Greetings! I believe, THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS is not very old band, therefore please tell me your story from it's very beginning...

- Well, actually we have been around since the beginning of the 90’s. But we have, for some reasons unknown to me, always been obscure for the majority of the underground scene. Personally I would like to believe that our story is very similar to other bands in our situation so I really see no reason to give a detailed narration about the past ov the Gods. I mean, until this day we have, as thousands of other bands, rehearsed, played some gigs, changed our lineup and recorded and released demo tapes and two CD's. Nothing special, in other words...

How would you describe your music? Seems like many people consider you to be a «gothic» band? Personally I would call your musical creations as black metal, although it’s very different from other bands of this kind...

- I never bother about such things as finding a fitting label for our music. Somehow I like to think that we are moving around in some kind of musical twilight zone which allows our audience to find that special thing in our music to let them relate it to what they find most satisfying. Some people finds our music to be gothic, other people views it as black metal. And other people think it is something else... Anyway, do one style of music really have to exclude another? Cannot black metal have gothic atmospheres in the songs? The first three VENOM albums, for example, are very gothic (??? - ED). And the same goes for the early MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND albums (I haven't heard the later albums, so I can't say anything about them...) You may have realized that what I associate to the term «gothic» is not really glam-rock bands with heavy make-up who try to sound like THE MISSION or THE SISTERS OF MERCY. My interpretation of the term "gothic" is based upon the graveyard and horror romantic literary movement (Shelley, Stoker, Lovecraft, King, etc.) Personally, I don't give a shit about what people call our music. I'm quite pleased and satisfied by making it...
 
Why do you spell your band’s name as «The Equinox OV The Gods»? It sounds a bit strange, at least in my view...

- Well, the use of "ov" instead of "of" in our band name has its little history. That I admit. But story will stay within the band! But if you're familiar with a certain English gentleman by the name Alexander, his works and, perhaps, some of his modern followers maybe you can figure it out yourself...

Your new album had to be out already, but I still didn’t hear anything concerning it’s release... What caused problems (if there are any...), delaying it? Would you like to tell us few words regarding your new piece of art?

- Our new album «Fruits And Flowers Of The Spectral Garden» was released some time ago without any major problems. The delays are said to be caused by some some technical problems during the printing of the cover. Personally I'm almost ready to believe that delays are as much part of the record business as the music itself... But what the heck, «... The Spectral Garden» has at last reached the market and we can prepare ourselves to move on to the next chapter ov the Gods. I must say it feels very good that it is released! I really don't know what to say about our new CD. In many ways it is what I wanted our last album to be like, and in the future I will consider «... The Spectral Garden» to be the true debut album ov the Gods.
 
Your vocals are amazing! I haven’t heard anything like before in black metal! Are there any individuals who influenced your singing style? Who are the best vocalists in BM genre, how do you think?

- My personal favorite black metal vocalist must be Attila who sung on MAYHEM’s «De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas», mainly because of his efforts on the mentioned album. Thank you for the positive words on my vocals. There is really no one who has directly inspired me to sing like I do. When I began to sing I found my way of singing almost at once. But, in a sense, you could say that I'm still searching for it. I like to experiment with my voice, to try to sound like the emotions I find in the composition... A singer I really admire is Mr. Doctor of DEVIL DOLL. And I would lie if I claimed that he hasn't affected me by the way he sings. But I would never try to sing like him. That would be ridiculous. I am what I am and can not be anything apart from that. I can't stand bands and musicians without a personality of their own. And I would never join the group of copycats who seem to dominate the music scene.

Who was that female person singing on your debut album?

- Her name is Lena Bengtsson and she is a friend of the band. Unfortunately she doesn't live in the same town as we do anymore, so perhaps we must find someone to replace her for our next recording. But that will be a tough job as she is a very talented singer.

How can you compare the past and present of THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS? I haven’t heard your demo tapes; is there any difference between your first recordings and «Images Of The Forgotten Memories»?

- Apart from the first demo «Songs From The Hill Of The Heartless Giant», it feels like we haven't really changed that much. I am well aware of that we have, but when you stand in the midst of the whole thing it's a little hard to detect the changes caused by the evolution on both the individual and the collective level. But I guess that the biggest difference between our first recordings and the ones that followed are that after «Songs From The Hill Of The Heartless Giant» we became heavier. Both our sound and our songs became both heavier and darker. We cultivated the gothic sides of our music...

