Interview with Naas Alcameth of Nightbringer
Interviewed by Starlight Temple Society for Fenrir # 1 (Order of Nine Angles) | 2009

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-Introduce your band, Nightbringer.

Alcameth: Nightbringer was formed in 1999 by Nox Corvus and myself. It began as a creative outlet for our contemplations on the mysteries of death and oblivion. We wanted to create black metal with a profoundly dark and haunting sound suitable for the lofty subject matter. Since its inception, the sound and the spirit which drives it has taken form, shed its skin and taken form again. The entity is an ever changing serpent upon a crooked and shadowy path.    

-You've described allegory as being an important process of Nightbringer. What exactly is the allegory, and what is its purpose

Alcameth: “Allegory is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal.” Given the esoteric nature of the subject matter we deal with, elaborate metaphor is proper. Our allegories have dual purposes. The first is to keep any spiritual philosophies present within the prose enigmatic as not to “cast pearls before swine”, as the saying goes. Cipher is the natural language of the hidden art and this is what inspires our prose. The second purpose is to keep the essence of the work unrestrained within the mind of the reader/listener. When conveying concepts belonging to the realm of the meta-physical, it is only proper to paint the picture within the same context, inspiring and guiding the reader/listener towards and within the dark realm of thought by which the lyrics are inspired. This is the point where the work as a whole really comes alive. Given these are creative outflows inspired by occult philosophy, the work should not be viewed as a grimoire, but instead should be seen as prose born within the nadir of the dark side of the mind and spirit.     

-Does this symbolism ever become manifest? How?

Alcameth: It is certainly possible, though not in the crude fashion some may imagine. For example, we have referenced several deific names. Deities are in large in this day and age understood as means of representations of phenomena, be it physical, emotional so on. In this fashion the gods are merely symbolic, archaic tools used by ancient man to understand himself and the world in which he lived. This belief is erroneous. Deific names and representations belonged to very specific forces whose entirety was not confined to the phenomena to which they were associated. I believe the ancients understood this intimately. Such a view is now largely confounded by the exoteric and dogmatic western mind fame and can be difficult for some to grasp. Specific meta-physical states can be experienced via different means, such as meditation, lucid dreaming and so on. In these states I believe one can come into contact with manifestations of these specific forces which have been symbolically given faces and names by our ancestors. I believe with certainty that the reverberation caused by such contact is unconfined and can manifest physically.

-What is radiated from the symbiosis of allusion and the corporeal?

Alcameth: The corporeal provides the allusion. 

-Let's discuss the small but notable body of Nightbringer's music. What can be said about each release?

Alcameth: Nightbringer started with a potent conceptual basis and well rooted spiritual and philosophical stance though it was unrefined and still in an infantile stage. Never the less it was a suitable starting point and with the release of Rex we successfully relayed the intended spirit I would say. The music was perhaps not as complex (with the exception of the final track composed by Ophis) and refined as the later efforts, but it was far from simple and was certainly methodical and fairly well composed. Death and the Black work was a three and a half year tribulation and I feel this is reflected in the release itself. It is vast and dark with an organic yet phantasmagoric feel to it. The edges are rough and the sound is a bit spacious for how much is going on but I feel this gives the work a certain dark and chthonic appeal. Lyrically there is much maturity and more depth to the subject matter. Apocalypse Sun is perhaps the furthest departure from the previous Nightbringer formula, as it was fueled by fiery and tempestuous prose given the concept was that of the wrathful black sun as the gate of spiritual apocalypse and initiatic transmutation. This violent allegory of the solar/virile principle imbued with the lunar/feminine is reflected in much of the musical composition itself. Many of the songs are tumultuous and violent yet will suddenly give away to furious harmonies or descend into broodingly dark-threnody like compositions. Over all, the album is an eidolon of mass proportion that twists and turns with spiritual core intact and ablaze. I feel this is the most powerful offering yet.    

-How does each Nightbringer recording represent the character growth of both yourself and the rest of the coterie? What was learned during and after the creation process of each session, and how has it prepared you for the continuation of the project?

Alcameth: As far as individual growth I can only speak for myself though each member has certainly grown throughout the development of Nightbringer. I compose all the lyrics for Nightbringer and again I would say that maturity is evident within the progression of the prose. We have all had a share in the composing of the music itself over the years. I ended up composing the mass of Apocalypse Sun myself, but again in comparison you can see how things have naturally progressed. Nox will be writing a large amount of the next album, which is further down the road.   

-Describe your mental and "spiritual" state while creating music, both in and out of the studio. What sorts of things prepare you for the process?

