An Interview with



By Azra Medea


NOX INVICTUS play what they call Setian War Metal, a synthesis of
Black, Death and Progressive Metal. In the bands own words, they hope
to bring "a more balanced and advanced philosophical and religious
approach into the aesthetic of the Black Metal genre."

Azra- How did Nox Invictus get its name?

NOX INVICTUS- We initially came up with about half a dozen names and
ended up agreeing upon what we thought was the best one. The name is
Latin and translates as "Night Unconquerable." This theme, in terms of
self-discovery and increasing awareness of the human psyche, the
darkness or uncharted territory by which the individual comes into
being, is one that will be a recurring theme in our lyrics.

Azra-Who are the members of Nox Invictus, and how did you form as a
band?

NOX INVICTUS- The members of Nox Invictus are myself, (Doug Pridgen) on
drums and Toby Chappell on guitars, bass and vocals. We came to know
each other through our mutual involvement in the Temple of Set, the
worlds leading initiatory school of the Left-Hand Path.

Azra- What is your definition of the Left-Hand Path, as opposed to
other schools of thought?

NOX INVICTUS- My definition of the Left-Hand Path is the same as that
taught in the Temple of Set. Its focus is on the individual instead of
on God, whether it be the Christian God or the God of other
monotheistic religions such as Islam. It is because of this priority of
the individual that the Left-Hand Path is labeled Satanic, as the
character of Lucifer in the Bible is a role model of the individual
asserting his self worth apart from the sanction or approval of God. If
one studies comparative religion and mythology it becomes apparent that
every culture has it's own take on this character known as the Prince
of Darkness. Ironically this appears to be the only thing they can all
agree upon, that the Devil (by whatever name he is known in that
culture) is evil because of this willful separation from God.

In contrast to this, the Right-Hand Path has as its focus God, whether
it Be Jehovah, Allah or countless other theistic personifications. It
is the path of submission of the individual to an external and
supposedly higher power.

Regardless of culture, all Right-Hand Path religions are variations on
this theme, as all Left-Hand Path religions are variations on the theme
of individual sovereignty.

Azra- What is Setian War Metal, and how does this differ from within
the Death Metal genre? Can you site any influences, underlying themes?

NOX INVICTUS- Both Toby and I have been listening to Hard Rock and
Metal (along with other types of music) since childhood. I would say
that we are influenced by many things, and that Death Metal is only one
of them. Some of the first Death Metal bands (Possessed, Morbid Angel,
Deicide) carried on the tradition of Satanic lyrics and imagery from
the Thrash Metal bands (Slayer, Sodom, Destruction) of the eighties. We
differ from this Satanic or Blackened Death Metal, in that we have a
much more sophisticated grasp of and insight into the mysteries of the
Left-Hand Path, which is called Satanism in our culture. Our
understanding is based on a non-Christian rather than an anti-Christian
point of view. As for other types of Death Metal (Death, Obituary,
Cannibal Corpse) we have only musical influences in common.

Underlying themes in our music, in addition to those already mentioned,
revolve around the god Set, the Prince of Darkness as he was initially
conceived by the ancient Egyptians. Set was the god of the night sky,
of darkness, mystery and expansion of being beyond one's present
boundaries. Thus he presided over rites of passage such as birth,
circumcision, puberty, and death.

Azra- Out of curiosity, do you see Set as an idea, an entity, or as a
principle?

NOX INVICTUS- Set is the most ancient personification of autonomous
individuality called the Devil and the Prince of Darkness by theistic
(=Right-Hand Path) religions. It represents the same thing in our
culture that it represented in ancient Egypt. I would say that Set is
an idea, an entity and a principle, depending upon how one chooses to
perceive him. I choose to perceive him as all three.

Azra- Death Metal is sometimes thought of as Satanic/religious music,
other times completely anti-religious, and there are so many genres and
labels, it can be confusing, even to me! <laughs> As the band Nox
Invictus you both appear to be working on a completely different level.
What are some of the bands goals?

NOX INVICTUS- The point in labeling our music Setian War Metal is to
distinguish it from Death Metal and other sub-genres of Metal. While it
has elements in common with all of these, the differences are
significant enough that we consider it warranted. Also, if an artist
doesn't define his music the fans will take it upon themselves to do
so, and they are not usually in a position to do so with any kind of
authority. So we want to claim that power for ourselves. I would say
that your description of Setian War Metal is insightful and accurate as
far as it goes.

To address your other questions, what we want to make happen beyond
entertaining people is to inform those who may be attracted to a dark
aesthetic as to the true nature of the Left-Hand Path. Providing
accurate information may also help guide those who wish to explore the
Left-Hand Path for themselves. Beyond artistic expression our goal is
to encode Setian Mysteries into our music and lyrics so that those who
are so inclined may seek to gain insight into the nature of self,
cosmos and their relation to each other. This also serves as a means to
preserve and perpetuate these teachings against those forces in the
world that would oppose us.

Azra- So you are aiming towards reaching a wider, non-Setian audience?

NOX INVICTUS- Certainly! While it is obviously not possible for the
bulk of humanity to dedicate the time and effort needed to attain
Setian levels of awareness and insight, we would like to see an
environment more tolerant towards those who are willing to dedicate
themselves. In that we seek to inform those non-Setians with whom we
are to co-habit that our pursuits are beneficial to humanity at large
and to dispel the picture painted by Christian propaganda that the
Left-Hand Path has as its focus all things evil, degenerate and
destructive.

Azra- To clear the record then, what does the Left-Hand Path, and your
expression of it through music, actually have as its focus?

NOX INVICTUS- As stated above, its focus is the primacy of the
individual as opposed to the primacy of the collective. We are
therefore very much against trying to preach to or persuade others to
adopt our way of thinking. Our music is our own form of self-expression
and if it inspires others to seek out forms of expression unique to
themselves then so much the better.

Azra- As always, it’s been great (and very inspiring!) talking to you
both! In closing, please tell us where can we find more information and
CD’s from NOX INVICTUS?


NOX INVICTUS- You can order our CD's either directly from us or through
http://www.blackmetal.com/

The NOX INVICTUS Official Web Site can be found at:
http://www.noxinvictus.com/