Celestial Rite Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?
1. Hello and thanks for the interview. Well, it has been almost 3 months since ''Bearer of Dawn'' was released on CD and during this time I focused to promote the EP to the right people. The EP will be also released on cassette by Old Graves Productions next week.

2.In August you had released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
2. The EP was released in August only as digital form for free download though Bandcamp. The musical style is of the 90's Hellenic black metal sound mostly, my bandmates helped in making the sound closer to that style too, I'm a big fan of that sound and to be honest this comes out naturally when I play my guitar and doing the vocals. My previous work was in the late 90's and it was more like let's say the Burzum way.

3.Your lyrics go very much in depth with Satanism, Occultism, paganism and the writings of Lovecraft, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?
3. About the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, what can I say, I love all his works and everything around the Cthulhu Mythos. Now, about the occult themes in the EP like the track ''Ave Samael, Ave Lilith'', I was very fond of this tale of those two figures and the equality of man and woman in the world, against the Christian way which demonized woman through the centuries. The title of the EP it actually means Eosforos or Lucifer in its latin form but at the same time not exactly, Eos is the personification of Dawn while Lucifer means 'bearer of light'. In my mind through the stuff I read, Eosforos or Lucifer or Satan or the devil, called him whatever you like is the savior of mankind and not its enemy, just like Prometheus, not far from it really. I do read stories of the occult and pick the good stuff that I like and try to make my life the way I want based on this stories, I have nothing to do with witchcraft or anything in practice, just reading. About pagan themes, well, I was born in a country that has rich customs and lore since the ancient times. I'm inspired by these customs and use them in my lyrics.. I like all mystical stories no matter they are satanic, pagan or lovecraftian.

4.The band was split up for 12 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
4. Mainly work, then the army and the I was moving in Norway and back. I didn't had time to play or write music, I was just scratching my guitar. Then I moved in Norway in 2010 this time for good and got myself a new guitar and had more time to play and write music, although now I'm back in Hellas but things are different and hopefully I will have more time for music.

5.I have read that the band was reformed in Norway, is the band still located there or have you moved back to Greece since then?
5. Like I said above, yes, the band reformed in Stavanger, Norway and most of the EP was written there, plus the Promo 2012 was released while I was there. Now I'm back in my home island of Rhodes.

6.The band was originally known as 'Necromayhem', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Celestial Rite'?
6. The band was called Necromayhem but this name didn't apply to the direction I wanted to take, I wanted something more mystical. I came up with the name Celestial Rite when I was only 15 years old but to this day I think it sounds great and feats my state of mind and music. The name applys to those rites that ancient Hellenes did for their gods, the gods of the sky.

7.The band has never played live, do you feel this also gives your music more of a dark atmosphere?
7. Maybe it does, I don't even care really. I do what I want to do and if others thinks that gives an atmosphere that's a plus.

8.On the new ep you had done a cover of  Varathron's 'unholy Funeral', what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?
8. Varathron is my main influence and one of the best bands worldwide. I remember I was always playing that song when I was young cause it had quite easy riffing and I choose to make a proper cover of it and pay homage to Varathron and my friend Necroabyssious. Allthough, after a while, I realised that there were a lot of covers of ''Unholy Funeral'' circling the Internet but who cares, the song was one my favorites and I had to do it.

9.The new ep was released on Old Graves Productions, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
9. Actually, ''Bearer of Dawn'' first released on CD independently in October 2014 and this month will be re-released by Old Graves Productions on tape format. The label is new and comes from Hellas too, our EP will be the first release of the label. The guy behind it was very fond of my work and choose to re-release it on cassette to reflect a more cult atmosphere to it. The layout of the tape was done by Infernal Lord from another black metal band from Hellas called Hell Poemer.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
10. To be honest the biggest response was from Hellas and they were all satisfied by this traditional Hellenic sound. It was also reviewed and I was interviewed from another U.S. webzine and the guy was impressed. I got a great feedback for the song ''Ave Samael. Ave Lilith'' even though this song is very simple and not complicated. Old Graves Productions said to me that was a lot of pre-orders for the cassette from Latin America, well, we will see what the response will be from them next month.

11.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
11. I don't think it will be a full-length soon, maybe a split or even another EP. I don't have plans for the near future, we'll see. The musical style I believe will stay on this pattern that the EP marked.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
12. Mainly Varathron, early Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord, early Samael, early Tiamat, I do like some of the early stuff from Norway like Burzum, Hades and more. These days I'm very much into the new album of Caedes Cruenta called ''Ερείπια Ψυχών'', it has this early Hellenic black metal style that I'm interested in and I'm amazed by it. Also, I'm waiting for the new demo from a new band called Ithaqua which the one song I heard from them I thought it was great. To be honest, these days I also go through my old demo tapes since I found a playable cassette player again. Keep an eye on the new band called Katavasia featuring Necroabyssious of Varathron.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13. Thaks for the interview my friend and good luck with your webzine. RECALL THE FIRST FLAME.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Celestial_Rite/3540266483