As Below So Above
Hi, what are things going for AFTER DEATH?
Pretty good right now, just 2 nights ago we played a show with Goatwhore and we are about halfway through recording a bunch of new songs for the labels, so soon we will be releasing a few new songs on our MySpace page.
Some time has gone from release of your "Retronomicon" CD, how would you compare domestic responses to European?
We did much better in Europe, but the label Iron Pegasus is based in Europe, so we didn't really have any US distribution at all; it was sold as an import over here.
What about the new material? When could your debut be out? Will Lisa play on it?
We have a whole bunch of new material, 5 new songs we just recorded and 3 more we are working on. Hopefully we will get some new label interest with this new material; it is even heavier than the last recordings. No, Lisa hasn't played in After Death in over 4 years now.
Do you prove to imagine that you would record in Morrisound studios? Or is it does not working, as in the past?
There are so many great studios now, so it really depends on the record deal we get and how big our recording budget will be.
It is said that NOCTURNUS was the first DM band, which used the keys, it's true? What inspired you to use keys? Will they always be present even in AFTER DEATH music?
It was certainly one of the first, but maybe not the actual first. I have always liked bands that used keyboards, even back in the 1970's with Led Zeppelin (Kashmir and No Quarter) and even Angelwitch used some on their first album which also came out around 1979. Yes I will always try to have really cool atmospheric keyboards in After Death. I believe it is an important part of our sound.
How do you like the last NOCTURNUS "Ethereal Tomb" album?
It didn't sound at all like Nocturnus to me.
Are you able to play the guitar to compose music? Because I can not imagine someone, who don’t knows how to play the guitar, as he writes music.
Actually I don't play guitar, but I do play keyboards. Most of the music has always been written by the guitar or bass players, but in After Death I do write all the lyrics and help in the arrangements of all the songs.
How do you remember your performance in MORBID ANGEL? Why did you really leave them? Have they had Pete Sandoval at the time when you left?
When I was in Morbid Angel, we were never focusing on being so fast, it was all about being a real occult band and that was the main influence we had for our writing and inspiration. I left Morbid Angel because I caught Trey with my girlfriend and beat him up and that was the end of me being in Morbid Angel, because it was Trey's band. No there was another drummer after me named Wayne Hartsell before they found Pete.
I know that you are quite interested in magic, which most people consider as bullshit. How would you explain to them that the magic really works?
If people choose not to believe in the occult or magick then that is their choice and I don't need to explain to anyone why I believe what I believe. But just look at the Musick I create and that is a part of Magick. The musick is real, so there is no need to explain that point!
Why did you choose the direction of Kabbala magic? What's all this in aid of?
Kabbalah is just a very small part of what I study, but there is a "backside" to the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah wherein the evil spirits called The Qlipoth dwell through the Gate of Daath. This is my main study in the realm of the Kabbalah.
Can magic achieve anything?
Magick is everything; everything is either a creation or destruction, so as Gods we are the Creators and Destroyers.
Have you read the Sumerian “Enumma Elish“ work? It describes the tenth NIBIRU planet with very eccentric orbit, which is close to us every 3600 years. Do you believe that is true?
Yes I have read some on this work, it could be true but it's very hard to track a planet with such a long orbital path. There is also a lot of info on the 2012 Galactic Alignment and a thing called The Great or Grand Cycle which occurs every 26,000 years. That is some very interesting stuff as well.
Are you going to addict to Cthulhu myth also in the new stuff? Do you believe that the Old Ones will return to Earth sometimes?
I write about many different subjects, but only 1 of the 5 new songs have any Mythos stuff in them, most of them are either Egyptian or Anti Christian.
What is the essence of reality? Is it only the illusion, or a strict materialism?
Well considering everything we see is actually a reflection of the light it emits through our cornea in our eyes, than everything actually is an illusion of its "real" essence. No two people see things the same though, so your "reality" will always be different from my "reality".
It is interesting that many American bands are concerned with Egypt as you, Nile, or the Canadian NECRONOMICON. What made you so fascinated to Egypt? Want you go there sometimes?
