Interview with Black Mass Pervertor done by Patrick posted on 3-30-18

Interview with Black Mass Pervertor done by Patrick

1.Hails please introduce yourself to the readers?

- Hello there people! I´m a 33-year old fun-loving male seeking for thrills and mind-blowing sensations. I like to party hard and live my life to the fullest. When I´m not seeking for ultimate pleasures and shitting in my pampers, I´m commanding a black metal band with an iron grip. Black Mass Pervertor is a three-headed, serpent-tongued beastlike creature from Finland, delivering shameless and uncompromising sonic waste in the face of unsuspecting wimps and sluggards . In our grim, ominous and feverish hymns you can feel the presence of punk´s raw energy, yet ultimately we are standing on the same line with the bands that started the development of black metal in the early-mid 80´s.

2.When did you first discover black metal?

-I think it was around '95 when I visited the music section in the library of my old hometown and my eyes were fixed on Kreator´s "Endless Pain" album cover. My english back then wasn´t very convincing yet, so of course I couldn´t understand all about the lyrics, but promo pics that can be found inside the booklet were just amazing! The eerie atmosphere that I was confronted with when looking at those pictures, were something very different I was used to. Before this my experiences of metal and hard rock were basically Iron Maiden, Metallica, The Scorpions, Kiss and such big names. But when I finally put "Endless Pain" on turntable it really changed something inside me. A year later I bought Impaled Nazarene´s Ugra Karma from a local record store in Feldbach, Austria when I was visiting my relatives back there, and just few weeks afterwards I bought Marduk´s Fuck me Jesus-demo, and that was the point when I realized there´s no return..

3.Who were the first bands you discovered and who are some of your current favorites?

-As I already mentioned above, it all started by listening to bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kiss and The Scorpions, before I later got introduced into more obscure forms of metal. Today we all listen to pretty much everything we find interesting, no matter if it´s metal, punk, noise, ebm, trance, acid house, darkwave, ritual ambient, death rattle, goth, blues, jazz, worldmusic, etc..

Some of the bands I ´ve kept listening over years and decades or have found just recently are Mgla, Mana Mana, Loinen, Kingston Wall, Godflesh, Reverend Bizarre, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Griftegård, Musta Paraati, Beherit, Profanatica, Vlad Tepes, Tangerine Dream, Dead Can Dance, Vangelis, Zombi, Bathory, Funeral Winds, Killing Joke, Amebix, Manilla Road, Perturbator, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Pink Turns Blue, Joy Division, Perverted Ceremony, Moenen of Xezbeth, Sadokist, Cultes des Ghoules, Pekka Pohjola, Maanam, the list is endless...

4.When did you first get the idea to starth Black Mass Pervertor?And who would you say are Black Mass Pervertor's biggest influences?

-I started to formulate the idea about this band around 1998, and that´s also when I started writing my own songs. I was 13 years old back then and highly inspired by the bands like Impaled Nazarene, Beherit, Darkthrone and Genocide.

But today it´s pretty much everything we find musically interesting and unique where we draw the inspiration into our stuff, being it old Sodom, Bathory, Darkthrone, Killing Joke, Amebix, Hellhammer, Vlad Tepes, Terveet Kädet, Faff-Bey, Motörhead, Impaled Nazarene, etc

5.Blood Harvest Rec. will be releasing the bands newest EP. Life Beyond The Walls Of Flesh how did you and the band come in contact with this great label?

-At the time we were almost done with mixing for Life Beyond the Walls of Flesh-ep, we knew that we are going to look for new record company. Blood Harvest has got a good reputation and they have released tons of magnificent albums, so after considering this matter for a while we all agreed the Blood Harvest is a kind of record company we want to work with. After this we sent some roughly mixed material to Rodrigo, and luckily he liked what he heard so here we are.

6.Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member write everything?

-Black Mass Pervertor used to be exlusively under my possession and command, meaning that I wrote all the music and lyrics. But over the years I have realized that it brings more variation and diversity in our sound, if we share the writing-duties. Beside, as we don´t have enough time to run dozens of other projects, in order to have focus on one band it´s important that everyone can share their ideas. Although even today about 75 percent of the written material comes from my pen, everyone takes part to the arrangements of the songs.

