The following interview is done with Shelmerdine...


August 10, 2016

1. First off please tell us a bit about Dark Awake and its history. How long has it been around and how did it come to be?

- First of all I would like to thank you for this interesting interview. Dark Awake is a martial/neoclassical/neofolk/dark ambient/ritual/post-industrial band from Greece and was founded by me (SHELMERDINE VI°) around 2002 Anno Domini.
Dark Awake is a path for me to express my philosophy, my views and my magical experiences. 
All Instrumentation, Orchestration, Human Bones (Kangling), Apocalyptic Sounds and Production are done by me  and the Narrations, Choirs and Vocals by Sekte.
We have released 4 full length albums, 1 mini album and one 7' vinyl EP until now.

  2. 'Dark Awake' is an interesting name, how did you choose it? What does this name mean to you?

- The name "Dark Awake" is about self realization, the awakening of our shadow self (the dark side).  

3. Dark Awake draws inspiration from ancient Sumerian religions and is laced with occult themes. Can you tell us how you first found interest in these subjects?

- The music is inspired by occult subjects and has a strong philosophical and alchemical context.
It was a choice in my life to deal with the secrets of man's  nature and natural instincts, the natural order and the desire to live one's own life to the fullest.
I hope to inspire the listeners and young individuals who feel strongly for the traditions of their ancestors and who are fascinated by and interested in the ancient wisdom to develop their knowledge.

  4. How would you describe your style?

- The Music and Image explore the fields of SYMPHONIC NEOCLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL APOCALYPTIC FOLK MARTIAL DARK AMBIENT RITUAL OLD NOISE POST INDUSTRIAL!
Thematically and musically it's about  topics  like  runes, paganism, esoteric occultism  and other subjects with neoclassical instruments, ambient soundscapes, human bone instruments,  etc..
True art "Post-Industrial" music against the modern world.

  5. Have you heard of the Golden Dawn political party in Greece? How do you feel about it? 

- We are really not interested in following “doctrines” or ideologies. No one playing in Dark Awake has ever been a member of any political group.

6. Do you possess anything which could be classified as 'religious' beliefs?

- Religion is a joke. I believe in my own religion. I reject all that would indoctrinate you and control your mind. It's all a game of power. 
Master and slave. This is religion, manipulation.

  7. The stories and art from ancient Greece have followed European culture all over the world, but sadly the religion of the ancient Greeks has been left behind. Even the modern Greeks no longer believe in the Greek Pantheon. Is there any religious groups in Greece, however small, that have disregarded Christianity and held fast to the old Gods?

- True, the stories and art from ancient Greece have influenced European culture. The ancient Greek art becomes a maid of Souls and Utmost Ideology...
I know some Greek pagan parties  gather every year in ancient holy places and they honor the  old gods.

  8. The United States is now a country extremely divided, especially racially. The powers-that-be have been concentrating on creating racial tensions lately. There is rioting, immense political corruption, voter intimidation and general idiocy everywhere. America is a sinking ship on an ocean of fire. We've lost control of entire portions of our country, places like Detroit, once the star of America's industrial wealth, is now in literal ruins. Places like Chicago, in the first three months of 2016, had 131 homicides,  representing an 84 percent increase over that period last year, and the 605 shootings in that time are almost double last year’s total.  

Police have actually become afraid to do their jobs in high crime neighborhoods because of absurd cries of 'racism'. To shoot a black criminal is 'racist'. It's a country drunk on its own poisons. It's dying. The proof is all around.  

And Chicago is not the only place where murder has become the new religion. Places like  Memphis, Tennessee the murder rate is 64 percent higher than that of Chicago in 2016. Memphis began 2016 with twelve homicides in two weeks. One especially deadly day in March ended with three men murdered in a 5 hour span in separate shootings.  

Our rulers, all of them very rich, not a single middle-class or poorer person amongst them,  are as corrupt and evil as any rulers in the history of this planet. That is not an exaggeration.  While they obtain more and more wealth, this country sinks into an abyss. 

At the end of 2016 the gross US federal government debt is estimated to be $19.3 trillion! That is more money than has ever been physically printed in the history of America.  Much of that debt is to communist China! Insanity. Treason. What are your thoughts on this madness?

- When all else fails then anarchy prevails..  

9. The world grows increasingly anti-white. Our children are taught about how evil their ancestors were in school,  while blacks are taught how great their ancestors were. Within the next few years white people will become the minority in the USA!
 The media actually brags about this, while non-whites of all stripes celebrate it. Places like London are already majority non-white.  Your thoughts?

- Democracy has ruined the true meaning of the individual essences, we are ruled by ignorant people and the noble souls are banished.

  10. Back to the music, what kind of plans do you have for Dark Awake in the future?

- We are working on a new full length album, a mini album with the subject of Chaos Magic, a re-release of the "Anunnaki" album on vinyl 12' format and some black metal cover songs in neoclassical style   for  some compilations CDs with some other bands...

  11. In 2015 Dark Awake released a 7" inch EP  called 'Absinthe And Nihilism', with  unreleased songs about the alcoholic drink absinthe. 
The EP is described as giving 'the feeling of sick tranquility  and it's perfect for  decadent nights with absinthe!'  As the quote by the poet Gustave Kahn goes "Absinthe, mother of all happiness…"  
This controversial drink, which was said to cause hallucinations, was banned in many countries,  and to this day is still not legal in its full recipe in the U.S.  Is absinthe one of your personal favorite drinks?  Many famous artists in the past have imbued it and created their works. Tell us about your experiences...?

-  The Absinthe drink in the past  has driven  many artists to higher levels of Consciousness...
It allows the mind to digest conscious experiences and make emotional adjustments to it. It also provides a window into the psychic dimension and into the less accessible regions of memory.
The 'Absinthe And Nihilism'  7" inch  vinyl EP was released by Seventh Crow Records (France).
This vinyl EP features an esoteric mystical and spiritual sound that must be felt not just heard.  

12. Any final thoughts to share with this wounded world?

- Do not forget that the Answer lies where Reason can't reach...
People are of course welcome to contact me for any further inquiries, remarks or feedback at:

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DARK-AWAKE-189786207738223

Bandcamp:
www.http://darkawake.bandcamp.com


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