INTERVIEW (JIGGY JAGUAR)
A. The Ritual & The Philosophy: CODEX NERO as an Entity
1. CODEX NERO is described not as a band but as a “covenant of sound and spirit” and a “portal.” How
does this foundational philosophy fundamentally change your approach to creating music, compared to a
conventional band mindset?
For people who are oriented toward the black metal genre, the role of music is not limited to the standard
sensations of broadly understood instrumental sound. There is always a certain spirit behind it,
connecting the experiences that are awakened while listening to the music. The traditional band mindset,
of course, contains an element of shared energy released through playing together, especially live.
However, the goal of CN is to create for the sake of the experience itself, for the vibrations that arise
during creation. Performing the music live is secondary; even though a live performance carries its own
energetic charge, in this case, it is about a solitary, trance-like path of creation.
2. You speak of the project being “born from the inner sanctum of Pestis Nihilus.” Can you elaborate on
this origin? Is Pestis Nihilus a physical place, a mental state, or a collective?
Pestis Nihilus is my pseudonym as a creator and the embodiment of the project’s musical vision. It refers
to the idea that the project was born from the deepest recesses of the creator’s mind, a natural expression
of everything that emerges outward, without imitating other artistic or musical forms.
3. The press release states the album was “forged from the awakening of the entity itself.” Did “Ordo
Acherontis” feel like a channeling of a pre-existing force, or a conscious construction of a new ritual
form?
I think it’s more about creating channels for the flow of energy that one discovers, like becoming a
medium or an unconscious conduit that, through art, naturally releases forces that already exist. Yet we
also know very well that we are the creators of our own environment, so in another sense, one could say
that we unconsciously create something that already exists, though we can never be completely certain of
that. What truly matters is the final effect and the awareness of the energy we release.
B. The New Album: “Ordo Acherontis” (The Order of Acheron)
4. “Ordo Acherontis” translates to “The Order of Acheron,” the river of woe in Greek mythology. What is
the nature of this ‘order’? Is it a system of belief, a hierarchy of shadows, or a ritual process the album
enacts?
The word “Acherontis” in the title may evoke associations with Acheron, yet the true origin of this term is
different, it was created by the author as a means of personal expression.
The form “Acherontis” is a transformation of the name of the moth Acherontia atropos, known as the
“death’s-head hawkmoth.” This moth serves as a symbol of death’s herald and a guide between the
material and spiritual realms. The entire content of the album focuses on the symbolic form of transition
and the experience of the other side of life.
5. This album arrives after a “period of hibernation beneath the veil of shadows.” Was this silence a
necessary incubation for the work, or a deliberate obscuration? What transpired in the shadows between
The Great Harvest of Death and now?
Even though the material was, for the most part, musically complete after about a year, everything that
tied it together, the concept and the narrative, matured in hibernation. That’s why it can be called “the
shadows”: something unseen, yet dormant, waiting to take its proper form, like a larva resting within its
cocoon.
6. The album promises “malevolent spirit, cold atmosphere, and funereal vision.” How do you sonically
and compositionally differentiate between these three elements within the tracks?
Each track has its own atmosphere, yet they all connect into a cohesive whole. Despite the varying tempos
that create a ceremonial feeling, the sense of trance remains intact. The lyrical themes and the album’s
concept are deeply tied to the realm of dying and the passage into the world of the dead, so the cold
atmosphere and funereal vision merge together. The notion of the “malevolent spirit” is an ever-present
entity watching over a world unknown to us, often perceived as sinister only because it dwells within the
uncharted territories of our own psyche.
7. How does “Ordo Acherontis” evolve the ritualistic blueprint established on your debut, The Great
Harvest of Death? Is it a deeper descent, a wider exploration, or a purification of the same essence?
