Iblis Manifestations: #9 In The Devil's Hours ft Kyle Spanswick aka Naas Alcameth ( Akhlys )

On this week's episode, we are pleased to welcome Kyle Spanswick aka Naas Alcameth to Iblis Manifestations!
Naas is responsible for some truly fearsome and nightmarish Black Metal bands, most notably with Akhlys and Nightbringer, as well as Aoratos and Bestia Arcana.
During this dialogue, we dug into the depths of the esoteric, the occult, Sufism, sleep paralysis, self-discipline and all which forms the music of Akhlys. We also reflected on how being a father has changed him as a person.
Additionally, he addressed some of the recent accusations thrown in the band's direction and gave a detailed and steady response to the matter.
Akhlys: akhlys.bandcamp.com/
Support Iblis Manifestations:
linktr.ee/iblismanifestations...

[@CinderBlockCuisine]

I'm only 10 minutes in Naas is preaching to the choir. You've more than earned a sub.

[@serpentmatter333]

It is interesting how there are similarities between the nightterrors I had as a kid and the sleep disruptions Naas went through. I have written lyrics about my nightterrors in the past before I discovered the various music projects by Naas, and when I discovered Akhlys I was very intrigued, and had an intuition his sleep disruptions were similar to mine. It's interesting to clarify that intuition with this interview

[@l0rdvast]

Fantastic journalism. Thank you for doing this. Looking forward to what is yet to come.

[@Nekrist666]

Finally! Another interview with this amazing artist.

[@thedeceased]

An Absolutely glorious conversation. Much respect to the both of you.

[@EsotericSyncretism]

"People become the monsters they are trying to silence." Great quote.

[@nenia6644]

Glad I found this podcast (or rather "Into the Necrosphere" brought me here). Very interesting interview. Not only is Akhlys a fantastic band and I am looking forward to seeing them in Germany in September, but also you touched on many interesting topics. I was especially intrigued by your conversation about sleep paralysis, because I have experienced that many times myself and it is always interesting to hear other people’s experiences and interpretations of it.

[@mr85grim]

The funny thing is I consider myself a leftist (libertarian socialist) and somewhat of a Marxist and cannot stand censorship of almost any kind and am completely against these us vs them campaigns. I personally do not give a rats ass what goes on in Kyles head, I love his music! Akhlys "The Dreaming I" is a masterpiece for fans or the surreal horror variety of art like I am. I mean what's next are we going to start policing peoples thoughts? I remember when I was growing up it was the christian right that was trying to censor all art they deemed "pornographic" or "demonic" and now the so called left is doing the same to anyone they deem "racist" or "transphobic". Are we for free speech or are we just for speech we agree with?

[@Luemm3l]

I am kind of in the same boat. I disagree with a lot of the views and in real life would probably not speak a word to someone like Kyle, but I hate that people want to dictate what I can and can not listen to. I am a leftist definitely, but the cancel culture gets ridiculous in parts. Then again, so does the "postmarxism" allegations of the far right who in my opinion have a very crooked world view as well. I sit back, grab myself some popcorn and watch from the sides.... I still want to be able to listen to bands like Deathspell Omega, Nightbringer, Abigor, what have you and even see them live without Antifa shutting everything down though, so that sucks definitely big time. Then again, a lot of stuff Kyle says I think are also very one-sided and ideologically loaded. The funny thing is either side accuses the other of ideology while claiming themselves to be "ideology"-free. Newsflash ladies, nothing in this world is, as much as there is no true "objectivity" as people always claim and want (media, world views, political leanings, etc.) There is no "middle", it simply does not exist. What does exist are views or leanings in certain contexts or world views. very practical and everyday life (do you want a speed limit or not? control guns or not?), others more abstract ideas (what is the best democratic form? Is capitalism the ideal economic system? etc.). I had sort of similar discussions with Chris from Winterfylleth for example when I interviewed him regarding Corona (as a biologist who worked with and knows about Viruses, my pro-vacc stance should come as no surprise for example), but where has the art to respectfully disagree with each other but still having a conversation or having a debate gone? There are still lines I draw in the sand... the minute you speak up for violence against the political foe, deny the holocaust or something, you are gone from my "still talk to" list. But as long as that shit stays out of your music, I want to be able to listen to that. This whole cancel culture things gets out of hand sometimes, but that is no hidden leftist agenda, but a product of the times, thanks to our innermost tribal needs (the spectacle that was even being part in ancient cultures) and the multiplication thereof via social media that basically created one world village, at least in my view. That said, the music still rules and I am also very in the spiritual aspect. I would not consider myself a LHP Follower, but would love to have hourlong discussions about these guys about that. I had conversations with Malte from Necros Christos, who is very much a RHP person and conversations with him were also super interesting cause he comes from the other side while obviously being open to other beliefs and spirituality as well, but gives you also a different view on certain christian aspects. Would love to have a discussion with him and some of the LHP dudes to be honest.

