Some Xasthur songs appear in different versions on different releases. Do you consider two versions of the same song complementary or alternative, or is the later version a revision? Are you of the opinion that a work of art is never finished while its creator is still living (like perhaps Degas, Stravinsky, Boulez…)?
It’s more based on perfectionism, I can’t really leave an old song sounding basic or undecipherable for too long when there’s not only something that I can do to improve it, but also when there’s something I can add to it. Some songs weren’t hypnotic enough or monotonous enough the first time, some could have been layered more, some could have had darker disharmonies, some could have had a better production or more creative drum patterns and some I had even more ideas for later on, there are so many possibilities with either music or art that’s its endless what you can do with certain sounds (or dismal colours) and what can be added to them. If you hear (for example) ‘Blood From The Roots Of The Forest’ on the album ‘The Funeral Of Being’, and then the re-recording of this on the split with Nortt, then you’ll see what I mean, you’ll see the difference and see why I sometimes operate like this. However, after a second or third re-recording, I’ll leave the song alone. I don’t know why people complain so much about this though, and I really don’t care if they do! I never noticed any complaints when Profanatica/ Havohej re-recorded ‘Weeping in Heaven’ 5,000 times, and the same way every time too.

Many of the lyrics in Xasthur seem to deal with astral travel, dimensional projection, and similar fare not encountered much since the early ’90s pioneering works in black metal (Immortal, Burzum and Darkthrone). Of what importance are these topics to you- and do you believe there is anything after death?
Sometimes I used to write about things like stepping out of the self and leaving the world, becoming something else etcetera, yes, astral travel and stuff like that, it’s hard to put these feelings and memories into words. I imagine I’d return to topics like this once in a while in the future, these things still have some meaning to me, but they are far from being everyday practices and thoughts nowadays. For a while now, my writings have been different and developed more into my own abstract concepts, like helping people destroy, fear and hate themselves etcetera (see other recent interviews, I’ve rambled on for hours about this). I think that ‘this’ and ‘now’ must be a hell after death, and when this comes to an end, we may just find total darkness, stillness and emotionless death.

Being American, how do Bush’s policies affect you personally, and what are your hopes for the coming electoral campaign? What is your opinion on the September 11 attacks, are they cowardly assaults or heroic defiances?
I’d say 9/11 was more of revenge than anything. I believe Kerry would have benefited only certain kinds of people, I believe Bush can help destroy everything, so I guess Bush is good for something.

Are there any specific recording conditions you apply to all of your music?
Songs in the same albums sound extremely different production-wise, yet all seem to be recorded on analogue media. I am always experimenting with what I have production-wise, that’s interesting for me, from adjustments of the instruments, to the mixing adjustments, both… I think it can either keep or lose a person’s attention when the songs are always changing, in tempo, arrangement, but also in terms of production, the ear doesn’t get as easily bored and each song can sort of stand out from the other this way, but most important, it keeps me from getting bored. Yes, you are correct, I do record via analogue, I have never recorded using computers in any way, ever.

Does any literature or visual art gear you up for composition, perhaps even any philosophy or specific periods in history?
Reading about figures in history such as Vlad Tepes to Charles Manson, reading some psychology books here and there, the black plague… The rest of the time, just pure hatred and despair gears me up for song writing.

With the wane of true Norwegian black metal, other more unlikely places have been dishing out what can be regarded as today’s ‘underground’ music. California is one of these places, and many of its secretive black metal acts (among them Xasthur) have discovered or are on the verge of discovering ‘new’, so to say, sounds and structures in a black metal template. What is your explanation of this phenomenon?
California is an unlikely place indeed, the scene here has been terrible for years, especially in Southern California. All I can do is speak for myself personally by saying that the scene here disgusted me for so long that it just made me want to be the opposite of it in the kind of black metal I perform, many of the bands here suck, they just ‘play in a band’ just so that they can say that they ‘play in a band’, and it really shows… I’m not going to sit around being some fan of this. When you see how little some people do with music, believe it or not, it CAN be inspiring and makes you feel that there’s so much you can do… I don’t even know what motivates them to do the little that they do. There are many stupid people who love California, all of it’s as fake and shallow as Hollywood, but there are some people who truly hate it and I think it shows in the music they make, everything black metal hates is here.

Thanks for your time and answers. Please conclude in any way you like and tell the readers how they can obtain any releases…
Thank you for the interview, my apologies for the difficulties, for any releases, if interested, the contact is the same still xasthur [at] hotmail [dot] com

Has the rehtaF ruO project been a one-man experiment throughout?
Basically. All the music and lyrics and ideas have been done by me. There have been session members, and there are finally solid members (it seems for now). Luckily they are heavily into black metal so there’s not as much of a need to be a tyrant conveying exactly what is going on musically anymore.

Your work seems to be in part inspired by Beherit’s ‘Drawing Down The Moon’. Is this conclusion true? How would you rate Beherit’s ‘The Oath…’ and ‘Electric Doom Synthesis’?
I like ‘Drawing Down The Moon’, of course, but I prefer ‘The Oath Of Black Blood’. That was the first Beherit I heard and still the one that is darkest in my mind. I still listen to ‘Electric Doom Synthesis’ here and there, I like that one as well. I’m also quite fond of the Lord Diabolus material.

Song titles for rehtaF ruO include ‘Churchburner’, ‘Child Sacrifice’ and ‘Satanic Torture’. Do you use these as metaphors or not? If they indeed are metaphors, what do they mean?
Yes. There are metaphors used throughout the album to convey Satanism in my heart. As far as the ones you mentioned, ‘Churchburner’ centres on war (reflected in the timing of the song as nearly march-like as well) and evolution through action (fire), Hell replacing Heaven (augmenting the acausal if you prefer). It is an ode to violence towards a world-view, as much as ‘Frozen Shade’ is towards physical individuals. ‘Child Sacrifice’ is simply re-telling a great story. ‘Satanic Torture’, as it has no lyrics, is inspired from wonderful visions.

Which active band or bands from the United States do you think convey best the spirit of black metal? What about European black metal?
This is a tough question because I do not keep up with active bands at all. Couple that with the fact nearly every great band tends to fucking wimp out and hate metal half the time, and then with the times that we are in right now, and it makes it even worse. I like the newest Cult Of Daath though as far American bands. European bands… Ondskapt, Domini Inferi… are Unclean still around? I’m not sure really. All that matters to me anymore is if their heart is truly with Satan. It is a sad state of affairs just how unbelievably rare that is.

Is rehtaF ruO releasing any new material anytime, or is ‘Boiled In Goat Blood’ the last word? Did you record anything else in the past under the name of rehtaF ruO?
Yes, I know it has delayed because of lineup changes and the other bullshit, but it will get done. I’ve heard a few people ask me about Rehtaf Ruo being over, I have no idea where that comes from. ‘The Black Terror’ is already all written, I just need to record it. There is other new material as well just floating around. Yes, I recorded a demo and rehearsal before I did ’Boiled In Goat Blood’.

Are does facts being termed ’supernatural’ really unexplainable or not? Can one say there is anything that science cannot unravel in time? Is Satan a definite being or not?
Unexplainable to humans, yes. Science can coincide with occultism given time, as it has proven to do so in the past. Of course Satan is a definite being. Those who use His name as metaphor or for pseudo-intellectualism only mock and desecrate His legacy. Totally utterly disgusting and inexcusable.

Is there any reason for the strange mastering the album has? Why does production vary so much within the same album? Finally, why was the album re-released?
The mastering is purposeful. Not sure what you mean by strange. The production varies because the songs are meant to be varied, though I think overall the message and vision is cohesive. The album was re-released because it is a vast improvement over the flaws of the UHR version.

What were the last books you read and the last movies you watched that provoked thought? Do you regard any literary works as being influential for yourself?
Last books I read were political and have nothing to do with this. Last movies I watched that provoked thought? I can’t remember any recent ones that were anything other than base entertainment. No literature is influential on Rehtaf Ruo that I can think of. I try and make that a point to avoid, because it too often clouds other bands and reduces the message to a caricature.

What is nature for you? Is man is entitled to use nature anymore than meets his needs?
There are several things that can be meant by nature. I assume nature means the physical world here. It works in tandem with Satan, rather than against and separate from it. Unlike others, His law is not removed from this world. It is universal in the true sense. Man is entitled to whatever he is capable of sustaining through will. The gift of the Satanic spirit to man is the ability of self-evolution past that of the tapeworm he is born as. This is the only difference between humans and animals.

Apart from black metal, what do you listen to? How do you prefer to spend leisure time?
I enjoy militaristic marches and hymns. Also listen to some black ambient material.

Thanks for your time and answers, how can the readers obtain your CD and what else do you have to say?
On my part, sorry for the delay in sending this interview. The album is available at the website, http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=266. Thanks for the interview.

Is the Norwegian scene producing many regressive bands like you nowadays, or was the golden age over with Emperor’s ‘Anthems’?
If you look at acts such as Taake, Nattefrost, Carpathian Forest, Gorgoroth, HatePulse, Darkthrone etc., there is still a strong cult. The ‘golden age’ might be gone to some, we have no thoughts about this as we have no goals to be a part of any scene; though we are a Norwegian Black Metal band of course, but we keep to ourselves and our art. Hail Darkness!

