• Translation
by:
Sugas
Banger
•
Questions
by: Astrous (Colaborador)
•
Replies
by:
Lethe
ORDER
OF THE EBON HAND
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TGZ:
Hail to you Lethe! Congratulations on “XV:
the Devil”. This is a fucking great
album! Can you give us a short biography and
the current line up of Order Of The Ebon Hand? |
Lethe: Well, the band was formed in 1994
under a different name (AEON) but soon switched
it to Order Of The Ebon Hand - I think there
was a portoguese band by the same name. By
that time we were quite inexperienced but
we had that certain juvenile audacity to record
a demo which caused quite a stir in the greek
scene. Soon we were approached by two companies
who wanted to release it. We chose Hypervorea
Records, recorded three more songs (in one
day if I may add) and released "A Mystic
path to the Netherworld". Soon after
that, Seth from Septic Flesh visited a gig
of ours and later asked me to join Septic
Flesh. That was 1997. However, tension became
really edgy within The Order, especially with
our previous guitarist. A second album was
recorded but never released - thankfully now
that I think about it. We never officially
announced our split but Merkaal (Bass / Vocals)
joined Nocternity and we both together had
a project called Mournblade who released their
self-titled album 2 years ago. After the split
of Septic Flesh, I couldn't just sit there...
Merkaal also did some guest vocals on the
latest Thou Art Lord album on which I also
did the drumming. So, we got together and
decided to recruit a new guitarist - and we
were lucky enough to find someone skilled
but also into our concept. Season Of Mist
showed interest, it was the label we were
most interested in. We went there, gave them
early rough mixes we had and talked about
our concept. You know, why we are doing this.
So here we are.
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TGZ:
Let’s start to learn some more things
about the recordings of your album. Are you
satisfied by the final result? I think that
everything was done! Are there any things
that would like to improve in the future?
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Lethe: Oh, you know that there's
always something here and there that you suddenly
hear with different ears than the ones you
had during the mixing procedure but overall
I am really satisfied. It is aggressive, but
not noisy for the sake of it, and clear without
sounding in the least clinical. It's a record
I'd buy if I hadn't recorded it and be very
happy with.
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TGZ:
When I hear your album I feel an epic
atmosphere with an extreme way of expression!
What kind of feelings do you want to create
to your listeners? How you will describe your
sound? |
Lethe: Black Metal. Why should be described
differently? There is an epic feeling through
out the album, but it is always built around
a sense of threat and mysticism.
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TGZ:
The song that I separate from the first
time was the “Gateway to Silence”.
There I find an enough different guitar solo
and the use of saxophone! How important is
for you to surpass the cliché way of
Black Metal? I feel that you are trying to
keep equilibrium between the old school feeling
and with something more “different”!
However the result is unique…
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Lethe: I do not really think that
saxophone is something new in black metal.
Necromantia did it 15 years ago. I wrote that
song and the sax idea came by coincidence.
Our sound man, Hugo Varvoglis is a saxophone
player and while we were on the early stages
of the mix, I came up with the idea. He did
5 or 6 solos and we selected the best bits
from all of them. I prefer an engaging and
interesting album than just a "different"
one, for the sake of it.
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TGZ:
Your label is Season of Mist. A label with
a plenitude of good bands (like Mayhem, Carpathian
Forest, …And Oceans, etc). Are you satisfied
until now with their work on you?
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Lethe: More than satisfied. They have
been true to their words from the beginning.
If only we could say the same about the greek
distributor... Oh, you should add Arcturus
and Rotting Christ to that list!
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TGZ:
Which are the differences between the
“XV: the Devil” and your first
album “The Mystic Path to the Nether
World”? |
Lethe: I think that we went,
musically, the same kind of "evolution"
that occurred to us on a human level. When
we were composing Mystic... we were 18 years
old. Things were much more simple and -hate
to use that word but I must - innocent in
a way. We are not anymore. And progressively,
our albums may turn even more aggressive each
and every time. The first album was a child
of it's era, and maybe a tad less extreme.
However it is one solid album and, when I
stop to think about how inexperienced we all
were, it sounds a lot better than it should!
Back in those days I approached the Devil
as an Entity but growing up I realised that
this is just another christian trap. Nowdays,
I approach the Devil on an existencial level,
as an inner light (not darkness) that allows
the individual to take an active role in the
creation of a new and transformed future -
in the transcendence of their conscious ego
for the purpose of achieving wholeness or
complete awareness of Self, as defined by
Jung, and ultimately in their Higher Self
actualization. In one word, Freedom.
