| Dark magazine for Dark creatures OCTOBER 12th, 2000 E. V. Finally out the 4th issue(Lilith's Dream)!!! 40 A4 pages professionally printed on glossy paper Interviews with: ABORYM, LUNAR AURORA, RAISON D'ETRE, AUTUMN TEARS, LOVE LIKE BLOOD, MALDOROR, ILDFROST, ANUBI, UMBRA, NOVEMBRE, THYRFING, NAZCA, DECAPITATED, GOSPEL OF THE HORNS, FURVUS, HATRED, ULCUS, PRIMARY SLAVE Plus an article titled "Non Serviam! Thus Spoke The Angel" written by Hagaer Spano and a 20 A5 pages booklet exclusively dedicated to all the reviews and the news. Moreover to the first 150 orders a free HAMMERHEART Rec. CD-compilation with 19 bands - Aeternus, Primordial, Necrophagia, Dead Silent Slumber, Vader, Aura Noir etc. - (some of them with rare versions or unreleased trax). Get your copy sending: $ 6 US / DM 10 / £ 8.000 to: FRANCESCO PALUMBO Via San Clemente 106 84015 Nocera Superiore (SA) ITALY Only well hidden cash or IMO are accepted. Labels & Distributors, get in touch for cheap wholesale prices or trades. Bands & Magazines, write for possible collaboration For further information e mail: vampiria@inwind.it For Italian creatures only: Solo per le oscure creature Italiane è disponibile BLESSED SPELLS OF MOURNING # 5 pubblicazione filosofica di respiro Ateo e Asociale con 24 pagine di delirante Misantropia e musica oscura scritte in Italiano. Vampiria # 4 + CD (Hammerhearth) + Blessed Spells Of Mourning # 5 £ 10.000 Inoltre è disponibile un fornito catalogo pieno di novità a prezzi molto bassi (es. CD da £ 10.000 a max £ 22.000) Once to say that Germany was the land of Metal, was not a lie. Bands like KREATOR, SODOM, HELLOWEEN, DESTRUCTION just to name a few of them have created a new way to intend music with its extreme and powerful sound. German Thrash Metal has created a myth that on today continue with the same bands too, but also with new acts that starting from the same roots have given new force with a darker sound to the German identity. I’m speaking above all about two bands DESASTER and LUNAR AURORA that have developed a great and original sound full of aggressiveness and dark atmospheres. Now I want to present you LUNAR AURORA which probably represents a more modern way to play Metal than DESASTER. Their last album is one of the most incredible creations that a human mind has created and just about this album and many other arguments I have discussed together with Sindar surely a great musician but above all a great man. Of Stargates And Bloodstained Celestial Spheres" is surely one of the most interesting album that Black Metal scene has produced lately. I find it a dark union between Avantgardish sounds and the usual power and aggressiveness of the typical Lunar Aurora’s style. Could you tell me in which way is this album risen in your stygian spirit and which were the sensations you feel during its conception? Thanks for your praising words. Let's get started right away. "Of Stargates..." has been created the same way, all our music was: the base, the single riffs and melodies are mostly composed at home, alone and in a state of meditation, only trying to listen what songs our souls sing. At the rehearsals -two or three times a week- all the ideas then are combined with the other ones, drums then are added and we try to find the best arrangements to realize our ideas. Even after a song is finished it still is alive within and some things even change while recording it. It is some sort of irritating arbitrarity that you sometimes nearly cannot keep up with. Normally we have certain ideas or images how the music shall be like but mostly we soon realize that these ideas are not to be accomplished this way: while working at a song more and more different emotions found their way in it the original ideas proved to be too limited. Before starting to create the songs from "Of Stargates...." we really had in mind something very primitive, fast and raw but soon we became aware that we would have had to forget about so many ideas that the songs would not have done justice to our emotions. This time it has been similar: we wanted to create shorter songs with a ruder Rock´n´Roll attitude. Instead of it the songs became a bit longer than on the last album with more primitive yet melancholic influences. There were other feelings to be expressed than we wanted to and anything else somehow sounded constructed and artificial; the most significant part for the new influences was improvised and so turned out to be more original and indigenous than anything else. Surely one the most beautiful and charming aspect of this album has been the incredible role of the Keyboards. You Sindar is the one who is behind this instrument, so tell me what did you want to capture with these magic sounds and above all do you think that in the next future this instrument will have the same importance that get in "Of Stargates…"? I actually never wanted to create anything beautiful or even charming with the