What those who choose to reject black metal fail to realize is that within the realm of BM, there's an entire universe to be discovered: occultism, history, heritage, folklore, esotericism, misanthropy, war and death. But beyond these traditional concepts, you'll discover black metal in its most explorative forms as bands like Melechesh, Solar Deity and Trivax traverse the Eastern path to black metal. Great mysteries of the shadows, forlorn entities and powerful magick translated into some of the world of the dark arts' most transcendent volumes. The nomadic coven, Trivax have turned over to the next chapter in their story of liberation, and musical evolution is the name of the game. On September 29, Trivax unleashed  their new album, "Eloah Burns Out", and it's through the timeless art of enlightening discussion that we roll out the red carpet. During my latest interview, Shayan of Trivax discusses his Islamic background and his rebellious nature which ultimately led him to freedom and black metal. Shayan also provides some insight into Trivax's new album.

Jeger

Hails, Shayan, and welcome. I feel like individuals such as yourself are very rare in a place like Iran. When did you begin to question Islam and how did it lead you to black metal?

I am inclined to agree with this. No doubt there are plenty of souls who also feel misplaced in that society, I've met quite a few of them - but for me personally, I got lucky to be connected with black metal because it was truly appropriate for my rebellious vision and even general personality. As far as questioning Islam, I'd already begun to walk that path before the discovery of this type of music. I remember having extensive debates and questioning our religious teachers in school and watching the steam leave their ears, this was particularly as I was a practicing Muslim in my early-mid teens. I still carried on with the Islamic faith at the time, despite carrying some irreversible doubts. What the discovery of black metal did for me, was to equip me with a new set of tools and ideology, which completed the circle of leaving that faith and pursuing what felt more authentic to me in that time.

Laws against music in Iran, particularly black metal, have been enforced resulting in imprisonment and even death in some cases. How much was fear a factor for you in your early years?

Yes, of course - but also it allowed me to be able to cross that threshold, mentally. I was granted the opportunity to choose freedom over fear at a young age, and honestly, I wouldn't change that for a thing, because this is a value and lesson that is applicable in all areas of life. In fact, I've discovered that this is just as relevant when one is residing in the western world.

After making your way to the UK, you brought in bassist, Sully, who similarly left Syria where he faced imprisonment for his art. Can you elaborate on his experience prior to leaving Syria?

Him and I spoke about this in detail about a year or two prior to him joining Trivax. It is actually quite horrific to know the tortures and imprisonment that he went through. I was lucky as I never experienced anything like that and always managed to evade the authorities there, but it wasn't the same for him. For anyone interested, he speaks about his experiences in full detail on the Iblis Manifestations podcast during episode 56. It's a very detailed account, so I'd highly recommend people to check this out. A word of caution, as it's not for the weak-hearted.

Black metal is ideological in nature with a number of the genre's artists being occult practitioners, philosophers and even historians. But Trivax seems to be a rogue entity when it comes to these matters. Ideologically speaking, what are some of the ideas/philosophies that have been of inspiration to you?

That's a great question. For me personally, or even for us as a group, freedom and liberation have always been of the most fundamental importance. Freedom is the only thing where its true pursuit is worth above life and death. Now in the context of Trivax, I have always viewed our music as a type of shadow work. This is an area of work which is inherently dangerous, toxic and destructive - however, simply because it resides within the shadows, doesn't make the experience any less life-asserting. That destructive force could be used as some sort of cleansing, from which you can build back up stronger. You could almost look at it like some kind of spiritual chemotherapy.

Putting our music out there, to me, very much feels like open-sourcing a dark pathway within the universal consciousness. Now you could use what you find in there however you wish, but know that its contents are radioactive and you will be affected by it inevitably. To those familiar with Eastern occult practices, you may see a lot of resemblance to the force and the characteristics of the goddess Kali.

You've got a new album, "Eloah Burns Out" coming down the pike, which is scheduled to be released via English label, Cult Never Dies. Can you explain the album's concept?