[@j85grim4]

@@Luemm3l I have no problem with Antifa showing up to political events but Kyle's music is apolitical as far as I can tell and so is Deathspell Omega from what I understand. Last time I checked, Kyle hasn't actually committed any crimes against anyone verbally or physically so until he does, Antifa needs to show up at the Proud Boys and Donald Trump rally's and leave apolitical music alone.

[@Luemm3l]

@@j85grim4 I think the same. The music and lyrics are esoteric and apolitical, the artist behind often is not. And that is also totally fine since in my pov, I always separate art from artist. Which allows me to consume art from what some would deem "problematic" people as well, whereas in certain circles you would be a pariah if you did that. I talk and listen to and discuss with anyone, as long as you do not go into extremes. A Jon Schaffer for example is out of the talking phase personally for me as an example, but if people now want to forbid me listening to iced earth in private without harming anyone else or supporting problematic people, statements or ideologies etc. I think that is pretty moronic and illibertarian. Leftists are often for free speech (within reason), anti censorship and so on, but now art itself gets censored by them (see I. E. Diversity quotas at Amazon and so on. I am all for more representation, diversity and so on, but not a forced one. Also, I think the ability or rather ignorance to get confronted with different ideas and ideologies and getting into a dialectic exchange is missing on the left as well. I have a lot of left friends who get into fights with their friends cause they love music from problematic bands whose views they do not condone. And that is something everyone must decide for themselves, I. E. Like folk who boycott Kevin spacey movies or manowar or lost prophets cause of sez offenders, pedos, etc. And that is fine. I still think it is stupid since it does not make the art any better or worse for me. A lot of brilliant people were scumbags. But shouldn't we be able to celebrate achievements of theirs, whether artistic or technical or whatever without gloryfying or needlessly condoning the person, behind it? Like yes, universalism originated in Europe and was viewed through a colonist lens and some other countries accuse EU of hypocrisy and rightfully so. But does that mean the idea of universalism itself is bad or should not be exported for the betterment of everyone? I think not. Same principle applies for me to music or art here. I can boyvcot a artist, disagree with his stance, even actively fight him but should still be able to listen and deal with his music. Critically as well obviously, but outright canceling art or other people who enjoy said art is not exactly my idea of art as something that also disturbs, transcends, confronts, just "is" without a functional purpose as implied by "political music"

[@mr85grim]

@@Luemm3l Last time I checked there are no laws that prohibit certain thoughts. Personally, I could care less what people think or even what their intentions are. I judge people by their actions. In the case of censorship, I think a case can be made for children under the age of 18 but outside of that and threats of actual violence there should not be any. Let people vote with their view counts and wallet as to what is socially acceptable in the art and media realm since that's basically the only power us peasants have nowadays anyways lol.

[@wilfridsephiroth9213]

Oh I listen to it alright. I just pirate all of his stuff because fuck giving money to crypto Nazis.

[@kheir.mousai4764]

Excellent artist. Really interesting conversation - your best published one yet, for me atleast.