Synths. With this instrument you are able to create a music that has nothing whatsoever to do with worldly topics. By using as less "earthly" timbres as possible, like Strings, Piano or Choirs, we tried to carry our music away from anything life-bound. The most extreme form of using Synthesisers this way would be a music from out desolate cosmos and this is what we aim at: Estranging all the usual sounds to leave behind any connections with the earth, humanity and life; a magic beyond time and space.... On our next album I´ll try to make a huge step towards this aim, still some majestic parts with Strings and Choirs will be included, too. But the Keys will be reduced as there are more parts now where they just wouldn't fit and all in all Keys tend to make the music friendlier or even beautiful and that would be the last we wanted to. Tell me som ething about the meaning of this long title. What did you want to express through this? As already mentioned all the topics Lunar Aurora deals with are not of this world and so the title "Of Stargates and bloodstained celestial Spheres" indicates both the way to leave the bonds of human life, by meditation, death or Rock´n´Roll but also a view of what awaits the Traveller through Worlds (Weltengänger). Actually our titles try to summon anything Lunar Aurora stands for, not concentrating on some certain concept of an album so it's always a bit hard to find one. One more reason for "Of Stargates..." was, that it has not too much to do with the cover picture, as both ideas grew independently from each other and we somehow liked the strange incoherence of the mystic title and the old-school like "suffer in Hell" picture. The whole album is rich of different characteristic. There are violent riffs alternated to wonderful intermezzos, there are epic melodies linked to bewitched atmospheres which and so on… Is this variety the point of force of this album and also of your music? I think this variety is based upon the variety of feelings that are allowed to influence the songs and the different characters that take part on it. It would be really sad if we expressed ourselves through our music and would not be able to create something multiple and interesting. It would mean that we are both dull and uninteresting persons or unable to express ourselves. The first would be a reason for suicide and the second for founding a cover-band. Variety should be the "point of force" for every band, be it in the subtlest way, but in reality there's nearly no more band left that creates intense and interesting music. Just shallow stuff and those, creating such a bullshit would be better off dead as no one ever has led a dignified life who has forgotten his own spirit while following other ones´ paths; and speechifying only deceives the foolish.... Nevertheless I also like monotonous, primitive music as long as it raises intense emotions and within this spectrum offers the facets of its hate, aggression or whatever. As long as music is extreme, true (what a bloody phrase, but it's true...) and evokes emotions its existence is appreciated. There are many songs that can be considered true classics of Lunar Aurora’s music. But is there a particular song that you are more closed than others and can you tell me why? Relating to "Of Stargates...." my favourite song is Child of the Apocalypse. It contains everything from purest aggressions in the beginning, to looming melancholy in the middle and ending majestically like the soaring eagle. It also is the oldest song on this album; it was created a few weeks after recording "Seelenfeuer", so we still rehearsed it with our old drummer Nathaniel and so the spirit of those days is perpetuated in this song. But any partiality to a certain song always depends on a certain mood and the feasibility to drown in the special feeling of a song. Great demo songs still are of my Existence and auf dunklen Schwingen, songs I hope we will re-record some day. One of the songs I prefer is ‘Schwarzer Engel’ a magnificent opera where the aggressiveness of old sounds is linked to the magic of unique atmospheres with the only aim to create an obscure hymn to the Darkness. Could you be so nice to tell me more about this creature? Sorry, but as the lyrics of Schwarzer Engel were written by Whyrhd and are very personal, I don't feel like being able to interpret them on his behalf. Whyrhd´s lyrics often deal with topics like reincarnation, death and rise, the pains of existence and the final void beyond death and these words may be used for everyone to make his very own picture of the lyrics as they never try to procure a certain image but are free to the fantasy and personality of anyone worthy. If your mind is open the spirits will appear by themselves.... and perhaps the recognition of existential pain and the victory gained by occupying with such topics may also give strength to someone outside our music; to us it surely does! How