During the late 80's - early 90's, In the age-olde spirit of Devil worship, second wave black metal was born in Scandinavia. But it wouldn't be until the inception of one Ofermod and the scourge of Michayah Belfagor that it would begin to take on a whole new meaning. Once-crude music to set churches ablaze to became a conduit for Qliphotic, Draconian and Luciferian magicks; the kind of stuff that transcended black metal into the realm of spiritual transformation. Serpent Noir are one of a number of other covens to have emerged from the depths of the European underground upon the path of The Dragon. Serpent Noir are a black metal band hailing out of Athens, Attica, Greece, which places them among a pantheon of talented artists both veteran and newcomer who've established the proud Greek black metal scene over the past 34 years. They are a project with a deep focus on occultism/ritualism, and their music is avant-garde and quite modern in many respects compared to that of their Scandinavian counterparts. During my latest interview, Yiannis K. of Serpent Noir invites us into the world of The Dragon where dark magick is practiced and Satanas - the Faustian spirit is channeled through dragon's fire. He also gets into Serpent Noir's latest full-length LP, "Death Clan OD" along with their most recent split release with label mates Sargeist.

Jeger

It's been two years since we last spoke. A lot has happened since then. How have you been?

A lot has happened on a personal level… We dealt with different hardships and obstacles we have had to overcome. It is not a secret that during the pandemic, I have had a street fight - an incident with multiple outcomes on a personal level. Though I must confess that - to an extent - I was happy and even eager to experience another side of the physical plane. While into custody and having more than two days without sleep, I composed the song 'Daemon Behind The Bars' which you can find in the split we did with SARGEIST. The lyrics deal with this experience: 'What is right, what is wrong? The Dragon's Magic is a double edged sword'. This incident in particular led me to take important decisions and actions on different levels.

Now, let's talk about your latest full-length album "Death Clan OD". It was released in 2020 and features the work of esteemed occultist Thomas Karlsson. How did he contribute and what was it like working with him?

We got to know each other for more than 20 years, but we met in person in 2003 during the annual meeting of Dragon Rouge. Since then, we are good friends and brothers in the Order, and nowadays we lead Dragon Rouge through Ordo Draconis Major. Well, it was only a matter of time until Thomas became responsible for the lyrics of Serpent Noir. The reason for having Thomas write the lyrics was not that I could not write them myself, but it was a matter of magical collectivism of the Draconian Knighthood. A sonic and sorcerous deed to celebrate the Dragon's Egregore.

Working with Thomas is always super smooth. Our collaboration began with our previous full length Erotomysticism, where he wrote all (but two songs - 'The Veritable Red Dragon': where I wrote the lyrics. It is a song dedicated to Thomas' indwelling magical entity, 'Daemon Deggial' and 'The Initiatrice Of A'arab Zaraq' which is a personal invocation in the lyrics of the album. No need to say his lyrics are always unique and pure Magic can be felt through his lines. In "Death Clan OD" he contributed with all the lyrics of the album. What is more, he recorded the vocals for the song 'GOEH RA REAH', for which we also did a video when he visited Greece in 2018. Just for the story, he has contributed with another vocal performance in the song 'Desert Of Azazel' from Erotomysticism.

"Death Clan OD" is based on Qliphoth which are the representation of evil spiritual forces in Jewish Mysticism. It's pretty complicated subject matter. What made you want to explore it?

This is not anything new to me. I have been leading a life connected to Initiation and Dark Magic since my teenager years when I found out and became part of a serious dark magical order, which is based in Sweden. Since then I cannot imagine my life any other way around. Well, the more I delved into Dark Magic and the Qliphoth, the more I realized the need to balance magical darkness and existentialism through artistic expression, which - in this case - is the music I compose for SERPENT NOIR (and NOX FORMULAE). All Serpent Noir releases are based on different stages of my personal Initiations through the spheres of Qliphoth, beginning from our first album SANGUIS XI. Indeed, the Qliphoth represents the evil side of the spiritual realm and the metaphysical plane, but it hasn't really to do with any "evilness" on a mundane level (you know, being ''evil'' and an asshole just for the sake of being "evil"… and an asshole ). It is the darkness one can find in the existential pursuit beyond life and death. Within Qliphoth we can find the hidden potential of all, symbol of which is the Red Dragon. In my opinion, there is no real Magic without delving into the dark side of existence and the mystery of Qliphoth.

