There really isn't much I want to say about Evol, except for that they play atmospheric, keyboard infested mid-paced black metal. I really like this band, so check them out! You can pick up their albums through Adipocere records. Conducted on 8/13/98, with Giordano Bruno, (The Prince of Agony). Interview by Mike Coles pictures borrowed from site

The Outcast: Greetings, I noticed that Evol has two new members in your empire. Are they permanent or session members?

Giordano: You are right. They have been in the band since the middle of 1997. We have Count Demian de Saba on drums and Marquis T-Rex on bass. Well, it seems that the period of session members has come to an end. We will always make use of important external musicians, such as Roberto S. Meylougan, but now we have all the fundamental members in order to play live concerts without any problems like in the past. These two centurions are skilled, but above all, are friends, and this is very important to the health of a band.

The Outcast: Let us go back to your past. During "The Saga of the Horned King" era, Evol had the typical corpse paint that looked like everyone else. Thankfully, on "Dreamquest", the bands characters appearance changed. What was the purpose of this change?

Giordano: Our first typical black metal appearance reflected our inner feelings during that time. We were closer to the satanic environment, and shared a lot of the same themes as other bands. In "Dreamquest", we tried to express something more complex, in order to point out the differences we had with the rest of the scene. My personal thought is in constant evolution and still growing, therefore I am prepared to change our image according to my ideology. The themes treated in "Dreamquest" were not so limited to the satanic culture; they were more universal and linked to other traditions and experiences. Nowadays, we have reached a superior consciousness about our existence. We try to be neutral, in order to express the complexity of the WHOLE, who is not only light or darkness, but an eternal struggle of both.

The Outcast: Where did you get this "WHOLE" philosophy from? Was it something that you made up?

Giordano: The search for the truth is carried on also with the help of the wise men of the past. The path is too long for single human beings, and so the noble souls help each other. Every noble soul adds a small grain to the mountain of wisdom we are building. Perhaps we will find some answers when we reach the top. I am studying philosophy; therefore it is obvious I am influenced by other philosophers. I also find sources of inspiration from different cultures in the world. I am trying to find the common points, in order to reach a common answer. The concept of the WHOLE is mine, but it is a result from a lot of different thoughts from the past.

The Outcast: What exactly does your character play in Evol?

Giordano: I sing and play keyboards. I write all the lyrics and create all the concepts, and I compose the music for the songs composed only of the keyboards. Samael Von Martin composes the rest of the music on our albums.

The Outcast: What are your live shows like?

Giordano: Our concerts are really atmospheric and evocative. We wear our costumes for our shows. The main attraction is obviously our beloved princess. She always has a lot of people in front of her. She is so full of energy!

The Outcast: The name Evol isn't your typical name. I am guessing it is supposed to be love backwards, or does it represent something else?

Giordano: With the word Evol, I wanted to express the black principle of existence in its polemic relationship with the other cosmic source, light or love. Sometimes my interpretation of this word is misunderstood, because people think we are referring to the human feelings of hate and love. Evol and love are cosmic principles, and are not directly concerned with the human sphere. I used these words because I wanted to express universal concepts, not related to any particular human religion.

The Outcast: What is the concept behind "The Saga of the Horned King"? "Dreamquest"? "Ancient Abbey"? "Portraits"?

Giordano: "The Saga of the ..." tells the story of the waiting of the black souls for a King to lead them into war against the light and its servants. Some songs describe the poor conditions of the black souls in a society ruled by the light. Others tell the major history of the coming, and battle, of the Horned King. The entire album is some kind of hope, or prophesy, of the present doomed age.

"Dreamquest" tells the vicissitudes of a noble soul during a trip through the land of dreams, where truth lies banished from our decadent society. During the quest, the traveler assists to majestic landscapes, to terrifying ancient deities, who wait their moment of revenge against the people who have banished them in this icy realm. All the songs are strongly inspired by the tales of H. P. Lovecraft.