I didn’t find any info, concerning your band’s lineup on THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS’ homepage, hence can you name me your band’s members?

- As you know, I have had some problems with my internet connection so I haven't been able to pay the necessary attention to the homepage ov the Gods. Therefore much of the work I planned to do has been delayed. Maybe to that point that I no longer feel it's stimulating to work with the website. There has been far too much problems with it. Anyway, the present lineup of THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS is as follows: Melker Ryymin - bass guitar, Joakim Bylander - guitar, and then the rest is my job. That is vocals, guitar and the programming of computer which runs drums and synthesizers. I am also responsible for lyrics and music composing...

Right now, when I’m writing these questions, MANOWAR’s «Hell On Wheels» live CD blasts in my stereo system - this band strikes as one of few true heavy metal bands left. Do you agree with me? What do you think about Eric Adams’ voice, as it was and as it is? Are there any heavy metal bands, which we could name as your inspiration’s source?

- MANOWAR is a very special band, indeed. Unfortunately I haven't yet bought «Hell On Wheels», but I will as soon as I can afford it. Eric Adams is a very talented vocalist. What else can I say? My biggest influence from the heavy metal scene are probably IRON MAIDEN, CELTIC FROST, RUNNING WILD (GODS! - ED) and VENOM. It's hard to say as there are many good bands from the glorious days of Metal (the mid eighties...) that I still listen to. At the moment I am enjoying the new W.A.S.P. album, «Kill Fuck Die». I really like it. Blackie knows how to make good music, that's for sure!

Ok, back to THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS... Can you tell me anything important, regarding your rehearsing place and instruments? Where did you record «Images...» and where are you going to record new CD?

- Well, we rehearse in a cold, damp room deep inside a mountain. Unfortunately it is true. This has resulted in that our instruments are slowly falling apart... Therefore, they are not really worth to mention anymore. Well, it's really not that bad, but not that far from the truth either... But it's not easy to find a place to rehearse in our small town. The alternative would mean to give up much of the freedom we have where we now are. As it is now, we don't have to pay any attention to other bands or neighbors. We can come and go as it pleases us, no matter the time of the day. It's a really good place except for the bad climate. It would have been ideal for the inspiration to be able to rehearse in a catacomb or a crypt... Or at least somewhere close to an old, overgrown graveyard... We've recorded both of our albums in a studio here in our hometown. The guy who runs the studio is a very experienced technician who, among other things, have recorded the early BATHORY albums. I can't imagine that we will record our third album in another studio as we are really pleased with both the studio and Thomas, who runs the place.

Unisound Records is quite famous record company for two reasons: first - there are a lot of good black / death / gothic bands who were signed to them, and second - these Greeks speak and promise a lot, but in fact appear as rip-offs, absolutely indifferent to those, who believed them and signed a deal with Unisound... Is there any truth in this rumour? If yes, then why did you make such a choise? I bet that you had a lot of offers and choosing this label wasn’t very wise step, at least in my view...

- Well, actually, Unisound Records was the only label which gave us a deal I felt were realistic enough to agree on. There were other labels with whom we were in touch with. But as soon as the negotiations got serious they lost their interest (wimps!!!!) I know of bands and individuals who are, to say the least, not that happy with Unisound. But I can only judge out from my own experience. Therefore I have really nothing bad to say about Unisound. They have released our music without any major fuzz. And that's enough as far as I'm concerned.

I found H.P. Lovecraft’s quotation on your homepage - why did you decide to place his words there? Were there any special reasons, which forced you to do it? Are you a Lovecraft’s fan? What do you find as most interesting for your essence in his writings? Do you believe in his interpretation of Necronomicon?

