Well, the very fact that PROTECTOR has always been very popular among their ardent fans here in Poland is simply undeniable. Thus, it comes as no surprise that it was awesome news when PROTECTOR`ians resumed their music activities 12 years ago, I will tell you time flies by, indeed. And they have released a number of awesome albums since their resurrection which can easily be considered as good as their classic stuff – “Golem” or “Urm the Mad”. Their full length “Excessive Outburst of Depravity” from 2022 is a good example of what good music is all about and that was the very reason why I decided to ask Martin Missy to have a little chat. Ladies and gentlemen – enjoy.

Hello Martin, how are you and how was your new year`s party? Hope this is going to be a good year for PROTECTOR, what do you think?

- Everything is ok here. My family and me spent Christmas and New Years Eve at my sister’s place in Germany. During this visit I also had the opportunity to go to a Sodom / Darkness show in Andernach. I think this will be a good year for Protector, although we will take it easy in the first half of 2023 (our guitarist and Drummer became fathers last year and need some time off with their kids). In September we will play one gig in Sweden and two gigs in Germany. And in November we'll play in Poland (Gdansk and Katowice).

Yes, undeniably, “Excessive Outburst of Depravity” has been out for some time, but this is the latest stuff authored by PROTECTOR. So, let us chat about this album a little as this full-length recording is one of PROTECTOR`s most interesting, in my view. A truly massive, awesome piece of music – these songs have literally bulldozed me into the ground!

- Thank you! I also think that we did a really good album this time. Personally, I think it is the best Protector album since the resurrection of the band in 2011.

“Reanimated Homunculus” was out back in 2013. I will tell you I am still surprised how good this album turned out to be; and bearing in mind PROTECTOR took a very long break in their career, right? Although you returned with a brand-new line-up yet the sound and style of yours is totally similar to the one we know from the “Golem/Urm the Mad” times. Man, I would say that all the stuff created after you reactivated PROTECTOR appears to be some sort of “lost recordings” from the “GOLEM” era. Dude, simply it is hard to believe this was recorded just in 2013. I would say you are one of the very few who can do it right, congratulations.

- Yes, I am also very pleased with all the albums we have recorded since 2013. I am incredible fortunate that I can play in a band together with three musicians that love old school Metal, and who can write songs that sound much like our albums from the 80s.

The album was recorded at Studio Humbucker in Stockholm and the session was split in two parts. Patrick W. Engel took care of the mastering. You have cooperated with this guy before, correct? Can you please elaborate on this session a little bit?

- Well actually it was just one session. Calle started with recording the drums, then Micke recorded the guitar and Matte the bass. After that I entered the studio and did the vocals. The sound engineer Robert Persson then sent the files to Patrick W. Engel who mixed and mastered everything. On our previous three albums he had done the mastering only, but this time we let him manage the mixing part as well. And I think the result became really cool and old-school.

Let us talk about the album`s lyrics. As I can see you are interested in war themes. Which time period is your favourite? The reason I am asking is that, for instance, the song named “Last Stand Hill” deals with the Battle of the little Bighorn that took place in June, 1876 and involved George Custer as well as Crazy Horse and Dakota Indians. Another song that has attracted my attention is “Referat IV B 4” – a very depressing journey to the past extermination camps of the Second World War. Yes, history seems a good source of inspiration yet can be scary at times too, don’t you think? Have you ever been to any former death camps like the one in Auschwitz, for example? I will tell you when you enter the death zone you can feel all the fear and pain….

- Yes, I usually get inspired to lyrics by books, movies and documentaries. History is one of my favourite topics. I had planned to write lyrics about the Holocaust for quite some time. When we played in Poland in 2019 we also went to Auschwitz. I had of course seen many pictures and documentaries about the camp, but when I actually were there, it filled me with both sadness (for all the people that lost their lives there) and anger (against all the persons that were involved in executing this insanity). In the lyrics to "Referat IV B 4" I wrote about all the Germans that organized the "Endlösung" from an office in Berlin. In my eyes they were as guilty as the guards of the camps, that sent the victims into the gas chambers.

“Open Skies and Endless Seas” and “Perpetual Blood Oath” are the homage paid to your Nordic brothers from PROTECTOR, huh?

- " Open Skies..." is about Vikings, correct. That was also a topic I had wanted to write some lyrics about for quite a while. "Perpetual Blood Oath" is my attempt to write some MANOWAR kind of lyrics.

What are your inspirations when you write lyrics? Some movies or books perhaps? Any favourite ones?

