Featuring: •Arcana
• Roger Karmanik
• Mortiis
• Ordo Equilibrio
...and various reviews.
Ordo Equilibrio are quite easily one of Cold Meat Industry's most exquisite and exotic bands, not only musically, but in this case, especially in what concerns their concept. This Swedish duo have drawn a fine line between the sexually attractive and the mentally disturbing on their debut, "Reaping the Fallen", a fine line which is easily blurred depending on one's state of mind. "The Triumph of Light...", their second full-length offer, presents a new side for Ordo Equilibrio, who now take a more relevantly assumed anti-Christian stand. Tomas Pettersson, the male half of Ordo Equilibrio, was invited to provide some details on the project and the ideologies behind it.How does the work between both members of Ordo Equilibrio takes shape? Would you say that the fact of being a man and a woman who are involved in the project is beneficial? What I mean is that although opposite, men and women are also complementary. Would you say that this shows in your music, is this what creates 'equilibrium?
• A certain measure of beneficial balance is naturally the outcome of the male/female participation that is taking place, but the 'Equilibrio' is also constituted through other balancing factors. Venus/Mars, Cancer/Capricorn, Domination & Servitude, and through a further complex male/female situation etc. etc. Conclusively all these factors manifest the Equilibrio, and altogether an invariably detectable part of our musical foundation.
Light, Love, Beauty and Life are often mentioned in the lyrics for "The Triumph of Light...". Yet, your music in general does not exactly portray these things in the way that one is used to feel them in music. What role and importance do those things hold in OE and in what way should one search for them in your music? Should one assume that the lyrics are the pretty side of OE, whereas the music is the bleak side of it?
• Love, Light, Beauty and Life are basically subjects that I personally find stimulating and partially necessary for my individual comfort and well-being. Simultaneously though they are also terms that are too often used in terms of generalization, most often defining the politically correct definition of the terms themselves. They are therefore used as part of our lyrics in terms of how I personally see them and how I believe they are possible to alter. Through their use, in terms of displaying a sometimes opposite but still absolutely valid and true delineation of the terms, I try to present a secondary meaning in relation to Equilibrio, both portraying the obvious as well as not so obvious.Your lyrics, should they be given a meaning even if removed from the music or is the music strictly necessary to attain their essence? What links the music and the lyrics of OE and please tell us more about each of them!
• The lyrics and the music both need to function individually, as they are both crucially significant. They are created separately and assembled at the point when they simultaneously interact. At a point when the music and the lyric portray the mutual impression. The lyrics are very important, and I refuse to create music where the lyrical foundation would not be able to persist individually.
The various forms of, let us say, 'alternative sex', as a whole, seem to be gaining increasing popularity these days. How would you interpret this and how do you relate to S/M yourselves?
• There is an increased interest in alternative practises overall, not solely in regard to sexual practises, but also in relation to religious, aesthetic, musical, philosophical practises etc. etc. (Indeed! - Ed.) This is basically a reaction in relation to the present age. A time of confusion, and change. A change that is absolutely crucial for the survival of man in relation to nature.
Our personal interest in S/M, B&D and Rubber Fetishism, is in relation to our individual sexual natures. It is who we are. We have acknowledged our subliminal and conscious desires, and use them as an inciting and sexually provocative supplement in our individual and mutual sexuality.
Very well, I feel this should be all, thank you for your time! You can finish by telling us some more about what you'll be doing in the future (some words about the "I4I" 7" would be nice), anything else that you would like to add is welcome as well. Thanks for your time, I hope you have in some way enjoyed this!
• "I4I" was finally released about a month and a half ago, and we still have not received any reviews nor any comments in regard to this working. But altogether I can say that it came out somewhat disappointingly on our behalf. The aesthetics came out quite good, while the sound of the recording balanced the overall impression quite dramatically, so altogether we are not satisfied.We have initiated the workings on our 3rd CD though, and which we have anticipated for release around the time of midsummer 1998, as long as everything works according to plan. We will invariably continue with the creation of songs and lyrics, such as the natural outlet to our creativity, in combination with the creation and compilation of the prospective Ordo Equilibrio video manifest.
We will most certainly also continue to evolve, this is inevitable, but not so dramatically beyond this specific concept and sound, since this is who I am and what we desire to do.
There will also, unless my anticipations are completely incorrect, follow some live performances during this forthcoming summer and autumn, most certainly in Germany and other parts of Europe, but perhaps also in the US if we can find the time and the money to spare.
• Ordo Equilibrio "The Triumph of Light... and Thy Thirteen Shadows of Love"
CD 1997, Cold Meat Industry • 12 songs, 55'
A new leaf turns for Ordo Equilibrio; after "Reaping the Fallen", which was strongly based on S&M and B&D, this Swedish duo take on a more relevantly anti-Christian stand. In general, the music itself is also rather different, although clearly identifiable as OE; the atmosphere is perhaps not as bleak, yet just as decadently beautiful and overall quite serene. The monotonous, cyclic nature that characterized the compositions present on their debut is enriched as the songs progress like a funeral march to doomsday to reach an epic and close to divine grandeur, further enhanced by the use of bells that add an ecclesiastical touch to several of the songs, despite their strong profane essence. Overall, these pieces sound hauntingly apocalyptic in their somewhat orchestral vibe and Chelsea's calm and relaxed declamations over them seems to dictate the very end of the world, apparently celebrated in the Folk-ish and clearly Death In June-influenced acoustic songs sung by Tomas in sad, melancholic, manner. Finally, there is yet another type of songs on the disc - the mysterious Dark Ambient creations that illustrate the very ending of existence in slow motion for your delight! - which are possibly also the ones which draw the closest parallels to material such as 'De Profundis' and 'In Nomine Dei...' present on "Reaping the Fallen..." and which are, simultaneously, also the gloomier ones on "...Shadows of Love". On a more romantic note though, 'Under the Rose...' brings whips, acoustic guitars and the vocals of both members into play resulting in a cross between DIJ and the style of 'Safe, Sane and Consensual', for instance! The end of the world might not be a pretty sight, but we can all count on a beautiful soundtrack courtesy of Ordo Equilibrio! $18US from Cold Meat Industry.