UN: To my ears Lucifer Rising stands out like a boot in the face of everything that is wrong with death metal right now. Would you say that it is conscious on the part of the band to keep the bands sound utterly barbaric or is this just what comes out when you guys created Kaamos music?

Kaamos: Well it is both conscious and subconscious I’d say. We of course when started out with Kaamos very strictly confirmed unto ourselves that we will do our best to create DEATH metal that carries spirit and fire. And have done our best to do so since then. The subconscious part ought to be that we don’t really think about it but rather just do it. And obviously we are doing it right judging from your words, Lucifer Rising stands out like a boot in the face of everything that is wrong with death metal. I must admit that I feel flattered with the words you choose to describe Lucifer Rising.

UN: Would you say that this latest disc is a progression from the bands self-titled disc? Do you think that this disc possibly fills the void that seems to have been created with many Swedish death metal bands abandoning their early days? It’s definitely modern sounding, but I think the new album could easily sit right next to Carnage, or Like an Ever flowing Stream.

Kaamos: Progression is inevitable so yes it is a progression from the first album. As Herakleitos once stated, Panta Rei! BUT that does not mean that one can’t choose the direction. I don’t really know if this disc will fill the void but I do hope so. Our standpoint has been to show the face of DEATH metal without compromise. And I think it’s showing quite well with Lucifer Rising.

UN: Does it bother you at all to see bands evolving to the point where they hardly even resemble what they once were? It’s not just Swedish bands either. Many bands are hardly even a shell of what they used to be. Slayer and Morbid Angel definitely come to mind when I think about this. There is nothing wrong with progressing, you have to progress to stay interested as a musician. But you don’t have to abandon your roots in the process.

Kaamos: Yes I agree with what you’re saying. I do not know why bands just don’t call it a day when they’ve lost all that they’ve stood for. And it used to bother me when I was younger. But now I don’t even waste energy on that. Ignorance is bliss as they say.

UN: The new album has a cover that pretty much fits the bands music perfectly. It’s cryptic, yet bold and tells you right from the start that this is indeed a metal album. Who did the cover art for the new album? Did you guys have something specific in mind?

Kaamos: I like the album cover a lot. It’s done by the same person who did the previous one namely Dauthus. And he handles all of the visual aspects for Kaamos. I definitely think that this one is amongst the 3 best covers he has ever done. And I’m very proud that it ended up on our album. The idea for the cover came from Karl. The idea is that we use Atu 15 from the Tarot deck, i.e. the Devil. And redraw it with symbolism that ought to reflect its shadow. Meaning the darker side of that card. This we did and I assure you that you will find more than you think when starting to inspect the cover carefully.

UN: The new album features an insanely thick and tight production but it still retains the dirty feel of vintage Swedish death metal. Was this the first time the band has recorded at Berno Studios? I think for death metal it’s one of the best studios around. Each Vomitory album sounds amazing and manages to be tight and heavy without being overproduced. Which can definitely said about Lucifer Rising as well.

Kaamos: Yes this is the first time we used Berno Studio. And what a perfect decision it was. Actually the main reason for us choosing it in the end, besides some of the great bands that have recorded there like Grotesque, Séance, was because it has the possibility to record analog. This is something that is very hard to do in studios in Sweden today, alas. We were actually the first band for ages to record this way and we only worked with Berno due to that the other engineers where to unskilled handling tapes. And what a sound then! It breeds! Yes, it definitely is one of the best studios for extreme metal in Sweden.

UN: The album was recorded in March last year but won’t be out until later this month. What caused the delay? I’m assuming it has something to do with the record label being backed up with releases or possibly because they were in the middle of opening a US office.

Kaamos: I am not sure what the reason for the delay was. I assumed that it has to do with release schedules and the opening of the US office can definitely have something to do with this as well.

UN: You’ve been on Candlelight for two albums now. Are you guys happy with what they’ve done for the band? You guys are possibly the only band playing this style, so being lost amongst all of the bands shouldn’t be a problem. Do you think that they’ve overall been supportive of the band?

Kaamos: I think that Candlelight has managed to spread the name of Kaamos on a rather international level. But we are not the biggest band on the label and are also prioritized that way.

UN: Your Curse of Aeons demo was recently released on vinyl. Is it important for you guys to have your albums available on vinyl as well as compact disc or cassette? The print run for the 10”is very low and should pretty much instantly be a collectible. Do you expect it to sell out very quickly?

Kaamos: The thing with urse of Aeons is actually a very old idea. It was requested from Nuclear Winter Records shortly after we released the tape. But at that time it somehow fell into oblivion. We have received numerous requests regarding releasing it as a CD but have always declined since we feel it to be blow against everyone who treasures it as a cassette demo. Then when Nuclear Winter re-requested it again and we noticed that we agreed perfectly on all of the points we decided to go through with it. And what a piece of great black gold it turned out to be. And a collectors item indeed. I didn’t’ expect it to sell out really fast. But that’ the way it seems to be going. And yes I feel it is important to have our releases on both CD and vinyl. The latter in limited edition of course.

UN: Are there any plans for Lucifer Rising to be released on LP? I think the artwork would look outstanding as a gatefold. Does Candlelight release their albums on LP as well or would it have to be licensed?

Kaamos: That I do not know. I wish this would be the case cause as you say yourself the artwork would suit perfectly on black gold. I think that Candlelight used to do license deals but has withdrawn it to releasing the vinyls themselves. But a lot of labels have contacted me regarding license so we’ll see what happens.

UN: It seems like you guys don’t tour all that much. Do you guys mainly just play local shows around Sweden? I’m assuming that Kaamos doesn’t pay the bills for you guys, does this leave you with less time to tour? Or is it a conscious decision? A lot of bands lose their mystique from over touring. Plus metal bands rarely tour as often or for as long as most other genres of music.

Kaamos: Well, we do quite some shows if you ask me. We of course don’t tour for a month or so. But that’s also related to that we haven’t received those kind of offers. We pretty much do the gigs that we feel comfortable doing with the bands we feel are suitable.

LVCIFER is RISING!