I was amazed when I got to hear their debut album. The combination between Black metal and classical pieces hit me straight into my soul. However, it was not perfect... yet. I made this lesson during two sessions, namely before and after IN ABHORRENCE DEMENTIA.

This album is my third favourite album of all times. It is as close to perfect as one can come without being perfect. Why not perfect? I should say 'not perfect yet', as I just wait for the DLP-edition of the second album which includes two bonus tracks. If those two tracks are just as great as those on the CD-edition, 'perfect' is the word I have to use...

LIMBONIC ART stands in our opinion for emotions experienced and developed by individuals not always present on solid earth. It is a dimension between life and death, for many a burning hellish atmosphere, a dreamscape of nightmares and insanity. This is how we see it and this is how we act and play."
LIMBONIC ART means something like 'unwanted art'. Could we say that your music is unwanted in any way, Daemon?
"There might be people who think that we use too much synthesizer arrangements to actually be called Black metal and so on. I know there are those who don't like our use of a drumsequenser. Maybe the sound should have been more raw and extreme, but except from that I don't know what to put. And I definitely don't think the band title has something to do with it."
While being onto the subject of sound, I have listened well to your second album, IN ABHORRENCE DEMENTIA. What do you think of the sound this time?
"Well, in the world of technology and sound it is very easy to get lost, and especially when you enter a studio where you have to work with equipment that is completely unknown to you. One thing I have experienced so far is to just forget about the harsh rehearsal sound and try to do the best out of it. Our own guitar equipment made too much noise and sent out very blurred signals, so the producer refused to continue under those circumstances. New equipment was brought in and we didn't have much time to tune in the right atmosphere. I believe we improved ourselves from MOON IN THE SCORPIO album, and we managed to take a step further in the knowledge of producing/making music/albums. The next one will be even greater as we see it."
Did the album turn out the way you wanted it to be?
"We have noticed things that could have been better, but that must be the lesson next time. All in all we enjoy it very much ourselves for it is a killer progress of power."
When it comes to your music, I think it is great the way you mix Black metal and Classic music. Who would have thought of that five years ago? How did this idea of mixing Black metal and Classic music into one unit come together?
"We started with only metal but since we ended up as a duo we had to use our fantasy to make this interesting and more fulfilled. Morfeus is a talented soul behind the keyboard so we developed our style within a symphonic aspect."
Do you look upon yourselves as composers, like Beethoven, Grieg and their likes?
"We watch upon ourselves as composers, yes, but it is the people that listen to our music who can place a title on our heads, it is not anything one just can take. These great names you mention are only beings dedicated to music, and then they became what they have become, either a master of art or just a good musician."
What do you compose first, lyrics or music?
"Most of the time we compose the music first and then the lyrics."
How do you compose your songs? Do you build them up to become the songs they now are or do you have the songs inside your heads before you arrange the songs? I mean, to me which is no musician it seems like your music is not made in one or two days...
"We can have tunes in our heads for a while before we actually play them, and when we gather for rehearsals we can mix them together or create new ones. Some songs we can work on for quite some time while others are made in a rather short time. A song can also be altered after a while if there are themes that do not hold a certain quality."
'Wagnerian Black metal art' it says in the Svartedauden newsletter. An expression which drives me over to influences and I guess Classic music is an influence to you, naming Wagner especially. In what way do you use your Classic influences to create the feeling you want?
"Samoth is the mind behind that title 'Wagnerian Black metal', and it is for sure a suitable label for our first album in our opinion as well. However, we don't see this as an 'enslavement' to follow, as we are under further development. Black metal or not, destructive it is! We may use the same kind of musical structure in our music as one can find in classic symphonic music. But we do not work entirely after just one pattern, so it is hard to say how we are influenced. We go by instincts when we create music and we use instruments that may can define an emotion more in the sound-picture."
It also says Black metal in addition to Wagnerian, so I guess you do not only have Classic influences. Do reveal the secret, is Bathory your major influence, or...?
