1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
We are currently writing new material. We actually wrote "Consummatum Est" many years ago, and haven't put new songs together in very long time. It's interesting to listen to the songs as we write them, to see how the style has evolved.
2. How would you describe the musical sound of the current album?
Ominous. This is exactly the mood that we strive for, and I think we managed to capture it this time. We constantly strive for a very haunting atmosphere, something that gives the listener a sense of impending catastrophe.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Metaphysical alienation is the big one, the sense that we are out of place in the universe. From there, tendrils extend into Gnosticism and Platonism. The other big theme is tyranny, both worldly and cosmic.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
The Morning Star has been equated with the Roman deity Lucifer (the Evening Star as well, which is, of course, the same star). We explore Lucifer as an archetype, as the Light-Bringer. This same archetype is seen in the figure of Prometheus as well as in the salvific messengers of ancient Gnosis. The Morning Star, then, represents that star which guides the elect toward Wisdom and salvation from the tyranny of the cosmos.
5. Has the band been able to play out yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We haven't performed live yet, though we are capable of doing so. This is merely because the right opportunity has not presented itself yet.
6. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line-up in the future or do you choose to remain a duo?
We actually brought in a third member when we began to re-record "Consummatum Est". In the past, I handled the drums as well as second guitar and bass. However, we brought our friend Lyle in on drums, as his talent and skill is worlds beyond my own. With Lyle on drums, I am able to focus more completely on guitar. I think that his contributions have helped to really make this version of the album complete, at long last.
7. The current album is getting re-issued my metalhit.com, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?
Metalhit had released a digital version of my first album with The Howling Void, and from there I contacted Mike and we discussed making "Consummatum Est" available as well. We had recorded the album twice before, going through several labels and waiting, endlessly, for a release. But it never came. We actually went through a handful of small labels trying to see it released, but for whatever reason, each time it was not to be. So we decided to skip the physical release and go directly to digital, simply to get the album "out there" so to speak. Mike runs a great operation and has been very supportive of us.
8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
I've been pleased to hear many positive things from many different people. It's always heartening when someone finds something meaningful in your work, and it helps to inspire you to keep on. Naturally, I've also come across many less-than-glowing critiques, but that is the way of things, and doesn't concern me in the least.
9. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
I just finished recording the third album for The Howling Void (funeral doom), and am currently shopping it around, so to speak. I faced several different bouts of writer's block while composing that album, but in the end my inspiration found me and I'm pleased with the result. I'm also writing material for another demo from Endless Disease (black metal/crust), as well as new material for the 9th Intestinal Disgorge album. Quite busy, but this is how I like it.
10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
I'm not really sure. But this is how I prefer it. I enjoy being surprised by the turns that the music takes. When we sit down to compose new songs for Hordes, we try not to take any plans with us. It feels much more exciting when something seems to unfold organically, before our eyes. But, I guess I could say that the plan is to evolve the sound, but the nature of that evolution is a mystery still.
11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I tend to listen to old albums, records that had a profound impact on me in my youth. It's nothing against newer albums or bands, it's just a reverence for nostalgia. Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse", for example, is an album that I still listen to daily, and I have done so ever since I bought it back in the mid-90s. No album has ever had such a profound impact on me.
12. How would you describe your views on Occultism and Luciferian Gnosticism?
It's a vast and complex subject, but I can boil it down, perhaps, to one idea. That is, that there appears to be a discrepancy in reality between things as they seem, and things as they are. This is classic Platonic Idealism. The question is, why? And then, the question becomes, how? Bridging this gap has been an important goal of Mystery Schools from time immemorial. Where the Gnosticism comes in more strongly is in a very dim view of the universe. In other words, existence appears to almost be antithetical to human consciousness, like a prison which keeps consciousness from realizing its true potential. Gnosis is a method of bypassing these obstacles and coming to a better understanding of the nature of consciousness.
13.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Reading, research, and writing. Lots of it.
14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
We appreciate the opportunity to answer these questions, and we hope that "Consummatum Est" will prove meaningful and hopefully inspirational in one way or another upon its release.
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