Promoter Focus

Astrum Argentum

Myspace: www.myspace.com/endlessinfernum

Specialism: Black Metal, particularly those acts which fall under the ‘Religious’ tag, although genre is of secondary importance to outlook and lyrical themes.

With the massive explosion of internet use and social networking over the past decade and a half, bands, even from the reclusive extreme metal scene, have had to develop new ways of reaching out to prospective listeners. The mailing lists, banners, feeds and widgets of the present day would boggle the mind of the earliest heavy metal bands, whose promotion was a personal effort until they hit upon a label agreement, after which everything of importance would be handled by the imposing figure of the Band Manager. Our modern bands are increasingly tech-literate themselves, but with the studio and the road constantly calling, there is an ever-hungry need for independent promoters to maintain the assault on the listening public’s consciousness. Mixing the qualities of friend, fixer, personal assistant, webmaster, loudspeaker and marketing guru, the independent promoter can be one of the hardest-working individuals in the scene, putting in ungodly hours to raise the profile of any number of acts, some of whom will be personally known to them, some of whom they will never meet, all of whom they believe in with great conviction. Furthermore, with the blaring inanity of platforms such as Myspace running directly contrary to many bands’ sense of dignity and ‘underground’ sensibilities, it is important to be aligned with a promoter who can discriminate between quality opportunities and crass over-exposure, deftly reaching the right ears without compromising the band’s spirit, and providing a buffer between cyberspace and an artist’s mystique.

It is into this breach that recently-founded promotion agency Astrum Argentum boldly steps. As with many such ventures, AA is the focus of one individual, S, whose experiences in band management have furnished him with the ideas to put together coherent and well-presented updates and awareness-raising assaults for a client list that has grown to feature some very notable names. Balancing a sense of elitism and obscurity with a highly professional outlook, and a genuine interest in and respect for the genre, S presents precisely the opportunity which many bands seek. Dedication to the time-consuming and often tricky pursuit of compilation production also sets this agency apart from many others, and reveals a personal creativity which flourishes well alongside the necessarily practical concerns of day-to-day band promotion. I caught up with S to find out more about how his particular brand of operations has come about, as well as to get a feel for the organisation, and find out exactly what is involved in this wide and frantic field.

THE BOSS

HN: Hail S, how goes it?

S: Moderate, at best.

 

HN: We’ve come together to discuss your promotional activities under the banner of Astrum Argentum. Where did the idea to found the organisation spring from – what were your key motivations?

S: The idea of Astrum Argentum originated during my work in band management; I was dedicated to a now inactive promotional outfit consisting of myself and one other. The direction of said project began drifting from the vision I foresaw and, as I was more interested in an even darker, more esoteric form of Black Metal which also appealed to my Religious followings I decided it was in my best interest to found a project of my very own. I stopped working in the management field and, on the rather controversial and until now quite unknown date of September 11th 2008, birthed Astrum Argentum. My motivations are, and always have been, to propagate the Religious field of music and the belief systems that are harboured by those who create it.

 

HN: What kind of industry background do you come from? Are you a musician yourself?

S: No. Unfortunately I have never had any real talent with a musical instrument.

 

HN: There are a wide variety of ways to promote bands, and we encounter the whole spectrum, from the most basic to the most corporate of enterprises - when you began Astrum Argentum, how did you envision the organisation would operate? Have you had to adapt this original idea as you’ve progressed?

S: Admittedly there have been times when I have been surprised by the successes of my work, such as some of the major acquisitions and the tremendous amount of interest both my actual work and my compilation album have received, but I never focused on keeping the path of Astrum Argentum completely illuminated. I have always had a set course of actions but I am also keeping it open too. I do have some specific plans for the future but I am only keeping the path half-lit.

 

HN: What typical activities would you find yourself undertaking during the course of a week to help support and promote your bands?

S: Typical activities include scouring the virtual realm in search for certain bands who match the criteria (this usually involves actual beliefs as opposed to the genre), acquiring (and, in some cases creating) banners that may be used as permanent links to propagate bands’ Myspace pages and/or web-pages, posting flyers, tour dates, news, new releases, etc. on Myspace and on other networking sites and forums, posting actual links, contacting zines to make interview/review inquiries to AA promoted bands, using bands’ music (with permission may I add) to spread interest and most recently, there's the compilation albums, the first of which has sold out and the second is currently in planning still.