[@andyarnold23]

Thank you!!! Probably one of my favorite shows in recent years and I was upset the about third band didn’t play. Thank you for the interview!

[@stahlfaustbunker]

Very great interview! Thank you very much for this and cheers from Buenos Aires

[@mysticray-mixtureelixir9050]

Excellent clarity! Thank you gentlemen.

[@ruudern6666]

Thank you so much for this..

[@rooshzam1640]

You keep topping yourself with every new episode S! Good stuff

[@nicolasdonoso8300]

So inspiring conversation, totally thankfull for this

[@iblismanifestations231]

That's great to hear! Cheers.

[@MORTIFICER]

This is the interview that brought me here. Very good conversation.

[@serpentmatter333]

It gives me chills to know the interviewer comes from Iran, where he would have been killed for having this podcast. Glad he's free from such an oppressive government

[@iblismanifestations231]

Thank you - It's good to be free!

[@aytugerkan5428]

I experienced exactly the same sleep paralysis when I was 13. I sweared my sister and so on. The strange thing is that those kind of experiences always happen at childhood days but of course it could be fatal at the end.Sometimes you can be mentally crippled as doctors says

[@jonzaremba]

Very interesting guest.

[@jancrate6200]

Gained a new subscriber from this podcast. Excellent. You should interview several occult authors. Kurtis Joseph springs to mind who wrote Black Magic of Ahriman as he talks very much about some of the topics you and Kyle discuss here.When you are talking about goatia magic. Have you heard of dark stoat which reads and sounds like pure gibberish but vibrational changes take place etheric shifts and reality changes to your will. As a side note do you still have any Trivax physical cd albums for sale?

[@iblismanifestations231]

Hey. I have only just seen this, thank you for the feedback! We don't have any CD's just at the moment, but are currently planning on a new release via Cult Never Dies, more will come on that soon. -Shayan

[@jancrate6200]

@@iblismanifestations231 just seen the cult never dies announcement for your new ep. Will get that soon. Interview the guys from Pestlegion from Germany or the Nordjevel guys. Both have awesome new albums out.

[@r.c.kozletsky3313]

Naas is a great dude! Ran into him in Sweden during the 30th Cold Meat Industry anniversary festival. A mutual admiration for both our musical spectrums. Total support!

[@joshd4026]

I'll be up front at MDF showing total support

[@FesteringTsar]

Fucking pissed me off they had to cancel.

[@joshd4026]

@@FesteringTsar yes, brother. Definitely a let down. Fortunately, I was able to catch them at Psychofest and they absolutely killed!

[@jonzaremba]

Does speaking of sleep paralysis and possession in this detail rob the artist of the merit of the experiences (as it may apply to his art)? Isn't it better to keep these experiences internal and only process them via art?

[@jonzaremba]

Not asking rhetorically. I'm really uncertain of the best tactic to maximize those experiences.

[@iblismanifestations231]

it's a good question. Personally, I think that these are taboo subjects that we should be paying a lot more attention to. The art is the art, I don't think you could take away anything from it. We're mostly talking about the source of inspiration. If anything, perhaps it'll even enhance the experiences of the listener when it comes to it, or not, as it's quite subjective. These are thought-provoking subjects regardless of whether someone even listens to the music or not.

[@jonzaremba]

@@iblismanifestations231 these are valid points. My reason for uncertainty is twofold: 1 - If these experiences are instigated by an unseen force, that prefers to remain unseen, discussing the behaviors could possibly dissuade or alter their frequency. If i were some thing...monkeying with a human, i might not choose to do so if that human is going to blab about it. And if the human is someone who welcomes it, and incorporates it into their art, then they may find themselves being short changed. 2 - There's certain music that is so personally dark, that I don't even mention the artists or albums in public. I don't discuss them with my friends or anyone. These types of experiences have a similar significance to me, so i'm not certain it would bring greater end-of-life happiness to share them. But...at the same time...I can see the opposite perspective. It may not be possible to truly understand the experience if it's only dealt with introspectively. It might be something that needs hashing out with others. Who knows. Anyways, please keep on keepin' on because i'm enjoying your eps.

