Your new album Verbia Daemonicus has been generating quite a furore in the
underground. Can you give more insight into its creation and your intent behind
it?By Bradley Smith
Your new album Verbia Daemonicus has been generating quite a furore in the
underground. Can you give more insight into its creation and your intent behind
it?
Molokh: After Infestvvs released the demo, we both knew there was something going on with Obscurus Advocam... That gloomy feeling I liked a lot. It was unordinary in a way, because it was trying to go thoroughly in the path it had chosen: sincere! So after that we decided to join our forces and create something faithful to the spirit of the demo. But in the meantime, we wanted something different from what black metal generally offers. We have lots of influences and we don’t confine ourselves to Metal. I think “Verbia Daemonicus”, though it clearly remains a black metal act, is the result of those two intentions. It’s something you can feel in the album and that’s why it is so different from the demo. It’s all about staying close to the original idea and accepting the full potential of our influences.
It seems to me that there is more philosophical depth to Obscurus Advocam than the average band. Can you shed some light on the concept behind OA and some of the motivations of its members?
Molokh: Obscurus Advocam is the kind of band in which we can really let everything go and express our feelings & imagination. We have no boundaries. Thus the lyrics are merely personal. Another point is that the writing process has been very long, more than two years, and it allowed us to really think about what we were doing. When we start composing, we already have in mind the concept & the direction of the album. There are a lot of black metal releases performing great music but most of them suffer from a lack of coherence. They keep on repeating the same things all the time, with no personality. Once again, we wanted to differ by achieving a real work on the music, on the lyrics, on the artwork, and make it a whole.
One of the more unique musical applications within your compositions is the expanded role of the Bass guitar. It seems in most metal bands this is a much under utilized instrument. How do you view your music in respect to that instrument? Why do you think that the bass guitar is so neglected?
Molokh: Well, if you listen to Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis” for instance, it’s not! But I agree with you, the bass guitar is far from being really exploited in most of black metal bands. But I sure know why we counted so much on it for this album. First, we have a good bass guitar player and I think Infestvvs did an amazing job. We also realized that bass tunes were able to give our music another dimension. I’d say it’s like the difference between a still picture and seeing things with your own eyes: The bass guitar definitely brings depth, it allows you to focus on a certain point that was out of the frame of the picture. You couldn’t even see it. There’s a lot of riffs we found on the guitar that ended up sounding completely different once the bass guitar joined in. The music we do is often based on atmospheres or mid-paced riffs. Therefore it leaves a lot of place for additional arrangements. Also, in regard to what I said earlier on our various influences, the bass guitar was able to open our music to different genres, especially that “rock feeling” that is overwhelming through the bass lines. I’m just repeating myself, but we don’t want to confine our music to black metal.
The cover art and theme of the booklet inlays are quite artistic and somewhat strange. What do they represent and how do you feel the visual aspects play into the band as a whole?
Molokh: They represent a figurative and symbolic apprehension of the album. We
consider our music as a variation of different moods, of several intuitions, and
collisions of feelings. As for the artwork, it’s exactly the same: It’s rather
personal and emotive. Therefore you won’t find one good answer to your question.
I have my own & you have yours. It gives an abstract feeling. The message is
clear: Build your own ideas & path. Graphics are completely part of the whole.
For instance, we didn’t choose a standard black metal cover because we’re opened
to different kinds of music and to different arts in general way. Phrenologik,
the designer who worked on those layout, understood it very well, by choosing
opposite colors, by evoking hybridity with the objects he used, and so on...
The members of Obscurus Advocam are involved in several other projects, namely Glorior Belli, Wolfe and Temple of Baal. Can you tell how Obscurus Advocam differs in regards to those projects and how the members manage to separate themselves mentally for each musical entity?
Infestvvs: Well, if you listen to the albums you will already hear one difference. Glorior Belli's debut album is raw and brutal, like a fist in your face, while Obscurus Advocam's one is more about atmospheres. Though we deal with the Occult side in both bands, the message is a bit more sophisticated in O.A. (with metaphors and such). Another big difference is that I have written the whole album with Molokh while I'm the only one who composes in G.B. by example. Therefore, the writing process has been longer than "usual". We wanted to give a special feeling to Verbia Daemonicus. Each band is definitely unique. It's not a big deal to play in several bands as long as you have enough time for each.
