Corpus Christii have always tried to be one of the most controversial bands in Lusitanian lands and they actually managed to achieve that. Now that they’ve signed a deal with the also Iberian label, Hiberica, and released a brand new album aptly titled “The Fire God”, I got hold of the main “brain” behind this outfit to uncover some marvelously hidden “secrets”. For the curious and pervert among you…

The new Corpus Christii album was released a few weeks ago and you already had the chance of listening to it lots of times. Is there anything you’d like to change in it now?

Nocturnus – The album was released recently but that doesn’t change anything because this album has been recorded for over a year now so we’ve had enough time to “study” it! I appreciate it the way it is… I’ve listened to it infinite times so far and, of course, there are a few things we could have changed but it wouldn’t be necessary because the way we did it then, was the way it was supposed to be so why should we change it? The graphical design is extremely good and the cover has a deep meaning but people, once again, won’t even realize that… but we know what’s it about and that’s all that matters!!

And you don’t want to tell us what’s it about?

Nocturnus – I hope some people end up understanding it because the album title and the cover are linked but I rather leave that in the open so that people think a bit. It makes things more interesting than just bluntly saying what it is all about.

In this album there’s a Portuguese track titled “Lusitânia (De Orgulho E Honra)”. Why this “choice”? Well, I don’t think it would be too logical to sing about the pride of being Lusitanian in other language than our own…

Nocturnus – I think it all happened very naturally, also maybe due to the controversy that surrounds us we had to do a track like this one! It means a lot to us and with a track like this we are always irritating a few more people but that’s what we’re good at! We hate “little” people, they get irritated with everything and they’re always against everything but we don’t care about that! We are Corpus Christii and no one can take that away from us. We already have one more track in Portuguese that is in the same vein of this one but it shall only be featured in a compilation with Portuguese bands that will soon be promoted.

Your lyrics have a strong sexual approach. Do you plan on exploring this even deeper? Do you consider yourself obsessed by sex?

Nocturnus – I don’t control my lyrics, they just come out naturally. The way they are supposed to be. It’s nothing poetical, it’s very straight-forward but one can read in-between the lines even if some people don’t think that’s possible! I like writing about obscenity because, despite being in the 21^st century, we are still very repressed, probably more than a few decades ago. It makes me angry to see all this but people are dumb and there’s nothing I can do to help. I am not obsessed by sex but by obscenity. It enchants me! I hate the basics because I don’t see myself like that at all. (If any girl out there is interested in being in the next CC photo session, contact us! Hehe!).

The obscenity that fascinates you is very explicit in the promo photos of “The Fire God”. Are you really into S&M and bondage or is it just a way for you to shock the weak minds of the Portuguese people? Do you think our society is very close-minded in what concerns sex and other violent facets?

Nocturnus – Yes, it is indeed very close-minded, no doubts about it! Even young people and metal people in general! What pisses me off is that there are little minds (that’s what I call them) everywhere and they call “gay” to anything that goes beyond their concept of normality! Pleeaasseee! It makes me sick! It’s so difficult finding women for photo sessions! I don’t use S&M for promotion… I am actually into it but that’s as far as I’ll say regarding this!

Back to the lyrics… there’s also explicit a certain anti-humanitarian feeling. Are you truly anti-humanity? What are your main reasons?

Nocturnus – I don’t believe there’s any reason for humankind to exist really… it’s only for us to fall in decadence and agony. It makes me sick being human but I never ceased my life… however, when I’ll depart, many others will depart as well. And I also believe that some of us, especially the Satanists, have to show that we can be more, be someone because we feel, we know and we believe…

As you mentioned it… when did you embrace Satanism?

Nocturnus – My mother has always been connected to the Occult, she has always been interested in that so I started learning a few things about it when I was still a young boy. I used to read books that she had at home and then I realized how magnificent is the Black side of life. That Black side is my Satanism! The most interesting of each Satanist is that none shares exactly the same ideas. I think I started calling myself a Satanist when I was 12 years old but, obviously, I have evolved and I still have to evolve… one is constantly learning!

How did the concert to celebrate the release of the new album along with Decayed and In Tha Umbra on the 3^rd November go?

