Endtime Bestiaries was originally going to be classical and orchestral. I had already written a different stripped-down orchestral work in early 2023. One of the demos was called "Callow Graves Take In." Every time I imagined Endtime Bestiaries, I thought it should be metal instead. The other project had enough material without that one demo, so it became the first Fornax Ferrea song. I drew the logo in September 2023.
80s death metal was on my mind for a long time, and I had usually rejected the idea of recording something myself. This was also true with my black metal projects, Vengeful Semblance and Grallochery. When I contemplate a project continuously, I always have something to say. It's like a boiling point.
Why am I simultaneously making art music and metal albums? Because I love the ideas and the sounds of different instruments. I can imagine and feel the potential intensely. In order to do that, you have to be open-minded. I don't need anyone's permission to do these things.
The short-sighted "explosion" we have with death metal these days is not as exciting as the influential period in the 1980s. The key refrain during those times was "here's a tape." The bands were doing interesting things but they didn't always have an audience or the blessing from a record label. They weren't doing it in order to fit in.
Labels should never run the show when it comes to creativity. It's the same with reviews. The promotion and hype machine doesn't dictate your interests.
I always see tons of stupid thumbnails online and I don't click on most of them. The worst ones are for playlists filled with generated elevator music. They clearly don't care about the origins of any genre. With Fornax Ferrea I'm still making my own music while respectfully celebrating four decades of death metal.
Ignoring or making fun of the genre's origins is beyond disgusting and stupid. Some of those opportunistic bands even have the nerve to call themselves underground. Being independent or underground is not about saying words. You always have to prove it. They should all get a lower back tattoo that says "don't shit where you eat."
Finnish death metal was not an influence. We had our first bands around 1988 and "proto-death" was not a thing here. I usually don't have a list of influences, but in this case I think it's appropriate to name Slayer, Celtic Frost, Repulsion and Morbid Angel.
The old Celtic Frost was more aggressive. These days I think it's actually more radical to be influenced by something like that, instead of the typical formula that says you're supposed to sound like a Triptykon ripoff.
Old-school can be surprising. In a world filled with random opinions, confused fledgling smart-asses and noxious "influencers", Fornax Ferrea is weirdly a breath of fresh air.
