One of the greatest and very unique Greek black metal acts which has been around for more than three decades now, but have rarely seen getting any shoutout from people, is none other than the cult band Zemial. Zemial has been a very dominant force in the Hellenic black metal scene thanks to the amazing contributions of the mastermind Archon Vorskaath, known for his past involvement in other bands such as Varathron, Agatus, Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû and many more. Zemial had returned back in 2022 with a four-track EP called "To Slay with Silent Dagger", which featured guest appearances of his brother Eskarth the Dark One, Proscriptor of Absu and the band's live guitarist Anceorg. I was very curious to see if anything fresh and new was brewing in the Zemial camp, so I decided to reach out to Archon Vorskaath and ask him some questions regarding Zemial, the current status of his label ΝΥΞ, the 30 year anniversary of Varathron's debut album "His Majesty At The Swamp", and we also brought up the subject of Agatus and Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû to see what's happening there. If you are diehard fan of Greek black metal, but never heard of Zemial or listened to their music, I highly suggest you check out their killer discography before reading this interview, and then feel free to join in on this epic journey of legends and conquerors with the man himself, Archon Vorskaath.

Vladimir

Greetings Vorskaath, heart-warming welcome to you brother. How are you doing?

Hello, hello! Doing very well thanks Vlad. Preparing for what is shaping up to be a very busy and exciting 2025.

It's been a while since we heard any news regarding Zemial, but the most recent activity you had was the return with the four track EP "To Slay with Silent Dagger", almost ten years since your previous full-length album NYKTA. Was it a simple matter of taking a short break from Zemial to slowly get back on track or have you been busy working on other bands and projects you're involved with?

I have always tended to do various projects and not put all my energy in just one. So my course is not always linear. But I tend to do a new project every year or two, and also organise re-releases in between. I worked on "The Eternalist" by Agatus in 2015, then I worked on the debut album of Locust Leaves in 2016, and you forgot Zemial's "The Repairer of Reputations" which was released in 2017 (and recently released as a vinyl LP). I then also briefly joined the Death Metal band Plague in 2019. In the meantime, I have composed four Zemial albums, one of which was recorded during the pandemic in 2020 and should be released this coming year. So I do keep busy behind the scenes. Zemial remains a one-man project with absolutely everything from composition, to recording, mixing, releasing, distributing and promoting going through my hands alone. That takes longer for me than a conventional multi-member band. But this has been my path for years. The music is ready when it's ready and I am always digging deeper.

Nevertheless, your EP assured fans that Zemial is back in action and is strong as ever before, showcasing that you are still keeping it true and heavy after all these years. It features guest appearances such as Proscriptor of ABSU, Anceorg and the former Zemial guitarist Eskarth the Dark One, with whom you also play in Agatus. What was it like preparing this latest EP, and how was the overall work alongside these notable guest musicians on these new tracks?

Well the maxi single or mini album or whatever you want to call it, is part of the recording I have done for the new album. So it wasn't a separate session as such. The album itself is a complete Thrasher, and my way of paying tribute to the golden age of Thrash Metal that inspired me to begin with. Yeah it was nice working with these people again even in this limited capacity. All three of them understood the direction of the release perfectly and each added a special touch that I am very grateful for. My brother is obviously a long-time collaborator as we have been playing together since 1991, so we tend to have a good musical understanding. That also extends to Anceorg who has been Zemial's live guitarist since 2016 and an exceptional musician overall. My connection with Proscriptor also extends deep into the past and we have collaborated several times in the past in Absu, Equimanthorn and Zemial. Most recently he joined Zemial as a live vocalist and I joined Absu as a keyboard player. These days I also play drums in Absu and we have exciting news ahead.

Zemial has certainly evolved stylistically throughout the years and one can notice the constant shifting in ideas from one album to another, but with the latest EP, it seems that you have decided to go back to a slightly simpler approach than NYKTA which was much more progressive and complex in structure. What led to the decision of reshaping Zemial again since its return?

