\nA. The Ritual & The Philosophy: CODEX NERO as an Entity
\n1. CODEX NERO is described not as a band but as a “covenant of sound and spirit” and a “portal.” How
\ndoes this foundational philosophy fundamentally change your approach to creating music, compared to a
\nconventional band mindset?
\nFor people who are oriented toward the black metal genre, the role of music is not limited to the standard
\nsensations of broadly understood instrumental sound. There is always a certain spirit behind it,
\nconnecting the experiences that are awakened while listening to the music. The traditional band mindset,
\nof course, contains an element of shared energy released through playing together, especially live.
\nHowever, the goal of CN is to create for the sake of the experience itself, for the vibrations that arise
\nduring creation. Performing the music live is secondary; even though a live performance carries its own
\nenergetic charge, in this case, it is about a solitary, trance-like path of creation.
\n2. You speak of the project being “born from the inner sanctum of Pestis Nihilus.” Can you elaborate on
\nthis origin? Is Pestis Nihilus a physical place, a mental state, or a collective?
\nPestis Nihilus is my pseudonym as a creator and the embodiment of the project\u2019s musical vision. It refers
\nto the idea that the project was born from the deepest recesses of the creator\u2019s mind, a natural expression
\nof everything that emerges outward, without imitating other artistic or musical forms.
\n3. The press release states the album was “forged from the awakening of the entity itself.” Did “Ordo
\nAcherontis” feel like a channeling of a pre-existing force, or a conscious construction of a new ritual
\nform?
\nI think it\u2019s more about creating channels for the flow of energy that one discovers, like becoming a
\nmedium or an unconscious conduit that, through art, naturally releases forces that already exist. Yet we
\nalso know very well that we are the creators of our own environment, so in another sense, one could say
\nthat we unconsciously create something that already exists, though we can never be completely certain of
\nthat. What truly matters is the final effect and the awareness of the energy we release.
\nB. The New Album: “Ordo Acherontis” (The Order of Acheron)
\n4. “Ordo Acherontis” translates to “The Order of Acheron,” the river of woe in Greek mythology. What is
\nthe nature of this ‘order’? Is it a system of belief, a hierarchy of shadows, or a ritual process the album
\nenacts?
\nThe word \u201cAcherontis\u201d in the title may evoke associations with Acheron, yet the true origin of this term is
\ndifferent, it was created by the author as a means of personal expression.
\nThe form \u201cAcherontis\u201d is a transformation of the name of the moth Acherontia atropos, known as the
\n\u201cdeath\u2019s-head hawkmoth.\u201d This moth serves as a symbol of death\u2019s herald and a guide between the
\nmaterial and spiritual realms. The entire content of the album focuses on the symbolic form of transition
\nand the experience of the other side of life.<\/p>\n
5. This album arrives after a “period of hibernation beneath the veil of shadows.” Was this silence a
\nnecessary incubation for the work, or a deliberate obscuration? What transpired in the shadows between
\nThe Great Harvest of Death and now?
\nEven though the material was, for the most part, musically complete after about a year, everything that
\ntied it together, the concept and the narrative, matured in hibernation. That\u2019s why it can be called \u201cthe
\nshadows\u201d: something unseen, yet dormant, waiting to take its proper form, like a larva resting within its
\ncocoon.<\/p>\n
6. The album promises “malevolent spirit, cold atmosphere, and funereal vision.” How do you sonically
\nand compositionally differentiate between these three elements within the tracks?
\nEach track has its own atmosphere, yet they all connect into a cohesive whole. Despite the varying tempos
\nthat create a ceremonial feeling, the sense of trance remains intact. The lyrical themes and the album\u2019s
\nconcept are deeply tied to the realm of dying and the passage into the world of the dead, so the cold
\natmosphere and funereal vision merge together. The notion of the \u201cmalevolent spirit\u201d is an ever-present
\nentity watching over a world unknown to us, often perceived as sinister only because it dwells within the
\nuncharted territories of our own psyche.<\/p>\n
7. How does “Ordo Acherontis” evolve the ritualistic blueprint established on your debut, The Great
\nHarvest of Death? Is it a deeper descent, a wider exploration, or a purification of the same essence?