7.Besides Life Beyond The Walls Of Flesh release does the band have any previous releases or merchandise available for the readers to buy?If yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?

-Yeah sure. "Phanerosis" -our debut album- was released in June 2016 by Barbarian Wrath records, but unfortunately I have no clue how far the album have spread. At least you could try your luck from Shadow Kingdom record´s distro. The older releases we have, are a complete mystery. At least we personally have nothing placed in our dusty coffins.

8.What does black metal mean to you?

-For me it´s a form of self-expression over obscure, occult and satanic themes, and thus something which I can find potentially very beneficial, in order to understand the subtle laws of the universe, my deep rooted complexes and endless conflict between the inner and outer reality better. Black metal is war against mediocrity, conformity, endless adaption, and golden means. Never turn your other cheek, never retreat!

9.Does Black Mass Pervertor play live very often or do you prefer to work in the studio?

-Well not very often at least. We would love to, of course, but such is life that you can´t always have what you want. We live in quite north of Finland, so the geographical distance to pretty much everywhere creates situation where things must be planned quite carefully. Last year we did handful of shows in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Black Mass Pervertor is a live band for sure, but nothing beats the creative flow when you are at your rehearsal place or in the studio, and you just keep bombing the ideas with your mates.

10.Are their any shows or tours planned in support of Life Beyond The Walls Of Flesh if yes where will the band be playing?

-We have two gigs taking place in Turku and Vantaa(in south of Finland) early on June. And we are working on with few more shows that may take place on early autumn. The fact that we are not well connected to other bands nor gig organizers, means that we have to see more effort in order to play alive.

11.Black Mass Pervertor comes out of the legendary Finnish black metal scene what are your thoughts of Finland's black metal scene over the years?

-We are not excatly part of any scene. We are doing our own thing the way we like it. We have some great bands here for sure, but just like anywhere else, most of the bands are just cheap and lame copycats and lack their own vision, sound and style. You could say that finnish black metal bands has this certain recognizable sound, but that´s something which has never made me scream for joy really. But something I really like is that most of the bands are really devoted and passionate for what they are doing. But once again, we don´t actively follow what´s going on in the scene.

12.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Finland?And are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?

-Finnish all-time favorites? Old Impaled Nazarene, Beherit, Barathrum, Archgoat, Diaboli, Clandestine Blaze, Loinen, Musta Paraati, Mana Mana, Faff-Bey, Terveet Kädet, Death Trip, Reverend Bizarre, The Carnival to name a few.

New(or at least not well known) bands definitely worth of checking out would be Sadokist, Huoripukki, Morgal, Sonic Poison, Sickness, Caskets Open, Kyy, Blood Chalice, Venus Star, Hatespirit.

13.Are their any honest,reliable labels or distro's from Finland you can recommend to the readers?

-I personally have no experience of co-working with finnish labels, and I also tend to buy my albums from elsewhere, so unfortunately I can´t give you any comprehensive report about this matter. If you are interested, check Saturnalia records, KVLT, Bestial Burst, Northern Heritage for further information.

14.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?

-Hail victory!

                                                                   Label  Contacts

                                                          http://www.bloodharvest.se/

                                                      https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/

                                                     https://twitter.com/BloodHarvestRec

                                                                Band   Contacts

                                                        https://www.facebook.com/blackmassperv

                                                   https://blackmasspervertor.bandcamp.com/music

Interview with Blutvial done by Patrick posted on 3-22-18

Interview  with  Blutvial  done  by  Patrick

1. Hails please introduce yourself to the readers?

Aort - Hails in return. We are Blutvial, an uncompromising black metal entity of the darkest order. I am Aort, co-founder and co-writer.

