Forn from BLACK CRUCIFIXION: “Darkness can be Found in Many Forms of Music…”

The band history goes way back in time. Can you give us a brief history about how the band was created and how has the music evolved since that?

We began in 1991 listening to bands like SARCOFAGO, BATHORY, BLASPHEMY, VENOM and SODOM. And you can tell that by listening to “The Fallen One of Flames”, our debut mini-album. In 1993 we released our second mini-album “Promethean Gift”, which was already much more melodic and the vocal style was more varied. In 1996 we started to record “Faustian Dream”, the album that we just released last year. And as you can hear, it doesn’t resemble any of the bands I mentioned earlier. So I guess we have evolved – or degenerated, depending on your point of view.

When we talk about BLACK CRUCIFIXION history, we can’t miss another notorious Finnish black metal act called BEHERIT. How would you describe the musical and conceptual links between those two bands?

BEHERIT had a definite impact on us when we began in 1991 as we lived in the same town in the north and shared members. Both bands also very soon grew out of the black metal sound and started to reach for new things: BEHERIT went electronic and we chose a different path. Darkness can be found in many forms of music…

BEHERIT also changed its style into more deeper and darker ambient metal – can we expect something similar in your new release?

The path that BEHERIT took was a totally new at the time. Personally I never liked that electro ambient stuff that Holocausto Vengeance did, but I really appreciate the sonic landscapes he created earlier, for example the Intro and Outro on “The Fallen One of Flames”.

It seems that BLACK CRUCIFIXION decided to take a longer break before returning. I mean you released your previous EP in 1999 and your fans had to wait 7 years to hear you again?

The 1999 release was just a re-release of our 1991 debut. So it actually took ten years for us to complete “Faustian Dream”, our first full length album.

I managed to download those two songs from your homepage that are also in your new album – I was really amazed. Your music has changed completely?

Well, that is what life does to you. Or did to us at least. We are not the same persons as in 1991. Therefore our art cannot manifest itself in the same way as it did back then.

But you still have some black metal elements – guitar work is definitely influenced by black metal?

That is correct. We might not fit in to the pigeon hole of black metal anymore but there is no way we can deny our roots either. It is the same guys writing the songs, so I guess there has to be a connection.

When did the idea come to change your music into darker metal and leave the black metal behind? I mean your first release is totally black metal and your second one is also strongly influenced by black metal. Why the change? Got tired of it like “Paragon Records” claims?

When we started the band, it was a rebellious Luciferian project against the standards of metal music and way of life. After some time the revolution had set it self as the norm, so we had to do something different in order to be loyal to our values.

You recorded the material in 1996 and released it 10 years later – why did you choose to wait that long?

We recorded 18 songs during the ten long years and released only nine of them. There is no particular reason. We were busy and had other things to do. Some years ago the album started to feel relevant again and now it is finally out. And it is way better than the material we originally recorded. So it was not a rational choice but the way things just turned out.

Did the long wait compensate itself – in other words – how did the critics and fans react to your new album? It is always a risk to change music style, because many won’t like it.

Well, we no longer have an audience as most of the public haven’t even heard of our band, so we didn’t have to think about anybody’s expectations. We just do our art and see what happens. The surprising part is that people have loved the album, which is of course nice, but does not make a difference in our lives.

Music is a great way to express yourself. What are the main things BC wants to give to the listeners? I’m sure you aren’t making music just for fun.

BLACK CRUCIFIXION is not made particularly for anyone besides ourselves. It is a hedonistic vanity project and it is of course great if other people can enjoy it too. But as we don’t make any money out of this, it is just a way for us to express our feelings, to get the feelings out of our own system. If somebody then chooses to digest our emotional excrement, we are happy to do it on plate and ship it to the nearest record store.

Can you describe your usual process of making a song? Where do the dark thoughts and ideas come from? Some get new ideas while walking down the streets; some go to forests to derive thoughts.

I get my ideas all the time, mostly when I expect it not to happen. Nowadays it is easy as I can instantly hum and record or write them down to my mobile phone. In the nineties it was hell as I was constantly afraid of forgetting the music pieces that I had just come up with. There was this terror of making my way home soon enough to record them. Now I discover sound files from my phone, that I don’t recall having been recorded. So it is like getting free ideas, I guess.

For some people music is a hobby, for some it is for earning money. Can you describe your relationship with music – your thoughts and ideas about the music you are making?

I don’t believe that you should do this kind of music to pay your bills. At least I feel enormously liberated by the fact that I have a day job that pays for my living and music is just a way to express my emotions. I surely don’t envy CELTIC FROST for their choice of career.

When I was browsing your homepage I noticed this note to all those people who are downloading your music instead of buying it. Where did the idea come from and maybe you can tell our readers what it is all about?

I personally pay for my records and I wish that people listening to our music would do the same. Not because I would need the money, but because I don’t believe in free things. We have worked ten years to finalize this album, so if somebody enjoys it, then I would expect him to be willing to show some respect. But hey, it is your own choice.

Finland is a great metal country but could you name some interesting Finnish metal bands that people don’t know yet.

The thing is that I’m the last person to know! BLACK CRUCIFIXION maybe?

Thank you for your time. And finally I’m letting you to ask yourself a question and answer it – maybe there are some interesting thoughts or ideas that my interview didn’t capture.

Q: What do you think that people that are bored with the current metal scene should do?

A: That is a very good question. If I was them, I would go to the record store or online (www.paragonrecords.net / www.soulsellerrecords.com / www.primitivereaction.com) and get their hands on “Faustian Dream” by BLACK CRUCIFIXION. Then they could have something that very few other people have.

BLACK CRUCIFIXION homepage: www.paasto.com/bc.