ARCHAEUS
A mailing
confrontation around ‘The Annihil chapter: a source of Fire’ release from
Archaeus. For more details check out the interview below...
1.TELL US IN A FEW WORDS THE MOST IMPORTANT
MOMENTS OF THE BAND'S HISTORY. WHICH IS TODAY'S LINE UP?
Each recording procession was really
important, as experiences for us. Also, all the concerts were very particular;
it was interesting for us, as the performances make you confront with people
who can react to the act! But mostly, people don’t know the band and so
take it at the present time without purchasing Archaeus more deeply in
its conception. From now, the band is composed with the two founders (Tymnhir
and me) and Deimos, who entered the band at the end of year 2001. Since
then, we are able to express the essence of the band more easily even if
it also reveals the intern confrontation between us. Otherwise, I think
it is a mark for black metal bands, to show this sort of confrontation…
2.WHY HAVE YOU NAMED THE BAND
THIS WAY? WHAT DID YOU WANT TO EXPRESS?
Archaeus will always feed me for
the band’s compositions, and will always make the essence of the band stronger
as this power present in all organic life (even in vegetative life) is
the unseen thing that let you become considered as a living entity! It
is a pure power, something where you can only tend, but never reach in
a human form of being; I call it a neverending experience(…). For what
we want to express, is an exaggerated human tension, between an instinctive,
or animal feeling and an atrophied reasoning; the result is very
immoral I think!?! And it should be considered like a negation of this
“Will to life” that is consuming the whole spirit of mankind! The energy
created by this contradiction should be seen as a perfectible image
of the beast in man (and beast within’). We will confront each other ‘til
this energy created by the music will become as strong as it can be, and
will blast you with truth when our days will come…
3.HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?
I'D CHARACTERIZE YOU AS TECHNICAL, PROGRESSIVE BLACK METAL. DO YOU AGREE
WITH IT OR NOT? WHICH ARE THE BAND'S MAIN INFLUENCES?
Yes, it is an interesting description
of our music even if I rather don’t like to categorise one music in any
kind. But I like the term ‘progressive’ as it is sure that we have always
searched to create songs with a particular evolution instead of using normal
repetitions. I know that it is not common to play black metal like that,
and I can only be proud of the way we have taken on the compositions. The
fact is that we wanted to create our identity through such structures and
not just take our instruments and play some riffs without any construction.
I think it reveals also our extreme musically direction which is the mark
of the band, but always with a certain order in it and research, because
I dislike any kind of chaotic elements which can be present in music, or
succession of different riffs which has no point to be! So, in opposition
to common bands, we affirm our position with playing a painfully and Annihilating
music with the order that follows it. To sum up, you can say that our music
is a concentration of pure Hate and blasphemy, but with a serious application
to it. Following that, we focus on going beyond our possibilities as musicians,
creating a perfectible image of the beast in man. In a certain way, we
tend not to be influenced by others musically as we create our songs concentrated
on our own vision of playing and constructing structures, but it’s sure
that the elements that we use are mostly influenced by Scandinavian bands
as Mayhem, Immortal, Burzum, Emperor, etc. But we are maybe more influenced
spiritually by these bands than musically.
4."THE ANNIHIL CHAPTER: A SOURCE OF
FIRE" IS THE BAND'S THIRD RECORDING BUT SECOND RELEASE. WHAT HAPPENED WITH
THE FIRST RECORDING? WHY HAVEN'T YOU EVER RELEASED IT?
The first recording was so bad
that we even didn’t think to release it! It was surely due to the line-up
which wasn’t that good and so it simply wasn’t interesting to listen to…It
was just a first experience for us, that’s all!
5.GIVE SOME GENERAL INFO ON "THE ANNIHIL
CHAPTER : A SOURCE OF FIRE". WHY HAVE YOU NAMED THE CD THIS WAY? I THINK
THAT IT'S A LIVE RECORDING. RIGHT? IS THIS WHY THE SONGS SOUND LIKE THEY
ARE COMING FROM DEPTHS BELOW? DID YOU DO THIS ON PURPOSE?
