1. Amen Corner began its journey around 1992. What do you remember about the beginning of the band? Why did you decide to create the band? Why did you choose the name Amen Corner and what does it refer to?
The band Amen Corner was created in mid-1991 but we released the first demo tape in April 1992, which is why we usually say that the band emerged in 1992. The name is a satire on the act of Catholics confessing their sins. It's that little corner inside churches where people go to confess their sins. We created the band to play pure and heavy Black Death Metal.
2. The band seems to have gone through different periods, the first of which, the classic era with a sound that we can classify as within the golden era of black metal, inspired by bands like the Brazilians Mystifier or Impurity, without forgetting some of the first Venom or Sameal , without forgetting influences from other bands like Mortuary Drape, their demo “Eternal Prophecies” or the album “Fall, Ascension, Domination” or also “Iachol Ve Tehilá” date back to that time, you felt like that time when Aemn Corner was part of an emerging Brazilian black metal scene? How was this wealth of extreme music created in a country like Brazil?
When we started making our music we listened a lot to Samael, Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Obituary, Bolt thrower, Paradise Lost, etc... so I think we managed to mix a little bit of each style of these bands into our music and it was a great time. in which many Black Metal bands were emerging in Brazil. The desire to play and record was intense.
3. However, the 2000s were not the best time for the band, two founders such as Paulo Costa and Mané left the group and the sound suffered somewhat. The release of the album “Lucification” dates back to this time. It didn't receive very good reviews. What do you remember about that turbulent period within the band? Was the continuity of Amen Corner questioned at any point?
In fact, what happened was that some time after the release of Jachol Ve Tehila in 1995, three members left the band almost simultaneously. It was just me and guitarist Tito “Murmurio” and with that we even lost the rehearsal space that was in the house of the other guitarist who left the band. We managed to reassemble the band and find a new place for rehearsals (at that time there were no rehearsal rooms) and we still released the EP Darken in Quir Haresete in 1998. A more aggressive and dirty album than the previous one. Lucification is from 2007.
4. With the arrival of the last decade, Amen Corner's sound seems to want to recover the splendor of times gone by, especially with the release of “Chri$t Worldwide Corporation” and its continuation in “Under the Whip and the Crown” ,¿ How conscious was this idea on the part of the band to gradually return to the sound that made them known? The last decade was a period in which there was a resurgence of more classic black sounds and with this resurgence did you feel more comfortable with your proposal?
In 2010, before Christ Worldwide Corporation, we launched Leviathan Destroyer, which also received great reviews and is very much back to the roots of the 90s. Now with a different lineup. And the 2014 Christ Worldwide Corporation, which is a double album CD+DVD, also received excellent reviews, mainly for the DVD, which features several shows from the era and a great documentary featuring several people and guests. Under The Whip and The Crown marks the debut of Tenebrae Aarseth on drums, who is my wife. It's an album that I consider to be the heaviest and most analogue album we've recorded since the 90s.
5. You recently released your seventh album “Written by the Devil”, how did you approach the process of writing and recording this new album? What brands of instruments did you use in the process?
Written by the Devil was recorded at Beco Studio here in Curitiba and mixed, mastered and produced by Ivan Pellicciotti who also produces and records Vulcano's albums. It had a lot of weight and was very analogue and is the album that most reminds the band of the past. It has received excellent reviews from all over the world. Each member of the band has their own instruments but I can't say for sure the brands.
6. On the new album you offer a sound with very classical influences, often with a rhythmic rhythm, where styles such as rock also play a fundamental role and where I believe that two bands like Venom or Mortuary Drape have a fundamental weight, as would you Describe the sound of the new album for those who haven't heard it yet? Which bands and styles influenced you when composing songs for this new album?
Generally, the guitarist is the one who makes the compositions, but the bassist also composes the composition and everyone in the band has an opinion. We listen to a lot of sounds from the 80s and 90s. From traditional Heavy Metal to Black Metal. It was a great album. Heavy, worked, a lot of feeling.
7. From the beginning you addressed themes related to Satanism and anti-Christianity in your lyrics. Do you consider these themes to be inherent to a style like black metal? What is your opinion about new bands that reject these themes in favor of others?
From the album Jachol ve Tehila in 1995, we also began to address other themes such as polytheism, worship of various gods, also in 2010 we talked a lot about Greek mythology, we don't just pay attention to Satanism or anti-Christian themes but we always touch on the subject in one song or another. I think Black Metal is a free style and everyone says what they want, we can't put rules and laws in Black Metal.