Orcustus add nothing original to the black metal formula; yet do the whole thing much more convincingly than many other also-rans that populate the scene. Is the ‘regression’ in your music deliberate?
Of course, and we have nothing to hide, we play what we want and what one hears is what we are.

Do you think you have a lot to live up to with ex-members from Gehenna, Gorgoroth and Enslaved?
Of course not, this only makes the line-up stronger and we have more energy from dedicated misanthropes and our art is more deliberated and serious. Hail Satan!

What, in your opinion, is ‘True Black Metal’? Are Mayhem’s ‘Declaration’ and the last Emperor album black metal?
Black Metal is serious, convincing Satanic music which invokes and evokes darkness, grimness and hate clothed in coldness and misanthropy. Death to Mankind!

What is/ are your favourite Scandinavian black metal album/s; and which do you see as the crowning achievement?
Darkthrone- ‘A Blaze In The Northern Sky’, ‘Under A Funeral Moon’, Mayhem- ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’, Burzum, Beherit- ‘Drawing Down The Moon’, Impaled Nazarene- ‘Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz’, Bathory- ‘Blood Fire Death.

Metal is of course a strong anti-moralistic and anti-conformist statement; should Black Metal be Satanic?
Yes, of course.

Are God and Satan actual beings, or rather two forces in nature? Or are they rather two different attitudes expressed by man?
It can be all of this to the believer. To us Satan is the Darkness that will rid this planet of humans, and everything else created in the illusion of Light.

What is the essence of a raw production in music?
Coldness and grimness, the Truth, Hate!

What can we expect from the debut full-length, and on what label will it be released?
We have already released a 7” on Southern Lord Records called ‘World Dirtnap’, containing two songs from the demo and limited to a thousand copies. We will release our full-length also on Southern Lord. It will hopefully be recorded in the Winter of 2004 to be released in 2005. We have no hurry. We do not follow any trends. Also be on the lookout for a possible double 7′ to be released on Worship Him Records with Audiopain, Mysticum, Nattefrost (a Taake coversong), and Orcustus.

Well, that’s all… thanks for your replies and please add anything we should know here below…
Thank you for your support, Hail! Hail Kaos! Hail The Death Of Mankind!

http://www.orcustus.com

What has Mordaehoth released until now? I also know you have a preference for releasing material on analogue format rather than digital, could you compare these two and tell why you choose analogue?
So far I’ve released seven tapes and the ‘Bloedwraak’ album. In the near future a tribute to Der Blutharsch 10” split MLP with Altar of Perversion will be released, and a 3 way split CD of Veinen/ Mordaehoth/ Myself. I will contribute some old studio rehearsal tracks never before released, they will be raw and harsh like the ‘Hate Sessions’ tracks for those of you familiar with them. Veinen is minimalist black metal totally like the legendary VON and Myself is a very characteristic project of D.D. from Antihumanism Records, who will release this piece in an A5 format special edition. Some time next year you can expect the second Mordaehoth album on New Era Productions. Believe me if you like the ‘Balder’ tape you will definitely like that album! So you see; lots of tapes indeed, I am rather fond of the tape format. Most people consider tapes to be inconvenient for different reasons, they however fail to notice the charm this format has. To me it is not old fashioned but rather timeless, everything is really! They just call them ‘retro’, old things with a new style so to speak. To me it’s got nothing to do with a specific sound or anything, it’s just that everyone releases CDs nowadays. This is nothing special. A CD should be like the crown of the artist’s work, but it doesn’t work like that anymore. CDs are regular, I’m more into the special limited stuff, this makes it all more interesting. BRH did a re-release of the ‘Liederen…’ demo, limited to 355 copies with the first 100 copies on red tapes, now that’s special. I guess tapes just remind me of demos, bands should go back to releasing demos, with people trading these demos. This creates a closer circle for the scene’s young bands. It reminds me of the feeling I had when I first entered the underground, thinking it was all great. Later I learned that most things which make the scene so desirable are a pure masquerade, alas. In short, tapes have great nostalgic value to me.

How do you plan on covering Der Blutharsch? Of course the styles are almost radically different- will you be experimenting with a dark ambient/ industrial style in the future?
Yes, you are right, it is a totally different style, but this is just what makes this project so interesting. I’ve finished the covers and I can tell you it was quite a challenge. I did three songs, it was difficult to find Der Blutharsch material which I could actually cover as they don’t make standard songs with three verses and a chorus for example, their music has a totally different structure. But eventually I found three interesting songs and I can assure you it turned out great! This piece will be released as a gatefold MLP limited to 500 copies I believe, the first 100 copies will contain some stickers and pins (not buttons) and the first eleven copies will come in a cotton cover, but these are only for the band members and the people directly involved with the project, though I believe one copy will be publicly sold!

The Pagan (collective) soul of Europeans is definitely repressed nowadays- as one of Carl Jung’s theories, there is the implication that National Socialism and what happened in WW2 are nothing but a revolution against this repression. Do you agree with Jung’s assumptions, and in what ways is Aryanism a fusion of spiritual and social tenets for the European people?
First of all I must tell you that I have never read anything written by Jung, so I’m not exactly a schooled reader in this field. I think it’s simple logic to say ‘repress a thing and eventually it will strike back twice as hard’. Therefore I suppose there is some truth in Jung’s theory. However, if repressing has this effect, the Nazis repressing the Jews wasn’t the smartest thing to do then now, was it? I think WW2 was caused by a group that consisted of people, some of whom had the best intentions for the human race, and others who where simply hungry for power, and when they got power they were hungry for more power. I think a lot of people involved in WW2 didn’t know what they were getting into, they didn’t grasp the whole picture simply because only a small portion of it was presented to them. Look at Otto Rahn, when he got too close to the whole picture and wanted out he was sent to the camps! A lot of people think the Nazi party was a whole. But it wasn’t, it consisted of numerous individuals leading their own clique. I don’t think there was one main goal, since Hitler had his political revolution, Himmler had his esoteric revolution and so on. War and politics are primary based on fear, on making people scared. Look out for the evil Nazis, look out for the wicked jews, look out for the islamic people etc. Having people fear the thing you are fighting against helps you get them on your side and this gives you power. I think this is the main reason for most big events happening. Fear is what keeps our economy running nowadays!

One however cannot have any doubt about the greatness of Hitler’s and Mussolini’s visions, since like other great leaders of the past, they wanted to unite Europe into one great Empire for a civilised, harmonious community. I’m referring to some Roman Emperors, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Alexander The Great etc. Do you think Europe should be one nation?
Hitler is a difficult person. People seem to either idolize him or demonize him, they can’t seem to just look at his ideas objectively. I agree with some ideas, others are just not for me, he was a human with positive sides and negative sides just like everyone else, most ideas weren’t even his in the first place. Millions of idiots around the globe believe it was Hitler who invented concentration camps and gas chambers but the Spanish and the English were way ahead of Germany, USA was systematically sterilizing blacks and handicaps long before the Holocaust, people think they know stuff but they don’t, hell I don’t know half of it! Anyhow, why should Europe be one single nation, why should everything always be bigger and better? I don’t get this! Bigger doesn’t work in my opinion, Europe should go back to singular countries with closed borders, with each country having it’s own policy, agriculture, small industry, and most of all ITS OWN CULTURE. I do not approve of one global USA culture, so why should one global European culture be any better? The characteristics and distinct differences between countries is what makes Europe what it is. ‘One Reich, one Fuhrer’ has already been done and it didn’t work, so let’s forget about that. Decentralisation is what appeals to me, each his own.

Where do you draw inspiration (musical, artistic, or otherwise) for Mordaehoth? Do you have any other projects, musical or artistic?
For Mordaehoth I draw inspiration from personal experiences and from what I read or see about our forefathers, ancient warcraft, magick and nature. I used to have an ambient side project called Sullen but this has decayed long ago. Also it’s been about a year and a half (or maybe even two years) since I’ve been actively involved in New Era Productions, JVV and Wolf run this now. It’s no longer my business. This way I can focus mainly on Mordaehoth.

Ancient European civilisations, like the Slavs, Romans, Greeks, Etruscans, Celts, Vikings etc. all had their own pantheons, so where is the common convergence of all these (superficially) different beliefs?
The common convergence is a spiritual bond between the folk and their Gods. Whether it’s the Jews worshipping Jahweh, the Christians worshipping God, Asatruar worshipping Wodan, it’s all about a group of people worshipping an entity divine to them.
What do you want to achieve with your music, apart from catharsis? Do you play music for yourself, or is it meant to spread propaganda as much as possible? And, in case of the latter, why then do you release limited material?
First and foremost I make music for myself, to express myself and to translate my personal experiences, thoughts and ideas into music which sounds appealing to me. If others can relate to my music this is great, if not, so be it. I’m not interested in reaching the great masses with Mordaehoth as it is simply not meant for the masses. The masses want to be entertained, I’m not here to entertain them, my music is listenable ideology.