"Bathory is of course one of the greatest band ever existing if you ask me, at least the first four albums. But I don't see any similarities between LIMBONIC ART and Bathory for that sake. We did not wear diapers during the 80's, so we managed to capture most events considering metal releases then. Even if I am some years older than Morfeus, we worship the same kind of musical interest. I personally adore old Speed and Thrash metal and I still think that i.e. Running Wild's Gates to Purgatory and Branded and Exiled are kicking ass. The same goes for bands like old Helloween, Agent Steel, Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost, Destruction, you name it...! Classical symphonic music and more ambient influenced styles is something I personally have learned to like. During the 80's I almost hated Opera and today I am 'singing' myself. Now, some of the secret is revealed!"
I have quite the same development as you mention here. I guess we can say that people become more mature (normally) when growing older. I was never a big fan of Running Wild or Destruction. However, these bands were there together with bands as Slayer, Metallica, Mercyful Fate (as you already mentioned), Exodus and Venom. Having these bands in mind I wonder what you think of this retro-Thrash thing we notice with bands like Aura Noir, Infernö, Bewitched and the American bands like Usurper, Scepter and more? Do we speak about money/business?
"I guess that those who fall under the retro-Thrash label have a reason for playing such music as they do, along with other bands and styles. For me it is a matter of what kind of quality the band has and how they make it sound. I believe the best metal music was made in the 80's, but I have nothing against the new bands either. The sad thing is that some bands happen to be so incredible boring and some are completely fake. I do not appreciate false actors trying to get a bite of the cake of fame just for money and publicity. I have only heard a couple of the mentioned bands, and even if I had some problems with swallowing the drum-sound on Bewitched's Diabolical Desecration in the beginning I believe today that they are one of the best new coming bands ever, no matter style. Their album is "Hard as Steel and Hot as Hell"! Aura Noir is OK, but nothing more or less. Let us hope for everybody's sake that they do this out of their own burning interest for the old day's glory and for their own passion, rather than the money business thing. But one shall not make it a shame to receive some cash for what you are doing either, if you really deserve it by making good albums."
Yes, and that goes especially for making such a masterpiece as IN ABHORRENCE DEMENTIA. Anyway, more about that later, so let us still stick to the former subject. The Nordic bands I mentioned earlier are performed by members of various bands. And this is quite typical for Norse bands. Let us take Fenriz from Darkthrone. He also play drums in Valhall, which has nothing to do with Black metal at all. Could we place our trust in people like him? I mean, one month he is a Satanist and playing in Darkthrone, the next month he is a Le Bresse and playing in Valhall. No offence against Darkthrone, I do respect that band. I am just using him as an example.
"I do not know Fenriz personally, besides that I know he is a very good musician and that he probably has music as his great gift. If he has to deal with the same forces as me and Morfeus do, I do not wonder why he is involved with other bands/styles as well. Music is a burning passion and to keep up this spirit one has to explore and experience in order to improve oneself. If not one might get stuck in a hole or ever worse. (I know that if I couldn't release most of my negative energy in music, I would become a rather dangerous person to myself and others.) Anyway, as long as the musician (whatever name) appears in "projects" with his own dignity and shows quality performances, there should not be any reasons to not respect the artist. But I would start to wonder a bit if the same person went through completely alteration of in example faith/belief."
I have by now received your DLP version of MOON IN THE SCORPIO, but when the questions were made I had the CD version, so let us enter the layout of the CD release. Who is the figure in front of the Moon?
"The figure on the front cover is a sorcerer, an imagined image or spectrum."
It certainly seems as the cover concept is well-thought as that figure is also inside the cover, and then it has moved while on the back of the CD cover it has disappeared. What is the meaning of this (I don't understand it)?
"The being may illustrate the surrendering to death and the beyond. Moon stands for intuition and the Scorpio is a symbol of death."
In a more general aspect, could you tell us in what way the booklet is connected to the title of the album, MOON IN THE SCORPIO?
"More that you listen and more that you see is helping you to become wiser in every subject, that goes for LIMBONIC ART material too. There is a connection and it is the one you see when you study the art. Then the art speaks for itself, and then you may start to understand what the artist have tried to express. And since there are lyrics that follows the piece of art, it should be complete. LIMBONIC ART goes for quality and when we deliver a product there is always one whole unity. There are links everywhere to what we deal with and that is the way it should be."
