BEHEXEN (Eng.)
– Hello and first of all, thanks for taking the time. To start, please explain us what are BEHEXEN currently up to.
Hello Tania. At the moment we are training for our forthcoming live-rituals. Our guitarist Wraath is just right here in Finland to train with us. Today…about after 2 hours we’ll gather once again in our underground chamber, lit the candles and incenses and work with our songs. That’s our main priority after the release of the album.
We’ve already played the first parts of the new songs, but it’s too early to talk about those.
– You have a new album coming out really soon entitled «Nightside Emanations». This is your first opus with Shatraug and Wraath. What have they brought new to the table?
You’re right. They’ve brought lots of creative energy and inspired all of us to put more input in our music. Maybe never before have we felt ourselves this vital. There is devout and focused atmosphere amongst us. I’d say they were vital addition in the line-up when Gargantum left the band.
– In fact the guitar work it reminded me a little bit to the guitars on the last SARGEIST’s album: they are really diverse, can provide relentless brutality, being perfectly blended with the bass lines or can also bring out more melodic notes, sometimes even with a rockeir feeling. Is this what you were looking for? Do you feel like you have improved with these two new guitar players?
I can’t understand how someone could hear resemblance between Behexen and Sargeist. The latest album of Sargeist has better production compared to the previous ones, and that might be the only thing why someone could draw the equal sign between these two completely different bands…
Gargantum, our previous guitarist was very, very skillful guitarist, which one seldom meets. He also had his own style to play. Also Wraath & Shatraug have unique styles to handle their instruments, and maybe that has given more groove in the riffing, who knows. But also their entry have given much more to the band, as I told in the previous answer.
– Yourself and Horns have been fighting and going ahead with the band since 1996 if I’m not mistaken. What is your motivation to keep on rolling with BEHEXEN? With some line-up changes and the pass of time itself, is it easy to keep the same vision you had of the band and also keeping the same essence?
We formed Behexen in -94 together with Horns. The first demo came out in -95, we used different name then and we changed it to Behexen soon after its release. Since the beginning we’ve had clear vision of what Behexen should be about, and there hasn’t been difficulties to find motivation to continue this all these years. Satan, which is our focal theme is vital force of change. And as we’ve thrown ourselves into that vortex, there’s no need to get out. It drags us always deeper towards the inner core. Of course I practise occultism in another frameworks as well, but Behexen is a formulae to bring forth His emanations on to this world.
– You have been always progressing, with each new release, and with some of your previous releases you have raised into a really high level and I must admit you have surpassed it with “Nightside Emanations”, was that something you pretended to do?
We’ve shed our skin after every release. And every time underneath it there’s been a darker and gloomier form to be found. The development has been natural continuation, and the music has been developing alongside with the spiritual growth. Nightside Emanations is from my point of view a strong indication that decline has not been occurred, but once again we’ve taken a step onward. When we recorded the demoversions of the album in our rehearsal chamber, I knew that we’re succeeded in our efforts.
– Anyway everything flows naturally and emanates a really strong honesty so, do you plan creatively your albums or you just let your thoughts and feelings out?
We let the creative enegy flow free, and then see what it brings to us. We’ve never had a clear picture of what we will start to do.
The things we experienced in personal levels in recent years, perhaps might have triggered to achieve that especially dark atmosphere on the album. Of course we refine the songs to get them even better after the groundings have been composed, but this time the tracks were dark and oppressive already in their backgrounds.
– I’d dare say this new «Nightside Emanations» is a culmination of everything you’ve done so far though, as I said before, you have always managed to progress with each new record. Is there always room for evolution? And is BEHEXEN’s evolution just musical growth or maybe also personal and spiritual growth?
Both I’d say.
Personally I’ve done the biggest leap of my life in the spiritual process that I’ve been going through these latest years. It’s inevitabely influenced in everything that I do, and not least in my lyrics. I believe that I can feel it when we cannot offer anything anymore with Behexen, but that time has not come yet!