Alcameth: For me, the actual composition of the music is more personal, as this is done on a private and individual level. I can get lost in thought as inspiration flows freely and my thoughts wander through dark places fueled by the ongoing creative process. The studio process tends to be more external by necessity and I find it less appealing over all. It is gratifying to see your work take form but the steps to get there are tedious and technical by their nature. There are so many factors, and you have to keep things from wandering away from the pre-conceived image of the work. Multiple people are involved and you have to constantly convey your will to the engineer who may not wholly grasp what you are going for. Once the framework is constructed and the technicalities worked through the more creative aspect returns and you begin to breathe spirit back into the homunculi bringing it to life. During the recording of “Apocalypse Sun”, I recorded all of the vocals outside of the studio and did these at night and in solitude. This certainly allowed for deeper states of focus and thought and is certainly more personal and spiritual. The essence of the work itself is corrosive and dark and I believe is potently relayed within the final “product”.    

-....And what is channeled during this process?

Alcameth: The focus can differ depending on the song as the combination of lyrics and music provoke specific pre-determined thoughts and direct me towards certain mental states. Descent is a constant as Nightbringer represents the concept of the spiritual downward path towards the profound death.    

-Is fan and media reception important? Why or why not?

Alcameth: We are largely un-concerned on how the “fan” receives our work. Some will enjoy the music but will not understand it on a spiritual level and thus not be penetrated by it fully. At this point it is mere entertainment and the true scale has eluded the listener. Many will simply dislike the music period. We couldn’t care less and the solution is easy…don’t listen to it. Some will understand what we create as it was meant to be understood. Those are the listeners we care to reach. As far as distribution and its scale, it is a conundrum really. If our music is rooted within the esoteric mindset then why make it available outside our immediate circle or closely related and likeminded friends? This crossed our minds at an early stage as Nightbringer slowly gained momentum within the scene. We had considered keeping the availability of our work limited in the hopes that the few that could understand it on both levels, being musically and spiritually, would be the only ones to have access to it. The reality however is that this simply would be out of our control. Even if pressed and distributed in limited numbers and in a more underground fashion the fact remains that such things in large still fall into the wrong hands, such as collectors and Ebay hawkers. This has happened too many times, not only in music but with esoteric books and other such things, which has resulted in limiting access to only those who can pay the exuberant prices these things go for due to their rarity. Our work is only fully accessible by those with the eyes to see and the ears to hear and is uncompromised by its amount of accessibility.    

-What if anything negates Nightbringer as a tool for mere entertainment?

 Alcameth: Nothing. Mere entertainment is exactly what it is and will remain to most listeners. This goes for any such work. Most are drawn by the dark sounds, prose and imagery but it ends there and there is no deeper understanding for the individual without the necessary means.    

-Do you consider Nightbringer to be an anti-Christian band? If so, why is Christianity necessarily "bad"?

Alcameth: Nightbringer is the outflow of the dark currents of our minds and our vital force. It is based on a point of view close to what in the East is known as the Left-hand path. In this path there is a certain attitude of anomie which is necessarily opposed to the purely moralistic and devotional attitude of Christianity.  

-Has Nightbringer helped you to become a stronger person? How and why, and in what ways has it done so?

Alcameth: My studies and experiences have helped me become a stronger person. Nightbringer has been fed by and is a result of these personal progresses along with our progressions as musicians/writers. In turn what we create with Nightbringer serves to further inspire and thus it is a continuum that does indeed strengthen us as we progress upon our paths. We feed the entity and it in turn feeds us.   

-Describe in detail the "black" concepts which pervade the essence of Nightbringer. Which concepts are most important to you, and why?

  Alcameth: All concepts used by Nightbringer find their provenance within a common source. That source resides at the shadowy depths of the self and is synonymous with death profound. Death is the quintessential concept, the spiritual core of the work. The word itself conjures images of oppression, darkness and finality thus such images are common place within the prose. The grave, the catacomb, the bog and the tomb are all places of internment that reside below the earth. The essence is thus chthonic. It is the archetypical force of death itself that beckons us to place our dead upon sunken alters, to lay them as close as we can before the threshold of the abyss the unfathomable antithesis of manifestation. It may seem curious at first why we unconsciously place the gateways to the abyss beneath the earth, when earth seems the quintessence of corporeal manifestation itself. Why not raise our dead upon towering funeral spires that they may be as close as possible to the fathoms of night that lies between the celestial bodies? Is cosmic dark not a more suitable and obvious avatar of the abyss? Our subconscious insists upon placing such a provenance within the utmost nadir, not in a gross physical sense but in a profoundly spiritual sense. Thus we open the earth and inhume our dead in a ceremonial act. The obtainment of the “heights within the depths” via the gate of profound death is often reiterated within the prose. Apocalypse Sun expresses this concept yet is more imbued with fiery and fulgurous imagery than that of night and the grave. This is the meaning of the imagery depicting an immolating ebon sun risen from the “land of the dead” that gains dominion and serves as the moment of spiritual destruction and rebirth i.e. “apocalypse”.     