- The writings of Lovecraft have made a great impact on me. One of my favorite novels by him is «The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward». To be honest, Lovecraft wasn't that good as an author. There are authors who are much, much better in many ways. But the way Lovecraft used to describe subjects, in general, almost in absurdum, made him something special. For me, it makes the whole scene which he describes more alive... As far as I know, Lovecraft never made an interpretation of a text called the Necronomicon. He invented it. Inspired by an old text about astronomy called «The Astronomicon», or something like that (he was an amateur astronomer as well as a novelist). Necronomicon is a fascinating phenomena in the sense that it is a great example of a myth coming to life by the very power of the myth. And the fact that it is a very modern myth makes the whole thing so much mor interesting. The belief that this obscure and forbidden text, the Necronomicon, that Lovecraft invented a little more than hundred years ago, should be a reality, is not a new phenomena. There are several famous examples throughout the history. To mention some, of many, we have «The 6th & 7th Book Of Moses», «Clavcula Salomonis» and «The Book Of The Holy Magic Of Abra-Melin, The Mage». And they are all founded by the vain hope that there would be supernatural beings that we, using certain techniques, can control to our benefit. I am amused by the fact that there are people who really believe in the Necronomicon, and actually believe that they can accomplish anything else but gaining inspiration, or mere amusement, is almost beyond my belief! After all, we are living in the 20th century! The techniques of magickal arts have developed tremendously since the time sorcerers tried to conjure demons. But I realize that it is much easier to draw some strange symbols found in a paperback edition of a famous grimoire than spending long times of developing one owns discipline in order to perform even the most basic works of magick... And meanwhile a greedy publisher releases another edition of the Necronomicon, or another famous book of the Black Arts... So much for the Necronomicon... And by the way, why isn't the Necronomicon mentioned in any texts by Crowley, Levi, Mathers, Waite or by any other author within the field of the occult before the seventies? To me it is quite obvious...

What is «beyond» in your comprehension?

- I reckon that you're referring to some vision about an afterlife, which I really don't have. Otherwise, I refer to the word «beyond» as just another word. Whatever may happen after the death of my body, I just hope that it won't bore me... Actually, It really doesn't matter to me what will happen to me after I have died. Death is a natural part of life. And I am pretty sure that nature has arranged something for this phase as well. And if that would mean the ultimate end of all that is me, so let it be that way. If I am to face nothingness, then I have nothing to worry about...

«Death is the greatest pleasure, while life is nothing but an illusion». I heard assertions of this kind quite often, mostly from... surprise, surprise... 14-old punks, calling themselves «misanthropes»... Would you agree with me, if I’ll say that the one, who lives enough to know what is life and death, the one, who faced death face to face much more than once, being a wise man, can’t welcome death, because it’s not the «greatest pleasure», but our greatest sorrow...?

- Yes, as far as I (and those of us with both feet firmly placed on the ground...) know death means only loss. The loss of everything that makes us to what we are. But I find it very necessary to bear in mind that death IS a part of life. And it is of equal importance to accept death and the own mortality. For how can one go through life, enjoying the pleasures of every moment, learning from the mistakes we make and thus grow as individuals and humans, without accepting death? It is so easy to call oneself a satanist, misanthrope or something else that seems cool at the moment without really understanding the underlying meaning of these terms... Why doesn't these pricks, if death is such a great pleasure, just kill themselves and we would be rid of their stupid statements? Personally, I couldn't care less. Well, of course, they are terrified. They have no idea of what they are talking about. They have never seen the true face of death. They don't know where her cold embrace will take them... But it's easy to talk...

Let’s talk about human «soul»... Do you believe in it’s existence? What is soul and what kind of responsibility does it carry inside of us? Is it something «supernatural», which can’t be seen, or however certain scientist will finally reveal it someday...?

- First of all, I don't believe in anything «supernatural» since the very term itself is a contradiction. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can be above, or beyond nature. However, there are a lot of things we do not know about this universe in which we live. Yet... For example, what is the soul? Do we have a soul? And what if there are no such things? Would it matter? I don't know... I would be a little disappointed, perhaps because of some romantic reasons, if it turned out that we had no souls. But I'm not sure if I would let the fact bother me that much... For me, the soul is more a word than something spiritual. In many ways I believe that the term «soul», and many of the things it represents, were invented to ease the primal fear of losing the essence of what we are when we stand before the end. But I don't know. I don't know if there's a god or not. Even though I don't believe in any supernatural powers as gods or devils I cannot say that such things do not exist. I believe that there are photons and quarks, but I am well aware of that the belief in these particles are nothing but a model used to describe our universe. If there are such quantum particles, or  not, no one can say for sure... In many ways I believe that the same thing goes for the soul. While quantum particles are used to describe micro-cosmos, the soul is used by many people to create a working model of the psycho-cosmos. This doesn't mean that there actually are something that can be called a soul. It can be a result of, for example, bio-chemical processes within our bodies, and if so, the soul doesn't really exist... But, again, would it really matter?

