1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Not too many things, I guess. When an album is finished on the creative side with recording and artwork etc., the business part sets in. Well, if you like to call it that way considering our status as an underground band. You are doing interviews and the like, discussing merch designs etc. Apart from that we have already started planning some future mischief. We'll see about that. Spirit is up in the camp.
2.You have a new album coming out in March, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
The sound is quite different from the releases we have done thus far. Actually quite different than most Black Metal releases we know of. Still, it sounds like Ascension to our ears. This time, we wanted to sound like a band that is playing. Not in the sense that it sounds like a noisey rehearsal, but like a very direct, pulsating, feverish ceremony. Our main focus was on great sounding equipment, recording expertise and well rehearsed songs with the best possible performance from any of us. By doing so, we did not have to manipulate the sound too much, like almost every modern production does. The result will be rewarding for some, maybe disappointing for others but definitely challenging for everybody. We are most proud of our achievements.
3.This is the first album in 4 years,can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
We did a tour, played festivals, wrote, recorded and released a new album. And, of course, for a band that does not make a living from releasing music: fukking life happened.
4.On each album you have explored a lot of occult topics in the lyrics, what are some of the more occult and esoteric topics you cover on the new recording?
The occult aspects you refer to shall, as the true meaning of the word implies, remain hidden for the mundane eye. Yet, I hope that the lyrics can be a huge inspiration for those who dare to dream.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork on the new album cover?
The artwork is deeply connected to the music and the lyrics of the album. That is how we have always worked. However, this time the album artwork is special in the sense that we worked a lot with association and interpretation on a subconcious, dreamlike level. The album deals primarily with powers that rule the spheres in between. It is a record of and about transition. So, what you see as the cover artwork is David Glombas interpretation of the album. I like the fact that it is both simple and complex at the same time. And the merciless image of the sun resounds in the oldest and coldest corners of my heart, something that goes way back to childhood, where i still wonder how he could have known that. But, if you eat strange fruits and deal with strange characters, strange things may happen eventually.
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ascension'?
Ascension means spiritual strife. It is a medium through which to grow, transcend and become purer. Until deaths radiant light shines through us, unfiltered.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
That is hard to say. Mostly because the "best" shows for us rarely have something to do with our actual performance. For example, the gigs with The Devil's Blood and the one on Hellfest with LSK were special on a different, personal level. However, maybe the show where performance and general feeling went hand in hand the most was the Funkenflug experience in Austria. An incredible location. A truely magical place. As for the ssecond part of your question, well, we want it to match the atmosphere of our music. We use special visuals on stage . We always wanted our shows to be more than just a rock'n roll shows, something of transcending power.
8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released/
We do have some plans, yes. Too early to mention but when it works out it will be something to witness. But it will not happen in the near future. We better take our time and do something of importance than to blindly grab every offer. Since the release of our debut Consolamentum in 2010 we constantly get more offers to play live than we could ever manage to do. Which is a good thing but it is hard to turn down offers because most organizers are very passionate and sincere about what they are doing. But that's the way it goes.
9.What do you feel that makes you different from the other bands that are currently performing an occult style of black metal?
Do you think we are different? Or do you assume that we think we are different? Ascension was never a band that judges other bands. We never cared for being different. To be honest, we do not care what other bands do. We solely concentrate on what we want to express.
10.So far you have worked with W.T.C on most of your releases and 'Season Of Mist Records' in North America, do you feel both of these labels have been very helpful when it comes to getting your message heard?
We have worked with W.T.C. not on most but on every of our releases. And we still work with them. The new album will not be released by SOM in North America. That is answer enough, isn't it?
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We really don't know at the moment. A lot of things are possible and that's the best thing one can say about his or her own band, isn't it? The feeling of being free or unrestricted to a certain extent is one of great power. Yet, we will always stick to a certain set of codes so to say, so that new stuff will always sound like Ascension in a way.
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?
I want to believe that the influences for our music come from other sources than specific bands or musical styles. I mean, of course, we have all spent most of our lifetime in the Black-Death Metal underground. I recorded my first demo tape 22 years ago. Obviously, one gets shaped here in one way or another. Yet, the main inspiration for our music is the source that lies behind every great artistic expression: the devil. It is his presence that fuels the imagination and not the paintings of him done by others, so to speak.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview.
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