IRAE – The Man behind the Shadows

No need for introduction or presentation…: Mr. Vulturius.

IRAE Official Bandcamp

First, welcome and thank you for your time and words. How have you been going through this almost cinematic reality that we are living?

Hail! It has been good for me; I have had time to do what I like the most: compose and record, reflect, and put more ideas into practice in the various projects I play. Humanity / Society is a real time bomb, and is about to explode due to the most varied problems, and this epidemic outbreak is just one more of those problems. Besides, I am not much into conspiracy theories.

In these almost 2 decades of musical creation, what are the most significant differences you find, from when you started, to today? Has your perspective of Black Metal changed in any way over the years?

No! My idea about Black Metal is precisely the same from the first day. I never had any kind of pretension or illusion, but from the beginning, I felt that this was fundamental and one of the things I wanted as part of my life. Besides, this is a medium that does not change much, thankfully.

Do you still see, on the national stage, a genuine feeling – in all dimensions of the word – from musicians, towards the genre?

There are good people, and bad people everywhere! Black Metal has always been endowed with feeling and humility; although it often only sees crazy people with big egos, who think they are at the top of the food chain, but who actually walk behind the "wannabe" herd and are in need of attention. Despite this, there are many people whose intention is to strengthen the scene, and create quality music, and this one will echo in time and do something remarkable.

Both the number of bands, as well as their quality, has increased in Portugal quite clearly. Do you think that now, yes, we can be proud of being at the level of the best that is being done in Europe, and why not, the World?

It was 93 when Decayed recorded the "Conjuration of the Southern Circle"; in 94, Filii Nigrantium Infernalium recorded "A Era do Abutre"; a little later (it is not Black Metal but it does not matter), Grog recorded the "Macabre Requiems"; a little later Summum Mallum recorded "666" and "Lusitanian Evilness"; and Corpus Christii recorded "Saeculum Domini".

What I mean by this is that it may not be much, but what was done around here never tried to copy anyone, maybe it was a more unknown "scene".

The emergence of labels such as Signal Rex and Black Gangrene, along with events such as Invicta Reqviem Mass, dedicated to a more specific line of Black Metal, gave a tremendous boost to national Black Metal. Do you think the trend will be an increase in the notoriety of Portuguese Black Metal ?

Both Signal Rex, Black Gangrene and Altare, are labels exclusively dedicated to Black Metal; and yes, I believe that an event like Invicta Reqviem Mass attracts fans from abroad, because also bands from abroad come almost exclusively to play there, that would not play at any festival in this country. In my opinion, what was most needed here was this, "a festival solely and exclusively dedicated to Black Metal" and not a variety show with other styles of metal.

From Irae to Morte Incandescente, Kommando Baphomet to Scum Liquor, and another series of bands that won't be named, how can you do it?! Is everything around you inspiration in any way?

Yes, much of what surrounds me is inspiration, playing, composing and creating new sounds, shapes and techniques from the best, to the most archaic is one of the best pleasures in life. 

Still, and with a multitude of projects/bands, can we consider that Irae is your real and complete artistic expression?

Yes, Irae is uniquely and exclusively part of me, it was something that I have idealized in 96/97. Obviously, I do not like to make distinctions, so what I'm doing at the moment will be the main focus.

In your case, apart from the musical characteristic of Black Metal, what else do you find in it, that completes you? In the spiritual/philosophical field, do you still understand Black Metal as a source of energy ?

For me it is an authentic source of energy, and something where I can set myself apart, to a world of mine, with no rules and no worldly obligations.

Theme often debated with friends is the growing Raw movement that we have seen consolidate itself, within the scope of Black Metal. Do you agree that there is a resurgence of a more primitive Black Metal, more given to ambiences than to technical performance, or on the contrary, and this sound has always been hidden, in the Underground?

Technically, Black Metal has always been primitive... in terms of recording, in the early 90's, many bands had a pretty rotten sound, maybe it wasn't what they wanted, and a lot of them came out later, but at the time it was what they could do.

Today, basically, there is access to everything, from cassette tascams to reel recorders on second-hand websites; even with a "smartphone" you can record, but I don't think you should confuse the lack of skill in various instruments with ambiences and cults desiring "hype", where there are half a dozen souls behind the keyboard disputing a kind of doctorate of the most "true" in the confines of the net.

Black Metal is Black Metal, it has to have essence, feeling, devotion and, of course, musicality because otherwise, it is something else.

I was born in 1980 and when I started listening to music there was something called "riff", and it is a bit ridiculous to listen to music and not connect to its content... I have heard recordings where whoever was playing did not have any idea of what he was doing, or what was going on. It is necessary to separate the quality from the shit, and it is certainly not just with limited titles, covers and cassettes that this is done.

Keep in mind that by this I do not mean that what is done in "big band" style, in mass, is good! Just a case to reflect, and separate the wheat from the chaff.

How much of the current situation we are living has influenced what you present to us in “Lurking in the Depths”? Is this work a reflection of a pandemic?

With or without pandemic, there would still be an album... I composed and idealized the album between April and May 2019, and the drums were recorded right then. I closed it in the drawer and only picked it up again between January and February of 2020 to finish recording and arranging in terms of guitar, lyrics and synthesizer. A guest recorded the latter.

It is a very lonely and musically intimate album, and in this chapter, I feel like I am back to the beginnings. As for the lyrics, I can say that 4 of them I wrote in the middle of the pandemic, when at the end of February I spent the night at Bologna airport because I missed the plane back to Portugal. At that time, in Italy, things were not good.

Was it a record that was already planned, or is it a result of confinement, and thus, more free time to devote to the creative process?

In a way, it was already planned, although I finished the record in early March. I did other work during the confinement, including for Irae.

Was the creation process very different from the one you followed in previous works? Once again: did this pandemic end up influencing/conditioning you in some way?

Musically, I had already conceived everything, and recorded drums, guitar guide, and photo session in early January during cold and foggy days.

I have already had the opportunity to listen to the album, and if there is one thing that stands out, it is the final production, which allows you to understand every detail, without being too clean and perfect. Was it something you insisted on doing?

Yes, of course! Although I was the one recording, mixing and mastering, it was like what I had idealized. It cost a lot, but I like to pay attention to details despite my skills as a producer being a little short of a real producer, but what I do, I do with pleasure and dedication. I also think that it would not make any sense for this album to have a demo sound... you would not notice the synth or certain breaks and details. The raw sound will certainly be reserved for other releases.

What can we expect from you and all the bands / projects you are part of in the coming months… if the pandemic gives us some freedom, of course. By the way: are there any new ideas that don't fit the bands / projects you already have?

During the confinement, and after finishing all the work with Irae's album, I was very inspired by the worldwide panic surrounding the pandemic, and recorded a few more things, both for Irae and for Morte Incandescente, as well as for another project that I've been devising for a few years. Now just wait and see what comes up.

Thank you, once again, for your availability. See you.

Thanks for the interview, until next time. 666.