BLACKLODGE (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What are you currently up to?
[Saint Vincent] Hello. Thank you for the interview. I’m busy these times promoting our new album !
– You have a new album coming out in a few days, “MachinatioN”; how are you feeling about it?
[Saint Vincent] Ok, at the time of the interview it is out now. I’m feeling very excited and serene in the same time. My mission is done, I transformed a message into music, I downloaded the visions into matter. Now I am impatient to spread the music in live shows.
– I could say this is a less experimental album than your previous “T/ME”. What was the main reason behind this subtle different musical approach?
[Saint Vincent] Different mindsets during the composition. Very different trips in life, that’s the main reason explaining differences between two albums. «T/ME» was a chaotic and depressive period, so the album was more drowning into experiment. The fact the previous album was planned as a split album with Abigor had also an impact, we both agree to feel free on this record to try out new things we might never use again. Now we are back with a classic Blacklodge album !
– In fact it reminds me a little bit to “Solarkult”; was this a direction you consciously wanted to take?
[Saint Vincent] Exactly. Not because we are looking back, but because SolarKult is closer to the band essence, and T/ME was an experience. We are just back with a full album, in our original shape, alone, and as a consequence there is a feeling that could remind the listener of SolarKult.
– For instance there’s a song entitled “Culto al Sol [Solarkult]”; is this a nod to your sophomore release or rather a way to show your interest for the Solar Cult?
[Saint Vincent] Actually that’s both. That’s a nod to show we are back after a dual experience with another band, Abigor, and also because of the fascination for the real solar cults. The lyrics of the songs add quite much information about it…showing my vision of the solar cult, with the view of the three prongs of the TridenT described in the album… The Sun of Medusa, devouring humans in the fire of the nuclear weapon. The Sun of Caesar, oppressing human through a single global empire. The Sun of Lucifer, revealing the truth through LSD. And the first nuclear explosion and the creation of world united nations happened in 1945, and LSD has been discovered in 1943. It’s for me the three main symbolic events defining the centuries to come.
– Tune “Order of Baphomet” really caught my attention due to the use of several samples. What did you want to express with it?
[Saint Vincent] The samples are taken from the famous documentary about the Bohemian Grove(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove). These samples were unofficially recorded during the ceremony «Cremation of Care» (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cremation_of_Care). They are related to the lyrics, which describes the satanic desires of the people who have powers, fed by the pain and the suffering of weak preys, as a modern version of the Moloch pagan cult. The song has been titled «Order of the Baphomet» to open bridges between these primitive cults and the order of the templars.
– All this being said; how could you describe “MachinatioN” in just 3 words?
[Saint Vincent] easy, MachinatioN is the album of the TridenT : Medusa/Caesar/LucifeR
– I’ve always had the feeling everything on your albums works as a whole and its connected; lyrics, music and artwork so, would you mind to shed some light on what’s the main concept behind your new opus?
[Saint Vincent] All the Blacklodge albums are indeed a full, coherent piece of art with a solid message, from the lyrics, to the music, and the graphics. Each album is a step through an initiation process, a step called «Chamber», as a corridor leading to the ultimate initiation of the Black Lodge. So, this new album is the Chamber of Control. The concept describes the trap SataN has prepared to enslave this planet and put it under his control through the three prongs of his TridenT. The prong of Medusa, the void of destruction and dissolution, swallowing souls and crumbling the deeds of men. The prong of Caesar, the claws of oppression compressing and ordering the men into systems that have more importance than the man’s life itself. And the prong of Lucifer, revealing forbidden knowledge to daring wills, infusing the fire of rebellious visions to humanity. Those three prongs are three sides of modern satanism, preparing the ultimate reign of the beast on Earth. Each song is related to one of the prong. Most of the lyrics have this three dimensionally structure.
– And what does the cover artwork symbolize?
[Saint Vincent] The cover symbolise exactly the aforementioned concept. You have the Earth at the center of the cover, threatened by three satanic poles. On the right, Medusa, threatening with a needle injecting poisons into the Earth, from the primitive ocean of fears and nightmare creatures, chemically symbolised by the molecule of heroin you can see between tentacles and abyssal presences. On the left, Caesar, threatening humanity with a screw as the symbol of oppression from the machine and the Emperor’s strength, among elements of war and pain, chemically represented by the molecule of cocaine. And finally, above, Lucifer, threatening with the thunder of revelations, coming from ancestral Egyptian initiation, and appearing with the molecule of LSD. All being supported by a wheel with the heads of some of the main actors of this global mechanism, and the nuclear symbol with a pentagram behind the Earth to show this mechanism leads to the ultimate Empire and the ultimate Cult of the Sun, the everlasting source of nuclear strength.
– Once more, Tore Stjerna has produced the album at the Necromorbus studios. What does this team so good for BLACKLODGE?
[Saint Vincent] I met Tore back in 2004 or 2005 at the «Under the Black Sun» festival in Berlin. Actually I met him before, but this time he went to me and proposed to work on the album following «Login:SataN». He was known already for making excellent work with Watain, Funeral Mist and couple of other great bands. Though I needed something different, I didn’t want to sound like the other bands he was working for : we had a very different artistic direction even if we had also a strong connection to satanic spirituality. And Tore totally fulfilled his job and even surprised us : he found The sound for Blacklodge and the right balance between the guitars and the samples. Since his work on SolarKult blown our mind away, we have been working exclusively with him since. He’s putting a lot of his talent in the Blacklodge sound.
– On the other hand, “MachinatioN” is your first effort with Season of Mist; how is this relationship working so far?
[Saint Vincent] We are very satisfied, it’s working very good so far !
[Saint Vincent] BLACKLODGE provides me what no other bands can provide. Total freedom and so a total symbiosis between my philosophical/ ideological/mystical vision and the creation of the Art I’m here to bring down to Earth, whatever are the trends, whatever are the codes, whatever the music market is heading for. VORKREIST is one of my other bands, and it’s something different. A great experience with people I really appreciate, people that were meant to meet. And it’s very interesting to concentrate just on the vocals. I also wrote two tracks on the latest album.
– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
[Saint Vincent] Support the album by playing as much as possible. BLACKLODGE is a live band, and we push the message of our music on stage, defying old fashion listeners who are confused by our electronic samples, and hailing our fans with chemical magic visions !
– That’s all from my side, thanks again for taking your time to answer our questions. If you now want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
[Saint Vincent] Thank you for the interview, just one last word explaining all : MachinatioN !
