1. Greetings, Aamonael. it´s quite recently when the first Avichi´s material came out. I marked it in my review as great! How do you evaluate it?

Greetings. Thanks for the review. As for the album, there are things about it I like, and things I don’t. As an artist I’m too critical of my past work, but I can still appreciate it for what it is. I create with what I have available and then move on. To dwell on your past efforts is to halt your own growth.

2. First release and it is a fulllenght one..that is not usual in black metal. Mostly some abortive demos came up before. Do you think that it is because of your experiences from Nachtmystium and Unholy trinity where you played before Avichi?

Writing and playing in Nachtmystium was cool for what it was and during that time in my life. Blake and I developed a good chemistry writing together during that era. I think we both understood black metal on a subconscious level. Nevertheless, it gradually became apparent to me I needed something more and our paths split apart.

The Unholy Trinity material was something I did with Zmij for a brief period. I shopped the Unholy Trinity material around to many labels, but received no response. It was self-released by me out of necessity and that’s when Numen Malevolum Barathri came to life. Zmij originally was supposed to do vocals for the The Divine Tragedy but decided he didn’t want to. I found myself alone with my own art in an industry completely monopolized from every conceivable aspect.

I believe Unholy Trinity is to Avichi what Uruk-Hai was to Burzum – a prelude of greater things to come. Something rebuilt upon and refined. I decided to take everything over and called it Avichi.

The reason the debut was a full-length is because I knew from the beginning what it was all about, and what I wanted to accomplish. Luckily I was somehow able to hang on to a drummer long enough to rehearse and record the album. Xaphar who played drums on the record is a good friend of mine. I borrowed a bass and rented a 36“ gong for the studio. The fact I played most of the instruments on the album was again out of necessity.

3. Term "Avichi" is theosophistic concept of Hell taken from Sanscrit and it means isolation. I think that you have managed to transfer this feeling on album. But back to topic...Have you chosen this name as a mark that you play alone in the band?

I termed it Avichi because of an experience I once had while meditating at a younger age. Basically yogis fuck around with the energies in their chakras and send it up through the top of their head in order to reach states of samadhi, or one-ness with God. It’s like stripping yourself of your ego and realizing that the sense of self is only a surival mechanism of the animal body which is really your DNA. Some people realize this, but still fear letting go of it. I was meditating for my own ends and concentrated my energies below my body. To do this I would force my energy below my feet instead of out of the top of my head. Eventually I witnessed a whirlpool of hatred and darkness. It was a darkness of total selfishness and isolation marked by pure pride and resistance. Later on in my studies I came across the sanscrit term avici which means wavelessness and isolation. A prison without space. Avici later became Avichi in Theosophical writings and referred to a nirvana of the wicked for those who used spirituality for personal gain. I obviously understood these concepts completely.


4. Does your pseudonym Aamonael has it´s own deep meaning or it is purely your own fabrication?

Aamonael had it’s own deep meaning and was also of my own fabrication. It was a term I created to define my alter-ego and black metal persona. Being a persona, it is purely ficticious and only holds the power that you give it. The attention of the mind gives it power, and my mind is no longer attentive to it. It’s meaningless really. This body and who I am is only an expression of God, created from the same star dust, by the same physics, and from the same lifeforce that’s created yours. I wish there was something special about me, but there isn’t. I’m pretty insignificant when measured to the vastness of everything, yet not wholly without significance. When I create music, I no longer see things from an „I“ perspective. There is only an expression of God and a stream of endless fractal creations through mediums that create, distort, and bend soundwaves. I try my best now to maintain no point of view when playing music.

It’s one difference of who I am today compared to who I was during the making of The Divine Tragedy. During that time I was extremely self-centered which resulted in a miserable weight I carried with me around my neck. I’ve since then become quite humbled by what one could say „a newfound awareness of things“, and I’ve pulled myself out of the abyss. This could change of course. Perhaps I’ll once again become consumed by some new insidious hunger and will to power. Like some people say, „Life has its ups and downs“. My life seems to be a ladder of extreme heights and abyssmal depths.

5. Album has a quite apocalyptic concept. Hatred, suffering and forthcoming death can be felt from it. Is the music influenced by Avichi? (meant as hell)

The music was completely influenced by my experience of Avichi. Avichi is the swamp from which the lotus rises to bloom; however, the lotus on The Divine Tragedy came to a tragic end, withered, and died. Perhaps it was an aspect of myself that needed to die off.

6. I woul say that fundamental aspect of the album is it´s sound. You created consistent, pushing and tight which doesn´t sounds as stereotype. Was this something to which you wanted to give a enough room for? Because...sound is really important here... Tell me, have you searched for the right sounding long time?

For me this is a strange question. I appreciated many of the structures which have evolved through black metal, and naturally I used them to my own ends. I also wanted things to sound in a certain way with distorted guitars and what not. However, I’d like to think I gave enough room for creativity in my potential to give it.