Nocturnus – For me it was a very special concert because I think it had a very underground feeling. That venue had never held a (Black) metal gig before and, due to that, not many people showed up… there were only about 110 people or so. But the venue was small and it was more than enough. I truly appreciated that concert and, for the 1^st time, we used Vultutius of Flagellum Dei on bass and Ainvar of Angrenost/Storm Legion/ex-Sirius on guitar. I also played guitar for the 1^st time live and we had a few problems as the police wanted to stop the concert but that’s already usual with this controversial horde!

CC are a band with an extreme attitude both onstage and offstage… this has already generated some “hatred” and many people define you as Nazis. Is this correct? Or are you only proud to be Lusitanian?

Nocturnus – I am not a Nazi, I simply admire the occult side of the Nazism and that’s it. They helped some souls going to hell, so I have to thank them for that! Hehe! I am not a Nazi and I’m not a right-wing either, I’m none of that, I’m just a proud Lusitanian! That’s it! I have no problems in admitting that because we must be proud of our country and Nation that once ruled half of the world!

I totally agree with you! Anyway, have you got any plans for the promotion of the new album already? Any planned tour?

Nocturnus – I suppose we’ll have a few gigs in Portugal until the end of the year but I guess it’s only 2 gigs. I don’t feel like playing more than that really and I don’t even think it’s worth it because people hate us! Hehehe! Hiberica, our label, is trying to fix us a tour for next year, and it may come true… I hope so anyway!

And with whom would you like to play? Would you like to have your special guest in the album, Necrobutcher of Mayhem, with Corpus Christii live onstage?

Nocturnus – We’ve had them once on stage in Lisbon playing a cover of Mayhem, it was when “Saeculum Domini” was released and that was enough! It was a special moment despite the drunkness that affected us that day! We’d like to tour with Nifelheim, Mütiilation, Diabolicum, Setherial, Usurper, etc.

It would be terrific if those bands came to Portugal but I don’t think that shall happen, unfortunately. Anyway, speaking of guests… are you planning to have more guests in the upcoming albums? Anyone in particular?

Nocturnus – We are seriously considering the idea of having a real drummer to record the drums but the chances of that happening are very dim. If we actually do it, we’ll have to invite a foreign drummer and that’s bound to happen. In any case, we may have a few special guests playing some guitar riffs or doing vocals but it will all depend of where we’ll record and of the availability of the persons we invite of course! But, yes, as usual I have a few ideas in mind… the next 2 albums are practically composed by now, we just need to record and do the lyrics.

CC are fans of Mayhem… how did you react to the lack of professionalism they showed in April when they were supposed to play at the “Steel Warriors Rebellion” festival in Barroselas? Do you think that such irresponsible bands deserve all this worship from the metal masses?

Nocturnus – I must say I had a few problems with them right after that but I know the real story behind all this and the one to blame is only Hellhammer. He was completely drunk and he messed around with an air-hostess and he wasn’t allowed to go to Holland and so the others would have to stay with him. However there is no excuse for this, yet we all know they are Mayhem and the reason is there.

Hiberica describes CC as the most controversial band of the Portuguese underground and I suppose you agree with this “definition”. However, how do you feel for knowing you create so much hatred and, at the same time, so many fans? Is all this a matter of “envy” from frustrated bands?

Nocturnus – I have to agree with Hiberica because we all know that is true, but whether we are or not, it doesn’t really matter to me! We never did and will never fall in the ridicule and that’s what’s important. We do whatever we please and no one can do anything against that. Envy is definitely the main feeling in the underground here in Portugal. I would prefer that there were more and more controversial bands and I suppose it shall happen soon with bands like Flagellum Dei, Flamma Aeterna, Storm Legion, Decayed, InThyFlesh and a few more.

The first vinyl release of CC was the split “Decadentia Christii” with Decayed released by Hiberica. I know that soon you’ll have more tracks released in that format but under the banner of Drakkar. Are you a fan of vinyl? Will your new album also be released in this format?

Nocturnus – Yes, I am a fan of vinyl. In fact, when I started listening to metal, everything was still in vinyl, so I had to be a fan really. I still buy a few vinyl releases these days but not many because not many good bands release material on vinyl. Only within BM there have been a few magnificent releases fortunately. We’ll release a limited EP of 500 copies through Drakkar with 2 new tracks never released before by CC. These tracks have a different approach than the one present in our latest album titled “The Fire God”, but they are still tracks of CC obviously. The EP’s concept will be based on S&M and perversion and the lyrics were written by the owner of Drakkar himself, Kommander Noktu! It will be a very special release that will be out in February next year. The album “The Fire God” will also be released in vinyl format by Mester Prod of Norway but I don’t yet know how many copies shall be made, probably between 300 and 500.

