1.Aurora Borelis was born in 1994 by Ron Vento, who soon recruits Tony Laureano for the release of his first EP: "Mansions of Eternity" which is followed a couple of years later by "Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace" and without Tony Laureano but with the addition of Derek Roddy. A fruitful 1994-1998 period in terms of launches but nevertheless a bit more convulsive in terms of the line-up, how and why did he decide to create the band, why did he choose the name of Aurora Borealis? The race of the band can not find stability due to not being able to count on a stable formation?
Well a while back (1994) in Atlanta Ga I played in a band called Lestregus Nosferatus a couple of years and while it was fun, it never really progressed and went where I was looking for it to go. we were heading in different directions musically and lyrically so i branched off to form Aurora Borealis. As far as the early line up changes those drummers even though still up and coming at the time were still relatively unknown guys, as good as they were they quickly became very high demand and went on to play in much larger bands than us.
The band's name just means northern lights. I thought that this was an interesting name and a change from the every day gore and satanic names back then. The lights are chaotic yet beautiful just like our music. and i don’t mean in a pretty way musically, make no mistake we play fast aggressive music. Def no soft parts or keyboards etc, to me that is beautiful.
2.In what way did the music education you received at the Atlanta Institute of Music influence when creating a band like Aurora Borealis? And above all, belonging to Lestregus Nosferatus during the eighties, in what way did it influence you to dedicate yourself to the world of music?
My time in Atlanta was great because I got to meet and play in a band with one of the members of one of my favorite, old school thrash bands Hallows Eve. Lestregus Nosferatus, as you mentioned. I had a great time with them but as i mentioned earlier i just wasn’t to into what they were doing after a while. As far as the schooling, it was good but I am not sure it directly affected the way I go about writing music for Aurora Borealis. I think it did play a part in leading me to avenues in working in some studios. I think you are taken a bit more seriously by some establishments when you present some sort of degree, even though I am not sure I even believe that myself. The schooling was an overall great experience; it was hard in some areas and easy in others, but I am glad I had the chance to go. Also i don’t think it influenced me to dedicate myself to music, i have been dedicated to music since before high school. I knew i would always work in the music field, it was never even an option to do anything else. So the schooling more so solidified that.
3.Following with Aurora Borelis, Derek Roddy can not continue after the recording of "Northern Lights" after which comes the return of Tony Laureano for the recording of "Relinquish" which is replaced by Mark Green since 2011 and that along with Jason Ian -Vaughn Eckert complete the line-up of the band today. Here we have a couple of periods 1998-2011 and 2011 until today. During 1998-2011 the band continued editing new material quite regularly and albums like "Time, Unveiled" mark a before and after in the sound of the band, how evolved and settled the sound of Auraro Borealis with respect to the mid-late nineties?
Yes i agree, also Time young played on that album, yet another great drummer i have had the opportunity to work with. I think the reason that seems like a turning point in our sound was because i started to really refine my recording skills. Those early albums were made in a garage with me learning how to record. By the time Tony came back in the line up i had a legitimate studio to work out of and through trial and error i got better at making albums. So we had more of a polished sound on and after Relinquish.
4.The arrival of Mark Green in 2011 as a drummer and his participation in your last three albums to date, uaan last decade in which the band faces certain changes. How did the possibility of counting on Mark Green for Aurora Borealis arise and how has it contributed to forge the sound of the band in the last era?
When making the Timeline album i was actually talking to Derek Roddy again about recording the drums but he couldn’t come up to my studio and i didn’t want to have the drums be recorded anywhere except my own studio so he recommended mark contact me. Mark sent me a video audition to one of the songs from the album that i sent out to any drummer who wanted to audition. He was the last drummer to send in a video and i liked what he did with the song a lot. So we agreed on him to do the record. Ever since then i really have no need to look for another drummer. He is a great drummer with great ideas and very reliable. We work very well together and never have any issues. As long as he wants to do the Cds he will.
