1. Hail to decadence! Absence of "fast paced riffs" or drastic changes in tempo are characteristic for Mortuus. Of course this adds more apocalyptic sound, but in lyrics you are dealing with "total death of all". Don’t you think that this idea would fully unfold in faster and more aggresive music? Or is the Mortuus slow, chaotic slow walking apocalyptic deathmachine?

We simply found our “sound” potent to create the atmosphere we wanted our releases to possess. I don’t think you have to sound a specific way to express a certain idea, I mean, true art lies in the ideas and the essence, rather than the form itself. Sub-genres to black and death metal are often plagued by rip-offs eager to sound like the “respected” bands, a pathetic way to ensure themselves of a certain “respect” or acceptance (something we spit on!), but the lyrics ought to be the defining part (even though these definitions are completely pointless in themselves). You don’t have rip off Deathspell Omega to create “religious black metal”, if you get my point. This is often the work of people suffering from low self-esteem and that pathetic need to be accepted in a group.
We don’t care about belonging to a certain genre, or sub-genre for that matter, but focus only on what we do. We simply think of it as music dedicated to Death, but I do understand that people feel a need to make classifications.

There are many ways to express or channel a certain form of energy, and we will definitely explore new depths of darkness in the future. It would be pointless to do another “De Contemplanda Morte”. The music might become more violent and agressive, just as it might turn out slower and more decadent - in either case, I can assure you that Death will be as present!

2. If we stick to disharmonic protracted melodies, sounds produced by synthetizers (maybe?) etc. Man could imagine that he is in some deserted desolated world or in some kind of world of yours. Am I right? What is your opinion about the world? And on the other side, what should Mortuus music portray?

Our music reflects our selves, in any layer possible. I don’t know if that would classify as “some deserted desolated world”. We have never used synthetizers though, even if it might happen in the future.
I can not think of one SINGLE thing our music is supposed to portray (that would be up to the listener), it deals with a lot of different things, all strongly rooted in personal experiences and the work of magic and occultism. They could simply be seen as poetry too, depending on the reader. It is our tribute to and interpretation of the inner and outer nothingness, the very end of everything – Ain, Parabrahman, Chaos, Nun, or whatever you need to call this divine state of Death. To the work and aspiration to a unity with utter Darkness. It would take too long to present my opinion of the world here. I don’t have a certain short philosophical view-point to it, some “cool” thing like “it’s all shit”, as there are different sides to everything.

3. On the cover of „De contemplanda Morte“ the person holding the cross is depicted. Picture is distorted and shrouded-like in fog. One must really use his imagination. What is the cover showing, from the view of maker?

To me, the cover sums up the whole of that album. It is a key between different planes, the light of worlds colliding and melting into each other.

4. I am often comparing you to the bands like Blut aus nord, Spektr. Cannot say that this "genre" is gettin’ more popular, but more bands are tending to this genre. It is then possible that more people are seeing the world from otherside? What is your view on this style and problem? Are there any bands which are/were influences to your music?

I don’t know anything about this style getting more popular, nor if that would be a problem in itself. As said, we are only interested in what we do – and if our “style” is popular right now, then it’s a coincidence and nothing else. My insight into the scene has been fading year by year since 2002 or something, so I wouldn’t be able to tell really. I thought ripping off bands like Watain would be the cool thing to do at the moment...
Our influences would be anything truly deathlike, be it dark industrial music or black/death metal. We are into a lot of different things, and not only metal and genres related to this. I personally listen a lot to records like “Im Hexeri Zwielicht...” by Aghast, “Moon of Characith” by Black Funeral and “Path to Yirah” by Symphonia Sacrosancta Phasmatvm, to name a few albums people might know of. I’m highly into meditative and repetetive music, but I appriciate violent and chaotic acts such as Sadistik Exekution or Antaeus too.


5. Does it took long to find the final sound which goes together with Mortuus? It’s possible to find and accept many shades, but not every shade is correctly "lustrous".

We are very discriminating when it comes to Mortuus. We would never do something “for the sake of doing it”, but have always known what to bring forth in our music. Everything has to be there for a reason, but I wouldn’t say that it took us long to find the sound we wanted. It comes to us naturally.

6. Ok...words as Death, Darkness, God etc can be found in Mortuus lyrics. I loath to say that this untypical, because You are taking things from otherside and you’re trying to amplify concept and essence of thing.