It was definitely when I started getting into Crowley's works and opening my mind to The Book of The Law, it actually opened a Gateway or Portal into the Egyptian Magickal Current and connected me to it. I would really love to visit Egypt one day, but for me connecting with Ancient Egypt astrally works quite well.
You have been at formation of such milestones of Death Metal as MORBID ANGEL and NOCTURNUS, do you think that even AFTER DEATH will be such a big name in the DM scene once?
Well you never know, I think there is definitely a little bit of both of those bands in After Death and I think especially with these new recordings people will see or hear what I am talking about, the new stuff definitely has some of that old Morbid Angel and Nocturnus feeling to it, but with a more modern sound.
Where all over you have already played in Europe and what have been the fans reactions?
We actually went to Europe last October and did a 2 week tour as Nocturnus, it was the whole After Death band playing songs from The Key and some old Morbid Angel from Abominations of Desolation and just a couple After Death songs as well. The tour went quite well overall and we hope to do it again later this year. We played in Germany, Holland, England, Czech Republic, Italy, Denmark and Austria.
Wouldn’t you go to play for 3 days Czech Brutal Assault festival in August 6-8? There will be bands as SUFFOCATION, HATE ETERNAL, ATHEIST, IMMORTAL, KRISIUN, or PESTILENCE. Ok that’s all from me, do you have some message? Can you add your actual music top 5?
We definitely would like to play this Festival and we were actually talking to one of the promoters about it, but so far nothing concrete has been worked out.
As always I just want to say THANKS to everyone out there for supporting all the things I have done in all my many years of playing musick and especially all the people that do these zines and webzines that are the ones who keep it going for all these years!
Damn that is so hard to answer because it is always changing! But here is five not in any particular order.
Slayer - Hell Awaits
Angelwitch - Angelwitch
Biomechanical - Cannibalised
Ozzy Osborne - Speak of The Devil (Live)
Venom - At War With Satan.
Hailz!!!!
Mike666
Storm
www.myspace.com/afterdeath
Pretty good right now, just 2 nights ago we played a show with Goatwhore and we are about halfway through recording a bunch of new songs for the labels, so soon we will be releasing a few new songs on our MySpace page.
Some time has gone from release of your "Retronomicon" CD, how would you compare domestic responses to European?
We did much better in Europe, but the label Iron Pegasus is based in Europe, so we didn't really have any US distribution at all; it was sold as an import over here.
What about the new material? When could your debut be out? Will Lisa play on it?
We have a whole bunch of new material, 5 new songs we just recorded and 3 more we are working on. Hopefully we will get some new label interest with this new material; it is even heavier than the last recordings. No, Lisa hasn't played in After Death in over 4 years now.
Do you prove to imagine that you would record in Morrisound studios? Or is it does not working, as in the past?
There are so many great studios now, so it really depends on the record deal we get and how big our recording budget will be.
It is said that NOCTURNUS was the first DM band, which used the keys, it's true? What inspired you to use keys? Will they always be present even in AFTER DEATH music?
It was certainly one of the first, but maybe not the actual first. I have always liked bands that used keyboards, even back in the 1970's with Led Zeppelin (Kashmir and No Quarter) and even Angelwitch used some on their first album which also came out around 1979. Yes I will always try to have really cool atmospheric keyboards in After Death. I believe it is an important part of our sound.
How do you like the last NOCTURNUS "Ethereal Tomb" album?
It didn't sound at all like Nocturnus to me.
Are you able to play the guitar to compose music? Because I can not imagine someone, who don’t knows how to play the guitar, as he writes music.
Actually I don't play guitar, but I do play keyboards. Most of the music has always been written by the guitar or bass players, but in After Death I do write all the lyrics and help in the arrangements of all the songs.
How do you remember your performance in MORBID ANGEL? Why did you really leave them? Have they had Pete Sandoval at the time when you left?