do you think Lunar Aurora’s style has developed with "Of Stargates…" since your early days and above all since your previous album "Seelenfeuer"? Besides all the "usual" developments, like learning to play one's instrument, our new drummer B.C. gave us the chance to realize more weird ideas. As he is a quite professional musician he also was able to tell us what sorts of harmonies, etc... we used. Quite irrelevant actually and sometimes it is not really easy to cope with the influence; a professional like him brings along. Riffs or melodies sometimes are plucked to pieces and deprived of its nativeness so it's sometimes a hard piece of work to keep up the feeling but then it remains more intense. Nevertheless he's a good drummer who has always done his best to help us converting our ideas and crossing some frontiers. Of course personal developments also influence ones music (one of the most important aspects!) so a greater variety of feelings can be expressed through music and lyrics and a greater scope of experience in life makes one more open-minded. And though being not as complex as his predecessor, "Of Stargates...." offers a more subtly facetted image of our music. On our latest album I also used my own Synthesizer, something I could not do before as I had none. A long time I played on borrowed Keyboards so when using the studio's Synth on "Seelenfeuer" I did not have too much time to experiment with it and mostly had to use the ready-made sounds. One further development is that "Seelenfeuer" has been recorded in our rehearsal room, produced by a man with whom we had to fight for any idea we had. "Of Stargates..." then was recorded within the relaxed atmosphere of the Hörnix- Studio in Austria and with the aid of a very qualified man, Georg Hrauda. I think the different circumstances while recording an album are very important to its atmosphere and so "Of Stargate..." sounds quite relaxed though it lacks the obstinacy and grimness of "Seelenfeuer" a bit. I still don't know for sure whether I like more. After the release of your last album "Of Stargates…" many facts happened. The most relevant was the deal offered to the band by Avantgarde Music surely one of the most interesting labels in the UG music. It seemed that this deal was sure, but at the end you have refused it to sign with the same great Ars Metalli. Which was the reason that convinced you to refuse the offer of the Italian label and to sign with the German Ars Metalli? It was a strange development. First we were of course quite overjoyed having a deal with one of the last labels that still concentrates on the valuable bands (like Carpathian Forest or Taake) but somehow it was quite difficult to arrange in a language you are not perfectly fit in. It may seem quite irrelevant whether conversations are fluent or not but when reaching difficult topics my English sometimes was overcharged. For the same reason it was quite difficult to create something like an amicable relationship which is to me quite important to have with a person you are in business (at least in this case). Then while waiting for the contract to be sent, Christoph Dobberstein of Ars Metalli called us. A few weeks ago he has promoted a gig for us and was totally enthusiastic about it afterwards. He asked me if we'd sign on his label and I told him about the deal with Wounded Love Records but still offered him to send us a sketch of his contract as we were already waiting for the contract from Italy for quite a time and his enthusiasm immediately caught hold of me. The next day we already received the contract of Ars Metalli and two days later the valid copies, the same day the contract from Wounded Love arrived. Normally we had signed the latter but due to the reasons I just mentioned we decided to sign at Ars Metalli. Not quite fair actually but perhaps Roberto would have dug his own financial grave as it's not easy to find a ready market for our music (hope, Dobberstein will not regret that deal one day..........). Can you anticipate me anything about the next album? I know you’ll enter the studio in June. Yes, we'll enter the Hörnix Tonstudio at the 26th of June this year. Though we hired it for two weeks, I think we'll be finished after ten days easily, just like the last time. The new album will likely be called "Ars Moriendi", last for about 40 - 50 minutes and will include as well seven "normal" songs (about seven minutes each), as the usual intro and one or two experimentals, too. This time we tried to concentrate only on either utmost aggressive parts or melancholic, majestic ones. We'll also keep the sound much more raw and original this time as, though we've only spent about thirty minutes to mix the album the last time, "Of Stargates..." to me sounds a bit too produced. The slightly reduced Synth parts will be used more to create a weird, gloomy and thrilling atmosphere this time. According to the increased fineness of