In 1986 St Louis thrashers Anacrusis formed, by 1988 their debut album Suffering Hour was released and by 1993 they were one of progressive metals best acts. However, that was the last we would hear of this amazing yet overlooked band. Anacrusis was one of the most underrated bands in thrash metal and their founder and braintrust Kenn Nardi one of the best songwriters and musicians in the genre. 20 years later Kenn has released a solo album that will satisfy the Anacrusis fan base. With 28 tracks on 2 CDs and over 2 and half hours of music, Kenn definitely made up for the time away. I recently had a chance to discuss the album, Anacrusis and future plans with Mr. Nardi.

Brian Grebenz

First off congratulations on the release of Dancing With the Past. It's an amazing album. I understand that you at first were going to release it under Anacrusis. What made you decide to release it as a solo album?

Thank you. I just would not have ever felt comfortable releasing as an "Anacrusis" album since aside from a few bass tracks I am the only member on the recordings. It isn’t so much a matter of the material since most of it was intended for a new Anacrusis album, but releasing it under my own name allowed me a bit more freedom to try some new things that I don’t think would have fit well otherwise.

A few years back Anacrusis got together and played several festivals and also did the 'Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited'. Very well done by the way, I am not a fan of re-recordings, but you stayed true to the original songs and it is quite enjoyable. Was it at this time that you began writing new material or did you already have songs written prior to this?

Thanks. I feel the same way most of the time. I will usually listen once just to see how things sounded "updated", but usually not much beyond that. I didn’t want that to happen with Hindsight. I know it is hard for the older fans to accept new versions no matter what we would have done, but I also know there are many fans old and new that never listened to the first two albums much due to the production. I think the material strong enough to be heard so hopefully hindsight will make discovering those songs a little easier.

Our drummer Mike Owen and I began jamming together right away and we always had really great musical chemistry. Mike’s drumming always made me come up with riffs left and right. 'Made' was the first new song I wrote after playing with Mike one afternoon. Before Kevin even joined us for rehearsals in the spring of 2009 I had this song fully written. Most of the other stuff I came up with as we rehearsed for the other shows and I also had a handful of older songs lying around before we began. Several songs were written after we stopped playing together again in 2013.

A lot of the songs have the Anacrusis sound, but also are very fresh and modern. When you were in the songwriting process were you writing it as an Anacrusis album?

Yes, definitely. I did have some older stuff that I wanted to try to give the "Anacrusis" treatment to, but most of the rest was written with an Anacrusis album in mind. Not that I wasn’t envisioning a somewhat more mature version of our band. I knew that I wanted to bring some new elements into the mix just as we had done from album to album while maintaining a style that was true to our sound. Not having Kevin involved would have made this more difficult since we all had a hand in writing and brought different things to the table.

Now that you have finished with the recording process, what's been going on with you? Work? Family? Hobbies? What is regular day for you?

Working on the album took up almost every spare moment I had for months and months and of course it's a good feeling to have finally finished everything. However, I have a few other things in the works now, so I am still keeping busy with music. I do work full-time at a "regular" job which takes up most of my time, so I have to squeeze music in around that and spending time with my wife and the usual things people do. We are in the process of working with Metal Blade to re-issue all of the old albums, which will have tons of bonus stuff, so I am trying to get all of the best quality live recordings and things like that together to see what the best stuff is to use. I have also begun recording some more music which may end up being an album at some point.

Do you have any plans to bring the material on the road? Or at least to play live locally or are there any festivals lined up?

As much as I'd love to play some of this new material live, I have no band or anything so there is no way I can do that. I don't have any plans to do anything live at the moment. That could change, but it isn't anything I am actively pursuing though. I been asked by a couple people to play and they have even offered to assemble musicians to play behind me, but that would just be too strange for me. I need a lot of practice to get things done in a live setting and walking on stage with strangers is not anything I would ever be comfortable with. Maybe if the demand is great enough from the new album, I will consider trying to put a band together locally, but I am so far out of the loop I wouldn't even know where to begin finding people willing to basically just learn and play my songs.

Anacrusis was ahead of their time and has been an influence on later acts. Who influenced you early on? Who influences you today? What influence to you draw upon outside of music?

KISS were my big heroes growing up in the 70's and even if their music isn't an obvious influence, the whole experience of being a KISS fan certainly planted the seed in me to make music. Also, my Dad was a singer and guitar player and we always had music around the house. The Beatles were also a major influence along with Pink Floyd and many others. Later it was Priest/Maiden and then the thrash bands. I was heavily into Hardcore/Punk and even some alternative bands that came out of the 80's too which also found its way into some of my music over the years.