I have to add that I am more impressed by the DLP version of MOON IN THE SCORPIO than the CD edition. You have even added one bonus on your debut, and two bonus tracks on IN ABHORRENCE DEMENTIA. Therefore it should be no surprise to the people that you prefer LP!
"The vinyl has more soul than the CD, and it is much more interesting to behold a vinyl cover than a CD cover."
Any special vinyl covers you would like to mention? I hail Gehenna's Malice as one of my favourites...
"Emperor is having one of the best album covers, in my opinion."
In the Svartedauden newsletter you state that 'life is the enemy and death is the sacred key'. Why is that? And when you say that 'life is the enemy' I have to ask you what life is the enemy against? Death perhaps... ...if death, I find the expression rather stupid so do correct me if I am wrong... And to the other part of that saying I wonder onto what death is the sacred key?
"There is a source behind every mind of evil and hatred. When you feel that your own will is lost and if you drift in an empty shell awaiting for the release, then the life has become thy enemy and then death may be a sacred key. It all depends on the last voice inside you. I guess it has something to do with what I see when I behold the life that most people live. I try to avoid it because in their society they have laws that can take away my freedom. That makes me full of hatred and into a very evil minded soul. When you come to that point that you end your life you have stopped caring about its 'values'. Death on the other hand can be very decoying with its dark endless halls of whispering. And I know that after the 'great dazzling light' there is even more to obtain... More darkness and suffering. Until you learn to enjoy it!"
Entering the written works of LIMBONIC ART we may start with some kind of general questions. What makes you write the lyrics you write? And when writing a lyric, do you want to put forth a message or in other words, do you have any aims with your poetry?
"Every writer/composer has a certain goal for the work he is doing, and so do I. There are some kind of messages in the lyrics and those are death and darkness. These phenomenons helps the human minds to open up a vast world of fantasy, in which the dreams and life you once knew goes through a grotesque metamorphosis. I wander the halls of forbidden pleasures and I experience insanity as well as evil on my journey. It is painful and you do not always have totally control over your body, mind and not to forget behaviour. Life becomes your enemy after a while and death might the sacred key to the magic door one seeks for. The Final Solution."
In Mourning Mystique is one of your great songs from your debut album. And in here I find a sentence which makes me curious upon your relationship to out Mother Nature. You want the ancient forces of Nature to rule! What are the ancient forces of Nature and why do you want those to rule? I ask about this because there might be a chance that if the ancient forces of Nature ruled there would be no electricity and then no Black metal, no TV, no cars, no Nuclear Bombs, no Pop music, no Imhotep and so on... ...hmmm, except for no Black metal and no Imhotep this may be a nice thought...
"I personally adore the nature and I spend a lot of hours there night and daytime. The Nature has a magic touch on me and I feel like receiving forces near Nature elements. My ancestors have lived in the wilderness and I have learned to respect and protect its sources. It would be very hard to live without electricity because then I would not be able to play my vinyl collection among other minor luxuries. Except that Morfeus is very interested in computers and syntehsizers I believe we share the same sight about the forces of nature. I personally care less for modern technology, but I can see how valuable it can be if one have the interest. As far as I am concerned a life in wilderness would be a challenge for mankind and I don't think there would be many survivors after a couple of Norwegian winters. I do not care for social activities but I take the time to visit close friends of mine. If one is interested in knowing what the forces of Nature is all about, one should rather seek and see for oneself instead of asking questions. (No offence)"
Why are you attracted to the darker aspects of life? Has your choice of performing dark music anything to do with this 'fight Christianity'? I mean, is playing Black metal the way for destroying a religion...
"The aim I have with playing Black metal is to spread anti-human propaganda. I seek for adventures beyond and within the supernatural. I believe in demons as spiritual phenomenons and I use these forces to create dark music. I do not know for sure why I am doing this, cause I have done it as far as I can remember. It is not because I would like to join any 'fight the Christianity wave', that's for certain. But I don't care for God or Jesus either!"
