AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FANS AND THOSE WHO SUPPORT DESCENSION:

Greetings from the demon Astoroth.  You may have noticed a few changed on here, and there are reasons.  The biggest change is in the form of our new drummer, Arrastaad.  His contributions have already changed the sound of the band in many positive ways and we will continue to evolve further.  The letters we get from you all mean a great deal to us... and many of you have been around since our first show in NKC at that strange little bar... and I really, really appreciate that loyalty.  


Not all mail we get is positive, and you probably noticed the heading to this page no longer says TRUE BLACK METAL... that is due to a few different reasons... First, we have been the target of numerous close-minded idiot nazis that want to call themselves American Black Metal and then proceed to tell us how UNTRUE and LAME we are.  Nazi values go against everything that Black Metal stands for, so you pathetic idiots are NOT Black Metal... it just does not work.  Black Metal is about rebellion and embracing the dark side of life, the folklore, the myths... Odinism is one of the original religions of the NOrwegian people and it is reflected in their music.  Immortal is a Norway Black Metal band that sings about forests and trees and saving nature... I guess you might want to call them the same, yet they are true Black Metal. It is not about how fast you play or how many virgins you kill - it is about attitude and your beliefs and staying true to who you are... but it did make me think..


This brings me to reason 2:  I really started looking at our musical output and our newer songs and who we are personally in this band.  I realized we really AREN'T a Black Metal band in the traditional sense of the word.  We are a Heavy Metal band with Black Metal influences.  And we are proud of the term Heavy Metal for many reasons.  Some of the best music in the world has been made by Metal bands... and I would be embarrassed by the tag "Alternative."  There is no alternative anymore... it has become the norm.  Heavy Metal is the ONLY music that has remained loyal to itself and it's fanbase.  And everyone steals from it!  Pop bands steal the guitar sound, hardcore "borrows" the structures, Alternative rock like Papa Roach have openly STOLEN Iron Maiden riffs in their songs and even hip-hop wanna be's like LImp Bizkit steal the attitude and the guitars from metal music.  I'll say it proud... we're a fucking metal band and we are glad to be it.


And then we get to the third reason:  I want to always be true and honest to ourselves and our fans and to classify ourselves in a genre we don't seem to fit in anymore seemed wrong.  We will never sell out, we will never give up our dignity and our priorities in this band.  We first and foremost will stay true to our roots, to our ideals and to what we believe in.  We will not add elements of any kind just to sell CDs nor will we let our fans down.  We will never become jaded or burnt out on who we are and what we do.  You are all the most important thing for us.  Without you, there would be no reason to keep going.  One of the main reasons I do this is for you.  When I was a kid and had a shit day in Hell, I'd put on an Iron Maiden album or a Bathory album or whatever and it would take the shit away... it would make my day seem much better.  I want to do that for other people.  I want to take any bullshit you may have and throw it away for that hour and a half we are on stage or for the time you listen to our CD.  I want to entertain people.  


That is why we have the stage show, and why we wear the make-up and the strange stage gear.  We want to give YOU, the crowd that sees us, something for your money.  We want to make sure you are entertained for that admission price.  And we want to make sure you take something away from you... not just another forgettable rock show with a band of people that look the same and do nothing but shake their heads and jump around.  Same songs, same riffs, same bullshit lyrics about "keeping it real."  It's easy to say "keep it real" when you rake in millions a year in a half-assed commercial corporate shit factory band.  We are doing what they claim to do.  WE are making it real by staying true to US and to YOU and we do it for nothing but the love of making music and entertaining YOU.  We aren't getting rich, no band does at this level.  And we support other bands in the scene with the same attitude as us.  We aren't and never will be "rock stars."  We throw away the egos and attitudes that hurt other bands.  We support other local and indie bands and we strive to strengthen independent music, not harm it.  Most shows around here make very little profit and to do this for any length of time, you have to love it.  And we salute any band, no matter what type of music, that has the guts to get in front of people and play music they created, from their hearts and souls.  And most of all we SALUTE YOU - the people who support us and other bands - and those of you that believe in us, in our music and in our cause.  HAIL TO YOU ALL.


Astoroth Occultus

Demon Guitarist, DESCENSION



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