Conducted by Felin Frost
Portuguese Symphonic Black Metal band CAEDEOUS is well known worldwide project by composer and multi-instrumentalist Paulo J. Mendes. In 2017, Caedeous released the first singles and the debut album “Domini Tenebrarum”, and in 2018 came the orchestral counterpart. Both records are monstrous undertakings that are executed with unbelievable precision and skill.
Domini Tenebrarum was received several good reviews that ranged from 88% to 97% and was elected as one of the top 20 metal albums of the year.
In 2019, Paulo started to compose the second album, which would later be named Obscurus Perpetua.
In 2021 the recordings of the second album began. All music, lyrics and instruments were performed by Paulo. He produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered this piece of art, including the cover artwork. The vocals were performed by Thomas Blanc (Helioss, Celestial Swarm) and Josephine WH.
The first single from Obscurus Perpetua titled “Tales of the Dark Prince” was released on 31st October 2021. In January 2022, one more track was gifted to us, “Tormentis Aeterna”. The sophomore album is scheduled for seeing the light on 22nd March 2022. I had the pleasure to interview Paulo J. Mendes! You’ll know more about his musical journey and his ambitious project CAEDEOUS. Which with each release proves to be more innovative, refined and unique. Enjoy the read!
Hi Paulo! it’s a pleasure to have you here for an interview after 3 years that I reviewed your album Domini Tenebrarum for another web magazine. By the way, a fascinating album unfolded in tracks of passionate and haunted theatrical horror. Tell us more about your background as a musician and how the idea of starting your Caedeous project came about.
Hello Felin Frost, so great and also amazing to be with you once again. I would like to thank you and Black Metal Cult magazine to have me here and Caedeous, it is an honour.
Well about me as a musician and composer, I started to play piano at a young age (8) at a musical school, and at my 13 years old I just wanted to play guitar much due to metal influences such as Metallica, Sepultura, Iron Maiden and Kreator. As I grew up I played in several local bands as guitar or as keyboard/pianist in doom, thrash, black and even power metal. After my last local band, I wanted to start to be a full dedicated composer and follow my own projects and went to musical college and decided to do some orchestral demos in epic music and soundtracks, which lead me to Los Angeles and Georgia in the USA and working in some musical productions companies as a composer for trailer and epic music albums such as my Elementia Trilogy albums released as Paulo J. Mendes and even rock synthwave named In Noir.
The decision to start my own metal project called Caedeous was to in some ways go back to my original influences of metal and try to reach out to what I love to do, metal music, mixed with orchestral components and bringing in the added horror that I learned over the years with my experience in LA and Georgia musical productions bringing a theatrical experience to its sound. After that, the story unfolded and here we are speaking now, after Domini Tenebrarum’s release and now with Obscurus Perpetua.
Which musicians or bands have influenced or inspired CAEDEOUS’ trajectory?
A lot of bands have influenced my musical path during my life, but Caedeous sound was heavily influenced by old Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Dark Funeral, Catamenia but it also has been influenced by more modern sounds of bands like Fleshgod Apocalypse, I simply love the aggressive high BPM and pounding sound on this last influence.
You are about to release your sophomore album, Obscurus Perpetua. I read that you started the maturation of this musical work in 2019. How did the idea for this new full-length come about? The album follows the conceptual line of the first release, Domini Tenebrarum?
As soon as Domini Tenebrarum was released, I was already working on the first themes of the 2nd studio album musical composition in piano and drums. Pretty much as now I am already working on the Obscurus Perpetua follow-up, 3rd studio album titled “Malus Supplicium”.
I knew as soon as the first album ended, that I wanted to follow a more aggressive and dark approach in musical style and composition with the next albums but as well bring the better parts of that theatrical feeling over Caedeous existence and mature them to a full-fledged monster.
This 2nd studio album reflects just a trial and error approach to find a unique sound filled with crazy ideas and concepts such as “Beauty and the Beast” as I call it in vocal approach.
The album itself follows once again a conceptual line as the first one did. This time it speaks even darker and goes down a very dark road in terms of lyrics and story, as a soul is damned to perpetual obscurity in the nine layers of hell due to being corrupted by society and influences. It also reflects the pain and sorrow of my soul being shouted out of my body as it screams in music.
The single “Tales Of The Dark Prince”, taken from the next album, musically shows a significant change in the approach of your music. Aggression is more pressing, and the operatic elements are positioned in the background. Does the album as a whole resemble this song, or is there any instrumental and lyrical variation?
