Interview with MKM vocalist of Aosoth done by Patrick
42 – Male – French – Used to be a die hard “closed minded” active individual in the scene. First time I heard black metal? Outside venom which I hated & still dislike, I guess it was in 91 or so… I don’t recall, back then I was doing a fanzine & tape trading – mostly death metal and from time to time there were recordings sent to me that were “different” & going away from what went mainstream some years after (with the major death metal tours & all that US scene…) I do remember not being too keen on the second darkthrone album when it came out, since I was really into the first one for instance…. I was young – now I consider this album among the faves of those years.
2.Who were some of the first bands you listened to and who are some of your current favorites?
First bands : usual heavy metal bands from the 80s, garage bands from high school trying to copy them, having also myself a band of that vein then – out of those teenage years, I guess only the drummer & I are still involved in the musical scene, he went into violent hxc & well… here I am now. Among bands I did listen to when young : I guess there is none I still listen to. Apart from the 1st g’n’r maybe?! Nowadays : hexen holocaust, impure ziggurat, saqra’s cult, possession are among the ug bands I do listen to lately & non metal : Emma Ruth Rundle latest album.
3.MKM you formed Aosoth in 2002 when did you first get the idea to start this band?And how did you choose Aosoth as the name of the band does it have a special meaning?
We used to rent a reh’ room in Paris for some hours per week with Antaeus, those places are expensive as you can guess & since we were all dispatched around the area, it was the only way for us to get a place with all the equipment already present. Our drummer back then kept on missing reh’ and we would end up having a place for two hours – after a while : working on Antaeus riff was enough and we were anyway performing the same setlist at least 3 to 4 times per week. We decided to switch places & our then second guitar player (thorgon) would go behind the drumkit and we would work on more improvised minimalist mid tempo black metal with lyrics taken from chants of the O9A. This is where the name cames from, a poem linked to that order I did read when I was 16 or so and the image did stick to me for years, up to now.
4.What is the current line up of the band?And who are some of Aosoth's biggest influences?
Line up for this recording : Bst for all music & myself for lyrics/visuals. Influences? Could be anything experienced, to life, from mundane anger to Divine wrath. Abuse, trust, traitors, deception, all of those could be inspiration. Music wise : I have no idea, we kept on being compared to Antaeus on the first two releases while I was just the singer on both – it made no sense especially since those reviews were done for the 3rd era of Aosoth : thus with NO other Antaeus member. When we just had the split mlp & demo : indeed it was a full ANTAEUS line up (minus the drummer) and could have displayed similarities. But when BST came in (after the ambient noise demo time) – I did not feel much of Antaeus. There were even “solos” or thrash elements or speed even at times, which are NOTHING I was or would be into.
5.V:The Inside Scriptures is Aosoth's newest release how long did it take the band to write the music for the new release?
More or less 3 years to compose & record & master the whole album + that split track we did on TERRATUR POSSESSION with Norway’s RITUAL DEATH.
6.MKM you handle the vocals for the band so I figure you write the lyrics for the music? What are some of the topics you wrote about on V:The Inside Scriptures?
Lyrics will be enclosed this time. Each recording is a personal expression of events occurring in my life, engraved with “sounds” & music around it. We are closer to “spoken words” than the “sing along the chorus” type of band.
7.Besides the new release are any of the bands previous releases or other merchandise still available?If yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?
I think they are… Most are available through Agonia webstore (merch & cd & some vinyls), the latest album will be repressed (IV Arrow in Heart) on vinyl for this November. Apart from this, all the split release we did are mostly sold out, maybe WTC has some leftovers from the split lp with Order of Orias. And am confident that there are still copies of the split with RITUAL DEATH there : https://terraturpossessions.com/product/ep/ritual-deathaosoth-split-ep-black-vinyl/
8.MKM I know you have been a part of the black metal scene for many years how do you feel the black metal scene has evolved over the years?
Without considering it to be dead, it’s obviously not matching my vision & what I experienced back in the early 90s. No nostalgic though, it did happen that way, it died somehow & there is something new going on. It has its interesting points but also way too many bullshits I don’t relate to. Black Metal : SATAN. All those crust/anarcho/Antifa/Emo/pagan
9.Besides working in Aosoth I know you have been active with many other bands over the years. Are you currently working with any other bands or projects at this time?
Antaeus has had Condemnation out on CD/LP last year.
Martröð just had its tape version out of the mlp we released a while back, it seems like a new recording might happen in the near future.
No time for anything else for now (nor the cash either tbh)
10.Aosoth comes out of France's black metal scene what is your opinion of France's black metal scene?
No opinion about any scene in general. I only take in consideration bands in which individuals I respect are involved. Your music can be as impressive as it is, if I consider the individual as lame : I wont pay attention. We are not in contact with much bands from around here anyway.
11.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of France?And are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out?
DEATHSPELL OMEGA / MASSACRA / MUTILATED – then : Hell Militia, Blacklodge, Temple of Baal, Belektre - Satanicum Tenebrae…. New bands : NECROBLOOD obviously & Impure Ziggurat / Hexen Holocaust. Ritualization also has had quite its impact lately in their genre.
12.Thank you MKM for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?
AMSG
Band Contacts
https://www.facebook.com/aosoth/
https://soundcloud.com/aosoth
Label Contacts
http://agoniarecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/agoniarecords