Nationalist sentiments are immediately censored by mainstream media nowadays, because of fear that they might cause ’social imbalances’ (what a good euphemism!). Do you think that anarchy is acceptable in such a decrepit society as ours is?
I don’t see why it should not be.

What is your idea of a perfect government in an ideal world, in the light of today’s technology-driven world? Is a return to the agrarian communities of our forefathers feasible?
A perfect government for me would be no government at all. A perfect world to me (so I’m really talking about my perfect world without taking into consideration whether this would be possible or not) would be a world focused on natural balance and spiritual development. A world population consisting of small communities of similar minded people being totally independent and able to look after their own needs. No global economy or industry for they serve only one purpose: making more money and making more money would be of nobody’s interest in my world. With a relatively small population living by the rules of nature and in balance with it’s natural environment there would be an abundance of natural resources making a huge global economy unnecessary. Anyhow we cannot go back a thousand years, so holding on to a utopia is of no use to us. The system we live in is genius in its own sick way, but let’s not forget we are all part of it and are therefore guilty of its existence. For things to really change in a relatively short period of time radical changes should be made. Mankind will not make these changes. Although all of us see how things are going wrong we are too hung up on our cell-phones and designer clothes. You and me are just the same, I love limited vinyl releases, vinyl is made out of oil, we all know current wars are all about oil, so if I really wanted it all to stop, I’d stop buying and releasing vinyl today. But I don’t. You’re planning on releasing a magazine, the printing inks used for this magazine are not very good for our environment, not to mention the trees that will be cut for the paper you plan on using to spread a good message on that will fight the system. Your magazine will in some way support the very system you oppose, so do my tapes and CDs. The thing is we are all humans, we are all hypocrites, we are fighting against the things we have created ourselves. Strangely enough I suppose it must be this way, because if society wasn’t the way it is now, how could we know what we agree with and what we oppose? The cosmos is a complex yet very simple structure of never-ending contradictions to balance things. It seems though everything will end soon but this can only lead to a new beginning. Only humans are arrogant enough to even think they are able to destroy nature. This had become a very long answer but I’m sure I’ve said something that answers your question, hahaha!

What other music from the Netherlands can you suggest to the audience reading this magazine, be it pagan music, ambient, black metal, etc…?
I don’t really keep up with what’s going on in the scene today but things I enjoy which sprang from Dutch soil are/ were: Countess/ Hordes, Funeral Winds (the EP and their split with Abigail), Acid Macabre, Black September, Heretic (especially the demos), Lugubre, Nachtvorst, Stalaggh, Tartaros, Veinen etc.

Is liberalism inherently unhealthy?
I don’t know. Why is it?

Liberalism degrades society. Take one out of a million examples: marriage between gay couples. Of course this erodes the whole notion of coupling and breeding according to natural laws. Liberalist attitudes therefore imply, more often than not, actions against nature, which should be eliminated if we want to start respecting ourselves more like the Ancient Pagans. I’m sure you agree!?
You know, the whole human problem has become so huge that I can’t really tell what’s the problem any more, everything is connected somehow. It seems that the only solution is to eliminate everything and start over again, this is what mother nature is planning anyway, we can see this all around. Maybe our ancestors had the same opinion, maybe they thought things were better in the old days. Maybe they said ‘ah, I wish things were still like in Atlantis, those were better days’ and the people in Atlantis probably complained about ‘modern’ times as well. It’s something timeless I suppose. Sure, I’m irritated and angry about a million things, but on the other hand, isn’t it amazing to live in the age of Ragnarok? We are here to witness the downfall of existence as we know it, one way or another we are all playing a part in it for better or for worse. Each moment is a result of the choices that we made, we fucked it up, not God, not the aliens or anyone, just us! We are to blame and we will pay for it, so I suggest we all sit back and enjoy the decay for there is nothing left for us to do! This is the fate we have chosen for ourselves for we are life itself.

Thanks for this interview, please conclude by telling us when we can expect anything next from your band, where we can obtain existing releases, and anything else you might like to add or clarify…
As I said earlier in this interview, three new releases are planned for the nearer future. Contact New Era Productions for info on my releases at neweraproductions [at] email [dot] com. Thank you D for your interest in Mordaehoth.

Songs for this album have been in the works for ten years. What are the advantages of taking such a long time to compose material?
I would think that this time-span allowed you to be extremely selective in choosing only the best music for inclusion. Please comment. The only disadvantage to this is that once the layout of a song is completed, I cannot accept any additional changes for any reason. I am stuck with that particular structure and that’s it, no changes. However, I always take things slow in order to achieve the desired outcome. I could have released this album back in 1999 A.B. but I did not. The One was not prepared to deliver what was desired and because I am not giving into trends, I’d rather wait for a decade in silence, strengthen crucial parts and prepare for full attack when the time is right.

In addition to this album, Macabre Omen’s output consists of three demos and four split releases. Will any of the music in these be revamped and included in the album? Why do you think split releases are so appealing? And have you ever thought of re-releasing these sold-out items to whoever may be interested yet was not quick enough in snapping them up in the first place? None of the old material will reappear in the album, these are all new anthems we are talking about, after all it has been five years since my last release, why rerelease old stuff?
The old material was mainly split releases. There is something, or better say WAS something powerful with split EPs and the like back in the mid-90’s. One could get hold of two hordes with one purchase and could then make up his mind. There was a true essence in this… now it’s all marketing. When the ‘None Shall Escape the Wrath’ concept was announced with Judas Iscariot, Krieg, Eternal Majesty and Macabre Omen, the only thing I could hear was laughter as it was the first split with four acts that I am aware of. Now you can see this everywhere. Humans found out that it makes money, four-way splits are everywhere! Some even plagiarise the title… that’s the extent of the influence… Concerning my old material The One had numerous proposals for re-releases. None shall take place however, the future belongs to the brave!

The latest split release with Ad Inferos includes the song ‘We Won With War’. Does the lyric refer to a particular period in world history? What are your opinions about war; and the current ‘war on terror’ waged by the U.S.A.? Is such a war doomed to fail?
All Macabre Omen lyrics are a combination of facts from Ancient Hellenism combined with personal issues. For the first time in a decade, parts of my lyrics will be included in the booklet. The song ‘We Won With War’ is a tribute to Hellas, a country that has always been invaded throughout its history and always been liberated with war. It is a song about ‘what if…’ Muslims, Romans, Christians, Persians and so forth would stick to their natural habitat instead of infesting what once was the cradle of civilisation. One could not imagine the power Hellas would have without these invasions. War around the world is always welcome to shake things up, clear overpopulation and so forth… as long as it does not interfere with myself. Muslim barbarism always was a threat to Europe so what currently takes place is in a way the same thing Vlad Dracul did back in the dark ages to the Turks. At least Europe has no serious threat for another decade or so… let them all fight between themselves and let The One observe from above as if He was Aris himself.

Apart from Macabre Omen; you have another project you called The One. How does The One differ from Macabre Omen, how long has it been in existence, and what have you released under this name?
The One was always part of me since the late 90’s in a way, but nothing was released until a couple of years ago with the exceptionally unique ‘Guardians Inhuman’ album. It is different to Macabre Omen both musically and lyric-wise but the main idea is still there. The power that is within me, the greatness of being alone and the reason for someone to gain the power to become The One. One does not have to go through numerous books or be part of a movement to gain strength. Influenced by nature and having a clear vision of achievement will lead to the ultimate target. All movements are in my eyes nothing than free- masonry and that includes everything. Social entities motivated by money. Go be part of them human.

What is the current state of the musical genre known as black metal? How much do you identify with the rest of the underground scene? Is the internet harmful to underground music?
My attitude towards the underground black metal scene has changed dramatically over the last three or four years. Gone are the days that I would waste time supporting acts and so forth as the only thing one will get in return is a knife in the back. Facts and not fiction have made me ignore what nowadays people think of as a scene. People have changed in what they are listening to, I can even see this from my label Demonion Productions. When I first started this in 1996 A.B. there were people listening to all sorts of music. Now everybody orders the same crap that is portrayed as cult, or is limited or has an evil image. Only bands from Scandinavia and France that use corpsepaint and can be found on eBay for 50$ a piece are being acknowledged. This has to stop… I do not condemn internet for the exploitation of black metal. I think the root of all evil are the manufactured bands and their labels that destroy the movement and this does not include crap like Cradle Of Filth. That’s hardly black metal as it applies to children. Labels that release multiple limited crap from a circle of bands that all look the same reminds me nothing more than a black metal version of POP IDOL! Destruction and restoration!

Your country of origin, Greece, has been one of the most prolific ‘exporters’ in recent years of NSBM together with Poland. What do you think about bands like Der Sturmer, Legion Of Doom, The Shadow Order, Darkthule and others? Does the extensive classical heritage of Hellas give a greater impetus for such a kind of patriotic music to be produced?
There have been a lot of good acts spawned by these lands throughout the years but gone are the days that I would directly support anyone. The problem is that once you have put your efforts in promoting a band from scratch and wasting your time to reach the four corners of this world the next thing they would be shit talking behind your back. To be on the safe side it would be best to avoid any contacts that could cause this. After all, my aim is not to create alliances or public relations. The One does not care if my music is being bought or likened… this is not my job and never will be. This is art and a form of expressionism, a propaganda towards the weak and even if it won’t sell, it will be there to destroy and affect mortals. NSBM is a movement, consisting of humans. While National Socialism is essential in keeping a balance in nature I would never dedicate myself to such or any form of movement.