5.Your sound has been framed within the black / death metal, a style with a fairly homogeneous sound where it is difficult to emphasize if you do not contribute something different to the sound, but that nevertheless it is also complicated to contribute something different without leaving the established. However, from your beginnings Aurora Borealis has always stood out for having its own personality and for maintaining a certain innovation in terms of sound, especially in terms of finding an almost perfect balance between death and black but with a melodic and fast personality. When you recorded your first demo in 1994 and the EP "Mansions of Eternity", how did you put on the sound of the band? Did you know from the beginning what sound you wanted for the band and how has it evolved over these years?
Yes from the start i knew it would be Black death metal with hints of thrash and melody. To this day i still do the same thing. we have been around for a very long time and have many albums out so i think we have distinguished ourselves in the genre. I like to think when people hear one of our albums they know its us. I have no plans to change styles and if i ever felt the need to change i would do it under a different name like i did with Imperial Crystalline Entombment where it was straight black metal. Its natural that my sound would be black thrash death because that is basically all i listened to when i was younger so all those bands had a direct influence on me. I just write what i feel and usually thats black death or thrash riffs.
6.Maybe a recognizable fact about sound is that at the beginning of your career the death influences were lower than today, can you explain a bit how this change produces the sound of the band?
There were far less bands than there are today, or atlas far fewer bands that were able to release cds. Today any band in a bedroom can make a cd with no money so there is a lot of trash to go through and more bands to listen to, back then the bands that released albums were usually good bands and all the albums were released on record labels so it was usually good stuff. So luckily i had all good bands to draw influences from.
7.Another noteworthy aspect is the fact that your lyrics have never dealt with topics such as Satanism but that you used others such as history and mythology with which you feel more comfortable, however for a while now you start to try other topics such as be the science fiction, serve as the example the cover of your last three albums, why this change of theme in terms of letters?
Definitely the last three albums have all been Sci Fi, or space related with hints of spiritual and religious based themes. The next album i already have the entire story drawn up for. I get even deeper into that world and mixing Space and Religion. The newest Album Apokalupsis is that route as well. Timeline is an account of The history of the everything to the end of everything. and World Shapers is strictly Sci Fi. I have pretty much written about everything i wanted to and mythical so this is my new path which a lot of bands don’t get into. The next album will be insanity as far as a theme. The last three albums have also been conceptual albums. I will def stick to that for prob the rest of my writing with Aurora Borealis. I have no desire to write about satanism and gore. Those topics are boring to me and a dead and in writing.
8.What brand of instruments do you use to record? Any special guitar that you have in your collection that you feel especially proud of?
I have used one guitar on every single album i have recorded. It is a custom one of a kind Jackson. It was built for me. I won’t use another guitar on my Aurora albums. jay uses a Modulus bass for most of the albums and as far as drums we have used a couple different kits. My Recording studio has a sound as well based off of the gear we use to do the actual recording.
9."Apokalupsis" has been edited by Casus Belli Music on CD, digital and vinyl, satisfied with the work he has done on the label in terms of editing and promoting the album? How did the possibility of working with Casus Belli arise? For you, what is the format with which you feel most identified to be able to offer your music, between CD, digital, vinyl and cassette?
Yes they have done a good job, when i signed with them i knew i was signing with a smaller label but i did it on purpose. We had three offers and the other two were from bigger labels but i wanted to go with someone who i thought really liked our music and didn’t have 500 other bands on the roster. They also did a nice splatter vinyl which i always wanted as well. They have been a good label, They don’t have the promotion or distribution of some of the bigger labels but i am not to concerned with that at his point in my career. I still prefer cd and vinyl. I am in talks to release a cassette version soon, and i had a deal with a smaller American Label for a jewel case cd since the other label just did Digipaks. The label was Cimmerian Shade but that fell through. That guy was the most unprofessional guy i have ever felt with in my life. He revised my contract three times for the same issue and we had a deal signed of which he kept promising me the release would happen later and later until finally he admitted the label was folding. he basically wasted my time and made me lose the opportunity of getting an American label. I am considering a lawsuit because we signed a deal and he owes me money as far as I’m concerned.