What was the songwriting/recording process like for the record?

Songwriting was pretty direct, based on the momentum of inspiration. This is something I always stick to. We did a basic structure for the songs and then we recorded the drums, lead guitars and bass (in that order) and finally we added the vocals. Production-wise there have been some ups and downs. Main reason was that the studio owner worked on his own as a producer and came up with a super clean production, I mean, it was so clean that you would literally be able to hear a pin falling to the ground. That was not what we had in mind thus we went through different mixing. Eventually, being fully annoyed, the producer (who, by the way, is a good friend of mine and at that period was taking care of the drums for SN) deleted everything and we took the mix all over again. The result is what you hear in the record.

Satanism is of course a dominating theme and practice within the realm of black metal. How has satanism served to inspire Serpent Noir?

From a Christian (or any other monotheistic religion) point of view Black Magic and the Left Hand Path are perceived as Satanism, yet another name for the Red Dragon is Satanas or the Devil. But Satanism as a term has become a word which is being used disgustingly carelessly. Satanism - to me - is the Faustian spirit, the non-ending hunger and eagerness to awake, release and channel the Dragon's fire in all realms of existence. Personally, SERPENT NOIR is in my life just one of the outcomes of the Dragon's Fire channeling, but not the only one.

You recently released a diabolical split LP with Finnish black metal veterans and label mates Sargeist. How would you describe the experience?

The guys from SARGEIST were unexpectedly cool during the process! Real gentlemen! I proposed to write all the lyrics for both bands in order to have a common line and the guys happily accepted. All in all, I am really glad for this split, even though Serpent Noir's side of the split was apparently not that well received from the listeners. I consider this material of Serpent Noir to be good, I mean, it is totally honest and… I really like it! It comes from a certain momentum. Momentum of Inspiration deriving from the Dragon cannot do any wrong! An interesting realization was that Sargeist and Serpent Noir really fit music wise; we more or less have the very same sense of melody although differently performed.

Will you be releasing a new full-length LP in the near future? And if so, can you give us a musical/lyrical direction for the new material?

I don't think so. It will take quite some time before something new emerges from Serpent Noir.

This is perhaps my greatest curiosity when it comes to the band. Can you explain Draconian Current?

I will be as brief as possible: It is the Current one has to stream with in order to attune with the powers of existential darkness. It is the stream against the grain. It is these powers making us able to see life and existence as they truly are. The more we see and understand, the more control we gain over life and what lies beyond. But being into this, nothing should be taken for granted. Draconian Initiation is a path of harshness and difficulties are to come along with all the beauty and ecstasy of a unique path!

This is not for everyone: (and by mentioning this I don't try to sound special in any way) it is for those insane enough to step into it. There are different Dark Traditions that run through the Draconian Current that have a common symbol - the Dragon or different emanations of Her. Some of those emanations come with a different name depending on the Tradition: Drakon, Theli, Apep, Typhon, Apophis, Lothan, Vovin, Set, Quetzalcoatl, Satanas, Tiamat, Leviathan etc. Streaming with the Draconian Current (or the Typhonian Tradition) demands actual Magical practice for many years, it is a lifelong process that, for many reasons, one cannot do as a ''hobby'' and leave it when one feels bored. Playing around with It could be proven dangerous and bring total chaos into one's life. Discipline is demanded in order to approach the forces that exist in chaos of existence. For those that might read this interview and have no clue about the slightest, one example I would give in matters of approach is the practice of a Traditional Martial Art. You cannot be considered a Martial Artist by just being practicing for a couple of years. It demands non-ending practice, dedication and devotion for life.

Do you have a message for your followers?

Thank you for your interest in Serpent Noir! Hail the Black Knighthood of OD.