The Hellenic scene has also been one of the more influential as regards early (second wave) black metal, with an immediately distinguishable style and attitude that spawned the likes of Varathron, Necromantia, Nergal, Rotting Christ et al. How has these bands’ output varied through the years, and do you think that Hellenic BM is still a force to be reckoned with?
It has been indeed a glorious era with some classic acts. The difference with back then is that there were not a lot of bands and neither there was room for shit-talking. They might have been aiming for a record deal but things were not so colourful and clichéd, tailored for the mass etc. Just get hold of any Hellenic black metal album and you shall see that 90% has that typical mainstream sound and image and does not have the guts to create something personal as it might fail. Never will black metal sustain my living. The One does not care if the music is attracting the masses- this is purely personal. Of course, one cannot expect Rotting Christ releasing albums such as ‘Thy Mighty Contract’ if this is your full time job and you are in your early 30’s! It is all about not giving oneself to money. There are other sources of living than black metal.

What importance do you give to Nature? Are radical Green parties exaggerating the issue too much, or has man indeed trespassed and trampled too much on that which gave him sustenance in the first place?
Nature for me is the answer to where we go to. The answer to all questions. The answer to why a man and another man cannot evolve, why individualism is the way forward, why religions do not exist and why there is no God. It is all out there, it has always been… common sense issues that do not require a social movement to be solved. Movements are for the weak and just the fact that money is required to sustain one, shows the main motivator. The same goes for radical Green parties, these are movements, consisting of humans. Why the fuck would The One be part of this? What I do is done by myself and no one else and if ‘Z’ is what I want to achieve, I shall start from ‘A’ by myself. There is no God there is no devil and there is no future.

What is your opinion about drug addiction? Are drugs a suitable tool for eliminating idiots or are they a threat to all of society?
It is truly of no importance to me. It is one of these things that are essential in clearing up humanity but it might obstruct in your way. A human under the influence of heavy drugs needs a period of several years to kill himself. In the need to get hold of more substances he would do anything and this might affect you. Even in the concept of a united strong Europe, drugs would not fit in it. Drugs are for the weak…

Apart from all the musical projects, you also run a label called Demonion. What are the criteria for a band to be signed to this label, and are you especially proud or disappointed of anything you have ever released?
DEMONION Prod. is almost 8 years old now and has released some remarkable underground demos and 7″ vinyls from Keep Of Kalessin, Pest, Shatargat, Der Sturmer, Moontower, Morcrof, Warloghe etc. In an era where extra limited expensive cult crap was not in existence, Demonion Productions has spawned some acts that would not have been what they are at present. Then I formed ISO666 with what I thought was a comrade and spawned another eleven CDs from some exceptional acts. Money and greed manipulated the other half of this entity and I had to leave this project aside. A huge example of doing things by yourself and the fact that the scene 2004 A.B. is money infested. Never have I been part of this for money… Black metal is not for money. Black metal is a weapon. You can kill with a weapon and you can protect with a weapon. Only if you sell that weapon you can make money and this will not happen.

Thanks for the answers, now please give information to the readers where to contact you for the (brilliant) distribution list you have; or for any info about your musical projects. Finally, add anything else of importance in this space…
One can contact me at triplea11 [at] hotmail [dot] com. Indeed my distribution is the lowest priced with some 2000 titles, 3 tapes for 10$, 3 CDs for 20$. Support the true underground. Individualism, ignorance, strength, destruction and restoration!

http://www.demonion.cjb.net
http://www.theonekult.cjb.net

Have you ever witnessed public boycotts because of any provocative lyrics found in your songs? I know about the Wood Nymph Records instance. What do you mean by ‘Grand Belial’s Key’?
No, just people refusing to distribute our CD’s in their catalogues and minor campaigning to have our shows cancelled (particularly in Europe and in Canada). The name GBK was suggested to us by some people in 1992; we did not make it up but rather thought it sounded the best out of all the other possibilities. Lord Fag wanted to call the band Satanachrist but I thought it was too generic so chose GBK instead.

Album artwork by GBK more often than not consists of images of characters from the christian gospel daubed with corpsepaint. What is the significance of such pictures, is it outright blasphemy, or is it just a sly sense of humour at work? Or a bit of both?
The album covers and such help define us visually. Anyone that knows us personally know we carry a lot of sarcasm in everything we do. Besides, I know it pisses off a lot of people whom believe our covers should be frightening and colourless. Many have called our artwork childish and ridiculous. GBK isn’t here to please anyone really so very little thought is given to the listener if you can imagine. It is the redeemer who should be fouled with corpsepaint for subjecting humanity to his poison.

The music by GBK is very reminiscent of 80’s thrash, when metal was still neither ‘death’ nor ‘black’ but just ‘extreme’. Do you agree? If yes, what drives you to create music so evocative of the renaissance of extreme metal?
I think that is correct as we’re not categorized as a strict black metal band, actually much of our music is death metal, thrash and even some hints of doom and heavy metal. Some people also notice the hardcore punk edge to it that can be found in many songs. I think that if it’s not going to be extreme then there is no point. Why do something half-assed?

Why do you think that the multi-cultural and multi-racial mess of these days persists? Are you hopeful that things will change?
Man has been taught, partially through religion, to be tolerant. This, ultimately, is the variable that raped man’s instincts and natural warring character. Without conflict, preservation, or self-worth there is no manhood.

With ‘mocking the philanthropist’, are you simply referring to jesus christ, or is it a general reference to all philanthropists? What is your opinion on philanthropy and humanism?
The title was particular to christian philanthropy as professed by the books of God’s children. Humanism, philanthropy, and outreach programs aimed at sustaining life that was meant to vanish is a crime against nature.

What is your opinion about the Church Of Satan? Do you think that there is a place for individualism in any organised group, be it religious or social?
Our band has no connection to the C.O.S. whatsoever. We don’t support much that is organized in such fashion. None of us belong to any organization, party, or group whose ultimate goal is to produce income. The only member interested in the Church of Satan was The Black Lourde, and he’s been into that far longer than I’ve even know it existed. I don’t think he’s so involved in it anymore, perhaps his ideologies have changed with the years, but no other member of GBK is into that.

Imagine a world where metal did not exist yet, would you still be playing music? If yes, what music? And if no, then what would you be doing?
I’m inclined to say hardcore but if there was no metal then there would never have been any hardcore either. My life does not necessarily revolve around music. I’m not really a ‘fan’ of music, it is not one of my favourite interests.

Please conclude with anything you might like to say.
Our third album ‘Kosherat’ is being recorded at the moment. Expect that soon on Drakkar Productions.

sperm_of_the_antichrist [at] hotmail [dot] com

GBK, PO Box 393, Oakton, VA 22124. USA

Since the song titles in the Hagalaz/ Darkthule split are all in the Greek alphabet, could you provide a translation of them for those who are interested?
I translated the title in the previous question. The tracks are: 1) ‘With The Covering Of The Fog’, 2) ‘Ivris- Ati Nemesis’ (this cannot be translated in English), 3) ‘Defenders Of Blood, Soil and Spirit’ and the last track is called 4) ‘Eternal Fire’. Well, the first track talks about feelings of melancholy, wrath and of course hope and rebirth, for something that once was and shall become again. The main idea of this track came when I was on top of the castle in the town were I live and the fog was covering everything. The second track is about the eternal circle of life and death, this balance of light and darkness; it’s about our never-ending creativity and fighting. All those of course according to Natural Laws. The third track deals mainly with the Spartan Ideals and those who continue them. The last track, an acoustic one, is about what Heracletos once said: ‘This world was not made by any god or human. The world was, is and will be as an eternal flame that lights and extinguishes with matter.’

Your primary musical influence seems to me to be Nordic-styled black metal, rather than the traditional Greek black metal sound expressed by bands like Necromantia. Is there any real reason for this? How much do you appreciate the legacy that the most famous Hellenic black metal bands have left?
It’s true that I prefer more Norse-like Black Metal. When I compose a track I’m not saying, ‘OK, now I’ll make a Norse-like track’ but this is what comes from me, this is my inspiration and of course, as always there are the influences. I like the Hellenic Black Metal style a lot, but as it was until late 1996. I like and I appreciate the old Hellenic Black Metal bands until their releases of these years.

Can you tell us something about the modern Hellenic NSBM/ pagan metal scene? Is there any real following locally or have you found out that foreign listeners appreciate this kind of music more?
I don’t think that there’s any real scene. There are some people who have heathen or NS ideals and values and incorporate them in their Black Metal music, and I can ensure you that they do it perfectly. It’s true that Hellas had from the start Black Metal bands that were involved in NS, since the early ’90s up to nowadays. I can mention some good ideological bands like The Shadow Order, Bannerwar, Der Sturmer, Wodulf, Hagalaz, Gauntlet’s Sword, Naer Mataron, Legion Of Doom, Unholy Archangel, Kawir, Wolfnacht, Agarthia and more. Of course there are people here who listen to NS/ Pagan Black Metal but they don’t count. Some come and some others leave. This happens always and everywhere. I have more contacts with people from other countries.

