Black metal should be a vehicle towards divinity…
With Thy Darkened Shade’s second album Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet recently released through World Terror Committe, mainman Semjaza took time out to talk to MR’s Jason Guest about the album, its inspiration and evolution, and his aim “to forever thrive until the ultimate liberation of Azoth”…
Thank you very much for taking time out for this interview and congratulations on Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet (reviewed here). To begin, Can you tell us about the album title, its meaning and its relationship to the music?
Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet has manifold meanings but in few words, it can be translated as the Book of Lucifer I: The Black Flame; it can also mean Lucifer unrestrained. With our albums we aim to capture a comprehensive account of Devil’s manifestation, in all religions. Thus, the album becomes an actual grimoire of black magic; each track is an invocation to a certain real deity that we know as being spiritually connected with Lucifer. In other words, we view these deities as being a manifestation of Lucifer’s acausal energy, the Bringer of Light and Darkness, thus all deities are linked with our Satanic ideal and we are forever in deep reverence towards Them. The album summons certain forces into Malkuth and at the same time it is a call to the elect, the ones who possess the inner black flame, a call to the brothers and sisters of the path, those who are willing to become through Him, by erasing their futile egos and becoming the dragons of the other side.
I am composing music only when I feel that certain acausal energy penetrates my being so for those who can comprehend such deep meaning, the ritual, the music and the title are interconnected. Our albums are the reflection of my own spiritual journey towards everlasting chaos and eternal return. Our black flames consist of sparks from the black flame of the mighty Set, as within, so without, awake!
Is there a concept or narrative structure to the album?
The grimoire worships the liberation of Promethean fire and the glorification of Him through all religions along with the endeavour for us to become acausal gods in the vastness of what we know as chaos. The rituals that the album contains therein begin with the invocation of the Watchers and the destruction of Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Remiel and Saraqael, through the unity of the mighty SemjAzazeL. Then we praise the three veils of wrathful reflection of Ain, Ain Sof and Ain Sof Aur, the brightness of the Black Light. We continue with the summoning of Ahriman and Aži Dahāka for the final obliteration of Ahura Mazda. The grandeur of SeTyphon is honoured through Khem Sedjet’s ultimate liberty towards the waters of Nun, the annihilation of Maat and the darkening of the sun of Ra. The victory of Kingu and Hubur is celebrated along with Tiamat’s glory and the worship of the army of the eleven. The final track is the awe to the Promethean light and gnosis that lead us towards the majesty of the giants and the withdrawal of all demiurgic astral impulses.
For this album, where did inspiration come from? Are they the same as your debut?
Exactly the same, however, the link with my higher self is even clearer to me so, there is an obvious expansion of the ways that I use in order to capture certain forces. This is also my aim, to forever thrive until the ultimate liberation of Azoth. So yes, the vital inspiration is Lucifer-Lilith and Their glorious manifestations that lead us to the kingdom of Chaos.
This album is very different to Eternvs Mos, Nex Ritvs. What did you want to achieve with it? Were there any specific goals that you set for yourself?
What I set for myself is to be liberated into the waters of Nun and befall closer to the source; everything else comes as if by magic.
Did you approach composition for this album in the same way as Eternvs Mos…?
Yes, the composition was approached in exactly the same way; I value both our albums highly. Our works are the revelations that happen to manifest in front of my eyes at that particular period of time. The main difference between these grimoires is that I was more spiritually evolved when I wrote Liber Lvcifer I and this affected everything concerning the process of Liber Lvcifer I!
When writing for the album, did you have an idea of how you wanted it to sound or did each of the tracks and the whole album take shape as it was being developed?
I knew which manifestation of Lucifer I wanted to summon, I therefore summoned the deity, received the sigil before or after the music and wrote the lyrics based on spiritual transcendence or as others say it, the book of my own shadows. So, most of the times, I have no idea about how the music will end to sound, it is Them that are guiding us through the sabbat.
Whereas on Eternvs Mos…, the tracks averaged around the 5-minute mark, on Liber Lvcifer… they are between 1- and 11-minutes long. Was that a conscious decision or did the music dictate its needs?