Being realistic, do you really think that we can get rid of Christianity?
"When I behold the today's people and what their interests are, I guess there is not a chance to get rid of any religion at all. They desperately need something to follow, something else than themselves. They submit to pathetic systems and orders. I would like to be in order to think for myself in every situation, act and behave without caring about any other law than my OWN."
And while we are on the subject of Christianity I wonder what you think of the Norwegian culture? I mean, I find it strange that Satyr from Satyricon shouts out that he is very proud of being a Norwegian as the Norwegian culture (of today) is based upon Christian values and moral laws...
"I do not longer know what the culture of Norwegian beings is today, cause I see so many strange opinions out there. So, I have stopped caring! I live the life as I prefer, isolated from most systems and civilisations, but unfortunately I still have to 'belong' to one. If I didn't, the world wouldn't have heard of LIMBONIC ART and what we are capable to create and compose."
IN ABHORRENCE DEMENTIA. There is music so original that we can not place you in any well-known category. We can also see a development from MOON IN THE SCORPIO album, not only in production but also in the compositions. Everything is more fluent, there is a 'whole' to it. And especially the keyboard use has developed as well as the vocals. Do you see upon IN ABHORRENCE DEMENTIA as a natural development from your debut album?
"Like I have said earlier, we believe that we improved a step further this time, and you might can call it a natural development. We had as an goal to make an even more furious, darker and deeper album, and our mission became accomplished!"
YES!, I do agree. I seldom feel much when listening to music within the category of Black metal (even though you are not only within that category!), but with this new album I can feel the music. I feel the anger, the hate and the darkness. But on the other hand there are parts of the songs which are quite light and yet dramatic (i.e. the first 20 seconds of A Venomous Kiss of Profane Grace). Do you use this as a contradiction or is it just a feeling of mine?
"It might work as a contradiction but that is most likely just casual. Our music just develops until we have an end or find an end. We experience the process of making music very much "trancelike" and words to it comes in second hand. It is not allowed to use too much light effects and happiness in our music, cause the meaning behind it all is rather the opposite. But like the real life, there are small beams of light that sometimes appear, just to remind you about that you are not dead and buried by darkness... yet!"
The music in itself is also more varied than on your debut. On your debut the 'guitar' parts and the 'keyboard' parts were more placed in sections, while now everything is more together. Do you feel that you manage to express the feelings you want to express now in a better way?
"We want the music of LIMBONIC ART to be very true and energetic and we try to reconstruct our dark dreamworld in sounds, tunes and beats. So when you say that you felt the anger and hate etc., we know that we have succeeded in our intents. The music has now become more genuine!"
The use of your drum sequencer made the first album very cold. Now I feel that the drums are more 'personal'. In fact, if I had not known about the sequencer I would probably not have noticed. Did you focus on making the drums more 'personal'?
"Since the beginning of our companionship we wanted to have a sound as 'live' as possible on the drums and we have experimented back and forth to find the ultimate drum sound. Right after MOON IN THE SCORPIO I believe we came very close to that, and you are not the only one to comment about this. Time will show if we will develop even further."
Within your music there are 'hidden' elements (like Emperor and Monumentum use here and there). If you don't figure out what I mean, take a listen to the Misanthropic Spectrum song. From 1.50 to 2.05 minutes out in the track there is this 'dentist that drills', if you see what I mean! Do you use such 'hidden' elements in order to make the music grow or is it just something you include just to include them? In my opinion these elements make the music 'deeper'...
"These elements are maybe new in this kind of music, but there are those within other styles that have used this kind of "environment" for decades (like Pink Floyd). It makes the music absolutely more deeper and even more ultimate. When we recorded IN ABHORRENCE DEMENTIA we had sound-effects which actually could have damaged your health as a listener if you were not aware of it coming, and it could even have caused serious damage to your speakers as well. Besides that the thought was kind of cruel and for a short while also tempting, but we preferred to act more 'nice' instead. There is so much you can use sound-effects to, everything from getting more attention for the receiving mind to also be able to manipulate and hypnotize (there is no limit for what the wicked can do!)."
