The French duo Vipère, consisting of Saros and Sans-Visage, recently released their first EP called "Sombre Marche" (review on here). According to the French black metal scene, the band is very mysterious. Musically quite interesting and multifaceted, this of course made me quite curious and so I asked the band for an interview, which they gladly did. If you want to know what Vipère is all about and want to know more about them, you should at least have a look at the interview. I think, if you like French black metal, you should have this band on your radar in the future!

Michael

Hello together! How are you?

Saros: Hey. As good as possible and glad to be here to talk with you. Thanks for taking time for us.
Sans-Visage: Hi! I'm fine, happy to answer your questions!

You are a new black metal band, about which nothing is really known. Can you introduce yourselves to us in more detail?

Saros: Yes, we're new and it's a fact that there's almost nothing about us out there. For now, we are only responding to interviews. We don't want to expose ourselves if it's not desired. We both have a musical history in other genres but it's not important here. We just want to focus on Vipère, the label and our BM projects. The thing is we were just two guys worshipping black metal and it felt logical to play together. We rehearsed for about a year, and then threw out all our tries. After that it took only a few weeks to record Sombre Marche and to decide to release it as a digital EP first and then as a CD.

Your EP "Sombre Marche" is a pretty old-school black metal release. I feel like I'm back in the 90s in parts. Is that intentional?

Saros: Yes it is. We're bored by those bands with perfect sound, perfect compositions, perfect guitar tones… We wanted to do it the old-fashioned way. Everything has been made to make you feel in your garage. And it is not a posture, we didn't give ourselves the choice. There was an emergency that we couldn't stop. We wanted to sound raw and that's what we did. Of course, there's a lot of imperfections in the songs or in the recording process. Structures or arrangements might have been different if we had given ourselves time to look back. And so what? I think songs have souls. It's a picture of an instant. I like the way we've made it authentic. When I listen to early Enslaved I'm totally conquered by those raw intros and interludes. It talks to me. I like to think that first opus are often specials because they are made with sincerity and emergency… Last but not least, it's obvious that we are both into 90's BM. We truly like the BM history, myths and legends. The band's chronology along with the evolution of the genre is amazing to study. So, it was an evidence to us to evolve in that kind of ambiance. We hope that we're not just another copy. We tried to have our own atmosphere...

I think I can hear influences like Gaahlskagg or early Ulver in your songs. What are your biggest musical influences?

Saros: Wow thanks man! Early Darkthrone, Ulver of course. The voice of Attila Csihar. But also, stuff like Mortiis, Belenos or Panphage… You can ask me that same question one hundred times and you'll have as many different responses… And that's only for the BM part. I also have massive influences from the noise rock scene or some French singers for example.

Sans-Visage: Personally, I am not influenced by these bands. My biggest influences are Dissection, Mayhem, Black Flag and more recent bands like Grafvitnir, Valkyrja or Ifernach. But when we compose, we quickly forget our influences, we do not try to sound like a particular band.

Lyrically you are rather misanthropic. Do you have a certain message you want to bring to the people?

Saros: I hate that question haha. I'm not comfortable talking about my lyrics. They are very personal. But you're right, they are kind of misanthropic. It's all about depression, fear of others, aging and so on… There's a lot of things hidden behind metaphors or stylistic figures. It's a way to protect myself from the eye of the reader and trying to still say something. Saying this, I realize that's a fucked-up way of doing things. But it's the only way. I don't care about passing a message to people… They'll find what they want in my lyrics and I like to think they act as a mirror.

Where do your lyrical inspirations come from? More from everyday life or literature?

Saros: My life. I'm almost unable to write on anything else. But I'm working on it. For example, Sans-Visage is drawing new stuff and I'm trying to write a new poem for each of his drawings. But even so, there's still a bit of me sweating in the lyrics. I would like to write about other people's lives, but I have to learn to write in the third person. Your question is welcome, because I'm currently thinking about all of this…

You run a small label called Vetus Capra, on which Vipère and Vieille Chèvre are distributed, according to my information. Are there any further plans concerning your label?

Saros: There is and there is not haha. We take things as they come...

