“MOST HUMANS ARE WORTHLESS FLESH ZOMBIES CONSUMED BY THEIR IGNORANCE AND LACK OF CONVICTION” – OMINOUS RESURRECTION

Conceived through mountains of bone and valleys of Death, Ominous Resurrection’s eerily-prophetic and utterly-compelling sophomore full-length, ‘Judgement’, provided a powerful and poignant soundtrack to the nightmare that was 2020. Like so much of the once-civilised western world, New York has fallen like a house of cards. From amidst the acrid smoke and detritus, surrounded by braindead zombies, frightened cattle and unquestioning slaves, all running amok in a seething cesspit of resignation, surrender and stupidity, guitarist / vocalist Diabolic Gulgalta speaks about the perpetual cycles of nature; the dumbing down (and recurring fall) of mankind; the manipulation of disasters to exert control on unsuspecting masses; the growth of the soul over innumerable lifetimes; and passing the point of no return.

When judgement falls on humanity, what will it decree? Or maybe that judgement has arrived already in 2020? Mankind is looking more and more like a failed species with each passing day. It feels like we have passed the point of no return. Cities are on fire and people are lost, depressed, demoralised, angry and afraid. Inequality, tyranny, poverty, greed, corruption, ignorance, depravity and perversion are rife. We’re an embarrassment to ourselves, a stain on the planet, a seething disgrace.
“Most human beings are nothing but puppets, a bunch of directionless zombies that are easily controlled by their rulers. Although the amount of propaganda that people get bombarded with is overwhelming, new generations get dumbed down even further, thus making it an indoctrination pill that is easy to swallow. I believe that Judgement has certainly arrived. Most people saw it coming, but this train is accelerating more towards its collision. I think this is a special time in history though, as the advent of technological advances turned out to be a double-edged sword. For example, the internet is possibly the greatest human achievement as it provides unlimited amounts of information that mankind never had access to, making it harder for the tyrants to subvert and control. Right now, we are in a world war, not a military one, but a cultural one, an information war. They will have to resort to extreme censorship and propaganda in order to assert total control. In short, if you question everything and dig through the bullshit to find out the truth, then you might have a chance to survive this apocalypse. For the cattle though, it’s already too late for they are already being slaughtered.”

Our way of life has been turned upside-down by a naturally-occurring virus – which, to all intents and purposes, doesn’t appear to be as lethal as once feared. It seems like we had lured ourselves into a false sense of security and now our rights are being systematically removed. We have been stripped of the freedoms we once enjoyed and now we find ourselves all but enslaved, no longer able to congregate, socialise, mingle, work and do the things that humans have always done. Isn’t it quite extraordinary how we have allowed ourselves to be backed into this corner?
“Whether the virus is natural or a bioweapon is debatable. When I first heard about it in early January, I saw all those videos of people in China being bolted in their apartments, the government picking up people from the streets never to be seen again, and hospitals being absolutely overwhelmed, I thought ‘this is it’. A plague that would rival or surpass the Black Death. At the beginning, all concerns and the response of some governments seemed appropriate and justified. Almost a year after, though, as you correctly point out, the lethality of the virus is not on the scale that was originally thought. Governments always tend to use disasters to exert more control over the people, trading ‘safety’ for freedom. Just like after 9/11, the government implemented mass surveillance and spied on its own citizens, they are doing the same with Covid. People are having their livelihoods stripped right in front of their eyes, all for a false sense of safety. At this point, the virus is unstoppable and any amount of lockdowns and quarantines is pointless, probably worse than the virus itself. If people don’t wake up now, it will be too late to stop what’s coming.”

It genuinely feels like this is a watershed year in the history of the human race. The end of days, almost. Do you believe the seismic shift that has taken place can be reversed or is this the beginning of some new world order?
“I’m mostly a pessimistic person. But, while I believe the end of what we call the ‘civilized’ world is almost a certainty, there is still a tiny light of hope that people will wake up and realize that once they lose their freedom, only bloodshed can bring it back. We are at a crossroads right now, about to pass the point of no return. I guess in the next two years we will see what the future will hold for humanity.”