Eloah is the singular word for "Elohim", in this case referring to a singular deity - God, if you will. The concept of the album is one of death, through different multiple accounts. Each song presents a different aspect of death, such as the angel of death (Azrael), the murderer (Alpha Predator), the inevitable (Memento Mori) and the death of the self (Twilight of Death). The final piece and the conclusion of the album elaborates on the death of God. This is in metaphorical conjunction with our third dimensional sun finally burning out, during its expanding red phase, before turning into a white dwarf - Thus, destroying all traces of life within our solar system. Hence the haunting title "Eloah Burns Out".

From what I've listened to so far, the new material sounds vastly different compared to your previous album. It feels like Trivax is undergoing a rapid evolution. What did you do differently for "Eloah Burns Out"?

I've always been a big believer of "You learn something by doing it". The release of our first album 'SIN' taught me a lot about this. Whilst I still feel kinship with the idea, intent and general vibe behind that release, the execution of it was undoubtedly flawed. "Eloah Burns Out" is a powerful evolution of our artistic execution, as well as a reflection of how much we grew as a band during this time. As for me as the songwriter, I simply became far more efficient at communicating through my compositions. Of course, I will let the listeners be a judge of that!

You've gained a lot of momentum as a band and you've been busy with live rituals for much of the year. How would you describe the live Trivax experience and how have audiences been responding?

The Trivax live show is certainly something special. The experience is transcendental, transformative, rageful, melancholic, ecstatic and liberating... In short, it's pretty fucking intense! Every show that we have played recently, the audience has been growingly more receptive. We have reached that stage now, where if there are those who know us already, they'll be at the front screaming the lyrics back at us, which is humbling indeed. Those, however, who haven't seen us before, may start with their arms crossed, but by the end of the show their arms are up in the air and they're screaming their hearts out with us. We pretty much haven't had one single bad audience since we came back to playing live shows in September 2021 - As a band, it really has been our best time so far. With the new album on the horizon, this can only get better!

I grew up in church and I've found the indoctrination that I experienced to be practically inescapable as I've grown up. As a result, I've developed a strong irreligious leaning and believe that liberation from oppressive religious dogma is the key to true enlightenment and freedom. How would you describe your current relationship with Islam? Are there resentments or anger associated with it?

It is very interesting to me to see the divisiveness caused by such group-like and dogmatic thinking, which at its root is meant to be a positive and an enlightening path of virtue. So in this regard, I relate to your experience of monotheistic religions, as mine was the same. There is a tough reality, however, and it's that religious and cult-like thinking could apply to any aspect of the human experience. Other than religion itself, this could include science, political beliefs, lifestyle or even something as mundane as fashion for example. We as humans appear to have been inherently wired to this way of thinking, and it's responsible for some of our biggest downfalls throughout all of history. Now we can both probably agree that true virtue is in making a choice for one's own sake, independently, despite any external pressures, societal or religious demands, and so on. The reality is that in an Islamic system and culture in general, it's never pressed on you that a choice exists - in fact you can even face death for making choices that do not comply with their rules and laws. It is oddly similar to an Orwellian scenario when reflecting back on my experiences back in Iran, which is also why I'm extremely cautious of the Western society ever falling into the same path. An important thing to note here, is that censorship of any kind always appears to be the first step towards this disastrous path of totalitarianism. Now, you mentioned about if I feel any resentments or anger towards Islam - the answer is no. At least, not anymore. This is because I do not consider myself a victim of any form, and everything that has happened to me in my life has been an opportunity for me to get a higher understanding of myself, as well as the world in general, and ultimately, how to improve these things.

In all your travels and experiences over the years, what's been the most valuable thing you've learned about yourself and Trivax?

There are so many things... Not only have I learned about art, music, business and so on, I've also learned a lot about people, friendships, bonds and many other human elements. But most importantly, I think that it's given me a better understanding of who I truly am.

Do you have a message for the horde?

"Eloah Burns Out" will be born into the world on 29th September 2023 - If you are compelled enough to enter a wild yet retrospective journey through the shadows via the power of Eastern Death Magick, then open yourself to it and see where it will take you...

One last thing: Freedom is always worth fighting for, no matter the price!