It is certainly a deeper descent into unknown realms, but that came about naturally during the process of
creating the music and shaping the album’s concept. The idea of “purification of the same essence” is
interesting, I would rather call it a greater saturation of an already existing essence. It doesn’t necessarily
mean taking another step deeper into ideological themes, because the most important thing here is the
music itself, the vessel of emotion, which, in turn, draws along other equally important forms of
expression.
C. Sound & Sorcery: The Sonic Ritual
8. Your sound is placed alongside bands like Svartidauði, Kommandant, and Deathspell Omega—artists
known for dense, atmospheric, and intellectually challenging black metal. Where does CODEX NERO’s
path diverge from these contemporaries into its own unique thicket?
The music of Codex Nero is just as dense, atmospheric, and demanding as that of the bands mentioned
above. These comparisons serve merely as a kind of reference point to indicate the particular branch of
black metal it belongs to. Nonetheless, it’s undeniable that CN forges its own style, largely a blend of that
mentioned approach with the influence of old-school riffs and rhythms, which act as a homage to the
genre’s more old roots.
9. The fusion of “black metal ferocity with occult ambience” is key. How do you balance these elements
to avoid the ambience diluting the fury, or the fury overwhelming the atmosphere?
The answer may sound trivial, but during the creative process, a kind of symbiosis naturally occurs when
merging such shifts and elements. They emerge organically through a nonverbal language, the language
of sound, which always comes first. There is no calculation behind it; everything flows instinctively.
10. Working with Haldor Grunberg (Satanic Audio) for mix/master: What specific qualities were you
seeking from him to ensure the recording itself became a vessel for the “malevolent spirit” of the music?
Haldor Grunberg is highly experienced and has worked on numerous mixes for both well-known and
underground bands. He was the right person to understand the intended sound of this album,
to preserve the primitive, cold spirit of the music while merging it with the modern power of the mix.
Because of the diversity of his previous work, I believed he had a strong chance of grasping that vision, so
I decided to rely on his experience, and I was not disappointed.
11. Will there be a continuation of collaboration with vocal entities like Corona Barathri on this new
work, or have the incantations shifted in source and style?
Corona Barathri appeared as a guest on our debut, and the effect was exactly as intended. On the second
album, we took on that role ourselves, so for the future, we don’t plan to invite this project again. The only
reason is that we prefer to perform these parts on our own, with full control over the final result.
D. The Creative Process: Invocation vs. Composition
12. Walk us through the act of creating a CODEX NERO track. Does it begin with a musical riff, a textual
incantation, a specific ritual mood, or an abstract concept?
Most of the tracks are created, and have been created, during a kind of trance state, looping a single riff.
The main riff usually emerges first, built initially around rhythm, and then everything else expands from
there. This makes the process rather unconventional, as it’s based on an already established rhythm that
generates countless riff possibilities, like a mantra. I know of bands that work similarly, but usually, the
riff comes first. In the case of CN, riffs sometimes appear on their own, but most of the music is rhythm-
based. However, the rhythm itself doesn’t create the sounds or the riff’s structure, they come into being
because of it, like a parasite that needs a host.
13. Is the recording process treated as a literal ritual? Are there specific conditions, times, or states of
mind required to properly channel the work?
No, it’s not a kind of ritual, nor is it created in any specific state of mind. The act of creation comes
instinctively when the time is right, when inspiration is active. We know well that forcing creativity rarely
yields good results. The final atmosphere, such as the more ritualistic tone of the latest album, emerges
naturally later in the musical process. It’s like having a skeleton, and it’s up to you to decide what form of
flesh you place upon it.
14. Lyrically and conceptually, is “Ordo Acherontis” meant to be decoded by the listener, or is its power in
the obscurity and the visceral experience of the sound itself?
The concept was originally intended to be prepared all at once, ready for release in several forms that
would reveal and decode the album’s full content. Unfortunately, at the time of release, some adjustments
were made, and the whole idea was divided into chapters that are being unveiled gradually over different
periods of time. The first part to be released was the purely musical one. The next release is a soundtrack
containing references to each track from the album but presented in a ritual form. This soundtrack is titled
„Ordo Acherontis Chants” and was created under the name Subterra Malorum as a separate project.
