A True, Endless interview

Metalfan: Hello M, as this is your first interview regarding The True Endless for Metalfan, please point out the most important things so far...
M: The True Endless have been created in winter 1997, to create violent and trendkiller Black Metal. From 1998 to 2000 the band have produced several mc’s, reheasals, demos and promos, splits and compilations now ultra rare, mostly considered as a cult releases... Then The True Endless started their collaboration with the Scottish underground label Aphelion Productions. Between 2001 and 2007 Aphelion releases the split CD with Goat Horns, the first CD/LP album “Wings Of Wrath”  the second CD/LP album “A Climb To Eternity” and the CD album “Buried By Time And Dust”. At the same time the band collaborates with other underground labels making some splits like the 7” split with Goblin Spell (E.O.L.P.-Germany), the 4 way split CD with Blodulv, Malignance and Sigma Draconis (Nocturnal Brights Records-Italy), the split CD with Angmar (Bestial Burst Records - Finland), the split 7” with Aquer (Necromancer Records-Germany) and the split 7” with Mephisto (Vomitum Niger Productions - Italy). During this period the band never stopped to make their productions on mc too! Respect to this true underground support!
Now the band has released the new album on Aphelion Productions again. It’s a concept album based on Jack The Ripper myth called “1888 from hell”. The album come out as a double CD in DVD box limited at 666 copies… first CD is the “1888 From Hell” album as the second one is a live rite captured in 2007 e.v. to celebrate the 10 years of activity of the band.
Through the years the horde took part in some very important festivals like Black Celtic Summit (III and IV), Hellblast Festivals, Tradate Iron Feast IV and many other concerts all around Italy. In this long time The True Endless have played gigs with many bands as Dismember, Horna, Black Lodge, Vorkreist, Morrigan, Besatt, Mortuary Drape, Opera IX, Handful Of Hate, Meridian, Malvento, Gosforth, Adversam, Fearbringer, Abhor, Death Dies, Frostmoon Eclipse, Sacradis, Vexed, Hatework, Hellstorm, Black Flame, Lifend, Imago Mortis, Tipheret, and many more.
As usual the band never stops their activity and is preparing new material for future releases! We're preparing some new splits with Tundra, Sekhmet and Inferno, with Solstafir and with Mephisto and a mini about H.P.Lovecraft and some tribute compilations.. 
The band is formed by Astraghon –vocals Soulfucker –bass M. –guitars / II vocals Mayhem – drums. We play(ed) and are(were) involved in many other bands like: Opera IX, Skoll, A Forest, Teuta, Darkness, Zenith, The Blessed Hellbrigade, Huginn (R.I.P.), Throned, Emortualis (R.I.P:), Fierce (R.I.P.)  and this is our discography:
“Wings of Wrath” CD / Aphelion Productions LP at the end of 2006,
MC on Slava Productions 2006 edition split CD with Goat Horns (2002) / Aphelion Productions,
MC version  (2003) / Wichhammer
split 7” with Goblin Spell (2003) / E.O.L.P.
“Live at the Helblast Festival CD-R pro (2003) / Frozen Creations
“A Climb To Eternity” CD/LP / Aphelion Productions
split CD with Blodulv, Malignance and Sigma Draconis (2006) / Nocturnal Brights
“Buried By Time And Dust” (2006) / Aphelion Productions
split CD with Angmar (2006) / Bestail Burst Records
split 7” with Aquer (2006) / Necromancer Records
split 7” with Mephisto (2007) / Vomitum Niger Prod
split MC in VHS box with Darkness limited at 66 copies (2007) / Frozen Darkness
“1888 From Hell” new full length / Aphelion Productions 

Hope you have all the informations you needed... If you want to know more go to our website www.thetrueendless.com or to our myspace www.myspace/thetruendless 

Metalfan: From what I could see from the pictures with you and also from what I could hear, Mayhem was a big influence for you...
M: Yes it is... We've been influenced by the traditional Black Metal and in particular by old Mayhem stuff... as many of all the Black Metal bands around the world... But personally I'm more linked to Bathory, my musical father is Quorthon and if you listen better you will hear some stuff that comes out in our tracks that is totally Bathory! 

Metalfan: Why did you choose this name, The True Endless?
M: In the beginning it was just "Endless", I chose this name due to my deep interest for some Lovecraft tales, the word "endless" fit perfectly with some stories of this great author! Then we decided to add "the true" because it was full of Endless bands in the underground... nothing more... 