Sans-Visage: For the moment, we do not want the label to grow. Vetus Capra is, above all, a way to highlight our projects to Saros and me. The situation can change if you want to…

What is the situation in the French black metal underground? The bands that were underground 25 years ago and in a way also pioneers for today's bands (I'm thinking of Blut aus Nord or Deathspell Omega) are now in a way quite hip.

Saros: I have the feeling that French black metal is often seen as an avant-garde. Maybe it's true in a way but I'm not comfortable with this. Of course, bands like Blut Aus Nord are huge beasts but there's a bunch of followers that do more harm than good in the scene in my opinion. I prefer my black metal raw and obscure. And in a way it's kind of a hype too. Every release is a limited edition and then there are special editions, first press, second press in splatter with a bottle opener and so on… Hmm I digress… The French black metal scene is rich and complex of course and there's different levels to discover. The very underground with small labels like Transcendence for example and the big ones like Season of Mist.

But I guess it's the same in every country, no?

Sans-Visage: For my part, I don't know anyone from the black metal scene. And it is very well like that. I need this mysterious aura to appreciate this music, it inspires me a lot. Regarding the two bands you mention, I listened to them very little, so I won't be able to talk about them... Personally, underground or not, I especially like when the music sounds sincere, and I think it is still the case with these two examples ....

Did you already have the opportunity to perform gigs in your still quite young career? Are there any plans to play concerts when the pandemic is over? Or are you doing it more like Darkthrone and avoiding gigs?

Saros: No, never. In the first place we just wanted to create something concrete with a record. We were not really a band until we released the EP I think. So, we were not planning to perform gigs at all. I love playing live, but it is not planned at all for now. First we do not have a live lineup and we don't want to seek people to join us. Everything will come in time if it has to. It's still something that I have in mind. For Vieille Chèvre, it's almost impossible, it's kind of an experimental project. Everything should be reworked. Maybe it would be pleasant… Honestly I don't know…

Sans-Visage: To be honest, black metal is a style that I enjoy mostly alone, on record. I'm not closed of course, but I don't think I want to play our songs live.

I want to come back to Vieille Chèvre. You are also involved there. What can you tell us about the band? Here you rather indulge in the classic French black metal à la Vlad Tepes, Torgeist or Belkètre.

Saros: As soon as I started listening to BM, I started experimenting with guitars and a mix of various instruments. Naturally I mixed up BM with my personal musical background which is noise rock oriented. Everything has been made in my bedroom without any plans in mind. Finally, I realized that all those rushes could be assembled. There was a natural coherency. It's not a 100% black metal project at all. The spirit is here but musically there is so much more. For example, I like ambient or repetitive music a lot and you can clearly hear this in the album. Of course, the 90's French black metal scene has a huge influence on me. The Black Legions are a reference musically as well as in terms of mindset. The homemade aspect is the key here. I'm also impressed by the work of Striborg. His musical independence is whole-hearted.

What about further release plans for Vipère? Sans-Visage has already let it be known that you have further plans for this year...

Saros: We just started to rehearse again. With the sanitary context it's not easy to find a way to meet up. But it has been very rich and productive. We're on our way to release something else for sure. We cannot say everything here but there will be some surprises I guess. Drawings, texts and music will be entangled in a new way compared to Sombre Marche. By the way we're very excited by our new project. There's a chance that you can hear something new by the end of the year!

Sans-Visage: We work quietly for the future, as long as we have the fire and ideas. We do not set a deadline, but yes we have already thought about our next mischief!

Which bands and/or releases can you recommend to us?

Saros: I did not follow the black metal news too much these last month's, so I do not have fresh stuff to give… I recently bought the last album of Nuit Noire. It's excellent, dark, and unique. It is a mix between BM, punk and cold wave I'd say… I have the last album of Isengard too. It's a bunch of unreleased songs from the 90's. I have not been disappointed. Oh yes! There is the first album of Warmoon Lord, really excellent. And of course, the last Paysage d'Hiver… I really like this one-man band. It talks to me so much. And last, go check Vargrav if you haven't heard of it yet...