\nIt is certainly a deeper descent into unknown realms, but that came about naturally during the process of
\ncreating the music and shaping the album\u2019s concept. The idea of \u201cpurification of the same essence\u201d is
\ninteresting, I would rather call it a greater saturation of an already existing essence. It doesn\u2019t necessarily
\nmean taking another step deeper into ideological themes, because the most important thing here is the
\nmusic itself, the vessel of emotion, which, in turn, draws along other equally important forms of
\nexpression.<\/p>\n
C. Sound & Sorcery: The Sonic Ritual
\n8. Your sound is placed alongside bands like Svartidau\u00f0i, Kommandant, and Deathspell Omega\u2014artists
\nknown for dense, atmospheric, and intellectually challenging black metal. Where does CODEX NERO’s
\npath diverge from these contemporaries into its own unique thicket?
\nThe music of Codex Nero is just as dense, atmospheric, and demanding as that of the bands mentioned
\nabove. These comparisons serve merely as a kind of reference point to indicate the particular branch of
\nblack metal it belongs to. Nonetheless, it\u2019s undeniable that CN forges its own style, largely a blend of that
\nmentioned approach with the influence of old-school riffs and rhythms, which act as a homage to the
\ngenre\u2019s more old roots.<\/p>\n
9. The fusion of “black metal ferocity with occult ambience” is key. How do you balance these elements
\nto avoid the ambience diluting the fury, or the fury overwhelming the atmosphere?
\nThe answer may sound trivial, but during the creative process, a kind of symbiosis naturally occurs when
\nmerging such shifts and elements. They emerge organically through a nonverbal language, the language
\nof sound, which always comes first. There is no calculation behind it; everything flows instinctively.<\/p>\n
10. Working with Haldor Grunberg (Satanic Audio) for mix\/master: What specific qualities were you
\nseeking from him to ensure the recording itself became a vessel for the “malevolent spirit” of the music?
\nHaldor Grunberg is highly experienced and has worked on numerous mixes for both well-known and
\nunderground bands. He was the right person to understand the intended sound of this album,
\nto preserve the primitive, cold spirit of the music while merging it with the modern power of the mix.
\nBecause of the diversity of his previous work, I believed he had a strong chance of grasping that vision, so
\nI decided to rely on his experience, and I was not disappointed.
\n11. Will there be a continuation of collaboration with vocal entities like Corona Barathri on this new
\nwork, or have the incantations shifted in source and style?
\nCorona Barathri appeared as a guest on our debut, and the effect was exactly as intended. On the second
\nalbum, we took on that role ourselves, so for the future, we don\u2019t plan to invite this project again. The only<\/p>\n
reason is that we prefer to perform these parts on our own, with full control over the final result.
\nD. The Creative Process: Invocation vs. Composition
\n12. Walk us through the act of creating a CODEX NERO track. Does it begin with a musical riff, a textual
\nincantation, a specific ritual mood, or an abstract concept?
\nMost of the tracks are created, and have been created, during a kind of trance state, looping a single riff.
\nThe main riff usually emerges first, built initially around rhythm, and then everything else expands from
\nthere. This makes the process rather unconventional, as it\u2019s based on an already established rhythm that
\ngenerates countless riff possibilities, like a mantra. I know of bands that work similarly, but usually, the<\/p>\n
riff comes first. In the case of CN, riffs sometimes appear on their own, but most of the music is rhythm-
\nbased. However, the rhythm itself doesn\u2019t create the sounds or the riff\u2019s structure, they come into being<\/p>\n
because of it, like a parasite that needs a host.
\n13. Is the recording process treated as a literal ritual? Are there specific conditions, times, or states of
\nmind required to properly channel the work?
\nNo, it\u2019s not a kind of ritual, nor is it created in any specific state of mind. The act of creation comes
\ninstinctively when the time is right, when inspiration is active. We know well that forcing creativity rarely
\nyields good results. The final atmosphere, such as the more ritualistic tone of the latest album, emerges
\nnaturally later in the musical process. It\u2019s like having a skeleton, and it\u2019s up to you to decide what form of
\nflesh you place upon it.<\/p>\n
14. Lyrically and conceptually, is “Ordo Acherontis” meant to be decoded by the listener, or is its power in
\nthe obscurity and the visceral experience of the sound itself?
\nThe concept was originally intended to be prepared all at once, ready for release in several forms that
\nwould reveal and decode the album\u2019s full content. Unfortunately, at the time of release, some adjustments
\nwere made, and the whole idea was divided into chapters that are being unveiled gradually over different
\nperiods of time. The first part to be released was the purely musical one. The next release is a soundtrack
\ncontaining references to each track from the album but presented in a ritual form. This soundtrack is titled
\n\u201eOrdo Acherontis Chants\u201d and was created under the name Subterra Malorum as a separate project.