Metalfan: Why don't you use just one language for your lyrics? For example English would be easyer to understand by a larger audience...
M: I know English is easyer to understand, but some of our lyrics sound better in italian and in our own dialect and so we don't want to translate them... the archaic sound of the dialect and the musicality of italian language are better than english for some atmospheres and we don't want to lose the opportunity to use them in different ways. 

Metalfan: You have released your forth full-lenght album this year: "1888 From Hell", could you tell us more about it?
M: It's our most complex work ever! It's a concept created by Soulfucker on Jack the Ripper. We wanted to make something different from our previous albums, something more linked to the idea of this mad man, of the place where he lived and killed. And so we have changed our style including more influences to create the most complete and complex work, em phasizing the aspect of the atmosphere and the musicality to give the idea of the obscure and crazy mind of Jack. And I think we succeeded, as many people who have listen to it say it's really obscure and terrifying! The artwork has been created in the same way. 

Metalfan: Why is this limited to just 666 copies? It was your decision or the label's? A lot of bands have limited their albums to 666 or 999 copies, don't you think that this thing have been done over and over again and it have lost the essence?
M: It's a decision of the label. For me 500, 1000, 666 is the same. We wanted it to come out as a double limited edition album and we did it. The number of copies is not so relevant. In future, a "normal" edition of the CD and maybe an LP version  will be printed. In addition War Flagellation have printed an mc version limited at 150 handnumbered copies. So you can see that 666 is not a number linked at our concept. Concerning the concept on Jack the Ripper the number is not so important. It's good to limit to 666 when it's a satanic concept, because it fits, but it's not necessary... So, if the number fits with your concept is ok. There are many magical and obscure numbers (13, 3, 9, etc...) so you can use them as you prefer.

Metalfan: Togheter with this album, in the same package there's a live recording could you tell us more about the day it was recording?
M: It has been a great day... There were few people in the attendance, but truly dedicated to the underground and so you can hear just a few screams... But I think the energy has been great as you can hear from the recording... we where highly charged! 

Metalfan: Where did you record "1888 From Hell"?
M: In some places near Novara with the help of some friends. In an unofficial studio... Anyway, I think the sound kicks ass! 

Metalfan: Who made the artwork for this album? Could you tell us more about the artwork itself?
M: I made it as I made all the artworks for The True Endless and for my bands and for some Aphelion releases as well.  As I told you it has been conceived to represent the music and the concept! I wanted to give the idea of what is in the album and I think it fits perfectly! 

Metalfan: Let's talk a little bit about Opera IX, how are things going with the band?
M: Very well! Last year we've printed a CD with the demo's that we called "'90-'92-'93 The Early Chapters" that has been very well recived by the fans and now we're working on the 20 years dvd collection! It'll be called Mythology and will include all the stuff from the early days, videoclips, rare and unreleased live footage and live recordings, "making of" of albums and many rare things! There will be a long interview with Ossian, Vlad, Dalamar and me about the story of the band and some comments by some very important people from the underground in the booklet! In addition, we're woking on the songs for the new album that will be called "Stryx". In the meantime "Anphisbena" has been reprinted by the famous Peaceville Records! 
 
Metalfan: Four years have already passed since the release of your latest full-lenght album, "Anphisbena" back in 2004. You think that is time to feed again the hungry souls, don't you?
M: Yes I know it's been four years. We had many line up problems that we have solved only now. As I told you before we're working on the new album as in the same time we work on the dvd and we've released the collection demo CD. So we're ready to attack again! The new album will be more obscure and cruel than Anphisbena, as it is about witchery in the middle ages... Stay tuned, you'll hear!!!

Metalfan: What are the albums that had the biggest impact on you as a musician?
M: All the Bathory albums! In particular "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark", "Blood Fire Death", "Hammerheart" and "Twilight of the Gods... In addition, I've been influenced by all the old black/thrash/death metal grinding holocaust violentmusic from the early days! 

Metalfan: Thank you M for your time. In the end would you like to send few words to our readres?
M: Thank you a lot for the interview and for the support! I hope to come to your country to play live with The True Endless or Opera IX and to meet you all there in the carnage! Keep the Black Flame Burning!