Corpus Christii
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Recently Portugese black metal masters Corpus Christii released their third album in North America through Moribund Records. "Rising" is the embodiment of spirited, misanthropic black metal played with gusto, passion and conviction. It is also one of the more convincing genre records that to be released in the last couple of months. Masterful Magazine recently had to chance to talk to Corpus Christii mainman Nocturnus Horrendus. 
First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking time to speak with me today. Congratulations for releasing such a great album! How are things going now? Are you receiving a good response from fans and the press?
Hail! Things until now have been going pretty good. No real bad reviews, most pretty good and I think the sales are going ok. We are just trying to reach other places we never reached before, still of course much more has to be done. Asia and South America being the places we always had more difficulties to reach but things are being done. Now we are mainly focused on doing some shows, also in places we haven't been before.
What was the main difference regarding the process of creation between "The Torment Continues" and this "Rising" and how did that come out in the end result?
It was fairly the same process. Just that this time I went to studio with 2 tracks done and with previous album I just had some lose riffs. It was easier to start this new record out of the 2 tracks I already had done. Still it was mainly just composing, recording and arranging things. It took me 15 days overall to do this album and record it, was the same for "The Torment Continues". I think main difference is that soon enough I understood "Rising" was a much more complete and complex album than any other I did this far. Once ready I played it non stop figuring out how it turned that way, still today I hear it with great content this achievement.
"Rising" is the third and final part of the Torment trilogy. Can you tell us something about the previous two albums of this trilogy and how they fitted into the grander concept of this cycle?
The whole thing turned out precisely by not having a master plan; by taking things in their own time, to worry about it only when I was composing. The concept did come early when I recorded "Tormented Belief" but I had no clue what would come next, that was the whole purpose, to do things as they would evolve. I knew the whole thing would turn as "one" as long I would keep things real to myself, as pure possible and I think it turned out to be indeed a very strong, determined trilogy.
Many death - and black metal bands seem to take it a little too easy when it comes to the lyrics. Would you say that the lyrics are almost as important as the music?
When I started the band I was more worried about an overall concept and the music than the lyrics themselves. Just when I started with "Tormented Belief" that I got determined to go deeper into the lyrics, to do something that as a whole would be much more complete. So yes, since then that I think the lyrics are just as important as the music but just as, not more, won't go like in some cases where bands are more worried about everything else than the music and then just ends up being a clone of some other clone.
How would you compare the last record with your two previous works?
It mostly just links to each other concept wise because musically I think they are pretty different from each other. Of course the 3 albums have my normal touch, you can recognize it is Corpus Christii, but I do think each album sounds very different from each other. I never liked to do the same twice, think the only resemblance is that I took just as long to compose/record "Rising" as I did "The Torment Continues", both I took 15 days in studio.
Staying with the new album, what was your intention when you began writing "Rising" - did you have a preconceived idea of what you wanted the record to sound like and what you wanted it to achieve, or did that come about naturally?
I had a concept, I had something I knew it had greater meaning to me, that I just hope it would go forth and happen. I am never sure if the band continues, if there will be a new work etc, but for the torment trilogy I knew I would reach a higher level of conscious if I would pull it out. I did take my time but that was part of it all, the evolution of it all was precisely depending on where my life was leading to.
The cover of the album started from a drawing from the 17th century. You worked together with Phobos Anomaly Design this time around. Please tell us something about the meaning and symbolism of this great artwork.
My aim was to lead into a alchemy symbolism, of the transformation of Man to something greater. The Sun being the eternal symbol of knowledge, the symbol which may lead Man to achieve things that most just never think of, nor are willing to do an effort to try and reach. I wanted something magical and with meaning, something that would reveal the whole trilogy and above all give a vibe of strength, of ascendance.
The "Rising" CD is released in Europe through your own Nightmare Productions (tape through Propaganda and DLP through Obscure Abhorrence) and is North America is licensed to Moribund Records. The record is obviously a strong one, have there been offers from bigger and smaller labels?
Meanwhile there has been some offers but nothing exciting, C.C. is a band that has been for almost 10 years in the underground but labels don't believe much in the potential of the band, I believe. Also, being a Portuguese band doesn't help, a comment I already heard several times. Still what matters to me is that I am still able to get the budgets to record albums and put them out. That is indeed all that matters to me. Of course would be great for once to get a bigger label doing a proper work world wide, but I doubt that will happen. For this same reason I decided to do it myself through Nightmare Prod. in Europe and have control over things.
Some time ago you did a 3 week European tour with Setherial and Ravencult. Corpus Christii doesn't perform all that much. How do you look back on that tour, in hindsight? Could it be considered successful enough to do it again in the nearby future?
It was an experience that we just had to go through, to know how hard it is to be on the road. Never been on the road that long, and it was indeed very rough, we had many issues with the tour manager and his way of doing things but we managed and did what I think it was quite some great gigs. For this year we will focus more in doing mini-tours, I deal with session musicians and asking them to take regular days off work is not something that can work smoothly. They do it for the pleasure of playing in C.C. so one has to conciliate everything.
We already have 11 dates confirmed for this year and I think we will have some more, still we will not play as much as we did last year. We'll try to focus in playing in new places and fests instead of going over and over again playing to the same people.
A lot of black metal bands such as Antaeus, Enthroned, Glorior Belli, Secrets Of the Moon have been stating that they make spiritual black metal. How important is Satanism for you, the band and in the context of black metal, in general?
Satanism is the whole purpose why I have Corpus Christii and why I have been persisting in spreading the Word. I think that answers it.
What would you say set you apart from the majority of other black metal bands that are out there today?
I believe we have a bit different approach when it comes to Satanism and we are not afraid to try new experiences, try new references, influences. We also try to go into unwanted waters when it comes to lyrics. They are not so typical, some say. Still, we are nothing new and totally different. We are part of the coven as many others.
The last years the international black metal scene has been flooded with bands of all calibres and sizes. What would be your nickel's worth of advice to young bands just starting out in the scene?
There is always new good bands showing up, but yes, there is far too many. I am not a good example to say others to stop, since I have several projects. Still all those youngsters will end up stopping it all sooner or later, so I am not so worried. Only the true dedicated ones will continue spreading the Word.
What are the last black metal albums which made a big impression on you personally?
Hard question, think the latest Onirik still to be released, but the previous one also pretty good "Spectre". Latest Archgoat also, not that is Black metal but I have to refer latest Angelcorpse, amazing album. I have been composing/recording for some of my projects so I haven't been listening to a lot of Black Metal lately, I always avoid listening to that genre when working with my bands. Don't want any outside influences.
Thanks for the interview! Good luck with all your future endeavours. I would like to extend my praise for a killer third album. Last words are up to you.
Rise through your fall!
Info/booking: www.moribundcult.com
Site: www.corpuschristii.com