-When and why did you first become interested in Occult matters, more specifically Satanism?

Alcameth: The term “Satanist” is much too ambiguous and explains little about a person or their beliefs. What one person calls Satanism another calls individualism and another devil worship. I worship nothing in a dogmatic sense. I recognize a divine adversarial force that is a gate of death and other-becoming. This force has been given many names, Satan being only one of them. Back to the question at hand, I have always been drawn to things of a shadowy, dark and adverse nature and as I mentioned I believe this to be an atavistic calling. My infatuation with the occult started in my late teens and like most was first based upon ideas that were rudimentary at best. My beliefs have matured over time and will continue to as I progress through this life.    

-How do you discern what is "truth" and "untruth", fact and fancy when approaching any matter in life?

Alcameth: Man lives in a state without immediate means by which he can interpret experience beyond the confines of physical life and naturally turns to introspection, myth, philosophy and religion. How does one delineate between the fruits of truth born not of science and reason, but of something vaster, and those supposed “truths” constructed to negate the oppressive weight of individual finality. This veil cannot be parted by simple material means and thus man is seemingly left stranded, marching somnambulistic towards the precipice without knowing how to wake himself. In panic and anxiety many chose to self-medicate with adherence to belief systems that promise a continuance of the self or the “soul” which is more often than not crudely understood by the believer as their ego, i.e. personality, traits, preferences, likes and dislikes. Unlike many of the ancients who believed that “immortality” was accessible to the few and was only achieved by very specific and rigorous esoteric processes, many modern religions offer salvation for one and all in trade for adherence to their doctrines which are largely based around basic moral concepts.

In this sense the salvation-based religion is the numbing elixir for the pains and woes of the concept of an absolute abolishment of the “self”. The concept of absolute oblivion is so unfathomable that most do not even reserve it for those “sinners” who do not abide by or adhere to their doctrines. Instead they place the faithless and the heretic within abodes of eternal suffering, darkness and despair, a nightmare realm of existence, but existence nevertheless. Thus the concept of oblivion has been negated altogether, at least in the mind of the fearful mortal who cannot and will not accept the possibility of personal non-existence. The concept of oblivion is so hard to fathom that at best the thought evokes an image of an abyss, lightless and vast, yet spatial. Again this is man’s lack of ability hindering him from fathoming what cannot be fathomed, at least not by conventional means, absolute and total nothingness. This physical disassociation is quite possibly understood only within the pinnacle (or should I say nadir) of the deepest meditative states which are described as being akin to or on the very threshold of death itself. Innately we seem to understand the archetypes. Death resides within the provenance of darkness, whose quintessence is synonymous with feminine symbols such as water, the moon, night and the abyss. If the deepest yearning of man is to retain a semblance of what they know to be their “self” after the terminus of their physical body, then death is indeed the great antagonist, the one true devil of mankind. In truth death is the closest thing to a god mortals have ever known as it manifests all around him and is an undeniable force of transition that subjugates all. To come close to death and reside near his abode is to reside in a place of profound truth on the brink of what one is and what one is to be, be it something other or nothing at all. If one agrees that god(s) do indeed exist, in whatever capacity they might possibly be interpreted by the individual, all must first still come to stand before death.

All true gnosis is learned by the grave. This has been fully understood by the adepts of multiple cultures throughout the span of human history. “One must rise by that which one falls”. The first misstep in the exoteric and modern mindset is the adherence to a spiritual belief system based on what seems to me, the fear of one’s own mortality, as previously discussed. The second error is in the very interpretation of “salvation”, i.e. the continuance or “immortality” of one’s “self” (ego) as something akin to what they understand to be themselves in the mortal context. The ego itself is utterly flawed, the basest provenance in which we in our ignorance have planted our flag of being. The ego is formed, nurtured and adapted within and is a direct product of the material sphere. The assumption that one could or would pass from a physical state to an ethereal spiritual dimension with human “self” intact is juvenile to the point of absurdity. Many different arguments, both spiritual and pseudo-scientific have been set against the naysayer of the religious concept of “salvation”. What purpose would the ego serve within an ethereal plain of eternal existence? The transcendent self would be completely independent and free of the ego. However most have trouble indentifying with a concept of the “self” devoid of ego. This concept could only be fully realized by the utter destruction of the ego itself, and the destruction of the ego is only immediately accessible via physical death. To isolate and kill the ego is the quest of the adept, thus freeing oneself of the human condition in a moment which is a total meta-physical death and rebirth. This is the concept of esoteric initiation. This is the philosophy from which I have structured my personal spiritual belief.    