2. When did you first get into black metal and who were the first bands you listened to?

Aort - If I was to try and pinpoint a year that I first got into black metal I would hazard a guess at 1991. I was a tape trader back then with a death metal obsession. Around this time the first of the 2nd wave of black metal releases started appearing on the lists I was seeing. Those early bands I caught on to included Samuel, Beherit, Blasphemy and Mayhem.

3. You all formed the band in 2007 when did you first get the idea to start this band?And how did you choose Blutvial as the name of the band?

Aort - Around that time I was very busy working on <code> which was my main priority back then. The music we were playing was moving further away from traditional black metal which was something I was missing. I had known Ewchmylaen for a few years at this point, we had worked on a couple of things in the past and we had a similar outlook on those core black metal sounds so we joined forces to create something new, yet firmly rooted in black metal’s core sound. As for the band name, we wanted something that reflected the uncompromising nature of the music.

4. What is the current line up of the band and who would you say are Blutvial's biggest influences?

Aort - The current line up is Ewchmylaen on guitars and vocals, myself on guitars, Andras on bass and Tiuval on drums. As for biggest influences, it is probably safe to say that the second wave Northern European release between 1992 and 1995 hold a particularly high stake in our sounds although everything is filtered through our own bones,

5. Mystreries Of Earth is the bands third release which will be released through Heidens Hart when did you and the band come in contact with the label?

Aort - I have been in touch with Arjan for many years now, primarily through <code> gigs in the Netherlands. We have always got on well, he is an honest and upfront guy and he has been a source of great support over the years so Heidens Hart were an obvious place for this release to land for me,

6. How long did it take the band to write the music for Mysteries Of Earth?And does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member write everything?

Aort - This album has taken quite some time to finally reveal itself. Some of these songs are  many years old now. Ewchmylaen and I never rush our writing for Blutvial so it took as long as it took. The recording process was quite drawn out too as the sessions took place at various points on the globe given our earthly positioning. This album wasn’t one of spontaneity, more of gradual and grim evocation.

7. Who usually takes care of writing the lyrics for the music and what are some subjects written about on Mysteries Of Earth?

Ewchymlaen: Usually I write the lyrics, but in the past Aort has written a couple of sets. Sometimes I use lyric sets from elsewhere — poems, for example. On ‘Mysteries…', the angles are usually philosophical. For instance, ‘Existential Rite’ is an allegory on the concept that ugly truths destroy beautiful ideas. The process of seeking something, finding it and having all preconceptions turned around, realising the brutality of its truth and rejoicing in that.

‘Vaults of Unrest’ considers the difficulty of writing lyrics, or creativity in general, when sometimes that well seems dry. Which, of course, is ironic, particularly as I’m very happy with how that particular set turned out. ‘Doomed To Eternal Night’ uses a poem by Friedrich Rückert, popularised by Gustav Mahler in his song ‘Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen’ (I am lost to the world). It’s worth seeking out various translations to your native language to try and understand this piece. ‘In Praise of Noctula’ is both an ode to the noctule bat—and nocturnal creatures generally—and a piece on predatory instincts.

There are various other topics, I won’t go through them all, but they each reflect something I’ve been feeling at a particular time during the process of writing ‘Mysteries of Earth’, which is why they’re changeable. I can only really recommend people read them and try to take something from them, if they feel there’s anything of value. They may well not.

8. Besides the upcoming release does the band still have copies of the previous releases for the readers to buy?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise available if yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?

Aort - The short answer is, not directly. It is probably easier to take each release in turn. Our debut 7 inch may still be available with the label that put it out, I don’t know, we are not in touch any more. Our debut album was put out on Spinefarm, I would guess they couldn’t care less about that album any more so feel free to download it illegally. Our second album ‘Curses Thorns Blood’ is still available from Mordgrimm, they are a good label so full support! Our cassette EP ‘Brythonic’ was put out on may label and is long sold out. Which all brings us to ‘mysteries of earth’ which Heidens Hart are taking good care of.

9. Does Blutvial play live very often or do you prefer to work the studio?What have been some of the bands most memorable shows over the years?

Aort - We never have, and I don’t think ever will play live. Blutvial is a purely studio based observation.

