By Ricardo Rengifo What’s the true meaning of black metal? I always wondered myself how deep you can push your mind to bring something unique and special and sometimes black metal Music can take you to places where no other music can take you, Arkheth is a “project” that plays Avantgarde music and the boundaries are always push to the point of exhaustion, Afterlife was grateful to have a conversation with Tyraenos sole founding member and responsible for bringing some of the most chaotic and beautiful music at the same time and “12 Winter Moon Comes The Witches Brew” is a proof of that.

Tyraenos:Existence. The nature of everything we could possibly conceive. Ultimate truth. Peace, happiness and harmony. The endeavour to attain wisdom of this kind leads you through some dark and profound paths. It can be extremely emancipating as well as alienating. On one hand you can peel away the veils of lies and deceit that entangle the world we live in but his can make you feel so alone when everyone else around you seems blissfully and arrogantly ignorant. I am constantly seeking ways to expand the ability of the mind to comprehend the world through our senses and the depths of our subconscious. Some of these methods are meditation, psychedelics, practicing astral projection etc. I believe in a holistic approach and not just one over the other. The major problem for me is that I am trapped deep in the cycle of ‘life’. All these methods I mention I have not been able to deeply absorb myself into and that is torturing me. I know I’m not the only one who feels this. Although it seems like a cheap Hollywood cliché I would have to say that The Matrix is closest piece of art that people could relate this feeling to. Shame it was made in the epitome of a cesspool.

AZ:It’s been a really long time since you had appeared again from the darkness, what was the principal motivation to rise again and walk between humans? T:Arkheth had not been a part of the scene for several reasons. Firstly being so isolated we never really felt a part of any scene. That has been an advantage personally but a disadvantage as far as playing live and finding live members. Secondly the personal difference between Skolthorn and myself became far too vast. There was no real conflict but as individuals we were moving further and further apart. We still have contact with each other but not in a musical capacity. Arkheths’ revival came from some deep personal revelations and tragedies. My mother had suddenly passed away; I had not spoken to my closest friends or family for 5 years or touched an instrument in that time. I was a hermit. I realised that I was so withdrawn from the world that I was even neglecting my passions. Unfortunately it took my mother’s passing to bring me back to the world. AZ:Let’s talk about “12 Winters Moon Comes The Witches Brew” what was the concept behind as the music it feels like a soundtrack, was the isolation a big part for inspiration?

T:Yes the isolation was a massive inspiration. Before those 5 years of isolation I’d actually written a massive body of work. After 5 years of absolutely nothing I felt I had a lot of catching up to do. The biggest misconception about ‘Witches Brew’ is that it took 8 years to make because that was how long it’s been since the last release. The songs for this Album were written in the space of months (some in a single night). The reason it took so long is the personal turmoil but ultimately helped to fuel the final recording process. As far as it being a soundtrack well yes it is a soundtrack of my musical emancipation from strict Black Metal ‘rules’ as well as the metaphysical exploration of the soul/spirit/Qi/Chi in an abstract but also semi-traditional form.

AZ:This album is wrapped in the occult also, what sort of manifestation for mankind has the occult image in an entity like Arkheth? T:My fascination in the Occult is the unending seeking of truth and knowledge. The REAL truth. I believe that mankind has enormous potential to expand its collective consciousness to something that we would consider Godlike. I believe there is incredible beauty to be found and explored with our minds. However I also equally (and very strongly) believe that the human race is the worst thing that has ever happened to this Earth. Humans have squandered this incredible gift and used it to violate the Earth, animal and each other in the most heinous ways over and over again. I do not wish for any kind of human suffering, only that one day we will not exist at all. Preferably I wish for enlightenment and the path of happiness, love and peace but this is not a Disney movie. It’s never going to happen. AZ:What are your main source of inspiration in life, if mankind was about to end today what would be your last doings? My main inspirations now are very different from in my 20’s. In my 20’s it was pure destructive behaviour and self-indulgence. I would try anything to try and escape the constant mundane existence of mediocrity and hopelessness. These days I am a lot closer to feeling peace and happiness (as un-metal as that sounds haha). I am still inspired by hope for life just as much as I am pessimistic about it.

If mankind was going to end today I would spend the last moments with my dog. I have a stronger emotional connection to animals and nature than to any humans. My last moments would be sad because I wouldn’t be able to fully realise the moments of happiness that I have always longed. On the other hand I would be so happy and relieved for the end of all the suffering that humans have caused. AZ:If you have an influential album or albums that mould you as a musician or it got you through a difficult time in life what would those be? T:That would be two distinct categories for me. There are albums that have influenced me musically and spiritually and those that have helped me through difficult times. The former are albums such as Witchcraft by Obtained Enslavement, Supreme Immortal Art by Abigor, Stronghold by Summoning and many others. As for albums and songs that helped through tough times I would definitely say Filosofem by Burzum saved my life over numerous years and I mean that in a literal sense. Also a song by Celtic Frost titled Obscured had an extraordinarily powerful influence on me and allowed me deal with years of extreme heartache and mental obstacles. AZ:What would be the perfect stage set to play Arkheth music, had you thought about unleashing this masterpiece into a live stage? T:We are currently in the process of preparing our first live show in 10 years. They will be mainly new songs and one song from our first album. I would love to play some songs for the second album The Quintessence of Algaresh but learning any of those songs is quite a challenge due to their length and intricate structure and layers. The song I’m most eager to bring to the live stage is Faint Whisps in The Heart of Orion. That song was the peak of our power during our first 10 years. It is a long-time favourite of mine. AZ:What other genres of music you prefer to listen, how inspirational it is and do you also apply this when it comes to create your own music? T:I am currently listening to A Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Oxygen by Jean Michel Jarre, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles and Pet Sounds by The Beach Boy’s. There are a variety of different sounds here but I am continually influenced by new and old sounds as long as they resonate with how I feel and what I am seeing around the world. I also have to mention one album that I always come back to that has influenced me greatly and that is almost universally hated….Load by Metallica (blasphemy!!! Haha). I grew up on this album at the tender age of 13 and it has stayed with me since. If that album had been released under any other name other than Metallica it would have been considered a classic rock album. There are intricacies in the structures and little nuances throughout that make this a sonically rich piece of genius. I don’t give a fuck who hates it haha. AZ:Can this earth be a better place, do you still find hope or we are all destined to fail? T:I think I’ve addressed this before but it is such a fascinating topic of discussion for me. There is no doubt in my mind that humanity already has failed and will only continue to get worse until its complete demise; although having said that I truly do not wish that to be the case. I dream of an existence of complete harmony and pure love and wish for nothing else. My honest belief however is based more in what I conceive to be a more realistic outcome and that is one of pure horror; horror that has already been for thousands of years, horror that exists today and for thousands of years to come. I really hope I’m wrong though. AZ:Thank you for your time, please feel free to add anything else and I hope you keep creating more inspirational music Thank you so much for the chance to speak about my thoughts and my art. Please try to be kind to one another because we’re all just trying to get through this life in one piece. Cheers 12 Winters Moons Comes The Witches Brew is out now on Trascending Obscurity records https://tometal.com/ https://m.facebook.com/arkheth/