With black metal it seems like most people nowadays end up working within a few limitations, but that’s typical of any genre. Somebody or some group creates a brilliant new sound or style and everyone else uses it to express their own ideas for better or for worse. Did I create a ground-breaking record? No. Do I show potential for creating one? Time and finances will tell.

7. In principle the main concept is quite known but i am interested in something different. Is there some idea, story etc. hidden in individual songs? Or they are concuring, mixing between each other? If they are staying individually can you tell us about what they are? If not can you tells how did you write the lyrcics if the songs are interesecting between each other?

Entering the presence of your aspect of God. Purification through the sphere of death. A uncaring proposal to lead the world into hell. A realization of a grossly decadent body corrupting the soul. A prayer to release one from the self-imposed horrors which goes unanswered. A weariness of life and a selfish desire to drag the world with you to your own grave. A disintegration in Avichi which lasts for aeons until this aspect of god has reached its zenith. Your spiritual atoms split apart and your name is erased from the book of life. br>
A tragic way of returning to the divine head. Hence, The Divine Tragedy. br>
Writing lyrics for the debut was a very sufferable process for me in a sense that it was like performing an autopsy on myself and spilling out all my guts and feelings onto sheets of paper. A form of therapy I suppose.

8. I was really interested by your vocals. Usage of deep vocal together with raw feel is a great idea I think! Have you choosen so intentionally or you used maximum of you voice abillities?

The vocals on the album just turned out that way. I never took singing seriously until about a month before recording The Divine Tragedy and never envisioned myself singing on anything up to that point. Right now I have a problem with my diaphragm which is affecting my ability to sing in a negative way.


9. Black metal in USA is not so strongly rooted as it is in Europe. but still there are bands which became Cult ones and also assurences of good work. What influenced you in the past that you dedicated yourself to Black metal?

When I first heard black metal, I really discovered how meaningful metal music could be, but I’m not dedicated to any ‚style‘ or orthodox way of thinking. I write and play whatever the hell I feel like writing and playing.

10. What about your own musical taste? Which bands or genres do you enjoy most?

I listen to so many different types of music nowadays, so it’s hard to say what I enjoy most. Right now I find myself listening to a lot of electronic music like IDM, DnB, terror EBM, noise, and power noise, but I listen to genres ranging from the classical periods, acid rock, down-tempo, doom, punk, lounge, jazz, electronic music, and of course Metal. Definately not limited to anything listed above. I eat, breathe, and shit music.

11. America was the always exemplary country for countries in europe. Not a few bands were influenced by American music legends. This fact is still continuing of course but the progression of the music stepped more into the mainstream territory.What do you think about it?

The mainstream territory is a double-edged sword. The mainstream world is dominated by hungry record labels who care not for an artist unless their is a demand for what the artist creates. Big record labels have only two things on their mind – turning a band into a product and creating a demand for that product. What the band stands for or why the band exists in the first place has no meaning to them. If it’s sellable they are going to sell it. Down the road, many bands who started out with something special up their sleeves fall into this trap, sell out by turning themselves into a product, and the record labels reap the profits. Others don’t sell out, continue to evolve, and do new things but still get fucked over in the end. I won’t say big record labels don’t have a positive side. With big record labels comes big promotion. Suddenly thousands in countries across the world know about you in seconds. The most important thing for bands is working with the right people so both parties benefit. Not always the easiest thing to accomplish.

Indie labels are more willing to put out records the bigger labels aren’t willing to risk. Aesthetics are usually what drives independent labels. Not that there is anything wrong with making money. The more digits in my bank account the better off I am, and the more opportunity there exists to manifest my desires. However, wealth is not going to change who I am within. The real artist is not dictated by wealth.

There exists a monopoly for the attention of the masses and a lot of hype. Many artists don’t recieve the attention they deserve. I believe this is more true for metal than any other genre. In conclusion, the music industry is pretty shitty. As Tom Warrior from Celtic Frost said in a video interview I recently saw with him, „It’s dictated by greed and not by art“.

12. Can we expect succesor of "Divine tragedy" or do you intend to release only one album?

I’m currently trying to put together a lineup for playing live and future recordings, but I’ve yet to find anyone else who both gets this band and wants to be a part of it. I’ve had some grand ideas about turning Avichi into a live experience, and I think it would do exceptionally well. In any case, not having a full-lineup is not going to stop me from creating another record. If I have to learn drums I will. If I have to learn something else, I will learn it. My whole pursuit of being a recording artist has been a tremendous struggle against all odds with many parasites in disguise. Avichi is becoming more of a lifelong pursuit.

13. ... and this is all from my side, thanks for the interview and keep your famous music on. Cheers!

Thanks for the interview. www.nmbrecords.com