“For reasons known and reasons not,
for reasons sown and reasons forgot,
and none shall match nor be so vain
as the one called man certified insane.”

  • from ‘Man’

For nearly a quarter of a century Crin Hawk has worn the enigmatic mask of Metatron and fronted THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL – one of the most challenging, imaginative, thought provoking and misunderstood bands to emerge from the shadowed vale of black metal. His intense, unflinching lyrics have made albums such as The Murder Of Jesus The Jew and in particular the almost unbearably grief-laden Sonderkommando subjects for endless debate amongst music fans. Crin has spent much of his life studying the beast that is man – the complexity of race and nation, the hypocrisy and deceit of religion, the savagery and violence that lies at our core. With his first book of published poetry – Reflections Of Life And Death – he opens a door and invites us to share his musings, but also reveals a little more of the man behind the mask of Metatron. Crin spoke to us about his venture beyond the realms of THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL…

“I think poetry is very ingrained in black metal and metal as a whole. Carpathian Forest’s Chasm Caves And Titan Woods, taken from the Edgar Allen Poe poem ‘Dream-Lands’ being a good example. Many lyricists have drawn inspiration from classic poetry and I am no different. I have always scribbled down my thoughts and emotions and I went back to a lot of these painful bits of paper to write this book. I suppose many of my life’s sorrows are in this book. But there are lighter moments, as I’m sure you would agree not every black metal band member is a raving lunatic who never smiles and is devoid of love. So a private side to my true self spills out also.”

The foreword to Reflections Of Life And Death has been written by Byron Roberts of Bal Sagoth and provides a typically eloquent and grandiose introduction to Crin’s words. This genuinely fascinating work is available in both Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon – or directly from the home of THE MEADS…

And for those of you at the back who haven’t been paying attention and are still willfully misunderstanding…Crin and THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL believe in all people’s right to live in peace, free from the shackles of inflicted dogma and servitude.

“And I beheld the dazzling face of the Lord
Amongst the crumbling pavilions of an ethereal orb
And the skeleton of God fell limp and pale
Croaking his last like a rattle snakes tail.
The star of Bethlehem fell to earth
To burn in the sand with frankincense and mirth
And the moulted feathers of celestial swarms
Danced in the swirl of collapsing storms.”

  • from ‘Beyond The End’

CRIN HAWK Online:
Official Site