Form Greece this obscure and Progressive Death/Doom Metal band comes, their demo “Forsaken” is a great piece of Underground art, combining brutality, technicism and obscurity. Their sound could be easily appreciated by the Doom, Death and even Black Metal listeners due the obscurity reached in this work… So we contact them to know a little more about this brutal act… Enjoy these lines…

BB: First, thanks for giving us this interview… Can you tell us about Sempiternus beginnings?

DB: Thanks! All started in 1997 with me on guitars George on bass / keys and Bill on Vocals.  We were very young and inexperienced, but we truly want to play music!

We start playing and a mix of doom death came out. We named the band “WITCHLORD” and we recorded some rehearsal tapes with session drummers but we didn’t promote them. Due to our military and educational obligations the band stays inactive for a long period. In 2000 we changed the bands name to “SEMPITERNUS” and we recorded two Demos: “Soulless” (2002) and “Forsaken (2004).

BB: How you define the sound of Sempiternus?

DB: DEATH METAL sometimes progressive and sometimes doom and dark.

BB: What means to you the name Sempiternus?

DB: We have faced many problems with the band, but we always managed to continue. The Latin word “Sempiternus” means endless-everlasting-immortal, we decide that it is the best name to give to the band, like a forum to all we have passed trough!  

BB: How has been the reception of “Forsaken” worldwide?

DB: Many people like “Forsaken” demo and we take good reviews to foreign zines, but we are very disappointed with the Greek scene. To take a descent review to most metal-zines in Greece you must be “in fashion”, play nu-metal and shit like these!!! Most of them didn’t listen our demo! They just listen a part of the first track and say that we play boring brutal death metal!!

BB: Your demo “Forsaken” seems to be split in tow parts, the first one Progressive Death Metal and the second one Doom Death Metal, was this partition completely intentional?

DB: Firstly the idea of this demo was an intro, two tracks and an outro.Sea of whispers was the intro and Forsaken which was much different was the outro.Until the demo was completed many things changed about these tracks so the Forsaken demo takes this form.

BB: Can you tell us about the recording process of “Forsaken”?

DB: It was recorded by me and George at “Underground Home Studio” the production wasn’t what we expected, we used drum machine and that reacts negative to the result.

BB: What’s your favourite song of the demo? Why?

DB: I don’t have a particular favourite song, but I believe that “forsaken” is the one that I listen the most.

BB: My favourite song is “Sea Of Whispers”, it have some strange ambiances… Can you tell us a little about this song? It’s pretty different from the rest…

DB: well George is a second officer in merchant navy, and I am a seaman too, in one of his voyages he compose this song after a very bad storm he passed in north Atlantic. When he returned we work this song and we find it very dark and atmospheric first we think to put a part of “sea of whispers” as an intro to the demo but we really like it and we decide to keep it as a full length song. Yes it is different from the rest but it is always a song that we compose so we decided that it is a Sempiternus track.   

BB: Is there any concept behind “Forsaken”?

DB: No there is no concept.

BB: What are your sources of inspiration? What the lyrics talk about?

DB: It depends on the mood we are at the time, sometimes we feel to write fast and technical songs and some times slow and dark songs. The lyrics Sometimes talks about dark thoughts or human weakness. Sometimes the song itself wakes feelings and guides us to write the lyrics.

BB: You told me the band is now more focused in the Progressive Death Metal sound. Why you choose this way? Was an “evolution” matter?

DB: In both our demos we have progressive death metal influences, in our up coming demo we will be more technical but we will continue to have doom metal parts. We don’t believe this as an “evolution”, this is the way we play, sometimes progressive and less doom and sometimes doom and less progressive. 

BB: You told me that Bill (Vocals) left the band for personal reasons and George (Backing Vocals, Keyboards and Bass) replaced him. How you overcome this difficulty? It must be complicated to reform a band with fewer members…

DB: Not really, we believe that with fewer members it works better!! That’s why all these years we didn’t try to find a second guitarist.  Me and George compose the music and write the lyrics we do this from the beginning and we will continue doing this….

We don’t think this is difficult, this is how we work and we are used to it.

BB: The artwork of “Forsaken” seems to be really obscure and evil. Who made it? Is there any concept behind it? It reminds me at first sight the cover art of “From the Cradle to Enslave” EP of Cradle of Filth…

DB:   The artwork was made mainly by George with a little help from me. But we never think that it will be so close to that cover art.

BB: When can we expect your new work? Can you tell us a little about this new work?

DB: The recordings of our new work will start in September. We have six songs ready

In the same death metal way and we will choose which of them will be on the demo. We will have finished our new demo earlier but as you know our vocalist Bill left the band and this delay us, we have to organize the vocals again and stuff like that. 

BB: Have you received some offer of some Metal Label?

DB: No we haven’t, actually we don’t send “Forsaken” demo to many Metal Labels because we wasn’t satisfied of the production. We are planning to promote our new demo more.

BB: What are the most influential bands to Sempiternus?

DB: ATHEIST, PESTILENCE, DEATH, CYNIC, NOCTURNUS, CARCASS, MORBID ANGEL, BENEDICTION, BOLT THROWER, MY DYING BRIDE,

ANATHEMA,

BB: What bands are you listening nowadays?

DB: The same bands, I am not satisfied of today’s metal. Most of the bands changed their music to more nu-metal or melodic ways, this is not my type I prefer old school death metal sound. We also like to listen old progressive and psychedelic rock and of course bands that creates and stays in history as metal fathers like BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, MOTORHEAD, AC/DC........

BB: What about the today’s Metal scene in Greece? Is there any band you can recommend to us?

DB: Greece has many metal bands, some of them with international career, (Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, Necromantia, Nightfall…) I truly like Ethereal the play death metal with doom influences they are really great. I believe now the changed their name to Desolation.

BB: Thanks again for your words. Is there anything else you want to add to this interview?

DB: Thanks a lot for your interest, and for your support keep up the good work and

Support the underground scene.

www.sempiternus.tk

sempiternus1997@yahoo.gr

Dimitris Boutsis

EVAGELOU PAPANIKOLAOU 7

SALAMINA-GREECE

18900