What do you imply with the title of your latest release, ‘Beyond The Endless Horizons’? What are these horizons, and how can one go beyond them?
As you can see on the cover, there’s an Eagle that rises behind the horizon and you can also see the Holy Sunwheel. The Eagle and the Sun are coming together, bringing the Dawn. Beyond the horizons I put the mythic fatherland of Hypervorea or Thule, call it as you like, this spiritual cradle of Aryan Wisdom and Civilization, so it’s the Dawn of Thule in a way. If you want to go beyond these horizons you need virtuousness. This ‘beyond’ is a higher, let’s say spiritual, level. To achieve this is needed a spiritual catharsis and an esoteric modification. To be able of doing it, one needs to have consciousness of his blood and spirit. The spirit is part of the soul, and the soul is the constancy of the body, as Aristotle said. So we are talking here about our Racial Soul- this means we have to forget what we are (though it’s better to say we have to forget what others want us to be) and to be what we were born for. To get out of all the polluted pseudo-ideologies and to be into the cosmotheory that has to do with us, the cosmotheory of our ancestors.

Is there any common treading ground, or any similar aspects, between Heathen beliefs and Satanic beliefs?
We can separate Satanism in different units. The first is the orthodox traditional Satanism that is nothing more than one more semitic cult, nihilistic like judaism and christianity with a strong egocentric view believing in messiahs and other shitty stuff. This form of Satanism is just the other side of the coin. This Satanism is the one who gives power to the Christian faith and the Christian faith is the one that gives power to this kind of Satanism. They belong to the same system and without one, the other cannot exist. Satan is a word of Hebrew origin, and means ‘the one who is against’, against god in our case, so if he wins this god whom will he be against? This Satan should thank god for this existence. This Satanism belongs to the cosmotheory of the monotheistic tyrant religions and it’s nothing more than this.

Another form of Satanism is the LaVey one, which mixtures different philosophies and attitudes in order to make more people follow it. In reality these Satanists are nothing more than atheists who believe only in pleasure of material goods and how to satisfy their selves with their egocentric view. In these units there’s nothing common with heathenism.

Now we can talk about the ‘Satanism’ that took place in the middle-ages in Europe and it’s nothing more than Heathen cults, many times dark cults with Chthonian gods, that christian priests named as Satanic in order to make people to turn against them. Heathenism is a cosmotheory in itself and doesn’t need any opposite for its existence. It doesn’t has the concept of ‘absolute good’ and ‘absolute evil’ like monotheistic religions do. For in Heathenism, good and evil exist in the same person like light and darkness in nature. This is the natural law, this is the harmony and the balance. In Heathenism you feel the Gods close to you as friends and not as masters. In Heathenism Gods are representing archetypes of Man and forces of nature. Heathenism is having values like pride, honour, respect, creativity and of course blood, it has an heroic view of life. Heathenism offers you the path of the eternal improving.

There are also some philosophies that are called ‘Satanism’ but they see their Satan as a new Prometheus that gave to Man the Knowledge, and they follow Aryan philosophies mostly of Nietzsche and (very frequently) of ancient Hellenic philosophers. I can understand the concept of these people but I think they use the wrong term to describe their philosophy of life.

War is perhaps one of the most controversial topics currently in the news. It is of course necessary for a civilisation to safeguard its own, yet you find pacifists on either side of the Atlantic protesting against any little scuffle which may arise from time to time. How do you look at war, and, concerning our times, how would you define George Bush’s ‘war on terrorism’?
First of all I think we have to define the term ‘war’. War isn’t just the guns and bullets on a certain battlefield or, like in previous ages, swords and shields. War is the eternal progress, life is war, creativity is war. All of our actions are war! There’s also the ‘battlefield of ideas’. This war of ideologies, I assure you, is a battlefield which is very complex to imagine.

Going to Bush and his war now. We have a saying in my land, which tells about placing a wolf to take care of the sheep. A super-terrorist is trying to break down the ‘terrorists’? For me there’s no Al-Qaeda or any other Islamic ’super-terrorist’ organization. Behind all these actions is nothing more than Israel wanting to enslave and rule all nations. Do you think that USA could attack Iraq and take its oil without the attack of 11th September? Also see what targets have been attacked by the so-called Al-Qaeda after the 11th September and tell me if this helped the USA or not. They just create reasons for attacking and making other countries to be by their side in order to fight ‘against terrorism’ as ‘all the free nations should be united’. Also, don’t forget that Bin Laden worked for some years in the CIA.

A website about American black metal (http://www24.brinkster.com/usbm/indexjoke.html) denounces Darkthule as nothing more than an American joke band pretending it’s from Greece. How did this rumour come about and what are your replies to this?
Well, this guy has a complex problem with Wulfhere, and he had sent me an e-mail saying that Wulfhere is an Arab (!!!) joke band and that if I release the split with this band, no one will take Darkthule seriously. I simply told him that he is wrong, and from then on I became a jewish joke band, not even from Hellas. Conclusions are yours.

You are an active participant in The Golden Dawn Of Hellas, can you elaborate on this movement? Does it spread propaganda solely through music or are there any other outlets for spreading its message?
The Golden Dawn is the only National Socialist movement in Hellas and it is an example of many NS organizations around world. It has two weekly newspapers, one monthly ideological magazine, and from the Youth Front they publish the musical/ ideological magazine Counter-Attack which is a very good step to approach youth through music. Also the Golden Dawn has its own publishing house named Spear, which has already released books related to ideological matters, history, philosophy etc. Spear re-pressed also the Signal magazine, that was published by the Third Reich. Apart from this propaganda, or better call it enlightenment, there are also marches and other kinds of gatherings organised.

In a great number of instances, the Golden Dawn had to fight ‘nail and tooth’ in order to protect our fatherland. We keep high the honour of our race and of our beloved fatherland. The system, both leftist and rightist, is always fighting us, and some people tried to make the organization illegal but they didn’t succeed. This is their so-called ‘democracy’. They turn their laws against you and they don’t allow you freedom of speech when they don’t like what you say. I call this ‘jewdeocracy’. Most people know about us through the media, so as you can understand, they know about us without our help! People sometimes came and told me that Golden Dawn is a terrorist group or even an anarchist one!!!

The current worldwide ‘metal’ (!) scene is replete with ‘noise-core’ and ‘metal-core’ and ‘insert-stupid-prefix-core’ bands. Why are these bands and their weak varieties of watered-down serious art so popular with today’s audience? Do you believe that music can have a value of pure entertainment only?
I don’t like this style either, but there are bands that may play good music and not have a dumb ideology, and there are such bands. These bands with their weak varieties are so popular because people are brainwashed by such ‘values’. Don’t forget that big international commercial companies are promoting such bands, because they are not afraid of them, because they are a part of the system and thus they cannot harm it, while bands that sing for ancient ancestral ideals are boycotted and are being persecuted, it happens even outside of the music scene.

Music has many roles and one of them is to entertain, but is can also amuse, it can spread propaganda, it helps you to express yourself and when you have a certain cosmotheory then this is stamped on your music and your lyrics.

What are the greatest obstacles you encounter as a musician in a NSBM band?
My ideas are the obstacles! I have received censorship but it was predictable. Magazine, label and band boycotts, and the usual ‘hate mails’. My site has been set down two times without to overcome their terms and they were saying that I had done it.

Have you ever encountered censorship or social pressure regarding Darkthule?
I can’t say that I have social pressure because of Darkthule, but whenever there may be any, it has to do with the general ideas and beliefs that I express and not only with the band. I believe that in some years, with a common European fundamental law, things will get worse and just a band will be a very good reason to send you to prison. Like what happens in Germany for example.

Thanks, I guess that’s all… please give the readers your last comments and musings, and good luck with the band!
Thanks for your support! Revolt against the modern decayed world! Preserve your heritage in this multiracial and multicultural chaos! Blood and Honour!

http://www.darkthule.cjb.net

You also have other bands which are currently active, notably Mortifera and Genocide Kommando (correct me if there are more). How do you find time to produce material for all projects, and how are you able to keep them apart stylistically?
Yes, I am working with several bands, Mortifera is still active and we intend to release a second album during 2005. Genocide Kommando is completely dead and buried now, it was just a studio project and I don’t want to repeat this boring experience again.

It’s indeed difficult to find the time to work on all these projects coz I am very busy with my main activity: Drakkar Productions. But when I have free time, I feel the need to create music.

I think that it’s quite easy to keep apart the concepts of all these projects. Mostly because I am working with different musicians. I hope to have the chance to work with and help out some bands I appreciate in the future. It’s really a good experience to travel, meet people and record one album with them. That will hopefully happen in the future since I am supposed to join one US cult horde. Let’s see what will happen.

