Auro Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

AURO was founded in the beginning of 2017 in Augsburg/Germany by Framan (ex-Schrat, ex-Drudensang) and Dragg (Drudensang, ex-Schrat). 

AURO is a merging of the words Aura and Ouroboros. 

Ouroboros, the self-consumer, symbolizes a completely autarkic entity. It personifies the ultimate utopia to be achieved: The creation of a social and emotional micro cosmos without any interaction with the abominable outer world. 

Aura is the tool which is purposely used as a hammer - destructively smashed in the grotesque face of society for deterrence. And yet at the same time to build the foundation of the very own existence – as part of the individual cosmos.

Framan is responsible for all guitars and bass work, Dragg for the lyrical concept and vocal arrangements. Both of us have been writing lyrics for the debut album and performed as vocalists. During the recording sessions we have been supported by Nefastus (drums) and Henker (keyboard) 

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

When Auro was founded in 2017 Framan had already been working on the material for some time on his own. The composition of the album songs in a raw shape was nearly finished at that time. We did not really have a masterplan for the band’s musical style, it just developed all very naturally. Although, several key elements were very clear right from the beginning: Atmospheric, old school and raw! That’s the way Black Metal sets our hearts and souls straight on fire!

3.A lot of your lyrics cover esoteric, hermetic and occult themes, can you tell us a little bit more about what these mean to you? 

First of all – a lot! Hermeticism is a pretty common topic since many people share similar feelings towards society and humanity in general. But this does not mean that it’s trivial. It’s the contrary. You really have to understand what it is that you detest and elaborate visions for your future. Esotericism and occultism fascinate us. Both provide different perspectives on various topics and personal challenges. At the end of the day, all these concepts and theories are man-made and therefore flawed to a certain degree. In search for your personal truth you can only truly rely on yourself and not entirely on a concept or solution that someone different developed.  Everyone strives for “the best” in his life. It’s a long and hard way to actually find out what that specifically is and after that to really achieve it. For most of us it is a continuous search and adjustment of our lives and selves. 

4.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music? 

They all sum up pretty much to a few common denominators. What changes is the overall setting and how the topics are illustrated. For example, in Schrat there was always a great focus on nature and its spirits – the topics described above have been present as well. 

5.With the band name you merge Aura and Ouroboros together, do you feel this name fits in perfectly with the bands musical style and lyrical concepts?

Yes!

6.Can you tell us  a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

The artwork was originally drawn by Timo Ketola with black ink on permament style paper in 2019. We developed it together with him. We explained him our different ideas behind the album’s lyrics and he came back with sketches which were refined in the process. 

The picture shows an apathic human like figure with cut off hands who is entangled by a giant snake – ready to bite or devour him. Both are located in rough sea with barren and desolate mountains in the distance. This perfectly illustrates the key messages of the album.

We don’t want to unfold our exact thoughts behind this to your readers. It’s far more interesting and enriching to think about it for yourself while listening to the music. 

Just some impulses to think about: Why is the figure looking apathic? Why were the hands cut off? What may be possible meanings behind the snake’s attempt, when you think about our band name? 

7.On this album you also have a couple of well known musicians helping out on some of the instruments, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and also their contributions to the recording?

Nefastus recorded the drums for the album in his home studio. We provided him with programmed drum tracks when we sent him the songs. He refined those tracks and interpreted them with all his experience and talent. He is mostly known in the scene for his work with Belphegor in the past, but he also played and still plays in various other bands

Henker is well-known in the German underground scene due to his participation in countless Saxon bands, such as Eminenz, Andras, Ad Mortem, Temple of Oblivion to name a few. Since he is also a member of Drudensang, it was quite obvious to ask him to lay down the keyboard tracks for the album. We sent him the songs and he came back with some recorded ideas which we then adapted to the songs.

Torti, a long-time friend of us recorded acoustic guitars for the outro of the album. He also provided the first drafts of the band logo. He is not active in any bands, but a general artist. 

8.Currently the band is a duo, are you open to expanding into a whole band on future releases?

We basically are open-minded for everything the future will bring. With regards to the songwriting we both think that “less is more” is also a valid term concerning the number of involved band members – otherwise too many opinions and egos tend to prevent progress.

9.Would the band be open to doing any live performances if the opportunity ever came around?

We are already in contact with organizers for gigs in Germany in 2021 – so yes, definitely!

10.The new album was released on 'Obscure Abhorrence Records, how did you get in contact with this label?

Andi also has a successful and partnering collaboration with Drudensang running so he basically was on the shortlist right from the beginning. He did not show any sign of hesitation when we talked about a potential release of the album on his label – he was totally convinced by our material right from the beginning. That’s basically the story.

11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

From what we experience the album is received really well. We had it uploaded on Youtube by “Black Metal Promotion” right on the day of release and based on the numbers of listening's and social interactions it went very well.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

To quote us from above:  Atmospheric, old school and raw!

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

When we think about bands/albums that impacted the way we write music for Auro that would be the following: Katharsis – 666, Vitsaus - Ajan ja ihmisen haudoilla,  Evilfeast – Elegies of the Stellar Wind

Currently running on our CD players/turntables: Whoredom Rife, Evilfeast, Motörhead, Auro

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?  

Thanks for the interview!

https://www.facebook.com/Auro.BlackMetal