Asmodeus
Interview by Negru (October 2001 - Negura #3).


01. Hello Tyr! How are you? How about Asmodeus? Have you done something interesting lately?
Hail! I’m fine, thanx. Well, we are working hard on new material at the moment and we have done a good job up to now. There is enough stuff for the next MCD and we are looking forward to record it in December or even earlier. We don’t have a title for it yet, but the songs will crush the audience!

02. I guess Asmodeus in not such a well known band for our readers (at least not yet!), so could you please start by presenting us the history, the members and the rest?
Asmodeus started, as it works now, in early 1999. Desdemon (voc., bass.) and me were the formers of the band and a few months later we found Lestat (guit.) and Ashrak (drums). We had the target to play cold, atmospheric and fast black metal and so we wrote some songs which became the Cdemo As the winter moon bleeds, which is the first official one. It was released in January 2000. Basically it was our 2dn release. The first Cdemo is called Supreme Surrender but this piece of music is one, which is influenced by other members and doesn’t represent Asmodeus today. After some very successful gigs in Austria and Slovenia we started to write new songs for the third Cdemo Embers of Aeon which was released in late 2000. We got a great response from lots of magazines but we are still looking for a label. The current lineup is: Tyr: guitars, Desdemon: vocals, bass guitar, Lestat: guitars, add. vocals and Ashrak: drums.

03. How would you describe the music Asmodeus plays?
We play cold, atmospheric and fast black metal without using any keyboards or synths, and that is the goal of our music: atmosphere, which bounds you, only based on guitars, voice and drums. Some people compare us to Bands like Emperor, Dark Funeral or Lord Belial, but I think every listener should get his own impressions about Asmodeus by listening to our songs and will find an opinion after this experience. You can download some songs from each of our demos from our homepage at http://www.asmodeus.at.

04. What are your personal interests and preoccupations which in the end enable you to create the music and lyrics you do? Do you think such a band cultural identity is needed, or these days almost anybody can create a band?
Well, of course everybody can create a band, who is able to play an instrument but there are some, who are born for living music and some are only for playing music. To create dark music, especially black metal, you have to be ‘dark’ and you have to live this lifestyle and the music, you play is the expression of this lifestyle. So, in details, our music is a message of our deepest secret thoughts and shows the sense of our life. It’s also important to know the past of your culture and the rites which have been practiced to understand yourself and the way of life.

05. Are you by any chance familiar with the concept of Central Europe? It is based upon the history of the Habsburg Empire, of which roots go directly to Vienna…
What a concept? I don’t know exactly where you did hear this shit? We are in no way politically interested, because at the moment there is no party or other club, which meets our interests and expectations of the future. It doesn’t matter, which concepts were, are, and will be, and who did, do or will do it, the main fact is, that they are based on human rights and that there is a Europe, which is united. Music is one key to get to this level, because it is a language, which everybody understands.

06. Let’s now pass to your latest release, which is the Embers of Aeon CDemo. Could you present the music from it? Are you totally satisfied with it, or you already passed to something new?
The music on Embers is very varied. Most of the songs are fast and dark but there are also groovy and very atmospheric parts in it, so it was possible to put all ideas, which defines our music, in it. The most atmospheric song on Embers of Aeon is the title song. It has a great melancholic feeling. The other songs are quiet more aggressive. They are straighter and faster.
We always show more than 100 % in what we are doing, in life shows and on recordings, and in all other things we are doing, so we also worked as long and as hard on this recording to be satisfied finally. The future will show, how further musical ideas of us will be worked out and the result will be shown on the next album and we promise, that it will devastate you all.

07. I see you released only CDemoss so far, and all on your own. Why is that? I imagine you could have found a label rather easy, based on the quality of your music… So, was this an intentional decision? Are you interested in finding a label, or you prefer to stay on your own?
There is a simple reason for that. We haven’t found a label up to now, which was really interested in our stuff and so we had to release it by ourselves. All labels we have contacted weren’t interested in signing us and supporting us in the way we want to. So if you know a label which is interested in Asmodeus, let me know.

08. You also recorded and produced all your materials on your own. I imagine that must have been an interesting experience. Could you share it partially with us? Do you have all the equipment and the knowledge for such a hard job? Well, I guess you do have it, considering the results…
Yes, we recorded all of our CDemos in our rehearsal room and it was really interesting. We needed about one week for recording drums, guitars and vocals. It was a very hard time because we were every day up to 16 hours in the rehearsal room. We used my PC to record all the stuff because it is the simplest and most effective way to do all the work. The next step was to ‘cut’ the single tracks and prepare them with EQ’s, reverbs and lots of other effects. So the finished CDemo with all the graphic work took us about one month of work, but we learned a lot and it was a great experience.

09. Let’s now pass to your lyrics. What do you deal with on them? Do you see the lyrics only going along with the rest of the music, or you try making a separate identity of their own?
The lyrics are very important for our music. On one hand they represent our secret thoughts and on the other hand they strengthen the music by its rhythm and sound. To create this atmospheric feeling, we use all kind of voices to support the variety of our songs and therefore there are the lead vocals, which Desdemon does, supported by the additional vocals done by Lestat.

10. What do you think Black Metal is in the end? Is it just music, or goes beyond that?
As said, Black Metal is not only music, it is a lifestyle. The music is only the message, to tell about.

11. How do you see the Black Metal movement these days? Do you enjoy the latest development of it, or do you think we kindda lost the great spirit of the beginnings?
The spirit of Black Metal isn’t lost, it is maybe a bit sold out these days. The background of this kind of music is the same as in the beginning. The only thing which has changed is the style of Black Metal. There are bands like Dark Funeral, Setherial or Marduk which play aggressive music. Totally otherwise act bands like Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved and many more, who play a more melodic and atmospheric music. There is always a progress in music, but the spirit behind it will be always the same, especially in Black Metal. New influences and ideas are necessary to keep the music interesting: for the audience and for the musicians.

12. You seem to have quite an important live activity as a band. Do you enjoy being on stage? What would you want the most to pass to the audience?
Yes, playing live is very important for us, because we want to feel the feedback of the audience. We enjoy creating a dark feeling in the hall and watching them, how they become unique with the darkness, which surrounds us.

13. What can you say to us about the local Austrian scene? Are there any interesting bands, clubs or events you might mention?
The Austrian scene is growing. There are some really great acts in the Black but even more in the Death Metal scene. A really great Black Metal band from Austria is called Bastard. These guys rock!! Esophagus and Seeds of Sorrow are the leading Death bands. You should really check them out.

14. Well, I guess that’s all for the time being. Anything you want to add in the end...?
Thank you, Negru, for the interview. It was a great honour to talk to you and we hope to keep this contact. Visit our webpage at http://www.asmodeus.at. To all the Black Metal maniacs out there: Keep the flame burning which enlightens our dark souls. Hail Satan! Tyr, Asmodeus.