The third act will reveal the complete content and will be released in a different format.
E. The Listener’s Role & The “Great Work”
15. You state this is “not music for the flesh—it is an invocation.” What, then, is the intended target of this
invocation within the listener? The intellect? The subconscious? The spirit?
Invocations are nothing other than a form of communication through vocal vibrations, enhanced by the
energy we pour into them. The process with music is the same, it’s a form of vibration that reaches us, and
depending on who receives it and how, it creates a connection with our state of spirit. That’s why calling
the music “not for the flesh” explains, in a more figurative sense, that it’s not solely meant for the bodily,
conscious reception we’re familiar with.
16. What is the desired state for the listener to engage with “Ordo Acherontis”? Should it be an active,
focused ritual, or a passive immersion in its shadows?
Everyone perceives music in their own way; you can’t expect the listener to actively create something that
the performer anticipates. There’s definitely free will here, but if someone wants to delve deeper into the
message of these sounds and the album’s content, it will surely be a different listening experience when
they surrender to it in focus, with the right atmosphere, absorbing and immersing themselves.
17. The “Great Harvest” has been reaped. What is the purpose of the “Order” that now follows? Is it
governance, perpetuation, or a new kind of sowing?
Certainly, these two stories could be connected into a meaningful, expressive whole. The Great Harvest of
Death had its beginning, exploring the theme of death,and Ordo does the same. It’s like a film that
typically starts with a story and can be expanded backward into the past or forward into the future,
weaving new threads. Here, the second installment definitely delves deeper into the very act of passing to
the other side, written based on the events of a certain mysterious death cult.
F. The Shadow Path Forward
18. With the “Ordo” now unveiled, what is the next phase for the CODEX NERO entity? Does this album
complete a cycle, or open a gateway to the next?
Most likely, the next CN release will be the EP Revealing the Ambient Dead, which was created and
planned for release between the debut and the second album. It’s not conceptually linked to the Ordo
theme, as it predates it, but it doesn’t stray from the themes of death and existential philosophy. The
musical material, lyrics, and album artwork are all ready, just waiting for the right moment for recording,
mixing, and release.
19. Is the live performance a conceivable or desirable extension of the CODEX NERO ritual, or must it
remain a primarily recorded/studio-born entity to preserve its specific power?
I think I already addressed this in the first question. In the standard understanding of metal music, that it’s
something meant to be played live, the idea of CN concerts might seem incomprehensible. But from the
creator’s perspective, it makes perfect sense to keep it within the realm of the experience during the
music’s creation, as an expression of personal art.
20. What is one “unspoken force” you hope stirs within the listener who fully submits to this album?
It is certainly the force of trance that draws us into another state, a state of remaining a neutral receiver
to these new vibrational sounds. Only then can one feel something more.
G. Esoteric Inquiries (Short Form)
21. If CODEX NERO were an archetype from the occult tradition, what would it be? (e.g., Grimoire,
Gatekeeper, Qliphotic Mask)
We don’t focus on any specific occult tradition, but it’s certainly closer to the function of a mediator, that
is, closer to the Gatekeeper, that allows others, through the world of sound we’ve created, to enter other
dimensions of experience
22. What is one non-musical text or source that is fundamental to the cosmology of “Ordo Acherontis”?
The themes explored on Ordo appear in many literary sources, and cults worldwide, regardless of
culture. Bardo Thödol, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, addresses guidance between death and rebirth,
while Jung describes death as a transformation of consciousness, a journey of archetypes into the
unconscious, connecting the individual being with the cosmic collective psyche.
23. For the initiate approaching this work for the first time: what single piece of advice would you offer
before they begin the journey?
Approach with an open mind, free of judgment toward any suggestions. I invite you to listen without
external impulses, pure trance and absorption of the energy flowing from this album.
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