1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Swords Of Dis was started by Alice and I back in 2009 as a conduit for our spiritual conjuration, contemplation, and observations on the nature of humanity and religion through the chalice of auricular chaos.
2.In 2021 you also released a new EP; musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Where Tides Of Malediction was but a phosphene for Swords Of Dis, Cor Mundum Crea In Me, Sanctum Ignis is Swords Of Dis in its nascent form – just coming into existence. It differs greatly in atmosphere to the debut, it is more focused and more aware of its path, but it is still only an instrument of experimentation. A sojourn, chaotic ritual, a meditation of both fury and mania, to be listened to as an entire piece rather than one track. It was originally written as 1 piece without breaks but as it developed, we realised there were definitive pauses in the movements, these pauses for breath became the defined beginnings and endings of the tracks.
3.This was also your first release since 2013, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
While I would rather not touch deeply on this, what I will say is that this period was consumed for the most part by a sickness that forced us to put Swords Of Dis on hiatus, I have since recovered.
4.The lyrics on the new recording also cover the sacred writings of Zoroaster and the Chaldean oracles, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this work?
The interest in this is born from my own spiritual experience at a very young age. It was a very powerful event in my early life and still holds a great deal of weight for me to date. I shall try and expand on this for those willing to travel the path with us…
Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra, is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He challenged the status quo of existing tradition and inaugurated a movement that eventually became a staple religion in ancient Iran. Zoroaster has also been described as a sorcerer-astrologer – the creator of both magic and astrology, with a biography typical of a Neopythagorean sage - having a mission preceded by ascetic withdrawal and enlightenment.
Zoroaster is credited with authorship of the Gathas as well as the Yasna Haptanghaiti, a series of hymns composed in his native Avestan dialect that comprise the core of Zoroastrian thinking. Little is known about Zoroaster; most of his life is shrouded in mystery. By any modern standard of historiography, no evidence can place him into a fixed period of time.
In the Gathas, Zoroaster sees the human condition as the mental struggle between aša and drûj. The concept of aša – creation and existence – and drûj – distortion and devastation.
Drûj is the adversary of the cosmic order, and the foundation of Mazdean dualism, much of what we see happening today, in what’s known as the Kali Yuga.
Even the Devil himself did not want Man to hold the Earth in its hands, for its beauty far surpassed humanity’s wretched morality and deservedness.
Zoroastrian philosophy and by proxy the Sumerian faith of the ancients entered the West through Judaism and Platonism, identified as one of the earliest key events in philosophy’s development, for example, Zoroaster’s thinking is often referred to as the inspiration for Heraclitus “The Obscure”, an Ephesian philosopher with a penchant for the cryptic, who created one single work, considered a misanthrope for his ideas.
Mazdayasna – the Search for Ultimate Truth – was a system of religious ethics Zarathustra founded and its impact lingers still to this day in our own, emphasizing the freedom of the individual to choose right or wrong and individual responsibility for one's deeds.
Cor Mundum Crea In Me, Sanctum Ignis – on the surface - represents a decree from worshiper to worshiped, it also becomes a self-revelation. The dynamic between worshiped and worshiper, and the vast distance between these poles.
The entire sojourn work is based in essence on accomplishing the Great Work, it represents the attainment of spiritual enlightenment, a culmination at the end of the path, to rescue your soul from the unconscious forces that bind it. In effect, it is the creation of a Self-Kenosis to set the path of self-transcendence and a transfiguration to align with the Monad, הֵילֵל. Each track signifying a tower that is to be traversed, like siting atop a mountain, seeing 4 bonfires in the distance all equally spaced stretching further and further back, the final tower being the last marker on the journey. This is but an initiation, an invitation to the beginning of this journey, for those that wish to, it sets the listener on a path to empty themselves of all their current being and be born again, anew – in the Fires of Truth, as bright as the reflected light of Enceladus and hot as the furnaces of תּוּבַל קַיִן himself. It is a journey only the listener can take, each journey is different for the one that takes it, but all lead back to the Fire.
The gnosis that these diverse beliefs might unveil resides with no one specific time or people. It is received from the divine and by origin moves beyond Man’s construct, Truth is indivisible and abiding, the differences appear when it is seen through the obfuscate, the camera obscura of culture, time and how it is approached in this manner. The central concept of initiation is destroyed without the living tradition of the master student relationship, while this is a long-standing tradition for many eons, it is through self-experience with the divine and phantasmagory that we see the fruits of the path elevate us from the murk of darkness.
There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.