These days I don't listen to much newer music, but Muse are one band I can think of that I really did some great stuff in recent years. I am a fan of great songs, whoever writes them. People give me trouble because I like Coldplay, but I think they are great songwriters no matter what their audience is or how many albums they have sold. I have honestly been so focused on Dancing with the Past for the last couple of years that I don't like to listen to other stuff because I don't want to be influenced at all by what I hear someone else doing musically.

As for metal, I don't really listen to many newer bands. Some of my friends will send me videos from YouTube to check out and there is some really great stuff out there, but I guess the whole aggressive thing just doesn't resonate with me much these days. I still listen to all of the old bands that got me into metal in the first place, but my days of seeking out new bands are behind me. If I do listen to metal, chances are it will be old Mercyful Fate or Metal Church or something like that.

You mentioned that during the writing and recording process of Dancing with the Past that you didn't want to listen to other music. I have heard other musicians say that same thing. What did you draw inspiration from during that time?

I didn't really need much inspiration for this album aside from what I thought Anacrusis fans might like to hear after so many years. I generally try and write music that I myself like. That is the standard that I use. if it doesn't do anything for me then it will probably never end up as a song. I knew there were certain trademark that the band had established and I focused on trying to bring those elements together in some new ways rather than repeating what the bad and I had already done in the past. Once I decided to finish the album myself I was even more free to try some different things using many of those same ingredients.

You also mentioned that you are writing some new material. Is it building off of Dancing with the Past or is it a new direction? Will you ever write something that's not metal? Is that something that you have ever considered?

Well, the Cruel April project was definitely not metal, though it had a mostly dark tone to it. I'd like to just write some songs again like I did then without Anacrusis or anything else in mind. Maybe something dark and melodic like Nick Cave or something. As for right now, I still have some very heavy riffs and a few old songs that I'd like to properly record, so if I do something in the near future it will probably be similar to Dancing with the Past, with maybe a few more twists. I knew with Dancing with the Past there were Anacrusis fans out there who were dying to hear some new songs that sounded like that band, but if there is a next time, I won't be too concerned with repeating that pattern again. I think it would be hard for me to write anything heavy without it sounding somewhat like Anacrusis, since I was the vocalist and main writer in the band.

What are your 5 favorite Anacrusis songs?

That's always a tough one to answer. I think "Sound the Alarm" is the best song I wrote for the band. Other favorites are "Release", "Stop Me", "Explained Away", "Driven", "Paint a Picture". it changes all the time, but I tend to favor the more melodic stuff for sure.

My 5 "Stop Me", "Paint a Picture", "Too Many Prophets", "Tools of Separation" and "Terrified"

You just like the letter "T", (laughs)

Thank you for taking the time to do this with me. It was great to learn a little more about you.

No problem at all. I was happy to do it.

I've been fascinated with the spiritual side of black metal since I first read about Jon Nödtveidt, Dissection and what was once known as the Misanthropic Luciferian Order, but it wasn't until I discovered Serpent Noir that my curiosity would turn into thirst for knowledge and understanding of what I consider to be the true Satanic path. Actual Qliphotic practitioners creating true black metal that honors Satan: The Dragon and brings truth to the idea of who Lucifer truly is. BM as a vessel for black & red magicks, draconian current, daemonic forces, Luciferian enlightenment and the most powerful Satanic energy. True Satanism that transcends any and all Abrahamic perceptions or Laveyan ideas actually exists, and the music that's created as the product of such esotericism by bands like the aforementioned Serpent Noir, Ofermod, Mortuus, and Thy Darkened Shade happens to be - at least in my opinion - some of the finest the scene has to offer. Athens Greece's Thy Darkened Shade transcend even the furthest stretches of the black metal genre with music that enlightens and bears witness to Lucifer - The Father - an all-powerful and misrepresented deity whose Luciferian light guides the way through Satanic darkness. What you're about to take part in is an awakening, a rare and valuable learning experience provided so graciously by a real Qliphotic practitioner and visionary black metal artist. During my latest interview, Semjaza from Thy Darkened Shade provides some profound insight into the music, the past and current state of the scene, the esotericism behind their hymns and the complicated, but all-magnificent nature of the deity, Lucifer... Let the ritual commence!

Jeger

Black metal music - no matter from what country - is generally steeped in tradition and heritage. Yet your style, particularly on the new record is transcendent without much in the way of what one would expect to hear on a Rotting Christ or Varathron album. Do you draw much inspiration from the early Hellenic era?

