Interview with E.I.-M. (Sacrilegious Rite)
Hail E.I.-M. of Sacrilegious Rite! You are very welcome to my small blog, Archangel’s Lantern. Tell the readers, how and when you met with underground metal music first time. What one(s) was/were your first musical stuff? Which band did you see live first time?
- Hail Georg. First of all, thank you very much for your attention towards Sacrilegious Rite. We appreciate that.
How and when I met the metal underground first.... To be serious...I don't remember exactly. I'm in the middle of my 30-s and as far as I look back there have always been Metal and Rock. All my live long. My father was the guitarist of a local rock band in the South-West of Germany. I guess through him I came in touch with rock music. He was active from the '70-s to the middle '80-s. I was into Queen, Guns 'N' Roses and stuff like that. I'm still today. Things got more extreme as I discovered heavy and thrash metal and followed the logical step to death and black metal. But I don't like this labels. The time we've begun there was only "metal"! Plain and simple. We still follow that Agenda today. For sure it's extreme and dark music but we are influenced by a lot of stuff. We don't follow that "black metal - only" agenda. I think you can hear this when you listen to our music. It's pure and not poisoned by any trends. We just follow the old metal cult. Today's "scene" has no need for another faceless clone because I think It has forgot where it came from and what nostalgic passion is. Today is only about Image and being most mysterious.
My first live band could only be a local band. Don't remember exactly but I guess it's like that.
My first band was a thrash/black metal hybrid. We were playing something from old Destruction to Mayhem. Trying out and experienced what was possible to us.
Later we formed Capitis Damnare which was mainly Black Metal. After more than a decade we split up and formed Sacrilegious Rite.
What was your first band? Share some information about your local (German/French) scene. What musicians/bands influenced you in the beginning? When did you start to play musical instruments?
- My first band was a thrash/black metal hybrid. We were playing something from old Destruction to Mayhem. Trying out and experienced what was possible to us.
Later we formed Capitis Damnare which was mainly Black Metal. After more than a decade we split up and formed Sacrilegious Rite. It's been a long time since everything started. Merely twenty years and time passes very fast.
Regarding musical influence.... This really changes quiet often because with your development as an individual, there's also a change in your musical attention. What I never stop to listen to is old metal stuff from every label. This are my roots.
About the scene here.... I don't go out often these days and I can't tell you a lot about that. My personal feeling is that it has been better in the past, maybe 5 or 6 years ago. There have been a lot of intriguing shit and I guess all this split especially my desire towards a so called "scene" a lot. To be serious, there are sill some good guys in my close quarters but I don't have the need or motivation to really care. From time to time some info still crawls out to my ears which makes me feel that there are still some shit-storms and rivalries out there. But as I said.... I climbed the mountain and passed that nonsense.
I can't say that I only move with locals. I'm still in contact with a lot of true and upright guys all over the world. From time to time you meet them in person at festivals. Guess this pattern is a remain from the old days, when I send dozens of letters, weekly.
Don't remember exactly. I think I started to learn classical guitar by the age of 10 or 11. Before I went into shredding metal techniques I learned traditional patterns.
Enlighten us about your awesome French/German horde, called Sacrilegious Rite (all the important information about the beginnings, line-up(s) , song-writing process, past live-shows, artist(s) of your cover artworks).
- When it comes to that sort of question I never know where to start....let's begin with the most important point in timeline, the point when we stopped Capitis Damnare for good. Sumnor Amdis and me felt there was time for a change. Sick of the limitations we moved in at that time we decided to end this band and create something more unique and true. Looking back I'd say that it was the best decision we could make.
Adding the fact that Sumnor Amdis and me have always been on the same musical and ideological level is what guaranteed us the perfect breeding ground to follow our own interests.
We recruited a females drummer called Infernal Beast. With her we started our first steps. After some time and live performances it was time to separate ways. Sadly.
After some experimental line up changes, Barkajal from Dethroned SR as a new drummer. We worked great together but regarding the fact that he is a shift worker, same as me, it was impossible to rehearse and work on a regular basis. Regretfully we had to separate again and came across Sitrom Rogir after some time. As we never had a fix bass player, Sumnor Amdis was changing between guitar and bass, we also recruited CD's former bassist Angra Mainyu. We work together for some years now and I can't imagine any other line up constellations. It's just perfect!
A typical SR song is composed in a traditional way, I think. The lyrics are always written by me and are based on a very personal point of view on rituals and a Luciferian ideology. And no..... It's not by trend but by very individual experience. I've always been a person with extreme views on things so it was a logical step that I began to cross the borders of the three dimensional realm to explore the unknown.
Musically, we work out a base of riffs which we later complete to a whole song. Every one plays a part in that matter. But we always filter the aggressive and morbid feelings out of this "riff-skeleton". We want to keep the very essential character of our music, say morbid and aggressive and nothing else. That's important for us. And because of that we never compose in a hurry. A good song needs time.
For releases we have worked with the same two artists. The first and essential one for sacrilegious rite is Marcus Ludwig with his art agency "Black Death Sign". He also created the band logo.
