Who remembers Blazing Eternity? The Danish band was established - as Ancient Sadness - in 1991 and renamed Blazing Eternity in 1993. After three demos (1996, 1997, and 1998), the debut full-length, Times And Unknown Waters, came out in 2000 via Prophecy Productions. The melodic death/gothic/doom metal opus was followed by the progressive/gothic metal-oriented sophomore album A World To Drown In three years later. Then, for 21 years, nobody heard of Blazing Eternity - except those who attended one of the four concerts in Denmark and Germany in 2011/2012, when the band got together for this purpose only. It wasn't until 2018 that the band secretly began working on new material, which saw the light of day on 19 April 2024 on Blazing Eternity's third album, A Certain End Of Everything. With it, the band almost returned to its roots in terms of genre, while its heartrending melodies resonate deeply... Blazing Eternity recently became a trio of all original members: Morten Lybecker (guitars), Peter Mesnickow (vocals) and Lars Korsholm (drums). We met up with Morten and Peter in Germany on a sunny and warm Saturday afternoon in September, some hours before their performance on the second stage of Prophecy Fest (the report is HERE). We walked to a nearby grove, sat on logs and began our interview - now here for you.

Interview with: Morten Lybecker, Peter Mesnickow
Conducted by: Jerneja, Tomaz
Edited by: Jerneja

Jerneja: Hello Morten and Peter! We found ourselves an idyllic place for the interview - in the middle of nature... Blazing Eternity is finally back... Let us start with the expected question: What was the reason for such a long hiatus?
Peter: After playing together for so long, we got tired of each other, and there was some tension in the band, too. We were all wondering which way to go and then split up. Later, certain festival promoters kept asking us if we could do another concert. Then we finally said, OK, we'll do it.
Morten: We reformed in 2011 and 2012 and played a few shows. After those shows, I started writing demos. I did that for ten years, and then, at some point, we got together again. I think we really started again in 2017 or 2018. Then, there was a long break because of Covid. It wasn't easy to get together in Denmark. So there was a break, and then we finished writing music in 2022 and recorded it in 2023. Here we are now.

Jerneja: The first two albums were released by Prophecy Productions, and the last one by the smaller label Mighty Music. How come you didn't re-sign with Prophecy?
Peter: Actually, Martin Koller, the boss of Prophecy, really liked the new album. He said it was our best yet, but he had so many albums on his release schedule that we couldn't release it until 2025 or something like that. We couldn't wait to release it because we wanted to start playing as soon as possible. Mighty Music came along. It's also a cool label. Besides, we've known the guy who runs it for at least 25 years. From there, it was pretty easy. As you can see, we still have a good relationship with Prophecy Productions, and they invited us to play Prophecy Fest this year.

Tomaz: The two of us like your comeback album, A Certain End Of Everything, very much, but how would you describe the differences between it and the first two albums, which are also very different from each other?
Morten: We started by playing black metal. Later on, we incorporated doom, goth and such stuff. Then, on A World To Drown In, we tried to make something completely different, a melancholic gothic metal. Some liked it, some didn't. Now we kind of went back to our roots a bit but also looked forward by incorporating some synth stuff, electronic elements, and combining screaming with clean vocals. So, let's say we looked a bit back but moved forward.

Jerneja: What I like most about A Certain End Of Everything are the long, mesmerising guitar lines that even run a common thread through songs...
Morten: It's very detailed. There's much more detail in our music now than 20 years ago. It's also much easier nowadays because you can do many things at home. That's good because you don't get paid to be in the studio for two weeks. I spent a lot of time in my home studio doing all the things we couldn't do in the past. There was no money and time to do it.
Peter: Yes, you should know that we had a lot of material; we also threw away a lot of it.
Morten: OK, not really thrown away - perhaps saved for another record. This time, we took parts that were kind of similar and had the same vibe. Of course, there are a few songs with a slightly different vibe, but overall, I think you're right - we've spent a lot of time finding the right riffs and putting them together. We've spent five years on that. 
Peter: On the first two albums, quite a few things went in different directions. A Certain End Of Everything is the first one where we had everything well thought out and under control.

Tomaz: There certainly is a common thread connecting the songs. Now, I'm interested in the title and lyrics of A Certain End Of Everything. It's a strong title, so where did the inspiration come from?
Peter: It's not a secret that we had two deaths. My wife died in 2019, and our keyboard player, Jens Hansen, died two years later. So, of course, such stuff is very inspiring. For me, the album's title represents a certain feeling when everything seems crashing down on you. It's when you hit the rock bottom.

Tomaz: Is it also in any way connected with the things that are happening in the world right now?
Peter: No, it's only about personal experiences and problems. I understand that many could think that it is because what is going on in the world right now might also be a certain end of everything, but the inspiration behind the album's thematics is only from the personal view.
Morten: It's unpolitical, and what's going on in the world has nothing to do with our music, and it's not an inspiration, at least not for me.
Peter: The album title was there two years before the album was finished. The title just came to my head one day, and I thought it described my emotions perfectly.