One reviewer whose work I read described Celestia as ‘a more melodic form of Darkthrone’. Do you agree? Do you think there is still place for innovation in the current extreme metal scene, and if yes, would this innovation be drawn from non-metal genres (such as Aborym)?
Celestia is Black Metal. Darkthrone too. Maybe a comparison is possible. I quit listening to Darkthrone since 1995, exactly when I started Celestia so I don’t think that we were influenced by Darkthrone or any other bands. There’s still a place for innovation in Black Metal. Try listening to the new albums of Peste Noire and Vrolok and you will see that Black Metal still has many things to say.

Much of your imagery and song titles (The Fragrance Of The Dead Rose, etc) are references to death, romance, and sexuality joined together, what is the appeal of this thing for you? It’s not a commonplace thing to find black metal that is lyrically about emotions of love- maybe you use this topic to illustrate love’s potential decay and perversion?
The Celestia concept taken from the album ‘Apparitia’ is more complex than the illusive images the eventual listener is able to perceive. You have to look deeper into these images to be able to capture the emotions I’ve tried to express. I want people to be able to go back in a decayed unknown perception of their minds. Celestia is just a support that will lead them to a gate where they will have to find a certain key to be able to evaluate their perceptions. Maybe they will never find the right key and they will never be able to understand anything. This is maybe what I want. I don’t know in fact coz everything is clear for me and I don’t want to make a definition of music and concept. All has to be individually interpreted.

What is your view on tape-trading and mp3 music formats- are they beneficial or harmful to underground bands?
Regarding the huge amount of very bad releases, I think that it’s normal to burn CD-Rs in order to avoid the purchase of shitty releases. Personally I always try to get originals releases when it’s possible but I can understand people who need to listen to music and are not able to pay for every CDs/ LPs. I think that if your album is good and if your visual is good too, your album will sell. If you play shitty music and if you release albums on shitty labels, that’s normal if your music is bootlegged. The good thing is if piracy destroys shitty labels who produce shitty bands. Everyone will be able to agree with me on this point that there’s too many bands/ labels nowadays. Quality and music are becoming something precious and hard to find.

Are Celestia to be considered a Black Legions band? On a side note, can you tell who of the members is still playing music now, apart from Mutiilation and Amaka Hahina?
No, Celestia has nothing to do with the Black legions circle. Vermeth is the very last Black Legions project still in activity. Mutiilation was kicked out of the Black legions back in 1996. Willy claims himself to not be member of that circle.

What are your personal spiritual beliefs, do you think there is another existence after death?
No, I think that Death is the ultimate point for humans. There’s no hope in terms of resurrection or things like that. I also hope that I will not be resurrected coz I don’t want to live another life in another corpse in 50 years. I don’t think that the life in 50 years will be better so, it’s better not to expect anything regarding religious theories.

Together with the Polish scene, France has long been known as having one of the most ‘true’, regressive black metal scenes worldwide. What are your views on this, and in your opinion, what new bands from this country are worthy of carrying the torch?
They are few, many bands are imposters and they pretend to play Black Metal just because that music is trendy. Very few bands are able to bring the real Black Metal essence in France. The best Black Metal bands in France still in activity in December 2004 are: Vermeth, Peste Noire, Gestapo 666 and few others. We have many bands like Nehemah who are totally shitty and dishonest. All bands from Adipocere/ Oaken Shield are just piece of shit!

Was there any one person who encouraged you to start playing the music you are now, and do you have any particular source of inspiration (whatever or whoever that may be)?
I started to play Death/ Thrash Metal at the end of the 80’s. Then more evil slow BM in ‘91/ ‘92 (in the vein of Beherit/ Bestial Summoning), then I created a band in the vein of Darkthrone in ‘94. Then Celestia started in 1995 and I was able to create a much mature music.

Are you concerned about this planet’s ecology? Do you support ecofascism and ecoterrorism?
I appreciate nature and quiet places, so if I will have to choose between the destruction of humanity or nature, I will certainly choose to destroy humanity in order to protect nature. Neither ecofascism or ecoterrorism are able to bring an equilibrium on that rotten world. All is condemned to perish!

If, for example, Celestia were commissioned by some company to do music for a film or otherwise, would you accept- or would it make you lose your motivation? Many people cite the once great Ulver as a clear example of this.
No, I will refuse coz the Celestia concept is too strong to be mixed with a film that will have a different scenario. Plus Black Metal is not supposed to be a soundtrack for a movie. Maybe it will be interesting to work on the music of a film but not under the name of Celestia.

Thanks, that’s all. Please give any info that you think has been left out, and also tell the readers how to obtain any of your releases.
Thanks to you for the interview and sorry for my delay of answering.

Our releases are available at www.drakkar666.com.

Hail!

Blacklodge consists of three members, do they compose all the input in the creation of the songs? Or is it more like your one-man band with session members? All the songs on ‘Login: SataN’ have you as the author of the music in question.
I write all the lyrics. All the songs are written by myself, except a couple of ones written by Silence (guitarist). But all the people in Blacklodge put their own ideas in to personalize the songs and build our typical feeling and trip. Blacklodge started as a one man band, but is now a full operating band with people totally involved in it, even above the music. In the ‘Login:SataN’ album, two songs have been written by Silence, ‘An Error In Darkness’ and ‘The Empress’.

You cite drugs as a big influence on what you do. What are the psychological manifestations of drug use for you, and how do these influence the music? Would the music be any different if there were no drugs involved?
Well, Blacklodge is too close to drugs to evolve without it. My mind has been built with strong experiences and drugs are a part of it. I wouldn’t be able to describe our music without drugs, really I have no clue about that, since I started to take drugs far before the beginning of the band. Their effects are a key to extreme pleasure, and also extreme pain. A way to live my own death pulses, to face the void, to dive in the void… but also to have revelations, strike of awareness and finally knowledge. In the ‘Login:SataN’ album, the drugs are the catalyst of pure self-destruction.

What drug do you prefer?
My favourite drug? Well, it has changed with time, and it’ll surely change again… depends on the mood… surely not alcohol. Coke for living fast, LSD for mystical travel through dimensions.

Should black metal evolve over the course of time, and do you consider your music an evolved form of black metal or merely a different approach?
Everything evolves, that’s the rule. The roots of Blacklodge are in the black metal feelings, but I don’t care really about our position in the black metal scene. We are true people worshipping our chemical divinities, with our personal experience of blackness… it is our way to walk the black metal path. Blacklodge is not making music the way of usual BM bands, but our minds are truly involved in BM, seen as an extreme way of life, facing/ experiencing darkness. Hail black metal, kill black metal.

What about the ‘new’ Mayhem and Dodheimsgard?
In the latest Mayhem (‘Grand Declaration Of War’) there are plenty of interesting and very good things, but I didn’t really like it globally. But I love the way they wanted to fuck up their own style and their own reputation. That’s a great evidence of free souls and daring artists. About Dodheimsgard’s latest effort, ‘666 International’, I’m just totally fan man. This album is totally incredible. Really.

Is technology inherently evil?
I don’t think so.

Do you think that man controls technology, or does technology control man? Can it get out of hand as in much futuristic science fiction?
The debate opposing the technological world, in return for primitive and so-called peaceful social groups is a false one. Technology is there, and we have to explore and definitely accept it. I think technology controls the man already, and that’s pretty obvious for me. We are all slaves of our credit cards, addicted to vaccination, watching TV/ computer, listening to music stocked on digital equipment… can you do something here without technology??? And how many humans are working, having no life and being slaves all their life? In order to find better equipment, better way to stock information… Well, we are slaves of technology. Not that robots are going to make a big rebellion or so, but all the human logic and rationality are circled and follow the rule of technology. Remember, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

How can fusion of electronic music and black metal be achieved as convincingly as you (and Aborym) do it? Is musical perfection (as in harmony, tempo, tightness, etc) achieved by technological means or does everything have to be composed thoroughly before?
I guess that’s a very interesting question concerning the industrial black metal music. I don’t know how other bands such as Aborym are working. On our first efforts, Blacklodge began by writing our songs exclusively with the guitar first. But on the ‘Login:SataN’ album, some songs had been written first using electronic elements, and that will be applied more and more in the future. Technology is spreading and taking control of the artist, like a plague… The most important thing is the same as for every musician, if you want to stay coherent you should first download your emotions from your soul to your eyes, and then just translate it…

Why do you blatantly promote the Redway fetish website?
It was a cool thing to do, as all the Blacklodge members were addicted to this website. But above that point, this website was a great typical example of the intrusion of technology in human intimity. The internet could be seen as a magical extension of the human psyche using the power of electronics. All the worst perversions can be found online, and the incredible request for extreme porn is really fascinating. Now you can easily watch grannies sucking dogs, trannies being gangbanged and teens being raped by ugly old men. And why? Because it lies in the deep fantasy of some of us. Surf on the internet, and explore the subconscious of humanity. Face hell.

Your songs were re-mastered before being released. Was Mick Kenney’s mixing and mastering an essential addition to how Blacklodge now sound like?
Our songs were remastered because I made the recording and the mixing of the album on my own, and I wanted someone else to work on the sound to add something new and different. Mick was really the best guy for the job in my mind, as I was fond of Anaal Nathrakh. He made a great work adding a colder, yet more brutal sound to the songs. The change between the first version of the tracks and after the Mick’s mastering is important enough to say that Mick made a strong addition to the Blacklodge sound.