Yes, the album has a significant change in its pace and sound approach. Aggression is very much present in all themes, however, they are carefully laid out but also with a contrast between melody and aggression like a dark tale between DM and Josephine WH which did such a great and awesome work on the vocals.
As the previous album, yes we will have an orchestral instrumental release down the line, on Bandcamp, there is a special release bonus of 3 orchestral tracks already available to those that decide to purchase there. It is a preview of what is to come on its orchestral counterpart. To whoever listened to Domini Tenebrarum orchestral edition, you know what to expect but this time even darker than before.
CAEDEOUS now comes down to you, responsible for all instruments and vocalist D.M. together with the female vocalist Josephine WH. How did this change in the line-up come about?
The first album Domini Tenebrarum was thought to be a live performing act and therefore I hired a live lineup of session musicians which made perfect sense back then. However, it did not reveal to be the best decision over time as I envisioned it to be. So since I was already working out on a new album and a different path in terms of sound, I followed Caedeous path to a new era.
This time in a small constricted team with just me on all instruments and the vocalists who are so incredibly talented and did such an amazing work.
This lineup of Obscurus Perpetua worked so well, that we will be moving forward to the next albums mixed along with new musicians already hired into the 3rd studio album lineup that will be announced soon since we are already recording the 3rd studio album in terms of guitars, drums, pianos and bass. Stay tuned to this announcement.
Fewer people in the making of an album is more fruitful?
I like to manage either big teams or small teams, but in this case on Obscurus Perpetua, it definitely was more streamlined and focused in comparison to the other album, since it was a small team approach. However that will be changing once again for the 3rd studio album, with the new guitar, bass and drum player already hired and recording the 3rd studio album in the studio which I already have composed all songs for “Malus Supplicium”.
With Obscurus Perpetua, there is a change of direction in CAEDEOUS music. Could we say that this album is a milestone of this change? What can we expect from your songs from now on?
Yes, definitely a new milestone, not only in terms of sound but also on the team management which now has a new approach and vision in what regards to Caedeous future goals. For the new songs after Obscurus Perpetua, expect something like I describe a full blown theatrical horror experience in all kinds of sound fronts and aggressiveness always pursuing that fresh feel to the industry sound currently being done since I love to experiment on new stuff and not follow what others do but to innovate somehow in some things.
You already have another album planned to release in 2023. Can you tell us more about this new endeavour?
Yes, the new album will be titled “Malus Supplicium” and I have already finished all tracks composition. The album will be returning with DM And Josephine WH on vocals but as well bringing in a new guitar, bass and drum player from other known bands in the industry which myself just stays on the composition and keyboard/piano playing for studio and live events. Stay tuned to those announcements soon. In terms of sound, it goes down the rabbit hole to an even more theatrical and crazy dark concept than before. There is a theme titled “Pandemonium” which is insane and it will be the next album single.
Do you have other projects running parallel to CAEDEOUS? If so, tell us more about them.
Yes, I have currently my orchestral/epic music project Elementia under my composer name Paulo J. Mendes, which is now a full trilogy already released in 3 albums, and also have In Noir a rock synthwave on which I expand my piano live performance in keytar as a virtuoso sound approach. I am working as well on the 4th Elementia album currently. In Noir will also see a new release within the next years.
Due to the musical quality of your work, I’ve always been curious to know more about your musical input. Has any of your songs ever appeared as a soundtrack to a cinematographic work or the like?
Yeah, my most famous track in the trailer music industry song was released to “Wonder Woman” movie from DC / Warner Brothers but also have other songs which were successfully pitched into other trailers.
My music is also featured as a soundtrack in some long and short movies from Georgia (USA) and also boutique music licensed to TV Series and TV Shows on Discovery Channel and History Channel in the USA and Europe.
Thank you, Paulo, for your time answering these questions and success with the release of Obscurus Perpetua! Do you want to let a message for the readers?
Well, I would like to thank you Felin Frost and also Black Metal Cult magazine for having me here, and for all the support you are giving to Caedeous. For readers I would love to also thank you for the time for reading this interview, to know Caedeous a little bit more and also thanks for listening to Caedeous. Please leave a comment on Youtube channels and official music videos, do not be shy. Metal on my metal brothers and sisters \m/
“I hope you all enjoyed this interview as much as I did! Stay tuned for more Info! ~ FF
FOLLOW CAEDEOUS:
https://www.facebook.com/caedeous
https://www.caedeous.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/Caedeous
https://www.themetallistpr.com/
BLACK METAL CULT 