KHAOS-DEI INTERVIEW

April, 2018

Black metal with eerie passages with mystical atmosphere and orchestral embellishments from the enchanting French shore where one can experience outstanding Bordeaux wine and eternal beauty Lacanau… This is Khaos-Dei. They have released Opus II: Catechism album from Osmose Productions at the end of 2016. There has always been many things to talk with these charismatic guys Patrick and Fabrice, on the same time one of the influential musicians of dark arts…

Hello, how are the things going on for the band lately?

Patrick: Pretty good, we released CATECHISM and for the moment all is well. It is the continuity of our first album, based on our evolution. We are obviously proud of all this but it is part of a natural approach. It is always the result of the work done for a time but it is only a stage in our personal evolution towards the light of the one who dazzles us. We will continue to work, we cannot tell you everything but we are still in a boil. We are united by the belief that KHAOS-DEI is the reason we had to meet. You cannot miss out on that.

Latest album Opus II: Catechism is released on December 2016. I am very fond of “Tell Them Lucifer Is Her”e album but “Opus II” made me to experience the Luciferian light while dragging through eerie passages with its mystical atmosphere and orchestral embellishments. How do you define your experiences in psychological and musical sense for “Opus II: Catechism”?

P: KHAOS-DEI is a continuation of life and indeed “catechism” once again consolidates the foundations of our foundations. We erect our temple as a philosopher would enrich its culture. Step by step. It is not a particular part that we build but a life of personal enrichment. In the end our music is almost secondary. We use its vibrations to get our message across. KHAOS-DEI lives daily, from the inside is what we call our black art. We are obliged to build the temple of our knowledge and not to look too much at what it is doing around us.

Please tell us the composition process of “Opus II: Catechism” album. What were your influences? How did those songs come to light?

P: From our lives. We do this naturally, KHAOS-DEI is not an inspired farce. Musically old black metal bands and spiritually we draw our knowledge in the theory of chaos we apply to our own lives. Catechism is the natural evolution of our first album. We are locked in our temple, where everything happens. We could write a book of all this but we decided to make it simply musical vibrations largely surrounded by texts. It is necessary to know that the words are rather complex in the symbolic. “The child of the Devil” speaks mainly of the general atmosphere of the moment and how we are there, our birth. Although it is very personal and codified, each member of the band can easily identify. This is the kind of lyrics I wanted to write for a while and that I suggested to the other members. I wanted to take stock of the past, speak present and especially the future. “The nucleus of Chaos” allows to return directly in a much more black metal atmosphere. We speak of awakening of black flame. “Where you fall” tells how we must serve, always in a spiritual way. Under the black banner can be legitimized by a parallel we create between war and our faith. It is somewhat the principle of all religions… more or less asserted. “An entire army”, one is typically in the absolute, the ritual, the end of the mass, ecstasy. The last couplet is purely ingrained in deep faith.

You used many orchestral works for Opus II album between songs. Especially “Là où les mots ne parlent plus” is an enchanting track. Which orchestra did you work with? How is their reaction to Khaos-Dei music?

P: It was in November 2014 before the release of our first album. Here again we were in the continuity of the musical composition, the construction of KHAOS-DEI. I imagined this music in several parts. It is Fabrice who brought the idea to add classical instrumentations. I did not agree, we discussed it a lot and finally all agreed. Our friend Johann Soustrot is the first violin of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. We offered him a base of classical music. In the end, he played the violins entirely. It was a total success, we were satisfied. The album could not be finished better.

F: It was a challenge without falling into caricature. Our keyboardist has composed everything and the idea has come to include a violinist friend who lives in Sweden. It stuck right away and as Patrick says, we are surprised the good returns of this track.

For me, “Une Armee Entiere” song sounds like coming from Pandemonium…

P: There’s no different vocal style. I always sing as I wish or feel at the moment.

F: Pandemonium? Very good choice, yes for my part I think it’s a good comparison, this song IS “the capital”… You understood everything.

What are the plans for Khaos-Dei. You had a tour with Mayhem, so, any other live shows? Videos? Albums in the near future?

P: We continue to work and we cannot communicate on it at this time. There are things foreseen but until the last moment everything can tilt. Not because of KHAOS-DEI but again and as I say very regularly … some people who say they are reliable turn out to be a little less when it comes to making things happen.

F: We just saw it… without going into details … I think KD is a cursed band in a way but it suits us. We learn every day, the more we are disappointed the more we advance!

Tell us more about album cover. What kind of impact do you want to create by this?

P: All religions will be led to take up arms one day or another. We have proof of this lately. All extremists have inevitably gone through the learning of their religion, the construction of their temple. We laid the foundations of the building with our first album and we are now in the total development of all this. The message is simple… We will all be led to take up arms. Just choose your camp and the right time. Ours is obvious. Our battle is sacred, our gods are sacred. Everything is in the album.

How is the black metal scene in France lately?

P: We have very little relationship with the other metal bands. We make a music that bears the label of “metal” but it stops there.

F: The French scene is doing well, very well! We have some contacts with certain groups or some members, references of the style also that I will say for me.

As being a horror story author, I have been working on why we are into horror themes of darkness, demonology, dreadful stories, unknown realms, mystical doctrines, death. Black metal has strong interests in these topics in its music and its image. What do you think? Why are you into if you think so? Is it something natural-born?

P: These themes for some are dreamlike. While we, we live this daily. I do not feel close to another artist in my way of approaching these images that are totally part of my life. I think we were born with that in our hearts.

F: Strongly agree with Patrick, that’s exactly it.

What do you think about the future of black metal? Could you predict what kind of influences will be strong on black metal in ideology and technique? In terms of scene, will it be narrower by time after new trends or stabile with die-hard fan as ever as?

P: I think there’s something happening about black metal. The media are increasingly interested in it because they realized it was something other than all the shit we wanted to swallow. However I live in my own bubble and I have very little contact with the people who make this music. So it’s hard for me to answer. I do not know. We will continue to do what we want to do.

F: I totally forbid myself now, we make our way without worrying about others, and we are in our sphere.

Originally published on Filhakikat.net.