Semjaza: Of course, some of my favorite releases are coming from the 90s era of the Hellenic black metal underground. These people created some of the best BM releases of all time. In fact, first I experienced the Hellenic BM underground in more detail and then the international BM scene. I suppose that was normal for me to do so. That period fully inspires me, but I dislike copying-pasting their sound. I'd rather create my own sound than copy any of my favorite releases or scenes. For instance, I am obviously influenced by Necromantia and Thou Art Lord but TDS sounds really different. I still remember the day I ordered Eosforos by Thou Art Lord like it was yesterday. I was still in elementary school; these bands really opened another dimension, spiritual dimension within me, unconsciously. "Thy Mighty Contract" is fully important to me, Scarlet Evil Witching Black, Eosforos, His Majesty at the Swamp, Necromantia split with Varathron, many killer releases came from that era, demos, eps, splits as well. Also, apart from the more known releases there were even more underground ones that were significant (in fact back then, all those bands were underground anyway). Like for instance, Entrance and Wandering on the Seven Zones by Zephyrous, the Lemegethon demos or Nergal's De Vermis Mysteriis, to name a few.

Your previous full-length album "Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet" and your forthcoming record "Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya" are based upon luciferian concepts. There are a number of different branches of occultism with different ideas about who The Lightbringer is and what he stands for. And - of course - there are the more well-known Biblical perceptions of Lucifer. How is Lucifer perceived on these two albums and how do they tie into one another?

During the years, I realized that instead of listening to conscious ideas of what people imagine about Lucifer, I rather construct unconscious ideas by focusing on communicating directly with the deity. I obtained very different signals from what people just think about Lucifer through their conscious mind. The totality of the deity is very hard to be grasped from a human mind and I don't pretend here that I fully grasp the deity either. However, I know for sure that many people and bands are downgrading divinity to reflect their own mundane created image. So, they project their humanity into a limitless deity, something which is an error. I like learning from errors, I perceive Lucifer as my father, a real deity whose adversarial energy traveled throughout history. With the Liber Lvcifer albums we aim to clarify how Lucifer interacted with the cosmos throughout the aeons and under which manifestations. Another question that is answered is how we can communicate with the deity. We focus on the totality of the god form, by invoking Him under all His names, the totality of the god-form is summoned. Even though Khem Sedjet was closer to Lucifer and Mahapralaya is closer to Satan, we know that the light of Lucifer is the darkness of Satan, the light that either blinds or illuminates. That's how all these albums relate to each other.

How would you describe the writing/recording process for your forthcoming album "Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya"?

The process of composition was totally killer, fully inspiring as well. That is always the easiest part for me. I had the hymns composed from a very early stage. I had to choose from tons of TDS music which hymns fit better into the frame of Mahapralaya. That's normally the case, first I create music and lyrics by using the unconscious, without any mundane thoughts attached. Then I choose the tracks that fit in a frame, making them sound coherent from an album perspective. So, I must use my conscious mind for that. On the other hand, the recording process and the finalisation of the album was full of difficulties. In general, it was painful, not the easy way out, too much work for even simple tasks. Some mundane work too had to be done and I am not very good at performing mundane tasks for TDS - a tiring experience. At the end I was fully drained, but also the experience was illuminating and profound. It deserved all the pain and the sleepless nights. This was our most difficult release to date for several reasons.

My understanding is that In Jewish mysticism, Qliphoth and Kabbalah are the representation of evil or daemonic forces from the realm of Sitra Achra. How do Qliphoth and Kabbalah tie into the concept of the new album?

I am a Qliphotic practitioner therefore, the Qliphoth reflects what I do daily and of course this defines TDS as well. I don't want to get too specific with that in relation to our new album since it is important for me that everyone will form personal analyses of what we do. However, our music is a hidden passage through several Qliphotic spheres and tunnels. By extending what I said before, TDS and my existence is dedicated to the totality of the deity. The true light is that of Lucifer and therefore, any Sephirotic (demiurgic) emanations are not only illusional but damaging to me. It is through the light of Lucifer that I receive the balance to go through the darkness of Satan. It is through the passion of Lilith that this quest becomes even more strengthened until all illusions will be nothing but ashes - metaphorically as well as literally.

From your perspective as a band who has put in a good share of underground work, how do you feel about streaming, the internet, social media and their impact on the scene? Is it even really underground anymore?

