Horaz: Especially during the creative process it is the combination of Vespasian and Horaz which is the most important element to create the typical Imperium Dekadenz atmosphere. We have a perfect workflow to create and improve the song structures until a song is finished or dismissed. So, our friends (Naavl, Kaelt and Harvst) are really good musicians and artists but we want to keep this intimate atmosphere between Vespasian and me.

PW: This is your third full length album and I admit not to hearing the previous two. They were released in 2006 and 2007 on Perverted Taste label. How would you describe the music on these compared to the current album?

Horaz: Our fist release “…und die Welt ward kalt und leer” (…when the world was cold and empty) was a very raw publication. But it has also the typical Imperium Dekadenz elements and the album found a lot of fans in the German underground. The second release “Dämmerung der Szenarien” (The Twilight Scenarios) was recorded with much better equipment. We spent more time for the song writing and gave more attention to the details,… our breakthrough in the Black Metal scene in Germany. For our new record “Procella Vadens” (The Storm Wanderer) we spend an amount of work, time and also money to produce it. It’s an emotional journey through grand landscapes, inspiring to experience the listener’s mind and soul themselves. The best release we think.

PW: Obviously you have taken a bit longer to work on ‘Procella Vadens,’ was this due to any particular circumstances?

Horaz: Yes, after we got some distance from our produced material we noticed that there should be some improvements. We gave our material to a studio which improves the performance and mastering sound.

PW: During this time you left Perverted Taste and ended up on Season Of Mist Underground Activists imprint label. What happened with the old label and how did this come about?

Horaz: We heard that the label aborted their label activities but we don’t know what’s going on with them at the moment. Perverted Taste is generally an extreme metal - mail order but they also distribute some NSBM shit. We didn’t realize that at the beginning but we don’t want to support any political extreme views. These political ideologies are the enemy of personal freedom. Also we want a more professional label with good contacts worldwide.

PW: I believe you are from Schwarzwald in the Black Forest. Throwing it into Google image search the area looks quite breathtaking. What is it like living here and working as a band? I can imagine that there is not that many likeminded fans and musicians of the music you play around?

Horaz: You are right! In the whole area, we grew up, we didn’t find any people with a similar passion to Metal music, especially Black Metal. So it is no wonder that we found our live musicians over 200km away from there.

PW: I can however imagine that the landscape and nature is incredibly evocative and must inspire your music?

Horaz: It is really a beautiful landscape! We are deeply inspired by the environment and nature we grew up in. A raw landscape of forests and mountains formed by the Celts, Romans and German tribes, this is the Black Forest in the south- west of Germany. Since we played as children in these woods we are impressed by the mystical darkness and pure dignity of this black forest. This is indeed the fundament of our inspiration.

PW: The album title ‘Procella Vadens’ translates I believe as ‘The Wanderer In The Storm’. I can imagine storms in the area being pretty ferocious and destructive and I guess those caught in them in your region could find themselves in a lot of trouble. Tell us a bit more about the title and concept behind the album please.

Horaz: The whole album can be seen as a voyage, over variable mystical landscapes or maybe a voyage through life. The cover artwork illustrates a scene of that voyage … maybe the end of it. You can see a storm as a destructive force of nature or a possibility to learn more about your self in an extreme situation. ‘Procella Vadens” is a voyage through a storm which gives you the possibility to discover your mind and thoughts a journey over mountains and oceans, winter forests and Mediterranean coasts, ancient battlefields and personal experiences.

PW: The album starts with a lovely mournful keyboard passage which is also revisited on ‘Autumn Serenade.’ I was rather reminded of Keith Emerson’s score for Dario Argento’s Inferno here and of course Suspiria was set in Freiberg. Your music does at times have that dreamlike dark fairytale quality of the movies, are the Three Mothers any inspiration?

Horaz: No, these piano pieces were written and produced by Ben Montaigue from Wales. He is an outstanding talent and we are satisfied that he does a great job on Procella Vadens again.

PW: Whilst mentioning soundtracks I seem to remember you mentioning a love for Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerrard and I was struck by ‘The Descent Into Hades’ and the beautiful vocals here which reminded of Hanz Zimmer’s Gladiator score. Who provided these vocals and was this also an influence, it would certainly provide a perfect and beautiful sound to shuffle off this mortal coil to.

Horaz: We are very inspired by Dead can Dance. Their masterpieces are all-time classics in our collections. By the way the female voice of the Gladiator score was prepared by Lisa Gerrard! All of our instrumental and ambient tracks are more or less inspired by Dead can Dance, ‘The Descent into Hades” especially. We produced that song with friends of us, Connie Andrezka and Franziska Henning.

PW: I like the way the biog describes ‘fragile acoustic spider webs’ textured within your music. This is a great description to a sound that one minute could be raging away and the next break into lush melodic parts. Songs are long and flow naturally as well and I guess you want to add lots more depth to your sound rather than play straightforward fast black metal?

Horaz: Yes, all the different moods on this album show a much deeper and more intensive image than straightforward black metal, because of the dramatic aspect with its up and downs. We love the moments when we are capture by a bitter sweet acoustic guitar melody and being overcome by a powerful and frosty E-guitar part.

PW: With all this in mind I can imagine that you listen to a lot of different types of music yourselves, can you tell us what this encompasses?

Horaz: Here are some of our main music influences: Burzum, Darkthrone, Shining, Satyricon (old), Motörhead, Bolt Thrower, Sepultura (old), My Dying Bride, Funeral, Wojciech Kilar (Classic), Wagner (Classic) of curse Dead can Dance and Rock from the 60’s and 70’s.

PW: I am guessing that as far as underground bands are concerned you are quite well known in Germany. What about other countries though and have you managed to play much live outside Germany?

Horaz: Our albums are not well known in other countries, I guess. That’s of course a problem of the distribution channel we didn’t have in the all the other countries. We are really looking forward to play concerts in other countries than Germany. Certainly we will play first in countries next to Germany like Switzerland, Austria and France.

PW: It’s possibly a bit early for the reviews and reactions to be coming in quite yet but hope all goes well I certainly loved the album.

Horaz: We had only a few reviews for “Procella Vadens”. Certainly there will be more critics soon, when the album is released. So far we had good and excellent critics. Time will tell how the reactions will be.

Anything you would like to add?

Horaz: Thanks for this interview and hopefully you won’t be attacked by a wasp at our next meeting, hehehe

For more on the band check out http://www.imperium-dekadenz.de
http://www.myspace.com/imperiumdekadenz

Interviewed by Pete Woods

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