1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Thysia have been living for at least two years but, of course, issues linked to this shallow age of pestilence have slowed down all our activities a lot. Nefasto first collected a few riffs along a style reminiscent of CRAFT, TANGORODRIM, early MAYHEM and so forth. At first Nefasto tried to play and sing over the songs but the vocals weren't sounding alright at all, so Mrak joined in on vocals and completed the line-up with Mistyr on drums and Nihil on bass.
2.You have a new album coming out in April, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
“Islands in Cosmic Darkness” is our very first offering. It's a step into the certainty of death as well as an affirmation of the power of darkness. Musically speaking, it's got many twists but also a big focus on the riffs. We aim at giving a clear, well-honed take of what and where we are on a sonic level at the moment.
3.Most of the band members also have experience playing in other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Thysia' that you where not able to do with your previous groups?
Thysia is a vehicle to manipulate sounds we are all attracted by. Our precise intention is to craft something different than what you hear in our other projects of the present and the past, albeit there might be a bunch of subliminal connections here and there. It's not a problem, though. You are what you are and you can't escape your inner nature.
4.Some of the band members also have a background playing in death and doom metal bands. how would you compare the black metal style of this band to the other genres of metal that you have experience working with?
It's a matter of atmosphere. It's all there is, really, no matter the subgenre you're playing. Metal with no atmosphere is completely and utterly useless. You get profoundly dark vibrations off early CELTIC FROST, TROUBLE, NECROVORE, KVIST, DREAM DEATH or Obsessed by Cruelty-era SODOM, but they're all different, aren't they? In the end, it's got to evoke something from beyond. If it doesn't, it's a failure.
5.A lot of your lyrics cover Greek Mythology themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
Nefasto is pretty much into that and has been digging it for years. He plays in Assumption, a band which featured some Aeschilus-influenced, Promethean-themed tunes in 2018 already (on the Absconditus album). He's from Sicily, a land where the Greek civilization first established itself as a major force in the VIII century b.C., and you can definitely feel the link with the greatness of this past if you travel across the region. Not a lot of the lyrics on the album deal with this subject but there definitely is an influence on three songs, i.e. Psallo, Phrenes and Scorched Bronze Earth. Sometimes the past is re-imagined and serves as a vehicle for pure elaboration, so you'll have to look deep inside to find out your own way through this imagery.
6.I know that the bands name means 'ritual sacrifice ' in Greek, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
It's pretty evident that our sound is, by all means, a ritual sacrifice. It's dark, sharp and violent.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Our bass player drew that one and took care of all the graphic work and layouts. It's a representation of our sound, in a way: snakes intertwining deep into the abyss. He has also elaborated a three-parts story in three images that will be unveiled in the future. They represent the quest for a place where man can meet the divinity, but ultimately the only god man finds is death itself.
8.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
Yes, Thysia will perform live on selected occasions.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
We don't know, the album hasn't been released yet.
10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Messa and Assumption are the most active ones, both live and in the studio. Bottomless have a new album coming out later in 2023, same goes for Becerus. Mistyr is deeply involved in a heavy-duty live schedule with Messa and more is coming on the live front with Nefasto's Shrieking Demons, too.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are not scared to use whatever it takes to make Thysia's music as threatening as ever. Still, it's a black metal band at its core and we will never take that element out.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Some were listed above, but I'd surely add DARKTHRONE, BATHORY, early ROTTING CHRIST, VARATHRON, The Shining Pentagram-era NECRODEATH, PENTAGRAM (Chile), very early SATYRICON, HELLHAMMER.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Worship the void.
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