How did you come to join the band? Were you in many bands prior to POEMA ARCANUS? How would you rate yourself as a singer back then and now?

C: Well, I'm an original member of POEMA ARCANUS. Igor and I formed the band since almost 10 years ago and I never was in another before. Obviously we have evolved too much along the years and now we have found our own identity as a mature band. To rated myself?.......better than rating my labour as a singer, I could describe to you my evolution. In the beginning I used more death grunts-vocals and a little experimentation with clean vocals. Nowadays I'm experiencing with clean bass-vocals, but of course without leaving the black and death grunts of the past. I love experiencing with classical music and opera's influences, but I don't forget the past.

Before we'll appeal directly to "Arcane XIII", the CD you've made your debut with, let's determine the band's style... Doomicus of BEWITCHED defined you as a 'good doom metal group', however personally I believe that POEMA ARCANUS embarked on more a black metal path...

C: Yes and not. It's very difficult to define our style, there are elements of black metal (and doom) but it doesn't mean that we are going to embark in a black metal path. There's a lot of experimentation with black influences, but I can tell you that's the same thing with other dark styles, like ambient or gothic rock for example. The Aldo's definition is very limited for our ears, we're embarked in a "dark arcane path" and all gloomy influences are welcomed. Our music is very personal and the originality is a very important concept for us.

What kind of feedback did you receive since the album was released? Are you generally pleased with the way it turned out to be?

C: Yes, we're very pleased with the reviews. "Arcane XIII" had received very good reviews in web zines, zines, labels and promoters, mainly in non Chilean ones. In business matter I don't know too much about quantities.

"R'Lyeh" is the way you entitled one of tracks featured on "Arcane XIII"... Hmm... Seems like I have the honour to speak with yet one more Lovecraft fan at the moment?

C: Yes, you're speaking with one of the Lovecraft's fan in POEMA ARCANUS. I suppose that you're one of us too or not?.......ja,ja! That song evoked us, sensations of to be in a vast sea and all related with the hidden secrets of the marine depths. In this way, the concept of R'lyeh is perfect. Though the song is instrumental, it takes you to an oceanic environment with all its mysteries and strange creatures that live in it.

What about Picoroco Records? The guy whom I mentioned above (Doomicus of BEWITCHED is the one I'm talking about) states that they're regular rip-offs... and Eduardo of Picoroco says that everything's quite the contrary (of course!)... you know, this is why I asked you such a question... Furthermore, have you ever been rip-offed previously?

C: Picoroco Rec. is a Chilean label with little resources. In this way we can't expect a great promotion or worldwide distribution. He does only what he can do. Aldo and Eduardo always have had problems between them and with other ones. Both guys are very "special", you know.....personally I have some disagreements with Eduardo but nothing without solution. I can't express an opinion about other people's disagreements if I don't have all the information about it...all of the people have different opinions. We have been rip-offed previously by a false Chilean label called Enemy Rec.

I don't know, perhaps this one sounds quite standard, but I don't really give a damn about that: getting familiar with someone I have nevet met earlier, I can't ignore the question concerning the bands you've been influenced by... Who are they and are there any?

I: We have lots of influences, from the good old thrash and death metal we've grown with (VOIVOD, DEATH, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, CARCASS etc.); to the slow and interesting stuff of CANDLEMASS, PARADISE LOST (old), MY DYING BRIDE, etc. We also have other kinds of influences apart from metal, such as FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM (classic gothic band) or Zbigniew Preisner (a Polish composer which has done the music for Krzysztof Kieslowski`s films like "Blue" or "The Double Life of Veronique").

What are your philosophical beliefs (more on a theological direction)?

I: In a few words: I'm not a religious person, but at the same time I
don't rely on science as the only explanation for everything; so I think I'm trying to find some "underlying" sense for life. I believe that exists something more, something we cannot understand, we cannot measure, some kind of universal secret. I think that through arts, for example, you can get a little bit closer to that unexplainable thing. I could say that I believe firmly in uncertainty.

Have you ever heard anything regarding either DMC or futurists? If not, let me tell you: a certain person namely Sigvard Nilsson-Thurneman was the leader of a secret crime ring called DMC (being declared as the most dangerous man in Europe in 1936, by the way). They developed a "dehumanization program" that would rid themselves of the human nature they detested. Their goal was the total loss of compassion that comes with realizing you are no longer part of mankind. Thurneman was arrested in 1936 for a series of murders, arsons and robberies and was locked up for a long time (got out in 1969).  F.T. Marinetti is another fucked up person I'd like to tell you. He published his "Futurist Manifesto" in a French newspaper in 1909. He was the founder of what is called the Futurist movement, who proclaimed the glorification of new technology and violence, anything that formed the world to the will of the mangod. I could say more on this subject, however I don't want to bore our readers that much, so let's better give YOU a place you need in order to tell us anything you wish regarding the movements I mentioned (if you have any comments, of course)...