\nThe third act will reveal the complete content and will be released in a different format.<\/p>\n
E. The Listener’s Role & The “Great Work”
\n15. You state this is “not music for the flesh\u2014it is an invocation.” What, then, is the intended target of this
\ninvocation within the listener? The intellect? The subconscious? The spirit?
\nInvocations are nothing other than a form of communication through vocal vibrations, enhanced by the
\nenergy we pour into them. The process with music is the same, it\u2019s a form of vibration that reaches us, and
\ndepending on who receives it and how, it creates a connection with our state of spirit. That\u2019s why calling
\nthe music \u201cnot for the flesh\u201d explains, in a more figurative sense, that it\u2019s not solely meant for the bodily,
\nconscious reception we\u2019re familiar with.
\n16. What is the desired state for the listener to engage with “Ordo Acherontis”? Should it be an active,
\nfocused ritual, or a passive immersion in its shadows?
\nEveryone perceives music in their own way; you can\u2019t expect the listener to actively create something that
\nthe performer anticipates. There\u2019s definitely free will here, but if someone wants to delve deeper into the
\nmessage of these sounds and the album\u2019s content, it will surely be a different listening experience when
\nthey surrender to it in focus, with the right atmosphere, absorbing and immersing themselves.<\/p>\n
17. The “Great Harvest” has been reaped. What is the purpose of the “Order” that now follows? Is it
\ngovernance, perpetuation, or a new kind of sowing?
\nCertainly, these two stories could be connected into a meaningful, expressive whole. The Great Harvest of
\nDeath had its beginning, exploring the theme of death,and Ordo does the same. It\u2019s like a film that
\ntypically starts with a story and can be expanded backward into the past or forward into the future,
\nweaving new threads. Here, the second installment definitely delves deeper into the very act of passing to
\nthe other side, written based on the events of a certain mysterious death cult.
\nF. The Shadow Path Forward
\n18. With the “Ordo” now unveiled, what is the next phase for the CODEX NERO entity? Does this album
\ncomplete a cycle, or open a gateway to the next?
\nMost likely, the next CN release will be the EP Revealing the Ambient Dead, which was created and
\nplanned for release between the debut and the second album. It\u2019s not conceptually linked to the Ordo
\ntheme, as it predates it, but it doesn\u2019t stray from the themes of death and existential philosophy. The
\nmusical material, lyrics, and album artwork are all ready, just waiting for the right moment for recording,
\nmixing, and release.
\n19. Is the live performance a conceivable or desirable extension of the CODEX NERO ritual, or must it
\nremain a primarily recorded\/studio-born entity to preserve its specific power?
\nI think I already addressed this in the first question. In the standard understanding of metal music, that it\u2019s
\nsomething meant to be played live, the idea of CN concerts might seem incomprehensible. But from the
\ncreator\u2019s perspective, it makes perfect sense to keep it within the realm of the experience during the
\nmusic\u2019s creation, as an expression of personal art.
\n20. What is one “unspoken force” you hope stirs within the listener who fully submits to this album?
\nIt is certainly the force of trance that draws us into another state, a state of remaining a neutral receiver
\nto these new vibrational sounds. Only then can one feel something more.
\nG. Esoteric Inquiries (Short Form)
\n21. If CODEX NERO were an archetype from the occult tradition, what would it be? (e.g., Grimoire,
\nGatekeeper, Qliphotic Mask)
\nWe don\u2019t focus on any specific occult tradition, but it\u2019s certainly closer to the function of a mediator, that
\nis, closer to the Gatekeeper, that allows others, through the world of sound we\u2019ve created, to enter other
\ndimensions of experience
\n22. What is one non-musical text or source that is fundamental to the cosmology of “Ordo Acherontis”?
\nThe themes explored on Ordo appear in many literary sources, and cults worldwide, regardless of
\nculture. Bardo Th\u00f6dol, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, addresses guidance between death and rebirth,
\nwhile Jung describes death as a transformation of consciousness, a journey of archetypes into the
\nunconscious, connecting the individual being with the cosmic collective psyche.<\/p>\n
23. For the initiate approaching this work for the first time: what single piece of advice would you offer
\nbefore they begin the journey?
\nApproach with an open mind, free of judgment toward any suggestions. I invite you to listen without
\nexternal impulses, pure trance and absorption of the energy flowing from this album.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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