[@hohepriestersulyvahn1749]

Fantastic interview: Naas is my absolut favourite artist and addresses really important points at the beginning. The cencorship and the blurring the boundaries of words and things is a postmodern phenomen especially in the western world. The virtual signaling has become such a mass phenomen, especially in context of the Ukraine war. In Germany things have become so bad as far as these things are concerned. The freedom of speech is fading away into nothingness, because the postmodernism do fear speech, because they think, that speech can create reality. That's why they want to establish the "Gender" thing. You can also see kind of a victim-caste- system of intersectionality, in which the meaning of those are right, whom are attributed more victim roles.

[@AndrewJSmall]

Ich stimme dir teilweise nicht zu aber natürlich mit dem benötigen Respekt. Let me preface this by saying I love Akhlys, Aoratos, and nearly anything Naas does. I am also a very political person, but my politics have nothing to do with Black Metal. I don't go to Black Metal looking for political guidance. I go there for a feeling of the anti, the outside, the dregs, the despair, etc. and Naas' music really helps me connect with those feelings. I also think everything with Mgla and Akhlys is dumb, the whole outrage and virtue signaling is nauseating. But I disagree with your interpretation of the cause. I think your interpretation is rather abstract and individual. I lived in Germany for a decade and have now lived in Austria for two years and the problems I see come from the same adoption of Neoliberalism that the USA already has in full swing. The Merkel era steamed headlong into further 'marketizing' all things in Germany, even the cultural. Woke, outrage, and cancel culture are all a part of the change in material conditions going on in the Western world. There is a shift from straight up acquisition of fiat currency to social capital. This is a result of attention being a very strong currency that leads not only to fiat currency, but power. In this intense marketization of culture, anyone can grab a slice of attention that results in a Machtergreifung of sorts: a platform equals power and we're all scrambling for one or to be a part of one. As we are all conditioned to believe our individual beliefs are paramount and that our success in life solely rests on the individual capacity to achieve it, so does the desire to create attention around issues that could later afford you success and power. If you do not seek to be in power yourself, you want to make sure you at least 'choose' the right side of an argument to raise your social capital. As you may have guessed, I have an anti capitalist stance, but I would say most Germans have a liberal position that stems from their opinions on social issues and they detach them from economic or material issues that I believe causes social issues. It's a very hollow position to have, IMO and one that nearly all Americans possess. I am not saying I am the supreme and above all of this because I have made this observation. What I'm saying is I think your assessment of the situation is somewhat nebulous or intangible. "People want to make their own reality when they say things" is something I can certainly agree with, however the 'why' is missing there. Why do we construct our own realities? Because we are never wrong if we do and the societies we live in, including Germany, increasingly paint us as mere individuals. We are not full, collective societies and as individuals, we had better make the right choices because it's not the society's fault if you fail! Everything is a market! You have the freedom to choose! You've just chosen wrong! Obviously, not all choices are good ones even if you have many of them. As I said, i am very political but Black Metal is not something I go to for or I need to have reinforce my own political views. Most people DO need everything in their lives to continually reinforce their identity. I'm guessing from your response, you don't either. Many Black Metal musicians reject modern society and even Capitalism as well, but do so in varying ways i.e. RABM, NSBM, or some kind of pagany belief system. I love that about BM, though: the rejection of the modern world in general. And I love Naas for tapping into the primordial feelings in all of us instead of some of the lamer topics that have been done to death. Sorry für die lange Antwort aber dieses Thema ist sehr wichtig zu mir und ich bedanke mich für deine Zeit (wenn du das lesen würdest). Mach's gut!

