I became acquainted with their work a couple of months after the official release. At first I wasn’t impressed, probably because I had my heart buried inside a hole, filled with bones and doom. Then and without expecting something, I started listening to it while I was strolling around in Tamriel in search of that douchebag, Alduin. And it clicked. A riff from ‘In Fornication Waters’ grabbed me. I quit the game and I allowed myself into that beast. Now, more than a year later, I can describe it as rutty, provocative but significantly effective and rewarding. ‘Sun Eater’ is one of the best releases of 2014.
LVCIFYRE are from the UK and soon, in May, they will be coming to Greece to initiate us into the Fyres. Given the chance and because all the signs where in alignment, this interview was conducted as to learn a few things about the band and the guys behind it.
1. The struggle between life and death, through mythological figures, seems to be a constant in your philosophy, as is the cycles of life, through destruction and creation. Does this serve as an allegory for your view on life, or is it something more intimate? Is it a way of life? What is being expressed through you? Why do you create? Is your art a messenger for something greater and wider than just entertainment? Is it an escape from reality or is it an expression inspired by reality?
It is certainly not created for entertainment purposes. The search for answers is ongoing, and LVCIFYRE constantly raise and reveal fragments. I wouldn’t be able to measure that even, or say how real that is, since mostly it is based on abstracts that we found to not be part of this Earthly reality – the abstracts that we are attached to, and through LVCIFYRE they become our reality, the energies that penetrate our spheres and allow us to transform and flame. I think it is reflected very strongly in our emotional patterns.
2. Musically, ‘Svn Eater’ is thick, with multi layered orchestration, with swirling riffs, bombarding drumming and an atmosphere where even ambience has its role. At first it felt almost impenetrable, but yet, it allows the listener, if he/she is acute and aware of everything that is going on, to be accepted into this world. It is a difficult but rewarding album. Can you give us some insights in the process of creating? Is your vision unraveling itself slowly as you move step by step, allowing everything to be expressed and then work on leaving out anything that doesn’t fit in? What/who is your guide in your path and what comes first, the lyrical expression or the musical expression? More than a year has passed from the release of ‘Svn Eater’. How do you see the evolution of the band from ‘The Calling Depths’ to ‘Svn Eater’ and what is to be expected from your next creation?
I agree that Sun Eater is one suffocating Beast. The writing process was intense – we worked a lot on this and we wrote much more material than we recorded. In fact, we rewrote the whole thing several times in search for the Fyre. We have all learnt from that process, and our path has become less blurry. I believe it is not a matter of focus, but one of hitting the right spot.
We do have a few formulas that we’ve worked out over time and follow in the writing process, however these are not permanent; things are constantly evolving.
75% of the music was written first, then I started to work on the lyrics. We’ve been trying to reverse this process on the new album, but it does not always work. Many times the Music comes first, building the atmosphere that allows us to enter and understand or see more. Following that, I am able to see much more clearly what it is all about and release the power of the Word.
I cannot tell you what to expect from the next release at this stage, but it will surely be a step in another direction. The only certainty is that we will never record another album like Sun Eater.
3. I have the impression that you are in alignment with the ideas and values of Chaosophy. Would you care to elaborate a bit on your philosophical values, whatever these values may be? And maybe even compare them with the generally accepted values of individualism, ego, and success of the western civilization? Give us your vision of the world. Are we ripe for self-annihilation?
Chaos and Darkness reign, which is not hard to guess after listening to Sun Eater. We seek these energies in all the systems that we come across. That is what speaks through LVCIFYRE; that is why I do not see LVCIFYRE as entertainment but as something deeper and much older than our civilizations; something not revealed until the very end, and it does help us to understand what we are – it is the chariot that takes us deep inside ourselves.
Those of us who use our eyes to SEE are aware of how false the current world is and we don’t see it the way it is exposed to us. We are all born slaves and it is up to us to reject this false freedom and see behind this curtain of illusion.
Chaos is a tool to break the chains, deny the culture and the system.
Western civilization is burning down right now, the Bull is standing on its last leg and all will fall apart to complete the circle. The success of the western world – or should I say development – has been set up and complete.
4. Would you like to share with us some events in your life that, you consider, led you to where you are now? And if that is kind of personal, then share with us your insights though all these years as musicians, creators and artists? The dynamic between the band members is based on what values? How do you communicate in the writing process? What are your influences? Meaning, not only music but art of any kind, philosophy, maybe even individuals that you hold in high regard and respect them.
There has always been a feeling, a need for creation, something that doesn’t agree with the current surroundings and the rules of this fucked up system, something deeper within me that has always breathed with Fyre, an ability to feel and understand more. I don’t think that anything happened suddenly and put me right on that path; it is something I was born with, just pure potential that had to be released.
With regard to creation, it is mostly written between Menthor and I. Perhaps I am a bit of a control freak, but it works.
Influence is no more than a process that uses the outside world to distract us from our inner selves – there are too many to mention, mostly non musical.
5. Down to a more humane discussion, tell us about your day to day lives and how does that help in being creative and holding a band together? Is touring and performing live a way of life that suits you, or do you prefer being at home, doing your thing and focusing on writing music? What is the difference between experiencing ‘LVCIFYRE’ at home, with headphones for example, and experiencing them live?
Both parts exist and both parts are great. If you are working hard for something it will bear fruit. So far Sun Eater has been very rewarding for all the input we injected into this sonic organism.
Our normal routine is not always linked to LVCIFYRE, except for the days when we rehearse or are writing new stuff. Sometimes it is hard to combine those two, since the sphere of Fyre completes us more as individuals and gives more sense to our existence. Normal day jobs, bills, relationships – these are not able to put us into the Fyre-state of perfect power.
6. You are going to perform live in Greece, in May. What should we expect? I’ve read in an interview you did, that you sometimes use a projector as to support your performance with a visualization that can help the audience submerge into the atmosphere you want to create in a more complete and holistic way. Is this something you aim on doing?
No, we no longer use projections, and are instead building atmosphere without these visual aids. Expect nothing short of total Holocaust and waves of Abomination.
Again, thank you for your time in answering these questions and thank you for your art. We are looking forward in seeing you performing your material live.