-How closely are you aligned to groups like the ONA?

Alcameth: We are not associated with any groups esoteric or otherwise at this time.    

-Some Occult/LHP groups postulate that transcendence of the human condition can be acquired through a $100 annual donation and a rigorous course study of various "Secret" books. Others advocate for real tests of hardship, danger and even sacrifice in order to disassociate from the human ethos. In your opinion, are extreme undertakings really a key to this "next step" in evolution?

Alcameth: I do not believe the path of descent is singular. I believe there are many valid practices some externally more extreme than others. Vamachara and the Aghori are extreme examples in which the practitioner partakes in blood drinking, consumption of “impure” substances including human blood and flesh and reportedly human sacrifice. The tempering is in the tribulation not the adoration of the act itself. “Evil” for the sake of “evil” is empty and will only engrain you further into a human/animal cell of existence. What the sidha of the Vamachara practice is only evil in the eyes of the uninitiated of the Vamachara. In truth I believe good and evil have no meaning outside of the human condition. What one should fully understand about “extreme” practices is that if only understood as the glorification of what one believes is profane then the practice has no transcendental use. “Poison for poison” blood is the same as water, flesh is the same as bread, union of the opposites kills the human condition, and this is the point.

-Is nihilism important to the process of evolving from man to ubermensch?

Alcameth: Ultimately I believe nihilism on many levels is a natural part of the spiritual negrido. Initiation has no relation to the “ubermensch” as conceived by Nietzsche, but in fact goes much further beyond this conception.

-Does race, culture, education or social class play any part in the value or potential of the neophyte?  

Alcameth: I see the world from an Aryan point of view and could not speak from another. I think the other mentioned factors can play a crucial role in individual development at an early stage to some degree, but what calls us onto this path, I believe is atavistic.    

-What viable opportunity does black metal offer those of the Hidden Arts?  

Alcameth: Inspiration. The rest is up to the individual.    

-Can commercial pop music be used in a similar manner to black metal and other Satanic music forms in sewing aversive change in society?

Alcameth: I suppose that depends on the individual. I for one would not be swayed by Pop music or any such thing as it would not move me at a deeper personal level, nor would any other form of consumerist entertainment. If you applied our lyrics to another form of music that stirred contrary emotions and spirit in the mind of the listener the entity would be incomplete, half-dead. As far as society in general, yes I think it is possible, especially among the youth.    

-Many artists claim some kind of influence - directly or indirectly- from Satanism with nary any real involvement or experience with the Occult beyond pure imagery. Bands like Venom for instance claimed their flirtations with Satanism were merely a marketing ploy. Throngs of bands that followed in their footsteps, and many currently on the scene, use Satanic imagery yet deny any further association with the LHP. Are these pseudo-Satanists and "dabblers" still useful in the presenting of real chaotic energy?  

Alcameth: Alcameth: No. I would say it is merely show at that point. Likely just aesthetics meant to shock in true teen-rebellion fashion. Such things are utterly meaningless.    

-You have a pleasing portfolio of visual art for Nightbringer and closely associated bands. Tell us about your pencraft. What subjects do you impose upon paper?

  Alcameth: My art reflects my spiritual/philosophical stance and is influenced by the dark side of ancient mythos and religion.     

-Old and new theories abound that visual art and even the notes of music can conceal secret knowledge, and even messages. How exactly is this useful if it is not immediately detectable through our ordinary senses?  

Alcameth: Any real gnosis will never be immediately detectable. This is the nature of all things profound.    

-Some painters, writers and musicians have described themselves as "psychic artists". They maintain their gifts and talents are not simply evoked by practice and consciousness alone, but through outside energies. Do you see yourself as a person with a similar "psychic" creativity?  

Alcameth: I would not refer to myself as “psychic” by any means. My creativity is fed by not only external inspirations but more importantly currents that emanate internally, somewhere within the shadow side of my conscious, and being. An innate and inner “darkness” draws me down this path of creation, though I am certainly inspired by external influences as well.  