I also think that even though our music has changed a lot by the quick listening, it’s still very recognizeable. Horns has been the main composer since the first days. That’s the reason.
– With this I mean on this album you’ve mixed all your recognizable elements, as we can easily hear on «Circle me». Is what we find on this record your actual personality? Could you say this is the album you have always wanted to release or do just experience makes you better musicians and songwriters?
You hit the nail in that I’ve been truly wondering that this is an album that I’ve always wanted to do. In the first time I’m completely satisfied in the end result. Everything in it! I feel wistful to some degree that now I’ve achieved 100% the feeling that I’ve always been looking for. Where to continue from here? There’s no alternatives…it’s the same thing as in the magical workings, even deeper and deeper.
– I personally think since «By the Blessing of Satan» you have been improving notably the overall sound on your albums, its production. In fact this time is just superb, really raw and natural but also giving a nice clear touch to guitars and bass, something I think enhances both instruments so, could you please share some light on how was this process go?
Yes, I agree with you on this. We combined two things. We recorded the album here in our hometown. We got to focus on it without hurry and unnecessary stressors. We came into the studio afternoon and recorded the time we felt appropriate. The base sounds were as we wanted. After that we had a break and the mixing was done in Sweden by Tore Stjärn. His vision matched with ours as what came to how the finished album should sound. I’m also completely satisfied on the soundside. It’s filthy and rough but still being dynamic and crisp.
– «Nightside Emanations» is your first opus since your recent signing with Debemur Morti Productions. How could you value this cooperation has been so far?
Cooperation has been going very well, and we’re very satisfied of their input. They work professionally and effectively. The label has been kicking our asses, instead that we’d have to wait for anything. Hail DMP!
– In fact they also re-issued the split you did with HORNA; did this have something to do with the fact of signing with them? Were you satisfied with how did this rerelease go?
I knew Philip already before that and that has nothing to do with us ending up there. Or how would I know, this should be asked from Philip himself, in so far as it has any relevance. I’m satisfied that DMP rereleased the split, the distribution channels are better and it’s easier to get hold
of that album.
– On the other hand, the cover artwork is a painting by K. Lehto from Crimson Wine, and the layout was crafted Helgorth from Babalon Graphics. Would you mind to tell us how did you work on the arts? I mean, did you have them any guidelines about how did you want the visuals to look like?
Yes I had very detailed plans how everything should look. K. Lehto painted the painting from the base of the draft. The painting was to correspond my vision of our dark mother. The presence of Lilith is at the same time chaotic and threatening, still breathing of the mystical calmness. I went daily to see the progress of the work and breathing on her back. The end result was a staggering 160 x 80 cm sized oil painting, in which I was more than pleased. Unfortunately it won’t get much justice when it’s printed on a small record cover. We intend to release it as a high quality, sanctified altar painting print without any band logos. Just the painting. For those who might be interested, should check out our homesite.
Helgorth from Babalon Graphics is way up in his own league in manufacturing great layouts and I wanted to keep him in that job. He has also done some art on the inside of the sleeve. Cooperation went well between these two artists.
– And how strong is the link they share with the general concept and visions covered on the album?
All art on the album combines with my lyrics and it’s not hard to notice when going through them. The closing, monumental track «Kiss of our dark Mother» creates the invisible web on the cover painting, in which the whole album culminates, even If I wouldn’t talk about the actual concept album.
– All this being said about «Nightside Emanations»; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Pure black devotion!
– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
We’ll do some liverituals around the Europe and maybe in somewhere else too. In addition we’ve tried out a little bit of some new compositions, and are little by little writing new material while keeping our eyes on the 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.
Thank you for the interview that was more interesting than usually! You can buy our album from Debemur Morti www.eitrin.com
We’ll soon open our new homesite www.behexenofficial.com
Lucifers Blessing!