The Chaldean Oracles are a set of spiritual and philosophical texts widely used by Neoplatonist philosophers from the 3rd to the 6th century CE. While the original texts have been lost, they have survived in the form of fragments consisting mainly of quotes and commentary by Neoplatonist writers. They were likely to have originally formed a single mystery-poem received by the spiritual sphere via a trance-like state. To circumambulate these texts and those of Zoroaster himself to form a path, not rigid, but certain, fiery emanations transcend from the First and Second Intellect via the Demiurge’s contemplations. Within the First Intellect lies the female Power, the mediating World-Soul. She created Matter, made from the intellect of the Demiurge. This matter was considered dense, a shell from which the enlightened soul must emerge, a combination of ascetic conduct and correct ritual lay the path to free the soul from the confines of limitation and to embrace the path of cleansing Fire.
"Chaldea" is the term that Greeks of the 4th century BCE and later used for Babylon - the home of Zoroaster. It is the way they transliterated the Assyrian name Kaldū.
The circumstances surrounding the writing of the Oracles are also clandestine, the most likely explanation being that they were uttered after inducing a trance, communicated down by the gods. No original documents containing the Oracles have survived to the present day, and what we know of the text has been reconstructed from fragments and quotes by later Neoplatonists including Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus. The doctrines contained therein have been attributed to Zoroaster. In essence it is a transmittal of wisdom-tradition through oracular utterances and initiatory lore.
5.Lyrically you also go into Hermetic, Occult and Esoteric themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Western Occultism?
Swords Of Dis is largely based upon traditional esoteric and occult concepts. These concepts have been developed over many years as our personal experiences and study has become fiercer. We have touched upon Theurgy, Eastern esotericism and Western occultism, we feel that our music, although it has its influences, is very distinctive, as is our lyrical approach. These concepts are brought together through contemplation to a singular output, a path set out for the listener to expel themselves of preconceived thoughts and feel once again the truth searing through their heart like a fire iron forged from the fires of תּוּבַל קַיִן himself, devoid of misconception and indignation. This path however is lost on many, the few that seek it out, have only but to look.
I think it is safer to say that Swords Of Dis is rooted in what could loosely be defined as ancient esoteric tradition in its entirety. For various reasons however, the term hermeticism has now and then become synonymous with this tradition although that might to some degree lead to problems of definition. For instance, we have time and again been highly drawn to Zarathustra philosophy in our work, which at least from a classic standpoint should be distinguished from hermeticism although they obviously share plenty of similar traces. These similar features can to some extent be found in a variety of religious and philosophical schools and sects throughout western history and although they have come to superficially change through the specific context they are brought into; the inner core always remain the same. They all speak of man’s true origin as a spiritual being which carries the spark of the divine source of all reality within itself and then in extension of how this spark can properly be revealed and cultivated.
Which brings me on to my next point, although we have no association with this sect, when we speak of the Chaldean Oracles, it is difficult to bypass the Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae, commonly known as the Golden Dawn, they were a secret society devoted to the practice and study of the occult, metaphysics, and activities of the paranormal during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known as a magical order, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was active in Great Britain and focused its practices on theurgy and spiritual development. Many present-day concepts of ritual and magic that are at the centre of contemporary traditions, such as Thelema, were inspired by the Golden Dawn, which became one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism. The current translation of the Oracles mystery-poem written by Zoroaster is held by this sect. Unlike many other orders they admitted women on an equal basis to men. They relied on traditions of magic to commune with the spirit, basics such as astrology, tarot divination, geomancy, scrying, astral projection and alchemy.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Swords Of Dis'?
The band name is taken from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, it relates directly to the City of Dis, which encompasses the sixth through ninth circles of Hell, it is a fortified city enclosing the whole lower and nether regions of Hell, moated by the river Styx.
The walls of Dis are made of wrought iron, guarded by fallen angels, the furies and Medusa herself, Dante emphasises the architectural aspects of the city, it is the antithesis of the heavenly city, among the descriptions of the City it is stated that “the worship places of the most dangerous enemies of medieval Christendom” are situated within, this in itself although a very direct statement can be interpreted many ways, to us, places of worship are not just buildings of stone and mortar made by Man but the mental constructs of humanity itself and the Mind. What then, I ask, would be the most dangerous of enemies to organised religious doctrine? There is only one answer that rings out into the darkness… free will, rebellion. To question the very foundations and the very moral of it. But this is not just bound to religion, it is overarching, it drips and seeps into every orifice of our society and being, and as such this thought, this manifested City of Dis, is the choice to question, to not conform or sit idly by, be one of the few, not the many. As such we derive the name of our band from this thought process, the Swords Of Dis, the arms, the weapon, the vessel to question, to rebel. To be the ones that do not just accept what is being told to them, not to swallow done the bitter bread - metaphorically.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
The woodcut is taken from the German artist Albrecht Dürer, titled “The Whore Of Babylon” dated 1498, from a series of 15 woodcuts - of which this is the last - called “The Apocalypse” it comes from a long tradition of illustrations in manuscripts of the apocalypse. The image marks the appearance of the “Whore Of Babylon” in the Book Of Revelation, presenting Man with the chalice, in our interpretation of this, she is offering those that reach the end of their journey, the chalice of Fire. The sacred Truth. The sight to see the unseen and to communicate with the divine. The allegory of the image is a visual representation of the moment before the end of the road, it has no direct manifestation of any of the mundane facets of the EP’s creation. It is meant to show a point in the journey we have laid out, to reflect a culminating spiritual process and its aspirations.
