For the ones who don't know, Ctulu have been around for quite some time and had released two demos and four albums.
In October 2017 they released a EP called Cultus in Tenebris.
Lachryma Christi had the pleasure of interviewing them, as below.
How did the project arise and what were the original goals of Ctulu? Do you feel you have achieved what you set out to do?
The original goal was to set up a studio project, back in 2004. So in retrospective, I’d say we’ve achieved a lot more than this goal.
How would you describe your style of music and what overall message or themes you drive towards in your lyrics?
There’s a great underground festival near our hometown. It’s called Meltdown Open Air. They described Ctulu as a bastard of blunt death metal and sophisticated black metal. I guess that’s a good description and at the same time, it says a lot about both genres. Our lyrics are almost always somewhat Lovecraft-inspired.
What music or bands are you inspired by and how do they influence your musical output?
I take inspiration literally from anywhere. A word here, a certain mood there, an image, a scent – all that might already be enough to start something like a stream of inspiration.
How would you describe your E.P, Cultus in Tenebris? How does it differ or compare to previous releases or what is it that you feel more encapsulates the full vision of what the band has been driving towards?
The EP is almost something like a concept album about the Necronomicon. It’s an attempt to show our vision of what Necronomicon rituals should sound like. It’s an homage to the old Babylonian gods.
What is it about the style/genre of music you play that drives you to create it?
With Ctulu, it’s the sheer aggression and tempo of I.D.’s drumming that drives me a lot. We’ve been slowly increasing the tempo of our tracks since maybe 2014 and he has a very unique and extremely loud way of playing blast beats. Besides of that, I feel like black metal has become the metal genre that offers the most if it comes to exploring new sounds. It has been broadened a lot by outfits like Cultes des Ghoules or Urfaust for example. Ever since black metal stopped to stick to the narrow ways it was played like in the 90’s, it evolves into a lot of directions. Try to be original with death or thrash metal. It will be a whole lot harder than with black metal. It’s like a rebellion inside a rebellion because everything that makes today’s black metal interesting is an affront against how it used to be in the beginning. There’s constantly questions like “How far can we go, how much can we change, where does it stop being black metal?” It’s dynamic. This is what makes it so interesting to follow and to see what others do. I used to have a thrash project for a short time and I was astounded by how little possibilities it offers to step away from its 80’s roots. I didn’t even want to leave these roots myself because every other kind of thrash metal that is not musically AND lyrically-wise like Slayer is nonsense to me. Don’t ask me why.But let’s return to black metal. Satyricon changed the world in 1996 by using high res coloured cover artworks and sleeve photography. They made a video clip. The stopped being “true”. Nergal nowadays tries to combine black metal with his vision of new aesthetics. Yoga. Fashion. Is this true? I guess not. Does it have to be? No. But it sure as hell is creating tension and it’s interesting to see how “the scene” reacts. It’s definitely something new.
How important is it for you to gain a more varied international audience?
From the very beginning, when I still used to do Ctulu’s booking, it was important to me to play abroad. I want to expand and I want to see the world.
What if any would you say are the differences or similarities of your audience from different countries? Do you have any favourite places to play for example?
South Eastern and Eastern Europe are very special places that we will never forget. The hospitality there is something nearly unimaginable for Germans.
What are the future plans for the band? Long term and short term.
We have started writing new tracks already and I’m looking forward to finally play in (on?) Malta the day after tomorrow.
Anything you would like to say to your current or potential future fans?
I don’t like the word “fan”, so I’ll end this by just thanking you for your time.
Read more about Ctulu in www.ctulu.de
Ctulu are:
M, guitars, vocals
A, guitars, bass, vocals
I.D., drums
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