AOSOTH (Eng.)
– Hello and first of all, thanks for taking the time. To start, please explain us what are AOSOTH currently up to.
BST: Hails. We’re currently preparing for our first shows which will take place a couple weeks after the release of our upcoming album. We’re practising the new songs, as we haven’t played them together as a band before going in the studio.
– You will soon release your new album, «IV: An Arrow in Heart», which I personally think is one of your strongest albums so far but, now what it’s done, what are your feelings on the final outcome?
BST: We’re very happy about it, making that album was a lot of work, but it all came together really well, and even the visual aspect turned out great, with the amazing painting we used as cover art, by Benjamin Vierling, and the very occult photos that were taken by our comrade J.Somnyum.
– After giving the record some spins it feels to me like a darker, more instrospective and personal effort. Does each album you release represent a certain moment in your life?
BST: You could say that, yes. I might add that with each release, we paint a more accurate picture of our souls, so it does become more and more personal…
– In fact I’d dare say is an album full of hate and pain but, what were some of the feelings you wanted to channel/provide with this album?
BST: I like to think that we don’t want or chose to express any particular feeling with this art. Instead we let ourselves be led and driven by inspiration, an inspiration that sometimes seems to be coming from within, but also from a very distant origin.
– I think you’ve managed to get a so passionate and emotional result with really strong atmosphere so, does it just flow from that emotion or do you care specially about it?
BST: Those atmospheres are just a reflection of things we feel deep inside.
– Anyway I could say since your previous «III» your sound is getting slower and more oppressive. Was this the path you wanted to take with AOSOTH or do you just let things flow naturally?
BST: It all has to remain spontaneous. We usually don’t chose in advance what the next album will sound like, it just reveals itself as we go. Writing is more or less a form of ritual, during which we receive, and transcript things. It’s very different from how I would process within any other band I play in. That aspect is specific to Aosoth.
– Songs as «Broken Dialogue» (I and II) could hardly be defined as Black Metal. Could you please elaborate a bit on how were dose two tracks born?
BST: A movie inspired those, and also the idea of having something crypted into the album, but I really think the most attentive of listeners will read into it, if focused enough.
– In fact if I’m not mistaken you’ve done a video for «Broken Dialogue II». Cold you already tell us something about it? How did the whole process go? And what can we expect to see on the video?
BST: We have done a video indeed, but not for that track. It was made for «Ritual marks of penitence», and we’re very pleased with the result. It will air by the end of March 2013. I would urge those who will watch it to set their video players to the highest quality as possible. It’s more of a short movie that illustrates the song than the usual video clip with all its clichés…
– It seems you mix traditional Nowergian Black Metal with several other elements, due to this, if you don’t mind, I would like you to tell us what have been the main musical influences for the AOSOTH’s sound.
BST: Although I did once listen to the Norsk scene, I don’t think their the main influence for Aosoth. I’d say bands we all love and have had a huge influence on us would be Funeral Mist, Deathspell Omega, Watain, Marduk, and also Amen Ra, Sophia, and other ambient/Industrial projects…
– Anyway, though adding your own identity and different elements, you are a pure and raw BM band, not experimental like your compatriots in DEATHSPELL OMEGA or BLUT AUS NORD. In fact in France there’s a strong BM scene, with bands heading to a more experimental sound like those, or rawer ones such as HELL MILITIA among others. Talking about such, how do you see the state of BM music in France? Do you feel like a part of that scene?
BST: There are many bands in France, and we do feel close to some of them, to name a few Necroblood, Hell Militia, Vorkreist, Haemoth, Blacklodge, Spektr, Ritualization, Temple of Baal… Most of those people are also people we are close to on a personal or ideological level.
– Going back to your new album, it seems like this time around melody has got a bigger role but, what kind of task does melody play on the album? How important is for it?
BST: If you pay attention to the progression within the songs, most melodies are in there to be later destroyed by disharmony. They are as a ray of hope that gets
smothered by darkness.
– As I said, you have always had a recognizable sound yet really diverse. Is it easy to get a good balance between both things? I mean to sound recognizable and always into your style, still broading your horizons and doing some variations on your music.
BST: It is quite tricky, and requires work, especially during the album’s production. We have been working on a distinct overal tone for a few years now.
– All this about «IV: An Arrow in Heart» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
BST: Mature, crawling, hopeless.
– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
BST: We have a few shows: Two gigs in France on May the 9th and the 10th, Maryland Deathfest in the US on May the 25th, and Black Flames of Blasphemy in Finland in November… And I guess we’ll see what happens next. We might wait for a while before recording a new album.
– That has been everyting from my side, thank you once more for taking your time. If you now want to add any last words; feel free to do it.
BST: Thanks for the interview. AMSG.