How does this differ in live gigs?
It is very difficult to have correct sound. We are working a lot now to have the same on stage. It is nowadays our main work.

Should everyone have ‘equal rights’?
Er, well, you mean in society? In a society nobody has ‘equal rights’ and will never have them. It’s pure fiction to believe in that kind of shit. The ‘equal rights’ ideas were maybe invented by some idealistic people, believing in their own fantasy. But now these kind of speeches are mostly used by politicians to create the illusion of comfort, regarding other types of government, and to justify democracies, so their leadership. It’s also a strong weapon in international relationships… just take a look at China. It’s growing and has the potential to crush western societies. But Western societies have a strong weapon: in case China is gaining too much power, they can stop any trade and asphyxiate this country, in the name of this so called respect for human rights… Don’t be fooled.
But Blacklodge does not really care actually about that notion of rights, as it belongs to nation’s code and justice organisations. The individualistic views of Blacklodge consider just the rights as a social landscape were the inner soul has to evolve to experience itself and achieve its goal.

How do you look at humanism, and the European Union?
About humanism: what do you mean exactly??? If you mean humanism as:
A: the doctrine emphasizing a person’s capacity for self-realization through reason; rejects religion and the supernatural- well, in that case that’s bullshit, I mean reason alone is as stupid for me as superstitious obsession. My self realisation is driven by a mix of both reason and spiritual intuition.
B: the doctrine that people’s duty is to promote human welfare- in that case, it sounds more like something politicians have to support because it develops human solidarity, giving them more time to fuck them from behind.
European Union? Well, Blacklodge is not interested in the history of the empires… a new one is rising. Anyway, we are more concerned about our self-realisation, independent from the state and society we live in. European Union is cool when I can pay my beers in festivals without having to get annoyed with currency. That’s all.

What is your opinion about the commercialized and streamlined ‘black metal’ sound which is a relatively modern product, as executed by the likes of Dimmu Borgir and Covenant? Is it black metal after all?
Well, I’m not interested in those bands… I just listened to them a couple of times. We are speaking about their latest realisations here. That’s obviously not black metal, just good musicians making easy listening songs with a touch of black design. Not my cup of tea, just the kind of music nice to hear in a lift. The artists didn’t involve their deep souls enough. However I like early Covenant.

How can a man leave his legacy after dying? Socrates said it was either by having offspring (passing on of the genes) or by leaving a work of art, would you agree?
Very interesting question, which had been a big source of discussion between me and Silence for years. Socrates’ quote sounds pretty right, but still I want to add something. What is a legacy???
Most of the time I see attempts of legacy around me (art or offspring) as a way to try to cheat the reality of Death. To fight Death. To heal the apparent vanity of life and the tragic end of our ego: legacies are an attempt to have a longer intimacy with this reality. I was obsessed first by this need to deny the reality of my end. Blacklodge’s demo lyrics are just translating that obsession:

‘Bitterness, mediocrity taste, I thought I’d die with the sun
My depressive winds are blowing on me as I know Death will not forget me’

(from ‘InnerCells’, a song called ‘Depressive Winds’). This song deals with the sexual and morbid attraction for underage children. That is to say a morbid art- to kill other’s offspring, to forget my own death. This destructive pulsing shows that my obsession led to a attempt to create a legacy through the destruction of others’ ones. It was totally confirming the idea of Socrates. Now it’s different. Because I have experimented already with Death, and have a knowledge of morbid alchemy, my art has transformed. I do not want to do art as a legacy, but to learn to accept and celebrate Death. Then I won’t need anymore a legacy, because I’ll be on the way to success- my Death.
But what do you mean by legacy ? In my opinion, if you want to leave a legacy, you should find what is your art, whatever it may be, and then improve it through achievements. It is a legacy of your life, of your existence on earth, as art is kind of like the material translation of your emotional experiences. Then you could have offspring, but offspring is a legacy of blood and the genes… it depends on whether you can educate the offspring. Legacy by leaving offspring sounds to me like a defeat. I see most of the time around me people having offspring and making their education because they failed to achieve their own piece of art. Wanting to have offspring so it would finish what they once failed… I don’t give a shit for now to have offspring, I work fully on my art. And I don’t perform it to leave a legacy… I’m more motivated to the creation of an entity, who touched the divinities of my pantheon and beliefs. I don’t care if it dies with me. I’m not interested in leaving a legacy to men. I’m always looking at the future, even beyond my death. Legacies are for the ones who fear death. I don’t.

How was the recent live experience with Reign Of Erebus and Aborym? Are you planning any more live shows soon?
There was also Arkhon Infaustus. Well it was just fucking great man, really. I wasn’t expecting such reactions. I mean, our music is always kind of surprising for diehard metalheads, with the presence of electronic elements. So you never really know what the reaction of the public will be. And we were playing first, usually at the time where all the people are drinking their beers and arriving. But the place was already full, and the people were attentive to our gig, with a lot of support. That was really exciting. Then we had all the night to get fucked up and high, with great bands playing and an incredible place of inferno and lust. Man I was so high on a couple of E’s… that was totally insane. That was just a great moment. Excess all areas! Chaos, SataN!

Any suggestions on how interested listeners can obtain your back-catalogue?
Well, many people got in touch with me to have earlier demos… but I’ll have to re-release them I think. Just go to the Blacklodge website and keep yourself updated for an eventual re-release of the material. Maybe a label will release all the early demo on a CD…watch out.

Right, thanks for your time, please if you think there is anything more I should have asked and didn’t give us the information yourself!
Well, be aware there will be a split EP with Blacklodge and Diapsiquir out in a couple of weeks or months. And a couple of gigs too… just check our website http://www.loginsatan.org. Thanks for your interesting interview D.

What have you released until now, and how does musical style differ from one release to the next?
1 demo, 2 albums, a live tape, and a split EP are the whole of our work thus far. Album 3 is imminent circa 2005. Like any band that desires forward motion we continue to develop and refine our material. Ultimately as we are a band that deals in long-running themes, there is a specific sound that we have adopted and shall retain throughout the lifespan of this endeavour. We try to incorporate both ponderous and frenetic elements into the music as it is all designed as conveying meaning rather than attempting to pummel the listener into accepting what is otherwise incoherent.

In what ways does Satan mean anything to you, metaphorically or anthropomorphically speaking?
Satan is to me a mechanism like many others, an idea around which to build an artistic monument. We are closely associated with many bands to whom Satan IS the monument, which is of course an admirable mode of conviction. For ourselves, our preoccupation is the nameless beyond and the forces that govern from the periphery (though indeed Satan can be counted among them).

How does the figure of Lucifer tie in with your nihilistic beliefs?
Luciferian idea and practice admittedly doesn’t have an active role in our outlooks, and I would say that referring to our beliefs as nihilist is inaccurate; on the contrary, there are plenty of things that are of importance to us.

Do you think there is a relationship between Satanism and National Socialism, or, for that matter, between communism and christianity?
I think Satanism is a brand of hedonism and free-thinking, while National Socialism is designed for organized and collective ideas. I wouldn’t say the two are very compatible. And too great a single-minded fixation on either end usually results in poor Black Metal. Communism and christianity actually have more in common as they are both based on the mistaken idea that everyone should be regarded as equal. If one is to examine the tenants of Jesus (or at least how this figure is portrayed in the Bible), much of it has a very communistic tone. Ironic that communism among other things struck down the ideas of organized religion. I find that present day communists and leftists have very christian outlooks towards the world, if anything because they tend to have such polar attitudes towards everything they see (i.e. one thing is ‘bad’ vs. something else that is ‘good’). Who can say? There are many stripes in political movements and I’m sure there would be many who would strongly disagree with my statements. Not that I care.

Some months ago you toured Europe together with Watain and Secrets Of The Moon. How were your experiences during this tour and what are your most remarkable memories?
It was a true success in every sense- the shows did as well or even better than we hoped. Who would have expected a full house in Holland on a Monday night, for instance? To say we had an excellent time was an understatement. Both Secrets Of The Moon and Watain are brilliant bands and very reliable and professional when it comes to getting the job done. We would do it again in an instant (and if we have our way it could actually happen). Probably the most gratifying aspect of the tour was the fact that it was organized by Golden of Secrets, E. of Watain, and myself. We all did our parts to plan, organize, and promote this tour. Golden in particular did considerable work in booking dates, and it felt like a real achievement to play a solid two weeks of successful dates without any label support. It was like the ‘old days’ where we pulled together in a common cause to make it all possible rather than having egos, incompetence, or laziness get in the way. There was blood spilled every night of the tour actually, mostly all over Watain. Barcelona stepped up the carnage as several pigeons in a park lost their lives to Watain, many of them meeting decapitation in Watain drummer H.’s mouth. I think the final toll was seven or eight. As far as the authorities are concerned, Watain were often kind enough to attract them in a few cities. Indecency in the presence of a minor was a pending charge, and there were a couple of other incidents when locals were calling the authorities but ultimately nothing charms a police officer more than a drunken Swede covered in rags and clotted goat blood, so no arrests were made. Other than that, no shows were cancelled, no promoters scammed us- it couldn’t have gone any better.

