1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?
The idea for this project came up during the pandemic. Since long I’ve had some arrangements for guitar and keyboard that I wanted to develop into full songs, but never had the time and opportunity. The lockdown made it possible.
2.In July you have an ep coming out, can you tell us a little bit about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
Three adjectives I can use to describe what I intended to achieve musically with this album are: raw, dark, and phantasmagoric. Some songs highlight one of these aspects more than the others, but in general that’s how I think the album can be characterized. The track “The day of revenge”, for example, is clearly raw in some parts, while “Unholy Trinity”, with keyboards all over the song, bring up a darker atmosphere.
3.A lot of your lyrics cover philosophical and anti religion themes, can you tell us a little bit more about what these topics mean to you?
Religion is an important part of our culture, whether we like it or not. I’ve graduated in Philosophy and have concluded last year a master degree of Philosophy, so that’s why these themes come up naturally in the lyrics I write. And since philosophers are critics of the culture they live in, I take religion as an important object of research and critique, even though I am myself an atheist.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Denial Of Death'?
The name comes from a book called “The denial of death”, by Ernest Becker. In this book the author argues that everything we do in our lives is to deny the reality of death - absolutely everything. He articulates philosophy and psychoanalysis, two of my areas of research, to make his point, and since this book has made a great impression on me for over a decade, I decided to use it as a reference for this project.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
The artwork depicts a verse from the book of Revelation, in which the apostle John sees a great prostitute drunk with the blood of the saints. This woman is Babylon (a metaphor for Rome), a city of murder, idolatry, and fornication. Behind the prostitute one can see Christians killed by her and the world being destroyed.
6.With the exception of some back up vocals you record most of the music by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
Yes, I’m totally open for that. Actually, I have recorded this EP all by myself because during the pandemic it was not that easy to find people to start a new band, but I hope I can find musicians interested in joining this project.
7.Originally you are from Brazil but now live in Germany, can you tell us a little bit more about the move?
I’ve been invited to work in Germany. A company found my profile on a website and sent me a proposal. Since I had learned a great deal of the German language during my graduation in Philosophy, I passed the interviews and here I am.
8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I’m not actively looking for a label, but I’m open for that. At the moment of this interview the EP hasn’t been released yet, so most labels haven’t had the chance to listen to the material.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The reaction has been very positive so far, and I’m glad for that. I’ve invested a great deal of time, effort, and money to deliver the best possible quality an independent release can get, and I’m glad I’ve lived up to the expectations.
10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
The original plan was to release a full album right now, because I’ve written enough songs for that. The problem was that they differed quite a lot from each other, so I decided to split it up in two releases. I’ll wait some months and listen to the fans before taking a decision about the next steps. Besides “Denial of Death” I’m currently in two other bands, and I hope we can get over the pandemic as soon as possible to resume our activities.
11.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?
Among my main influences are Satyricon, Dark Funeral, and Rotting Christ. Lately I’ve been listening to Belphegor, Behemoth, Deicide, the first albums of Theatre of Tragedy, and Draconian. I like extreme, dark, and melancholic music.
12.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
As a materialist philosopher, I don’t think we can affirm anything meaningful about a transcendent world. For this reason, I see Satanism and Occultism as sociological phenomena, as an indirect critique of our society, carried out by the means of religious (profane) language, symbols, and rites. Take The Satanic Bible, by Anton Szandor LaVey, for example. The first part of this book is full of sentences that could have been written by Ludwig Feuerbach or Friedrich Nietzsche, who were atheist philosophers. I consciously use this language in my lyrics and videos as a means to express an indirect critique of our Christian society. Religions are part of the so-called superstructure of any given social formation, and they play a role in preserving and justifying the establishment. By criticizing the dominant religion of a given society, one is criticizing the highest values of this society as well, and that’s the place of Satanism and Occultism in Christian societies.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I’d like to thank you for this nice interview and for the great job you’ve been doing along all these years supporting the underground. I wish you all the best!
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