Interview with Ars Thelema

Hi! What sparked the idea for “Et in Arcadia Ego,” and why did you choose to explore themes like occultism, mythology, and psychology in your debut album?
Hi my friend, I’m with this question. The idea of “Et In Arcadia Ego” was born in a conversation with a very beloved friend from Poland. Sometimes she talked to me about a park that exists in her country, with some constructions and buildings of the Greek and Roman times. There exists a statue with the phrase “Et In Arcadia Ego” and it seems beautiful to me, so I decided to seek information about that. I found the story of the picture “Arcadian Shepherds” and the meaning of “Et In Arcadia Ego” A phrase told by the figure of the Death walking through the beautiful place that is Arcadia. The Death still being the end of the path at Arcadia, the most beautiful place on earth in mythology.
We liked to project a path that everyone’s walk in the way of the self-knowledge, when one person is conscious of his/her own existence. Occultism is the way to find the secrets beyond human limitations, to unlock the entire potential of everyone. Is for people who are fine and want to be better. That is the importance of talking about psychology and the ways of self-knowledge. The mythology is the way where ancient initiates find a way to write all of their ancient knowledge, is their legacy.

Can you walk us through how you created the album, from initial concepts to recording?
The idea of the disc was born in little parts some years ago. From the literature that we commonly read, myths, stories, horror, demonology, esoterism, modern psychology and more. We select them in terms that can connect all of them in a line and the expression of some type of emotions, sadness, mercy, severity, power, greatness, lust, joy, tenacity, love, despair, wisdom and more intentions. We composed them in that aspect, threatening to give coherency in a timeline, since severity and power to mercy and introspection. We have a little studio and it helped us to take time to think about how we can give that intention to our work. We treated express with all the instruments every one the of the senses involved in the album, since the instrumental parts and songs, to the fierce of the voice in each song. Were so many days closed in the studio studying the type of sounds that we seeked.

How does your music help listeners on their journey of self-discovery and introspection?
At the first time they need to know some of the elements that contain the disc. And it is another point, the motivation to read and understand about the themes that we´re talking about. Is something similar to the experience that I lived listening to other bands and threatening to understand what they want to show in their works. The timeline of our disc relates a journey in the consciousness of the self darkness, that’s why we called “The Dark” a treatment to express a melancholic atmosphere. Lycanthrophia is a song that expresses the power, rage of the werewolf, the first one mentioned in Greek mythology, the King Lycaon that was treated inclusively to cheat God, is a song about the human fierceness of animal instinct, the fire element. Karnak is a temple in Egypt that in ancient Egypt functioned like a sanctuary for the Pharaohs to talk with the gods, the power of spirituality, rationality, knowledge, air element. Et In Arcadia Ego, the name of the album, talks about precisely about the figure of the Death like a power existent everywhere and finished everywhere too. The next song is ShubNiggurath the Lovecraftian goddess, a chant of the humans to a force higher than us, for protection and giving wisdom and materia for us, ground element. Another prayer is the next song Satanica, an ode to Lilith, first woman and mother of the sinister path, a prayer to a mother by the knowledge of his sons, and love to and for the mother, water element. The next song is Dominatrix, which we have an official video if you want to check it in YouTube, is combination of prayer, ecstasy, love, lust, witchery, for the beloved woman of the mind, the babalon, figure of complementation and adoration, a combination of water and fire elements. The next song is a reference song of the “Book of the Law” or Liber Al Vel Legis, the text for the conclusion of the great work, Do what thou wilt, shall whole of the law, Love is the law, love under will; is the lecture of some important phrases of the book and the ecstasy of knowledge of the own will. The next song is Epitaph, and like an epitaph talks about the end of the path, the preparation for the final, answering the questions of life and wanting to rest in peace in our own garden that refers to our own conclusion of each way in peace. The last song it’s an instrumental of Dominatrix used like a Requiem for the final and conclusion of the disc.

With diverse themes in each track, how did you ensure the album felt cohesive as a whole?
In that case, each song represents some angles of the human mind and in the lyric themes we connected it, the power tracks, are united then lust tracks are united and mercy tracks are united, only track one talks about the dark path is going to begin, if we try to compare each song with the kabbalah we can find some reference in each song, we can compare “The Dark” with Daath and Malkuth or Liltith Naamah. In the other cases we have three pillars, power (Lycanthropia, Path to Karnak, Et In Arcadia Ego) Lust or middle pillar for the qliphoth Lilith Gamaliel (ShubNiggurath, Satanica and Dominatrix) and Mercy (Ars Thelema, Epitaph and Dominatrix 93 93). If we delve into those terms we can find really interesting things to talk about that we need so much time, some coffee and something to eat for have an enjoyable conversation.

