Good evening, thank you very much for answering these questions, how is everything going in Lisbon?
JA- Things could be better...... but we have a new album out, so that's something positive.
1. The band was born around the year 1996, why did you decide to create the band? Why did you choose the name Nethermancy and what does it refer to?
JA- Well, I decided to create this band cause I wanted to do something with my friend Aion. I wanted to do some more cold BM than what I did with Decayed, so Nethermancy was born. The name of the band was inspired by a book I was reading at the time, can't recal wich book it was after all this time. It refers to what we aimed to create with this band, magick from the depths.
2. You have always been active, however the number of releases is not very high; How high of a priority is it for you to dedicate time to Nethermancy? How does Nethermancy fit in, in terms of priorities, with the other bands you are involved with? Where does the secret lie to maintaining a relatively stable line-up after all this time?
JA- With all of my side projects I try to release something new when I have the right feeling for that particular band. So I never know when the next album is due, I only follow what I feel inside. If the time is right, I do it! And then, there is always the time it takes to find a decent label. I don't have any favorite band or project. Each one shows a different side of my soul. When you have a real friendship with the people you have in the band, it's easy to keep on working throghout the years. That's why some projects last years while others... die young!
3. A few days ago you released your fourth album "Worship Evil Sacrifice", which comes almost seven years after its predecessor. How has the process of writing and recording this new album been? What brands of instruments have you used in the process?
Aion – Everything started when JA gave the idea to make a 7’’, Angel-0 and me talked about the musical orientation we wanted to follow and after two songs were made I said to Angel-0 no way we’re going to stay here instead we are going to do a new full length. Afterwards we talked with JA and he agreed, then we got from him the songs structures and begun to write and record everything As for the instruments we used an BC Rich guitars and a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Amplifier , an Ibanez bass and an Ampeg SVT -CL, a Ludwig Classic drums and virtual sounds and samples for the keyboards.
4. In your sound many classical influences are collected that refer us on the one hand to the black and thrash sound of the nineties, at the same time that you do not give up a dense, dark and heavy sound, without forgetting the work of Angel-0 at the keyboards that ends up defining a dense and disturbing atmosphere, however it is true that with a number of releases so spaced apart it becomes difficult to follow a common thread in your sound, how would you define the sound of this new album for those who have not yet heard it? listened? What do you think has changed in your sound between the last two albums you have released? What sounds and bands do you think have influenced you when it comes to defining your sound?
Aion – We play black metal, no matter what. The coldness and magick we want in our music has many tongues, so we are able to speak many musical languages to achieve that. This new album marks the beginning of a new cycle for the band as a brotherhood we always were and we are truely confortable not only with it as also with all our previous works. Nethermancy’s essence wasn’t lost with Worship Evil Sacrifice instead evolved to an even more primordial and obscure form maintaing the mystic and rawness we always had. We prefer to stick to our early musical roots, there’s nothing more special to us than that so bands as Venom, Hellhammer, Bathory, Beherit, Emperor, Immortal and Marduk are influencial to us.
5. Of the aspects that surround your lyrics there are some such as mysticism and anti-Christianity that attracts special attention, many times the bands use them for free, just to "pretend", however in your case these elements together with the occult you find a perfect balance between music and lyrics, who is in charge of writing the texts of your songs and why do you consider it important to treat them? Do the lyrics adapt to the music or vice versa?
Aion- I write all Nethermancy’s lyrics and they portrait my visions and beliefs upon the somber side of humanity. Blindness for instance is here and is real, and for sure it doesn’t depend only on our eyes. As we evolve, history is written but not everything that is written and afterwards taught is true as you know, so it’s important to enlighten all beings that light can be also an illusion and even more darker than darkness itself.
There’s a perfect match between lyrics and music since what is written inspires the musical landscapes we want to create. Between myself and Angel-0 we used this sibilant chemistry to write the new album and I can assure you that it made us rejoice with the final result.
6. The album cover seems to be related to some kind of ritual, offering sacrifice to some supposed deity, who took care of the design of the cover? What does this cover represent and how is it related to the content of the album?
JA- When Aion told me that title of the album I immidiately thought of this image I had found on the internet and wich I saved for future use. I believe that this cover conveys perfectly the title and the overall feeling of the album.
7. Your latest releases are linked to the Helldprod Records record label, although you were previously linked to Hoth Records, why did you decide to change your record label? Are you satisfied with the coverage that a Portuguese label gives you outside your borders?
JA- We have been working with several labels in these years we have been active. We just ask from the label to be treated fairly. I personally don't care about what labels do or not due. As long as they don't complain about the sales when they don't do any promotion. But with Helld we can't complain about the promotion of the band.
8. From the beginning, Nethermancy has stayed away from the stage, can this change soon and take your proposal live? Who would you like to share a supposed mini-tour with?
JA- This as always been a side project. We never had plans to play live, and now with my health problems... I don't see it ever happening.
9. The Portuguese black scene has always seemed quite attractive and particular to me in different aspects, with a strong weight of the classic sound of bands like Decayed or Moonspell and then a good handful of bands and projects with a raw character, like Irae, Candelabrum, Omitir, Inthyflesh, Defuntos..., well without forgetting that more international aspect with which Gaerea can be related. After the time that you have been active, what is your opinion of the black metal scene in Portugal? How do you think everything has evolved in these years that you have been active? What bands would you recommend from a city like Lisbon?
Aion – Like I said black metal has many heads and therefor it’s unlimited in its various creations and creative minds. The so called scene has grown and has shown worlwide its quality, there’s no doubt about that. I agree with you also, I think we have more rawness between the spirits that endure our musical textures wether they are focused in nature or in the abyss. Will not stay only in Lisbon, so some of my personal portuguese favourite bands are Monte Penumbra and Velório but I can also add Irae, Corpus Christii, Decayed, Fustilarian, Tod Huetet Uebel (altough they’re no more), Infernüs, Barbaric Horde and Satanize for instance.
10. Of course, a lot of time has passed, but how were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What event in your lives pushed you to want to be musicians?
JA- It all started when I saw Europe live on a tv show called “Countdown”. I was at my oldest friend's house and when I got home I turned on the radio and began a search for everything with loud guitars. That was how I started listening to Metal back in 1986. The first gig I ever attended was with 2 portuguese bands (Massacre and Thormenthor) plus the dutch act Thanatos. Lots of memories about that day since the gig started with a 4 hours delay. The first album I ever bought was a compilation called “Metal Killers II”. After I bought Ozzy's “Ultimate Sin” followed by the Iron Maiden “Live After Death”. I wanted to play guitar after listening Venom's “Witching Hour”, that was the song that started it all.
11. What album represents for you the essence of black metal? What last albums have you bought?
JA- Like the title says... “Black Metal” of Venom, the real fathers of Black Metal. I haven't bought any albuns for many years now since I became too dispointed with humans all over. People talk one thing and do the other. Now my main interest are movies from all eras.
12. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Nethermancy fans this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
JA- Thank you for the support towards Nethermancy. If you're interested in buying some merchandise just contact me at: chroan@sapo.pt or look us up on FaceBook or on the usual music platforms.
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