Information
Author: Mourning
Translation: Insanity
Line Up
Corpse - Bass
Kassara - Drums
Tuomas Karhunen - Vocals, Guitar
Today I have te pleasure of talking with T., singer and guitarist in Forgotten, finnish band which has just released the debut album "The Serpent Creation" (as always you'll find the review on this website).
Welcome on Aristocraziawebzine, let's start immediately talking about the roots of Forgotten Horror, how was the band born? Which are the reasons that le d you to create it?
Hello hello. The band was born from flames of the underground black metal scene of my home city, Kuopio. I had played in metal bands since the late 90's, and in January 2004 I started my very own band, which I soon named as Forgotten Horror. I wanted to have my own thing which I could combine with my interest towards world history, war history etc. But most importantly I wanted to have a way to explore the occult traditions, both in theory and practise, through music.
When I read that the musicians involved in this project are also part of Deathchain I didn't expect an album like "The Serpent Creation". How was the creation of this work?
I joined Deathchain in late 2007, and Kassara had been a member of Forgotten Horror already before I went into the Deathchain ranks. After I joined Corpse came to FH as the bass player, so the similarities in the line-ups are just a logical result of the fact that there are many bands involved. About the process of creating the debut Forgotten Horror album, I started composing the music already in 2007 and I made all the music and lyrics steadily before the recordings, which took place in 2009. In an initiatory sense, "The Serpent Creation" is a consicous step towards the dark womb of Lilith, an opening of the gates.
In the review I mentioned bands such as Necrophobic and Dissection since your music reminded me to that swedish black/death satanic sound, sometimes I thought I was listening to these two bands with the evocative flavour of Morbid Angel. Talking about the lyrics and the attitude of Jon Nodtveidt is maybe the simplest way to get in touch with the occult and satanic themes of your music?
There's probably something similar in the sound of Forgotten Horror with some melodic swedish death metal bands. But I simply don't bother to compare the music I create with others', I just don't think about those things. The occult and esoteric themes of Forgotten Horror are based around my own initiatory path of dark magic, focusing on various spiritual traditions and doctrines such as the Qliphothic Qabalah, Hindu and Buddhist Tantricism, Meso-American pre-Columbian traditions et cetera. I think the simplest way to get in touch with these forces is by getting information about them by reading occult literature for example. Then by applying that knowledge in actual practise, you can see and experience for yourself instead of reading about it.
I think that "The Serpent Creation" has no real defects because you have to accept it as it is, if not you'll never appreciate it. If I ask you to describe each song with an adjective what will you say?
And another adjective about the whole album?
Hmm, I'll do this so that I just write down the first word or words that pop into my head, ok? So, here goes:
1. "Destroyer Of Time": The whole sound of the band in one song.
2. "Poison Of God": Aggression.
3. "For Thy Crimson Glory": Melodic.
4. "Burial Ground Prayer": Vamachara.
5. "She Who Dwells Beyond Death" - Devotional.
6. "The Serpent Creation": Gnosticism.
8. "Hannibal": Will power.
9. "Dreams Of Scipio": Victory.
"The Serpent Creation" album: A beginning.
The last two tracks "Hannibal" and "Dreams Of Scipio" have historical references, why did you decide to talk about these men? A Carthaginian and a Roman that sticked in many people's memory due to their way of fighting, pride and bravery the first, diplomacy and astuteness the latter, two sides of the same coin?
I was reading a world history book series, and when I noticed these two exceptional individuals playing their part in Rome becoming the first super-power, I immediately wanted to write about that clash because I thought it had some dark symbolical correspondences to it. It is warlords and conquerors like Hannibal Barca, Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar etc. that I think are showing what can be done with sheer will power. It all comes down to our everyday mundane lives, how we relate ourselves with the things this world brings to us. Do we surrender and submit or do we make a stand.
In my opinion for an album like "The Serpent Creation" the graphic side and the booklet is very important, they visually represent its content and also allow us to get in touch with the lyrics thanks to Timo Ketola's great work. Did you already know this artist? How did you get in touch with him?
Yes I knew Timo Ketoladog before our mutual Forgotten Horror related project. He's a friend and I admire the art he's doing. Also a Spanish artist Érika M. Jansen did illustrations for the covers. She's a good friend and she did an incredible job with the Lilith and Coatlicue illustrations. I really love Érika's approach to the themes I presented to her, because she don't have a background in illustrating metal bands. That brings a certain fresh approach to her work and she's a really, really talented artist. I'm eager to see if we'll continue our co-operation for the upcoming material as well.
This year Finland's Deasth Metal gave me many emotions: Fleshred, Abhordium and especially Jarno Nurmi's Serpent Ascending that are similar to your band due to the ritualistic attitude. You're a veteran of the metal scene, how did the Finnish scene change since when you started to be into it? What do you miss of the past decades and what not instead?
I've lived some years in Spain and currently I live in Sweden, so I don't have the same touch with the underground scene in Finland anymore. But I can see that the scene everywhere has changed and is changing. From the 90's I miss the violent and blasphemous atmosphere of Black Metal, you know? I have such good memories from those times.
Which new bands would you recommend to us?
Hmm I don't know, I've heard a lot of good music that is new to me, but the bands are not "new" bands… I like the stuff from Ghost, and also Year Of The Goat. They are both quite new bands, aren't they?
The world is in an economic crisis, religious wars increase the number of slaughters they make, religion is a real black death which never left us, how do you see the regression of mankind flavoured with the idea that the things mentioned above are leading us to an evolution?