It's really a huge conversation. I recently replied to a similar question with this one, but for me it is an important question. The impact of the internet on the BM underground is mainly awful from the perspective that I see it. Plenty of people entered the scene, pushing their own agendas into a genre that was already fully established before them with blood and sacrifices. They claim they own BM while at the same time their mindset is diametrically opposite of what this movement stands for. Some of them dislike real ΒΜ revolutionary deeds, but they still claim they own the genre. This concerns these bands and individuals. Seriously, no matter what you believe in, that really doesn't concern me. Be whatever you want to be and do what thou wilt, but call your genre something else since it is something else. This is what happens when something revolutionary becomes widely known… It becomes watered down. Back in the 90s a BM band needed to have the apocryphal concept along with a personal vision to be called as such. A band had to contribute to the Satanic mindset and the sound of BM with their personal vision. By saying Satanic I don't solely mean the manifestation of the deity within the Christian tradition (that's another thing that people confuse). But the manifestation of the adversarial deity in all traditions along with the rebellion against any kind of oppressive force or deity. People nowadays don't have to do any serious work to be part of this movement since even the most obscure of all zines are widely available through the internet. Something which isn't even valued by them. Back in the day, no one had to negotiate the obvious thing. It is a fact, not my opinion, lets repeat until it will be crystal clear: BM IS APOCRYPHAL, OCCULT, ADVERSARIAL and SATANIC MUSIC - the worship of the Dark Gods. To avoid the usual confusion, I don't say that all the people behind the bands were occult experts (some of them in fact became). However, a lot of them were ready to kill and die for their Satanic beliefs and were touched by a presence unconsciously and were basically writing for that as well consciously. Remember, even the Count did that with his devil worshipping interviews, Dominus Sathanas track and his Satanic lyrics for Darkthrone etc. The evidence is all there for those who wish to search for facts about BM tradition. Here, I don't speak about good or bad music but about the very traditional definition of this genre. I listen to tons of other genres apart from BM myself anyway. Also, the obscure feeling of the BM scene is something that I miss a lot. Some few bands are managing to capture it. Other bands - due to them overusing the social media and their poser like magazine pictures - make BM look like a circus. The problem with that is that outsiders assume that BM is about those koala bear figurines dragging the scene into the dirt for their own mainstream fame. For my own reality, solely, BM within me developed into something ever more solemn and serious with my own growth. Now, I see it from the perspective of a 39-year-old man. I ensure you I still value any release that I listen to, any zine that I read, and I am buying as many releases as possible since I first heard this genre when I was a kid. But I would gladly leave the comfort zone of the internet behind to return to the obscure feeling of zines and the diehard mindset of the 90s scene.

I wanted to ask what some would probably consider to be a loaded question. From your viewpoint as a practitioner, how do you feel about the commercialization of Satanism and what sometimes feels like the naive use of Satanic imagery/concepts by mainstream black metal bands?

That's a killer question to me. Satanism cannot be commercialized no matter how vainly people (or bands) are trying to use this religion for their own gains. Satanism is for the few and cannot be widely well known, this can never change. Most people are not willing to have the bravery to become Satanists and that's normal. Only a distorted version of pseudo-Satanic organisations can be well known. These organisations are so diametrically against any real Satanic path that they cannot be called Satanic. No matter if their pseudo-high priests choose to call it so (just for extra cash, ego glorification and doing "rituals" as their main mundane jobs). They should name their obsession as Egoism or Narcissism instead of Satanism. This trend started with the Americanization of a branch of anti-Satanism through Anton Szandor LaVey and his Church of Egoism. These people, while being in their traditional ego-trip state, even dared to say that they are the only true branch of Satanism. There is nothing Left Hand Path in being up your ass and wanting to have sex all day. These paths are anti-Satanic paths and essentially no hand paths. Worshipping the ego is narcissistic, not Satanic. Church of Egoism propagated: Just watch yourself in front of a mirror, pretend you are superior from anyone else and have as much sex as possible. Congratulations, now that you worship yourself, you also worship Satan and we also have your money. What kind of an absurd joke is this? They also named their mundane pseudo-Nietzschean ideology as occultism. There is nothing occult about it either, as there is nothing spiritual there too. Using holy names as psychodrama for someone to feel superior doesn't sound too sacred to me. They should try something else instead, maybe playing video games and trying to cool down a bit. The organisations like them who aim at the commercialization of Satanism do nothing other than projecting their own insecurities into the world. Bands or individuals that are exploiting it have no clue with what they are messing with.

What's the most valuable thing you've learned through your music and esotericism?

To believe in my true Self that stems from the original source. To embrace fully the quest of becoming the higher Self no matter the obstacles. To trust the immortality of the black flame and what lies beyond this illusionary plane of existence. To believe in the endless potentiality and possibilities that arise when someone becomes a vessel of adversarial energies. To trust the totality of the deity.

Do you have a message for your followers?

Yes, the message is that I don't need followers. I rather have listeners, people that follow and those who need followers are equally vulnerable. HSL!