The word Dedication comes into play in regards to some bands. What does that concept mean to you? How do you feel a band can display dedication to their art and what do you yourself do as a representation of that abstract concept?
Infestvvs: We're not acting. We're not trying to be famous. We're dedicated in what we do because we stay simple & effective. It took quite a long time, and many efforts to release "Verbia Daemonicus". I'm not sure that everyone can do the same thing without dedication.
In the recent years the French metal Scene has been claiming a great level of respect for itself on the world scene after years of obscurity. What do you think gave rise to this birth of great bands(Deathspell Omega, Antaeus, Blut Aus Nord) and explosion of creativity that has lent this new aura of Darkness to the French scene?
Molokh: I don’t think we can talk about a french style as we talked about a scandinavian one for instance. To me, it’s more bands or individuals claiming to be very different from others. Bands you’re referring to don’t have much in common, except that they are all unique. This explosion of creativity you’re talking about has no other reason than isolated people being very creative. Otherwise I think France would have one or two labels promoting these bands if they were part a specific scene or “school”. But look at the facts: Noevdia gathers Deathspell Omega and Antaeus, but also Katharsis, Ofermod, Ondskapt and many foreign bands that can’t be associated with the so-called “French scene”. Same for Blut Aus Nord. And we, even if we wouldn’t dare to compare Obscurus Advocam to such bands, found a foreign label (Battle Kommand Records, in the USA) to produce and release our album. NO ONE was interested in our own county. There ain’t no french scene to me, at least not for bands you’re talking about, only individuals. But I’m not complaining about that, I’m sure it’s better that way.
On your webpage it describes your music as Bursting forth into different dimensions. What different dimensions exist and do they have some sort of influence on our world? How do we unite these dimensions within our realm of influence?
Molokh: Different "musical" dimensions. During the composition, we have experienced different moods & situations which had affected the music. The seven songs contain several approaches, almost all different from one to another. That’s what is meant by “bursting forth into different dimensions”. But of course, those dimensions come from a deep and constant relationship to our environment. So they don’t have an influence on the world in the first place, they have an influence on us. But if you’re not able to unite those dimensions, to make you’re own path, you’re dead. That’s what this album is about: Canalizing different feelings and putting them together to make a whole, like a personal journey.
In the domain of Religion there is both a positive and a negative angle traditionally. How do you see these two the angles playing off each other and why is the negative reflection of the light the one that draws most musical extremists?
Infestvvs: Let's take a concrete example from our album, the title "Endarkenment". We could also call it "Enlightenment" because that's what it really is about, and that's how you're supposed to understand it. But we chose to keep the negative aspect, with the eyes of the Religion.
Where they see the darkness, I see the light. Where they see damnation, I see my deliverance. But, "Negativism" suggests rebellion & fight. The word itself is connotated. And that's our message. One has to fight for his deliverance.
The quote that is placed all over your website and blog and advertising is “merely a key, am I, no path to greater spheres.” Can you expand upon this concept somewhat? What does the key unlock? How can one be an instrument to unlocking some sort of hidden or obscured secret?
Infestvvs: This sentence is taken from "Verbia Daemonicus" (the track) and has to be associated with the rest of the lyrics if you want to fully understand its meaning. The first words are "A guide for so few, a curse to so many...", talking about Lucifer - the bringer of light (knowledge). He is the one standing in twilight, the one who challenges the demiurge. You can only be granted if you dwell at his side. Connect your synapses, find the key; build your own path. There is no real reward without fight and this one is inside your mind. Our music is a proposal that should be completed by the listener. I think the lyrics explain quite well how to unlock this door and what’s behind it.
If you could see the earth destroyed, how would you like to see it achieve its demise?
Infestvvs: Snapped like a bitch by a big fucking black hole.
What plans do you have for Obscurus Advocam in the near future?
Infestvvs: If we have the possibilities, we'd like to make some gigs or even a tour.
Do you have any Final Words for the readers?
Thanks for your interest. Merely a key am I, no path, to greater spheres.