I perceive this recording like
a chapter for us, the result of a lot of work on ourselves; and also something
that we couldn’t reach before as a band. The way we have recorded this
opus particularly follows my own conception, but I won’t tell you more
about this, as it stays very personal... But for what I can say, is that
we have finally passed the gate to devotion and this has made our way to
build this record as it deserved to(…). The Cd is divided in two chapters:
one emanating from the source of fire, that must be considered as an inner
fire burning on ourselves and leading to the Abyss of Pain with the song
“The Whole suffering”. This song is also a consideration of the suffering
of mankind leading to the whole self destruction…You can also see this
opus like a revolution of ours, leading to Total Annihilation by our devotion.
This is reached after the prelude to the second chapter with the song “Apoca…lips”,
annihilating all your Apathy! Yes, it is a live recording. We did live
takes on our rehearsal place instead of paying a studio because we wanted
to reveal more the quintessence of the band and I think we have succeeded.
The sound comes from depths below because while playing, we focused on
our Abyss to make the songs more intense & raw. A live recording is
good for that.
6.WHAT ARE YOUR LYRICS TALKING ABOUT?
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM? WHAT INSIPRES YOU TO WRITE AND WHAT TAKES
AWAY THE INSPIRATION FROM YOU?
I am responsible for all Archaeus’
lyrics. They are tortures of my own, while songs are part of my abyss.
It gives you the conceptual vision of the band, something that I see as
a form of poetry, a way to express my images and representations of my
world. But it wouldn’t have the point to exist without the music as Archaeus
is an experience to live and not only images directed to your imagination.
For what inspires me, is my everyday experience of life, with my way to
reach an objective point of view, or a perfectible form of knowledge. I
use elements on my lyrics that I consider beyond any point of individual
thoughts as I trust in a certain cosmic order, which embodies our way of
thinking & feelings. But I cannot tell you about what takes inspiration
from me, as I cannot control who would be inspired by our conception from
now!
7.WHY DO YOU USE NICKNAMES? DO YOU
THINK THAT THIS WAY YOU ADD MORE ATMOSPHERE AND MYSTERY AROUND YOUR NAME?
It is simply because nicknames
have more sense than our normal names! I have received a sentence as the
Wanderer: err to purge your pain and steal from your Abyss (…).
8.YOU SAY IN YOUR BAND BIO THAT YOUR
INTENSION WAS TO CREATE A MUSIC CLOSE TO THE BESTIALITY OF MAN. CAN YOU
EXPLAIN THIS FURTHER MORE PLEASE? HUMAN BEINGS TREAT NATURE AND EVERYTHING
AROUND THEM AS BEING THEIR INFERIORS...IN WHICH SPECIFIC PHASES OF HUMAN'S
LIFE DO YOU MAINLY CONCENTRATE?
I see the beast in man as a generating
power present in mankind, by the fact that he’s an animal in its roots,
but who, with time has been able to acquired a reasoning and so the possibility
to conceive and undertake. But he stays an animal before all, what people
don’t want to accept, because it would mean that we are a primitive race,
and time hasn’t made our race higher!?! Like if we should be better than
a thousand years ago…It is this kind of thoughts that I conceive very well.
For me, nothing changes with time, as I see all like a sort of revolution
or renewal ordered by the cosmic elements…Yes, you’re right for what you
considered about humans; as mankind is an unpure entity, they prefer considering
what is pure inferior, to raise themselves higher than what they really
are! But I think that for what mankind has destroyed, he will have to get
the feedback of all this impurity, and suffer ‘til the Whole self destruction.
So, we mainly concentrate in revealing what is primitive in ourselves,
and destroy what is consuming the soul of mankind.
9.HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROMOTE YOUR
WORK AND DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
We won’t continue the promotion
of our new effort ‘til now as we haven’t got the time & patience to
make it as it would deserve to. From now, we will only focus on rehearsing
and working on our instruments until we are at 300% of our potentiality
as musicians. We have some new material, where we have to reach from now
with a way of playing that have to follow these new extreme structures!
And I have also the plan to build a recording studio (Desecrated studio),
so I will focus also on that activity that I will use mostly for the band,
but also for the metal bands in our region or town that would like to record
their material.
10.WHY DO YOU THINK METAL KEEPS INVOLVING
SO MUCH RELIGION AND MYSTICISM?
