Sunday, November 3, 2013

Frater Ximenes Is Dead Interview


1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
1. Nothing special is going to happen. Fragile Branch just released our "DEMO II" days ago and that's all for this year. I'm going now to take some contacts for a split, we will let you know, of course.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of your recent material and also how does it differ from your past works?
2. It is merely badly recorded Black Metal with Dark Ambient influences. It differ only in very little ways. I think the sound quality is "better" nowadays, if you compare our last releases to our first demos you will probably understand what I mean. I think we will take a different way for this coming year. I just planned some ideas that probably will give birth to our first "well recorded - release". On vinyl.

3.Can you tell us a little bit about your song lyrics?
3. Our lyrics reflect various themes coming from religion, philosphy, theosophy,. Everything mixed with scorn, mockery and nihilism, for example:
"Lauda, Sion Salvatórem, lauda ducem et pastórem in hymnis et cánticis. Quantum potes, tantum aude: quia maior omni laude, nec laudáre súfficis. Laudis thema speciális, panis vivus et vitális hódie propónitur. Quem in sacræ mensa cenæ, turbæ fratrum duodénæ datum non ambígitur. Sit laus plena, sit sonóra, sit iucúnda, sit decóra mentis iubilátio."
- from Cunis Judae (Missa Brevis Sancti Rosacrucis de Iehovae)
This is a part of the Lauda Sion Salvatorem "sequence", written by Tommaso D'Aquino. It is singed in a sort of gregorian chant and even if it is very solemn I thought about it as an irriverent element for the song and anyway, as many idiots might think, we're not fucking Christians.
However, lot of our songs are singed in Latin.

4.I know that the band was named after Leonardo Ximenes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this astronomer?
4. Leonardo Ximenes has been an important figure for the 18th century, not as a Jesuit... of course. We're talking about a religious figure in a total different field of human knowledge, that's where the name "Frater" comes from. He was a mathematician and astronomer and I had the opportunity to read some of his aviable works during my first years of high school. I had to do some exams on it and his figure interested me a lot. Astronomy and astrology has always intrigued us. Frater Vvltvs is strictly interested in astrology.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
5. We had a live performance with the OLD line up, in Greece. Our old drummer (Soror Skepinsky) has Greek origins and we went there as friends. Than in the same year we also had a live performance in our region, near our city. In a little room in which some friends offered us to play. We didn't have a particular way to deal with the public nor a specific style for the performance itself, that's because there were about 20 people approximately. Hahaha!
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
6. No, we don't have any show planned at the moment.
7.You have put out releases on both Dungeon Tapes and Fragile brunch Recordings, do you feel they have done a lot on getting your name out there?
7. Yes, I do. Both labels represent the best you can find in the Underground Black Metal. They helped us a lot and I will always be grateful towards them and their patience.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal, noise and ambient?
8. It has been satisfying, in my point of view. We're only an Underground band/project and the feedback is always good in every way. Lot of fans always contact us always asking for some material and information on some releases and themes. For an underground band, we could not expect a better situation.
9.What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
9. We don't know what's going on with the world music nowadays. Although modern music sucks like hell and there's only a tiny percentage of music projects you can consider. In my present situation I can't spend so much time into listening to other projects, I'm too busy for it and I think it's fine.
10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
10. We see a different direction from the current style. We're going to release a total Avantgarde album. We will start recording in Spring, I think. There will be hypnotic and hallucinatory riffs and we won't miss the Ritual and Ambient element. As I said questions before, we will record in high quality.
11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
11. We never decided to take any influences from other bands. We just started playing in a cellar with improvised riff and recordings and anyway we are not interested in taking any kind of influences.
12.How would you describe your views on Occultism?
12. We have too much views on Occultism and we don't know how to give a precise answer to this question. Occultism could refers to thousands of doctrines of past, present and future. All those doctrines that have never been touched by the social mass and therefore they're not accessible to anyone. We think Occultism is mostly a "supernatural" value, something accessible through the use of the spirit and imagination; every great philosopher or artist throughout the centuries, has been shown to be able to represent a knowledge, or occult virtue through word and deed, from Thales of Miletus to Martin Heidegger, from Johannes Ockeghem to Krzysztof Penderecki and so on...
13.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
13. We have lot of interest, but they're always oriented toward Music and Occult/Esoteric stuff. Vvltvs practices many doctrines as Astrology, Yoga meditation, Qabalistic studies and so forth. He's also a great composer and musician. I like many doctrines, especially the eastern ones and currently I'm studying Violin in my music academy and I play in the orchestra of my city. That's all for now.
14.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
14. “the voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most fully awakened souls”


Bandcamp
Facebook

No comments:

Post a Comment