The second artist is just known under the name "Remember the Fallen". He is from Hellas and active since several decades. Also a good match. We are very satisfied with both of them. They visually underline our aural concept.
What I’ve watched through YouTube and then via Bandcamp of Sacrilegious Rite, I must say, it’s brilliant Trve Death/Black music, intense live-performances.
Let’s speak about your discography, from demo(s) through split(s) to latest and future releases of Sacrilegious Rite. I’ve seen, You will be playing in Switzerland in early days of July, have a blast, mein freund and then share with us your experiences and of course your future plans (new stuff, video, live-shows).
- Thx for your words. Until now we released a split 7" with German gods Ungod, a split 7" with Bestial Holocaust from Bolivia, an EP "Black Curses of Death" and a 3 way split with Dethroned and Goatblood from Germany has recently been released. Actually we take a break from live performances and work on our full length "summoned from beyond". This will be a longer process because we want the best result for it for it will mark a special and important event in the band's history. We work on it by ourselves and just for the mastering process we give it to another hand. It has been recorded, edited and mixed by ourselves. I take care about the setups and editing process.
We have always asked ourselves why but haven't found an answer yet, why we never want to work with other people directly when it comes to our music. Instead we prefer to do it alone.
Yes, the show in Switzerland was good and we really enjoyed that fest. Personally, I think that we had better shows in the past. But we are in a good shape, nowadays. Relaxed but not too relaxed and for sure self critical. I think we speak more to older metal veterans. Younger folks mostly like different stuff, which in most cases we don't like.
I can't tell you what will happen when we have finished to work on the full length. After first discussions it appeared that we want to play more live shows. I think only time will tell.
Yes, the show in Switzerland was good and we really enjoyed that fest. Personally, I think that we had better shows in the past. But we are in a good shape, nowadays. Relaxed but not too relaxed and for sure self critical. I think we speak more to older metal veterans. Younger folks mostly like different stuff, which in most cases we don't like.
I can't tell you what will happen when we have finished to work on the full length. After first discussions it appeared that we want to play more live shows. I think only time will tell.
Would you be so kind to talk your religious point of view? What is your Source of Inspiration? What should we know about lyrical conception of Sacrilegious Rite? Which books are your recommendations?
- That's a rare question but a question I appreciate very much.
I call myself a classical satanic individual. Satan/Lucifer is one for me so is every deity which serves a similar cause. My believes are of a very theistic nature. Only a fucking idiot would ask "how can you believe in the devil when you don't believe in God??"
Existence is a mysterious in itself. Something we can not touch or even understand. One can believe in God and adversary or principle and anti-principle. It depends what cause suites and serves the individual in most ways. I believe man will never be free... man will never reach the point of perfection until he leaves the three dimensional realm behind and step into the limitless void. We are bound to weakness and human patterns. Because we can't reach a godlike state we destroy everything around us and hate ourselves.
Man is a sad and longing creature. He longs for a state he can never reach, not as long as he does not kill his ego and steps into a void of a new existence which is in way....none or beyond the mortal flesh. An existence in spirit and infinite. Because of that fact Death is also the very essence of the Luciferian doctrine. One does only reach the higher spheres by dying spiritually and be reborn in Lucifer's light and grace. You see....religion is also about principles and concepts as well as metaphorical mechanisms. You can say that Lucifer through his rebellious nature is my one and only source of inspiration. He is the alpha and the omega.
And exactly this is the concept of sacrilegious rite. Religion, philosophy of the flames and death in its very essence and grip on the world in every way possible.
When it comes to books I have bad news for you. They won't work until you haven't reached your point! I also have a big bibliotheca and for sure it's not only of a collective nature. I collect antiquarian books which deal with occult subjects and some of them have reached their 200th - 300th anniversary. They can help but not if you're not true to your path. There is no single book on this planet which can tell you the one and only way and there is no leader nor prophet which can show you that way either. You alone must walk the path and dare to walk through fire. No one else can do that for you. It's not only a dangerous but also a painful path but the result of success is worth it.
Today I see a lot of people which are interested into the occult and into the dark to read book after book and quote their favorite lines.... Quote after quote. But what they lack is experience. They have none.... It's not about knowing the dark path.... There is no benefit in knowing the path when you don't walk it. It's about theory and practice.
When you reached that special point you see life itself as a cosmic joke. You just live through your spiritual potential and not about your "having fun- attitude".
Books can give you some basics but they won't show you the way.
Share with the readers please a few interesting legends of German/French culture. Which magician places are your recommendations? (from your area as well)
- History and time had their grip on the location where we live. Interesting are the trails of the Roman invasion some years after Christ. The Romans settled in the woods and build many outposts and villages to protect them self from guerrilla warfare. Some tribes made trades with the Roman invaders while some others made war on them. Because of the woods and the field advantage it was a "hit and run" warfare against concentrated Roman formations.
Today you can still see many villas and buildings of that time. Foundations and streets where the Romans build their first villages.
Let's not forget about medieval times. We have many castles and medieval villages in this location. Everyone with its own long story. To tell them all would fill a book or two.