"Ancient Abbey", doesn't have a particular concept, because it is a mini-CD that anticipates our new album. Inside we have decided to put two songs from the upcoming CD, (but beware, the original versions will be slightly different.) Our first composed song, "Witch Lord", which represents some sort of mini-concept; it is a story of a Sabbath. We're doing a cover song from the progressive Italian band named Goblin. We have also decided to add as a gift, the original demo version of "Prologue (Waiting for his Coming)", from our first demo tape. It is very difficult to find, and a lot of people are requesting it.

"Portraits" is surely our best concept-based creation. Everything is perfect and deeply studied. All the songs are based on tales I have personally written during the last few years. The characters describe my personal intuition of the existence of the WHOLE, composed by the two opposed principles of darkness and light. Each of them stands for one of the principles. So, each song is a portrait of a character, of a landscape, of a state of mind provoked by this vision. With the album we will also publish a book containing all the novels which inspired it.

The Outcast: Give me some more details on the book.

Giordano: The title of the book is, "Frammenti" (Fragments) and will be released before the end of 1998 by Adipocere records in a special box with our new album "Portraits". I think you will be able to buy the CD separate also. It will contain five short novels and an introduction. All the novels are set in an invented land, the realm-that-should-be. Each of them is the presentation of a character, and how he reached the consciousness of his nature/destiny. The spirit of the book is the search for the truth, and the quest for our own essence and aim in life. It is also the presentation of my vision of the WHOLE. Furthermore, with this book I would like to express the need to use fantasy in order to catch a glimpse of that truth and authenticity that the scientific and frozen world in which we are living in, has banished from our existence.

The Outcast: On "The Saga..." on the inlay card: "This album is dedicated to all the black brothers, with the hope that all the wars..." I'm sure you know the rest. Is this still your philosophy? Why do you think there is no unity between the black hordes? In my opinion, all the fighting amongst the hordes is no different than the Christians fighting each other over which religion is right and what not.

Giordano: It is slightly different, because the Christians have the power, so they can afford some kind of civil war amongst them. The black hordes are meaningless in this society. If they continue their struggles, they will never be able to win their battle against the servants of the light. Anyway, I am no more concerned with these topics, because I am really disgusted by the superficiality there is in this environment. I have come to the point that the same decadence that afflicts the society of light, is also striking the black hordes. The history goes on even without our intervention; therefore I prefer to follow the path of truth and virtue, because this is the only way to detach my self from the ravaging decadence. I will continue studying reality, society, and human history; because it is important to my formation, but I will always keep an eye to the capital concepts, the major questions that torment the noble soul.

The Outcast: What do you mean by; "....because the Christians have the power, and so they can afford some kind of civil war amongst them"? You also state that you prefer to walk the path of truth and virtue. Isn't Christianity based on truth and virtue? Explain your differences.

Giordano: Barely every religion is based on truth and virtue. Following your statement, if you do not like pork flesh, then you would be a Muslim or a Jew. This is not the point. First of all, the truth I am looking for is universal concept; it goes beyond the single cultures. Then, virtue is the strength of our soul against the low instincts of our nature. Every individual has to face this problem, not only the Christian Saints. The fact is that I am not a Christian, I am not baptized either. The reason of this is quite simple; I believe that the Christian God is not the Universal Source of the existence, because it has a lot of human traits. The WHOLE is totally neutral, or better. Virtue makes a human being superior to the majority. It is the will to ascent, to go beyond our limited nature.

The Outcast: You have the Bible, which is a recorded history of truth. Maybe not your truth or the world's truth, but it is truth that has lasted for many, many years. The book of Revelation has many prophecies that have happened through out history, yet people still question the Bible. Why do you think this is so?

Giordano: The Maya also made prophecies, and they were not related to the Judaic religion. The fact is that there is something common below every human culture and religion. We have a common heritage and a common source. Perhaps in the future we will discover something more about this. The common people just follow the tradition; therefore they can't understand these problems. The majority of human beings are merely sheep who follow the Shepard. The Shepard is the one who still searches and still asks. The bible is a very important source of wisdom, but it is not the only one. We will continue asking, "Is this our doom?"

The Outcast: In life you experience many horrible and wonderful things. How have your personal beliefs changed since the beginning of Evol?

