AIN SOPH blessed us with this rare and privileged interview. This Italian group has left a great and strong impression on us over the years, from the earlier ritual trance sounds to the "newest" album, "Aurora", which presents things on a more traditional musical base. It would be a lie to say AIN SOPH and its creations were never politically nor magickally motivated, it is rather the contrary which is the truth. There are not enough words for this group... Crucifage answered...

Would you call the direction "Aurora" set an appeal to the youth?

Our intention in realizing "Aurora" was to stress an ethical and personal approach to very important questions, as we stated very clearly in the booklet inside the CD cover. As such if there's a message there, it is aimed at all those interested, without regard to their age or to their possible political outlook.

"Aurora" seemed to be the point at which AIN SOPH's name was spread to a larger audience. Do you think this predictable with regards to the change?

In fact, it was quite the opposite. In our opinion we deemed it very possible to sell less than before, because of the change in our musical approach. In fact, we felt almost compelled to underline the change from magic to ethics with an extensive change in AIN SOPH's music as well. And this is our approach today, because we are far more interested in being able to express our ideas and feelings rather than in success and selling.

How important is nihilism?

As Julius Evola has pointed out with great clarity, nihilism is at the same time a final point and a starting point. For us, it means that one finally understands the emptiness and irrelevancy of both social and personal ideas, opinions, etc. etc.; from that nihilist subconsciousness (which is, by the way, strikingly similar to the alchemic concept of "nigredo", the first phase of the great work) one may then start building his own true ideas, coming from a supernatural clarity and not from subconscious and/or social impulses.

Comments upon the seemingly tight bond that yet still holds Italy and Germany together?

We feel we are not able to answer to this kind of very general questions. In fact, from a magical and ethical point of view, we do have many friends in Germany with an approach similar to our own; however, this is also true for a dozen of other countries, whereas lots of Germans loathe our ideas and values (together, it should be pointed out, with lots of fellow Italians). In any case, we feel that the bonds resulting from partnership in the axis (between 1938 and 1945) are quite irrelevant compared to the complex web of influences (both historical and spiritual) linking each European country to all the others, dating back to pre-Roman times.

Your comments on a quote: "Domestic fury and fierce civil strife shall cumber all the parts of Italy", Giulio Cesare Act III scene I.

In our century, civil war has torn Italy twice: in the 1943-45 period, as everybody knows, and then also in the '70's (Anni Di Piombo), when neo-fascist and ultra-communist young people again fought and died for their ideas. While the strife in the '70's was undoubtedly less widespread and led only to a few dozen killings, we feel quite involved in those facts, as they took place in the roads and squares of our youth. Our position is quite clear. As we pointed out in "Aurora" both in the enclosed text and in some lyrics as well, if magic is a progression towards a supernatural state of existence, then doctrines of materialistic refusal of everything sacred are our enemy. And this was also the approach of some among those who took up a gun to save their comrades and themselves from death by fire, a favouite weapon of politically-correct class struggle in their "democratic" opponents opinion. For these clear opinions, we also got caught in some crossfire, albeit it came from Italian reviewers rather than Walther P-38's, the most favoured 1970's left-wing instrument of civilized political destruction (and, ironically, the Waffen SS officer's choice toy...)

What role and/or interest has Crowley/Thelema played in your music, lyrics and symbolism? What was the significance of using the triangle of the Goetia and the passage from Liber Al Vel Legis on the "Ars Regia" cassette? Enochian and hermetic symbols seem prominent in your graphic designs. What interest and importance do these hold for AIN SOPH? AIN SOPH - the middle veil of existence in the Jewish Kabbalah. How does this play a role in the music and art of AIN SOPH?

With regard to the last questions on magic symbols, etc. this is not, unfortunately, the occasion to make a very long explanation. In fact, Crowley's work and later alchemy and the philosophy of Julius Evola all have been central to our own work. We also published a short collection of essays (now out-of-print for ages) on Kabbalah, magic, alchemy, etc. We can only say that in all our early work everything, from lyrics to music to graphics, down to each single note or the number of drum beats, was absolutely an expression of the ritual being performed. All "musical" concerns being totally and purposefully irrelevance.