10.With respect to the Nightsky Studios that you own, is there a high workload right now? The bands that use the studio, do you think that you can see the sound of Aurora Borelis? Is it complicated to combine and make time for Berazais and the Nightsky Studios?
I have had my studio for almost 20 years and 15 of those in a commercial space. We do all types of music and its how i have made my living since then. We stay pretty busy. I try to make all albums unique so i hope people don’t hear aurora in their albums ha, My life is def busy and its part of the reason i don’t play shows.
11.How were your beginnings in music, first albums that you bought, concerts that you attend? And how did they influence you as a musician?
When i was a kid i was introduced not to Death and black metal at first because they were a new style. I remember going to watch bands like Motley Crue or Judas Priest and from there i was always looking for heavier and heavier. I remember me any my friend buying the first cannibal corpse cd, he actually bought it if i remember right and we laughed at it but it caught on and we still listen to them 25 or more years later. It was just a natural progression. I used to listen to early thrash metal a lot. bands like Kreator, Sodom, and Coroner and from America Overkill and Megadeth. You can hear all of that it my music so it def stuck with me.
12.Who designed the cover of "Apokalupsis" and what does it refer to?
Mike H, from Visual Darkness did it. he is a phenomenal artist and has done three of my covers. He is amazing. You can just send him lyrics or a theme and he runs with it. he does tons of album covers but he is an even better vocalist. He is just a talented guy. The album cover is basically a portal through time where fallen angels come to earth after traveling through space and time, and Satan as a serpent is on the tree of life. Standing before him are three aliens, which are really demons reporting back to their master. In the distance you can see the three crosses one of which christ was crucified on. Its basically from life origins on earth until the end of art and revelation. the story is very intense. Here is an account of the album in detail
Apokalupsis is a concept album in which we venture through the beginning of all creation until the inevitable apocalyptic war. Its primary focus brings to light alien existence and their purpose among humans. The album describes what they are, where they came from and how they manipulated mankind. It also elaborates on those victimized by abduction and why it occurs. Apokalupsis commences with God casting rebellious angels out of heaven. Unlike traditional stories, God sends them through space to stars created to keep them captive. One star for every fallen angel, countless stars for countless demons. At the heart of every star, there is a demon trying to break free and find its way to God’s greatest creation, mankind. In consequence, those that escape create massive solar flares and star quakes. By manipulating space time through wormholes, their search for human life begins. Some never escape and after billions of years collapse with the stars, forever forsaken in eternal solitude. Those who reach earth begin their deceit. Throughout history they have taken on many forms with the intent of building a foundation of deception; beginning with Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden. In modern time they disguise themselves as aliens, guiding the lives of great rulers (from pharaohs, to kings and presidents,) with the intent of destruction. In time they reveal what they are and inspire Armageddon.
Apokalupsis, once withdrawn, now visible to all.
13.With "Apokalupsis" released almost nine months ago, are you satisfied with the response of your fans to him? Are you working on new songs for a new album? What immediate plans do you have for the band, in terms of concerts and releases?
Yes i am very satisfied, to date we have not received one bad review. Just positive remarks from magazines and fans. I have a couple new songs in the works and as i mentioned before i have the entire theme for the new cd planned out already. It will be a while before we begin recording it but its def in the works.
14.Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions, I hope you have been pleased, if you want to add something more for our readers and the followers of Aurora Borealis, this is the place.
Thanx so much for the voice you give us. It is people and avenues like yourself that have always kept this band relevant. We never got much help in the way of labels or distribution deals, etc. So, you guys are really the driving force behind the band. keep an eye on the Aurora site www.auroraborealis.org . You can order copies or see news etc there. Thanx again!!
2 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Reissue
