NOX-even though satanicon only recently released your first cd the dark satanic conjuration known as "SLAUGHTERING OF THE SAINTS",you’ve been around in one form or another a very long time tell me a little bit about the history of the band.how did satanicon come to exist?
JOE (Xaphan)/JOHN(Witchhammer): It was formed by the two of us in early 1999. We went through multiple lineup changes for bass players and vocalists. Also due to financial struggles it took us awhile to get a recording that we could release to the public which came out last year 2004. We also have a live cd but it's not yet available to the public, its our first show on Halloween 1999.

NOX-satanicon had had serious line up problems over the last few years has it been difficult finding people who are willing to play true black metal?
XAPHAN/WITCHHAMMER- Yes, most definitely. Most people from Cleveland, Ohio play death metal and grind core exclusively. Most of the people here who listen to black metal are just fans and not musicians, but we do have a great death metal scene. Beats having a gay nu-metal scene.

NOX-your completing a new cd to be entitled "hymns of blasphemy" as we speak how will it differ from your previous diabolical output?how much of a progression will it be.better musicianship,more musical diversity etc or will it be more of the same brutal black metal assault?
WITCHHAMMER/XAPHAN-It will be the same brutal black metal assault, with better vocals, better production and musicianship. Our debut/demo cd "Slaughtering the Saints" was recorded on a 4 track, but our upcoming split cd "Hymns of Blasphemy" was recorded in our new studio compound which is located in our rehearsal hall, which will now result in better recordings. Witchhammer has now taken over the vocals, and also the drums and all lead guitar, while Xaphan does all the rhythm guitar and most bass tracks. And some bass Goat (guitar player for Witchhammer's side project Putrefy) does.

NOX-your drummer and vocalist witchhammer has a side project called putrefy.that band name reminds me of a grind or gore project not black metal.is it.
WITCHHAMMER-Like I said, most bands here are death and grind bands, so it makes sense to also be in a death and grind band, which Putrefy is a little of both grind and death, but most of the guitar gymnastics is quite blackmetal sounding. Goat (Mark) is a great guitar player and it is a pleasure playing with him. Metal is metal I just like to play great music period.

NOX-you recently cancelled your show at the agora because of lineup problems with so many departures can we ever hope to see satanicon in the live arena?
WITCHHAMMER-We recently cancelled our show at the Agora which is the second metal fest we would have played, but the time slot (11am) was shit!!! Who gets up at 11am to go to a Metal show? Should we have played for the cleaning lady? This show was the same as the last metal fest with shitty time slot and lame bands. Who wants to be the only black metal band on a bill? It's nice to crush poser bands, but it's not worth Witchhammer's time to set up drum kit. Fuck lame bills. We will play any show any time as long as it's after 12 noon. Most of us are not out of our drinking comas that early in the morning (Invite us, we'll play).

NOX-your part of Cleveland’s black/deathmetalscene.nunslaughter,soulless,manticore,somnus(now
defunct)black trinity etc.all have played shows in Cleveland some frequently.cleveland actually appears to have a scene something that doesn’t exist in Pittsburgh sadly.is there solidarity or unity on the Cleveland scene amongst the bands (I would hope)or is there hostility?
XAPHAN/WITCHHAMMER-There is no hostility in the scene here amongst the bands. We are good friends with Jim Sadist of Nun slaughter, who has been in the scene a long time with Witchhammer and myself. Nunslaughter Rule! Soulless are also good friends of ours, their singer Jim and Witchhammer are long time friends. As far as Black Trinity goes we are also good friends with Surt the drummer, they are a great band. The only thing that keeps us off these bills has been line up problems (finding live bass player to play out with). Goat don't like to play out live. He thinks that most bands are boring to watch live and he don't want to become one of those statistics.

NOX-adrian clavex a unique and original disciple of Anton laveys wrote a satanic grimoire called the satanicon in the early90s which was an interesting but slight addition to laveys work and led a small satanic coven called the black star church.i know already you took the name from clavexs book but were you a fan or follower of mr.clavexs and his laveyanesque philosophy?
WITCHHAMMER/XAPHAN-Our original singer, Rich (Razor) actually knew about the grimoire Satanicon because we used to be called Satanica, but we changed the name because of the comic books Satanica, by Glenn Danzig (Darkhorse Comics) and we didn't want to get sued so it became Satanicon. Me, Xaphan are a big collector of satanic literature (including LaVey's books) and black magic grimoires but I never got around to purchasing the grimoire Satanicon, nor was I as of yet (Or Witchhammer) a fan or follower of Mr. Clavex yet.