What inspired the visuals and symbolism in the “Dominatrix” music video?
We mainly try to do something of quality with the things that we had around us, the visible things in the video are we playing our instruments, a ritual back with transparency and some scenes with a girl doing specific things. We playing haven’t a deep explanation, the ritual in the back shows of the magic, devotion and religious part of that we are talking, in that we used symbology of Thelema and main drawings of the album to represent it, the girl appears like feminine symbol of the song with their different types of gaze and the appearance of a partner lost in the shadows ever back her, and the painting other kind of representation of the feminine force alluded in the song. The girl that appears in the video is the responsible person of all the visual art in our work.

Could you discuss the significance of tracks like “ShubNiggurath” and “Satanica,” drawing from mythological inspirations?
In both cases we´re talking of feminine powers both creative and destructive at the same time, dark figures in their specific denominations, and both songs talk about prayers to them. The different things reside in the type of their chants, to ShubNiggurath we can say it’s more a material kind, please give things mother, things, sons of the ground. In the case of Satanica i can relate it more with the feelings in some cases lust, but pulled in love not only in the instinct. The most being focused on the prayer for feeling. And in this case we treat some of the iconic things there like the emerald crown of lucifer, the devil’s flesh, the mother of the demons and more.

What message or emotion were you trying to convey with the track “Epitaph”?
I think it is like a form of seeing the world in the end, questions about the last feelings, time to say goodbye and remember the things lived. Seek the rest in peace, and pray for the last company. We cannot say a specific figure to say that, it’s like a form that everyone can say it to the elevated thing upon his head to tell it. The feeling of seeing the shades come waiting for everyone with a cold embrace, but fight against it and say I lived under my will.

What were some challenges you faced during the creation of “Et in Arcadia Ego”?
There are so many, one of them is the time necessary to give it, to work focused on the project. With us, the band partners there is no so much problem about feelings, mainly in our times. Like ever, the money isn’t only to record and have the songs in our hands, there is so much work dealing with having some eyes in our work. The scene is not so open to hear new bands and even more in our culture, metal doesn’t have so much exposure and support. Some cases record and try to show to the world your work can be really hard work, don´t matter if you put your soul in your music, you need to put it in all the way next that it represents.

How does the album cover artwork tie into the album’s themes and story?
Us with the help of @Eire_nox tried to make something simple to the cover art that in a gaze resumes what we tried to show. A Skeleton with a weapon in medieval style drawing that symbolizes the power and severity and the death in an image and in the other side mercy, pain and in the same time the death a man body skinned, at the same time in medieval style drawing, we have some pictures more specifically for each song that try to follow the same line with the lyrics and style of drawing, very simple.

What do you hope listeners take away from your music in terms of interpretation and engagement?
I hope they can enjoy listening to it. The most important thing, next, is to have the message of being better each day, focus on their objectives and the conclusion of them. When we talk about self-knowledge it is a message to see a mirror and confront everything that makes you feel uncomfortable, outside, inside, know it and study and know it, take the bull by the horns. I want to share a phrase that has so many sense to me in this case: “a well-rounded man should be a philosopher, warrior and artist” from Benvenuto Cellini

In what ways do live performances enhance the storytelling in your music?
At this time we’re trying to build a performance that connects the music with the visual art in it, i hope we can show you this in a time but can considerate the clothes and some visual things related to the art of the disc in the show, everything following the guide of the things before talked about

How does music contribute to exploring the mysteries of human consciousness, especially in your esoteric-themed music?
Is a wonderful way to do that, because you only see around you, hear the most emotional music, it can change all the atmosphere where we stay, can change the way you feel everything, your experiences, it’s so common that everyone has their soundtracks of their lives. The music that we hear constructs us, that why everywhere we go have music specifically selected kinds of it, every human behavior expert knows it. And in that case we need to be selective with the things we hear and the interpretation we make of them. The music is a powerful way of control. Please everyone, hear music that makes you feel free and gives power to your objectives, don´t be permissive and let others control you using your animal instincts. The music can help you to have experiences so elevated only by putting attention and extreme focussing in it.

Beyond the music, how do Thelemic philosophies impact your personal lives and creative expression?
In my case, guitar player, vocals and main composer is a lifestyle. Every time of the day I have a unicursal hexagram in front of my eyes, to have clarity in my objectives and the things I need to do for it. I read so much about it, and I’m in some study groups about it. It is only a way that helps to be congruent with you. Obviously I have good and bad days like everyone, days that I feel weak or strong, but this helps me to take the better part that I can of my life. It inspires me to be better than I was yesterday, everyday.

Can you share any upcoming projects or collaborations after “Et in Arcadia Ego”? Thank you for your time!
Of course, we are preparing some videos, lyrics and official for other tracks, and have collaboration with other bands in events, and we’re thinking in some material in collaboration with other bands, one them is Cactus Rojo and we´re waiting for other friends that we are talking and for don’t tell the other bands until the confirmation I can’t tell it now but pay attention to our social networks and you can discover it. Greetings and thanks for the space my dear friend!