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    • Interview: Xasthur

    Xasthur's reclusive and asocial Malefic gave us a few moments of time to ask some esoterica and rewarded his listeners with the following interview, in which he gives some analysis of the interconnectivity of thoughts inside and outside of the black metal "scene."
    when you first started xasthur, what factor of the project made you most uncomfortable?
    xasthur first full-length release, nocturnal poisoning Hmmm, that's a real good question. There were two times when I 'first started Xasthur', the first time was a failure...constant losers,liars,trendies for bandmates; I was very upset. I felt that nobody believed in how serious I was in bringing forth a horrifing aura of blackness. The second time was just the same, but on the other hand better. I had totally given up on people, I admit I was uncomfortable when I decided to get a drum machine and do it all on my own, I didn't know if it was possible,and still alot of poser fuckers didn't believe in me, they thought their party heavy metal parking lot bands were more meaningful..well,the good news is that I'm planning on, and will have the last laugh!!! Another factor was the vocals, I had never done that before, but I knew that I would have to force myself to...it was never in my plans, but as a one person band, it had to be; other than that, everythng fell into place and I learned how to overcome certian difficulties such as drum programming, vocals, humans etc...
    had you been in any bands or musical apparati before xasthur?
    Yes, a couple death metal bands, back in 94-95 here in So.Cal..didn't really work out. There was always some differences, they wanted to be unoriginal, and at the time I thought it would have been quite possible to mix death metal with darkness and doom. I can't really get along with anyone in a band-like environment.
    at the time, what bands inspired and/or motivated you? writers? visual artists? movies?
    Mütiilation and the black legions, Burzum, Graveland (Thousand Swords), Manes, Shining, Forgotten Woods, Funeral Winds and too many to mention. Hmmm, I don't watch movies much...my favorite movie is Carrie (the old one from the 70s) as far as Visual Artists are concerned, whoever made the Aphex Twin video, what a perfect vision of the remains of an apocalypse, I always have that video in my head...but like I said ,I don't watch TV really...
    where were you when you first thought the project had longterm potential for you?
    In my house, as usual...looking out my window and there was nothing there, When I was finishing a song and it actually disturbed me. That was like looking into a mirror and not liking what I saw....when it refected a nightmare, I thought it had some potential...but for what?"
    does anyone else work with you? why or why not?
    The only other person that really helped in the past was a good friend of mine, Mike/Draconis, but that was in '99, before I just did this band on my own. Maybe it's where I live that I can't rely on ANYONE to help out...I don't need anyones input, people here want to be famous like Cradle of Filth and write safe-normal riffs to impress their friends, get girls etc...that is all I have EVER seen...I don't need that kind of input.
    there is an obvious burzum-influence (this is something of which to be proud, but hopefully you're not going to be annoyed by it) in xasthur's music; what did burzum do that no other bands have done?
    No, I'm not annoyed by that...actually, thanks. Burzum is darkness, or has that word lost its meaning? All I know is that Burzum can take you anywhere but where you are...and it's usually somewhere cold. I don't want to be where I am, or anywhere for that matter.
    a soldier once remarked, "we had to destroy the town to save it." f.w. nietzsche once offhandedly said that if christianity had not existed, it would have been necessary to invent it. do you think all things on planet earth are bound up in their opposites?
    Yes, that F.W. Nietzsche quote makes sense to me...just cause something doesn't exist doesn't mean it needs to be invented...we would still have a broom, if the streetcleaner or vaccum wasn't invented, the broom cost only 4-5 dollars and the others several dollars more, plus they're noisy and don't save that much time...according to that quote, I'm not disagreeing with it, the quote to me is just based on human nature and what people will predictably do....or...maybe I have no clue?
    we would still have a broom, if the streetclaner wasn't invented