10. What does black metal mean to you?

Aort - I am not a fundamentalist when it comes to black metal. A quick look over the releases I have been a part of should make that obvious. I am more interested in each band or release being one that has the confidence in its identity. ‘Crossing the Fiery Path’, ‘The Return’ and ‘The Jilemnice Occultist’ all sound completely removed from each other but they are each black metal cornerstones. Integrity, character and intent are the foundations at play here.

11. Blutvial comes out of the U.K's black metal scene what are your thoughts of the U.K black metal scene?

Aort - I’m not ashamed to say that I am pretty out of touch with the UK and in fact any black metal scene these days. If you would have asked me in the 90s it would have been a different story. I don’t spend much time researching every band that puts a demo out anymore. It is luck more than judgement if I become aware of a new band. That being said, the few gigs I have played or have been to in the UK the last five or so years have certainly shown that there is a healthy number of acts keeping the flame alight in one manner or another, for better or for worse.

12. Who are your all time favorite bands coming out of the U.K black metal scene and are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?

Aort - I recently shared the stage with Aklash who put on a great performance and their new album is definitely one worth checking out. I am also fond of the work that White Medal have put out over the years. The undisputed kings of UKBM for me though are Ghast who evoke the most oppressive atmospheres of darkness better than anyone else. All hail!

13. Besides bands are their any honest,reliable labels and distro's you feel the readers should check out soon?

Aort - I have a label or two that deserve nothing but scorn and eradication but I would much rather starve them the oxygen of publicity. I would also repeat that Heidens Hart are a definitely a label/distro worthy of support. As a consumer, I would also endorse Hells Headbangers who have a great range of stock, always deliver in a timely manner and postage is reasonable. What is not to like?

14. Do you or any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects?

Aort - Being an underground black metal act, the answer is always yes as that is standard practice. Ewchmylaen is the exception as someone who focuses efforts best than most. Tiuval has been a driving force behind Israthoum for many years and Andras is my co-six stringer in <code>. And also keeps busy with other endeavours. As for me, my active projects are <code>, Hexvessel and some other endeavours along the way.

15. Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?

Aort - Thank you to you for taking the time and energy to help spread the word, it is sincerely appreciated. To those who read this far, thank you and be sure to check out ‘mysteries of earth’ which is a 60 minute exercise in staring into the void.

                                                             Band  Contact

                                                        https://www.facebook.com/Blutvial
                                                            Label  Contacts
                                                    http://www.heidenshart.nl/
                                               https://heidenshart.bandcamp.com/
                                           https://www.facebook.com/heidenshart

Interview with Vox Lvciferi posted on 3-22-18

Interview  with Vox Lvciferi  done  by Patrick

1.Hails Osgilliath how are things in Sweden this week?

Ave! It’s fine here, just a lot to do like always work-wise.

2.At what age were you when you first became interested in playing and writing music?

I think it must have started out at the age of 11 or 12, when I joined my first band as a vocalist. Was listening to a lot of old school punk and started a band like that back then. Took up guitar later on to enhance my song-writing abilities.

3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons when first starting out?What instruments do you currently play?

I took some lessons when I was younger, but didn’t like it too much and found it boring. But later when I took up interest in music, I started out by teaching myself.

My main instruments are guitar, vocals and bass. I also play drums and a bit of keyboards. And am self-taught on all the instruments.

4.Are their any instruments you would like to learn to play one day?

I always want to broaden my skill in instruments, but currently am enhancing proficiency in the instruments I play at the moment. However I would love to learn how to play an oud and also a hurdy-gurdy.

5.Who are some of your influences and favorite musicians?

It varies a lot from time to time due to my broad taste in music. Right now I’ve been into a lot of neo-folk like Death in June, Darkwood, Sonne Hagal and Current 93.

But my main influences would be Dissection, Dawn, Agalloch, Opeth and Woods of Ypres.

6.When did you first get the idea to start Vox Lvciferi and how did you choose the name of the band does it have a special meaning?

