After a decade of silence, Everto Signum returns with "Beastiary," an album unleashing natural disasters as wild beasts through dynamic black metal, blending diverse influences.
1. After
a decade of silence, Everto Signum has returned with Beastiary. What inspired
you to reawaken the band and create this album after such a long hiatus?
Nekruss:
"Beastiary" was being created since our "Synergy" EP
release in 2014. The writing process was slow as we were dedicating a lot of
time to each composition. Simultaneously, we also pushed our parallel projects
forward: the second Carma album "Ossadas" (Funeral Doom Black Metal)
and the debut Lacrau album "Axioma" (Depressive Black Doom Metal).
Writing and producing each of those took a considerable amount of time, so
"Beastiary" was on hold. After the release of "Axioma" in
September 2023, we finally were able to focus on the "Beastiary"
release.
2.
Beastiary is a concept album that beastializes natural disasters as wild
creatures. Can you tell us more about the idea behind this concept and how it
evolved during the songwriting process?
Nekruss: Everto
Signum is an Elemental Black Metal act: elemental as in related to Nature,
natural elements, forces, landscapes and so on. As the new compositions were
coming out very dynamic, with fast riffs intertwined with slower parts and
interludes, these musical structures and the aggressive character of the riffs
suggested this idea of songs behaving as uncontrollable animals. For the album
as a whole, we came up with the concept of a chain reaction of natural
disasters, where each song represents a disaster which is portrayed as a wild
beast. Thus, one disaster is caused by another and one beast morphs into the
next. After this base idea was set into place, we developed it further to
connect the lyrical concept to the instrumental by assigning animalistic traits
to various moods and sections of each song.
3. The
album seems to blend Elemental Black Metal with elements of Death Metal, Prog
Rock, Folk, and Dungeon Synth. How did you approach balancing these diverse
influences while maintaining the core sound of Everto Signum?
Nekruss: Our goal
always was to use traditional Black Metal as a foundation and let our
imagination build freely upon it. The results are pretty diverse: every Everto
Signum song is unique, structure, melody and harmony-wise, and different from
any other song. However, there are common aspects found in all songs that
create this "core sound", as you name it. As for influences, those
just come and go, based on our experiences, on the music we listen to, etc. We
don't restrict our imagination in that regard, but a certain riff influenced,
for example, by Prog Rock has to harmoniously weave into the general fabric of
a song. So it's a matter of transforming and applying this or that influence or
idea in the Everto Signum way.
4. You
worked with Diogo Mota from Gaerea as a session drummer on this record. How did
his drumming style contribute to the intensity and atmosphere of Beastiary?
Nekruss: If you
have ever listened to a Gaerea song, you already know Diogo is a beast behind
the drum kit. He is very technical, precise and creative, and these qualities
made us invite him to work on "Beastiary". He flawlessly played
everything we had in mind while adding his own contributions here and there.
The result is pretty furious and intense, Diogo's drumming is crucial to
"Beastiary".
5. The
visual aspect of Beastiary is quite unique, with artwork created by RF Torres
Valente and an elaborate grimoire-inspired booklet. How important was the
visual component in complementing the album's themes and music?
Nekruss: We wanted
to make something special for the physical release, and we got this idea of a
rough-looking booklet with sharp and elaborate writings and drawings. We got in
touch with RF Torres Valente, a plastic artist with a distinctive drawing style,
and he created a set of magnificent illustrations, one for each song,
seamlessly representing the concepts we describe in the lyrics. The
illustrations came out very detailed and immersive, so we decided to make a
bigger, A5-sized booklet, and print each drawing on a two-page layout for a
maximum visual impact. The lyrics organically appear around the drawing,
similar to what you see in old grimoires, witchcraft and alchemy books (all
these are closely related to Nature and its elements). The custom calligraphy
and layouting were done by Infected Minds, and the booklet is printed on two
different types of texturized paper. In the end, the physical edition of
"Beastiary" came out as a stunning object of art on its own.
6. The
track "Colossus" has already been released with an epic
avalanche-themed lyric video. What can you tell us about the significance of
this track and how it fits into the overall narrative of the album?
Nekruss:
"Colossus" is the first track, (not counting "Genesis" as
it is an opening intro track, even though done in our very own fast-paced Black
Metal style), with a groovy and powerful sound, and is the shortest song from
"Beastiary". Therefore, we decided to release it as a foretaste for
the whole work. The lyrics describe an avalanche caused by an earthquake, so
Infected Minds created an epic and impactful video for this song based on the
lyrics. Since the album concept narrates a story about the chain reaction of
natural disasters, "Colossus" starts this reaction off, which
continues in the next track, "Ophidian".
7. With
Beastiary delving into destructive forces of nature, do you see any
metaphorical connections between the album’s themes and the current state of
the world?
Nekruss:
Interesting question. Forces of Nature bring death and destruction since ever,
those are omnipresent and intrinsic to our world. It is the way of Nature to
create and transform things. Originally, we used this interpretation as a
general inspiration for Everto Signum, as a path for our music and lyrics. So
no, we didn't make it on purpose to portray the current events in the world, if
that's what you are asking, but it still relates very strongly.
8. The
album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Nekruss. How did the self-production
process affect the sound and creative control of Beastiary, and were there any
particular challenges or rewards in handling all aspects of production
in-house?
Nekruss:
"Beastiary" is the third work (after Carma and Lacrau
albums) I am producing by myself and the progress is evident. The control
is absolute, from the choice of the overall sonority and atmosphere to the
smallest details. This is the perfect way for us to work as we craft a certain
release exactly as we want it, without any external restrictions or pressure.
It becomes something special for ourselves as we put a lot of work into the
process. For me, this is a rewarding aspect. I don't think of challenges, but
rather of opportunities to learn, to improve and sometimes even to overcome
myself. While this attitude lasts, expect new art from our collective.
Monumental Rex (@monumental_rex) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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