Before the first russian concert of Gnaw Their Tongues MAGREB talked with project’s mastermind – Maurice De Jong.
Greetings, Maurice. While we were working on questions for this interview, we’ve found some of your works as a graphic designer. Was it your primary occupation before the career as a musician?
Yes my dayjob is graphic design.
Could you tell us about the years you spent in Paramaribo before moving to Europe? How did it influence your worldview and music? Do you feel some connection with Lautreamount who was born in Montevideo and moved to Paris, and whose art was also deeply dark?
Being born in a different part of the world living in another gives you a different perspective on a lot of things. I might bring different things to music making and live in general compared to someone born somewhere else i guess. In the end its always the same human bullshit everywhere.
Some of your projects have a strong anti-cosmic sense. Do you practice any kind of magic? What is your philosophy and worldview in general?
I don’t practice magic but i have a strong interest in the occult and religion. I’m an atheist. My worldview is pretty pessimistic. Not a fan of human kind to be honest.
You’re recording like hell (almost…60 releases since 2005), how do you do this without lack of quality? Do you have time (or interest) for anything else aside from your music? Do you have some goal or purpose or is it just a continuing stream of self-expression?
No goals, no purpose..i just need to create, make music. I have other interests and i’m taking it more easy lately with music making. I just cant see myself stop making music..even if no one i listening anymore.
You have multiple musical projects, almost all of them are experimental black…how would you characterize the distinctions between your projects for the man who just begin to explore your music?
To me there’s big difference between the projects. To the outsider maybe not so much. Doesn’t really matter to me. To me GTT is blackmetal/experimental etc..Aderlating is much more ambient/drone. De Magia Veterum was more black metal (the project has stopped). Cloak of Altering is black metal /electronica / sci fi. Pyriphlegethon is pure old school black metal.
Seirom is really something outstanding in you discography. Very transparent, soft and beautiful sounds, full of love and starlight. Does this project most accurately depict your inner self? How did you start Seirom after all these years of musical blackness and horror?
I started Seirom because i became tired of all the blackness and horror. I needed to do something else. Seirom represent a different aspect of me / my music. Seirom is purely about beauty.
What is the most unexpected thing or dream that happened to you recently?
Playing the US twice in one year on a big festival was kind of a dream. Man i’m playing all over the world these days. That was always a teenage dream of me. If i can live of my music would be the ultimate dream come true!
Сould you name some movies and musical albums that most impressed you recently (or, by your choice, just 3 favourite ones)
Recently..difficult because i’m never up to date..let me see: Iron Maiden, Leviathan…not sure i’ve been listening to eighties metal a lot these last few months.
Movies ..i watch a lot of movies only a few really stick..let me see..”Star wars”, “The Revenant”…”Snowtown” (from 2011) was a very intense movie that stuck in my head.