It all came down to the year 2019 that marked the 30th Anniversary of Zemial. I thought back on those 30 years and decided to do an album that would be my homage to bands that inspired me in the early days: Bathory, Celtic Frost,/Hellhammer, Sodom, Destruction, Kreator, Venom and Slayer specifically. And so I went through my database of material and after combining, re-arranging writing and concocting, I came up with the album "To Slay With Silent Dagger" from the sessions of which these songs were taken. Directly after this album comes yet another turn in Zemial's path: something darker and heavier. So yes, things in the Zemial are constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries in various directions. That is particularly evident if you compare "To Slay With Silent Dagger" to the "The Repairer of Reputations" LP, both of which were released just about a month apart from each other. One jumped out of the mid-80's Thrash scene whilst the other is akin to a 70's prog-rock extravaganza, if I may say so.

What's interesting is that Zemial's discography predominantly consists of multiple EP's and only a couple of full-length albums. Can the fans expect a new full-length album as a follow-up to the EP "To Slay with Silent Dagger"?

Yes. As I stated earlier, the music from this maxi is taken from the session of the full-length album. So far we have 3 full length albums and I also count "The Repairer of Reputations as an album since it is almost an album duration, but a complete work nevertheless.

Since I already mentioned your work on other projects, I'd like to take a second and talk about Proscriptor McGovern's APSU, which was formed around the time when there were some legal disputes surrounding the original ABSU in 2020, which were eventually resolved in 2024 and the band came back in this original incarnation. What is the current situation regarding Proscriptor McGovern's APSU since the issues regarding ABSU have come to a conclusion? Have you prepared any new material as a follow-up to your self-titled debut album in 2021?

The news is that Absu and Zemial have united as one band to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Absu's album "The Sun of Tiphareth" with a world-tour in 2025, starting this coming February. That will keep us busy for the entire year, after which, we will consider how things will proceed. Certainly I can tell you that the name Absu is back and more music is planned. Proscriptor McGovern's APSU was used as a name for that album only, as a way to get around a legal problem that had arisen from factors that are beyond what is my place to talk about. Now that chapter is closed and Absu is back. And with Zemial in their ranks.

Among your other notable projects we also have the band Agatus with your longtime partner in crime and brother Eskarth the Dark One, which at this point is still considered to be active since 1992. Its third and highly acclaimed album The Eternalist was released all the way back in 2016, and it also seems to have gone quiet for a while now like Zemial, and the interest towards Agatus remains high. Are there any plans to resurrect Agatus as well in the near future or will you be reading for the "right time and right place" to make that happen?

A correction once again for the record: Agatus has been active since 1991. Not 1992. With regards to your question - I have decided to step back from playing in Agatus. I have continued to help my brother by recording and doing various demos for the next 1-2 albums he has prepared, but I have formally left the group. We haven't made a big thing out of it, but it is so.

Anyone who is familiar with your work knows that you were once a member of another respected Greek black metal band Varathron, and you were particularly a part of the band's debut album His Secret Majesty At The Swamp, which last year turned 30 years old and is still regarded one of the most important Hellenic black metal albums of all time worldwide. How do you look back on that period when you were in Varathron and also the work on that debut? Do you have any special memories from those times in 1993?