I know the band recorded a video that should have been included in the new cd but wasn’t due to all the delays. Now what?

Nocturnus – I am already pissed off with this video “story”. We’ll most likely only put it in our site and that’s it.

What kind of video is it? The promo video of any track?

Nocturnus – The video was supposed to be included in “The Fire God”, it’s an unpublished video of an unreleased track titled “Inverted Black Cross Up Your Ass”. From the title, one can already deduce what kind of video that is.

Yes, I can imagine how that is. Hiberica is extremely hard-working and we must praise labels like this in our country, however one must be realistic and say that if CC were signed to a foreign label, you could easily and faster achieve a better status. If you could choose a foreign label, which would you choose and why?

Nocturnus – I truly appreciate the work and dedication of the ones behind Hiberica, Scott and Rita, because they are excellent people dedicated to the underground. We still have one more release through them but it won’t be our next full-length… it will be a special album with covers and unreleased tracks. We already have some labels interested in signing CC and, at the moment, I don’t know how our future will be like because albums and work to do is something we’ve got in abundance. I prefer not to mention any particular names of labels because it can give us bad luck! Hehe!

Then I suppose it’s really better if you don’t mention any names at all. Anyway, imagine you could choose a drummer for CC. Whom would you choose? Hellhammer?

Nocturnus – No, I would use Mysteriis of Setherial, Devastator of Nifelheim and I don’t know who else. In Sweden there are lots of good drummers dedicated to BM and I am already in touch with some of them.

Recently, BM has gone through several changes and some of the BM bands that were once considered as “god” are now changing to a practically unrecognisable sound. Are you in favour of the mixture of influences in music?

Nocturnus – I think that if one is no longer faithful to his/her previous sound, then the best thing to do really is change. People change, sometimes for worse but not always. Lots of bands destroy themselves when they change but, at least, they do what they want and that is what happened a few years ago because only that matters. For example, I like the new Mayhem but I will never accept it as a Mayhem album but more like a Blasphemer album. That’s different! People must realize that… good BM bands in the underground are more than enough!

You often complain that metalheads support foreign metal and not metal in general. Do you think we have good bands here that deserve the support of the underground scene or is the scene in Portugal too weak? I can tell you that sometimes I contact bands that simply don’t reply to me because they already have one demo or so and they think they are the best! This “I am god” attitude irritates me profoundly especially when it comes from little bands that are worthless! And I am always amazed because great names of the international metal scene always reply to me and are willing to be interviewed all the time! Maybe metalheads in general are a bit fed up with the attitudes of some bands we have here…

Nocturnus – Each one is exactly the way he/she is and wants to be. If they want to be stupid, then let them be so. I always reply to everyone I can as long as there is some credibility in the work this person develops. And some others I just tell them to fuck off because they’re nothing more than lovers of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir and they know nothing about Black Metal. There are good bands in Portugal as I’ve said previously, be it in Black Metal, Death Metal or Heavy Metal. But, sadly, there isn’t mutual respect! I am connected to a group of bands that help each other and that’s what matters to me!

Is it complicated being a duo?

Nocturnus – Not really, it even makes things easier because we’re not “slapping” each other so frequently as when there are other members involved. It all makes things easier on us. We are a duo because it is hard finding someone who shares our ideals and musical tastes. But CC was always intended to be a solo project or even a duo as it is now, so let it be!

You also play in Sirius’ live performances now and you recently went to the States with them. I’m sure this new experience is broadening your horizons… has this experience been pleasant and instructive?

Nocturnus – We ended up not going to the US because there were some disagreements between the staff of Candlelight, the festival and Sirius but that’s something I don’t feel like explaining now. I don’t play with them anymore! I only played in one concert a while ago and that was it. I am disappointed with Sirius, everyone in the band left and only Draconiis and Cato, the Norwegian drummer, are still in the band. It was interesting playing with them but nothing special and Ainvar can say that as well because he learned and appreciated more one CC rehearsal than all the time he was in Sirius.

I must thank you for your availability to answer this interview. May CC always achieve what they long for. Sign off in a devilish way…

Nocturnus – Long Live Black Metal! Worship Satan!