    most black metal bands seem to aim for linear expansion, namely, riffs that stretch out of 2-3 notes across 3-5 frets within the same chord form. this produces a very clear pattern that requires a counterpoint. burzum and others, including xasthur, seem to structure counterpoint within a recursive phrase, more like a fugue. is this true in your view?
    I try to not have such few notes per song/riff. My instincts tell me when or when not to have such few notes, when to be this simple or not to be,there's a time to be repetative. For example, something with a hardcore upbeat (like you mentioned somewhere else in this interview) shouldn't be repeated 8-12-16 times ect...Across 3-5 frets? I'd say you'd better add a bunch of other ideas to accompany that kind of simplicity or its gonna get boring...but like I said else where, there are no rules. Slightly rehearsed, last minute improv can not only fool thyself, but the listener as well...or at least I'd like to think. Don't wanna come across as someone trying to be an expert, 'cause these are just instincts talking here...there's not much theory behind what it is that I do, 'cause I basically had to learn anything I know on my own...on my own, that's what life really comes down to, and death as well.
    how much of the black metal community do you feel is social time for wayward youth? how much of it is artistic?
    Too much social time! To play this music and make it as dark as you can, one has to give up alot...like friends,sleep,money etc...Alot of people will be too busy being a part of "life" to take it further than bass,guitar,drums,vocals,pentagram and then they're done! When this kind of work is done, I'll be social with others who are into what I'm into..who the hell am I?
    negativity seems to me like a mental forest fire; with everything reduced to ashes, any new ideas seem fresh and hopeful. what have your experiences on this topic been?
    Well, negativity is all around, weather you want it or not...how can one rebuild when only ashes remain? Whenever I look at my scars...I remember where I've been and where my state of mind always takes me.
    many view varg as duplicitous in his representation of his own beliefs, but in the first interview i have with him, he refers to himself as a theosophist, and on his first album, he has a lyric making reference to his socially unacceptable political views. do you fear the same thing with your own music and later, views? is there any way around being called "inconsistent" as one grows?
    is there any way to summarize what you've learned about music since starting xasthur, or to find a few central points of change, and if so, can you list them here?
    I have learned alot,I have learned things that I already knew and felt. I have learned that playing music is like solving puzzles that have no direction and are certianly not flat like puzzles usually are. I learned that many riffs of songs have infinite possibilities for harmonies/dis-harmonies with all instruments, having 4 or 5 different sounds in different octaves (yet all slightly similar) coming together finding a way to let out all the thousands of ideas in my head...painting a mix of sounds with the most bleak of colours, what to do, or what to add that will reflect the exact mood....I learned that being unpredictable with the changes in the song can work for me, instead of against me i.e, one of my friends used to tell me that 2 certian parts wouldn't/didn't go together, I say bullshit, I'll find a way, and the best way i possibly can...there are no rules, no rules...its the one thing that can keep it interesting to me...I don't know if this is the kind of answer you were looking for...
    what do you think - if any - is the relationship between radical, terroristic environmentalism and black metal?
    Hate!! Downfall of urban culture (or lack there of)..if I'm understanding the question properly.
    do you have a preference for type of equipment? in your mind, how important is equipment to the production of music?
    I'll tell you that it makes a difference. When getting a good guitar sound, that's when just anything WON'T do. On some old recordings,I used a dist.pedal and all it picked up was alot of noise I didn't even know I was hearing, plus it was very weak ad thin...then I switched to an effects processer rack mod. and that really helped take away all the noise and added some fullness...a way of mixing is important too. A 4track with mixing capabilities included, the effects processer and a cd-r burner for bouncing tracks...these are all the essentials and main ingredients.These things made a difference and made recording easier for me.
    when you first conceive of a song, or a riff, is your starting point a boundary or a direction?
