Arkhon Infaustus have been pummeling the ears of their listeners for years now. Their black metal has been consistently brutal, uncompromising, and blasphemous. Their newest album, "Filth Catalyst," has raised heads, and the focus is on these Frenchmen, for a good reason too. Bassists/vocalist Torturer was kind enough to take the time to shed some light onto Arkhon Infaustus' latest creation, the concept and beliefs of the band, and many other things along the way.

Allan 'Enigma'


First I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Other than that, "Filth Catalyst" is an excellent album and definitely put death/black metal for 2003 off to a good start. Great job!

Thanks for your support! This album was really important, as it is the result of two years of work and more than that, with the first full line up.

To start, I'm a bit curious as to what the name Arkhon Infaustus really means. Can you give us any insight into this?

Arkhon comes from Greek and means prince, and Infaustus comes from Latin and means, sinister/dark/sad... The name is like anything else in Arkhon Infaustus: you can perceive it in the easiest way of understanding, as Satan. There are always deeper meanings, even in raw semantic, in Arkhon Infaustus. In fact, the band name refers to the bible. When their god divided men through languages because we could reach him directly via the Tower of Babel. He thus created several languages from that primeval and single one. Arkhon Infaustus comes from different ancient languages and stands as the symbol of the reunification of the primeval language, spoken at the time of the original sin, so that we can strike again at the face of their god. Pure direct blasphemy and malignant evil are entwined in the band.

"Filth Catalyst" seems like a genuinely sinister album. I wonder is Arkhon Infaustus truthful in their beliefs, or does it have to do with fitting the death/black metal gimmick? No disrespect by this, but I think we're both aware that many death or black metal bands pull one over on the fans when it comes to this.

I think that is why people like or dislike the band. There is no lie here. But our vision and understanding of Satanism is far from the usual BM clichés. We don't rage a pseudo war against Christianity. We use their symbols because it has been our own cultural background. Words are just glimpse of concepts, and so we use words of our time to describe something beyond time. As Sade said, what makes us come is doing evil, not the evil itself. That means that evil is eternal because it will never be stagnant. It is a permanent mutation, and thus it is perfect. There is no time, nor a society, without that spirit, which is always under different names and acts. We use in this precise society and time the word Satan, but he is so much more. And I think that the meaning of the word Satan is so close from the spirit of evil. The enemy, the contrary, the first angel...

As far as lyrical concepts go, what do you guys like to cover?

Well all songs are based on different sides of the concept. I will start to give the beginning of explanation of two songs: 'Criminal Deities' is based on the vision of time and evil I was speaking about above. You have many messages in Arkhon Infaustus and in many ways: for example, in this song the chorus is "Sorrow bore whore" which reversed makes "Ouroboros," infinity. Humanity creates its own misery and frustration, set through time. Every single second gets wasted - every single act becomes dust in the course of history, yet evil remains. It is a cancer, changing every time, adapting and overtaking. This is the curse that liberates. The concept of time has brought religion, with the understanding of an end. Without time, there is no god. Men cannot control time, so they change their vision of the world to try to feel a control upon it, and thus they pretend they forget their fear about death. This is "the sin of time." This vain attempt to grasp eternity is to taste the apple. While we, the criminal deities, are of no time, and thus belong to all centuries.

'Words of Flesh' is about languages and the biblical metaphor of division I explained in the band. We have chosen the story of a Dutch priest who wanted to preserve his daughter from all actual perverse languages and thus he kept her in a closet all her childhood. He believed that without any contact to the world that was laid wrong by Eve, she would speak again, and naturally, the pseudo language of god: the tongue of Eden's unity. The song is turned around the duality of the "procreator" and the "progenitor."

Which would you say is the more prominent influence in Arkhon Infaustus' music – death or black metal? Why did you choose go for the mix of both sub-genres?

We really don't care about seen as a more death metal or black metal band. We feel we are a satanic metal band. We just come and play and what goes out is Arkhon Infaustus music. I think that these two genres should not be so different. Darkthrone used to be proud of playing DM if you refer to the first interviews. I find myself as much into Incantation as I do Mutilation.

Why is there so much hate in Arkhon Infaustus?

Because it is true - we really expose what we've got. The problem is that it is not over after the show. People listening to Arkhon Infaustus don't get cheated, and this is why those who understand can feel so much. I think that the world is a pool of inspiration and hatred. Yet I am no misanthropist, I am really proud of being of this wicked race, destroying the world, mastering war and lies, the great creature of God they say. Every religion brings hate. Look at Jerusalem, the city of eternal war. They all praise god under a different name, and yet they kill themselves. They are all but puppets in Satan hands.

What kinds of change have come to Arkhon Infaustus after changing to a bigger label, Osmose Productions?

Nothing at all in the terms of the music or spirit. They don't ask us to change anything. They just give us the means of doing what we want and need. The major change is that we can reach people further, and we can tour and sado-evangelize other countries. This sharing of the black congregation is very important to us, and every night the mass is one of the most important thing in Arkhon Infaustus.

How has feedback been for "Filth Catalyst?"

It has been really great. It seems that many people found themselves in our work. This doesn't mean that only Satanists are interested in Arkhon Infaustus. As I said these are just words, and I feel closer to a smart atheist than a fake Satanist. I believe in the phantoms of science. This is one of the paths to Hell.

Do you believe that "Filth Catalyst" is your strongest album yet?

I would not say it that way. All albums are the exact snap-shot of ourselves at the time we recorded them. I still really find myself into "Hell Injection," but "Filth Catalyst" is closer to what I am now.

What did you guys do to improve the music this time around?

There were so many experiences between the two albums. The first European tour with Mortician, and playing so much live, brings you to a feeling of the live adrenaline that we tried to inject to the religious feeling of the recording. Then we master our musician skills so that we can redirect our violence into something sharp. We do not try to be technical and never will. This is all about feeling. The sound has been really different as we had David Decobert (sound engineer of Nile, Immortal, Marduk, etc), and he is really into our music, so after the tour it came naturally that he would produce the album with us, and he could turn our ideas into sound.

As far as influence goes, what kinds of things play into shaping Arkhon Infaustus as a band? This is not limited just to music.

All extreme and dedicated arts are important to us. I think that Satan is expressed in so many arts in our eon. There have been so few centuries where he has been so present in art. Anything can raise an idea or riff, a picture, a sound, a text... all of it is linked.

What can fans expect from Arkhon Infaustus next? Is there anything in the works besides a new album?

We have already created some new songs. It is a need, an addiction. We can't stand without creating. A new chapter of our theology is being prepared. For the moment we are preparing the tour, that start this month with Vader and Deranged.

Well, I'd like to thank you for your time. Do you have any last comments?

The Lord has come in glory, and His name is Satan. Amen.