interviews

2013-01 Musick Magazine

This would be your very first opportunity to talk with polish metal media, so forgive me that rather cliche question, but what exactly does Aluk Todolo mean? I heard some translation like “the way of the ancestors”: (That) name was taken from an ancient, ritualistic religion practiced by a third of the people in a mountainous region of Indonesia, or an act that insists its music is a way to leave he world behind. Is it correct?
Yes, it is correct. We take the name from this amazing religion from Toraja land in Sulawasi (an island in the north of Indonesia). This old cult resists against the christianisation of the island and keep alive the pagan spirit, the animist beliefs. We don't refere to this religion in our work. But we feel close to the spirit. I guess we play pre-christian music.

What is the particular reason that ALUK TODOLO is not present on the biggest metal database: Metal-archives.com? They don’t consider you as the metal band at all or you just rejected the presence there?
The people of metal-archives understood correctly that we don't consider ourselves as metal, but as a true ROCK band . Our music is not based on riffs, we don't compose songs, we don't scream.
We focus on the sonic aspect of music : sounds, noise and frequencies ; performed in trance.

How could you explain your inner metamorphosis from the realms of “Blasphemy Of Satan” invocated by Diamatregon till present form? Was it (I mean: drastic change of direction) caused by the change of your mental state or seeking the new musical formula?
Diamatregon is another band. Another idea. So we cannot say it's a metamorphosis.  We have been playing in different bands, like blues, garage rock, ambient, noise, acoustic improvisations... but this does not influence Aluk Todolo.

Your 1st album “Descension” was recorded in Alps, deep down in the caves! In which circumstances did you record “Occult Rock”?  
For every recording we made, we try to find a specific location that inspire us. We record Occult Rock in a french studio called Drudenhaus. A very special place, in an old house in the country land of French Brittany. Xort, the sound engineer, makes a wonderful work on that album, to reveal our sounds. It was a first experience in a professional studio, and definitively a great one.

What are your technical & logistics demands to record so exhausting piece of music in a couple of takes? I read somewhere that you record albums live: true or false? While hearing “I”on “Occult Rock” I barely could believe that is possible for your drummer to keep so fast & steady rhythm over 10 minutes long! Btw, how many tracks could you manage to perform during your live shows?
On Occult Rock all tracks are recorded live, even Occult Rock I. We use to play that song as an opening to our concerts and there is no drum machine ! This track is a confrontation, a fight for the listener and for us as musicians. The gate of fire. During the recording, we made different versions of every track. Sometime it's just a little something that makes the whole think working or not. Our previous albums have been recorded in different conditions, we were not as much dedicated to our instrument as we have been on Occult Rock.

As you once said : The requested conditions of playing your music is to get into trance and forget everything (the whole world around us) , when the musicians disappear behind the forces they summon. This is exactly what I feel listening to Aluk Todolo! How do you get yourself into this mantric state of minds?
By true devotion to the music.

“Occult Rock” is very demanding musical adventure (nearly 90minutes long), but on the other hand is your statement of intent, am I right? Like taking Aluk Todolo as the whole new experience – even in the physical sense- rather than “just listen to some unchallenging music” instead.
Occult Rock  is to be considered as a double album, that demands a break between the two discs , and  even between each side. In fact we conceived, composed and performed this album as a four side LP.

Do you consider  “Occult Rock”  as your definitive effort to date but on the contrary the most accessible either?
We didn't compose Occult Rock to make our music more accessible. We wanted to reveal our live sound and energy on as studio album. The material on that album has been developed since the creation of the band, as a parallel work to our other albums. Occult Rock can be seen as a sum of our past work, but we won't call it “definitive”. It's an open gate on our future work.

Please let me know something more about your source of inspirations? Here and there I hear delicate touches of Ash Ra Tempel, Neu! or Can krautrock-ish landscapes and some postblack or even drone metal elements. I guess you might see it very differently than me…
Music is not the source of inspiration, music is the achievement.

“Occult Rock” sounds very self-confident, almost like the name of new sub-genre of music. New quality like Venom’s “Black Metal” or Possessed’s “Death Metal” back in the old good days. Do you foresee that creating the new genre of metal is still possible when most of the critics and fans alike claim that “everything is said and done” within this genre of music?
We can mention also Bethlehem's Dark Metal. Occult Rock is our musical statement, it’s not a new genre of metal, but simply our music. We summon and conjure the hidden energy of universe, the primal vibration of matter ; our tools are the classic rock instruments : guitar, bass and drums.

And the following question is on the tip of my tongue – do you consider yourselves as the metallers or Aluk Todolo is unclassifiable entity speaking in its own musical language?
We never try to be classified in any way. Aluk Todolo is not a metal entity, but it doesn't means that we don't listen to metal, and that metallers can't appreciate the music we do.

What is the spiritual background of your music? I found out some information that you’re deeply involved into ritualistic kind of things. Could you expand this issue?
Being a musician is a spiritual mission. Our music is the ritual the invocation and the manifestation.

Is there any chance to see U in Poland in 2013?
We will tour Europe in May and we would like to include Poland, maybe Wroclaw and Krakow. Hopefully we will make it !