Sans-Visage: If you are a fan of simple, efficient punk that makes you want to break everything, I recommend the Australian band Primitive Blast. Otherwise, I also recommend Ferriterium, a French melodic black metal band. I just got the last tape from Arbre, an experimental French black metal band. It's quite intimate but it's very good.

The last words of the interview belong to you!

Sans-Visage: Thanks for this interview, it's really nice to give us the floor on MetalBite as we are just getting started.

Merci beaucoup pour l 'interview!!!

Aegrus - Finland's most impactful black metal band as of late and true champions of the Satanic way are so much more than your traditional or typical "Satanic" black metal outfit. For Aegrus, Satanism and Devil worship are a substantial part of life; one for which they've sold theirs souls… And the music created by what I consider to be the cream of the contemporary Finnish black metal circuit is of the most freeing and transcendental consortium. Self-development and the channeling of outer forces through self being the main catalysts to their scene-dominating scourge. During my latest interview, Darkseer Inculta and Lux Tenebris give us some insight into their relationship with Satan/Lucifer, their creative process, thoughts on the current & past scenes and of course their album, "Invoking The Abysmal Night".

Jeger

Aegrus operates with a full lineup of musicians as opposed to the billions of soloists and duos out there in the black metal world. Consequently, I feel like it's important for the band dynamic to be restored within the genre. Furthermore, I feel like anything that challenges a musician gets tossed out the window these days. What has been the value of the band dynamic for Aegrus?

Darkseer Inculta: "In Manus Satanas" was the first release we did as a whole band together. Until that, we operated as a duo excluding a couple of demos and one EP in the beginning. That worked fine in itself, but since we play all rehearsals and live shows with a complete line-up, there wasn't really a reason to not do the same with recordings, as well. In my opinion, it has brought more dynamic and variation to our sound & style. Serpentifer is also a much more talented and able drummer than me.

Your latest album "Invoking The Abysmal Night" is a bit more experimental compared to 2019's "In Manus Satanas", particularly with tracks like 'Nocturnal Rites Of Faust' that crossover genres. What inspired you to take more risks with this one?

Lux Tenebris: There's more variation in that album than ever before, but everything came naturally or transcendentally if you will. I always reflect inner and outer influences to my music, be it my inner emotion, the twilight breath of Satan or just adaptation of something musically impressive that got me under its spell.

When it comes to 'Nocturnal Rites Of Faust', I listen to other music genres than black metal too, so my musical influences come from everywhere and can show up emanating like this.

Also, clean guitars and solos aren't exactly new territory for us since we have played those parts many times before, but maybe it stands out more discernibly this time.

What was the songwriting/recording process like for the new material?

DsI: There wasn't anything different this time around compared to any of our past releases. Lux Tenebris composed all the music while I wrote most of the lyrics. That has been our way of creating music since the very beginning. Final arrangements are made in our rehearsal chamber as a whole band together when the songs are finished. We have always recorded everything by ourselves. That way we can work at our own pace without any hurry or pressure.

What are your plans as far as live rituals following its release?

LT: Week after the release of "Invoking The Abysmal Night" we had a release event in Finland, in which Ruttokosmos, Vornat and AntimateriA (in which I play too) participated. All bands are from the same region as we are originally, so that was a special event worth checking. Next spring, our first Central European show is to happen in Switzerland in Black Hole Fest V with Gorgoroth and Sargeist among others. It would be great to add some other gigs along that trip, for example in Germany, in Belgium or in France but let's see what happens.

As with most genuine black metal bands, Aegrus' creative well runs deep and beyond the musical aspect of things. It's said that self-development and transcendental knowledge are driving forces behind the band as a whole. Are these disciplines and epiphanies sought out through the practice of Satanism?

LT: Satanism and Devil worship are the foundation of my life, my philosophy and naturally Aegrus is deeply bound with my life. The things mentioned by you are reflecting my goals in life in which self development is the constant driving force and transcendental knowledge is the higher state to aim for.

DsI: Partly yes, partly no. Although Satanism, or rather I'd say Devil worship is a huge part of me, some of it was already rooted in me back in the day before I could even identify what all of this really is and what it means. Over the years I've developed my own interpretations of what that whole concept is for me personally and how it is affecting my life and the way I feel/see things. When it comes to self-development, that should be a part of every living creature in general. To learn, to evolve. Not just being limited to being a part of Satanism.