some parts the next album may probably be looked upon as a small step back to the style of "Seelenfeuer" though it will still be much more straightforward. I can't tell too much yet as though we've already finished all the songs, many things, like accents on Bass or Guitar parts, Vocals or similar stuff, are mostly improvised in the studio. If we manage to realize all the ideas we have by now, this album surely will kick the asses of some posers who probably think that they make extreme music. Eat me raw! Now some not musical questions: Satanism and Black Metal are in the earlier time united under one only flag. Now a lot of bands deny their origins but at the same time they still consider their music as Black Metal. Can Black Metal express its true meaning without being the music of the Dark Lord? I’d like to have your opinion about this fact. Black Metal is Satanic music and those denying it probably have forgotten about what Satanism means: it is the declaration against any God and the raising of one self far above any supernatural being outside ones body. Those calling themselves children of Satan or even servants only indicate their incapability of being their own masters. The strength many try to find in rituals, masses, feeble prayers is not given by someone outside but truly lies deep within every soul and is connected to all the cosmic energies, be it those of nature, be it those of the spirits of the dead or anything else but many never will be able to reach the sources of these energies. Subduing yourself under another ones power means to let him use your sources. Satanism is something far beyond good or evil though acting in unity with your utmost person will often be declared as mean, bad or evil as a unity with all aspects of life and death also means a unity with the instincts, the animal in man and also with things that may result in being allotted in a lunatic asylum. Mythology, Occultism, Magic, all those measures only aim at opening the inner sources to use its streams of energy whose might also reaches to regions far beyond thoughts and open the soul for cosmic wisdom (and stuff). In most of the human shells out there these sources are dried out long ago so these poor individuals are nothing but mere empty hulls, filled up with insignificant values and thoughts that mostly won't even survive half of their life. This might sound like some esoteric lore but goes further as "esoteric" people mostly concentrate on a small scope while the whole power is something very destructive: it is something that normally can't be combined with human life and at last will destroy it as it is much too extensive for a rational mind and a limited physical human existence. Relations to many Satanic messages should be obvious and in fact the only difference is that the use of abstract terms, like Satan, Lucifer or Avoozl mostly shows the limitation of understanding and the helpless clinch to such names due to the lack of an own spirit. So whenever music evokes the primordial forces it may be called "Satanic" music and whenever such music is combined with Metal attitudes, it is Black Metal; logically, isn't it? If Lunar Aurora has ever denied to be a Satanic band it was only not to be connected with the mass of idiots that use this term so stupidly and practise it just like any other religion; what a dumb paradox. (I know that the other guys of Lunar Aurora might think about this topic in another way but this never was meant as a comment for the whole band.) Where do you think the whole Black Metal scene is at this point? Do you think that the password is now contamination or better do you think that it is possible to find a new way inside the typical structures of the obscure sonorities of this music? The scene is dead! It even stinks already as the last two years it only existed like something undead, kept alive by the magic of money. Actually you can't blame the big labels that have infested the scene; it's their job to rip off and anyone should know that it is. It's the big mass of servants to anything that is presented on a silver tablet that has to be blamed. Just like an image of the big pop business where the mass of whole societies is manipulated, some years ago Black Metal became a mass movement, accessible to anyone and totally demystified. Whatever all the "old" bands complained about, like trends or something was nothing compared to the Fashion, BM became. There is an own style of clothes a unity of Sound - all new releases sound alike, like all Grieghallen releases -, a lack of ideologies and even those bands that never tended to that new union with the feeble Gothic scene became more boring and boring. All the brutal now was either called stupid or used in way that really has earned this term. Sound became more important than music and if a release could not be labelled "melodic" or at least "melancholic" it was totally ignored. And look what is left: the