 

HN: You direct AA yourself; do you have people upon whom you can rely for assistance or is it very much a solitary effort? It must be a mammoth task just to keep track…

S: Astrum Argentum has, and always will be directed by myself, sometimes people carry the name around to help propagate the propagator but these are devoted followers rather than official staff members. Working alone can prove difficult at times of course, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Astrum Argentum is my vision and my servitude to spread His poison to those worthy of hearing the aural offerings AA bands have to offer.

 

HN: Aside from the limitation of hours in the day, what obstacles face promoters in the scene? What difficulties have you had to overcome since your inception last year?

S: I wouldn't really say I have been faced with any particular difficulties, more... inconveniences. I've been faced with delays and silent rejections for promotion from bands I wish were more interested, but the most recent inconvenience was the dropping of one of the Astrum bands, which I don't intend to explain.

 

HN: One particular feature which makes you stand out above other promoters is your dedication to producing compilations which showcase your artists - how many compilations have you created now?

S: Currently, there has been one compilation release. This album was entitled "Invocatio Valde Diaboli Ex Profundus" and featured artists such as Teratism, Andramelech and Pseudogod, it was released by Negra Nit Distribution, and as far as I know the album is close to, if not already, selling out. A second album is currently underway and is developing well.

 

HN: How is it proceeding? What can followers expect to hear?

S: The second installment is entitled "Tlat De-Pur`Anuta" and is actually a concept album in regards to the artwork and the layout of the track listing. The term 'Tlat De-Pur`Anuta' is Aramaic for 'The Three of Affliction', which do not relate to the weekly Torah portions directly, but contain certain prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah foreshadowing the fall of Jerusalem. The Three of Affliction being "Divre Yirmeyahu" (Jeremiah 1.1-2.3), "Shim`u Devar Hashem" (Jeremiah 2.4-28) and "Hazon Yisha`Yahu" (Isaiah 1.1-27). The artwork will be inspired by the fall of Jerusalem and the track listing will consist of 15 songs, split into three chapters of 4, each with an intro and each chapter named after one of the Three of Affliction.

At the moment Ofermod, Blaze of Perdition, Oracle of the Void, Nefandus and Sanguinary Misanthropia are all confirmed, and I am reserving places for the likes of Glorior Belli, Nazxul, Grigori and Pure Evil currently. Devoted Astrum followers can expect nothing more than a nightmarish onslaught.

HN: Assembling compilations could be seen as the tip of the music releasing iceberg – do you think that with time you will be tempted to expand your operations, or have you decided firmly against becoming a label in the future?

S: For the time being at least, Astrum Argentum will depend on others for distribution, as I don't have the funds to form it further into a label type promotion. The next big step for me is to get AA onto an official web domain to escape the sole confines of places such as Myspace. The idea of becoming a label or even just self-releasing compilations is certainly an interesting option but is an idea still quite some time away from being materialised.

 

HN: How do you connect with bands? Do they seek you out, or are you always actively seeking worthy new acts to represent?

S: The vast majority of bands promoted by Astrum Argentum are bands that I sought out myself, either because I was already aware of their presence or I just happened to hear their material under recommendation, or searching online for bands falling under the criteria in regards to belief system and lyrical themes. I do receive a lot of interest from bands who wish to be promoted but many of them are turned down because they lack in certain departments. Gromm (Ukraine) are perhaps the deepest band I work with who came to me, as I not only promote them but I also represent them on Myspace too.

 

HN: If you come into contact with a band who might require promotion, what qualities do you look for in order to agree to work with them? Can you elaborate on the belief systems and similar threads you look out for?

S: Well, as aforementioned, genre isn't really a factor in the potential promotion of a band. I first look at the bands lyrical theme, most of which consist of Death, Occultism, and alternate 'Dark Religions' such as different variations of Satanic/Luciferian Worship, Chaos-Gnosticism and/or Dark Germanic Heathenism, then I listen to the band's material and if I'm satisfied I will offer the band my support.

 

HN: What led you to your chosen name for the organisation? The Astrum Argentum was traditionally more of a ‘closed shop’ than other orders - is this sense of esoteric secrecy and elitism something you wanted to replicate?

S: As most people in this area would know, the Astrum Argentum was a magical order formed by Aleister Crowley in 1907 after he left the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and was regarded as a close ally of the O.T.O (Ordo Templi Orientis). The AA served as a Thelemic magical fraternity whose goals were the persuit of light and knowledge. I can't say that the choice of name was really inspired by Aleister Crowley and his works, although his work and philosophies do interest me greatly; replication of it's secrecy and elitism would be an accurate summation. As Astrum's popularity has increased I am seen in the eyes of some as some form of 'celebrity' figure, which I find kind of amusing, I prefer to remain known of little by the masses but known well by the worthy.