Yes, I think the technical evolution is partly the reason why we as humans have regressed spiritually from the past times. Now with many decades of the philosophical, scientific and spiritual views from the East and the West meeting, we are in an interesting crossroad. The completely scientific approach has not given all the answers and religions are used for oppression and politics. This is where the Left-Hand Path, occultism and esotericism step in. They give a chance for an individual to seek one's own destiny. The truth behind words, the truth behind the mundane.
I asked you the previous question because music is one of the ways through which people can communicate anything easily. Science is continuously saying things like that Metal music leads to depression and suicide. What do you think about the Metal world? is it so full of masochists, idiots and people who'll never get out of home screaming "I Will Kill You" like George Fisher would do?
I think there are idiots everywhere heh, both in and outside the metal scene. I see a lot of positive things in the current state of the metal world, it's alive and well. But I also see many kinds of stuff and phenomena that I really don't agree with. Actually I'm more interested the concept of music in general, and how it can affect the human consciousness. Music is a very direct way to be in contact with the transpersonal. Music has always been used as a tool to travel to the Underworld or to contact the divine, like in shamanistic drumming or chanting of matras. But back to your question, I think people do what they feel they have to, and many people find justifications, seeming impulses or influences without being conscious of the fundamental reasons for their actions. So there are people doing sick things who don't listen to metal music just as well. If somebody gets depressed, you could also blame Donald Duck for it because the reasons for bad things don't always come from the outside. No offense to Donald, I really like the cartoons from the 1930's and 1940's.
What is the target you set to yourself when you started to create "The Serpent Creation"?
I started working with the material in 2007 when I was still living in Spain. I wanted to do an album which would be fresh sounding to my ears, and to make it independently and on my terms, which I did.
The themes not so near to the "normality" of songs nased on the worst banality has always been accused, rock and metal has always been described as diabolic and disturbing music. Isn't it just free thought? Do you feel yourself as a free man in this hypocritical society?
I love this world but I hate our society, we are definitely not free here. The keys to freedom lie in antinomian resistance against the status quo. And in order to break free from this society, one must be reborn to darkness again. In my opinion rock music definitely has something very diabolical within it, it's the Devil's music and it's holding the sparks of true rebellion.
The album has just been released, did you already receive any comments by the critics and the fans?
Yes, almost all the response I've heard and received has been positive. I'm very, very critical towards myself so I'm already looking forward on the challenge of doing the album creation process again, better and more focused than ever before. During that moment when you're making a song, the right feeling is when you think "this the best song in the world!". That's when I know I'm on the right track while composing music, writing lyrics or arranging the songs.
Did you already play the songs of "The Serpent Creation" on stage? Will you make a support tour?
Yes, we played the album release gig with Sargeist, Ondskapt, Sacrilegious Impalement and Valoton, it went great! We're definitely going to start actively playing live, no doubt about that... that has been the intention since the beginning. Just stay tuned for upcoming live dates! First we'll probably play in Finland and Sweden, but I bet it won't take long before we'll play further abroad also.
Deathchain, Forgotten Horror, Jess And The Ancient Ones (www.facebook.com/jessandtheancientones / www.myspace.com/jessandtheancientones),
is it hard to combine the engagemens of these bands without having problems? How can you handle this situation?
At this moment my bands and my esoteric work are the things I focus upon completely, and it indeed is challenging. I mean, you really have to make some personal sacrifices and give up some other things if you decide to be active with so many bands, you know? To twist things a little more, I live in Sweden but all the three bands are in Finland hahah! So sometimes it feels like I must be a little bit crazy in the head for doing this, but that's just the way I am and this is exactly what I want to do. And I'm actually working with stuff for one more band, heh.
What about your non-musical hobbies?
While on the road with the bands, I tend to live in the unhealty rock'n'roll style hahah! So as a balance to that, when I'm home I try to live as healthy as possible, doing exercise and paying a lot of attention to what I eat. I don't know, I think there's a masochistic side on me because sometimes it tends to go even to certain type of ascheticism. As I said, at the moment my life is quite dedicated around occult workings and to my music so I really don't have time for much more. I draw a little bit, and I also write some other stuff than lyrics. I try to be spend time in nature as much as I can.
Are you interested in any other form of art (literature, cinems, etc... etc...)?
I'm a complete movie freak. I don't watch TV and I haven't owned a TV in years, but I love watching good movies, I always have. I like all kinds of good movies, from comedies to epic dramas. Coppola's "Dracula", "Nosferatu", "Fearless Vampire Killers", "Gladiator", "Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2"... And yes, literature. Mostly I read occult literature and material directly related to ritualistic workings. When I read other kind of literature I read historical novels like "Shogun", "Tai-Pan", "Pillars Of The Earth"...
What will you make in the next future with Forgotten Horror?
Next we'll concentrate on doing more live shows while making the next album. I'm so excited about the concept of the second album and about all the future plans for FH that I can't wait for the year 2012! I can say already that everything will be much, much more focused on transmitting energies from the Other Side in a more systematic manner. It will be hardcore stuff related with dream workings, and to the dream sphere, lucid dreams, nightmares… the dark side of the Moon.
Thanks for the time spent with us, the last message for our readers is up to you.
Thank you very much for this interview. The upcoming material will be something worth a little waiting... so meanwhile, check out "The Serpent Creation" album and the nasty music video. Hopefully I'll see some of the readers of Aristocrazia Webzine participating in our live ceremonies some day! In Nomine Draconis!