    Neither. I don't want a limit, and boundary makes me think of that...if there was a direction then it wouldn't come from within,plus predictability in music makes it boring to play after a while.
    what are your thoughts on hegel's theory of dialectics, namely that each thing ("thesis") has an antithesis, and eventually a compromise between the two leads to the next thesis?
    As in hypothesis, an educated guess? A part of being psychic? A mathematical algebra-like theory of prediction? If 2+ _ = 8 then what's blank? If someone/something does 2, but is hiding the truth, that being blank, then why does their face have 8 written all over it...I don't know,I'm so tired right now I don't even know...
    many people are saying "black metal is dead" right now, and, while i understand their saying so, it seems to me like they mean "most of black metal is dead" when they declare its demise. what do you think is the difference between "living" and "dead" in this context?
    night strike on an ancient city Yes, I agree "most of black metal is dead" because if it was all dead,I would have one of the last significant reasons not to live. There are still some bands out there that can save at least the feeling or that bring back some nostalgia of the way it once was. I don't think war metal does...war metal is just some kind of retro protest towards the norweigians?? This negativity of black metal is the only thing that brings me any pleasure or excitement anymore...ironic,or a contradiction?? It was "living" in the early 90's when it was more of a threat to society, I suppose.
    what were your earliest metal influences?
    In the 1982-84 era, is when I first discovered metal, I was a bit young at the time...I liked Motley Crue,Iron Maiden,Quiet Riot,AC/DC ect...I rarley listen to those bands anymore..sometimes. Later on in the later 80's I got into Mercyful Fate,Dark Angel,Megadeth,Slayer.. then death metal,black metal then...??
    how much of metal do you think is derived from hardcore?
    Hmmm, some of the drum beats are similar to hardcore. However, I think metal bands did alot more with hardcore beats than the hardcore bands did themselves..
    the gentleman from axis of advance probably thinks i'm a fag because so much of this interview does not address metal itself, but abstract and possibly unrelated thoughts. do you think there is a link between the sound that is produced and the thoughts that occurred to prompt the attitudes, values and ideas expressed?
    Well, talking about real life is probably more grim than death itself....and metal too. Axis of Advance?? That link you talk about, yes I think there is...that is, if you're talking about a persons mental state of mind, if you can hear a persons mental state of mind...I could probably hear where the guys in Axis of Advance are coming from when I hear their songs and I would hope that one would be able to hear where I'm coming from with mine, also these are from two different planes....
    do you believe it is necessary, as keats did, to desire the end for its cessation of the activity of life, before one can see what is of value remaining?
    Darkling I listen, and for many a time
    I have been half in love with easeful death . . .
    Now more than ever seems it reach to die,
    To cease upon the midnight with no pain
    if we could see the world through philosophical photonegative states of mind, what do you think would be the seat of evil? would those who believe still conceive of "god" as an entity outside of this world?
    do you have any mystical belief?
    Energy...hateful. Energy taken from souls. Believing in yourself,cause you can't have faith in anything or anyone else
    many in black metal advocate a "fuck everything, do nothing" type political attitude that is more bitterness than ideology. others overcorrect by becoming very-unliberal people with the liberal attitude that one "must" change the human situation. where do you stand?
    How about change the human situation for good by mass genocide since there's no answer to everyone's/anyone's problems and everyone hates being alive, whether they can admit it or not. I'm sick of humans having so many rights...they just piss and shit on all that is given to them. To me, this is bitterness AND ideology.
    what drugs do you think anus.com should explore as possible nutritional supplements for its writing staff?
    "Explore the world of medication"
    please drop in here any additional comments, final words on this interview, or jokes about sodomy that you feel would fit.
    Knock,knock. Who's there? Clint. Clint who? Clint Torres....get it?! I am in the process of copyrightng this joke.

