You might not tell by the looks of these guys, but according to frontman Erik Danielsson, black metal legends Watain are all about peace, love and understanding. Watain, who have played at ZXZW 2008, have recently released their new album Lawless Darkness and are featured in a cover story in next month’s Decibel Magazine. Read an excerpt of the interview here below.

Decibel: What are WATAIN‘s needs?

Danielsson: “WATAIN exists out of a yearning to create music in honor of the heart of black metal, the dark side if you want to put a simple name on it. For us, who are the spawn of that dark side, it’s like a patriot who feels the great need to write songs for his mother country. My heart is filled with the passion to try to channel the great and incredible things I have become a part of in my life. To me, it’s simple and pure. I do it out of love.”

Decibel: Love for Satan.

Danielsson: “Yeah. To put it simple. [Laughs] The saying, ‘Peace, love and understanding’ is very adaptable to WATAIN in this sense: The peace is total death. The love is the love that we have for our gods. The understanding is the wisdom, the flow of intelligence that Satanism represents. Peace, love and understanding, man.”

The full WATAIN cover story is featured in the July issue of Decibel magazine, on newsstands now, and available for purchase here.