The lines between what separate Satanism and Luciferianism seem to be converging within the realm of black metal. These days, more and more artists are creating material that's inspired by the illumination of Lucifer as opposed to how the genre was originally formed with Devil worship being the main influence. How important has Lucifer been to the band's creative process?

LT: As a spiritual person I see Satan and Lucifer as the same entity, only looked at from a different point of view. Devil worship goes hand in hand with Luciferian illumination and the force called Satan/Lucifer is the real God: keeper of real knowledge hidden behind the curtains of darkness only available for those who have the will strong enough to discover it. I'm lucky enough that I've found inner peace with HIM and I strongly feel we are now living in symbiosis. I am gaining unspeakable things from HIM and giving no less than my soul for exchange. So naturally, Lucifer plays a big part in our lives, and that being said, in the creativeness of the band.

DsI: As Lux Tenebris already described it quite comprehensively, Satan/Lucifer are basically the same coin with different sides. Each of them represents different aspects of Devil worship to me as the other is more related to primal instincts, feelings etc. while the other being more involved with spiritual ways, knowledge, self-development and so on. Can't really put everything into words, but I think you get the idea.

Has any of Aegrus' music been inspired by ritual?

LT: Not by ritual since ritual has all an all different character than composing songs, but definitely inspired by constant outer powers filtered through my body.

I was once told in one of my interviews that Satanism cannot be commercialized. There was sound reasoning behind this, but it seems like that's exactly what some mainstream bands are doing - cashing in on Satanic principles and concepts. Take away the Satanic elements of some of these bands and they would have little else to sell. How do you feel about the use of Satanic imagery, concepts and philosophies as a means to sell records?

DsI: This is one of those topics that I don't really care about. I guess if money and fame comes through your own creations, and music you have poured into your heart & soul, blood & sweat, then it comes. But for us, fame and fat wallets have never been the goal. As cliche as it sounds, first and foremost, we do this for ourselves. We have sold our souls to Satan…

LT: Satanism was already commercialized by LaVey during the 60's, so it has been done long time ago. If someone does this kind of successful music with his whole heart, I guess then it's fine, but of course there are lots of these trolls and posers who are making "Satanic" music only because they get money from it and it's cool to be evil in the eyes of the majority. I generally tend to ignore those kinds of people since they are too shallow and lack the perspective that I seek from the others who I'm voluntarily dealing with. Honest and genuine persons are the ones who earn my time and respect, no matter the subject. Life is too short to care about everyone or everything.

Aegrus formed years after the "Dark War" that took place in the 90's between Finnish and Norwegian hordes. From your perspective, is that competitive flair still alive between the two scenes?

DsI: No. Such thing doesn't exist anymore, or at least I'm unaware if it does. Not that I really even care about that nonsense.

LT: It was around 30 years ago, so that era has been buried in the past. I think it was mainly VV who sent death threat letters to Mika Luttinen from Impaled Nazarene. Actually Mika with his brother Kimmo got tens of the same kinds of letters from France too. Namely, it was Vlad Tepes guys along with Mutiilation who sent letters to them and also to Osmose they did send dead rats among others, haha. But that's part of the juvenile past of Black Metal and today Finnish and Norwegian Black Metal scenes are really vital on their own.

What's the most valuable thing you've learned about yourself through self-development and how have you applied it to Aegrus?

DsI: That's quite hard to answer because I believe many things happen naturally and unconsciously without thinking about it too much. These are much easier to notice in real life situations rather than how I make music, but at least our lyrics have become more thoughtful and deep throughout the years.

LT: I can't say only one thing, it's too hard. The process is going on all the time. At this moment I feel I am the best version of me. I feel inner peace, I am stronger than ever and I feel I've gained deeper understanding of the essence of this absolute. Time will tell how it translates into Aegrus.

Do you have a message for the horde?

DsI: Check our new album when it comes out and possible gigs/other related news of Aegrus. Hail Satan!

LT: Open your mind and soul for the obscure. That way you can reach to the next level and beyond.