Interview with occult death metal band from Netherlands - LUCIFERICON.
Recenze/review - LUCIFERICON - Sabatraxas (2024):
Ave LUCIFERICON! Your new album "Sabatraxas" is playing right now and I have to write right away that it is great in every way! Dark, cold, moldy, just like death metal should be. These are songs that didn't fit on your previous album "The Warlock of Da'ath". I've searched the internet, but I haven't found an interview with you in English anywhere. Could you please introduce the band and take us through its history?
Thanks alot. Glad you like it. Pity to hear that interviews we did are hard to find. We did do a bunch of them for online zines. But we also did interviews for printed magazines.
I‘ll do a quick summery here; Our guitarist Anton and myself started the band in 2009. Soon we found a drummer so we could start jamming our ideas. After 1 year we asked Alex from Pentacle to join on 2nd guitar.
Early 2012 we had enough material for a demo. We decided to release this as a pro-printed mini-cd ourselves right after the summer that year. We got some labelinterest and this release got a vinyl treatment in 2013. In 2014 our first drummer decided to leave and our 2nd drummer joined later that year. In 2015 we played some shows and gathered material for another mini-album release. We wanted to do a full-length but without a drummer for a while it was difficult creating enough material for a full album at the time. Already some time had passed and we wanted to show we were still alive and kicking. Therefor it was decided to release what we had with the new drummer. Unfortunately...again...this drummer also left for health reasons. Lucky for us we found our current drummer Tim, and he was able to fit in pretty fast. This has been the steady lineup since summer 2015. We released our debut full-length in late 2018, a 7“ ep in 2020, and our 2nd full-length album late 2022 (digitally), and cd and vinyl and tapes in 2023. So with entering into 2024 we exist for 15 years and we found it fit to do a special release for this occasion. This became the Sabatraxas lp.
There is an extra insert inside the Sabatraxas lp that has all our releases on it, and a more extensive biography on the other side. We thought this would be very fitting for a 15 year anniversay release.
Three tracks on the new EP "Sabatraxas" are concert recordings. I couldn't find anywhere where they were recorded? It's more of an occult ceremony than just plain death metal. I especially like the sound, which is beautifully clear. How did you enjoy the concert?
We played a show at Dordrecht Metal Fest on february 4 in 2023. Dordrecht is a small city located in the Rotterdam city area. The venue had a good PA system with the possibility to record the gig in good quality. So we asked if it was cool to record our show and they said yes. So we recorded the entire gig and used the three tracks that we thought were the best ones of the set. It was a great gig with good sound and lots of people showed up. So it was a good one.
Let's move on to the new release "Sabatraxas". I was blown away by your sound on the first listen. It's powerful, dense, raw and harsh at the same time. Who's signed to us? I have to compliment him. I'm very fond of Dutch bands, but sometimes I think they sound very similar. You guys are different, original, I guess. How and where did you record the album (I mean now the first three songs)?
The studio tracks were recorded in the same sessions as for the Warlock...album. We recorded the album ourselves at our guitarist Anton’s house, but the mixing was done Jan -Janosch- Gensheimer from Germany, who is the live soundguy for Asphyx and several other bands. He did our live sound at Party-San Festival in 2017 and we started talking afterwards and ending up working together on the mixing process. The mastering was done elsewhere. If you check the credits of the Warlock...album then you’ll see. And its also mentioned on the Sabatraxas release credits.
I agree with you that we do not sound very typically Dutch as a deathmetal band.
This happened naturally.
I'm also a fan of honest covers like the one on the new album. Who is the author? How did you guys get together, why him and what exactly does the cover for "Sabatraxas" express in relation to the music? The EP is being released primarily on vinyl and I think it stands out beautifully on the large format. Great job!
The coverart was again created by Abyssic Craft, who also did the artwork on the Warlock..album.
We were very pleased with his previous work, and the cooperation with him went very well and smooth, so we decided to ask him again for the job. We got in touch with him coz our friends in the Finnish band Lantern had a piece from him on their 7“ cover, and we liked it alot.
We asked Lantern how it worked out for them and they were very positive about it.
So we decided to make contact with him, and the ball started rolling.
In the center of the coverart it marks our 15th annivery in roman style letters. And the artwork around it is a reference to the artwork in the centerpiece of the Warlock...album.
Because the studio tracks are from the same sessions, we thought it was a cool idea that this anniversary release is connected to the previous release this way. The colours on the frontcover are matching with the live photo on the backside. We had this cool live shot from our tour in 2019, and it had a special vibe. But it was in colour and therefor a little tricky to use. We asked Abyssic Craft if he could make the colours on the frontcover matching with the photo. We think he did a great job on that.
It gives a great effect and it looks different and stands out because of that.
You are a band that is made up of all experienced musicians. Your work in PENTACLE, DESTROYER 666 and many others is probably known to everyone. But I'd be interested to know how you create new material. Don't you have a "problem with the ego" of each member? You know what I mean, everybody has their own idea, you are experienced, you have your own head, your own opinion. Do you compromise? Or is someone the "boss"?
No, not really. First of all, we are a band that is made up of friends from the same area. We happened to be active in several bands before, and still, by coincidence. In Lucifericon we do our best to be open with one another and nobody is trying to be the boss as you say. Everybody puts in their efforts to make this band work.
Your band has been dealing with the occult in its lyrics for a long time. That's all right, and it fits your music perfectly. But can you tell us where you get your inspiration for the lyrics? Do you read any books, watch movies? What are the lyrics on "Sabatraxas" about?
Mostly i read books to get inspired. And occasionally i see a movie or documentary that puts my thoughts in motion. But sometimes it might be something else. But i think 95% of the time i use reading material to get into the craft.