Significant are the trails of the two world wars. Here are still some bunkers from WW2. In the countryside you can still find trails of weaponry and ammunition.
You can imagine our home as a pure and nearly untouched countryside. There are small villages, surrounded by big and vast forests. Nature is still pure and not desecrated by man's hand. We have a lot of crops and fields where is raised everything possible. It's a nice and quiet place. Others would call it boring but that's the way we like it here.
I consecrated some places for my own magical workings but I don't know of any official magical place. For sure there are some very old legends about witchcraft and haunted places and the devil plays a main role in it often but I presume they are just some stories to frighten children.
France/Germany is not only famous as a great historical,
cultural heritage... You have more and more great hordes, in past and nowadays
as well... What are Your favourite German/French bands and/or musicians from
Your excellent scene? Any recommended new-comer hordes? Occult Artists?
- Germany gave birth to some great metal originators which we can be really proud of. We have Sodom, Destruction, Kreator. Also a great band is Desaster. Impending Doom were great. When it comes to pure black metal I have to admit that I'm not a friend of German black metal. I find it boring and too romantic, by mostly dealing with folklore and tales about ancestry. That's not my cup of tea. The old eastern German area brought us some great acts. First and best of them is Protector.
Today I listen to Necros Christos, Drowned and Hatespawn to give you a view of my personal taste in German metal. I often listen to Naked Whipper. Don't know you know them. Highly recommended if you like blasting and dirty stuff. Ungod is still active. One of few German black metal bands I still listen to. They released great stuff in the 90s.
Old Morgoth!!! I say OLD!!
When it comes to black metal France is more gifted with serious and sick hordes such as Mütiilation and the rest of the black legions circle. Also a great death metal band from France is Massacra. But there are some more who I don't have on my mind at the moment.
Yes, we have many self declared occult artists here. Because no one of them have made it to reach something revolutionary except quoting from books, there are not worth to mention.
What do you recommend us, the readers, to eat and drink in Germany? Your local foods, drinks, species, tobaccos? Local museums, places?
- I recommend you to visit our home. So many cultures and habits cross that it would fill a book to tell you everything about it.
Alongside the music what are your hobbies? Name us your favourite albums /books/movies. What are your everyday life’s jobs?
- That's a personal question and I try to answer it as good as I'm able. All in Sacrilegious Rite are fucking busy with our jobs. Because of that rehearsals are regular in a way but also a bit difficult to organize. I think what we do exactly has no direct influence on the band's creation. Some of us got positions or have special fields in which we are working in. I think you can say that we work more hours per week than people with regular jobs like a gas station cashier. Just for example. But in the end we do it for a living and not because we like it so much.
About hobbies. You really want to know that, huh?
In the first point I'm a collector. I collect all kinds of music (mostly metal) in all kinds of formats. I prefer the vinyl format. For my taste it has the best sound. I also collect antiquarian books as I told you earlier. I'm absolute fanatic when it comes to the horror genre. Same for Sitrom Rogier. We have quiet the collection. I'm still into the movies of their creative timeline of the 70s-80s. I like the Italian Giallo genre very much. And by speaking of Italian I also like the grand masters Argento, D'amato and Deodato. Just to mention a few. Once someone said that Italian art is morbid art. That's just true!
Another hobby of me are rattlesnakes. I keep and breed several species. Some years ago I was into every kind of venomous snakes but today I'm just into rattlers. They're the easiest to keep. Prefer hot summers and cold winters.
I think there is nothing more to add.
Archangel’s Lantern is about Victory and Glory of Jon Andreas Nödtveidt. Did you meet Him in shows? What is your opinion about Him, as a musician and as a person? Do you have any favorite tracks/albums of Satanized, Dissection, The Black, Terror or from those Nifelheim albums, where Jon played?
- I had the privilege seeing Dissection live before Jon killed himself. I did not meet him in person but I think if we would have met and talked we'd have come along pretty good. I have always seen some similar views on things. But I'm not that kind of "fan-boy" running after people and trying to start a conversation.
What I've read and listen in interviews, printed or visual, I found truly supportable and wise. He knew what it was all about and he experienced the walk into the abyss. That's quiet obvious. Yes, I'd say I have all those albums where he performed active or passive. Besides Dissection and Satanized, the Black's - The Priest of Satan is truly a masterpiece. One of the best Black Metal material ever created. I also have all Nifelheim albums which have been released so far.
Danke Sehr/Thanks a lot, my friend. Blessed Be by the Bringer of Eternal Light and to complete this conversation send your thoughts to the readers of Archangel’s Lantern...
- Danke dir, Georg! Thx for your attention towards our art for it truly serves the bringer of light and no one else.
I ask the readers of Archangel's Lantern to support it endlessly. Hope we meet on the road somewhere.
Watch out for "summoned from beyond" which will be a significant album in the creating process of Sacrilegious Rite. If you are into our so far released material you will like it. But there's still a lot of to work on.
Bow before the Lord, to liberate
The Rebel Angel and King of Great
Official facebook page: facebook.com/SacrilgiousRite/?fref=ts
Contact address: SacrilegiousRite@hotmail.com