 

HN: What first drew you to Crowley’s work? What is it that particularly resonates for you amongst his ideas?

S: I heard of Aleister Crowley almost immediately when I first began studying Satanism. His name was mentioned several times during the articles on the variations of Satanism and the practice of magic so he was one of the first main figures I did any research on. The Astrum Argentum was the first real interest I took in Crowley's work, although his literature and his philosophies have also proved a fascinating read.

 

HN: How about extreme music? What most appeals to you about extreme art? What powers of expression does extreme metal hold for you?

S: My interest in extreme music formed way back in 1994 where I was listening to bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone, so I guess I had a moderately good start in being introduced to this particular area. Obviously, going through high school and college my tastes both expanded and varied until I lost interest in all music back in 2004. My interest in Black Metal kick-started in early 2006 and in mid 2007 I started promoting it until nowadays where I am accredited to Astrum Argentum.

I have a wide interest in the bands I promote, I am very open to the sound, I like all the symphonic music that gets slandered so often and I like the dark down-tempo sound too. It works both ways for me, but I am one of those people who believe Black Metal is something that exemplifies hate and Satanism. So to me, terms like National Socialist 'Black Metal' and Depressive/Suicidal 'Black Metal' are offensive, and I refuse to collaborate with those types of bands.

 

HN: How would you describe the Religious genre, and why do you think it has captured so many imaginations recently?

S: A large amount of the bands I promote do sport the 'Religious' tag, which is one thing that is always guaranteed to acquire my interest. I think this tag has captured such an audience recently due to the increasing amount of Satanists/Luciferians appearing on these networking sites, so they must find themselves as drawn to these bands as I once did. Unfortunately, as many of these REAL Satanists/Luciferians there are, there are always fakes too.

 

HN: Amongst the bands you promote, which would you say have the most striking overall outlook and output? And which should we particularly look out for over the coming months in terms of releases and activity?

S: I like all the bands I promote, but if I were to mention specific names, Viaticum and Oracle of the Void are definitely my top favourite AA bands in terms of music and lyrics, the members are also great people. Hassrausch, Sanguinary Misanthropia, Angelgoat, Blaze of Perdition, Nazxul, Glorior Belli, Watain, Kult ov Azazel... the list goes on.

As for their upcoming news, I imagine you were already aware Kult ov Azazel have their new album "Destroying the Sacred" underway, to which there's currently an exclusive track available for streaming on the AA Myspace page. Glorior Belli have "Meet us at the Southern Sign" coming soon, Ysengrin has a split with Borgia and Nazxul with "Iconoclast".

 

HN: What about the scene as a whole? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the volume and quality of extreme metal being released?

S: With the exception of the plethora of bands being promoted by myself there are several bands who I regard highly, but my overall opinion of the 'scene' will never be satisfied until it gets as much recognition as I feel it deserves.

 

HN: Not to point fingers or name names, but there are some fairly shoddy outfits marketing themselves as ‘promoters’, which I’m sure you’ve come across. What advice would you/do you give to bands who are seeking to work with promoters/labels/distros?

S: One criticism I have for any promotion is dependant on whether they charge for their services, because it tells you whether they are doing it for money or for love of the music. I could mention a certain label I have recently had disagreements with but I am above that sort of thing so I think I'll give the name a pass... Regardless, if I were a band member looking to make an inquiry with a promotion, I think I'd speak to a band already promoted by them so I'd have an idea of whether the promotion/label/distro was reliable or even worth the interest. If I offer my services to a band and they show hesitance because they aren't familiar with my work I would refer them to one of the close bands I promote, but it hasn't been necessary yet.

 

HN: What are your ambitions for Astrum Argentum in the first year of its existence? Are there specific goals you have set for yourself?

S: At this moment in time I am aiming to develop work on the next album, I can begin spreading possibilities of Astrum Argentum shirts becoming available, it looks likely... My main aim is to continue my work and continue to spread the poison.

 

HN: Thank you very much for your time; if you’ve any further messages for the world, please go ahead:

S: Thank you for the interest in my works.

Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, est tibi Satanae Patri omnipotenti in unitate Spiritus Sancti, omnis honor et gloria. Per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

CLICK HERE FOR PART II OF THE ARTICLE: THE BANDS