Portae Obscuritas delve into cosmic chaos and occult forces with their new album KHAOS, blending destructive and beautiful elements to explore profound spiritual and cosmic themes.
1. Your
new album KHAOS explores cosmic chaos and occult forces. What inspired you to
delve into these themes for this release?
We’ve had
the concept in mind for quite some time. Initially, we intended to explore this
theme in Lux Atra Aeterna, but it didn’t feel right then. So, we
consider Lux Atra Aeterna as a prequel to this album. Chaos is a
fascinating concept with a broad spectrum: it is destructive, yet it is a
catalyst for new creation, it embodies darkness, yet it illuminates everything
around it. It represents incompleteness, which ultimately forms a greater
whole.
2. Portae
Obscuritas has been described as an occult black metal band. How do you
integrate occultism into your music and lyrics on KHAOS?
Occultism
is an intrinsic aspect of humanity. Though everyone possesses it, not everyone
uncovers it. For many, what remains hidden can be frightening, and most people
are afraid to delve deeper. However, we are deeply rooted in these spiritual
themes, and connecting our music to this concept feels natural to us.
3. The
album is said to focus on the concept of chaos as both destructive and
beautiful. How do you capture this duality through your sound and composition?
Chaos
brings destruction, but it also creates beauty. We strive to reflect this
duality in our music by combining raw, fast, and grinding elements with
melodic, slower, and more atmospheric parts. We believe we have achieved a
successful balance in KHAOS, showcasing both sides of chaos
through our sound and composition.
4. Your
track titles spell out ‘KHAOS’. Can you explain the significance behind this
concept and how each track contributes to the overall narrative of the album?
Each letter
in KHAOS represents a song title, with each track narrating a chapter of
the album’s story. While Lux Atra Aeterna focused on the
summoning of chaos, KHAOS tells the tale of its arrival, the subsequent
destruction, and the birth of a new cosmic order. It portrays the “seventh son”
who will rule and reshape everything that has come before. We invite listeners
to immerse themselves in the music and let their imaginations run wild,
creating their own cosmos of chaos. There’s ample room for interpretation, and
it can also be viewed as a metaphor.
5. With your third full-length album,
how has the band’s sound evolved compared to your earlier releases? What new
elements did you introduce on KHAOS?
Since
Erebus left the band in 2018, having contributed to only one song on KHAOS,
the introduction of Scheol as our new lead guitarist has naturally evolved our
sound and songwriting. Our compositions have become more structured, melodic,
and varied. This progression began with Sapientia Occulta and Lux
Atra Aeterna, and has now been expanded further with KHAOS.
6. The cosmic imagery in your music is
vast and powerful. How does the visual and lyrical side of KHAOS complement the
atmosphere you create sonically?
Our deep-rooted interest in the occult significantly influences the music we create. The cosmos holds countless mysteries — a dark, cold expanse that is simultaneously beautiful and tranquil. We aim to capture this fascination in both our lyrics and music.
7. Black
metal is often associated with darkness, yet KHAOS touches on the beauty within
chaos. How do you approach blending contrasting emotions in your music?
Chaos
emerges from nothingness, from darkness. Everything begins in darkness, in the
void. Chaos cannot exist without darkness, just as darkness cannot exist
without chaos. This reflects the beauty of chaos: the beginning, devastation,
the end, and the subsequent creation of something new.
8. With
bands like Acherontas, Batushka, and Behexen influencing your sound, how do you
maintain Portae Obscuritas’ unique identity in the occult black metal scene?
While we
have bands and genres that inspire us, we strive to minimize their influence in
our creative process. We focus on developing our sound according to our own
ideas and often work in relative isolation during songwriting. Although
comparisons with other bands are inevitable, we have further refined the style
that defines us on KHAOS, and we remain committed to ongoing evolution.
Stagnation is not an option for us.
9. What
are your expectations for KHAOS upon its release, and what do you hope
listeners take away from their journey through the cosmic chaos?
We are
excited to have partnered with Northern Fog Records; the label has provided us
with excellent support and aligns perfectly with our vision. We’re pleased with
the various versions of our new album and hope fans will enjoy it as much as we
do. KHAOS invites listeners to create their own worlds through our
music, encouraging them to immerse themselves and linger within it. By opening
themselves up spiritually and expanding the horizons of their minds, we believe
much of what we aim to convey will be realized. We advocate for breaking free
from the chains that bind us, dismantling old dogmas, and allowing chaos to
inspire something new. Chaos embodies not only devastation and endings but also
beauty and new beginnings.
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