Pic courtesy of: Rudyphotos "We never contrive to make “Akercocke” metal. We just write songs that amuse and divert us from the drudgery of every day life"

CR: Let’s start with a dumb question shall we! Can you be metal and believe in Santa Claus?
Jason Mendonca: I reckon you can, especially if you’re very young. We however, believe committed Black Metaller’s receive presents from the Anti-Santa. A bearded being who looks suspiciously like Quorthon (r.i.p.) of Bathory. Did it ever occur to you that Santa is an anagram of Satan?

CR: Ok let’s get into some “serious” questions.

CR: 2007 saw the release of Antichrist, and I think you guys are probably used to this by now but pretty much great reviews all across the board! Did the album reach your expectations in regard of how the public and the media received it?
Jason Mendonca: Well, I am always pleased and surprised when positive reviews come to my attention. It’s great to know that some other people are digging our output. I never really have any expectations about how a record will be received. I tend to focus more on playing and writing.

CR: How much growth… musically speaking do you think Antichrist brings to the illustrious career of Akercocke? Was the album conceived to demonstrate to people and establish that very characteristic and unique sound that the band has or did you tried to surprises us with the material?
Jason Mendonca: Illustrious career? I am flattered that you perceive and characteristic unique sound in what we do. The album just came together. It is what it is. We never contrive to make “Akercocke” metal. We just write songs that amuse and divert us from the drudgery of every day life. The material was written in a rather short space of time and for the most part sounds very angry I think.

CR: Many “critics” used to qualify your previous work “Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone” as your “most avant-garde” material yet, but they have seem to change that opinion as soon as they got a change to listen to Antichrist; what aspects of “Words…” did you guys wanted to amplified in this 2007 released and what other elements you wanted to leave behind?
Jason Mendonca: Again, it’s not that we dissect our own work or even think about aspects to keep or develop. Once an album is finished, personally speaking I switch off from it. It’s not a difficult thing to do after focusing on something rather intensely for a long time. The only time I really think about the material again is when we come to rehearse songs for performance purposes. What critics say is what critics say. I am already thinking about album number 6.

CR: Antichrist is certainly dark, but it sort of diminishes on the traditional black metal sounds that some of your earlier albums had, stepping more into a sort of doom or Goth direction like a Katatonia (mostly because of the improvements on the clean vocals!) do you see Akercocke distancing itself from a “typical” black metal and stepping further into this “more” melodic and more elaborate sound that you guys have this days?
Jason Mendonca: I think we will continue to write songs that feel right at the time. Whether or not they contain harrowing black metal passages, bludgeoning death metal, melodious experimentalism or electronic dissonances will depend on where our heads are when we write. I will say this – the next album is destined to be our most diverse yet and may probably be the first double album in the genre for some time.

CR: How many “non traditional metal” instruments did you guys used for Antichrist? A song like “Distant Fires Reflect the Eyes of Satan” certainly has some out of the ordinary elements on it!
Jason Mendonca: Ha! One or two….the album features elements of Santoor, Saz, Bouzouki and Ney to mention a few.

CR: The new Antichrist seems to be recorded with a sort of “low volume” or “lo fi” (Excuse me if my terminology is way off) why is this? Do I just have to clean my ears or it was a conscious decision on your part?
Jason Mendonca: I suggest a visit to the ear cleaner.

CR: I was just watching the video for Axiom, very dark! What can you tell us about the idea behind the video, I mean is there any specific symbolic significance in the two women caressing each other and the sort of chord like fingers in the one in the red dress?
Jason Mendonca: The video is interesting I think. Nothing to do with us at all. It was all Erica Herbert’s concept. We are playing inside a huge red dress for some reason or other. It’s got a surreal quality to it which is very much in keeping with Erica’s style. I really like it. It’s very different and for that reason alone, suitably Akercocke.

	Pic courtesy of: Inventory-Photo "We will continue to write songs that feel right at the time. Whether or not they contain harrowing black metal passages, bludgeoning death metal, melodious experimentalism or electronic dissonances will depend on where our heads are when we write"

CR: I believe it was on December last year that you guys were on the London Underworld, to support the family of Witold 'Vitek' Kieltyka who sadly pass away last year; could you see a more “engaged” metal scene than that I mean a lot of magazines and websites were donating money or at least putting a link so that people could donate money to his family, it all surprised me a lot really, to see many bands and media lending a hand to a fellow metalhead; do you think a sort of “looking at the positive side” of all this is that his death actually managed to pull people together on a international level?
Jason Mendonca: I am loathe to comment on “The Scene.” All I’ll say is that to my mind death often brings disparate people together unexpectedly.

