Band Interview: Baxaxaxa
There are few bands who leave such a lasting impression as Germany’s Baxaxaxa. With an increasingly expansive catalogue of releases, captivating live performances, and most importantly music up to the highest standards, their reputation in the black metal underground is more than deserved. Drummer and founding member, Contemptor, was kind enough to offer some incredibly insightful answers regarding the band’s past, present and future, along with their philosophy and unique approach to occult themes.
Interview by Ioana
Greetings, and thank you for taking part in this interview! You have been quite active in the last couple of years, having released the full length De Vermis Mysteriis along with the Spells from the Crypt compilation. Besides this, we have also seen more and more Baxaxaxa live appearances all over Europe. How has it been dealing with such an amount of projects?
First of all, thank you for your interest in us. Yes, it’s true. We’ve been more active in terms of releases and concerts since around 2019. On the other hand, from our point of view, it’s not so much that it can’t be managed. As long as it fulfills us and we don’t disappoint our audience, it’s not a problem.
Speaking of live appearances, soon you will be embarking on a tour with Impercation, as well as performing at the Underground for the Masses festival. What expectations do you have for these shows, especially given some are first time appearances? Also, what does a typical Baxaxaxa live performance look like, for those who might be unfamiliar?
That’s right, we will tour again and also play at Underground for the masses. Expectations? I can’t answer that. Let’s talk about “hopes”. We hope that we will have good audience reactions, that we won’t disappoint the people who are looking forward to us and that we can get people who don’t know us interested in us. In 2025, I don’t really need to describe how our concerts will go. I think everyone can see us on YouTube. The video of our concert in Los Angels in 2023 gives a good first impression. If that’s not enough, you can watch the video of our performance at the “Prague death mass”. Videos speak louder than words.
Let’s go back to the De Vermis Mysteriis record, which is a great example of the unique musical approach of this project. How did the songwriting process for this album look like, and in what ways would you say you improved since its predecessor?
Our songs always come from a riff. Everything develops from that. It has to happen naturally and if that’s the case, a song is finished quickly for us. With the riff comes the next riff and a beat, then the vocals and the keyboards. Our guitarist and drummer always set the framework, which the others then fill in. I think we have pretty much stayed true to our approach since “Catacomb Cult”. Today we feel each album has its strengths and weaknesses which speak to each of us differently. That is very individual. I can’t say why that is. The perspective changes in retrospect. To me personally “De Vermis Mysteriis” is more complicated to grasp than the debut.
Speaking of sound, how did you find your trademark style, and what were the key moments that shaped it?
After 33 years since the “Hellfire” demo, it’s hard to answer that today. The beginning for us was Bathory, Samael, Sodom. And the desire to create a particularly dark atmosphere with a keyboard, as with some songs on “Under the sign of the black mark”.
Black metal is genre of music known for its theatrics and stage antics. Nevertheless, you have mentioned your distaste for such manifestations in previous interviews. To what extent has this approach pushed you to make your music more expressive, and how did this influence your stage presence overall?
Personally, I don’t like it when bands perform too pathetically. I don’t mind if a band performs the music in a visually appropriate way on stage. We do that too. Or: We try to do that too. On the other hand, over-dramatization can quickly come across as ridiculous. We take our music and lyrics seriously and want people to notice that we don’t want to be a show band. From our point of view, it doesn’t make a good impression when a band sets up a ghost train on stage. It quickly comes across as ridiculous and you should leave it to the artists who can do it, like King Diamond, for example. We try to keep the balance and not put the visuals before the music.
Something that makes Baxaxaxa really stand out is the way occultism is included in the music. Even though the imagery and the symbolism are there, I found that you tend to work with this concept is a very personal, and dare I say, more sinister manner. This becomes particularly obvious on tracks such as “Awaken, the Old Thing in the Ground” and it left me wondering whether this comes from a desire of offering a more profound experience, or is it just a byproduct of the songwriting process.
“The old thing in the ground” is a special song that is actually about an occult encounter, a kind of ritual. And yes, our approach to occult topics is very personal. We don’t try to be bold here either. The Left Hand Path is not something you present to the outside world. You can do it. Of course you can. But for us it is an inner conviction that can only be guessed at from the outside. And that also applies to our music. The direction is clear, everyone has to recognize the details for themselves. We don’t give out instructions on how to understand Baxaxaxa. Which is clearly not the case: Nothing with us is an accessory. Baxaxaxa is the epitome of our art, which is made up of individual pieces.
Another interesting aspect is the use of medieval elements and aesthetics in both your illustrations and your promotional pictures, all done in a fairly unconventional, almost faustian manner. To what extent have medieval mysticism and beliefs slipped into the DNA of the project, and what place does your cultural experience have in Baxaxaxa’s music?
Thank you for seeing it that way. But we are not deliberately referencing the Middle Ages. The depiction of traditional occultism, or devil worship, was, in our opinion, very memorably pursued in the Middle Ages. We have included that. But we actually see ourselves represented in many strands of occultism: From classical devil worship to a theistic Satanism to philosophical Satanism. Of course, German culture and legends also have their place in our music, for example in “Walpurgis dancers”.
On a different note, Baxaxaxa and Ungod are what can be considered twin projects, each offering a different view of the same core principles. What are the principles upon which these bands operate, and how did they form?
The foundation is quickly explained. A couple of young guys were fascinated by bands like Master’s Hammer, Sodom, Samael, Bathory, were looking for their way in the world and wanted to make music. That’s how Ungod and Baxaxaxa were founded. Ungod are more direct in their musical expression, sometimes even a bit bold. Baxaxaxa is more philosophical, more “sublime”. But in the end, both bands are like identical twins who only differ if you look closely. At least that’s how we see it. There are no major differences.
You have mentioned being influenced by literary works such as those of H. P Lovecraft in the past, the title De Vermis Mysteriis being a nod to that. What other novels or writings have influenced your artistic vision, and by extent, Baxaxaxa’s music?
Now you have to ask our singer Traumatic this question. He doesn’t explain his inspiration to us and we don’t ask. We share a silent understanding of things. I don’t want to presume to talk about his inspiration
A recurring theme that can be observed in your music is the idea of darkness as a primordial creative force. Could you elaborate on this concept, and perhaps delve a little into your view of darkness as an artistic element?
I can only speak for myself personally here. I don’t see a basic concept. For me personally, darkness is the starting point for creativity. I don’t see anything negative in this either. Darkness,
or “evil”, is a kind of blank page that cannot be measured by any form of morality. The blank page can be filled with content and is therefore the starting point and end point of creativity. The World Serpent, so to speak, which encompasses everything and eats itself. Darkness is both a starting point and a place of longing. Thoughts, visions and ultimately artistic action develop from this irresolvable contradiction.
Going back on a less serious note, what would you consider your most memorable performances so far? Also, what songs do you enjoy playing live the most?
The concerts in New York and Los Angeles were fantastic. We expected to meet a cosmopolitan audience that had seen everything and couldn’t be more fascinated by anything. The opposite was the case. Even though we can play in Texas, it’s something special for us, we meet a lot of friends and supporters there. At the end of 2023, one day before New Year’s Eve, we played in Munich at short notice because Kringa had to cancel. We had only been announced the night before and the audience gave us a great reception. Those are the concerts that come to mind spontaneously. I really enjoy playing “Catacomb cult” live. But also “Ghosts of Törzburg” and “Walpurgis dancers”.
Lastly, thank you once again for taking the time to answer these questions. The last words belong to you.
Thank you again for your interest. I hope the reader was able to gain an insight. See you on tour. HELLFIRE!
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