Nowadays I see that there are some bands which 'proudly' state that there is no keyboard on their albums. What do you think about this?
"I respect those who proudly states that they do not use synthesizers in their music as long as they can respect us for doing otherwise."
Could we say that they are somewhat ignorant against the possibilities a keyboard can be?
"If you have asked these questions ten years ago I would probably had rejected synthesizer metal. But I have learned to enjoy the incredible soundscapes that a keyboard/synthesizer can make used as a background instrument or as a main instruments like we do. Is the music more 'true' when a band don't use a keyboard? "I don't believe that one is right when saying that it is pure metal when one uses a keyboard, but the music can also be very true when it is involved. Deep Purple is hardly a metal band, but they proved already in '68 that mixing Classic symphonic music with Hardrock groove is possible. It is the brain behind that counts!"
Deathrip to a Mirage Asylum is so far my favourite song on the new album. It has everything. But let us move about 8.30 minutes out in the song. Then there is this part where you whisper 'And the ghastly silence... devours'. I have never felt such evil listening to music before. Is this part (lasting for about 1 minute) evil, or is it just me? More in general, do you have the thought in mind before you write the songs that this part shall be dark, that part evil, the other part again more light?
"The music is slowly developed and it is a reflection of feelings which we have inside. So, therefore is darkness and evil something that we always try to have present, as well as some beams of light to make the spectre wide and as genuine as possible to ourselves."
On the title track there is a sentence 'never underestimate the powers of darkness'. What about the power of love?
"Light/Darkness, Love/Hatred are always walking hand in hand. The one can not exist without the other, no matter how you decide to look upon life. As long as you are alive there must be a reason and this reason is love; love to something that is you near! Even if that should be meaning elements that actually work against life itself, and blurr the true sense of love. Love in my eyes is desires of the heart!"
When Mind and Flesh Depart has this part in the middle of the song (when you say the title). Is this about reincarnation? I also feel that you look upon the spirit as stronger than the flesh. This also fits with what you said earlier about the subject of death and suffering. You have to learn to enjoy it.
"I personally believe in reincarnation and that I have walked this earth many times before. In my belief the spirit is immortal, only the flesh is not! The lyric When Mind and Flesh Depart deals with a sort of reincarnation, yes, but it is more just words to mind about dying."
Is humanity your enemy? I ask because you say that you are forced to walk among the living in the face of the enemy as you drown in tormenting oppression. Oppression against humanity or certain aspects within humanity?
"Humanity in general, but especially those that interfere in my life to get control over how my moves and business are. You know, long hair and bulletbelts/spikes have almost a certain omen of crime in the world of humanity and then you often get victimized in the 'all seeing eye' of the government. Any sign of rebel-activity and you either have to pay or go to jail. Anything that threatens my freedom to do what I want I consider as my enemy someway or the other. And it often causes some pain inside when I can not achieve the overwhelming need for solitude. There are more important "battles" that I have to deal with, and these go on inside of me. So I do not need the intrusion of humanity within this domain. But it is the human nature to be curious and to nose around if strange things/beings (according to them) appear in their neighbourhood. Maybe I am a threat to their society and their way to fight back is to confront me with their stupid laws and demands of obedience to these... (just a thought). I am however sick of this and strong forces inside of me command to war. A totally and uncontrollable outburst of hatred, but we all know what happens then, don't we?"
Tell those who think of contacting you what they should avoid doing and what they should do!
"Everyone that has something on their heart considering the music; we are always glad to hear from you. Critics are valuable either they are good or bad. On the other hand, there is not always enough time to handle fan mail, so we can not promise any wonders if tons of letters starts to roll in. Our privacy is very much an sacred oath, so now you are warned!"
This is not a question. This is a honour to you as you release a DLP with two bonus tracks. HAIL IN ALL ETERNITY!
"We prefer vinyls ourselves so that was only a pleasure to do. "In vinyls there is true faith!"."
As an ending, Daemon, I would like to know how far do you want to reach with LIMBONIC ART?
"BEYOND!!!"