What is the atmosphere like in New York these days? I believe there has been a mass evacuation, hundreds of thousands reported to have left the city during the eight-month period from March through to the end of October, with the education and health systems in collapse, Covid numbers soaring and riots on the streets. That’s an astonishing level of migration in a western society that we would consider to be civilised. It suggests that New York has become a pretty depressing place to live right now?
“High tensions can definitely be felt in the air around the city. Once-thriving businesses are closing down, racial tensions at the highest levels, and crime skyrocketing. All stemming from poor leadership and corrupt politicians, we currently have the worst mayor probably in the history of this city. It’s literally going back to the New York of the late 70’s early 80’s. I guess it’s the utopia the Antifa types want for everyone. I’m glad I live out in the suburbs, otherwise I would’ve left this shithole already. Truly a shame that they managed to turn one of the greatest cities in the world into a third-world country. I always had a love / hate relationship with New York, it’s one of those places that can be a chaotic mess and yet be so exciting that there cannot be a dull moment in it. I will probably move far away from any major city soon anyway.”

Some of the lyrics on ‘Judgement’ seem fairly prophetic, considering that the album was recorded in 2019. ‘Ashes Of Holocaust’ is particularly poignant, with sentiments like ‘black shrouded angel, swing your scythe for humanity’, ‘stench of death, the world is reborn’ and ‘black hooded horseman, bring famine and plague’. Can you see how this song applies to what is really going on the world at the moment? Is it a premonition of the arrival of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who now ride amongst us, laughing as they harvest us?
“I’m a firm believer in the cycles of nature. Just as ancient civilizations had a vision of the nature of the world. ‘Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, weak men create hard times.’ Since the creation of Ominous Resurrection, I had a general idea of what the future of the world would look like, therefore such a vision was, and still is, the main force and source of inspiration to create this music and why it sounds the way it does. Only the most bleak, cold and claustrophobic atmosphere can go hand in hand with such lyrics and the concept of Death. In my opinion, it’s something that most bands fail at nowadays when they release perfectly-produced studio albums with no atmosphere or identity. It is worth to note that ‘Ashes of Holocaust’ was the first song I wrote right after ‘Omniscient’ came out around 2015, so I guess my premonition came true, I just didn’t expect it to be so soon, hah. The point being that Ominous Resurrection is, and will always be, the sonic manifestation of the way we see the world around us. A vision of what most people refuse to acknowledge or are just too blind to see.”

‘Three Holy Coffins’ delivers the most powerful set of lyrics on the album. It reads like a twisted inversion / mockery of a mass or holy congregation – or perhaps a celebration of death and the adversarial spirit? While Ominous Resurrection’s music certainly doesn’t fall into the orthodox Black Metal category sonically, there is an obvious orthodox bent to some of the themes you deploy. This is evident even in the band name. What is your attitude towards religion? Do you see it as a plague that has led mankind astray?
“I’m not against religion in a spiritual sense; in fact, if people were more spiritually-inclined, perhaps the world would be a better place. What I’m definitely against is religion as an institution, when certain individuals use religion to push their sick ideals unto others, and as a political tool of control. As with everything else, what starts as a noble idea almost always turns into a nightmare. ‘The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.’ When it comes to the music and lyrics, we don’t really care about labels or categories too much, we just play Black Metal, and that’s it. I won’t deny that a lot of those often-labelled ‘orthodox’ bands had an impact on Ominous Resurrection. We definitely share a world view with bands like Funeral Mist, Ondskapt, Ofermod, Katharsis, DSO, etc. Musically, though, we are more influenced by late ‘80s / early ‘90s Black Metal. Certainly we don’t want to be a copycat of any band just to fit into a scene or subgenre. When the trinity is in their coffins, the four shall reign supreme!”