When I was fifteen years old, socialism collapsed and the market opened up. The Dutch scene has influenced me a lot in my life. I'm still a big fan of ASPHYX, PESTILENCE, HAIL OF BULLETS, THANATOS, SOULBURN and a lot of other bands. I would say that she was, and actually is, a kind of role model for us. But how is it really? Is The Netherlands really that strong in death metal even today? It's just that your situation reminds me a bit of ours. Every now and then a good new pack emerges, but mostly it's the old dogs. The young ones are already going in a different direction. What is the current death metal scene in The Netherlands and how do you perceive it?
Well, i suppose thats up to everyone individually to decide what they think of that. Personally, i think our older scene (80“s and early 90“s) was much more diverse in styles. And i think there were a bit more bands. But i am not sure of that. There surely are alot more bands on the blackmetal front nowadays, thats for sure. Right now it seems we don’t have too many bands that have a large international status like we used to have. Then again...i don’t really keep track of it that much anymore.
But there is no shortage of bands in The Netherlands.
I've seen a few LUCIFERICON concert footage on YouTube and every time it was true, unadulterated hell. I'd like to see you live sometime, but I guess you only perform at big festivals or am I wrong? Do you tour, for example? My question is actually directed to Czech promoters as well, I could imagine you at an honest festival of ours. Would you come?
We do not only play at big festivals at all. Mostly its fairly small ones actually. We played at Killtown Deathfest in denmark, Unconquered Darkness fest in Ireland, Anthems of Steel fest in France, for example. I think the biggest fest we played as Lucifericon was Party-San fest (in 2017) so far.
We did a 2-week tour with Deathcult from Switzerland in 2019, so yes...we do tour, but not that often since we all have fulltime jobs and most of us have families too.
There are plans for a tour in March 2025 with Power from Hell from Brazil. So if promotors are interested in booking a date on that tour, then they should contact our booking agency called Abyssal Booking, from Germany. I will add the contact and social media links at the end of this interview.
I, as a fan, would characterize LUCIFERICON's work as dark, devastating death metal stained with black metal moods. As I already mentioned, in many points you meet old dark bands. But tell me, what are your role models? What bands do you worship and admire? And who were your role models when you first started playing?
Our music is mostly deathmetal with black mixed up in it yes. But we also use doom elements and the occosional thrashy parts. We try to write in service of a song and not focus too much on what kind of style a riff is. If the riff is good and it fits then we will use it. Our inspirations vary from old Morbid Angel and Possessed to Bathory and Dissection. The list would be really long i suppose.
As a bassist/vocalist i admired Cronos from Venom, and Jeff from Possessed and David Vincent from Morbid Angel i suppose. Just to name a few.
I'm coming up on my 50th birthday, I've experienced death metal in its prime. It was a beautiful time back then. The '90s were great. The world opened up, I was young. I'm greying now, but I still support and collect death metal. I'm part of the old generation. But I don't want to get bogged down in nostalgia, so tell me, what has the present brought you as a band, as musicians? I mean the use of new technologies, sound, possibilities in recording, the internet, etc.
Same here. I’m turning 48 this year so we’re in the same boat my friend. What helped us as a band mostly financially with modern technology, is that we are able to record ourselves which saves us alot of money. So we don’t have to use expensive studio’s that much to get things done. Another thing is that we recently started playing live wireless. I know this technology has been around for a while, but now you don’t have to use a battery anymore and you can just charge your adapter, and the plug-in for your guitar is just a tiny little thing. I was allways fighting with my cable on stage or in the rehearsalroom, but now i don’t have to. Another modern thing we use is Dropbox and Trello to upload new rehearsals and lyrics etc, so we have workboard and an overview of what we are working on.
As I wrote before, I follow the Dutch scene closely and carefully, but maybe I missed something. Is there a record, a band from the last few years that you really enjoy, have you bought their CD and supported them? Please tell us some names and support your colleagues in arms.
I really liked Entrapment. They released 4 albums, so me demos and ep stuff. Unfortunately they quit several years ago. Anthropomorphia is an old band that was on hiatus years ago but since has released like 4 albums. They did some good ones and they are still going. Another deathmetal band worth checking out is Anarchos. Old school stuff by old school guys, but the band is not so old. As for blackmetal stuff, i think Ibex Angel Order is pretty cool.
Where do you want LUCIFERICON to go in the future? Do you have a dream, a vision? What are the plans for LUCIFERICON in the coming months?
We never planned or envisioned to become a big band and play across the globe. Our first vision was to get our own music on vinyl, and hopefully we could play live. Well, that happened, and from there we just continued pretty much in the same way still. In the meantime we have all our recordings on vinyl, cd and cassettes, and played a wide range of stages across europe. So that is already alot more then we first envisioned. So we can’t really complain.
I suppose our next journey will be to record a new album, and play some more live shows as well.
In the coming months we have nothing in the agenda for live shows, so we will continue writing new material in this time. Hopefully we can enter the studio some time next year.
Thank you very much for the interview. I wish the new album the best sales, that your clubs are full and that you are doing well in your personal lives. Have a nice day everyone!
Thanks alot Jakub, and thanks for your interest in Lucifericon and your questions.
All the beast to you and your kin!
Here is Lucifericon information for contacting, booking, merchandise, etc etc;
Bookings: info@abyssalbooking.com
Booking agency: Abyssal Booking
Email: lucifericon@gmail.com (general info, interviews, merch, questions)
Bandcamp: https://lucifericon.bandcamp.com/ (merchandise)
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lucifericonband/
Label: Invictus Productions
about LUCIFERICON on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
Recenze/review - LUCIFERICON - Sabatraxas (2024):
Recenze/review - LUCIFERICON - Al-Khem-Me (2018)
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