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1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Since the release of Ex Umbra In Lucem, we've allowed ourselves a well-deserved break while keeping the creative fires burning. To celebrate the release, we undertook a headlining tour around Denmark with Xenoblight and Beltez, performing the album in its entirety —an experience that finally cemented the release.
2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous ep's?
With every release, we develop our sound in new areas. Thinking of your question here, we're reminded of how the album is aptly named Ex Umbra In Lucem, meaning from shadow into light, since this album both dwells in new areas of aggression (shadow) and exaltation (light).
In terms of aggression, the sound is more compact than on previous releases – Aiming to increasingly build climaxes upon climaxes, making the album reasonably saturated. In contrast, the album also features our first ballad, Dolorum Memoria, our softest song to date, starting from a solemn whisper crescendoing into a neoclassical build.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
With Ex Umbra In Lucem, we dived down a hole we hadn't been before. We knew I needed to do something different.
On the previous releases, every song stood alone, but we wanted this album to be coherent. A backstory for LAMENTARI was created and found its way into the lyrics.
The whole album centers around an individual who conducts a ritual and becomes attached to an entity that essentially takes over him.
This whole ordeal plays out in a storyline throughout the album.
4.I know that the bands name means 'a passionate expression of grief and sorrow' in Latin, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
Our musical style is a true witch's brew of many elements, and the word lamentari came to us through classical music. The term "lament" is commonly used in Italian operas, often as a title for a climactic part of the story where the main character sings an aria expressing deep-felt grief and sorrow.
Dido's Lament by Henry Purcell comes to mind here, which is the concluding aria to the opera "Dido and Aeneas" based on the Roman Legend of Aenas. After a story of betrayal, Dido is distraught and ends her story by singing her song of lament before stabbing herself to death on a funeral pyre.
The poetic nature of this word and its link to the dramatic subtext of Roman Legends and operatic grandeur have inspired some of the neo-classical musical styles in LAMENTARI. In addition, "Dido's Lament" is known for having an iconic stepwise descending bassline, and in line with this, many of our neo-classical chord progressions incorporate stepwise motion either in the bassline or chordal material.
5. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Seeking inspiration, we were captivated by the look of oxidized copper. It's a straightforward yet evocative design that tells a story.
This aesthetic embodies the passage of time, a key element in LAMENTARI.
We wanted to delve into its backstory and challenge ourselves to explore the deeper world we are creating.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Since our first show in 2020, we've had quite a few "Holy shit!"-moments, but three very memorable ones come to mind. We visited the holy ground at Wacken when we played at their W:E:T stage in 2022. It was midday during the hottest day of the year, and adding some extra hellfire heat to that crowd was a blessing.
Our performance at Copenhell, Denmark, in 2023 has been our biggest performance so far. In the dark midnight hours, we lit the stage with pyrotechnics and invited a full choir and conductor to play on stage. Watching the crowd that night was like witnessing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Germany and at Wacken, it's not permitted to start a wall of death, but in Denmark, it's allowed, and that night, we got to see our lead singer, Daniel, part of the Red Sea of people in the audience.
Witnessing these shows from the stage, we're tempted to describe them similarly to a ritual mass. There's a solemn feeling in the air when we start. There's incense in the air, and walking up on the stage is like walking towards the sacrificial altar. Few words are spoken except for the songs and moments of Daniel addressing the crowd in an almost religious fervor.
Another show that we'll remember for a long time is from a few weeks ago at Hotel Cecil in Copenhagen. The crowd that night was particularly enthused with fervor, and the room had a thick sense of awe. We're grateful for that
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Yes. Now, after playing the album in full at the Ex Umbra In Lucem Tour, we will keep some of the songs on the set list for the upcoming shows in Copenhagen this summer.
8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We have received interest from labels and have discussed offers from a few. Given the right deal, a label could be a natural next step for us on this path of developing our productions—both live and in the studio. Labels come in many shapes and sizes, so it's important that we find the right collaborator for this. Until that's established, we're comfortable simply self-releasing all our music.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of symphonic black metal?
Since the release of our first EP, Missa Pro Defunctis, we've been amazed by the outpouring of positive feedback from the symphonic black metal world. We've found a keen audience, especially among fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dimmu Borgir, and even the old synth-heavy Emperor.
LAMENTARI is not for everyone. Although the black metal tree has spread its roots into many directions, catalyzing many new fusions and sub-genres, it's also a genre that hosts fans who can be very particular about their likes and dislikes and what they deem authentic and in-authentic. Although I appreciate bands that keep a straight lineage back to the first or second wave of Norwegian black metal, it's clear that LAMENTARI is manifested to do something different. We're here to grow the roots into new soil and grow from sources that fertilize death metal, eighties rock, and classical music.
The worldwide positive reception for our type of symphonic black metal has been humbling.
10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Daniel:
He Who Saw The Abyss is a side project getting ready to release an EP. We are looking forward to playing a few shows before the year is over.
Jamie:
Lysbaerer is a project Thomas and I started in the fall of 2021. It's a sort of Atmospheric Black Metal/Post-Black band, about our feelings and stories similar to our own.
We're currently gearing up to record an EP and play our first couple of shows, with Michael from LAMENTARI as one of our live members.
Lysbaerer was a catalyst for me joining LAMENTARI, as writing the first couple of tracks made Thomas ask me to play bass for LAMENTARI.
Furthermore, Michael is performing in Mother Of All, a progressive metal band featuring members from Afsky, Chaoswave, Timechild, and Withering Surface. They recently released their latest album, "Global Parasitic Leviathan."
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Musically, we wish to develop our style even further. The goal here would be to retain the aggressive edge while making the songs even more dynamic, to codify the classical and cinematic storytelling in them.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
It's hard to catalog our influences since they're ever-changing and varied. Because the muse of inspiration comes and goes in the vortex of everyday life, the origin of the catalytic spark may easily be forgotten. LAMENTARI is a witch's brew of many styles, and we're standing on the shoulders of black metal, death metal, film scores, neoclassical, and baroque. We're listening to all the music we like, and that can be cast across a wide horizon—from Aqua to extreme metal.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We'd like to thank you for your questions and extend our gratitude to any reader who has been curious enough to read this interview. Thank you!
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