    Thanks for the interview, Prozak...whether people know it or not you're a pessimistic guy that goes back a long way...thanks to anyone that wastes their time reading this... suicide can be a relief.

    Did we speak about "end" and "totality" in a way phenomenally apprporiate to Da-sein? Did the expression "death" have a biological significance or one that is existential and ontological, or indeed was it sufficiently and securely defined at all? And have we actually exhausted all the possibilities of making Da-sein accessible in its totality?

    We have to answre these questions before the problem of the wholeness of Da-sein can be dismissed as nothing. The question of the wholeness of Da-sein, both the existentiell questiona bout a possible potentiality-for-being-a-whole, as well as the existential question about the constitution of being of "end" and "wholeness," contain the task of a positive analysis of the phenomena of existence set aside up to now. In the center of these considerations we have the task of characterizing ontologically the being-toward-the-end of Da-sein and of achieving an existential concept of death.
    - Martin Heidegger, Being and Time

    return to death/black metal interviews section Return to Metal Interviews
    Death Metal and Black Metal Search Engine

    The Metal Basement

    30 07 12 - 14:32

    New radio program DJ'd in part by one of our users:

    The Metal Basement with Maniacal Michael & the Basement Bunch.

    It airs every Tuesday night from 10-12 PM PST.

     

    przk | | underground metal |

    Metal Rising Worldwide

    30 06 12 - 08:34

     

    przk | | underground metal | 359 comments

    Beherit - "Celebrate the Dead"

    18 06 12 - 19:34

    Black metal + dubstep



    Numen - intention = essence
     

    przk | | underground metal | 134 comments

    Why this blog has been silent

    31 03 12 - 05:58

    We've moved it.

     

    przk | | underground metal | 573 comments

    Impiety - Ravage and Conquer

    03 03 12 - 06:07

    Impiety - Ravage and Conquer



    This album is thoroughly enjoyable energetic and simple death metal which incorporates enough hints of melody and harmony to give the songs memorability. However, on the whole it belongs to that category of bands which are guilty pleasure bands by design. They do not aim for profundity, but rather intensity. We might list Vader and Angelcorpse as well, or maybe early Grave, because they have a similar low-tech approach. There is not much that is musical about this release. It is pure rhythm, with the aforementioned musical elements tacked on to keep your interest. But as rhythm, it has the intensity of later Angelcorpse and the raging power of broad basic statements that propelled early Grave. Its songs are not as memorably constructed as those on Exterminate or Into the Grave, have more the intensity of mid-period Vader, but in a time of feeble self-pitying rock bands trying to be hipster "metal," it's gratifying to find something with heart. You will tap your feet to these energetic, propulsive tunes and appreciate the sheer violence out of which they are created. Unlike many recent albums which drag you along for the ride, Ravage and Conquer drops you into the middle of it and makes you fight your way out.

     

    przk | | underground metal | 262 comments

    Imprecation - Angel of Salvation's Doom (2012)

    29 02 12 - 19:08



    From their new blasphemous album. Sounds good, with a few nods to 1980s mainstream technical metal, pissing all over 2010s technical metal.
     

    przk | | underground metal | 21 comments

    DEAD CAN DANCE tour dates announced

    29 02 12 - 05:21

    SEPTEMBER

    19th - HCTAT, Istanbul, Turkey
    21st - Earth Theatre, Thessaloniki, Greece
    23rd - Lycabetus Theatre, Athens, Greece
    25th - MCV, Utrecht, Holland
    27th - Grand Rex, Paris, France
    29th - Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium

    OCTOBER

    1st - Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
    3rd - Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
    5th - CCH, Hamburg, Germany
    7th - Philharmonie, Munich, Germany
    8th - Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany
    10th - KCP, Prague, Czech Republic
    12th - Bkz Oktyabrsky, St. Petersburg, Russia
    13th - Crocus City Hall, Moscow, Russia
    15th - Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland
    17th - Papp Laszlo Arena, Budapest, Hungary
    19th - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
    20th - Batiment Des Forces Motrices, Geneva, Switzerland
    22nd - Auditori, Barcelona, Spain
    24th - Casa Da Musica, Porto, Portugal
    26th - Royal Albert Hall, London, England
    28th - Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

