Interview with LIGHTBEARER from SWR#16: Both members of Lightbearer were part of Wolfsrune, then Baraqel, so is the core of your music the same? Why the need to change band names and what's the meaning behind the current moniker? Lightbearer is a completely different thing. We started with Wolfsrune, then changed our name into Baraqel, because the music changed and lyrical terms became more different. Baraqel is on hold for years now, maybe forever. But Galdor and myself can not be without music and creativity. So I invited Galdor to listen to some riffs i wrote and to play the drums. After our first session, our first song Worshippers of the Apocalpytic Sun was born. So we decided to make our own thing with Lightbearer. With Lightbearer we have less compromise in our creativity. Either it´s good or it sucks. We listen to every idea, because we both write the songs. I wanted to call the band Lightbearer because it´s the musical manifestation of our vision and our belief. The bandname tells, what we are about without much fuss. Lightbearer stands for orthodox luciferian Black Metal. Can you please explain this statement? Like I said, Lightbearer is a manifestation, an extended arm for what we believe and live if you want. Many bands change their attitude or musicstyle. I personally don´t like that. Development is one thing, change is another. We want to develop our music and ideology, but we won´t change it. The core stays the same and we have a lot more to say. Orthodox means devotion to us. To our ideology and to our music. Surely we will do something in the future, that differs from our context. We plan a concept-album, which isn´t about our message. Mistress Katjusha from our newest release is a first test for that. But we don´t know, if we would release that under the Lightbearer-banner. Do you believe Black Metal to be the right medium to express your feelings and beliefs? Some bands don't care about their listeners' impressions, while others specifically try to push their message to the audience. What's your case? Black Metal is the ONLY way to expess ourselves. It doesn´t matter, that we write accoustic / unplugged stuff for our releases, because it is part of the whole thing. We don´t want to play anything else. We don´t want to sound like thousand other bands and we surely don´t fit into the true-blabla-black-metal-scheme. We don´t want to please anyone but ourselves with our music. The same with our message. If listeners find themselves in our music and our lyrics: fine. We appreciate that. Those, who want to find our music, will find our music. We offer our ideas and the listeners can find themselves in it. Our message is very important to us and we cherish it. Maybe some are searching for answers about the same questions we did. We are ready to exchange opinions with interested beeings, who walk the same path as we do. Creed Of Orthodox Worship is your most recent release, a 6 tracks EP independently released. Can you please tell us a few words on it? Is it out on physical format, too, or just digital? Creed Of Orthodox Worship is the bridge between our demos and our coming first full-length. It contains 6 songs, that could stand for themselves, but we quickly realized, that there´s a red threat It´s like a ritual, the lyrics like a creed. There are some experiments on it, different sounds. Illumination Mass is an unplugged track and a sort of prelude, the beginning of the ritual Ipse Venit is a fast track. It describes the wish for the return of the realm of lucifer and the high lords, to liberate their enlightened children. Apothegm I is a 13 minute track and some sort of the heart of the release. It describes the quintessence of Lightbearer and our belief. The writing for the track took about almost 2 years, we deleted 3 former versions of it. There will be a second part on the next release, which expesses the other major part of our ideology. Reborn is also an unplugged track and very important to me. It´s about my search and my transformation to the beeing I am now. It´s about personal enlightenment and epiphany, about the answers to my questions. Primal Essence Of Chaos is a mixture of fast and slow parts. It´s like a monologue of lucifer, through the aeons of time. Mistress Katjusha is a teaser for the coming concept release i mentioned. It´s different from the other tracks but we wanted it on the record because we love that song. We produced 50 copies ( CD ), that can be ordered via our band E-Mail: lightbearer221@web.de Why Raw Black Metal? What makes this form of Black Metal perfect for you? By definition the genre is not technical, but talking about the musicians in you, aren't you interested in displaying your technical skills? It´s the perfect form to transport our message and our feelings. Our music has corners and edges but it´s authentic. We are not sterile and not plastic. Great musicians do not have to be good song-writers. We do not consider ourselves as great musicians, but we have the ambition to grow and to develop. Raw Black Metal is the perfect platform for us and it shows, what the listener can expect from our music, because it comes from within as a reflection. We wanted that style of music, before we recorded one note. I for myself wouldn´t even call myself a musician. I write songs and lyrics, to follow my vision, with the tools, that i´ve been given. If it sounds good or not must be decided by others. For me, the music has to serve the greater good and i don´t brood about how technically complex or demanding a part must be. Galdor on the other hands likes more complex ambitions in the music. His sight on songwriting is a bit different than mine. You can hear his songs and mine, though we work on the tracks as a union. The mixture of both poles fits so very good, sometimes it´s spooky haha. Addiotionally he´s working on his project Mors Voluntaria, where he writes that more complex type of music. Please tell us a few words about the track Primal Essence Of Chaos you feature on our compilation. PEOC was written by Galdor, the lyrics were contributed by me. We think it´s the most homogeneous track on the record, to present our music, because the record contains some experiments. We are proud of it and thankful, to share it with others now. But the track has nothing to do with our third demo, that is also entitled Primal Essence Of Chaos. November 2020