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For me, one reason to do music is that I am truly bad at talking. I prefer putting hundreds of monthly hours into creating depressing art rather than changing one word with a therapist once a week...even though I know that could’ve been the better way to go. I’m not good with words. Way better though with harmonics, chords, and drumsticks. „Rigor Mortis Epilogue“ from Epitaph describes Aurora Disease well.
2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
I tried finding the right spot between „easy enough and listenable for most“ and „demands I place on myself to stand out from the things I already know“. On my last album „Me, You & The Nothing“ I completely focused on processing my vision of the album, without paying attention to „entertainment“ - or „listenability“ - matters. On „Epitaph“ I tried to find the right balance between catchy genre clichés and a way to be myself.
3.You have labelled your music as being 'urban depressive black metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
This could be outdated regarding the new album, but in general, I really didn’t want to make up another cringe „very new black metal genre“ ( as if we don’t have enough already ) - rather, just point out the Lifelover / Ofdrykkja - like: „urban negativity topics“ - in lieu of the typical DSBM - „we like dark forests“ ambience.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your newer release and also how would you describe your progress over the years?
Pain, thoughts of disappearing, existential dread, solitude, childhood nostalgia, and rational hopelessness about all that is to come. Not in an edgy way, though. Life really hurts. And yet I think the origin of pain has drastically changed. I massivly improved my mental health and overall lifestyle over the last 5 years. I got into sports and removed many destructive habits I used to bond with my personality back when I wrote Burial of Self. And yet, music helps me to explain pain I cannot explain with words.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Aurora Disease'? „Illness of light“ or „sickness of morning“ is what I thought of, but it's just letters and words. My idea was to capture that moment of waking up drunk in the afternoon by the lightbeams chasing away nicotine clouds shining through the Louvre.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
This time, after putting literal years of work into the musical part of „Epitaph“ I decided to fulfill a very precise idea of artwork I had in mind for a very long time. The cover shows the painful relationship between artist and listener but explained jokes aren’t funny. I would rather like to elaborate on that with one lyric extract from something I’m working on right now:
Is this worth it staying up all night?…
If only empty wooden chairs were reflecting the stage light.
If I'm both therapist, patient, and escapist.
If I'm both audience, listener, and artist.
Somehow I feel like this isn't what art is.
These days it's easy calling oneself an artist.
And when I write my heart, dipping into inner peace.
I can't create art without ripping out an inner piece.
7.This project has been both solo and also has had band members in the past, do you prefer to work by yourself?
Yes, I’m an egoist and very possessive when it comes to my own ideas. I don’t like to share.
8.With the live line-up what are some of the best shows that you have played and also how would you describe your stage performance?
It wasn’t very epic for sure. We didn’t play „Failure“ or any other song that is yet available. The Aurora Disease back then had nothing in common with the music now.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Since Aurora Disease is a very small and underground project, there hardly is a „worldwide level“ to speak of, but from what I heard, people either love or hate. One’s that listen to black metal as to the only completely erratic and unpredictable genre or those who have a strict, totalitarian idea of how black metal has to be.
10.Are you involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
I work here and there. The are various projects I'm involved in but it's hard to mention them all. For example, I have the generous honor to be part of a French troubadour group whose name, spelled 3 times backward in the mirror at midnight, will cause Marx to assault you right through the mirror, forcing you to read his Manifesto into all eternity. Jokes aside, check out Zanpanzar if you enjoy voidlike guitars and traditional black metal parts paired with 80s synths or No Mercy for the Mind if you enjoy dark ambient.
11.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
I probably will scare off the last remaining loyal Aurora Disease listener by going into horror trap. I guess some would say, „Cultural philistine!“ - „No respect for culture and tradition! Giving us those fine high - pitched black metal vocals mixed with distortionless tremolos and groovy 808s. ( ahh yes, also saxophones ) Madness has truly overcome this peasant! “But I don’t care; life is tough and way to short to care about other people’s retardation. You have to be truly mad sacrificing all the time you got into a musical project that almost no one knows about and still not even trying to get people to like your style.
12. 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?
Our modern time rather recycles than invents new art. ( Let’s ignore modern classic at this point, as abstract art, more conceptual than substantial. ) Most artists seem to be more influenced by other musicians than their own reason for why they strive towards art in the first place. I always found it fascinating how a tone sequence or certain harmonics can alleviate or inflict pain in accordance with one's mental state and literally keep that effect evolving from generation to generation into centuries. ( Take Bach or Beethoven; "Pain" stays "Pain" but differs in it's intensity and character in accordance to the consumers life experience, age and mental state. )
I am listening to various different genres at times, and often I remove music from my life completely for months. During that time I avoid music whenever I can to focus on silence and emptiness and grow my own ideas that are neither directly influenced nor stolen from other musicians unintentionally. But to mention a few, I’m a big KanYeWest fan. He seems very intelligent. I also enjoy Debussy, Lana Del Ray and Burzum. My family raised me both with 70s heavy metal influences and the beauty of classical music. Back when I was in school, I learned the enjoyment of german gangster rap, which, believe it or not, helps me to find motivation in those bleak times.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Sullivan Murphy’s „Solitude“ was the favorite song of a good friend who's no longer with us. I remember I told myself that once I'm done with everything, I'll get a sample from that into the end of my album. But I think there is plenty of time to pass until that. If by chance anyone notice's it in any of my music; take it as a goodbye.
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