8.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
We have no plans currently to expand the line-up, if this was to happen it would be for session purposes only, the core of Swords Of Dis is Alice & myself as it was our manifestation from its inception. To add to this creatively would water down the potency and veer from its original intent.
9.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We have yet to play in a live situation, the opportunity and timing has yet to present itself. We do believe if we were to do a live ritual this would be the best way to take part in experiencing our music and to travel our path.
10.So far you have worked with 'Insidious Voices’, ‘Dark Terror Temple' and 'Depressive Illusions Records', do you feel those labels have been very helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?
There are many fluctuations involved that are relevant to our dealings with each of the record labels you mentioned. Insidious Voices was our own imprint, now defunct for various reasons, it was a learning curve but ultimately impacted negatively on the distribution of our first album, the final remaining copies of “Tides Of Malediction” can be purchased or traded from our good friend and brother in arms over at Aesthetic Death, see link below: https://www.aestheticdeath.com/shop.php
This is now out of print; we will not be reissuing this work once the final copies are sold.
Depressive Illusions have been extremely helpful in getting our EP out there in Europe, printing a limited run of 66 copies of the record on tape. This can be purchased either through our Bandcamp page or via their official label website. Dark Terror Temple, our brothers in Mexico, have been very fervent in promoting the EP digitally via their social media streams, we currently have an official music video out through them for “Moonlight Illumes Thee” on their YouTube channel. Overall, the experience with them has been a positive one, we have a massive amount of respect for the individuals behind these labels and the efforts they have put in to making our music physically available and get our message out to as big an audience as possible, thank you to all of you for your support and conviction.
11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?
Generally, it has been very positive, I think it is like anything that challenges the normal constructs of set patterns, even in Metal music, for every devout worshipper that sees beyond the pages, reads in between the lines, sees, and feels the true message scratching just beneath the surface, there are those that do not.
It is the devout we greatly thank for their unwavering support and appreciation of what we are doing that provide us with the pillars to continue doing it.
12.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
The work on our next full length is nearing completion and we are looking to announce this officially very soon, musically it is quite difficult to traverse the Metal genre without falling into past constructs or pre-laid out forms, while our style will always sit somewhere in the murk of Black & Doom Metal, with our full length you can expect many of these constructs to be shattered, we are drawing on the Source and all its essence to produce an Opus that is far beyond the remit of preconceived patterns. Cor Mundum Crea In Me, Sanctum Ignis was just the beginning, the spark that ignites the inferno. We are setting out a path to the Numinous, so the followers of Dis can - through certain sacred words and chants - produce a unique and profound mystical experience, the album will form part of this connection, providing the backdrop to the ritual of phantasmagory and enlightenment. Music is pure alchemy and I think it is possible to gauge which sounds are more effective at inducing trance-like states and moments of deep understanding. This method has been adopted for centuries in esoteric practice, yet we would lose the efficacy of these practices if we were to look at these as nothing more than sound itself.
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?
There are many acts that have found their way into the furnaces of creativity that form the sound of Swords Of Dis, Nightbringer and Naas Alcameth’s body of work, Jon Nödtveidt, early Emperor, Primordial & A.A. Nemtheanga had a big influence on us musically. There are many quality acts around at the moment - Gevurah, Svartidauði, Acrimonious, The Night Eternal, Satan’s Host & Megalith Levitation to name a few. Currently I am listening to Gevurah’s “Gehinnom”, I highly recommend it.
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
To those that seek and yearn for an existence more than, then I implore you dig deeper and manifest your true selves, follow the path we have laid before you and seek the Fire ….
For anyone that wishes to explore this, we still have a small number of free download codes of our EP available to those who seek it. Please contact us directly through our Bandcamp page and we will answer.
https://swordsofdis.bandcamp.com/
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