Lover Of Sin (or side project of Christian Death) self-titled latest release came out as one of the strongest albums of this year. It has an overall heavier sound mostly due to the relatively recent addition of singer/bass player Maitri taking on a bigger role in the song writing. One mystery about this album though: Is it really from Christian Death? To find out more about this album and the band, here's the interview that was done with Valor who produced Lover of Sin.

Denis ‘Shadow’

Thanks for being so kind to answer these questions. Your latest release "Lover of Sin" came as a big surprise and also a discovery for me. I’m glad I was able to get this album since I consider it one of the strongest US underground releases for 2002.

Let me clear up a major confusion that many people are having between Christian Death and Lover of Sin. Lover of Sin IS NOT a new Christian Death album as such. Lover of Sin is the new solo project of Maitri. Yes she is still also in Christian Death.

However, everyone involved with Christian Death helped in some way with the making of this the first of many Lover of Sin albums, thus it is titled "Christian Death presents". Quite literally the other way around.

Would you please present the band’s current line-up?

The Line up:

Maitri - lead Vocals
Punchy Gonzales - guitars
Nabu Cadnezza – guitars, keyboards
Acaddian Ea - bass guitar
Ishtar - drums

Even if it was released very recently, my whish is that it was as well received in the media and the public alike. Can you confirm what are the feed back you got so far?

The album was only released in Europe on Oct 21 2002 and as far as I am aware it has not been released in the US yet but it suppose to be one of the days in this month, none the less the responses so far are ecstatic and overwhelmingly good. I am so proud to have produced this album.

To top it all off, Candlelight will reissue several earlier works the band did, to the pleasure of all your fans, recent and old ones. How did this all come about?

Yes, Christian Death will be releasing our catalog through the Candlelight USA office (it has already been released through Candlelight UK in Europe). Our contract with Cleopatra Records expired so we thought it was a good idea to give USA rights to Candlelight.

What were your reactions to this great project?

I put my heart into this project just as with any Christian Death album I have ever done.

Your new offering has a heavy, more metal sound. Is it mostly due to Maitri taking more and more the lead role? I don’t mean it in a bad way because I think the result is simply great.

Although this album of Lover of Sin is intended to trail blaze new dimensions in soundscapes of aggression, so far, many people have said it still maintains some characteristics of Christian Death and of this I agree. When we recorded "Born Again anti Christian" (not yet released in the US), Maitri had already demonstrated her prowess as a songwriter. She wanted aggression, the end result is one half her aggression and one half my etherealism.

When we set out to work on our new Christian Death album (not yet finished or titled) the songs got more and more aggressive due to the high volume of aggressive material Maitri was producing. Then one day I said it was time to let Maitri really go all the way. So she started recruiting musicians for the project in the Death Metal capital of the world Tampa Florida. Meanwhile, Maitri and I continued to write material. Although we share the writing credits equally, it is unlike "Born Again anti Christian" in that, I followed her lead. Every part that I composed, arranged and/or orchestrated was under her scrutiny. All the lyrics are by Maitri.

We can see on your site some cool pictures on which you appear with some great costume and make up. Is it some kind of passion that you have or just for the image of the band?

Subject to her approval, I conceived and did all the art work and photography.

Many people are misunderstanding you and your work. Would you explain what the band represents and its vision of today’s world?

Regarding Christian Death; I have always tried to expose the dirt in the world from under the rug through my lyrics and artwork. Many people sing about happy snappy subjects that make me puke. Music does not thrill me unless there is some kind of release of the negative influences or an exorcism of ugliness and true evil. We seek out real evil, the kind found in this wretched mankind and once these demons are released then comes the thrill.

What’s the schedule for the coming tours?

We (Christian Death) are doing a South American tour between Dec. 2002 and Jan. 2003. Then an Euro tour through March and April 2003, possibly the USA in summer and hopefully we will finish the new Christian Death album in amongst all this.

What are your thoughts, as Americans, regarding the events of September 11?

September 11th, a perfect example of real evil. Yet there I feel evil also from the so called good guys who use this terrible incident to instill fear into in to Americans and others through manipulative propaganda for the purpose of their own selfish warmongering greed.

How are your relations with the music business now compare to what it was in your early days?

The music business is one of the top risky businesses to be in, it is as cutthroat as ever. If only a few more of the people I have influenced and or have ripped me off, would justly atone!!!

Is there any advice you’d like to give the future generation of musicians?

If you were to ask me how to write original music, I would say, lock yourself up like hermit. Do not bring any recorded music with you. Do not listen to radio, television or internet. Do bring with you every device with which you can manage to make music. Also bring a head and heart full of anger, love, hurt, pleasure or whatever you feel and then sit in a corner alone and do nothing until you start to loose it, then explode.

For the finale, would you like to express anything to your fans and our readers?

For those of you that are caught up in all the negative rumors about me, I am sorry if that has tainted my art for you. Just as those who feed on the negativity of 9/11 so do others create negativity to feed on me.

Yours most sincerely,
Valor