CR: I actually read the entire bio that David has on your official web site, very informative really! Can you consciously read that bio and not be surprised of how much and how far has the band come from those humble beginnings as Salem Orchid?
Jason Mendonca: There was nothing humble about Salem Orchid and that was part of the problem. We were young maniacs on a mission. Sadly we didn’t have a fucking clue about anything and were just making stuff up as we went along. If we’d had some sort of mentor at the time I think things could have been very different. It’s only in hindsight, knowing what I know now that I realise how special Salem Orchid was and yet how our ignorance destined us to remain largely in isolation from the rest of the Heavy Metal World.

CR: Akercocke has never really played an specific genre, I mean you guys pretty much go into black metal, but display some death metal technicality, and there are some parts that are so hard to explain that many call them progressive or experimental; one thing is for certain you are a metal band! But why is it that Akercocke never really manage to “conform” itself with only one style of playing?
Jason Mendonca: I suppose the easiest explanation is that we are non-conformists. To complicate matters and expand on this point I think our collective eclecticism pre-destined us do weird shit.

CR: The “spoken words” section of the album, of pretty much all the Akercocke albums, provide a sort of mysticism a obscure atmosphere that really deepens the entire songs; what importance does this have for you; how do you see this special way of performing the vocals contributing to the albums as a whole?
Jason Mendonca: The vocal performance is of no importance to me beyond conveying David’s lyrics in a fashion that is appropriate for the whole picture – the song. The word atmosphere in your assertion is everything. Personally I think the only potentially mystic aspect of this is how the correlation of ideas transmogrified into an odd mixture of invisible sound waves can sometimes invoke reactions as diverse as the hair on the back of my neck standing up or feelings of physical violence. Music’s ability to move people in someway is completely fascinating. Our complex psychologies are affected by something invisible that can bring about a physical or emotional response. Without digressing into a rant about psychoacoustics I’ll summarise by saying that perhaps there is something mystical in being able to convey ideas and emotions without words, via the medium of invisible sound waves.

CR: Akercocke has always presented itself as a satanic metal band, and perhaps in your lyrics and your earlier albums you can see that in the art and the message, but you guys have sort of distance the band from upside down crosses, and goats pictures; why don’t you see or think that this sort of “classic” satanic imagery applies to your music?
Jason Mendonca: There’s nothing wrong with upside down crosses and pictures of goats. I don’t think we have distanced ourselves from those clichés so much as moved on from them. That said don’t be surprised if on the next sleeve we are wearing inverted crosses adorned leather jackets, bullet belts and are pictured grimacing and covered with stage blood ala Seven Churches era Possessed. Or perhaps with cut of denims and mullets…..the more I think about that…….hmmm………

	Pic courtesy of: Inventory-Photo "Our complex psychologies are affected by something invisible that can bring about a physical or emotional response"

CR: If there is a basic “idea” behind your music and your beliefs, how would you describe it?
Jason Mendonca: Atheism with a sense of humor, fuelled by retarded erotomania and the delusion that we are actually quite good musicians.

CR: “Words That Go Unspoken…” had a DVD with a 30 minutes bio documentary and a making off the album, that was your first DVD right? By reading the bio this part of the band is very important for you guys right?
Jason Mendonca: I don’t really understand your question but we made that DVD ourselves and it made us laugh. We thought we’d share it with the fans in the hope it might make some of them laugh too.

CR: How would you like Akercocke to be remembered?
Jason Mendonca: Err……I’ll leave the eulogies for others……after we’re dead and gone although I’d be quite happy to be remembered as men who refused to grow up.

CR: Are you guys planning any big tour outside Europe for this 2008? What country “intrigues” you the most because of what you have heard of their metal scene and which one would you like to go for the first time to play?
Jason Mendonca: 2008 will hopefully be full of festivals. Touring is not on the agenda this year for personal reasons. The place I’d most like to go to is Slovenia for Metal Camp. It looks like the Holy Grail of festivals. I hope we play there this year.

CR: Ok man hope I didn’t bored you, it was a real pleasure, if you will like to add anything else please feel free to do so…
Jason Mendonca: Thank you for an amusing interview.