1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the solo project these days?
SM DRK : Hi, nothing special except the digipack release of « Le Diable en personne » and the composition of new sonic blasphemy. Digital release only. I’m a UG black Metal one-man band and I’m free to do as I please.
2.So far this year you have released 2 ep's and full length, musically how do they differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
SM DRK: As I said, This year is the first official release of one of my digital creations. So this is an important thing. It’s an event for me. So this is a recent achievement. That’s right, you can listen to new stuffs for 2022 in fact 2 albums and 2 EPs. I don’t care about the style of each release. Each album or Ep has its own energy, violence and darkness, it depends on my connections. I like the variety of things and darkness. It’s so vast. I want to explore them, so many things. Darkness is so rich and wide.
3.Since 2019 you also have released a great amount of material, do you spend a lot of your time writing and creating music?
SM DRK : That’s right. Thanks to this fucking pandemic. This booby trap. It was an opportuny for me to go back to basics. Extreme Metal. And I’ve created a lot of miscellaneous things. Nevertheless, it takes me little time to compose and write an album. 3 days max. I compose and I record at the same time. Like a shamanic ritual. So I compose, record, mix and do my mastering in 3 days max. Most of the time I do it in 2 days. But after this, I spend a lot of time listening to my creations. More than spending time creating.
4.A lot of your lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism and anti Christianity themes. Can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
SM DRK : All I have to say is in my music. But yep, Satanism, Occultism and anti Christianity. Anti Monotheism. Distrust of mankind. There are several ways to feel my lyrics. Human being has white and dark sides. But not only. It’s the same for the demons. Religion want to hide this and they lie to control the plebeian.
5.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with your music so far?
SM DRK : Rebellion - Perversion - Sadism - Fratricidal Wars - Lie - Mass Manipulation - Darkness - Murder - Misanthropy - Bestiality - Ancestral Beliefs – Manicheism - Paganism - Celtic Vibes & Magic - Freedom - The Ego…
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Draakanaon'?
SM DRK : My Inner Dragon and the realm of the dead. I live more with the dead than with the so-called living. Time is an illusion. We are an illusion. And we are a connection, we are connected to other dimensions. Not everybody. But one of us. For the brainwashed, I can not say. And I don’t fucking care. They are empty shells.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the current ep cover?
SM DRK: You’re talking about « Saatanisticall ». This is a UG creation. My creation with a personal drawing, a symbol with 2 initials. Those of my late mother. And this is a call. To the dead, the old spirits and entities. This is a call to the real Black Metalheads. A call to the ancestral energy. Satanism is a way to get out of the Lie. Feel your inner demons, your inner ancestral creatures. You think you run your life on your own, but that's not true. It’s your ego talking, day after day. Or governments throught mass manipulation. Slavery. We are not alone. The true satanism knows about it. I don’t like dogmas. They are created by Humans. Humans are unreliable. You have to find your own tools and magic. It is a personal spiritual path.
8.With this project you record everything by yourself but have experience working with musicians in past bands, do you prefer to work solo?
SM DRK : Hellyep ! As I said, I have my spiritual connections. So I don’t need to be part of a band. I have already my own band. I play with my own demons. No compromises with humans. I used to play with other guys, for 20 years. It’s fucking over. But I can do some sonic rituals with spiritual Brothers. Exemple with Maxime Taccardi for TRINITY.
9.In June 'Oaken Shield' released one of your 2021 albums on physical format, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
SM DRK : Oaken Shield is an subsidiary of ADIPOCERE records, a french historical label. Oaken Shield was created in 2001. Adipocere records in 1992. O.S released Blut Aus Nord, Nehëmah,Crystallium, Abime, Blodsrit, Aes Dana, Vociferian, Berserk, Lucifugum….Christian Bivel, the owner was very enthousiastic concerning DRAAKANAON. I send first my first digital album « Veurghh ! ». It was the trigger. Then, we have decided to release « Le Diable en personne ». Because it’s a symbolic creation and the first time I accept to get a cover my somebody else than me. My spiritual brother and great artist Maxime Taccardi . He was fan of Draakanaon and gave encouragement. He likes this album a lot. For me, It was en event and a sacred act. This artist is so gifted and honest. It was a huge honor. No one but him could do this cover. The Devil himself.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
SM DRK : Too soon to tell you. I’m under-underground you know ;-) But those who like DRK like my music a lot. That’s all I can say right now, sorry. I play an UG Black Metal, I don’t want to be a Metal pop star.
11.What are some of your other current musical projects?
It’s not important t
SM DRK : It is not important to talk about it in this interview. Let’s focus on Draakanaon.
12.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
SM DRK : I’m just living my present never looking to the future. As I said, time is an illusion. And my country and Europe are collapsing. This is the end of those civilations. And the brand new one is not better. May be worst. Wait and see. Here in France, it’s totally shitty. 2023 will be shitty, hard, tough with power outages, high taxation, starvation…Bloody mess dude ! So I live my life composing Black Metal until it’s not possible anymore. We’re trapped man ! No one wants to fight till it's too late. There are actually too few of us.
13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?
SM DRK : Love this question !
Ready ?!!!
Terra Tenebrosa, Leviathan (Wrest), KFR and Maxime Taccardi’s side projects, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Hate Forest, Burzum, Arckanum, The Arrival of Satan, Satanic Warmaster, Enthroned, Darkthrone, The true Werwolf, Ende, Orlok, Borgne, Behexen, Gorgon, Nehëma, Branikald, Funeral Winds, Beherit, Marduk, Enevelde, Gaahlskagg, Trelldom, Gorgoroth (until « Ad Majorem »), Impaled Nazarene, Irrlycht, Inquisition, Monarque, Suicide Silence, Serpents Oath, Uvaminator, Mutiilation, Wyrms, Sarcofago (INRI), Archgoat, VON, Conqueror, Blasphemy, Urgehal, Misotheist, Whoredom Rife, Clandestine Blaze, Armagedda, Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Corpus Christii, Manbryne, Venus Star, Inferno, The Pale Riders, KPN, Blurr Thrower, Deus Mortem, Knokkelklang, Nazgul (Spain, 1rst démo is great), Cornigr, Revenge, Spectral Wound, Forgotten Woods, Dominion of suffering, Angr, Mopok, Aegrus and so many others…
I also listen to Demented are Go cause love Psychobilly, The Cramps. Punk music like Samhain and The Misfits (the originals with Glenn Danzig), Undead, Discharge, Wolf Brigage, Doom…Also Danzig…and a lot of Dark Ambient, Indus music like Raison D’être, In slaughter Natives, Cagoule, Mz.412, Lustmord, Zoviet France, Slushy, Nurse with Wound, SPK, Sun O))).
Death Metal like Necrophagia, Autopsy, Entombed, Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Deicide, Massacre…Immolation, I’m a great fan…
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
SM DRK : Support the Underground !!!
Support the true labels, keen and passionate one and forget this mainstream shit.
Support them and not those fucking You tube Channels like BMP. They work for their own interests, not for the bands nor good labels.
Impostors, go to Garbag’hell !!!
And Support Draakanaon and Occult Black Metalzine.
Thank you John Larsen.
Stay impious & Brutal
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