big mass is fickle and never supported anything with other means than money and if it is not served with mass- products it will turn off. Just what happens now and all those who have relied on these people are in big trouble now. So many labels have vanished and the numbers of sales decrease rapidly. There's just a small core left that is still worthy to be supported and it is those bands that care a fuck about money, image or something else and will continue even if each release is a demo- quality release limited to the number of band members. The rest is about to lose their base of existence: reputation, and we'll see what will be left of them; and who'll care... Can you give me your opinion about Aleister Crowley and what does Magik represent for you? I don't know Crowley too good but as far as I can tell he is a textbook example of what powers dwell within man, how they can be used and what destructive force lies within them when they rise beyond human bonds. Magic, as already mentioned before, represents the use of powers in the micro- or macrocosm, tapping its sources. That's where the English word "sorcery" is derived from. Many bands pay their tribute to the mighty Nature singing about Her power. What is your opinion about this return to the Pagan origins of the life? In which way is Lunar Aurora related to this argument? The nature as a mighty source of power is a source of influence for Lunar Aurora, too and if you stretch the term "nature" a bit you get where I ended three questions before. But that aspect, the myths of nature, is the only thing that connects us with Paganism. Adoring Gods is something I abhor still there is some certain fascination about that rude boys of, let's say Asgard or wherever and of course the roots of occult or mystic rites lie in the old traditions of the Orient but nevertheless "returning to Pagan origin" is something that should better be done without me. I've found my way and it differs too much from the ritualized way of Heathen traditions. What is the image you see when you think to the Apocalypse? I have no certain picture of the Apocalypse. Maybe a Nuclear War, maybe natural catastrophes "en masse", maybe a slow development with a lot of looming incidents that slowly make mankind go down the drain or maybe even a religious war but it's more likely that such a war will be fought between religions than by a certain army of supernatural vengeance. Whether someone died in a process that leads to the End of the World or in a "normal" way will not be too meaningful. Anyone will get what he deserves. If your music could be expressed through images which kind of figure could better describe it? Difficult. Actually I'd say that something abstract would do the best but I don't like abstract art. I think the best way to "draw" our music is transposed in the art of our CD- booklets. Where do you see Lunar Aurora in ten year? There will likely be a bunch of middle aged dudes with still long but less hair and paunches who still can't handle their instruments but still swear allegiance to Rock'n'Roll (perhaps we'll go to rehearsals on Harleys!) and irritate people with a new release each year. I can't imagine that Lunar Aurora will split one day as we have mastered any crisis by obstinately ignoring it and there will always be something that needs to be expressed and even if we start to repeat ourselves one day no one will recognise........ The last question: who is Sindar in ‘normal’ life? I am Sindar and vice versa. The only difference is that the one makes music and the other one completes the whole to a human being. It is something like schizophrenia where either personalities never split up totally but only the crucial point is shifted a bit or something like this. In normal life I've just finished school and besides dedicating more time to music again I will now practice "Dolce Vita" for some months before I eventually start looking for a job to have money for all the needs I have, like beer, cigarettes or fuel. In February I'll start my civil service and then we'll see what comes.... Besides creating music I don't have too many special interests; perhaps Fantasy/RPGs, Astronomy/Astrology or Archaeology/Mythologies in general but I'm not too engaged with this stuff as it would engross more time and money. In the time that is left I eventually climb some mountain or hang around with a few good friends, enjoy the cool aspects of life and try to avoid or master the hard ones. I hope to have enough time one day to be able to occupy with all the things I am interested in and I think one day I'll end up as a hermit, hunting and starving.... Well this I hope interesting for you, interview is ended. I thank for your time and answers. Close it with your last message… Thank you, too. It has been one of the most interesting interviews so far, indeed, and I also do wish you the best with your ´zine! Moonstruck in Italy and be lunatic!! |