Chain D.L.K.: Hi AoE [note for readers…it’s not for Age Of Empires, but for Arts Of Erebus!!!]! First of all, how are you?
Arts Of Erebus: Thanks for asking! We are doing fine at the moment, it is the start of festival season in Germany now, and we will be attending some great events.
Chain D.L.K.: Could you tell us something about the history of your group? You formed when Yuul disbanded, didn’t you?
Arts Of Erebus: Tron was a testing ground – an extremely experimental project with no solid direction. We never really had an aim for it and didn’t plan on gaining much of a following, but we’ve found people are still going back to Tron, wanting to hear more of where we came from. Empty portrays the next step in our evolution and professionalism which we strive to deliver by constantly pushing ourselves, trying to be innovative with every new track. We’ll often try to create music, which has a certain level of depth and which can draw the listener in to find new details each time. Overall, Empty definitely has a much smoother sound than our past projects, but the level of perfectionism is a time consuming process.
Chain D.L.K.: I personally enjoyed the choice of the name for your band and the facts that it cites Erebus, Antartica’s active volcano, which stands next to another famous mountain, called Terror on Ross Island… have you planned an explorative journey there for next year???
Arts Of Erebus: Actually, Erebus is the latin written form of Erebos, the old greek god of darkness. Our name refers to this mythological topic. It also appears f.e. in Wesley Snipes’ Blade movies (the book of Erebus is the vampire’s bible in these films).
Chain D.L.K.: When I pressed the play button with “Dawn of the Dead” in the deck, a friend of mine who was nearby my studio having a look at CDs, asked to me if the Cure had decided to make a tribute to the gothic/dark wave scene… I answered: “No, dude… it’s the new EP by Garden of Delight…!” He believed me… by the way, my compliments to Damien… his way of singing perfectly fits your way of making music…
Arts Of Erebus: Thanks for comparing our music with these great bands. But indeed, we did not plan to sound like any specific band. Our sound is just what comes out when you put us into a room together to create new songs 🙂 Yes, I think, the combination of our instrumental styles works with the Damien’s characteristic voice and his way of singing helps create a very unique sound.
Chain D.L.K.: Some people generally speak of romantic music when referring to songs like yours… what’s romanticism in your own words?
Arts Of Erebus: Romanticism for us is an emotion, based on deep inner thoughts and feelings. It’s also a certain consciousness for life and living in general.
Chain D.L.K.: I love the orchestral version of “Zeit und Traum” as well as the “Dead Bodies Dancing” mix of “Dawn of the Dead” (maybe the more “orchestral” one), even if maybe “Sonorium” decided to give more relevance to danceable beats in the first part of the ep… is that right?
Arts Of Erebus: The “Dawn Of The Dead” EP is not a concept album, and there was no influence or label pressure in the selection or order of the songs. You should know that our bass player and producer is the same person who runs our label. Everything concerning our music and the contents of our CDs is decided by the band. This EP is a place where we could also have done some experimental stuff, but it might not have fit with the rest of the album, which should follow a clear climax and logic through all songs. We don’t do remixes or newly recorded versions of older songs on an album, because we think a new album should present new songs and new developments in our style. So the EP is the medium to offer remixes, and certainly an experimental approach to the electronic dance floors (with the “Dead Bodie’s Dancing” mix of “Dawn Of The Dead”).
Chain D.L.K.: Could you explain the meaning of “Zeit und Traum” to the people that don’t know German?
Arts Of Erebus: “Zeit und Traum” menas “Time and Dream” and it is a very personal lyric by Damien. The song describes his flowing away through thoughts, emotions, fears an hopes, all kept in a light frightening atmosphere.
Chain D.L.K.: By the way, it seems you’re ready to spread your words outside France and Germany… I thought that “Negative White” was great for that purpose… any gigs outside your usual “boundaries”? Any rumors about a US tour?
Arts Of Erebus: In the past Arts Of Erebus could be seen live on stages in France and Germany of course but also Luxembourg and Belgium. We would like to play in other countries as well, as soon as we get a chance to do so. We are in touch with several clubs and booking agents, and we hope to spread our live activities more internationally soon. I cannot promise a USA tour in the near future…
Chain D.L.K.: Just out of curiosity, what’s your favorite amongst the “heroes in the dark” and amongst a “thousands ways to die”?
Arts Of Erebus: We don’t have a certain hero or a favorite way to die 🙂 These songs are dealing with topics that are present in the dark scene’s thinking and also reflect a so called self-ironic cliche.
Chain D.L.K.: Any work in progress after “Dawn of the Dead” EP?
Arts Of Erebus: Yes, we are writing new songs for the next full length album. It is a bit too early to mention an actual release date, but we hope to put it out at the end of this year.
Chain D.L.K.: I wanted to ask you about the “Dawn of Dead” video clip… what was the reaction of the bystanders going on about their daily lives and seeing you wearing those frightening masks and chasing those gothic cuties!?!?!?
Arts Of Erebus: It was fun watching the people watching us during the making of the video. Most of the scenes have been captured in public, in the city of Frankfurt (Germany), using people passing by as the scenery. The video transports the message of the song to a social level. A stupid mass of people as the real “undeads” of our time, guarded and manipulated by an upper class who keeps the masses under their control and determines their lives. Even the few who want to escape this system (by joining underground cultures like the gothic scene) are not safe from the bad influences and manipulations of the “mainstream” because “mainstream” has infiltrated the alternative scenes and is killing creativity there as well.
Chain D.L.K.: Any final words?
Arts Of Erebus: Thank you for your interest in our music, and for this nice interview! Many greetings to our international fans! (Tommy / Arts Of Erebus)
Visit Arts Of Erebus on the web at:
So the EP is the medium to offer remixes, and certainly an experimental approach to the electronic dance floors (with the “Dead Bodie’s Dancing” mix of “Dawn Of The Dead