Victoria (Vocals) ‘’With "Enochian Keys - Chvpter I", we began to draw the directive line of our music, influenced by all the things we liked. More symphonic than the EP, more orchestral, but with dark ambient. We wanted this even more for "Rites of the Damned - Chvpter II", going through some abyssal and unexplored places, and to turn off the light.Moreover, even if Clement (our drummer) composed all the drums on our previous album, we had the opportunity, for the new album, to record them in a studio in last September. We also decided to have an external point of view on our music, so we contacted a French videogame composer (whose work we liked), whose name is Paul Darbot, to create an introduction that fitted to our whole compositions. The result was mind-blowing, he understood the ambience and the purpose of the album. The production of the album is more careful as well.
’At last, we wanted to have an artwork designed by an artist, to present our new songs. And as the themes went darker and darker, we changed our logo that corresponds now more to our music.
Is it part of an overall concept that furthers the exploration of the Etwas ...
‘’Yes. The "Chvpter I" dealt with occult arts as the alchemy, the necromancy, the divination... People began to stare into the dark side and the unknown, that can be very seductive. And, this way, souls get damned. "Chvpter II" naturally deals with the rites of these damned souls and what they became, from ghosts and possessions to witchcraft and invocations.
It is a deeper, more ambient yet orchestral release…
‘’We wanted something darker, deeper, more emotional and heart touching than our previous album. So, there are more pianos, more violins and cellos, more brass, everything that can envelop you in a black veil. It was a real will for us all to go this way, to achieve a little more of this dark atmosphere. So, the themes came easily.
It is a much ‘’bigger’ ’sounding album with new recording techniques..
‘’Yes. We took even more time on the production, to make it sound as we wanted: omnipresent and consuming. And the drums recorded in studio brought a really different sound than the previous album. It is one more step for us.
It is also darker, much darker..
‘’In addition to the album's darker vibe, so are the lyrics. Indeed, the point of view became internal. We don't just tell different stories, we live them. All songs are an invitation to join some witchcraft circle, to sit around a spiritism table, to participate to rites. To be entirely in the album atmosphere and to live it.
Also, with a touch of violence and speed…
‘’By playing the album on stage, we all progressed as musicians. We also discovered other bands to listen to, with a huge symphonic screed and violent riffs, drums, and vocals. And we thought they were really amazing. So, without wanting it, it influenced our new compositions.
The introduction of Edgar Allen Poe ...
‘’Edgar Allan Poe is one of the biggest names of gothic style and is an endless source of inspiration. Our second track is intitled "The Masque of the Red Death" and deals with the story he wrote. A century and a half later, his work still lives by being an influence on other kind of art.‘’And we didn't just refer to Edgar Allan Poe, but also to Albert Laighton, an American poet of the 19e century, with his poem "The Necropolis", which is read to open and to close the album.
Also, Gilles de Rais, an unusual historical figure, an aid to Joan of Arc and a serial Killer?
‘’The portrait of Gilles de Rais is painted though our ninth track, entitled "Litanies of Darkness". It was a corresponding theme because, by the loss of Joan of Arc, he did the worst we can ever imagine. In addition to this, I wrote the lyrics because of a loss too, I lost my best friend few months ago, and this last one always wanted to write about Joan of Arc, certainly her favorite historical figure. So, this song is a tribute, a thought to her to never be forgotten.
It is an album that contains many different vocal styles.
‘’As the new tracks were more violent and faster, the lyrical voice was not suitable on all structures, so I took growl and scream lessons to fit them, contacting Marion Bascoul, the vocalist and guitar player of Aephanemer. In addition to the lessons, I worked a lot on my own on both lyrical and saturated voices, watching videos and entertaining the most.
The literature of your lyrics. Their influence/inspiration in your music?
‘’As long as I remember, I always was fascinated by dark and untold things. I read a lot of real or fictional stories, I had dived into series and movies with themes I liked, listening to hours and hours of music, taking the most information I could to put them into lyrics. And, of course, they are some parts that I created. The lyrics are easier to write and to put into music when it is something that touches you and that is a part of you.
The Bloodmoon invocation..
‘’The moon is a symbol in all gothic myths and legends: werewolves that transform under a full moon, vampires who live at night, ghosts that haunt the living... It is something both strangely luminous and mysterious that gives a glimpse to the unknown.The Bloodmoon is a symbolic moment for rituals, full of energy and power. And in this song, it is the moment for witches to consume rituals upon an altar, around the fire, invoking dark forces in a special night to unite the living and the dead.
Etwas connection to witchcraft and the occult…
‘’We are deeply passionate by these subjects. We think about them when we compose and when we write. It is the atmosphere we like to feel and to share with people. And since, more personally, since college, people used to and still use to define me as a witch (I was born redhead and always liked dark and strange things), I decided to play this card. And I express myself through the lyrics I write without any constraint or restraint. Etwas music is a vector of freedom and sincerity for me.
Chapter III...
‘’There will be a Chvpter III. We are at the premises of the composition for now. But we are already thinking about it, to work on it in the most efficient way.