What are your views as regards black metal music in different countries (above all European)?
Off the top of my head, Norway these days seems like a joke that nobody but the bands involved seems to get, Sweden is the current stronghold for all things worth hearing and supporting, Germany has a handful of noteworthy bands and then scads of enclavish scenesters who simply take up space, America delivers football-inspired death metal that they insist is Black Metal just because they wear corpsepaint, England has no Black Metal scene in any regard, France is another vanguard of the current regime and their bands are cancerous and awesomely foul, Russia’s bands are brooding and somewhat bizarre but very convincing, Italy’s bands are surprisingly boring given their penchant for horror films (though most of those are boring too, now that I think of it), South America’s bands are intense and passionate about their work even though there are several who need to innovate more before they can compete on a larger scale, Australia’s bands sound like Motorhead, Poland’s bands are all almost exclusively NS and steadfastly minimalist, and Canada’s bands are all apocalyptic with werewolves for frontmen and machine gun turrets for drummers.

What current black metal bands do you feel are worthy of being listened to? In order of appearance, here is a sampling of current bands I recommend from each country:
Norway -Black Circle bands, Ildjarn and early Gorgoroth none of these are current, what does that tell you?)
Sweden -Watain, Sigrblot, Funeral Mist, Armagedda, Ondskapt, Malign, Shining, Triumphator, Ofermod, Bloodline
Germany -Secrets of the Moon, Darkened Nocturne Slaughtercult, Katharsis, Nachtfalke, Winterblut
USA -Krieg, Bahimiron
France - Hell Militia, Antaeus, Deviant, Deathspell Omega, Mutiilation (though the new stuff is terrible), S. V. E. S. T. , Temple of Baal, Vorkreist
Russia/ Ukraine/ former USSR -Old Wainds (their demo is king), Hate Forest, Branikald, Drudkh
Italy -Aborym, Altar of Perversion, Forgotten Tomb
Brazil - Berzabum, Blackmass, Endless War, Evil, Goatpenis, Murder Rape, Mystifier, Mysteriis, Ocultan, Saevus, Unearthly
Australia -Gospel of the Horns, Nazxul, Sadistik Intent
Poland -Graveland, Ohtar, Selbstmord, Kataxu
Canada -Ankhreg, Malvery, Frozen Shadows, Lust, Magister Dixit, Trails of Anguish, Unquintessence, Vanquished.

Does the existential philosophy of Sartre or Camus mean anything to you?
Existentialism has never appealed greatly to me in that I am less concerned about why I am here compared to what I want to do while I am here.

Who are your philosophical heroes?
This seems like an obvious statement but I think my favourite Western philosopher would be the pet philosopher of Black Metallers, Friedrich Nietzsche. I am not going to bother reiterating why his work is valid, I think it speaks for itself. Outside of that I enjoy reading eastern philosophy, particularly from Feudal Japan. Samurai warrior culture is fascinating, and Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ is a must read.

A long time ago you told me that you were thinking of having your long out-of-print demo reissued by Spikekult; do you still intend doing this, and what plans do you have for the near future?
As it happens our demo is slated for a limited re-release by Nigra Mortis Productions in Brazil. This will most likely mean that it is only available in that territory, but since that is our largest support base it makes sense. Plans for the near future are rather large- we will record our third album, ‘Tetragrammatical Astygmata’, in February with Necromorbus (Funeral Mist/ Watain/ every great BM band in Sweden) at the production helm. This is going to be a very involved recording, and I cannot wait to begin. After this we are planning to return on a full-fledged headlining tour of South America. That is the next six months in so many words, give or take. Somewhere in there another EP’s worth of material is being discussed, as we do not desire another four year gap between releases.

Throughout both of your full-length albums, there are ambient/ noise interludes separating the proper metal songs. Do you regard noise as being a legitimate form of music, or is it rather an art-form in its own right? It can also be one of the more ’snobbish’ and pretentious forms of art, because some people think that if it’s too hard to understand, then it must be intelligent. Do you agree?
It is a form of music in that it uses sound to promote ideas. It can be pretentious because it can pretend to be something when it’s not much of anything (i.e. ‘Do you hear that sustained distorted frequency that goes on for 20 minutes? Genius!’). We use these interludes as a way to augment our content and add a specific ambience. I don’t follow the noise scene too closely, though I like MZ412 and Sophia among others.

Is a community as exemplified by Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ feasible? How do you feel about the concept of a politically/ religiously totalitarian state- should there be absolute freedom for individuality; or are laws important?
A society without standards ceases to be a society at all, but in this day and age the main problem lies in that while we have plenty of rules and laws, the priorities and motivations behind them are often irrational or misbegotten because they usually stem from christian moralism rather than pragmatism or logic. I don’t believe that at this point a ‘brave new world’ would be possible in any case because the western world is so steeped in the church that things like unchecked sexual behaviour and refusal to procreate could never become acceptable. I think if anything, we are now heading towards a model not unlike Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. That or maybe ‘THX1138′.

To continue with the previous question; what were your thoughts the day Muslims attacked the WTC, and where do you think such conflicts will lead to? Is a third world war inevitable?
My honest first thought was, ‘Damn, now I have to cancel my trip to New York to see Immolation next week.’ My second thought was, ‘Excellent, I get to leave work early’. Then I drove down to a local video arcade by the college campus and played Crazy Taxi for an hour. It was incredibly disconnected, and why not? I didn’t honestly care. As soon as it was obvious we were under attack I was fairly satisfied that someone upon which our government trampled finally got their retribution. What this particular incident ultimately led to is our government turning in on us (which is something it has been slowly doing for years) and a record number of people becoming church-goers again due to their paranoia and death fear. I think it is likely that we are at the tail-end of society as we know it; our civil rights will diminish until we have none, we will become an increasingly Orwellian society in which we cannot trust each other and in fact prey on each other at any opportunity… it is hard to say just how bad it will get. I myself plan to wait and see, as I have relatively little holding me to continue on here. As far as world war three, we are dealing with an opponent who has no fixed army, no defined homeland, and no government to topple. These foundations are required to give rise to a world war, and the soldiers of Islam do not fit into this category in any way. This is also why we as a nation stand to lose the most as our government would rather punish and terrorize us rather than address possible solutions (i.e. a total withdrawal from support of Israel), and in the meantime the opposition can simply emigrate to America and dismantle us from the inside. It will be a welcome defeat, provided I am at a safe distance when it occurs.

Surely, the most important news event of this week was the election in the US. What are your thoughts about the political campaign; its outcome; and the result of the election? Why do you think Americans are retards for having elected Bush again, and how would the scenario have changed had Kerry taken his place?
I think Americans in general are uninformed and moreover they are cowards and christians (whether or not they go to church). I don’t have any illusions that Kerry would have made things better as he belongs to the same power structure as Bush. The most troubling aspect, however, is that our government is now in a firm stranglehold of the christian right. All our branches of government are now Republican controlled, so there will be no dissent and thus a religious agenda will be pushed. We will once again become a christian bastion standing against a muslim one- this is how holy wars begin.

Stylistically, Averse Sefira take a framework of black and death metal and incorporate into it several personal touches that make the brew sound very original despite of being in the epicentre of an overpopulated scene. What are your musical influences?
Our influences go from current acts all the way back to the early 1980s. I would say the main bands that have influenced us are Immolation, Immortal, Emperor and then early Deicide, Morbid Angel, Sodom, etc. People hear this list and then presume we are a black/ death band which I don’t agree is accurate. Our concept and approach is firmly black metal, though our music does have the aggressive velocity of older death metal in many places.

How do you think a black metal band can have its own distinguishable sound amongst the innumerable inferior Darkthrone clones that one usually finds?
Regarding what makes a band distinct, I have said this in several interviews- it is all about intent. Many bands steal from Darkthrone because they are ‘easy’ to mimic in execution, despite the fact that early Darkthrone was genius because of its INTENT. For our part, we have arrived at a point where we can actually write in a vacuum for the most part. Very rarely do we work on new material and feel reminded of other bands we revere. We have always toiled to avoid being derivative in any fashion, and again it is INTENT- we want to create something worth hearing, worth considering. For us, it is not sufficient to just be able to say we are a Black Metal band. Anyone who started a band yesterday can (and invariably will) say the same. To be a band that attempts to sound like something else is to surrender on day one.

Do you feel that the essence of black metal and similar kinds of underground music is lost when they are so easily available (via internet, etc.) to everyone?
It is never lost as long as there are still individuals who truly understand it. It is tiresome to deal with people who only know about underground music from the internet, but fortunately they rarely stay around for too long before moving on to something else.

Why do you think black metal extends beyond music?
What makes Black Metal is not being out of print or limited to 300 copies; it is an unspoken idea of a form of music connected to a very poisonous and esoteric outlook of the world. It is easy to know when someone has this understanding when meeting him, it is something indelible and all-consuming.

Thanks for the answers; now please end any way you like and don’t forget to supply the readers with the contact addresses they need to listen to your music…
Greetings to you and your brethren in the far-off reaches of Malta! America is the cancer- refuse it!

http://www.aversesefira.com

Averse Sefira
PO Box 2021
Cedar Park, TX 78630-2021
USA