Giordano: Well, my personal thoughts is in constant evolution, because it is a part of my life. As I grow up and gain experience, my thoughts follow me during this growth. In the times of "The Saga..." I was worried about the present condition of society, ruled by a decadent culture of light. Therefore, I wanted to change it with the use of force, fighting and using the rage of the black people. Nowadays, I am a little more aware that the decadence does not concern light, but human society. The destiny of humanity is decadence, because we are only parts of the WHOLE. From a condition of nature and authenticity, (the ancient times), we have fallen into materialism and technology is our new God. But fantasy, hope, imagination, and art, carries little space, because we are too busy working and creating richness. The more sensible souls among us realize that this will come to an end, because human kind is doomed to destroy itself. Evol, the black principle of existence is working for this, and sooner or later we will have the possibility to live in a new age of rebirth.

The Outcast: I am pleased to hear how you state that technology is our new God. I have thought this as well for a long time. It saddens me how these things distract us from reality. We are but a shell, passing time to the next level of life or death, which ever path we choose. You keep saying "black principle of existence" but yet you keep saying truth, virtue, and that you are noble. Doesn't being a part of the black principle contradict being true, virtuous, etc.?

Giordano: It is really complicated, because I am trying to reason in different levels, therefore you should make an effort to understand my words. The black principle is a cosmic concept, not achievable by our limited reasons. The black principle influences the WHOLE and therefore also our level of existence. It is the subtracting force, the necessary negative pole of the WHOLE. When we speak about our physical level of existence, the black principle takes different names, because from a dualistic level, it descends to the realm of multiplicity. Therefore it becomes darkness, evil, Satan, Ahriman, and so on. My sight has two orientations, one looks at reality, and one is aimed "to the stars." This way, I am able to talk about the principles of existence, but at the same time, study the explosion of colors that characterizes our level of existence.

The Outcast: What are your beliefs on Satan and God? Do you think they are actual beings? Why or why not?

Giordano: I think that it is possible that some deities exist. They are Gods in relation to human beings, but they are not absolute beings. The concepts who are closer to God and Satan in my thoughts are the two principles which compose the WHOLE, but they do not have the characteristics of the human religions.

The Outcast: You're walking down the street and a Christian walks up to you and hands you a flyer that reads: "Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart?", and begins to talk to you about his beliefs.

A) Do you calmly tell him sorry but you have different beliefs and begin to talk about each others beliefs over a nice hot cup of coco?

B) Walk away and say nothing.

C) Tell him to fuck off and die.

Giordano: Considering that I am a civil person, I would never choose the second reaction. It is so stupid, and would make the Christian better than me. I would do the first one, but would probably stop talking because I have no time for this. In general, I like to study the different religions and cultures. I respect the true Christians, because they have strong faith and act accordingly. Any way, I do not share their beliefs, because I am a noble soul, and the noble souls only have one God, the WHOLE.

The Outcast: What are your beliefs on murder, rape, eye for an eye, and turning the other cheek?

Giordano: In a way, I criticize this society, but I realize that I am also part of it, so I must follow the laws created by it. From the moral point of view, it depends from the individual's soul. There are souls who tend to destroy and others who tend to protect. Personally, I think that murder is a natural way of existence, even if it is logical to put a limit to it. Rape is a stupid way of acting, not only because it is directed against a harmless being, but also because it shows the lack of dominion on our instincts. To take a personal revenge is natural, but it cannot be tolerated by an ordered society. The last problem is related to the servants of light, but I must admit it is a sophisticated way of defending and also a way of "attacking" enemies.

The Outcast: Define evil to me in your own words. Do you think there is a difference in being evil and being unholy?

Giordano: Yes, there is a great difference. Speaking about the moral meaning of evil, evil is a person who acts in hurting others. In this way, I am not evil, because I try to respect everyone, even if I criticize their beliefs. Virtue is the opposed to evil, and virtue is the path of all the noble souls. I am an unholy person, because I do not follow the religion of my society, but I am "holy" in following the path of truth.

The Outcast: Giordano Bruno, I thank you for your time. I wish you the best in the future and in your works, any closing words?

Giordano: Thank you very much for the interview. Your questions have been very interesting and deep. I hope I have satisfied the thirst of wisdom of your readers.