The early 90's were such an incredible period to be active! We all knew that there was something new happening globally and it was being formed day by day, release by release. So much unique music from all over the globe really. That was when Black Metal and Death Metal were diverse and unique and every band had a different sound and approach, which made it all so rich to experience. How do I look back on that album and period? I am quite pleased with my work on "His Majesty At the Swamp". It was my first time recording guitars, bass and drums for a full length release and that multi-instrumentalist role remains my modus operandi to the present day. That was also one of my earliest attempts at composing music for concepts, which I still do today. So you could say that "His Majesty… reflects my embryonic musical development and vocabulary, along with the work I had previously done for Zemial and Agatus. I know that the album has the distinction of being the first Greek Black Metal album ever to be released. The right place and the right time I guess. So if by nothing more, then by virtue of the timing itself, it is a significant release in the early development of Black Metal globally and of the Greek scene - which was the underdog and arguably the strongest scene next to Norway. So yes, it's important to me and I am glad to know that it is recognised for what it is. Not that I, or any of us ever expected it to be so - it was all very romantic and underground then. Some background for your readers then: I formally joined Varathron on the 3rd of October 1992. There were no rehearsals and no band meetings prior to the recording. Jim and I lived far from each other in Athens whilst Stephanos the singer, lived in a city in northern Greece. So it was a common vision that drove us. Besides, there were only two of us charged with writing music. Within the first few months I had completed Son of the Moon, Unholy Funeral and The River of My Souls. In spring, I met with Jim Mutilator just twice to collaborate and exchange ideas for two more songs. Furthermore, Sakis of Rotting Christ contributed a song to the album – it's easy to guess which. Stavros Mitropoulos, my predecessor in Varathron also contributed the fantastic closing composition. Themis of Rotting Christ played drums on that song and Yiannis of Danger Cross played the second guitar. So it was largely a collective at that time. Unfortunately, these players were never credited. But that is now changed; a historical 30th Anniversary Edition was released by Black Hearts Records (Brazil), featuring 3 previously unreleased bonus tracks from the demos I did for the album, as well as a complete essay on the making of the album, commentary on each song, as well as the equipment we used, etc. It also features an alternate mix of the album, which I had on DAT tape. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), it seems that my DAT copy of the mix is the correct final mix and not the one that was eventually used. This edition also features the entire line up of participating musicians that were never credited as well as a full list of credits for posterity and to finally put things right and give recognition to those who helped us. Anyway, I think that fans of the Greek scene and of the particular album are going to love that edition, so get a copy from the Zemial store on Discogs or directly from Black Hearts Records whilst you can!

On the subject of past releases, I think you are one of the quite rare and exceptional examples of metal musicians with such a solid record of albums, with no bad entry in any of the band's discographies, and is always lucky to still be associated with them years after. Do any of the albums, either from Zemial or Agatus discography hold a special place in your heart for any specific reason?

Thank you for your very kind words. For better or for worse, I don't follow the "industry standards" in terms of releases and business and I release music when I feel it is ready. I am not doing it to stay relevant or to be popular. Both my brother and I play music because we really love it! It's that simple and that old-style. From Zemial I like Face of the Conqueror because it's a real thrasher and I also like The Repairer of Reputations LP that Iron Tyrant released this year, because it turned out so authentically 70's-like. From Agatus it's hard not to like The Eternalist, which was received so well globally and which by all accounts, represents my swan-song with Agatus.

I know you also have your own label ΝΥΞ which released and re-released some of Zemial's discography throughout the years. What is the current status of the label? Is it still active or has it gone on hold?

I still release things with ΝΥΞ. The latest release was in 2022 in the form of "To Slay With Silent Dagger in 2022.

I assume you're quite the busy man, but I generally want to know: Do you have any time to follow up on what is going on in the world of metal music when it comes to new bands and new releases, be it locally or on a global scale?

I have removed myself from the scene for a long time as I do not like the way things are done and I don't like the (mostly) plastic sound of modern bands. It's like the concept of Welcome to the Machine - no thank you! I have the occasional exposure to newer bands and the one that has truly driven deep into my heart is the last album by Malokarpatan. All the right elements combined to help the listener relive the glorious early 90s along with some nice, out of the box moments.

Thank you so much for the interview, Vorskaath. I am highly looking forward to anything you do in the near future and as always, best of luck to you brother. Are there any final words?

Thank you very much for your support Vlad. It has been enjoyable running through this. There is lots of music coming in the very near future from Zemial and people can contact us directly to obtain music and merchandise via: zemial.official@gmail.com A closing thought: as time passes, it becomes increasingly clear to the conscious experiencer that life is very sweet and very short. As we focus on what we love doing and experiencing, time seems to inexplicably slow down. Get off the screen!