Words are shells that can be as effective as they can be ineffective. If you manage to penetrate the word in itself, to unveil what lies within and beyond; that would be a revelation (small or extensive) in itself. But they might as well create barriers in the human mind. After all, that’s what we are, and the human mind has it’s limitations. We’re using a lot of symbolism in our lyrics, and I know that this can be very confusing to people without insight in occult theory and practise. Everything in Mortuus is first and foremost done for our own pleasure. We really don’t give a fuck if people “get it” or not, and neither do we claim to possess the absolute truth. Anyone who does is a liar by nature.

7. To lyrics again... their lenght is sometimes really exccesive and thereby contagious. You often use the word "God". In which conspect we shall take it? Do you use exaggeration in your lyrics?

As stated above, what lies beyond the word is the important thing. We’ve used the word “God” twice in our lyrics, so I wouldn’t say that it’s a word we often use. Most people will probably be offended by the word, relating it to exoteric christian faith, but we don’t use it to describe their illusion of “the good father”. I refer to the absolute, the unmanifest darkness in the equilibrium of Death, as “God” – this should be obvious to anyone with an intelligence quote exceeding 80...

I don’t exaggerate anything in the lyrics, but I might describe a phenomenon such as necrophilia in another way than average joe would.

8. Are there some books, articles... whatever what inspired you or still inspires you in writing lyrics? Do you study some occult science, or you are autodidact and aquire knowledge from wherever it is possible?

I study and practise the occult on a daily basis, in one form or another. Not in order to do research and find inspiration for lyrics to Mortuus, but my occult and magical studies and discoveries do reflect and shine through to a very high extent in our music and lyrics. It would be weird if they didn’t.
There isn’t a single book or article that has contributed to this progression, but everything from old sources like the Bible, Zohar, Pert m Heru, or the Corpus Hermeticum to modern sources like the works of Crowley or Dione Fortune. I try to gain knowledge from wherever possible though; but studies alone will not aid you in some profound way. Understanding and realizing the nature of the self (as a first step in the long process of initation and divine realilization) is a higher goal than the studies in themselves, and the initial key to the higher mysteries. What good is knowledge for the simple sake of it? If you don’t seek to understand, reading is but a waste of time.

9. Have you ever thought to mix you music with ambient, darkwave or industrial elements. I don’t mean just short insertions, but whole songs! To boost up the yet so powerful atmosphere.

We were going to do this for “De Contemplanda Morte”, but the after we had finished most of the album, it seemed rather pointless. I had a project in 2001 which was very, very dark and disturbing. I think I recorded 5 or 6 tracks. The last minutes of noise in “Supplication for the demise of All” is taken directly from this unreleased demo, and I might use more of that material in the future.


10. What is your view on reincarnation? Do you believe that after death, man’s soul will transfer into another body-shell? Buddhists are affirming that how well you were living your life, on this you will transfer to lesser (Fly etc.) or higher form (human).

I think reincarnation is dependant on one’s evolution in mind and spirit. “How well you were living your life” is of course a matter of perspective. I would say that complete control of the mind (and the ability to transcend the lower illusions of mind and flesh) is a master key on the path to eternal Death, but it would still be mere speculation, and I might have a different kind of view ten years from now.

11. I know that this question might irritate you but are you sometimes composing the music under the influence of something unusual? For example Magnus from Nae’blis drinks alcohol during recording. And I suppose that some psychotropic dacryagogue would move yours music to another dimension. Many people are bitching about this, but we cannot deny that those things are opening ways to other plane of thinking.

Rarely. I used to take some narcotic sleeping pills while writing music when I was younger (not for Mortuus though), but the result always seemed better than it actually was. The other member sure has done his amount of drugs, but I hardly think it was for creative purposes. None of us are doing narcotics anymore, but I won’t act like some moral whore and say that it’s “wrong” to do so. Other may do what the fuck the want, be it fucking their children or wasting their lives on hard drugs, as long as they don’t bother me. It happens that I have consumed some absinth or a beer while recording demo-versions or doing some other boring shit (that isn’t dependent on creativity), but not while composing. It’s not hard to find inspiration for us, so it wouldn’t serve any purpose. There are other ways to open channels to other psycho-spiritual planes.

12. I think that everything what I wanted to know was questioned. Perhaps my question fullfilled the given "inteligence-meter" and I’m looking forward onto next recording from Mortuus. Live or fight for death...

We’ll see if there will be a new recording, it’s all dependent on the quality of the material. We have finished some really fucked up and eerie parts, but unless we will be able to create something deeply dark, a monument that stands as a whole – it will be kept to us privately. Time will tell, as always.