Sainte Obyana Du Froid - "Emotion is the ultimate goal of creation"
- Sparky
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
‘’Sainte Obyana was created somewhat by chance. I had a guitar part that I felt was too different from the project I was working on at the time (LE PROCHAIN HIVER). It was faster, less classical, with quite a lot of synths. I decided to set that riff aside, then I composed the rest of the track, then another one. Within a few weeks, the album was written, it all came very easily and quickly.
Hylgaryss is the creative force that is Sainte Obyana Du Froid along with vocalist Obyana have created their debut masterwork, ‘’The Purest Ending’’ a masterwork over three multifaceted emotional cyclic tracks, it is anger, resolution, serenity and madness encapsulated into one cohesive piece of art that is as extreme as it is hauntingly beautiful. A clear vison of intent and purpose.
‘’I developed the concept at the same time as the music. Very early on, I wanted a very monotone screamed voice, with quite long growls. I had already noticed OBYANA’s voice, so I offered her the project.
‘My goal with my black metal has always been to try to convey a cold and pure atmosphere, far from basic black metal where violence exists only for its own sake. SAINTE OBYANA can probably be seen as a fairly violent album, but that violence is wrapped in reverb and a kind of fog that makes it different.
It has an earthly connection. That is also spiritual?
‘’’The concept is quite spiritual, yes. OBYANA is mad, she believes she can feel the world moving, the seasons, time itself. It’s quite difficult to translate that into music.
‘’Her greatest dream is to become one with nature. She decides to let herself die alone in the snow, motionless in the cold.
The Collaboration with Obyana ?
‘’As I said earlier, I had already heard OBYANA and really liked her voice, but I wasn’t sure it would truly fit. I asked her to try something on a track, I sent her the lyrics, what I had in mind, the result I wanted, what I expected from her.
‘’She sent me a few vocals takes the next day. It was exactly what I wanted. Then, in barely a week, she recorded all the vocals at home in her personal studio.
It reveals the cyclic nature for existence where there is always a new beginning?
‘’There is always something new and changing despite the cycle. Nature is an eternal repetition, but things can change within it. The seasons come and go, but they are never exactly the same. Time passes, day and night alternate, and yet we evolve within this repetition.
‘’We evolve, or, on the contrary, we become weaker. OBYANA wants to break this logic and inevitability by dying through and for nature. She imagines herself superior to others, chosen, and lets herself die.
A harmony that includes sound and emotion?
‘’Emotion must come through, whether through sound, imagery, or simply the text. Emotion is the ultimate goal of creation; otherwise, it is meaningless. If even one person feels something through my music, then it is a success.
The inspiration for the choral and ethereal elements, to create textures and reveal emotions?
‘’The inspiration is religion, more specifically Christianity. I am extremely atheist, I believe in nothing, which is why the satanic black metal scene doesn’t interest me much. Religion itself doesn’t move me.
‘’However, I am in love with Christian art, music, art in general, architecture. It’s that extreme emotional aspect of religion that I tried to bring out through the choirs and the slightly lyrical elements at times.+
‘’It was essential to highlight OBYANA’s madness, she sees herself as a saint, when in reality she is just a completely lost and exhausted woman.
The multi-layered genres within your music?
‘’There are many layers of synths and overlapping sounds. I like writing a guitar riff, looping it for long stretches, then adding synths, removing one melody and replacing it with another, and so on. The music evolves, but the foundation remains the same.
Does this come from a broad listening background and from your other projects?
‘’Yes, I listen to different styles, actually not much black metal, because it pollutes my way of composing. More very dark doom or atmospheric music.
‘’I played a lot of synths in DARK SANCTUARY for 25 years, and I think that remains a part of me. Even if I don’t often use synths in my black metal, OBYANA is the opposite. That’s also why I created it, to do something a bit different from my other projects, even if there are often similarities.
The purest Ending One of the finest moments in recent years. Was it a lengthy creation? And the guidance of an incredible vocal performance/journey?
‘’Thank you very much for those words. No, the track came together quite quickly, actually the whole album did. For once, I didn’t limit myself, which made things easier.
‘’I love the female voice, whether screamed or lyrical, I feel much more emotion than with a male voice. Again, with DARK SANCTUARY we worked on lyrical vocals for 25 years. I used that a lot with LE PROCHAIN HIVER and more recently with VIDE.
‘’But what truly impresses me are OBYANA’s screamed vocals.
The chromesthesia effect of your music? Is it intentional or...?
‘’It’s completely intentional. I always associate a colour with what I listen to and compose. Often it relates to the artwork, but not only. OBYANA feels quite yellow/rust to me, with a real touch of icy blue at times.
‘’I have the idea of composing a work based on synaesthesia, with identical covers but in different colours. I already explored this a bit with BLACK FORTRESS and the “Necessity of Wandering” trilogy, but I want to go further.
How do you define extreme music?
‘’I don’t define anything at all, but my goal is to be as honest as possible in my music, to never lie and not let myself be guided by others’ opinions.
Will there be more Sainte Obyana Du Froid music?
‘’Maybe, but probably in another form. I don’t know yet. The album is a complete work in itself, and I don’t currently see what could follow it. If there is a continuation, it will be much later.
‘’Right now, I am fully focused on LE PROCHAIN HIVER. We composed and recorded a fourth track with OBYANA that isn’t on the album because it didn’t fit the concept, but I needed to compose more for OBYANA. Maybe one day I’ll release it in some form.
Top 6 albums of all time
There’s a bit of everything, but not much black metal—only dark music:
ELEND – Les ténèbres du dehors
TRISTITIA – One with Darkness
DEINONYCHUS – The Silence of December
ANATHEMA – The Silent Enigma
LES CADAVRES – Paris sous la pluie
VERTIGE – Aux solitaires
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