[@hohepriestersulyvahn1749]

@@AndrewJSmall . Thanks for your answer. My political position also has nothing to do with black metal. I've only been listening to this music for a few years, so I haven't been around that long. I'm not making a connection between the two things, I just found it interesting what Naas said about these topics at the beginning and I have to agree with him. I also just wanted to briefly touch on these aspects that he mentioned. It would take many pages to describe postmodernism in its entirety and in its applied form. I admit that I didn't understand everything you said because my English vocabulary is not the best. The change from materialism to postmatrialism plays a big role here, and I think that every individual adapts consciously, sometimes unconsciously. Although I wouldn't call it interpreting what I did, because the postmodernists themselves say what their thought processes are. It denies all scientific knowledge in the form of radical scepticism, which can be seen as a step backwards in the age of enlightenment. And postmodernism believes that the whole of society is built from systems of power that determine what can be known and how. There are some more aspects, but that would lead too far here. What I want to say is that behind all the new phenomena (gendering, intersectional feminism, metoo, black lives matter) there is a common underlying spirit. I highly recomend you the book: Cynical theories by Helen Pluckrose and Lindsay A James. It goes about the postmodern theories and its development.

[@AndrewJSmall]

@@hohepriestersulyvahn1749 gotcha. Well said!

[@hohepriestersulyvahn1749]

@@AndrewJSmall . Thanks. What are your favourite albums from Naas Alcameth. Mine are Terra Damnata and Holókauston.

[@AndrewJSmall]

@@hohepriestersulyvahn1749 def Melinoë, Holokaustan, the Dreaming I and Gods without Name. Melinoë is like THE album for me. Pgnalion or however it's spelled is one of my fave songs if all time.

[@thesecondson30]

I’m not intelligent enough to understand what is being discussed here. Can someone please summarize for those of us ignorant to what is going on here? Thank you

[@wilfridsephiroth9213]

Lots of sophomoric pseudo philosophy from someone that obviously doesn't have a clue about philosophy

[@FesteringTsar]

It really pissed me off that they had to back out of MDF due to little dictators threatening violence at their performance.

[@iblismanifestations231]

As far as I'm aware, it wasn't even their decision, but rather the festival's - Either way, it's a terrible situation that should have never happened. On the other hand, I did check some of the private FB threads out of curiosity. Unfortunately, there were a lot of threats of violence by some of the allegedly "left-wing" groups against the band and anyone who would attend the show. We can speak of the great irony here, but I will leave it at that and let you draw your own conclusions from it.

[@FesteringTsar]

@@iblismanifestations231 Oh. I've had to deal with the little dicktators club before. They go out of their way to cancel anyone who they deem unworthy of sharing art. I commend you for this podcast. Mentioning that you're from Iran - a friend of mine from there said it also reminds him of the morality police there.

[@iblismanifestations231]

@@FesteringTsar It is terrifyingly uncanny!

[@j.langer5949]

Iran censoring degeneracy from the West? I would welcome that in my country. I would love it if the politicians in the lands of my ancestors actively censoring NGOs that ''teach'' young children in school that gender is just a spectrum and it is something "fluid" that one can choose. Or that ethnic group doesn't matter and shouldn't be defended when threatened with demographic catastrophe because the government and global corporations are pushing mass immigration from Africa and Asia because it (meaning cheap labor) is ''required'' by an economy built on ''eternal growth''-which, by the way, is not at all good for the environment and sustainability. In a sense, I envy the proud Persians. At least they will preserve their identity and their unique way of live. Many would like to see them on their knees and integrated into the global anti-cultural empire that is run from Washington and Tel Aviv.

[@wilfridsephiroth9213]

Can you say that without crying now? Poor engendered white puppy :(

[@Goregaltha]

Though I understand your sentiment, you're then deciding for other people that they can't handle thinking for themselves and that they're helpless sheep that need to be protected by a veil of twisted reality. The slippery slope of censorship lies within the sentiment that, "my views and ideologies are right and yours are wrong". Morality is not objective, as hard as that is to swallow. And forced morality and ideals is wrong in any context imo. While we can decide as a society that there are certain widely agreeable moral principles, that still doesn't make them "correct".

[@abethecop1]

Whining about fascism IRL while simultaneously praising one of the most fascist dudes of all time lol

[@w00tka]

politics? obama? I knew that band is too good to be real. never trust americans,