Emerging from the shadows with a sound steeped in decay, ritual, and raw devotion, Caixão stands as a stark reminder that Black Metal was never meant to be comfortable. The name itself, Portuguese for “coffin”, is more than aesthetic; it is a manifesto. In an era where the genre constantly shifts between atmospheric grandeur and avant-garde experimentation, Caixão carves its path through the grave-soaked earth of tradition, channeling the primitive spirit of the underground while injecting it with a suffocating sense of dread.
Their music reeks of damp soil and extinguished candles, fierce yet deliberate, chaotic yet controlled. There is an undeniable reverence for the second-wave ethos, but beneath the corpse paint lies something deeply personal: a meditation on death, spiritual rot, and the silence that follows the last breath. Rather than merely resurrecting old formulas, Caixão exhumes them, reshapes them, and buries them again with sharpened intent.
In this interview, we descend into the crypt with Caixão to discuss their creative process, the symbolism behind their work, and the philosophical undercurrents that guide their descent into darkness.
You approach myth not as fantasy but as cultural memory. Do you see Caixão as preserving forgotten spiritual DNA or reshaping it?
Let’s say it is a reflexion on ancient spiritual life, since we don’t know enough about it. I think that new paganism is mostly bullshit and I don’t like those “reshapings”.
If Herakles and Melkart represent two cultural interpretations of the same archetype, does Caixão also function as a reinterpretation of Black Metal’s original archetype?
Yeah I hope so, it is a reinterpretation of the spirit of Bathory and the early 90’s scene, mostly defined and congregated by Euronymous… But I must say I prefer the greek version of that, it’s more mature. All BM must be a reinterpretation of those days, keeping the same spirit and bringing something new.
When you work with ancient themes, are you trying to reconstruct the past faithfully or confront it through a modern, darker lens?
No, it depends… Sometimes I try to be more exact and others not that much, I mix a lot of stuff that probably has no sense… All is influenced by modern interpretations since we are living in the modern world… Also rock music is not ancient at all.
Do you believe mythology survives because it is adaptable, and if so, how does Black Metal participate in that adaptation?
I don’t think mythology is alive at all… And most of the times BM participates creating the illusion that some of that mythology is alive.
You’ve mentioned Mediterranean influence. Is that something audible in scales and atmosphere, or more psychological, a matter of sun, sea, and ruins shaping temperament?
I think maybe both! Portugal is not far away from it and our culture and music reflects that… So that must be an influence.
Many associate Black Metal with northern coldness. Does rooting it in southern history challenge that stereotype deliberately?
Well that is mostly because the nordic bands were the leaders of the scene after being on the spotlight in the media after the crimes that happened there. Most of the bands that came after didn’t know how to create something original. I’m not doing anything new that other bands from those days haven’t done before… Just think about Moonspell, Kawir, etc.
Would Caixão sound fundamentally different if born in Scandinavia, or is geography secondary to conviction?
If you mean me living in Scandinavia, I guess it would sound the same. If you mean me being born there I don’t know… But I have to say I love bands from there, and Mayhem’s first album is probably my 1st or 2nd favourite metal album… Maybe it’s not a direct influence but it’s still an influence.
You constantly write new riffs, is that compulsion, discipline, or obsession?
I would rather say it’s just my normal way of playing guitar… I pick up the guitar and some riffs come to my mind… I think it’s none of that, no compulsion, discipline or obsession at all… I haven’t picked up my guitar for months now, for example…
Does the abundance of ideas ever make you ruthless in selection? What determines what is worthy of becoming Caixão?
What I normally do is recording my ideas and riffs, if on a second or third listen it sounds like shit I delete it. I try to compose riffs that sound catchy and not just some boring chords.
Do you ever revisit old material and feel it belongs to a different version of yourself?
Ah maybe, but when I listen to older stuff I have recorded for Caixão it still makes sense. I would record some things in a different way nowadays, but no regrets at all!
Is Caixão evolving, or refining a singular core vision?
Always evolving! If you listen to the split Black Goat/Caixão and compare it to Herakles/Melqart you’ll notice a slightly different approach and I can tell you it was composed and recorded only a few weeks later. I have recorded a song for a split with Malokarpatan that has a very different vibe too, with an invited drummer. I think I always try to make a different thing with each release.
You draw from 80s metal and early Black Metal. How do you avoid becoming nostalgic instead of vital?
I think the idea is to create my own concept of Metal and listen to as many good bands as I can. Also not only listening to metal is part of the concept of early BM I guess, at least some creative bands that I like were inspired by other genres.
Has modern Black Metal lost something essential, or simply gained different weapons?
I normally don’t like what people call “modern Black Metal”. But i’ll assume that by modern we are talking about nowadays BM. There is still some really good stuff around like the new Nergal album released by Zombi Danz and other new releases by bands like Blood Rites, Black Hurst, JPI Vio-Lens Kommand. 2026 will be a good year. Nergal is keeping the old style alive and the others are new bands that bring something new!
If Caixão is a coffin, is it burial or containment? What are you sealing inside it
Aha… Let’s say that Caixão is just my nickname since I was a teenager, no big concept behind it.
When listeners engage with your music, what do you hope awakens in them: memory, discomfort, pride, transcendence?
Memory and transcendence sounds good to me!
Any last words?
Yeah! Thanks a lot for your interest and don’t forget the roots of one of the weirdest underground scenes in BM, the dutch… We need more Ex-mortes and Apator.