In the last song on the album, ‘Genetic Providence’, you state that ‘the occultist must balance the body and soul with magicks of old spells written in flesh; the soul is linked to the blood’. Could you elaborate on this a little bit? Do you believe in the existence of a soul? Isn’t it written in the bible somewhere that the soul is located in the blood?
(I should note that the lyrics on ‘Genetic Providence’ were written by our drummer A.G., I will respond to this on his behalf as I’m sure we share the same ideas,) Indeed, I do believe every living thing has a soul/spirit. As an individual, a person must go through many trials and tribulations in order for the soul to grow and learn. A journey that can take innumerable lifetimes. Just as the physical body goes through life, growing, experiencing different things, the same happens to your soul. That takes us into the concept of reincarnation. Basically, one’s soul reincarnates over and over until it can finally move to a place beyond the material world. Now, how is the blood connected to all this? It’s all about one’s heritage and ancestors. You carry their blood, therefore coded into your DNA there are remnants of their experiences, thoughts, and personalities, shaping you into what you are today; hopefully they had the foresight, or ‘providence’, to have exposed themselves to information and practices that will help your soul achieve its maximum potential.”

The downfall and unravelling of mankind is not necessarily a modern phenomenon. It has in fact been a constant, ongoing theme throughout history. Our past is blighted by the same conflicts, squabbles, chaos, disorder and plagues that we are witnessing today. I notice that there are pyramids on the cover of ‘Judgement’, towering over a mass grave of human bones – a powerful image. Is it possible that the fall of mankind is a recurring event? The technology used to build the pyramids doesn’t exist today and the ancient Egyptians are believed to have been so advanced that they were either in possession of magic or had time-travelled. Is it possible that civilisations more advanced than ours have existed on earth previously only to be wiped out? Or is this sad rabble that exists today the pinnacle of human accomplishment (a depressing thought, if ever there was one)?
“As I mentioned before, I strongly believe that history and nature have cycles that repeat over and over as the Ouroboros that bites its own tail. As long as we are bound to this physical existence, we go through many different facets such as the Golden or Dark Ages, or the Yugas that the Hindus spoke about. I think having been born in this age (Kali Yuga) can be seen as a blessing or a curse, depending on whether the current paradigm is to your advantage or demise. It is a sure thing that the fall of mankind is a recurring event that will keep happening until the end of time. I’m fairly convinced that there were advanced civilizations before us that ceased to exist, and maybe there still are some remnants of their existence. Stories of Hyperboreans and Atlanteans can’t be all fiction, right?
“Now let me explain the album cover a bit. The pyramids are a timeless symbol of human achievement. Even though their origins are still shrouded in mystery, these monuments will stand tall even after humans have disappeared from the world. The mass grave beneath them represents the end of mankind’s existence after Judgement has been delivered. All of this witnessed by the eternal eclipse (Black Sun) that is said to be the sign of the end times. It’s the perfect representation of the music within and a reflection of the fate of the modern world.”

As we are part of the natural world, this is essentially all just (abhorrent) nature playing out and taking its course. Human nature is what it is and the law of the jungle applies. Ultimately, you and I are powerless to change any of this. No better or no worse than those jockeying for power and influence or the sheep who do as they’re told without question. While it’s easy to determine that people are irrelevant, aren’t we all part of the problem – powerless and pathetic? There’s a saying that goes ‘if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem’ – would you agree that we are all accomplices in creating this irredeemable mess?
“The world is the way it is. My advice is to live your life according to your own principles, and change the environment around you. What I mean by that is, as an individual you cannot change the whole world but the way you act will definitely affect the ones around you. There will always be wolves and sheep, prey and predator. Be the wolf, be the predator. Even in modern times, the (natural) law will always favour the strong. Most humans are worthless flesh zombies consumed by their ignorance and lack of conviction; however, if you are one of the few that has awoken from the spell and see the world for what it is, then use that to your advantage and rise above the rest. ‘The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself.’”

When was the last time Ominous Resurrection played live and how anxious are you to scratch that particular itch? How frustrating is it that you have not been able to take to the stage to support the release of your second full-length? And do you share my concerns that gigs and festivals might never return? Social distancing seems to be here to stay unless there’s a revolt from the people and live shows with social distancing would be some sort of sick joke, right up there with a streamed gig…
“We played ‘Judgement’ in its entirety last year and that was the last show we did. Honestly, we don’t really care much about live shows, we don’t play live that often anyway. Only select shows with bands that we know of, and with a similar ideology to ours. I’m not concerned about future shows or festivals, though. I have only one thing to say about that: internet live stream shows are gay, just find a desolated rural area and do a clandestine show there. Fuck the lockdowns and quarantines.”