I’ve had the thought of the project for almost half a year, without a name though. The name Vox Lvciferi came to me just like a lightning strike from a clear blue sky. It is translated to ”the Voice of Lucifer” from latin, and fits the idea of free-thought and evolving as a human being through knowledge.

7.I believe you are the sole member of the band when you started Vox Lvciferi did you plan to work as a one man band or would you like to find some new musicians to work with?

I don’t know what the future holds, but currently I will go for being the sole member of the bands. You shouldn’t have way too many cooks in the kitchen, but sometimes these can add pretty good flavour to the dish. The only idea to take in other people in the project, would be for a live-lineup.

8.If you had the opportunity to work with any musicians past or present who would you like to work with?

Never really thought about that question, and if it would happen I wouldn’t like to co-operate but having more of the mindset to learn from other people to get better at what I’m doing. So in that case Steven Wilson would be pretty cool, or the guys behind Nightbringer or Summoning.

9.Ov Lacerated Soil is the new EP. how long did it take you to write the music for this release?

The writing process was very intense and it took almost two months of just sitting at home getting everything down.

10.Where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some topics written about on Ov Lacerated Soil?

The lyrics are mainly based on some personal beliefs and to go to its extremes which I really can’t in real life. It is a lot better to remake it into creative energy than just spewing out onto other people over the internet.

However it is not only locked into that, since I like to read a lot of ancient mythology and religions. Also a lot of philosophy and history on that.

On ”Ov Lacerated Soil” the lyrics are mainly about finding the strength in the darker and ”evil” powers and exercising them as an individual to endure through hardships. Kind of a very Nietzschean philosophy, which is one of the main inspirations for the project.

The mentioned parts concerning mythology are evident in the song ”Serpents Call (Devourer)” where references to both viking rituals, cosmology and Sumerian mythology are there.

11.Where can the readers buy your releases besides the EP.does the band have any other merchandise availilble for the readers to buy?

So far the EP ”Ov Lacerated Soil” is the only release so far, and is available for purchase on bandcamp digitally for a small sum of money.

Not at the moment, but hopefully more merchandise and a physical release will be available in the not too distant future.

12.Besides playing in Vox Lvciferi do you currently work in any other projects or bands?

Yes, I actually play live guitar in the symphonic/depressive suicidal black metal band Mist of Misery.

13.What does black metal mean to you?

Black metal is about finding your own true self. It is a genre that is hard to understand for outsiders and also new-comers. But once you click with it you get a sense of self-fulfilment. It is like finding a long lost destination that you’ve yearned to trace back to.

Black metal is all about the emotion it holds, it is about its spirit that makes you feel mended. Not that it becomes a part of you, but you merge with it in order to become one unity. It is compelling on that simple basic, not music for everyone, but you yourself need to find the meaning of it.

14,I believe the EP. is self-released would you like to find a label to work with or do you prefer to self-release your music?

Yes, it is.

Well, I could self-release the rest of the material, but would prefer to have a label and currently looking into that right now.

15.Have you started working on new music for the next EP or would you like to work towards a full length?If yes how many songs are you working towards?

I started working on the full length just as soon as I finished off releasing the debut EP. So far I’m almost halfway done with three new songs almost done in full. Hopefully it will see the light of day in late 2018, but currently opting for a release early next year not to stress it out.

As a fan of a lot of older records, I have a distaste for the newer kind of thing with albums slapped together to cram as much material as possible into it. It is preferable for me to go for a shorter but more thought out experience to my listeners. So the next release will include 5-6 pretty long songs and some interlude tracks to stitch the whole thing together. So my aim will always be to try and clock in a record around 45-50 minutes.

16.Thank you Osgilliath for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?

I would like to thank you for the great questions and for this interview. And to everyone I highly suggest you check out the EP ”Ov Lacerated Soil” out now on both youtube and bandcamp.

Ave

Osgilliath

Vox Lvciferi

                                                               Band  Contacts

                                                    https://voxlvciferi.bandcamp.com/releases

                                                   https://www.facebook.com/VoxLvciferi/