Temple Below Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard you before?



A communion of four astral currents made manifest in Olam ha-Assiah in order to channel the most untamed and obscure energies known to man, angel, demon and god. A force of pure Havoc mediated through the glorious art called Death and Black Metal. A church built upon the foundation of knowledge, mystery and devotion. A coven of madness and perversion established to inspire those worthy and curse all false prophets with vilest of death. A TEMPLE raised from BELOW.



2. How would you describe your music?



Mortuary drape once described their art as “The actual satanic black mass put to music”. We humbly wish that some day we also can say the exact same thing of ours.


3. What is the meaning behind the band name?



See question #1.


4. Have you had the opportunity to do any live shows, and if so how would you describe your live performance?



No.


5. What direction do you see the band going into on future releases?



Deeper, ever deeper, until the Darkness of the Abyss even swallow the conscious mind so much that it no longer can express Any-thing.


6. How has the reception been so far to your music so far by black/death metal fans worldwide?



Personally I haven’t heard that much about it yet. Praises came from some of the members of the almighty cult of Blasphemy and that I think is enough for us to feel like we have done something worthy.


7.How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?



Ritualistic formulae. Mostly we summarize great workings with specific currents before writing lyrics, thus deepening our minds enough in the nature of it to the degree that it speaks through us directly. All other kind of poetry/prose/lyrics used in the holy art of Black Metal is mere profane egoism. This is mostly why the words may seem quite “minimalistic” on the surface; they are nothing but a concentrated flow of something so extremely abstract and subtle that the only way for the human mind to express them is through the most barbaric of dialectics. But don’t be fooled, many of them consists of lofty secrets that are accessible only to the initiated. The usual black metal fan will probably not see any difference between ours and, let’s say, Venom’s lyrics anyway. Although their lyrics obviously where inspiring and excellent, they lacked what ours are founded on: Direct personal experience and complete conviction.


8.What are some bands or music styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?



Although we spit bile and excrement in the face of the majority of the “extreme” metal acts of all time, we proudly see ourselves as heralds and partakers of what we define as an occult/genuinely satanic tradition that has existed within this type of music since its very beginning. Bands such as Mortuary Drape, Mystifier, Beherit, Blasphemy, Samael, Varathron and so on are obviously some of those I can mention. I think all members of the Temple have different ways to enforce specific emotions through the medium of music, but we all share the understanding that true Black and Death metal (be it “The Return…”, “Formulas fatal to the flesh” or “Mystérion tés Anomias”) really can inspire the darkest of ecstatic states.


9. Where do you draw your satanic or occult inspirations from, I see that you have Iaxxar in your top friends?



Books are useful as much as they work like signposts or maps made by other individuals. But maps are nothing but descriptions of actual sights for you to explore yourself. None can ever experience true gnosis by reading or even through rational thought alone. As I said earlier, wouldn’t we be but mere writers of bad fiction or even liars if we where to write or preach about acts and entities we haven’t experienced and convinced existed (through unmediated empiric knowing)? BUT – we of course encourage everyone to study all the great sciences of black magic, theurgy, theology, theosophy, alchemy, spiritism, hermetica, mysticism, necromancy, tantra and satanic yoga in depth. That and listening to the “Plague mass” LP, “Satanic blood” demo and the “Impending doom” Ep will be enough for anyone to find inspiration for thousand lifetimes.


10. How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of Chile?



All hails to Force of Darkness, Chainsaw/Communion, Slaughtbbath for their savage occult prophecy as well as the pioneers like Atomic aggressor, Pentagram and Totten Korps for inspiration.


11. What are some goals that you have set out for yourself to accomplish with your music and message?



To inspire other devoted sages and left-hand hermetics within this cult, in their works. To deepen the obscure vaults of Black/Death metal so that the darkness of the underground shines like the orb of Sorath itself. To violate this vulgar understanding that our art is but a form of entertainment and that it doesn’t have to be born from minds that seek the destruction of All life. And of course: To manifest our beloved black gods that exists within, without and beyond us.


12.What are some of your interests outside of music?



Criminality, hedonism, drugs, fine arts, herbalism, bloodletting, burial sights, art on skin. I wouldn’t define anything else as an “interest” alone.


13. Any final words or thoughts?



Remember that the four powers of the Sphinx are to Know, to Will, to Dare and to Keep Silent. For those that really understand the meaning of the last one mentioned, know that what has been explained here are but mere images in the smoke raised from our altar fires. And we wish all those who truly possess these four qualities to search our work out, we will invite you as a brother in our communion of enlightening Darkness and revivifying Death. But for those that stand upon a foundation of falsehood, ego and disguised love for the world: Let him be damned and devoured by the black wrath of Belial! For above the doors to our Temple these words are written “Procul este, profane!”

By these words do we seal this unveiling of our blood drenched shrines:

MICAOLI KRNZN GEH GEIAD! FUCK YOU ALL!

/The Temple Below 2010 Anno Daimon.

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