Jerneja: When I listened to the album, and I did many times, it seemed both depressing and soothing. It was as if one guitar was crying and the other was comforting it.
Peter: I get exactly the same feeling when listening to the album.
Morten: I think that the album, although it's dark, depressive, with a melancholic atmosphere, has some sort of glimpse of light.

Jerneja: It worked for me. It didn't fill me with hope, but better yet, with the idea to let things go. And that ultimately brings new possibilities... 
Peter: Yes, I completely agree with that. It has the same effect on me.

Tomaz: When you started creating those demos after the band split up, were they meant to be for Blazing Eternity?
Morten: At first, no, because it wasn't certain if we would ever meet again. I was uncertain. The decision to restart the band came after I started writing music again. So, I had all this material, and it was either for Blazing Eternity or something else. Then we decided to do it.
Peter: Actually, it was Morten who sent us several files with all those riffs. After two weeks, I said that maybe I should listen to it. So, one day, when I came home drunk at five o'clock in the morning and listened to that, I got goosebumps. "What the fuck, this has to be Blazing Eternity", I said to myself, and then we started.

Tomaz: I guess it wasn't hard to convince others as well.
Morten: From there on, it was easier than it ever was.

Jerneja: Is the running order of the songs on A Certain End Of Everything made on purpose, or is there a story or a concept connecting the songs?
Peter: It is something like that, yes. When working on it, we already knew that "The Bells" would be the last track. Especially, because of the ending of the song.  
Morten: I had a much more boring approach to that - it was to connect the tones of different songs. For example, if you have one song in E, you can't simply switch the next one into a completely different tone.

Tomaz: The album came out in April, but you are already working on new material?
Morten: Yes, we are. A short answer is that I'm working on new stuff, but lately, it was a lot of work with rehearsing live songs. We had to replace our second guitarist with another one just a couple of weeks ago. Because of that, it has been a lot of additional work. We had to be ready for these shows. We had to prepare all kinds of stuff to bring along, so it took us a long time to properly prepare for these shows.
Peter: We booked a lot of shows for 2025. Nevertheless, we are back for real, and there will be at least one more album in the future. Right now, we love what we are doing.

Jerneja: Many bands take a long hiatus, but not many return as grandiosely as you...
Peter: Thank you so much for saying that. This was very important for us. We hate it when some bands come out after twenty years or so and release a shitty album. We worked a lot on details, only to make it really perfect.

Tomaz: I expect you will be signed with Prophecy Productions again for the next album...
Morten: You need to talk with Martin Koller about this, haha.
Peter: Maybe he's trying to test us, whether we can play good live shows, and with "let's see if the new album will be good...". We don't know what the future brings, but we will for sure make a new album.

Jerneja: How does it feel to play live after so long?
Peter: I love it. If you had asked me this two years ago, I don't know if I would have been able to do it. But when our album finally came out, I couldn't wait to play those songs live. I also like to play older classics.
Morten: I agree, it's the same for me.
Peter: Last week, we played under really bad circumstances. The sound guy was really bad, and we almost fought with each other, haha.
Morten: We wished we had stayed home, but we acted professionally and played on a very small stage with poor sound.

Tomaz: Are you planning a tour as well?
Peter: Not sure at this moment. You must know that we have jobs and stuff like this. We are, of course, planning to do something. We would love to do some weekend gigs. Most likely in Germany, Holland, or whatever, but it depends on who wants to book us.

Tomaz: Will your new stuff be anything like A Certain End Of Everything or something completely different again?
Morten: Time will show. I think it will be a progression of what we did on our latest album.
Peter: I guess we will continue in the same direction, but, of course, it won't be a copy of A Certain End Of Everything.

Jerneja: Can you already tell us when to expect new music or, at least, a new single by Blazing Eternity?
Peter: I'm almost sure it won't be in 2025, more likely in 2026. We need some time to make it right.
Morten: We need 20 years, haha.
Peter: No, no, not that long, haha, but I really don't know. We haven't finished a single track yet. We will start working seriously at the beginning of 2025, and hopefully, we can record an album in 2026. Our ambition is not to take too many years.

Tomaz: Before we wrap up, can you tell us which are the most influential albums of all time for you?
Morten: The German hard rock band Na Und and its first album. Then it's Halber Mensch by Einstürzende Neubauten, and Katatonia's Brave Murder Day.
Peter: For me, are Katatonia's Dance Of December Souls and The Cure's Pornography.

Jerneja: Do you have anything else to say at the end of this interview?
Peter: I hope everyone who hasn't checked out our new album will do so. I wish promoters would book us for some festivals and shows. Thank you for the interview.

Live photos by Tomaz

Blazing Eternity discography:
- Over sorte heder [Demo] (1996)      
- Promotional tape 1/97 [Demo] (1997)      
- Der hviler en nat under sorte vinterbøge [Demo] (1998)
- Times And Unknown Waters (2000)
- A World To Drown In (2003) 
- A Certain End Of Everything (2024)

Blazing Eternity links: Facebook, Bandcamp, Instagram