-Is it possible that a certain combination of notes or scales can produce a specific psychological effect or manifest a form of energy which can be used to harm or heal? What do you think?  

Alcameth: I would say it is quite likely. Certain sounds and images undoubtedly steer the imagination in specific directions. Atonal and disharmonic compositions tend to fill the mind with images of horror, and minor chord progressions always seem naturally “nocturnal”. I do not believe one can kill with a chord, but perhaps one may be inspired towards harmful activities due to an artist’s malignant sounding compositions.    

-Aside from Nightbringer you perform in two other projects, both similar in style at least and perhaps different in other ways. Can you take this time to describe Akhlys and Temple Of Not?

Alcameth: Temple of Not was my first initial strictly ambient project. I have had a love for ambient music for some time now and being a musician it was only natural that I created my own. This style is so unrestrained with limitless possibilities. Metal music tends to be a bit more restrictive, while with ambient you can create utterly aetheric sounds. With Temple of Not my intent was to capture something very sinister and abyssal. The hungry grave and the void of Death is the essence that inspires this work. I hope to release the next installment sometime within the next few months. Akhlys is more specifically focused on the concept of a spectral world and the lingering dead. I have long been fascinated with paranormal accounts such as haunting, possession, “nocturnal assaults”, and so on. It is undeniable that there is validity to the history of encounters between the living and the dead and other “outside” entities. Akhlys is inspired by my musings on the subject as well as certain experiences I have had such as “night hag” visitation and certain poignant lucid dreams I have had. I associate these experiences with another plain of self-awareness, something dark and removed from the physical world, a plain between slumber and death experienced during a death-like “dream” state.    

-In describing Akhlys as a "communion with the dead"- how does one exactly use the debut album "Supplication" for this as described?

  Alcameth: I wrote this while contemplating a world between the living and the dead which I feel is linked with lucid dreaming. During the recording process, I would let the progressions repeat while I slept and was further inspired by semi-lucid to lucid dream states. These dreams, which come during the first initial stage of entering slumber or the last stage before awakening from slumber, I believe, are more than dreams. I believe that it is during this state of dreaming that the spirit can project out from the body and wander in the in-between. The album is not a tool for communion with the dead nor have I ever communed with the dead. I make no such claims.    

-What are your views on death? Is the process natural and absolute for the physical body? For the consciousness, too? If not, is it possible to extend both indefinitely?

Alcameth: For the body, yes, as well as all things corporeal. As far as the ability to physically extend life is concerned, perhaps, but this would be far beyond my scope of knowledge. In regards to an immortal consciousness, perhaps but not in the way we understand it.    

-Do you think drugs, AIDS, warfare, famine, the undermining of White-light religion and the general "degeneracy" of Western Christian society bespeeks anything about the upsurge of Satanism and related LHP activity? How much do the latter have to do with any of it?  

 Alcameth: I do not put much stock in any such “occult conspiracies” undermining world powers. I do however believe the world we live in is a direct consequence of the progressive march into the closing twilight of the Kali-Yuga. If this is a self-fulfilling prophecy or something inescapable I could not say, though I suspect the later. This entity is old, sick and weary. It should and will die.    

-Ultimately, what is your objective with the music you create for Nightbringer, Akhlys and Temple Of Not? In the end what do you want to "see" it do, both for yourself and that which exists outside of you?

Alcameth: It is my means to manifest the darkness that flows outward from within. I wish for this to be more completely captured and manifested in audile form. I hope these reverberations inspire and or infect those who would know the work intimately.    

-Thank you Alcameth for the time you took to answer these questions. What would you like to say to end this interrogation?

Alcameth: A quote that has served to greatly inspire…

"I have no dread of that which all men dread, being so familiar with it.   There they dwell, Hamlet of houses clustering round a spire   Girt at its base with heavings of the ground.   Men are like moles, sir; when they go below, they do disturb the earth...  It is a spectral world, wherein vague men walk ghostlike.   Death is real, And all beside mere show;   And so meseems In me is more reality since I shoulder his weapon...  By the grave. There, one learns all.   Within the narrow bound of church and churchyard, whatso lore commands...   I toll the bell for burial, marriage, mass.   The self-same clapper and the same worn rope   Serve for all three. Time's the sole difference;   Whose artificial measures, which I hold   Within the horny hollow of my palm,   Mislead imagination, but not mine.   Birth, wedding, dissolution, are but stops   In the one tune whose cadence still is death."    ~Adam, the first grave digger addresses Lucifer~  "The Prince Lucifer" A. Austin