 

- I can enjoy the sound of the wind blowing outside my window, the sound of raindrops tapping on my window and on the roof, or the sound of a thunderstorm. Some people would perhaps call it music but not I. This is a very subjective question which I cannot give you an answer that would satisfy me.

Is religion something worth your attention? A lot of young men turn to satanism in order to oppose inimical society and christian church, but aren’t they becoming even weaker than their religious opponents? I’ve met a huge number of so-called «satanists» and all of them seemed to be weak, secluded persons with the inferiority complex, hated by «normal», «narrow-minded» people; with no will, no vital pleasures, while a smile is very seldom guest on their face... Aren’t they just voluntary anchorites, pariahs, living without any sense, any reason, helplessly fighting (or better to say - thinking that they’re «fighting») with their imaginary enemies and in the end, desperate, left alone, solving their problems by cutting veins...?

- Well, I know only a few persons which I would call satanists, but for some reasons these persons never call themselves satanists, even though some of them do admit that they follow the lifestyle of satanism. I really respect the satanic philosophies and the concept of satanism as worked out by Dr. LaVey which, together with its off-springs, I consider is the only true satanism (bullshit - ED). What we have witnessed the past years, especially in the underground metal scene, is nothing more than some confused mumbo jumbo... The thing is, as I (and many with me) see it, is that it is too bloody easy to call oneself a satanist, and far too often, with the most stupid intentions like trying to be something special... Once again, I can't understand how the hell people can adopt such a primitive view of life, and the very universe, as many of these, so called, satanists have done. But, of course, I would never, ever, accuse them of being thinking creatures. I'm sure that they would find it offensive... I find the belief in a devil and a horde of evil demons as pathetic as the rest of the christian belief system. It is just so fucking ridiculous... I believe the very reason for these people to call themselves satanists is that they are weak and that they try to seek strength and protection behind the, in fact, transparent mask of devil worshipping. I cannot respect these people to whom satanism is just another phase in their lives, another way of rebellion against parents and society, another way of showing off. They do not think... I guess the same thing goes for the misanthropes you mentioned in question somewhere above... As I said before, sometime it's far too bloody easy to ride along with some mind numbing trend. Though, the knowledge of that these «people» have to pay for their tickets later on, one way or another, do please me... The superstitious beliefs spread by the christian church cannot be fought with other weapons than knowledge, reason and fact. Other methods are useless. And by realizing this, it is easy to understand that, by the ignorance most of these «satanists» share, together with the christian belief system they, in their own way, actually do support, these «satanists» are only serving the christian church, and they are making it even stronger than before. The more churches that are burned the stronger the christianity grows. So, again, I couldn't care less if these people disappeared from the face of the earth...

Are there any things you know about Russia? What do you think of us, Russians? Have you heard any metal bands, coming from my country?

- I really don't know a shit about Russia apart from what I learn to know from our media. And that isn't much... Most of our TV-shows come from the U.S. Even a documentary I saw recently about the wellknown Russian serial killer (whose name I can't recall at the moment...) were produced in America... In general, I've only seen one side of the coin. And that side is unfortunately not produced by you, the Russians... I don't know about any Russian bands. But that is not surprising as I no longer care about keeping myself updated on what's going on on the metal scene nowadays... I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit your country, but I reckon that it still will be there for a while. And some day I may get a chance to see Russia with my own eyes...

Ooooh, we’ve come to an end, I guess... Would you like to say something in conclusion?

- Haven't I said enough already? Well, as I said before, our new album has finally reached the market. BUY IT!!!! The easiest way to lay your hands on the album if you can't find in your local record store is by writing to us either by snail-mail, or by e-mail. We have also some T-shirts for sale, buy them as well! Shit, I don't know what more to say... Live long and prosper!

THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS
c/o Wallin, P.L. 3125, 830 30 Lit, Sweden