Not at all, it was rather an unconscious decision that happened to choose itself, I had no clue about the duration of the album or the sound of tracks, I just did what I had to do. That’s why, even though you hear the same characteristics that make Thy Darkened Shade unique, Eternvs Mos, Nex Ritvs is really different from Liber Lvcifer I.
The material on Eternvs Mos, Nex Ritvs was composed between 1999 and 2011. Was any of the material for Liber Lvcifer… composed during that period too? If so, how much rewriting was involved?
There were some parts there yes, waiting for re-arrangement or reworking. For instance, now I have some ideas for Liber Lvcifer II, I have structured it spiritually and I know with which acausal energies I am going to work with, it is from Them that I am going to receive further guidance via various means such as meditation, sigil magic, lucid dreaming, evocation/invocation, death postures amongst others. There was an intense period when I was composing the newest album and working for the rituals of fire included therein. At this period I had carefully planned beforehand not to have any mundane obligation, it was a total devotional period towards Lucifer, with only one aim in mind, to reflect my Self spiritually via numerous means that included black metal and Thy Darkened Shade. Some people thought that this dedication wasn’t in accordance with what they wanted me to become or better to say their mundane desires about me were against my spiritual quest but I erased these people from my life rather easily! You know when you dedicate your life towards one ideal you understand better which people are real brothers/sisters and which aren’t.
How much of it was composed since Eternvs Mos…?
Some parts of it and some spiritual revelations were also received from that period too. But I cannot really remember how much of it was conceived during or before that period. You know, I have plenty of back up of music everywhere, I sometimes revisit these old tapes and CDs, there is some music with real Satanic essence there that really reflects my development as a LHP practitioner and as a performer of spiritual arts.
Another significant difference to Eternvs Mos… is the artwork. Can you tell us about the idea behind it, what it represents, and how it relates to the music?
Honestly, If I am going to state what our artworks represent in full extend I need books and lifetimes. But for those interested for the path of Nod, there is a drawing, a mantra and a sigil for each track, so if they further want to learn, they should charge the sigil with any of their preferred method of sigil magic, chant the mantra of invocation and they shall see, according to their own spiritual evolution, terror or bliss.
I will try to explain the cover with few words; we shall open the eye of the Abaddon, as we become dragons we receive the call to unite and then overcome any duality. In the same manner, the cover represents the enosis and then the overcoming of the male and the female, the Mysterium Coniunctionis of Satan and Naamah. Satan is thus, invoked via our mother and sister that we know as Naamah, in order for us to reflect and reveal our own true Selves. We know that such an endeavour can take lifetimes in order for our black flames to be fully free in the richness of chaos thus, we perceive SataNaamah, a holy deity in union that will be further analysed in one of the books of the Order of Promethean Fyre. The blind eyes weeping blood reveal the Black Light, the real light of Lucifer gleaming from Chaos, emptiness and darkness.
Who designed the artwork? And how much direction did you give them in its design?
A spiritual sister of blood namely Vamperess Imperium, we share same religious views and we are praising the same source so no direction is needed. I offered her the names of the deities that she needed to summon (mainly via our synchronised work) the lyrical invocations with the mantras, the music and some of my own sigils. Then the drawings and more sigils were received by her in many unforeseen and arcane ways. We are both spiritually working for the Order of Promethean Fyre therefore; her artistic and arcane work is really crucial for the final result of Thy Darkened Shade’s work. Black metal should be a vehicle towards divinity, every single detail is really important, black metal is much more than just musical notes.
Both I and she are releasing some of our arcane worship to selected occult journals and also, we are planning to release some books of Promethean revelations sooner or later. The next release of ours is going to be out via the great Anathema Pillars Journal really soon.
Any plans for live performances? And will we be seeing you in the UK?
We are rehearsing with a steady and great line up so; it is possible to perform some rituals of fyre publicly in the future.
Thanks again for taking time out for this interview. Do you have any closing words for our readers?
Thank you too for the words and the support.
Awake!