People has always been involved
in rock n’ roll like a religion as it is a way of life and not just a kind
of music. But, with metal music, it has become more evil I think, and generally
for the main bands more serious. What is without contest mystic, is the
way music keeps on touching your soul so deeply! It really depends of the
band on stage also, because he always makes the ambience in front of the
maniax. With all that, you can adhere to Metal as a religion, but it is
an active spring, and so has nothing to do with that sort of comparison!
What I like, is that you are always free to do what you want, and instead
of a rigorous discipline, you find always the basic elements as musicians
on stage in front of crazy people which only want to be pushed off!!! It
is that all.
11.WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE UNDERGROUND
SCENE OF YOUR COUNTRY? DO YOU FIND IT INTERESTING? CAN YOU SEPERATE AND
NAME SOME GOOD BANDS?
I am not really into the French
underground scene because mostly, you will only find some grind bands or
such chaotic things like that! So, there is no band to quote for me.
12.IF YOU HAD THE ABILITY TO CHANGE
SOMETHING IN THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
You really think that you aren’t
changing something? I really think that it is people that makes the world!
As the way you’re thinking makes your soul, and by consequence the reactions
in front of people at the present time changes and so the virtual society.
Any act isn’t vain if it had been done correctly! I don’t know what I can
add, but for what I think, is that what you do can grow bigger and stronger,
and change more than you think! But our weapons are unseen even if it’s
in front of you.
13.IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO COMPOSE MUSIC,
WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?
I would be a misanthropic philosopher,
or a murderer if I would be a fool! But it is not enough for me, I think
playing such tortured music is more Abyssful than those kind of activities.
14.WHICH IS THE WORST AND WHICH IS
THE BEST REVIEW YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
We have built a great press-book
since our demo “Unveiled, the lust for Torments”. We have mostly received
great reviews; the better ones told that we are the splendour of black
metal, or that we could become a new masterpiece from France…But for the
unveiled demo, we have also received some critics telling about the faults
on some parts, but I also agreed. It’s crazy to consider that everyone
heard the effort differently? No, but the most important thing, was to
be criticise by some people involved in the UG Metal scene, and obviously
take the critics constructively for us! If you follow this idea, there
aren’t any bad reviews…
15.WHICH IS THE BEST PART IN YOUR MUSIC
AND IN THE BAND IN GENERAL AND WHICH THING DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD CORRECT?
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU NEED IMPROVEMENT?
I can say that what I like in our
music, is the way we achieved compositions; between intuitive riffs, and
constructing them in a dynamic structure & temporisation which makes
definitely our identity! We surely needs improvement, maybe on the precision
of each part; something that we have to reach while playing to be satisfied.
And more experience playing live on stage wouldn’t be that bad, but we
have only two or three dates and one maybe confirmed for the next year,
and nothing by now.
16.MANY EXTREME METAL BANDS EXPRESS
RACISTIC IDEOLOGIES. WHICH ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
I dislike the whole mankind and
not one particular race! But I think this kind of misanthropy comes from
the need to fight against inferiors forms of mankind as I only like people
who have something to say or to express (this kind of people are mostly
stronger), and not individuals making their lives the easiest way possible.
Life isn’t a game or a funny thing, we are purging our pain trough such
living! But for what I think of such ideologies, is that people from different
countries and different approach of being, always felt to confront themselves
one day or another; it isn’t so difficult to understand why, and so I think
that it is the way it’s got to be…I like War, but I fight playing my music,
that’s all!
17.WHICH IS MAN'S BIGGEST TEMPTATION?
I think it would be to procreate
or to make always more and more money, as they are both consuming the whole
spirit of mankind. Procreation isn’t so bad in itself, but doing that too
much, it can only be destructive!
18.IF SOMEDAY YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO
MEET THE CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHICH WOULD YOUR BIGGEST QUESTION
BE?
19.IF TIME TRAVEL WAS POSSIBLE, WHICH
HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHY? WHAT WOULD YOU MISS
THE MOST FROM OUR TIME?
I don’t like very much this question…euh,
I do not prefer one period or another, I’m here right now!?! Nothing missed,
nothing more, It was always the same thing!??!
20.WHAT PROLOGUE AND TITLE WOULD YOU
LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO HAVE?
“A mailing confrontation around
‘The Annihil chapter: a source of Fire’ release from Archaeus”.
21.THANK YOU!HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
I hail the Nordic sources of inspiration,
Destructor, and the philosophy of Schopenhauer.
Christine Parastatidou
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