EMPTINESS – Interview with Phorgath

Hail barbarian soul! Now we can celebrate the interview ritual. Are you ready :-)?

Just a sec, I gotta take a piss first !

EMPTINESS is a young band, but now I can say you have much to show brutal maniax….

Emptiness exists since 1998 but things started to get serious when our first demo “Eternal Rising” came out in 2001. Even if it’s been a while since Emptiness was founded, we feel like we still have much to show.

You started with playing black metal. Why did you change your style for more brutal? For me you play brutal old style death metal with some influences of black metal.

We believe that our change of style is only due to our own personal evolution. We were never really a black metal band in the beginning. What we can say is that we have now found our own style.

Is there a specific meaning behind the pseudonyms of the band members, still a remnant of your black metal past, or something to stand out against the other death metal bands?

No there is no meaning behind the pseudonyms, we just wanted names that matched the concept of the band.

One of you plays in a black metal band – NERATH DAEMON – ENTHRONED. Did this help you in promotion of EMPTINESS? Does N. Demon have time for both bands? I ask because ENTHRONED plays many concerts etc.

Of course the fact that Nerath Daemon plays in Enthroned helps a lot for contacts etc…And people tend to take us much more seriously even if I believe that to be stupid…But it is sometimes hard to coordinate both bands for concert dates or rehearsals.

I know that music is written by NERATH DAEMON, but lyrics are yours. Is the rest of EMPTINESS musicians only next instrument in your band, or maybe they can add something to the whole, too?

First of all the music is composed by the whole band, everyone adds their touch and then Khapth (drums) and myself decide of the structure of the song. I write most of the lyrics.

You know, “Lead Us Sathanas” mangles my fucking soul. Samples on this track are very great, and it makes me feel as if everywhere falls the eternal night. This is a very dark song!

We spent a lot of time on “Lead us Sathanas”, creating the atmosphere and concept of the song. The result is very dark and satisfies us much.

Tell me bro, are your texts only anti-religious, or maybe these are words of your satanic soul? Do you believe in hell and devil as a person?

The lyrics don't only talk about religion. Satanism is the only symbol we use as being anti-religious. The concept of the band is much more complex . We prone the annihilation of all moral, spiritual and material values, without any exception. To lead us to EMPTINESS.

We can see Baphomet on the covers of your releases. Does this have big importance for you? Maybe this is one more way of impression?

Well we believe the Baphomet to be a very good symbol of the perception and personification of all transcendent values that descend from before all the ages even our ancestors had a conscience of… Therefor we used it as a homage to the void that created our Emptiness , by showing people through this picture an impression that can touch their inner self only by making them take concise that they are nothing but void, and a whole in the sky… Once they have reached this level of self knowledge, they may be able to access this higher state of human awakening that we prone as being the great void of all beginning….

You are from Belgium. I know many good bands from your country, but I must say that your bands have always been in the shadow of other nations. Do you know why?

There are many very good bands in Belgium, but since it is a small country, the promotion is therefore not as good as in other bigger countries. But there are still some big bands such as Enthroned, Aborted, Ancient rites….

Can EMPTINESS change this situation?

We cannot change it!!!! We like being an underground band and if things evolve it couldn't be bad for us !

What is your opinion on the Belgian underground extreme metal scene? What do you like and don’t like about it and why?

There are many very good bands in the underground scene that don't have the needed, and deserved support, and that is a scheme ! What I don't like is the separation, that exists between the northern and southern part of the country.

EMPTINESS is signed to Witching Hour Records. How did you find them? Is this a good label for band like yours? Or maybe you are still looking for something better?

Witching Hour contacted us after having heard our demo, and simply helped us in the distribution of the demos. But after many non-kept promises we didn’t hear about them any more. So FUCK THOSE STUPID RIPP-OFF COCK-SUCKERS. Any ways it is a good thing because we have now had propositions from bigger labels.

I heard you wanted to record new stuff soon – first debut album. How is it going to look like? Is this going to be still in the same style or maybe you will modify something. You know, much better sound etc….

We hope to get an album out this summer, which will have a much better production and distribution. The music will stay in the same style but with technical evolution, and more complex songs structures.

The new trend in death metal nowadays is the blasting, hyper-speed death metal. Do you like that new wave of extreme metal, or do you prefer the old days. .

Even if sometimes we like their technical level, it is really not the kind of death metal we like. We prefer good all school death metal in the vein of Incantation, Morbid angel, Suffocation etc…

You are also doing some ambient stuff, why don’t you add them to Emptiness? Do you think it would be too hard to mix? People like experiments. I don’t, but I must ask you :-).

For the coming album the atmosphere will be much more industrial using samples in the songs.

I know that you like plying gigs very much. Did you plan any tour when the debut album will have finally been released?

It is true that we love playing live and have done many gigs essentially in Belgium. There is still no tour planned but we will do our best to make it happen.

We must finish. Last words belong to you. Say whatever you’ve got to say…

Thanx for the interview and support we hope to se soon our polish fans!!!! If you want more info on the band, visit our website www.emptiness-official.be.tf Contact: Phorgath@hotmail.com