    Dates for the North American, South American and Asian legs of the tour will be announced shortly, along with ticket sales information

    www.deadcandance.com
     

    przk | | underground metal | Five comments

    IMPRECATION update

    22 02 12 - 17:48

    New Imprecation tracks will be unleashed next week, the release should be ready by the end of March. The songs to come are entitled "Hosanna Ex Inferis" and "Angel of Salvation's Doom". - David Herrera
     

    przk | | underground metal | 22 comments

    SUMMONING working on new materail

    19 02 12 - 19:00


    19.02.2012
    After a longer winter-sleep summoning is back again and ow works constantly for a new release. We promise that in the near future we will regularly update the homepage again, so it will we worth the costs to check the page in regular intervals.

    The present situation of Summoning:

    In the past years we have worked on new material just very rarely because of different reasons (partly personal, partly being not motivated enough) but since the last months ,we intensified the work for new material and realised, that the old spirit is back again and we are very motivated for a cool new release and we are very committed in every terms of composing.

    Meanwhile there are two songs which are fix starters for the album. 4 or 5 songs are in a more advance state and we composed riffs for at least 10 or 15 songs in a very early state. Btw. we still have one finished song from the last oath bound session which also will be in one or another way. so probably this time we are in the luck situation that we have more songs left, so maybe there will be some special limited fan releases beside the normal release, but this is of course just a wish right now.

    We hope that until the end of this year most of the material for the new album can be finished. In the moment we have no concrete conception about the lyrical concept. All we can say right now is, that Summoning is still alive and middle earth will awake again. - SUMMONING official web presence


    This is encouraging.

    It does not sound like it will be soon, but so long as quality is high, it will be massively anticipated.
     

    przk | | underground metal | Eleven comments

    THRASH is not SPEED METAL

    18 02 12 - 16:52



    Mix together the early CIRCLE JERKS, early BLACK FLAG, MDC, MINOR THREAT, SSD, TERVEET K�DET, and GANG GREEN, and you have something approximating these DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES (so-called by their parents). What can I say--this is manic, intense, tight thrash with great lyrics, and I can't wait till these Houston boys unleash themselves upon the rest of us deprived people. 22 songs.
    -Tim Yohannan (from Maximum Rocknroll #5, March/April 1983)

     

    przk | | underground metal | 31 comments

    PROFANATICA - Sickened By Holy Host / The Grand Masters Session

    18 02 12 - 16:51



    This oddity features an all new 39 minute mini-album plus the "The Grand Masters Session" Box Set on CD for the very first time. Nearly 80 minutes of true blasphemy & perversion.

    PART #1 features 5 new songs plus 2 old classics written and recorded by Ledney with a session member. The performance on this work is much like their primitive NECROVORE-ous atrocities committed in the early '90s and allows for safe assumption of what could have been heard on their long-lost album, "The Raping of the Virgin Mary."

    Meanwhile, PART #2 features the same titles but written and recorded by Gelso alongside the same drums & vocals performed on part #1. The execution of this session continues in the more musical direction showcased on their first 2 albums and incorporates soundscapes sonically compiled by the late Aragon Amori. The end result is nothing short of devastating, and the vast contrast between these two sessions takes on the form of an album in itself that is sure to appeal to both old & new devotees of the black cult.

    Finally, "The Grand Masters Session" previously available as a vinyl-only 8" Box Set, is a raging 2008 "live in the studio" recording showcasing many of the classics, a few newer hits and an exclusive medley (a conglomerate of 5 songs).

     

    przk | | underground metal | Ten comments

    SUPURATION retrospective CD release

    17 02 12 - 10:10



    Yes, the mighty french legend SUPURATION (aka SUP) are back from the crematory in form of a retrospective collection CD which includes all the earliest and most brutal stuff of the band from '89 /'90 when they were in their most Death Metal shape right before they started to experiment with clean vocals and more varied sounds.