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TGZ:
Who is responsible about the music and lyrics
of Order Of The Ebon Hand? Which are the themes
of your lyrical parts?
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Lethe:Music for The Devil is
divided between Merkaal and me, since Phlaigon
joined The Order just before the recordings.
This will change in the future. Merkall writes
all lyrics and he is one of the best in doing
that if you ask me!
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TGZ:
You are a person that you had play in
bands like Septic Flesh (R.I.P.), Naer Mataron,
Thou Art Lord and now with bands like Necromantia
and Horrified!! Do you have and one other
band, the Mournblade! Which is your experience
from all these cooperations? Can you share
with us one good and one bad time from all
these years?
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Lethe: First of all, I was never a member
of Naer Mataron. I was a session drummer for
them for their first two records (just like
NOCTERNITY's first album), and also wrote
some music for them for the second one as
well. In fact, some riffs I wrote for that
album appear, in altered form of course in
two or three parts of XV:THE DEVIL. I've lost
touch with them now, but still I consider
them, musically, one of the most interesting
black metal bands here. You know, I played
drums for NIGHTFALL too, for one live show
- along with Rotting Christ, Septic and Depression
and keep in mind thay I played with the two
latter bands also - a hell of a night! The
thing was that, during these early years I
was, well, young and not exactly wealthy.
So, being unable to own drums as a kid, the
best thing I could do was to play constantly
with as many bands as possible - we are talking
about 1994, many unsigned, or uknown bands
and I was 18 back then! You must also add
the project AENAOS with me and Sotiris from
Septic Flesh - you'll be surprised.
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TGZ:
Your name as band is enough unusual! I know
that this name was inspired by the trading
card-game of Magic: The Gathering. Any ideological
meaning behind this?
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Lethe: You really should ask
Merkaal on this...
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TGZ:
In the last year you appear in the biggest
metal festival here in Greece, the Rockwave
Festival! How was this appearance? How was
for you to share the same stage with bands
like Slayer, Accept, Candlemass and Dismember?
Have you got now any plans for live shows?
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Lethe: No plans for
live shows but we are open to any interesting
offer. The gig was great, we really gave our
best even though, as a band, we weren't used
to such a big stage, being only three of us...
Also it was a riot to be with these guys backstage,
eating and commenting....
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TGZ:
Have you ever thought of adding any
new elements of experimenting with your sound?
If yes, what kind of sound/ideas would like
to add?
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Lethe: One
thing for sure, I will not use triggers for
the album as I did with The Devil. I wasn't
100% satisfied with the result and some cunt
from Rock Hard wrote that we use drum machines
even though I only triggered the bass drum
and the snare. So only analogue drums for
the next album.
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TGZ:
What would you do if there was no music
in the world? How would you channel of your
creative energy? |
Lethe: Make music using fingernails and
blackboards.
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TGZ:
You are in the scene a lot of years!
Can you separate some good bands from Greece?
What do you believe about the Greek metal
scene? |
Lethe: To tell you the truth I can’t
say I am that impressed by the greek scene.
Most of the new bands today have this weird
“attitude”, like as if they deserve
a multi-million dollar deal and are angry
that none's signing them after their first
gig! I haven’t heard something exciting
or creative for years, with the small exceptions
of older bands who started together with Order.
Rotting Christ and Thou Art Lord are of course
legendary outfits but there’s hardly
a handful of worthly successors in today’s
greek scene. From newer bands, I only dig
Nocternity, Black Winter and some Ravencult
tracks.
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TGZ:
Do you know any Brazilian band? Which
are your thoughts about the brazilian scene?
Are you interesting to make live shows in
South America?
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Lethe: I must be honest. The only black
metal brazilian band I know is Mystifier.
Live shows in South America? Can we arrange
it now?
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TGZ:
By the way, can you tell us your future
plans with Order Of The Ebon Hand? |
Lethe: Artistic integrity, truthful creativity.
The next album The Chariot is already composed.
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TGZ:
Ok Lethe! Really thanks you for this
interview! These lines are yours so leave
your message to the readers of ThunderGod
zine… |
Lethe: I don't believe in written messages.
Whatever we have to say it's in the music.
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