With his numerous projects, Scorpios Androctonus is a major actor in the Occult Black Metal and Ritual Ambient scenes. Here is our interview with the artist before the upcoming release of the highly anticipated new Crimson Moon album.
T. : This year marks the release of a new album for Crimson Moon , the first for 11 years. Could you introduce us to " Oneironaut " in a few words ? Should we expect major innovations in both the band's universe (imagery, concepts) and music?
S. : Yes, we are now in the process of mastering the material for release, though there has been a split release and an ep since the last full length, Oneironaut is indeed the first full length release to come out in 11 years. Oneironaut consists of 6 tracks, though each track has something I think unique to offer, the final outcome I think is still defintely recognizable as Crimson Moon to those familiar with even the oldest material. There is definite progression in production and song writing, but don't expect a highly polished sound. The material still what I consider how Black Metal of this genre to sound like.
To celebrate this new release , you 're surrounded by new musicians . Who are they and what is their share of participation in the project ? Did they take part in the composition of such pieces ?
I actually did the album by myself, with some guest musician appearances by Ixithra of Demoncy who added vocals to the track Urilian Worm, AcherontasV.Priest also has added vocals to the opening track, Heirophant of Acherontas performed Cretan Lyra on the title track which also features guitar solos performed by Ralph Santolla.
Cretan Lyra
The present lineup for Crimson Moon is fairly new, with everyone joining as I have been finishing up the album. They have all been helpful in giving input on the final direction of the production and as we are currently rehearsing a live set to perform later this year, we will begin recording material for a split release as soon as Oneironaut is released. I definitley look forward to working on new material with this lineup, as even with the rehearsals of the live set, all members have been able to offer something unique to the table in performance and ideas. I couldn't be more pleased with the current line up, which is a nice change of pace after spending the last 4 years playing in a band with so many problems with line up and direction.
This album will be released by Dark Adversary Productions . Why did you choose to work with this label?
Dark Adversary Prod. has always been extremely supportive of Crimson Moon. They release music they truly appreciate without clouded judgment of financial gain. It is a small but humble label and I much prefer to work this way. Larger labels, in general, don't care about the music, they care about numbers and how many cd's you can sell for them. This kind of "business" in this kind of music to me, is a cancer. Thankfully, in this type of music, listeners generally are more concerned with the music and the sincerety of it rather than what magazines review it and how many albums have been sold.
I recently learned that Crimson Moon had met tensions , you and Nocturnal Overlord each claiming to be the head of the group since your separation ten years ago. Is this problem still relevant?
It's a tedious topic, however I have nothing to hide and will simply state a few facts that are supported with evidence that can be easily researched and confirmed. Mind you, these are facts he either fails to mention or blatantly lies about.
I started Crimson Moon as a solo project in 1994 when I wrote, recorded and released the 1994 self titled demo by myself as a solo project. He played guitars on the next demo and following albums until 2006 when I found the best decision was to dismiss him from Crimson Moon due to multiple reasons. Since then I have toured with the first full line up in the history of Crimson Moon and continued to release music, admittedly that has been scarce over the years and I have been actively performing and releasing music since then with my other projects and with other bands I have worked with. He has made his own version of "Crimson Moon" websites and social media pages, with obsolutely zero music being released under the name of Crimson Moon or anything else.
Maybe I am wrong in thinking this way, but I think when somebody concieves a band name and releases the first recordings, it is by default, thiers. This kind of thing has happened with much bigger bands where there is perhaps a market/money behind the name and members who join later steal the name from the founding member(s), and it is something I find not only dishonorable, but pathetic.
You also released this year a CD compilation of your Ritual Dark Ambient project Akrabu , a great discovery for me who discovered it a few months ago , could you describe Akrabu to our readers?
Akrabu is something I have been doing since 1996. I remember when Black Funeral's "Journeys into Horizons Lost" demo came out and hearing the acoustic/instrumental tracks I thought something solely like that would be interesting to do and have continued to do since. The music varies over the years, but always has been done entirely acoustic and with the intentions to provide a ritualistic and meditative atmosphere.
You record the Akrabu albums with physical and acoustic instruments , how important is this process for shamanic rituals , unlike other Dark Ambient formations using more electronic sounds ?
I think it is one of the things that sets Akrabu apart from most music that would be considered relating to this genre. For me it is something I decided from the start and always have kept with that I would only use acoustic instruments and never use anything electronic such as keyboards or electric instruments. This is very important as to me it is a key ingredient to making something organic in this method of sound that can always possess a unique quality to it.
For several years, you have been part of Acherontas as a keyboardist and bassist , what brought and motivated you to be part of this Hellenic band?
I started playing in Acherontas in 2012, though never played bass for them... I think that is something written on the Metal Archives page that is incorrect. I am a permanent member for Acherontas though my work there is primarily the tracks and passages that are acoustic and/or ambient. It is similar to Akrabu in some ways as I use some of the same instruments: acoustic guitars, exotic instruments, percussion, keyboards etc such as the track Ohm Krim Kali on the Vamachara album. We have been in contact for a very long time before I joined, it was just a natural step to take part.
With the last album, Acherontas announced a drone / ambient ritual turn, and the theological/ mythological themes (always present in Acherontas) became even more evident with the split with Nastrond released this year. Is it a definitive direction for the group according to you?
No, it isn't I think it is fair to say each Acherontas release can expect a different direction/theme/approach. This is very evident in the latest release, "Chthonic Libations" which ended up working as more of a collaboration with Nastrond than a split release.
Your interest in the occult is felt in most of your projects , what pleases you in this universe, aesthetically and spiritually? What are your beliefs if you have some?
I guess the most straightforward and "to the point" answer would simply be Nature. I don't follow any specific religious or shared belief system. I think my personal views on this are irrelevant as they are in the end, personal beliefs.
Many groups claim the label "Occult Black Metal" , does it seem to you it is superficial or even pretentious in the case of some musicians? For you, should Black Metal be occult?
I don't waste time worrying what other people or bands do. If they do something impressive, then great, if not I simply have no interest.
Twenty-two years have passed since the creation of Crimson Moon . Looking back , have you accomplished what you wanted , through this group and through your other projects ( Sabnack , Possession Ritual ...)?
I still have many goals to achieve, with Crimson Moon and with the other music I am involved with... that will probably never have an end. The last few years, a lot of my time was absorbed due to the work I had done with Melechesh and the Enki release. It was towards the end of last year where I decided my goals and direction in music and life are something entirely different then what Melechesh is interested in and that it was time to part ways and focus on achieving these goals. That being said, a lot more things can be expected to manifest with Crimson Moon and the other music I do in the near future.
Interview by e-mail (T.)
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