I went to this show (Septicflesh, Krisiun, Diabolical and Science of Disorder, at Proxima club, Warsaw, 7th April) to watch mainly Diabolical and Septicflesh but I was also interested very much in Krisiun. I didn't have much time to look deep into the Science of Disorder biography and discography before that. I knew it wasn't many albums released and that the initial feeling was that this music was something different. I arrived at the venue quite early, so still had some time to walk around and find a good spot to observe the entrance and musicians arriving. And as soon as I found a good place I noticed few guys looking familiar, sitting on benches outside Proxima. It was the whole line-up of Science of Disorder, a band playing a mixture of death metal, punk and some psychedelic type of metal, a bit difficult for me to describe. Little did I know that one of the guys being the quietest and calm was Jérôme, vocalist who really is a fantastic frontman and provides good performance both as a vocalist and main creator of an atmosphere on stage. And it is very uneasy atmosphere, filled with anger, frustration and all other difficult emotions that appear when you feel hopeless. So, thankfully all guys agreed to give few minutes of their time to answer my questions. It was mostly Stéphane talking, but from time to time the guys were exchanging some views before he replied to my question. And after the show I had a really nice chat with Lord Pelthor about Solar guitars endorsing both Lord and Stéphane, responsible for that unique, dry and crunchy sound. Don't forget to check out my review of "Private Hell" and give a listen to at least "Light Bearer", my favourite track on this album so far. Unless you want to get right to the interview, read below then.

Maciek

First of all, I've seen you haven't got many albums out yet, I would like to ask how did you manage to get that tour and how this idea came about?

Stéphane Grand: The first idea was to promote the band, to have this opportunity to tour with famous bands like Septicflesh and Krisiun. To also have an opportunity to play in this kind of venue for that many people, this was the first idea. We just have our Swiss promotor, who sent us a mail asking if we're interested in joining the tour and we said "Yeah!".

So, how many shows have you played so far with the other guys?

SG: This is the 7th.

And what are the impressions?

SG: Very, very good.

I can say that from the initial listening that your style is closer to death metal, isn't it?

SG: Oh, it's hard to say. It's a mix.

I'm asking because it’s kind of mixture when it comes to this line up as well: Septicflesh, Diabolical, Krisiun and yourselves, each attract a different crowd. 

Jérôme Thomas: I think where we come from mostly is death metal, but we have other influences and now we represent a bit of a hybrid of many different scenes.

And how does the composing side look like for you? Some bands like to write their new ideas while they're on tour. Do you do that as well?

SG: No, I usually compose at home, in front of my computer. First writing down some ideas, recording a guitar part and after that I write the drums, doing the whole song and after that I send it to all of the other guys and they tell me whether everything is OK or if we have to change something. The main thing is that Jérôme needs to get inspired by the music. It's really important to get inspired by the music to do some good voice parts and we take our time before we achieve a moment where we have the right song.

So, obviously the music comes first and then lyrics come last.

SG: Yes, this is the way we compose.

JT: I can still change that, if I want (laughs).

Which studio did you record your album at?

SG: Downtone studio, it's a studio of a very good friend of us, Drop from Samael. He's working there, I used to play with him in a band called Sybreed. I think he is one of the few people who understand what we want in terms of songs. And this is the reason why we decided to work with him.

Does it mean he still has something to say when it comes to final sound of the album?

SG: Yep, I think (asking Jérôme)

JT: He always has some good advice, regarding the sound.

What are your plans after this tour?

SG: Focus on a composition of the next album.

Does that mean that you already have some material ready for it?

SG: Yeah.

Oh, so what is the expected release date for it?

JT: We already have some songs ready to be recorded this summer and hopefully the rest of the album by the end of the year.

Do you usually try to play the new tracks live before you release the album?

SG: No, we keep them in secret.

OK, so what is the setlist for tonight's show? Do you play one full album only or do you choose different tracks from both?

JT: No, it's one album only, but not in full as there's not enough time to play all tracks. Only selected tracks from the last album, Private Hell.

By the way, how does the metal scene look like in Switzerland right now? Do you have strong metal scene where you come from?

SG: In the German part.

JT: Yes, it's the German part, not many in the French part.

OK, so what are your preparations for tonight's show? Do you have any special props for your stage?

SG: No, we don't. This is our last show on this tour, we're going to give everything as it's the last set.

Huge after-party then?

SG: Yes, we hope so (laughs).

And after this show you're going back home?

SG: Yes.

Well, it was fantastic speaking to you guys, hope to hear some new music from you soon and see you on the show!

SG: Thank you very much.

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!!!