    "Back from the Crematory" is the generic title of this cult release which is planned for an imminent release on September 16th. The CD includes the awesome band's debut self-financed mini CD "Sultry Obsession" ('90), their only demo "Official Rehearsal" ('90) as well as the impossible-to-find demo of the band's very 1st studio recording "Haunted" under their previous monicker ETSICROXE as well as a 9-song live show, both from '89.

    This masterpiece comes with remastered sound and packed in a total old-fashioned layout in contrat to their latter weird & sophisticated designs. Includes killer 12-pages booklet featuring an exclusive retro-interview, liner notes, cover and tons of old photos & flyers. This definitely a must-have release not only for every SUPURATION fan, but for every lover of the good old Death Metal from late 80's and early 90's!!

    http://www.xtreemmusic.com/
     

    przk | | underground metal | Six comments

    Lord Wind - Ales Stenar

    12 02 12 - 07:36

    New Lord Wind: not metal per se, but metal in spirit, and it will be hard to beat this impressive CD that I'm already calling as "album of the year."



    Note new URL.
     

    przk | | underground metal | Sixteen comments

    New SAMMATH

    11 02 12 - 12:07

     

    przk | | underground metal | Two comments

    YADENU (Yet Another DEMONCY "Enthroned is the Night" Update)

    11 02 12 - 12:06

    Demoncy (CD) jackets are in production and on their way to completion. No release date has been given yet but we are expecting them roughly around the 22nd of February. - Forever Plagued Records

    Can't fucking wait!
     

    przk | | underground metal | No comments

    BLASPHERIAN update

    09 02 12 - 17:24

    BLASPHERIAN UPDATE:
    NEW SONG FOR SPLIT 7" WITH IMPRECATION......FINISHED
    2 NEW SONGS,REWORKED VERSION OF 'TO WALK THE PATH...'.... FINISHED
    AND NOW WE BEGIN WRITING FOR THE UPCOMING SPLIT WITH CRUCIFIER 'THE POISONERS OF YAHWASTE'...
    AND THEN WE RECORD THIS UNHOLY MADNESS....HOPEFULLY SOMETIME IN MARCH/APRIL 2012 ANNO SATANAS...
     

    przk | | underground metal | Ten comments

    New footage of Quorthon

    09 02 12 - 16:42

    Part 1:



    Part 2:



    Part 3:


    See also our interview with Quorthon, one of the smartest men in metal.
     

    przk | | underground metal | Two comments

    VARG VIKERNES converting to Christianity?

    06 02 12 - 20:09

    A textual comparison:

    A Burzum Story: Part VIII - On Overgrown Paths

    'Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.

    Bible

    How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!' Matthew 7: 13-14

    All I can say is... oy gevalt. Ripped shamelessly from Faceplant
     

    przk | | underground metal | Four comments

    Another DEMONCY update

    06 02 12 - 19:55

    Okay FPR confirmed the updated jacket design. I'm waiting to hear back that everything is accepted and in production. Remember everything is done but the jacket so once the jacket is done everything gets packaged and sent to us. I'll confirm once the jacket is in production and then I'll confirm once they give us an exact shipping date. I'll feel so much better once these are in the hands of all who preordered as I know we are at fault for accepting these pre's so damn early, considering the time its taking to get this finished.- FPR
     

    przk | | underground metal | No comments

    Typical Gojira Fan

    03 02 12 - 01:34



    This from fans of the band who penned this lyrical turd:


    I hold my inner child within
    And tell him not to cry
    "don't fear the living"
    One day you will stand as a king
    And no fear can erase
    This light below us
    Each one of us is now engaged
    This secret we all have
    This truth is growing
    And as a warrior I have to fight
    I can already feel
    The love I'll discover


    Is it fair to point out that anyone who thinks this is "poetry" or "profound" is of the level of stupidity found mainly in Twilight fans?
     

    przk | | underground metal | Seven comments

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