I: Until now, I didn't know anything about the DMC (so, thanks for
letting me know); about the futurists, I have mainly seen and read about their architecture (as I study architecture), which is only known because of some very attractive drawings that they did (their only legacy, as they never constructed anything). Right now futurism is seen as some freaky and naive movement, I think. The whole modern movement (which includes the futurism) proved to be a failure just because they never considered the human factor, reducing it to a simple and logical object. This blind faith for the new technology as an almighty tool for a never ending progress which was just a consequence of the industrial revolution; but until now however, even the most sophisticated technologies fail; so there's always something that remind us that we're humans, we aren't perfect, and we have feelings that the science can't explain. For me, that kind of movements are just pointless ones and non transcendent; I find much more interesting the exploration of the human soul as a vast, complex, deep and non - logic world, as opposed to the mechanicist conceptions described above.

Yes, the year of 2000 is approaching and most likely we will face the
apocalypse in the nearest centuries to come... No, it's not some religious crap - just look around and you'll see... Polluted environment, numerous  diseases and stuff... Ecological catastrophe seems to be inevitable... And even if not, World War III (which is quite feasible) will put everything in it's place, erasing the humanity at last... How do you conceive the end of this world? Does it have anything to do with biblical prophecies or we will perform it ourselves?

I: As I told you, I believe in uncertainty, so I should say "well, nobody knows", but I've got the feeling that we're gonna perform the end of this world by ourselves, I can't even imagine when it will be, but if we keep on fighting against nature and among ourselves... Anyway, for me the year 2000 is just a number, so I think that nothing extraordinary will happen that day (January, 1), maybe it will be remembered for an amazing quantity of drunk guys worldwide, but besides that, nothing more impressing.

What about the four seasons? Which one appears as your favourite one and which one you just can't stand?

I: I think that every season has something special, you know, the warm summer nights, or a grey and misty day of winter. I couldn't say that I can't stand any season, each one has beautiful things if you know how to see them, of course.
C: My favourite one is autumn. I hate the heat.

What would you like POEMA ARCANUS to be remembered by?

I: Well, just for our good music. Is cool to see how your music can touch some people's soul, how your music can be a part of someone's life. I would like to see a guy clearing the dust from an old POEMA ARCANUS album in the year 2030, and still enjoying that old music.

If three bands could be reformed whom would you like it to be and why?

C: FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, CARCASS and NUCLEAR ASSAULT. Why? Because these bands were gods for me.

Any thoughts of starting up a label or distro of your own one day? What unsigned bands (worldwide) do you think deserve a deal?

C: I have think too much about it, but it's very difficult to materialise something. Anyway I could not tell you what unsigned bands I would consider for a deal, it would be easier with signed bands.

POEMA ARCANUS seems to be inspired by few Gothic / Dark Wave acts a bit, therefore let me wonder what is view on this 'Gothic metal movement' uprising nowadays...?

C: We are inspired and influenced by one old dark gothic rock band: FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM. All new acts are not an inspiration for us. However it doesn't means that we don't like that kind of bands, personally I enjoy bands like: LOVE LIKE BLOOD, BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL, TWO WITCHES, ARCANA and many others. I don't see a "gothic metal movement" as you said, maybe a scene in Europe but not a "movement". On the other hand a lot of bands are called "gothic" but they don't feel as a part of the gothic scene.

May I display my interest in your opinion on the Internet? It seems to be simply fantastic to me when I, the one coming from Russia, may interview Chile's band... As you probably know, our countries lie in opposite sides of the world, while Internet (as well as e-Mail) gives us the opportunity to associate with each other rather easily... I mean, I can send you an electronic letter and it will arrive to you in few minutes...

I: I think it is cool and even wonderful at the point that you say: the ability to meet people from so different places and with so different visions of the world, and the ability to get access to a quantity of information we couldn't even dream about a couple of decades ago. The bad point is when this "virtual world" becomes a substitute for your "real world" life. There's so many people living in front of their screen that have no life in this real world. I think that a human relation cannot be complete without this person-to-person contact; it doesn't matter if it is virtual sex, virtual conversations, virtual friends or virtual anything, it will never be better than the real thing.

What do you know (and think) about Russia as well as our nation? Any metal acts coming from our lands you've heard lately?

I: Well, I think everyone knows something about Russia by the news, but they always talk about the same, you know: politics, social and economic issues. Besides that I'm very interested in some art forms coming from there: architecture, of course (the whole contructivist movement), or film-making (Tarkovski's old movies such as "Stalker" or "The Sacrifice"). About the metal scene, I'm not very well informed right now, but I would like to know, specially into the fields of doom and black metal.....huh!, I forgot, everybody says that Russian women are really gorgeous (what can you say?), not to mention how I love to drink Stolichnaya!!!!!
C: In the past URSS, was always an interesting place for me, the communism is an ideology that I respect too much. Nowadays, from Russia I don't know bands.

As always, few statements for the end are demanded...

C: ARCANE REGARDS FOR ALL THE DARK BANGERS AND FOR YOU MR. KAI!!!!!!
I: Ok Kai, thanks for your interest in POEMA ARCANUS and for this interesting interview, good luck in all of your projects. For everyone, I hope you can enjoy our music (though distribution is a little hard), anyway, there are some cool mp3's in our web page, so check it out:
(http://www.discordancia.cl/poemaarcanus), and write to our address:
P.O. box 24, Santiago 43, Chile...
IRC means reply guaranteed!!!!....
Cheers!