In this interview, we explore the revival of Skog and the re-recording of "En Suivant le Cortège Funèbre." Join us as we dive into the motivations, challenges, and reflections behind this project.
1. What
inspired you to revive Skog after all these years and re-record "En
Suivant le Cortège Funèbre"?
I was a
beginner at the time in recording music and didn't really know how to do it. I
recorded the original version with the means at hand but I've never been
satisfied with the result. The sound is rather poor quality and sometimes, the
guitars are not even in tune... My ear was not as sharp as today, you know... I
really didn't like what I've done and decided to stop the project and create
another one, Mortis Mutilati, to restart on a good basis.
A few
months ago, I was feeling nostalgic and gave a listen to the album and started
playing the riffs, and I said to myself: "Damn, those riffs are not that
bad when the sound is good!" and that's it, I re-recorded the album.
2. How
has your musical style or approach changed since you first recorded the album?
I was a
teenager at the time and I was listening to almost only Black-Metal because you
had to be "true"... Most teenagers are stupid, isn't it? Like
everyone, I was one of them.
I'm an
adult now and I listen to everything that sounds good to me. I'm a big fan of
hard-rock and glam-metal but this is not something you can hear in Skog as I
kept the original scores intact without any modification. I keep my influences
from other styles for Mortis Mutilati.
3. Can
you tell us about the process of re-recording the album? Were there any
significant challenges or surprises?
Well, I recorded the "new" album in my home-studio all by myself. It was not so challenging, nothing really technical to play but the surprise was good when I heard the result (even though it was not mixed yet). I never thought that the songs from Skog could be that great! I wish my "me" from the past could hear it! I was like: "fuck yeah, not bad for a 15 years old guy!"
4. What
emotions or themes do you aim to convey through the music and lyrics of
"En Suivant le Cortège Funèbre"?
Once again,
I was a teenager so I wrote the lyrics of what I had in mind at the time.
Schooling was the worst part of my life and I hated everyone there and I used
Skog to discharge all those negative stuffs to stay healthy. I was 15 years old
and you're full of useless anxiety at that age so I also used that as a fuel
for the music. This might sound a bit childish, I was young...
If I had to
rewrite the lyrics and music today, of course, it would have been more
elaborate.
5. How
do you feel the black metal scene in Paris has evolved since Skog's inception
in 2008?
I was often
hanging out at shows back in the days, the scene was not so bad, but it's not
the case anymore. I don't keep myself informed anymore of what happens in the
Parisian or even French scene. All the new bands all fit into a mold and when
you've heard one of them, you heard them all... Black-Metal has lost all its
wealth and all its charm... Unfortunately.
6. What
does the album title "En Suivant le Cortège Funèbre" mean to you, and
how does it reflect the overall concept of the album?
The title
echoes my hatred for the school system and all of my classmates. Walking in the
rows really made me think about following a funeral procession. Fun fact, I
actually work in the funeral services now.
7. Can
you share any memorable moments or experiences from the original recording
sessions or the live gigs you played in Paris?
It was kind
of memorable because it was my first "real" recording session but
nothing really fun happened. I had way more pleasure recording the new version,
also because the recording conditions were of course better. Live shows were
pretty cool but were not as pro as we are today and this gave me doubts on
being good or not. I don't have that concern anymore today so I enjoy playing
live even more now.
8. What
influenced your decision to keep Skog as a one-man band rather than
collaborating with other musicians?
Music has
always been really personal to me, so I always kept the decision to have my own
projects as one-man-bands and Skog is no exception. It's also a concern of
pride, nothing is more satisfying than listening to an album and thinking
"it's all me". I also had no choice back in time as I was the only
Black-Metal in my area and had no car, no train, no bus, in fact, nothing to
move and meet other musicians.
9. After
this final recording, do you have any plans for future projects, whether within
the black metal genre or in other musical directions?
Skog is not
going to last, there's no new material to be released. We will play a few shows
and then the band will go back to the darkness, where it belongs. I revived it
only to give it a worthy farewell.
But things
will continue with Mortis Mutilati, indeed, we have a new album in the making,
but I don't have a release date to announce yet as we're still in the recording
process. I also play in a hard-rock band called Sleazy Town, we just released a
double album, nothing to do with Back-Metal but the music still rocks, trust
me! I have Voahrt, a dungeon synth project releasing stuffs from time to time
on Bandcamp and finally I play in some friends' bands when they need a hand to
help.
10. How
do you hope listeners will receive the re-recorded album, and what do you want
them to take away from it?
What I hope
is that listeners will also give a listen to the original version that also
contains some demo tracks even older. Even if I don't like it, I'm still
attached to it as I recorded it with all my soul, even if my skills weren't
as good as today. I hope people will enjoy both versions.
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