Sauron, I know it will sound quite ridiculous to ask you for an introduction of APOTHEOSIS, since we've known each other for such a long time, but some of the readers don't know you so tell' em something about you. A short bio will do.
High, fiend…. As I said before, It started out as an experiment. On my sixteenth birthday, I received a sampler. From that day on, I started to create music. In the beginning, there was chaos…..until the first rays of darkness penetrated through my music. It sounded more like a weird mixture of electronic, dark ambient, symphonic, indus style…nothing which sounds like today `s stuff. When the blackmetal element began to surface (all thanks to those bands ….you know what I'm talking about!) there was no stopping it. In `93, I started working on a demo. It took well over two years for completion, but the end result was, at least, satisfying. It was later known as `Shadows Eve`.
Now that the readers have at least a vague idea of who are you/APOTHEOSIS, let's go for a couple of questions. Your debut ' Shadows Eve' is out since early last year, yet the demand for it is still a considerable one. Are you satisfied with the reviews/comments you received till now ?
Oh yes! I couldn't believe it…. My demo was greatly appreciated by a number of established zines and labels. I` m really satisfied with the reviews and reactions from the zines, labels and last but not least, the listeners who are the true foundations of the scene. I`d like to thank all those who showed sincere support and appreciation. You will be remembered.
There's people who said APOTHEOSIS is an Industrial Black Metal band, maybe we understand why but if you were to classify APOTHEOSIS how would you define it?
Not even I can classify Apotheosis` music. It is the reflection of my inner soul. I've got nothing against classification…anyone may classify my music, BUT, definitely I would not classify my music with industrial…….at least, not in Apotheosis, since I still dabble in other areas of music.
The new material you showed me sounds very different (yet you can still recognize the band. Overall it's much more aggressive than the material on 'Shadows Eve' , you also told me that further changes will incur. Could you explain to the readers the basic difference between what they heard on Shadows Eve and what they'll listen to on your next release ?
O.K. basically, compared to the new stuff, `Shadows Eve` is raw and simple! Not that the new stuff has better sound quality. The basic difference in the new material is more metall'ish. The new songs take a hell of a lot more time to write and perform. On the whole, there's a stronger feel about the musicality, structure, flow etc. I think there's been a great improvement.
I know you'll like to answer this question here. What the hell is going on in this 'ever growing' underground scene ?! Lots of bands are really "selling out", everyone is painting up like a badly deformed penguin (No offense meant to those who originated the idea and the representation behind it). . . making the most absurd of claims. I could easily make a fortune if I publish a book with all the crap they say. I'd call it "1001 bedtime stories for the little Satanist". Your words….
Well, so much for anit-trend black metal!!! The whole thing has moved too far. The so-called anti-trend has become one of the major bombastically-proportioned, inflated and ridiculed trend ever to reach the underground scene. I stopped trying to point out this, since every `anti-trender` is still preaching the same old stuff full of `we are the true ones` and blah blah blah…. As far as I can decree, the true BLACK metal underground scene is dead! About penguins, well, I think corpsepaint meant most to the ones who knew what it was all about. The great DEAD started it all! Corpsepaint, today, means something to only a few bands like DARKTHRONE, IMMORTAL, SATYRICON…EMPEROR have ditched the corpsepaint since they were so fucking sick with the scene. Probably, due to this, the penguin trend will die too by mid `98 or so…. Why does it always have to be so damned predictable?
This last year or so a couple of bands rediscovered the power of Thrash and mixed it with elements of Black Metal obtaining a nice result . Again, this is turning into a T.R.E.N.D. Trend , with lots of 15 year olds bands claiming the power of the 80's metal ( When they were 4, 5 years old maximum? ) Do you think there is a remedy to this disease of goatism ?
Well, we all expected this to happen, didn`t we? Again it all moves accordingly to the recycle prophecy… haha! Though again , this has developed into a trend, some bands have done miracles in the past year or so. Right now, one of he most frequent albums in my CD player is `The Third Storm Of Cythraul`…fucking unbelievable stuff! They really know what they're doing, so do bands like DESASTER. (Ed. Together with AURA NOIR !!)
All right, let's carry on. A more relaxing question now , that is; if you had to put up the perfect band, whom would it be made up of ? 1) Famous 2) 'Underground'
Great question.
1) For a famous band, I would include: WITCHHUNTER - drums, QUORTHON - guitars and voices, TONY IOMMI - lead guitar, ANGELO BRANDUARDI - violin, acoustic guitar, ud, voice, JOEY DE MAJO - bass, LEE DORRIAN - voices and vocals, PHIL COLLINS - percussion, MANTAS - guitars, JOHN LORD - keyboards and organ, RAVI SHANKAR - sitar, KING DIAMOND - lead vocals, MARIA CALLAS - soprano, PLACIDO DOMINGO - tenor.
2) For an underground band: FENRIZ - drums, chants, PROSCRIPTOR - percussions, war drums, mellotron MAGUS W. DAOLOTH - synths, SVERD - keyboards , VLASTA VORAL - sampler, grandpiano, DEMONAZ - guitars, SKOLL - bass, TOMMY TALAMANCA - lead guitar, SATYR - acoustic guitar, FRANTA STORM - artistic voices. MARTIN (of the Bride) - violin, ISAHN - guitar, voice, ATTILA CSIHAR - voice (of the night), KARI - voices, TANYA STEIN - voice, FRANCESCA NICOLI - artistic voices. These are my dream bands …enjoy!
There's a ongoing rumor that you join local occult act HELL ? Is this true ?
No… absolutely not. I've got absolutely nothing to do with this local cult. Yes, actually they did ask me, but since I don't practice the black arts anymore, I declined, though I was once present during one of their rituals. It was then that I suggested that they should turn an interest to music. The idea proved to be satisfactory …now they're on their third opus. Expect something huge.
What about the future of Poserblot Studios ? If I'm not wrong, both recording and mixing of HELL 's 3rd demo is not complete yet !!
Yes, indeed, the recording is almost finished and the mixing will commence later. The future of the studio? I'm planning to improve it to top notch professional standard, but only after I've established my new residence, possibly somewhere away from all residential areas and traces of humankind.
The new material is quite different from the demo, but "that" APOTHEOSIS feeling is still there. Till now there are 3 new songs and a cover version, what else can you reveal about the forthcoming APOTHEOSIS opus?
To tell you the truth, I didn't want to reveal anything about the new material, but since this is OMEGAZINE, well, I can't say no. So, the first track is "Flowers of the flesh"(Ed The Lovesong?!) and if you're gonna write "a love song", "a ballad" or "the romantic song", fuck you . (Well, I mean Flowers of the flesh, the romantic love ballad) Anyway, this track was written and recorded about two years ago and it's doesn't sound like an APOTHEOSIS song at all…that's all I can say. The second track is called "The maimed god". It was written in '95, but today it is totally improved, and re-recorded. This song is approximately twenty minutes long and I'm quite proud of this track. The third song was written about eight months ago and it's called "Raise the dragon banner", but all I can say is that this is again a different APOTHEOSIS. The cover track was originally written twelve years ago…and that's all I'm revealing about this one. These recordings will be featured on a promo tape, available only to zines and labels.
Sauron, thank you so much for joining us today. Last words are yours. Take care and c ya later !!!. Cheers mate !!!
Yes, and don't forget the wine and whores. Thank you for honouring me with this interview and thank me for honouring this zine with my etherial words. Hi to all my contacts and fuck you to all the posers and bandwagon jumpers. Death to false metal!!!!
No one can become a musician …one is born musician, therefore shitty bands are destined to die.
SO BE IT!
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