Cavus Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band, and how you came into existence?

Cavus was started a few years back by our guitarist J.K. and drummer T.T.T. in Porvoo, Finland. After they made some rehersal tapes the rest of us grew on pretty quickly and we recorded the self-titled EP that we released in 2009. We have from the first day had a very old school approach to our music, blending thick, dirty and rocking grooves with pure Black Metal. Devilry and powerful, the way it's meant to be.


2. What is the inspiration behind your lyrics, what sources or feelings do you bring into the songwriting?

Lyrically the album reflects on man under the influence of the Devil's spells and the attempts to overcome yourself, how to unify the master and the servant. The lyrics have a close to theistic approach to this because we feel that modern day symbolism is very weak and powerless, and to understand powerful things you have to use powerful imagery. In many ways they also are very visual, taking you back to ages and places where evil was feared and and death roamed behind decaying walls and shut nailed doors.


3. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Cavus?


Cavus is the original word for the english "cave". It describes the aura and atmosphere of the band but was originally chosen because of our bass player. He calls rehearsals caving (as in let's go caving) so it started from there. Our rehersal place is this old abandoned wooden house filled with toxins, moisture and weird smells so it's quite appropriate.


4. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and what recording studio or equipment did you use to create your musical sound?


We recorded the album in the prementioned house in a studio we built up there ourselves. We wanted a really original feel to it so that was the best choice. The drums were recorded on 8-tracks with one take from the beginning of the album to the end, with no click-tracks or tampering. Guitars were then done using old Soviet made tube amplifiers like Sovtek and Novik. Those fuckers really have a unique sound to them and they glow in the dark like Chernobyl. They actually use old MiG-fighter tubes in them so maybe that's one reason for the sound. This combined with baritone guitars and basses and we got quite the package! We like a lot of low end in the mix to get some punch and power to it. No whiny bedroom BM for us thank you.


5. I know that you have done a lot of shows with some bigger bands, out of all the gigs that you have played so far which one did you enjoy the most and what was your favorite crowd to play to?


Even if the Black Metal crowd is usually thought of us the silently standing type, we seem to get a lot of mosh pits and action on our gigs. With that in mind maybe one of the gigs we played with Mayhem in Helsinki would count as the most giving, but we also had a really good crowd in Caen, France a couple of weeks ago. Every gig is different what comes to the atmosphere, and sometimes you can play a really powerful and almost spiritual set even if the audience is small or not so active physically.


6. Do you have any touring plans for the new album?

We just toured 8 countries through Europe with Gorgoroth so we don't have anything on the schedual for now, only a couple one offs here and there. There are some plans to tour England a bit later and things like that, but we'll see what happens after the album is out in both North and South America. We are not really a touring friendly band in many ways because of our somewhat maybe difficult or extreme personalities, so we try to avoid having to set out for extended periods of time so no one gets killed in vain etc.


7. How have black metal fans worldwide react to your musical sound?


The overall reaction has been positive, even if some people who prefer the more serene touch to Black Metal have of course been more careful in their approach towards us. This is brutal music and we incorporate a lot of "rock elements" so it's no surprise to us that some purists find it a bit too much. This is still 100% Black Metal for us so we don't really care.


8. What direction do you see the band heading into during the future, are you planning on getting more brutal or do something different?

We don't feel a way to change to any direction so we leave it up to the future. Great deeds take great planning and execution but evil happens by nature, and this is also the way of Cavus. What will become, will be.


9. I know that the band members have a history playing in other bands, are there any current side projects going on, or is this a full time band?

Most of us have some things on the side but Cavus definitely takes most of the time right now. One can not command a painter to only paint on one painting and this is the rule here too. We have different projects to keep our needs satisfied, some of maybe will be heard of in the future.


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?


We don't try to imitate any specific bands or styles, but of course if everybody enjoys 90's BM like we do, it will come through in some way. All of us then have their own "bands of the moment" that change with seasons, but right now maybe the new Deathspell Omega album is in the most heavy rotation. Then we have everything from doom to industrial and jazz so this question is maybe a bit too vague to have a pinpointed answer to.


11. How would you describe your views on Occultism or Satanism, is there a certain path that you follow?


A true Satanist only follows himself and his only path is to overcome that very self. We don't practice magic or perform rites for any deities outside ourselves. This group consists of 5 highly individualistic people with their own visions and versions of the great truth.


12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?


Speaking here only for myself (as the vocalist of the band) and as a private person outside the group, I would say visual arts, history and specially hidden or forgotten history, science and psychology. Like Aleister Crowley said: "Anything that sheds light on the Universe, anything that reveals us to ourselves, should be welcome in this world of riddles."

13. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?


Worship and Rot

best regards,

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