8. Your releases have always been closely linked to Brazilian record labels such as Cogumelo Records, Mutilation Productions, the most recent Metal Army formerly known as Mindscrape Music, what did Metal Army offer you that made you choose them to publish the new album? Do you think that releasing your music on Brazilian record labels gives you greater visibility in South America and could take away your prominence in Europe, for example?
It was exactly so that the band would have greater visibility in other countries. Metal Army is a label here in Paraná and is new and has worked with many labels and licensing bands from abroad here in Brazil such as Dark Throne, Katatonia, Dark Funeral, etc... It gave us all the support to release the new album and licensed our album to Hammerheart Records in the Netherlands and now for the first time we have worldwide distribution. I believe that many doors will open. Before, we were always more focused and restricted to the Brazilian market.
9. Everything involving the recording, mixing and mastering process is not very clear. Did you do the entire process yourself or did you work with a producer in a studio?
The mixing, mastering and production was handled by Ivan Pellicciotti from Beco studio, who is an excellent producer on par with the world's great producers.
10. Who designed the album cover, what does it represent and how does it relate to the album's content?
The cover was done by Marcos Miller, who had also done the previous Under The Whip and The Crown. We liked working with him because he is a designer in the style of the 80s and 90s. Everything is done by hand and nothing digital. The cover represents the world and its last days, suffering and imminent death the book that was written by the devil. The last card is from the devil.
11. Since 2018 you have incorporated Tenebrae Aarseth on the drums, although little by little more women are appearing involved in black metal bands, it is still not the most frequent, at what point did you decide to take this step? Have you noticed any changes in your followers, comments, etc. related to this?
There is a huge shortage of drummers here in Curitiba and as she has always been a fan of Amen Corner, I suggested that she join the band so she dedicated herself a lot, taking a lot of classes and improving until in 2018 she actually joined the band. and now it is the second consecutive album she records with the band. I see that many women are starting to want to play alone instead of just in bands. We have many women involved in Metal bands in Brazil and that is excellent. People really like and respect our drummer.
12. You have always been involved, to a greater or lesser extent, in being able to offer shows. How important is it for you to be able to perform your music live? What concert plans do you have for the next dates? Which show is the one that you keep getting better at? I remember? Which bands would you like to tour with?
A band has to record and play, it can't be one thing or the other. We are always playing around Brazil. In April we toured the Brazilian Northeast. Although the difficulties are great due to travel costs, Brazil is a very large country and air ticket prices are expensive, otherwise we would be able to play many more times. But we play as much as possible. Our biggest goal now is to play in other countries. We are already looking to do some shows in Europe in June 2025.
13. You have been working for over thirty years, you were part of the birth and consolidation of a style like black, what memories do you have of when you started doing this? Did you think you would still be active thirty years later? How would you describe today? of today's black metal in Brazil? What do you miss most about those early years?
During more than three decades involved with Amen Corner and Metal, we have seen and continue to see many changes in the world scenario and the behavior of people involved in the underground. It became popular and expanded. In the past, contact was more physical to meet and exchange information, ideas, copy songs from tape to tape, drink these things and nowadays, they are scarce due to the arrival of the internet and technology. Before, the shows were packed but nowadays the audience is small and restricted, except when it is a more famous band. People prefer to stay at home and watch everything on the internet. I think this is the negative point. The positive thing is the speed with which information is shared, today you can show your music to the whole world through Spotify, Deezer, etc... and this of course makes it easier to promote your band. But the weak point is the drop in the number of people at shows and the drop in sales of physical materials. We have to adapt as changes arise. These are the side effects of this new era in which we live.
14. How did you get started in music: first shows you attended, first records you bought? What happened in your lives that made you want to be musicians?
I started listening to Rock when I was 13 years old, today I'm 57 years old. It was a lifelong process of evolution. I started wanting to have a band after a Venom, Exciter and Vulcano show in São Paulo in 1986. The first records I bought were Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Kiss, W.A.S..P (in 1984 the release of their first album). Then came Venom, Slayer, Celtic Frost, Kreator Endless Pain, Sodom, etc.
15. Which album represents the essence of black metal for you? What latest albums have you purchased?
Venom “Black Metal” and Venom “Welcome to Hell”. I bought King Diamond's Abigail LP and Fatal Portrait LP recently.
16. Thank you very much for answering these questions about Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the Amen Corner followers this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
Thank you very much for the interview and for your support. We really want to be able to show our music live in Colombia one of these days. Big hug to all. Lots of health and Black Metal.
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Cassette, EP