- It's especially movies and books that inspire me. The lyrics to "Crosses in Carelia" (from the "Cursed and Coronated" Album) for instance are inspired by the finish book (and movie) "The unknown soldier" by Väinö Linna. "Holiday in Hell" (from the "Reanimated Homunculus" Album) is inspired by the American movie "Deliverance" from 1972. "Stillwell Avenue" (from the "Summon the Hordes" Album) is inspired by the American movie "The Warriors" from 1979. The list goes on and on... :-)

You have been cooperating with High Roller for 10 years now. Can you please tell us a bit more about this cooperation? Are you happy with Steffen and his label?

- Absolutely! High Roller Records has the absolute perfect size for PROTECTOR. It' s neither too big nor too small. The whole staff there is doing a great job, and it is very easy to have contact with them.

In 2019, you took part in a mini-tour together with (reactivated) IMPERATOR and HELL-BORN. How did you like the gig in Warsaw, if I may ask?

- It was awesome! The polish fans were incredible. I still have goosebumps when I think about the loud "PROTECTOR, PROTECTOR" chants between the songs. I'm really looking forward to return to Poland this autumn.

Many fans think that cult bands like PROTECTOR for instance, are busy with music only. Well, it seems that this assumption is not 100% correct, and the movie about ANVIL has shown us exactly what non-music lives of the band members look like. So, please tell us what you guys do or what you are busy with when you don’t play music. I suspect you work and your jobs limit your ability to play live, huh?

- We all have regular jobs. Micke is a car mechanic, Calle is driving a garage truck, Matte is working in a fish factory and I am employed at a hospital in Stockholm. Micke, Calle and me also have families. These are the reasons why we usually only play live about 5-7 times a year.

Well, and talking about live shows, how about 2023 in this context? Hope you won’t forget your ardent fans here in Poland, huh?

- We will return to Poland this year. In November we will be playing one show in Gdansk and one in Katowice (not in the Spodek this time though, hehehe).

And I will tell you there are plenty of awesome fests here in Poland that you should include in your live show schedule! Like Black Silesia in Byczyna, Summer Dying Loud in Łodz, Mystic Fest in Gdańsk and so on. Martin, tell me if there is any chance to see you guys at any of these fests this year, huh?

- I am not sure if the two gigs I mentioned are part of a festival, or if they are regular club shows. We will see.

I need to ask you about your line-up. Most of PROTECTOR`s members are Swedish. So, let me ask about BATHORY… as I can see - now and then, there pop up some BATHORY tee shirts, BATHORY`s debut album that you are holding in your hands…Well, BATHORY seems pretty important to you, right?

- Of course, BATHORY is an awesome band. They were one of the first to play really aggressive and brutal Metal. They were not a big influence to us in the 80s (that were bands like POSSESSED, SLAYER and SODOM) but we all love BATHORY albums, at least the early ones.

Most fans are into BATHORY`s first four albums; as well as, perhaps, “Hammerheart” and “Twilight of the Gods”. What is your opinion about BATHORY`s later albums like “Requiem”, “Octagon”, “Blood on Ice”, “Destroyer of The Worlds”?

- I have to admit that I am not such a big fan of the later albums. I like the brutality and aggression of the first albums more.

Have you ever met Quorthon personally? If yes, what kind of guy was he?

- No, unfortunately I never met him. I have a friend here in Stockholm who used to see him at the football matches of AIK Solna, but also, he never spoke with him.

Your first BATHORY`s album ever? And how did you like what you heard on BATHORY`s debut album?

- Our DRUMMER Michael had BATHORY`s debut album, so it was at his place I heard it for the first time. I liked the album right away and I was really proud when I found out that the band was from Sweden.

Paradoxically, the COVID times benefited bands in a sense they could focus more on writing music rather than playing live. Well, indeed, your “Excessive Outburst of Depravity” was released not a long time ago, but please tell me whether you guys are currently working on any new songs? What’s cooking, in other words?

- We have two songs that weren't finished in time to end up on "Excessive Outburst of Depravity". And Matte and me have written one more song each. Matte is picking up the guitar from time to time to write new riffs. We will see when we'll have enough songs ready for a new album.

Well, time to wrap up, I think. Thanks a lot for your time. Anything to add for our Polish fans of PROTECTOR? The floor is all yours. Hope to see you playing live in Poland this year!!! Regards. Leszek

- I would like to thank all our Polish fans for their support. Together with Germany and the Czech Republic, Poland is the country with the biggest PROTECTOR-stronghold in the world. And Thank you for doing the Interview with me, Leszek! Stay Metal everyone!

NecronosferatuS