When I was in Morbid Angel, we were never focusing on being so fast, it was all about being a real occult band and that was the main influence we had for our writing and inspiration. I left Morbid Angel because I caught Trey with my girlfriend and beat him up and that was the end of me being in Morbid Angel, because it was Trey's band. No there was another drummer after me named Wayne Hartsell before they found Pete.
I know that you are quite interested in magic, which most people consider as bullshit. How would you explain to them that the magic really works?
If people choose not to believe in the occult or magick then that is their choice and I don't need to explain to anyone why I believe what I believe. But just look at the Musick I create and that is a part of Magick. The musick is real, so there is no need to explain that point!
Why did you choose the direction of Kabbala magic? What's all this in aid of?
Kabbalah is just a very small part of what I study, but there is a "backside" to the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah wherein the evil spirits called The Qlipoth dwell through the Gate of Daath. This is my main study in the realm of the Kabbalah.
Can magic achieve anything?
Magick is everything; everything is either a creation or destruction, so as Gods we are the Creators and Destroyers.
Have you read the Sumerian “Enumma Elish“ work? It describes the tenth NIBIRU planet with very eccentric orbit, which is close to us every 3600 years. Do you believe that is true?
Yes I have read some on this work, it could be true but it's very hard to track a planet with such a long orbital path. There is also a lot of info on the 2012 Galactic Alignment and a thing called The Great or Grand Cycle which occurs every 26,000 years. That is some very interesting stuff as well.
Are you going to addict to Cthulhu myth also in the new stuff? Do you believe that the Old Ones will return to Earth sometimes?
I write about many different subjects, but only 1 of the 5 new songs have any Mythos stuff in them, most of them are either Egyptian or Anti Christian.
What is the essence of reality? Is it only the illusion, or a strict materialism?
Well considering everything we see is actually a reflection of the light it emits through our cornea in our eyes, than everything actually is an illusion of its "real" essence. No two people see things the same though, so your "reality" will always be different from my "reality".
It is interesting that many American bands are concerned with Egypt as you, Nile, or the Canadian NECRONOMICON. What made you so fascinated to Egypt? Want you go there sometimes?
It was definitely when I started getting into Crowley's works and opening my mind to The Book of The Law, it actually opened a Gateway or Portal into the Egyptian Magickal Current and connected me to it. I would really love to visit Egypt one day, but for me connecting with Ancient Egypt astrally works quite well.
You have been at formation of such milestones of Death Metal as MORBID ANGEL and NOCTURNUS, do you think that even AFTER DEATH will be such a big name in the DM scene once?
Well you never know, I think there is definitely a little bit of both of those bands in After Death and I think especially with these new recordings people will see or hear what I am talking about, the new stuff definitely has some of that old Morbid Angel and Nocturnus feeling to it, but with a more modern sound.
Where all over you have already played in Europe and what have been the fans reactions?
We actually went to Europe last October and did a 2 week tour as Nocturnus, it was the whole After Death band playing songs from The Key and some old Morbid Angel from Abominations of Desolation and just a couple After Death songs as well. The tour went quite well overall and we hope to do it again later this year. We played in Germany, Holland, England, Czech Republic, Italy, Denmark and Austria.
Wouldn’t you go to play for 3 days Czech Brutal Assault festival in August 6-8? There will be bands as SUFFOCATION, HATE ETERNAL, ATHEIST, IMMORTAL, KRISIUN, or PESTILENCE. Ok that’s all from me, do you have some message? Can you add your actual music top 5?
We definitely would like to play this Festival and we were actually talking to one of the promoters about it, but so far nothing concrete has been worked out.
As always I just want to say THANKS to everyone out there for supporting all the things I have done in all my many years of playing musick and especially all the people that do these zines and webzines that are the ones who keep it going for all these years!
Damn that is so hard to answer because it is always changing! But here is five not in any particular order.
Slayer - Hell Awaits
Angelwitch - Angelwitch
Biomechanical - Cannibalised
Ozzy Osborne - Speak of The Devil (Live)
Venom - At War With Satan.
Hailz!!!!
Mike666
Storm
www.myspace.com/afterdeath
