Black Altar is a glorious Polish band that needs no introduction, it is an honor to have it in the Zine and to share with you this cult band.

1° - We should go back to 1996 to learn about the history of the Black Altar ... it has rained a lot since its inception. What if we started reviewing since the beginning of the band?

 

The debut demo "Na Uroczysku .." was a complete beginning in shaping style, acquiring skills and knowledge about the process of recording. Next was the EP "Wrath ov the Gods" from 2000, on which other musicians joined me and finally Black Altar had a full line-up. Musically it's pure black metal. The debut album from 2004, "Black Altar", was a milestone in the band's history. Other members of the band also have their input in the compositions and the music became more technically advanced. This style is continued til today. After my debut album, for the next 15 years, Black Altar remained my solo project without other band members.

Later there was second album "Death Fanaticism", which is a development of the idea from the previous one. The next mini album "Suicidal Salvation", which was originally composed for the split with Shining, but for legal reasons it did not happen.

The next material was split with Varathron and Thornspawn. Songs for it were recorded during the same session as "Suicidal Salvation".

Then there is a split with Beastcraft, released on the band's 21st anniversary and, apart from reissuing the previous stuff, that's all when it comes to the band's discography. This is not much for 23 years of existence.

Black Altar has become a full band again a year ago and we have a lot of plans for the future.

2° - When you forged the band, did you have the idea that 23 years later you would still be in the front?

 

To be honest, I didn't think about where this would lead me, but I am known for doing things very seriously, and I stick to it. And because black metal is my biggest passion, I could expect that the band will last for quite a long time.

3° - Since your first demo Na uroczysku in 1998 it has been a long time, it was a great demo that gave way to Wrath ov the Gods ... Are these works of worship possible to acquire? Have there been reissues of your albums? Are you interested in reissuing any of your works?

 

Demo and "Wrath ov the Gods" are not available. However, all others are on sale. I am releasing the next edition of the debut album "Black Altar" for the 15th anniversary of its release next year, on digi pack, with new mastering and graphic design.

Earlier I released re-editions of mini album "Suicidal Salvation" with bonus songs from split from Varathron / Thornspawn on one record. Maybe I will re-release "Wrath ov the Gods" in the future, although it was released in three versions in the past.

4° - I have a copy of Death Fanatism on Vinyl ... it is truly diabolic, 11 years have passed since this great work. What can you tell us today about this masterpiece, what do you remember from that time of composition and recording?

 

I still really like this material. I remember that I recorded it with a session guitarist, who was also the author of a few songs and everything went extremely smoothly. I wouldn't change anything on this album.

5° - What do Black Altar lyrics talk about, has the lyrics changed since your beginnings?

 

Black Altar's lyrics are not about anything nice. They generally talk about dark rituals, descriptions of religious issues from the perspective of the Left Hand Path, etc. I am inspired by many things, books, films, dreams, and my own thoughts and imagination. Lyrics did not change much, except for the debut demo, which had a pagan theme.

6° - You are a band that from your beginnings you have kept in constant activity, but still you have kept yourself in the Underground. Do you think that is the place of Black Altar and it should be so?

 

I think the place of a band playing such extreme music as Black Altar is in the underground. It does not have to be a deep underground, but it is difficult to be more widespread by playing such inaccessible music. In addition, Black Altar has never played any concerts, so it's also harder to get more popularity in this case.

7° - You have made several splits with several bands. Can you tell us about these splits?

 

The first split was the EP "Wrath ov the Gods" from 2000 with the Polish band Vesania, which includes current members of Behemoth or Dimmu Borgir. It was a CD limited to 666 copies, hand numbered with corpse blood. Later, the same material was released by the Peruvian WarKult prod as a split with the Norwegian Nebular Mystic. Another material was a split with Varathron and Thornspawn. Then the last one with Beascraft. We are currently recording a split with the Norwegian Kirkebrann, which will be released next year, and I have just confirmed another onet with another iconic Norwegian band that returns after many years. So it looks like I'm a split fan.

8° - This year you released the Suicidal Salvation / Emissaries of the Darkened Call compilation album. Does this compilation bring together music from your entire career?

 

No, this is the mini album "Suicidal Salvation" with 4 songs from split with Varathron and Thornspawn added to it. As I mentioned, the songs for these material were recorded during the same session, so they have almost the same sound, and it could well be another full Black Altar album, if I did not split these songs into 2 materials.

9° - Are you preparing a new album for Black Altar? What could you get ahead of if it were?

Yes, we are slowly preparing for it. We have 2 songs for now. It will probably be 2 years before the album appears. The title will probably be "Nekromantic Revelations" and will mainly be about Necromancy.

10° - I would like to know the situation of Black Altar regarding the direct ones. Would it be possible to see Black Altar in Spain?

 

Black Altar has never played concerts yet, but it seems that we will start in the second half of upcoming year. I have almost complete line-up, I'm just still looking for a suitable second guitarist. I've even had laser surgery on my eyes lately to make performing more comfortable. I have positive thoughts about it all. There are offers all the time, so when we start playing, it will be sooner or later when we visit Spain.

11° - Could you prophesy for your readers what Black Altar holds for us in the future?

 

The next edition of the debut album "Black Altar" will be released next month, then we will finish the recording of the songs for split with Kirkebrann, which will be released in the first half of next year. In the meantime we will be doing new stuff and preparing for concerts.

12° - With this the Torment comes to an end, I appreciate your participation in the Zine and with this I invite you to leave a final word to your readers and followers …

 

Thank you very much for interesting interview. Greetings for all our supporters in Spain. Sacrifice the hearts of your enemies upon the Black Altar!