Underground Scene at this location.