NOX-like most black metal bands you have a solid satanic image but is it an image or a lifestyle?are the remaining members of satanicon satanists or practicing pagans?i am a ceremonial magickian myself and an ordained laveyan priest in a non church of satan affiliated coven as well as a cunning witch.do you follow lavey,crowley or anyone’s belief system or are you solitary practitioners?
XAPHAN- I consider myself a Satanist and I do admire the works of LaVey, all five of his books so for me it is a lifestyle. But in the long run I use what works for me. Basically LaVey Satanism is essentially a form of atheism or atheistic philosophy and it's about just living for this life on Earth the "here and now" as if it is the only existence one gets so I do not "follow" anyone, any "cause" or system 100%, only what works for me, but I was once a member of LaVey's church as I did send in $100 for lifetime membership.
WITCHHAMMER- As for me, it is also a lifestyle beyond the music and it's not just image like upside down crosses, spikes, etc. I follow the works of Aleister Crowley. I used to be in several magical orders when I was younger. I used to practice ceremonial magick religiously. Now I find that I have no more time to adhere myself to such magickal workings. Most of my time is spent on music which is most important to me. So as to your question yes, I practice by myself as most religions of the world are shit!

NOX-most Norwegian bands who you obviously take influence from live and promote a more medieval form of Satanism even devil worshiping there music and image.both Carpathian forest and dark throne come to mind.many like varg vikernes of burzum(now an odinist)and the deceased euronymous(of mayhem)openly chastised lavey as a money making fraud even spelling the church of Satan the church of $atan using a dollar bill sign instead of an s to signify that laveys church was a money making venture not true satanism.varg vikernes went as far as to claim the only true book for a Satanist is the bible.my question were does satanicon stand on these issues and how do they feel about the great man,that is lavey?
XAPHAN-First we take our influences not just from Norwegian pagan black metal bands, but also Satanic German, Polish, Swedish, Italian, Grecian and even Brazilian black metal bands going back to the early days of black metal of the early to mid 80s to about the mid-90s black metal and satanic death metal bands, such as Bathory, Ungod, Sodom, Destruction, Demonic Christ, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Incantation, Dark throne, Mayhem, Murder Rape (Brazil), etc. The primitive devil worship lyrics I Xaphan have written are for mere entertainment value, but I in real life have more admiration for LaVey, though I have experimented with more "primitive devil worship" rituals and incantations such as those found in the Necronomicon. Even if LaVey's church was into making money, there is nothing wrong with that, because isn't just about everyone and every business making venture? And besides, since the love of money is the root of all evil, there is absolutely nothing wrong with what LaVey did trying to make money. As for Grishnackh saying that the Christian bible is the only "True" book for Satanists, well the Christian bible is anything but satanic in any sense or by any stretch of the imagination. If anyone complains about LaVey wanting money, then they are guilty of wanting free charity and should go to the Christians if that's what they want. the old saying "you get what you pay for." I think LaVey had allot of great rational and sensible ideas and I love his books.
WITCHHAMMER- As far as religion is concerned I'll leave it to the zealots. I'm more into playing dark evil black metal. As far as LaVey is concerned, people spend their money on what they want. I would rather buy drums or guitars, or metal cd's.

NOX-and finally I hear a great deal of dark throne and bathory in your music on your first demo I have .Joe your not a kid your in your forties and like me you grew up on the eighties scene listening to bathory ,venom and slayer as well as the old school Norwegian bands.nowadays gothic poser bands rule the black metal roost and alot of young kids who are new to black metal think it has more to do with goofy vampyric outfits,gothic keyboards and mainstream commercial music.some of these bands are rather good but way to mainstream do you see the ozzfest popularity of bands like dimmu and cradle as helpful in spreading the true black assault or could it hinder or possibly destroy the old school scene?
WITCHHAMMER-As for me and Xaphan we love old school black metal and satanic death metal bands. As for us and our band we wear corpse paint and very little spikes. To us our music is more important than stage props and appearance. Makeup is just for shock value for us. As for goofy gothic black metal bands to each their own. Some of those bands have strayed from the true left hand path but whatever. If you want to whore yourself and your band for Sharon and ozzy be my guest but it's not for us. Who's to say whether it's helpful or not depends on who's band or what band you are in. We are happy just being us. No trends, no false metal, no bullshit! In your face black metal is what you get from us!
XAPHAN/WITCHHAMMER- Thanks for the interview!!! Support your local metal scene. Stay brutal.
Satanicon 2005 C.E. (40 Anno Satanas)